Volume 2: Family Massacre

On her day off, Lin Dongxue received a call from Chen Shi. Chen Shi asked, “Miss Lin, is it your day off today?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You haven't forgotten that you promised me a meal, right? I just finished a few trips and now my stomach is rumbling!”

Lin Dongxue remembered this incident. At that time, she had only casually agreed. She didn’t expect Chen Shi to remember. She relented, “Okay, I’ll invite you to dinner. Can you pick me up?”

“Address!”

Lin Dongxue asked Chen Shi to wait for her at HuaYun Commercial Building. After arriving at the building, Chen Shi looked left and right but didn’t see her. Suddenly, a beautiful woman in a green dress and dark green crop-jacket pulled the door open. Chen Shi’s eyes lit up. “It’s you. I didn't recognize you!”

Lin Dongxue’s casual clothes were usually fairly androgynous. Today, she was wearing an outfit that was all newly bought. She asked, “Are you complimenting me?”

“What do you think? Clothes are good. The person is even better. Nobody would believe me even if I were to say that you’re a police officer.” Chen Shi smiled.

Lin Dongxue groaned, “If you say it like that, does that mean that police officers don’t look good?”

“Police officers aren’t that cute. At least not from the ones I’ve seen.” 

“This guy has a slick tongue! How many officers have you even seen?”

Lin Dongxue thought that Chen Shi would take them somewhere expensive, but the restaurant he picked was just a very ordinary restaurant. He ordered a few small dishes in the store. Lin Dongxue took out a thick envelope from her bag. “This is the reward from last time.”

Chen Shi took it in his hand and counted it. There were two thousand yuan in total. He asked, “Half each?”

“No, this is all yours. I think this case was basically solved by you alone, so the reward should belong to you!”

“Then I will kindly accept your offer. Thank you!”

Lin Dongxue opened her mouth in surprise, “You are not polite at all, are you?”

“I have collected the money so I will pay for this meal. How’s that?”

“No, no, I said I would be the one to treat you for this meal.”

After a while, the food was served on the table. Chen Shi gobbled the food down as if it was exceptionally good. As she watched him eat, Lin Dongxue began to feel hungry herself, so she ate half a bowl of rice more than normal. In her heart, she immediately regretted her decision, as she was probably going to gain weight again. 

While eating, Chen Shi chatted about the strange things that he usually encountered when he flagged people down for work. Lin Dongxue thought this person to be an ordinary driver no matter how she looked at him.

Lin Dongxue interrupted him and asked, “I am very curious. How do you know how to solve cases? Have you received any special training?”

Chen Shi poured the soup on his rice. “Didn’t we agree that you won’t ask me about this?”

“I’m curious! Besides, I am a police officer. If you refuse to talk about it, I could just investigate it.”

“Then you go and investigate. A person's past is not something that can be summarized in black and white on a piece of paper, let alone a person with a rich life such as myself.”

“Tch, trying to act all mysterious.”

After lunch, Chen Shi offered, “Since it’s your day off and I just earned 2000[1], shall I treat you to watch a movie?”

“You wish!” Lin Dongxue pulled a face. “Eating is one thing, but I’m not familiar with you or anything, uncle.”

“Just you wait, since there’s chances for us to still meet anyway.” 

“Oh, save that crap. I won’t come to find you again!”

The two walked to the bustling area and Chen Shi stopped at the entrance of a movie theatre. “Mission Impossible 6 just came out. Do you want to watch it together?”

“What's the appeal in a movie that just has fighting here and there?” Lin Dongxue looked disdainful.

“Tom Cruise is so handsome; A lot of young girls like him.”

“Tch, well I don't like it!”

Chen Shi went straight into the cinema and bought two tickets by himself. He offered, “The movie starts in 20 minutes. Wanna watch it? Wanna watch?”

Lin Dongxue hesitated. Since she was busy with work normally, she hadn’t been in a cinema in years. She was a little tempted. 

Chen Shi neogitated, “How about this? We can go in and watch for a bit. If you don’t enjoy it, I will treat you to dinner at night as compensation.”

“You have such thick-skin!” Lin Dongxue was speechless.

“Come on, I want to see it too!”

Lin Dongxue reluctantly agreed. Just as she was about to enter the cinema, Lin Dongxue’s phone rang. It was Lin Qiupu’s call. She thought that something urgent had happened back at the station. She did not expect Lin Qiupu to say immediately, “Where did you run off to?!”

“What's up?”

“Didn’t I tell you that you have a matchmaking session today? The guy has been sitting at the restaurant for an hour!” 

“Ah, I forgot! Tell me which restaurant it is. I’ll go there now.”

After hanging up the phone, Lin Dongxue looked really depressed. Chen Shi asked, “What’s up? Need to go to a blind date? No wonder you dressed so beautifully today. I’m sadder than you are!”

“Nonsense, if I remembered that I was going on a blind date, I wouldn’t have worn this.”

“So, then… You dressed up for me?”

Lin Dongxue’s face went red and she stomped on Chen Shi’s foot grumpily. Chen Shi yelped in pain. “Your face is like an open book.”

“Who told you to ask me something like that! Girls like to dress up nicely every so often. Is it necessarily for someone to see? Straight-male cancer!”[2]

“Can’t I be wrong? Right, I will drive you there!”

“No thanks, didn’t you just buy tickets to go watch a movie? You should go watch it by yourself.” Lin Dongxue declined before turning away.

After a few steps, Chen Shi caught up and said, “I will take you!”

“What about your tickets?”

“I’ll give them away!”

“Give it away?” Lin Dongxue was surprised.

“Your business is more important!” Chen Shi smiled.

Lin Dongxue’s heart was touched. Although she knew that this was a man’s pick-up routine, she didn’t mind it coming from Chen Shi.

Chen Shi drove Lin Dongxue to the restaurant. When he stopped, he gave some advice to Lin Dongxue. “Blind dates aren’t that big of a deal. You don’t need to be too nervous. Just make some small talk.”

“Which eye of yours sees that I’m nervous?”

“Alright, alright, you aren’t nervous then. You just kept looking at the mirror and fiddling with your hair without saying anything, that’s all.”

“I don't say a word because... I didn’t want to talk to you!” Lin Dongxue glared at him and pushed the door open to get off.

Lin Dongxue walked into the restaurant and glanced at the guests who were eating. Suddenly, she felt very nervous. A man wearing a suit, tie, and gold-rimmed glasses waved her over. “Are you Miss Lin?”

“Ah... You are...” Lin Dongxue suddenly forgot his surname.

“My surname is Li!” When the man smiled as the skin around his eyes creased. His appearance was decent, but his face and his hair were oily. It felt like there was a layer of oil on him, making Lin Dongxue very uncomfortable when looking at him.

“Miss Lin you’ve dressed very beautifully today; Even more beautiful than the photo!” said the man as he looked her up and down. His perverted eyes made Lin Dongxue even more uncomfortable. 

After she took a seat, the man began to introduce himself and asked her a few questions. How many people were in her family, whether they were locals, and what academic qualifications she held were all among the questions raised. Lin Dongxue answered each question one by one, but felt very bored.

Blind-dates are as boring and horrible as the legends say.  

The dishes on the table didn't move at all. Listening to the man endlessly talk about his experiences as a student overseas, Lin Dongxue's thoughts drifted away.

She suddenly saw a person standing outside the window. After taking another look, it was actually Chen Shi who was smiling and waving enthusiastically at her.