Bingxin waved her hands frantically and begged, “Please don’t do that, Xiaotao-jiejie! I promise I’ll do whatever you ask me, just please don’t tell my dad!”

“Okay,” said Xiaotao. “Then I’ll ask you to go home now.”

Bingxin pouted like a petulant child.

“But I want to solve the case with you!” she argued. “My dad is a police officer, and all my uncles and aunts are police officers too! Yet no one will let me join the police force! I really want to solve a murder case and catch the bad guys! Just like Song Yang-gege!”

Tears welled up in her eyes. I could see that her claims were sincere. I completely understood her feelings and the predicament that she was in, so I sympathized with her.

“Why don’t you let her help us, Xiaotao?” I suggested. “She’s an expert in toxicology. Her knowledge might come in handy.”

Xiaotao heaved a long sigh.

“Fine,” she said. “You can come with us. But you must always obey my orders, understood?...