Chapter 263: After the Turmoil

Lin Dongxue wrapped slices of roast duck, scallions, and cucumber in a pancake, stuffed it in her mouth, and exclaimed, “Mmm… This is so good.”

Chen Shi suggested, “How about some beer?”

Lin Dongxue clapped her hands, “Yes! Yes!”

Peng Sijue, calmly rolling his pancake, said, “Dongxue, you usually don’t drink at gatherings.”

“It’s different when I’m with you guys,” Lin Dongxue smiled. “If people find out a girl can drink, she’ll definitely get pressured to drink more at dinners.”

Today was April 16th, and a big news story had rocked the internet. Yu Hua Pharmaceutical’s harmful algorithm was making headlines on major news portals, with nearly ten thousand victims preparing to sue the company.

However, the three people who exposed the scandal were not in high spirits. Lin Qiupu had disciplined Lin Dongxue, docking her pay for six months. Although Peng Sijue was of the same rank as Lin Qiupu, he was also involved and voluntarily asked the director for a penalty.

Chen Shi, being an outsider, merely got scolded and faced no significant consequences. To lift their spirits, he invited Peng Sijue and Lin Dongxue out for a meal. Peng Sijue didn’t like hot food, and Lin Dongxue wasn’t interested in steaks or Japanese cuisine, so they chose this famous roast duck restaurant.

After eating and drinking until six, everyone felt a bit better. Chen Shi suggested they head home. Lin Dongxue asked, “Can you give me a ride?”

“I planned to drink tonight, so I didn’t drive. Besides, I have some personal matters to attend to,” Chen Shi replied.

“Alright, I’ll take a cab,” Lin Dongxue said, feeling a bit disappointed.

“Be careful on your way home!”

Leaving the restaurant, Chen Shi and Peng Sijue walked together. “You’re acting strange today. You usually offer to drive Dongxue home.”

“Tonight, I’m meeting another woman.”

“Who?” Peng Sijue asked nonchalantly.

“The real Chen Shi who died gave me a bank card with over a million yuan. He also had a girlfriend living in Dragon City. I feel guilty keeping the money, so I’m going to give it to her.”

“This late?”

“Why don’t you come with me? It’ll be less awkward than meeting her alone, especially since I look like her boyfriend. As a forensic expert, you can help explain things.”

“No, I’ve had enough to drink. I’m going home to sleep.”

“You heartless guy!”

After parting with Peng Sijue, Chen Shi arrived at Su Ruijuan’s place. Thinking it was better to meet outside, he called her from downstairs using the number he got from Wang Daji’s phone.

In a short while, Su Ruijuan, wearing pajamas, excitedly ran downstairs. Seeing Chen Shi, her eyes lit up, and she immediately hugged him, rubbing her face against his chest. “Where have you been? I’ve been trying to call you.”

“Uh…” Chen Shi felt awkward and gently pushed her away. “You should change your clothes. I have something to tell you.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” Su Ruijuan asked, panic in her eyes.

“What are you talking about? Just change your clothes.”

“Wait for me here!”

After changing her clothes, Su Ruijuan pulled Chen Shi’s arm and asked where they were going for dinner. Chen Shi cleared his throat, “Sister-in-law…”

“Sister-in-law? Are you mocking me? I slept with your brother years ago, and now you want to pick a fight?”

“Calm down and listen to me…”

After much effort, Chen Shi finally explained everything. Su Ruijuan couldn’t believe it at first. She grabbed his arm and looked at his hand. “He had a scar here. You really aren’t Chen Shi. Why do you have his face?”

“I have my reasons, and he understood that.”

Su Ruijuan, eyes wide with disbelief, began to cry. Chen Shi handed her a tissue, but she wiped her tears on his clothes.

After crying, Su Ruijuan said, “Maybe it’s for the best. He was always out causing trouble. I was always worried he’d get killed. At least now he’s gone in a decent way.”

Chen Shi didn’t tell her the whole truth. He said Wang Daji had late-stage kidney cancer and jumped to his death to avoid suffering. He also mentioned that the pharmaceutical company had been shut down by the authorities.

With the Yu Hua scandal making headlines, this story was believable.

Chen Shi handed her the bank card. “This is the money he left. The password is the last six digits of his phone number. It should support you for a while.”

Su Ruijuan took the card, rubbing her eyes. “Is this really mine?”

“Yes.”

She looked at Chen Shi’s face. “You look exactly like him… Why did he give you his identity? Are you a good person or a bad person? No, you must be good since you’re giving me money.”

“I’m a good person.”

“Looks like he did one good thing in the end,” Su Ruijuan sighed.

“I actually think he was a good person, sister-in-law. If there’s nothing else, I should go.”

Su Ruijuan held his hand. “Can you come see me sometimes… I don’t mean anything by it. You look so much like him. Seeing you makes me feel like he’s still alive.”

After a few seconds of hesitation, Chen Shi replied, “I’m sorry, I can’t.”

“Not even once?” she pleaded.

Chen Shi walked away in silence. Getting involved with her could put her in danger, so he decided not to see her again.

Breathing a sigh of relief at the night sky, he felt this chapter was closed. But greater challenges awaited him. Zhou Xiao had returned, and this time, Chen Shi wouldn’t lay low. He was determined to capture Zhou Xiao!

Lin Dongxue left the restaurant, hitting rush hour and failing to catch a cab. A patrol car stopped beside her, and the officer inside said, “Lin Dongxue?”

“Ah, you are…” She found him familiar.

“You came to our station to investigate a case before. I’m Luo Haifeng.”

“Oh, it’s you.”

“Having trouble catching a cab? Want a ride?”

“No, I…”

Cars behind kept honking, so Luo Haifeng urged, “Get in, we can talk inside.”

Hesitating, Lin Dongxue got in. Luo Haifeng asked, “Heading home? Where do you live? I can drop you off while I patrol.”

“That’s too much trouble. Just drop me off at the next intersection. I’ll take the bus.”

“It’s no trouble at all. You helped us a lot with that missing girl case last time.”

“I didn’t do much…” Lin Dongxue recalled the case and smiled bitterly. “Why are you patrolling alone? Don’t officers usually work in pairs?”

“My partner has a stomach problem and a slight fever, so I let him rest.”

“Being a cop really takes a toll on your health.”

“Tell me about it. Actually, I’d like to transfer to the criminal division. It’s not easy, but solving cases seems more interesting than patrolling.”

“You think solving cases is fun? It’s tedious. We often work late into the night, and a homicide case can take a week or longer to solve, sometimes relying on pure luck.”

“But I heard your team had a high case-solving rate last year.”