“I’ve been a police officer for so long,” Officer Sun began, “By experience, I should’ve become a director years ago! To be frank, without your Grandpa’s help, there’s no way I would’ve gotten to where I am today. I owe the Song family a great debt, so if there’s anything that I can help you with, just tell me.”

“You’re too kind, Uncle Sun,” I said. “I’ll make sure to go and visit you when I get the chance.”

“Good boy!” said Officer Sun, then he broke into another hearty laugh. “By the way, my daughter has been asking me why you never come to our house anymore. Just call me if you’re coming, I’ll pick you up at your college.”

I then chatted a bit more with Officer Sun, then handed the phone back to Captain Lin. They merely said a few words to each other before Captain Lin hung the phone up.

The atmosphere in the room had changed now. Captain Lin, Huang Xiaotao, and even Dr. Qin all looked at me with different looks in their eyes.

“Y-You… You know Director Sun?” Dr. Qin asked.

I almost burst out laughing. Didn’t he always call me an impudent brat or something along those lines? Why was his tone so much more polite all of a sudden?

“Yeah,” I said nonchalantly. “I’ve known him long before he became Director Sun.”

Captain Lin cleared his throat, trying to smooth things over.

“All right, old Qin,” he said. “Why don’t you go back to your office.”

“Wait!” I shouted. He was bullying me only minutes ago; I couldn’t just let him go without any clarifications. “Dr. Qin, what about our bet?”

Dr. Qin was now soaking in sweat, he couldn’t utter a reply for some time, but finally muttered, “Well… you see… I’m already in my late fifties, and I’ll soon be retiring anyway. It’s not easy being a coroner all these years, so why don’t you consider letting this go?”

“Then why did you accept the bet earlier on?” I asked. “Do you think that you can just forget your promises just because you’re old? I’ve got a question for you: if somehow I failed to solve this case, wouldn’t I be in jail by now?”

“No, of course not!” he said. “I’m an old man now, I’ve gained so much experience in all these years. Do you really think that I’d take that silly bet seriously?” He then tried to give me a warm and friendly smile, but all I thought was how shameless this person was.

“Old Qin,” said Captain Lin, “if you gave him your word, then I’m afraid you’ll have to honor it. Otherwise you’ll bring the police force a bad name.”

“Captain Lin!” said Dr. Qin with pleading eyes. “You know how old I am and how long I’ve been working as a coroner. Maybe I’m not that talented, but it’s still true that I’ve made a lot of contributions throughout all these years!”

“That’s rich of you to say that!” I interrupted. “You’re a law enforcement officer, yet you nearly let a dangerous murderer escape unpunished! It’s likely that in five or ten years from now, he’ll take another life. Would you be able to take responsibility for that?”

Dr. Qin’s face was now crimson red, and his head was soaking with cold sweat.

“You do whatever you want!” I continued. “But don’t cause me any more trouble from now on. I’m only a normal civilian, so why should I be reported and punished just for helping the police solve a crime? This isn’t just about me — what if the news spread and the general public hears of this? Would anyone ever be willing to co-operate with the police after that? Who knows how many false arrests and unsolved cases would follow after that? It makes me shudder just thinking about it!”

Dr. Qin looked at Captain Lin, then lowered his head in dismay.

“I’ll hand in the application letter to transfer from the post right away,” he said.

I smiled, then turned to Captain Lin and said, “I’ll take my leave then, Captain Lin.”

“Take care,” he said.

After we got out of the office, Huang Xiaotao patted me on the back with so much gusto that I almost cried out in pain.

“What a scene that was, Song Yang!” she said. “You looked like a hero in some police drama! Did you see how purple Dr. Qin’s face got? He looked just like an eggplant! By the way, why didn’t you tell me you know Tiger Sun? Geez, and I was so worried about you! I thought we were partners!”

“Well, you never asked me about it,” I said, massaging my shoulder.

“You should’ve brought it up yourself, you dummy!” she said. “Ah, what a great day! That old Qin is finally leaving! He’s always been an arrogant and useless coroner who likes to use his power to order people around! You did a great deed to our department today by getting rid of him, Song Yang!”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I said, laughing.

“Come on, let’s go grab a meal and celebrate! My treat!”

“No, never mind,” I waved my hand. “You’ve already paid for our meal once. I’m not sure if that little salary you earned is enough to treat us again so soon. Maybe next time.”

“Okay,” she said. “Then let’s invite Dali too next time.”

We walked out of the police station together, then Huang Xiaotao was about to drive me back to college with her car, but I told her that it was much faster to just take the bus.

“Okay,” she said. “by the way, can I ask you a question? And will you promise me to answer truthfully?”

“Go ahead,” I said.

“I always felt that you’re hiding something from me,” she said. “Plus, you know how to solve a complex murder case, and you even know Tiger Sun personally. Tell me, who are you exactly?”

“I really am just a normal college student,” I insisted.

Huang Xiaotao eyed me suspiciously, so I felt pressured to reveal a bit more information.

“I met Tiger Sun a long time ago,” I said. “He was working together with my grandfather…”

“Your grandfather?” she asked. “Who is he?”

“Just a normal old man.”

“You’re lying, aren’t you?”

“Why would I lie to you?” I said with a smile. “Anyway, I’m going back now.”

“Wait!” Huang Xiaotao reached out her hand. I stood there confused like an idiot for a few seconds, then finally shook her hand.

“Thank you for helping the police solve this case,” she said with a serious and formal tone. “I hope we have an opportunity to work together again.”

“Me too!” I said, smiling. To me, this case was an extraordinary event that was an important step in helping me grow and become a much better Traditional Coroner.

But what was even more unexpected was how soon I would be working with Huang Xiaotao again!