When they got to the police station in the area, the police officers took out all the files of cases that occurred on December 10th. Chen Shi quickly looked through them until one of them caught his eye. He said, "At 9:00 pm on December 10th, a robbery occurred at a luxury store on Xinglian Road.”

Lin Dongxue said excitedly, "That’s it!"

The police officer said, "We suspect that a gang committed this crime. The store was a mess and the total value of the items stolen reached 50,000 yuan.”[1]

Chen Shi questioned, "That should be considered theft, why was it considered robbery?"

"There was a clerk in the store who was sleeping there at the time. They were beaten by the robbers. They are still lying unconscious at the hospital… Captain Peng of the City Bureau personally came to perform the examination."

Lin Dongxue said, "Captain Peng must not know the time of the incident, or he would have told us."

Chen Shi continued asking, "Have you locked onto some suspects?"

The police officer responded, "No, there were originally several karaoke bars across the street. The police did surprise visits that night, so they all closed their doors early. As a result, the surveillance monitors weren’t turned on, so nothing was recorded… The gangsters seemed to be familiar with the road conditions there and avoided all the traffic cameras.”

Lin Dongxue said, "We will take over this case."

"Okay, we’ll be troubling you then."

It was getting late, so Chen Shi suggested, “Why don’t you come back to my place for dinner? I have to make food for Tao Yueyue anyway. If you go home to eat, you’d only eat instant noodles.”

Lin Dongxue smiled and said, "I’ll kindly accept your offer then... But you have to send me home afterwards!"

Tao Yueyue was alone at home and her stomach had already started grumbling long ago. She ate some bread to try and fill the empty void that was her stomach. When the two arrived home, she was reading math books on the living room table. Lin Dongxue praised, "What a good girl, studying alone at home.”

"I actually hoped to see her playing when I came home.” Chen Shi sighed. "Sorry I was so late in coming home. I’ll cook dinner now.”

Tao Yueyue pouted. "When have you come home early?”

While Chen Shi was busying himself in the kitchen, Lin Dongxue went over and talked with her. She asked, "What grade are you in now?"

"The second grade."

What she held in her hands were mathematic textbooks from the third grade that she bought from the used bookstore. Lin Dongxue asked, "Why are you studying math from the third grade?"

"I have finished reading all the books for the second grade. Sister, do you know the answer to this question?"

Lin Dongxue became dizzy when she read the complicated algebra and symbols in the book. She laughed like an idiot, "Sister doesn’t know."

"Can stupid people become police officers too?"

Lin Dongxue was not annoyed by the child's straightforward[2] words and said, "Sister is truly a bit stupid. I’ve always been bad at science. In every test, I could only barely pass… What do you want to do in the future?”

Chen Shi finished making dinner and saw Lin Dongxue and Tao Yueyue happily chatting when he took the dishes out. Tao Yueyue was eager to recall the jokes she heard from other patients during her hospitalization.

Chen Shi couldn't believe his eyes. Was this the same little girl who usually talked in a mature manner without joking? Chen Shi put the dishes down and asked, "Do you like this police aunty?"

"It’s sister!" The two said in unison.

"Okay, okay. Sister then... Wait, why am I called uncle then?! That’s not fair.”

"You’re older than me anyway!” Lin Dongxue said, "Don’t you normally talk to her?"

Chen Shi said shyly, "What could we talk about? Let’s eat!”

Tao Yueyue looked at the table of plain-fried broccoli, lamb with scallion, and marinated cucumber and looked deflated. Lin Dongxue asked, "Do you not like the dishes made by uncle?"

"There’s no enthusiasm in them at all."

"Brat, I make different dishes every day and prepare ingredients a day in advance. What do you mean I didn’t put in enthusiasm?”

"There’s no enthusiasm! It’s always the same taste!"

Lin Dongxue smiled and said, "Why don’t I make something for you?"

Chen Shi said, "Oh please. You can only make instant noodles."

"Don’t look down on me!" Lin Dongxue walked into the kitchen and was not familiar with Chen Shi's kitchen. She asked from time to time, "Where is the oil?", "Which bottle is the soy sauce?"

Listening to her, she seemed to be pan-frying something. From time to time, she was splashed by hot oil and yelped. Chen Shi laughed while eating. "You’re gonna be cooked before the dishes are.”

"It's done! It's too perfect!" Lin Dongxue exclaimed excitedly.

Lin Dongxue took her own dish out and Chen Shi looked at it before almost laughing. Was that considered as cooking? She cut the ham sausage in the middle and bent it into a heart shape, enveloping a fried egg inside.

Chen Shi said, "She won't eat that. This little devil is really picky.”

Tao Yueyue picked up her chopsticks and tried a bite. "It’s delicious! It’s 10,000 times better than Uncle Chen’s cooking!”

"You’re just trying to deliberately make me mad, aren’t ya?"

"It’s better than what you make!"

The two glared at each other across the table.

Chen Shi felt thoroughly served. A woman’s heart is truly unpredictable and little girls could be likened to alien creatures!

Chen Shi said to Lin Dongxue, "It was a mistake for me to ask you to come over. My authority as a guardian has been shattered. You shouldn’t come over next time.”

"Oh I’m definitely going to come!" Lin Dongxue smiled, then said to Tao Yueyue, "How about I come over and cook for you whenever I’m free?”

"Okay!" Tao Yueyue replied crisply.

After eating, Chen Shi sent Lin Dongxue home. Lin Dongxue asked in the car, "You should honestly explain. Is Tao Yueyue your illegitimate daughter?"

"Can you use your brain a little? If this child is my illegitimate daughter, then I would have been wild in my teens."

"Weren’t you though? It’s written all over your file. You used to be a criminal in the past and was a frequent visitor at the detention center.”

"Those are..." Chen Shi started but then stopped himself. He then rephrased, "I can’t bear to look back on my past. A hero does not mention the past."[3]

"I still don't believe that a little hooligan like yourself changed so much to become your present self."

"Didn’t we agree that we wouldn’t mention my past?”

"That was just agreed upon when we first met. Now that we’re both so familiar with each other, shouldn’t you tell me about your experiences?”

"The timing isn’t right yet."

"Stop trying to act all mysterious."

"One day, when I finish this matter in my heart, I will tell you everything."

"Fine, but I want to be the first one you tell!"

Lin Dongxue’s phone rang. It was a call from the bureau. She pressed the answer button and a rushed voice came over from the other side. “Not good, our captain got into an accident.”

"What? My brother, he..."

"It’s Captain Peng."

The car which was originally going straight suddenly almost hit the pavement. Chen Shi immediately straightened the steering wheel.

Lin Dongxue calmed the other person, "Don't rush. Explain it slowly."

The voice over the phone continued, "We came back after dinner and found that Captain Peng had fallen to the ground, seizing and clenching his jaws with a pale face. It seems like he was poisoned!”

“Is there a dangerous substance in the laboratory?”

"Yes, but they are usually locked away. I checked and there were no leaks."

"We will be back soon."

"No, he’s already been taken to the hospital. He’s gone to the Affiliated Hospital of the University of Medical Sciences."

Without waiting for Lin Dongxue to instruct him, Chen Shi turned the steering wheel and headed straight to the hospital.

The two rushed to the hospital. Peng Sijue was lying unconscious on the hospital bed and a doctor was checking his physical symptoms. Several police officers were guarding him by his side. Lin Dongxue asked, "Doctor, how is he?"

"The blood test results haven’t come out yet, but he may have been poisoned."

1. Around $7165 USD.

2. The author actually used an expression that refers to children who says things when they don’t understand tact or the fact that words can offend.

3. Good people don’t bring up the past.