Peng Sijue went back to the office to turn off the lights and shut the door. He found Lin Dongxue standing here. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi looked at each other in surprise and asked, “Why are you here?”

“I promised Captain Peng to a meal before. I often bother him, so I wanted to express my gratitude.” Chen Shi reasoned on the spot.

“What are you guys eating?”

“Steak. Let’s go together!”

“Steak?” Lin Dongxue hesitated. She didn't like western food very much.

“Otherwise Old Peng, let's go eat hot...” Chen Shi turned his face and noticed that Peng Sijue looked like he had frost on his face with how cold he looked.

“Okay, steak. Let’s have steak. I haven't eaten it for many years!” Lin Dongxue said, afraid of disrupting their relationship.

Peng Sijue asked, “Are you looking for something?”

“Captain Lin gave you a small brown bottle before. Has the contents been tested yet?”

“I let the assistant do it. No results yet.”

“I have a clue about this thing. It was stolen from school. A school chemistry lab.”

“I'll see for myself!”

Peng Sijue went to the poison appraisal room, picked up the small bottle, shook it, and wafted the scent over to his nose with his hand. Then, he stained a test paper with it, ignited it, and took some reagents to observe the reaction.

He quickly came to the conclusion. “Dimethyl sulfoxide, a sulfur-containing organic compound. It’s slightly toxic.”

“Would it be lethal if injected into the body?”

“It depends on the dosage.”

“A whole needle.”

“They’d die.”

Chen Shi asked Lin Dongxue, “What case is this?”

“Let's talk later!”

At the steakhouse, Lin Dongxue found that the steak was not as expensive as she thought. While waiting for the meal, she talked with Chen Shi about the case. Chen Shi concluded, “The girl didn't kill anyone. The motivation is not strong enough.”

“I think so too.”

“How do you know that the motivation is not strong enough?” Peng Sijue asked.

“First of all, her relationship with her younger brother isn’t that bad. Secondly, when taking into account her interests, she is more mature than her peers and wouldn’t do such a stupid thing. Lastly, from the things she’s written and the fact that she can talk to someone about it, it shows that her heart and spirit hasn’t broken yet.”

“But several people's narratives all have strong subjective tendencies. From these, it’s not enough to restore what she held in her heart.” Peng Sijue said.

“Let Dongxue continue to check!”

At this time, the steak was delivered. Chen Shi said to Peng Sijue, “Hurry and eat. You don’t need to be polite.”

Peng SIjue looked at him with scorn. “It's a set meal, so don't act as if you’re really polite.”

“You can order something else!”

“Waiter.” Peng Sijue flagged the waiter down and asked what red wine was in the store and which was the most expensive.

When he heard that the waiter say the price was 2000, Chen Shi coughed and said, “Old Peng, don't you need to drive? We can get it next time!”

Peng SIjue asked the waiter, “Can the red wine be taken home?”

“Yes, and you can also store it here to continue drinking next time.”

Chen Shi was helpless and felt heartache for his bleeding wallet while Lin Dongxue laughed secretly.

“Thank you. Then we’ll just get a bottle of watermelon juice.” Peng Sijue said to the waiter with a smile.

Chen Shi immediately started acting up. “Looking down on me huh? You want to drink red wine so just order it! It’s just two thousand yuan!”

“I don't want to be scolded internally by someone.”

“You’re just not giving me a chance here. Don’t say I’m fake from now on then. It’s rare to be able to invite you to dinner. It’s not often people can move this big Buddha around, that is you.”

“Really? Since you’re so sincere...” Peng Sijue asked Lin Dongxue, “Dongxue, do you want to drink red wine?”

“Yes, yes. I didn't drive anyway. I heard that red wine is good for your health!”

“No problem!” Chen Shi snapped his fingers, picked up the menu, and shouted to the waiter, “A bottle of xxxx!”

Peng Sijue grabbed the menu and saw that the price behind xxxx was two hundred yuan. “Your English is pretty on point!”

“Of course! Who doesn’t have one or two words of foreign languages in their pockets?” Chen Shi fortunately escaped. Although two hundred yuan was not cheap, it was a lot more acceptable than two thousand.

After the red wine was brought over to their table, Chen Shi poured a glass for Lin Dongxue and himself. He shook it in his hand and said, “Red wine that costs two hundred yuan sure smells good.”

Just as he was about to drink, Peng Sijue covered the glass with his hand and said, “You’re driving, so don’t drink.”

“It doesn't matter, this cup will be metabolized before I go out.”

Peng Sijue was really stern. “You’re driving, so don’t drink.”

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Chen Shi helplessly picked up the watermelon juice.

Lin Dongxue drank the red wine in the glass in one gulp and said, “It's so delicious. It's different from the 50 yuan red wine.”

“You’ll get drunk like this,” Chen Shi warned.

“Really?” Lin Dongxue poured another glass for herself.

After Lin Dongxue drank four cups, Chen Shi found that her face didn't even have a trace of redness. “Who would have thought that you were such a big drinker!”

Peng Sijue said, “Dongxue, your alcohol dehydrogenase content[1] should be higher than ordinary people.”

“Not sure. I've never been drunk though.” Lin Dongxue poured another glass.

“I think you can do a part-time job where you help people drink.” Chen Shi joked.

Lin Dongxue pulled a face. “Drinking depends on who you are with. What value is there of drinking with people you don’t know?”

“There’s value with me?”

“Oh please. It’s more so with Captain Peng.”

Peng Sijue poured a glass of watermelon juice. “I wish you a smooth case.”

Lin Dongxue toasted back. “I wish you luck in finding a partner soon.”

“Give me another sentence!!!”

Lin Dongxue was so scared she poked her tongue out. “I wish you all the best.”

The two clinked their drinks and drank their cups.

The three started to eat their steaks. Peng Sijue used a knife and fork very skillfully. He cut the steak into small pieces and dipped the steak into the sauce before putting it into his mouth.

Lin Dongxue was relatively unfamiliar with knives and forks and couldn't cut her steak apart for a long time. Peng Sijue took her knife and fork and showed her. “Like this.”

“It doesn’t matter how you eat it as long as you’re comfortable! It doesn't matter even if you grab it directly with your hands.” Chen Shi cut it into large pieces and ate them in big chunks.

“I can’t talk to people who have no class,” Peng Sijue said coldly.

“It's classy to eat steak?”

“It’s not classy to eat steak. Class is what you do under different circumstances and occasions. Some people just like to pack vulgar and cheap jokes together to hide the fact that they have no manners or class. Those who always act like they’re detached no matter the occasion are just internally sad.”

“Fortunately, that’s not me.”

Lin Dongxue noticed that Chen Shi’s way of eating the steak had changed and asked curiously, “Old Chen, why don't you eat like you just did?”

Chen Shi put a small slice of steak to his mouth and raised an eyebrow at Peng Sijue. “I just want to show someone that I know how to use a knife and fork.”

“Congratulations!” Peng Sijue said casually while looking at his own food.

Lin Dongxue laughed secretly. These two really liked to fight word battles. Sure enough, men were all children who didn't grow up.

She continued slicing the steak and complained, “After eating this meal, I’ll gain weight again!”

1. https://www.mydr.com.au/gastrointestinal-health/liver-and-alcohol-breakdown