Chapter 5: The Design of Fate

Even though Shu Yan had performed nearly a hundred autopsies to date, she remained meticulous every single time, terrified of missing the slightest detail. This was especially true when faced with a case as thorny as this one.

Was Zhang Ruilin’s death a suicide, an accidental death caused by a game gone wrong, or was it murder? Regardless of the conclusion, it required ironclad evidence to prove, not mere verbal speculation. In truth, many cases of unnatural death were not as mysterious as they seemed, and the results were often easy to reach. The difficulty lay in the process of finding evidence to support those conclusions.

It was two hours later by the time Shu Yan and her team emerged from the autopsy room. Because the body had been discovered early, the autopsy process had gone relatively smoothly, allowing them to finish the work quickly. After showering and changing into clean clothes, the four of them returned to the office together.

As soon as she stepped into the main office, Shu Yan spotted that figure who carried an aura of inherent authority. At that moment, several investigators from the task force were sitting on the sofa. Seeing the four of them return, Liu Xun scrambled to his feet to greet them.

"Finished? Thank you all for your hard work. Our Captain Lu is treating everyone to lunch, and after we eat, we’ll have a briefing with the Bureau Chief."

Seeing the expression on Shu Yan’s face, Liu Xun knew the case had made progress, and his anxious heart finally settled. Only then did Shu Yan realize how famished she was, her stomach churning with acidic hunger. Since the new branch captain was treating, why shouldn't she eat? To decline would be to show a lack of respect. In a bureaucratic environment, interpersonal relationships were the most complex aspect of the job, especially in a unit that required constant collaboration.

Shu Yan walked over, intending to pull up a chair and sit on the edge, but was suddenly nudged by Taozi to sit right next to Lu Chengfeng.

"Sister Yan, you've worked hard. It's more comfortable on the sofa," Taozi said with a grin.

Before she could respond, a meal box was pushed in front of her.

"You've worked hard," Lu Chengfeng said.

Watching this scene, Liu Xun’s brow furrowed slightly as he sat down awkwardly. He laughed and said, "Director Shu, it was I who suggested to Captain Lu that he order your favorite eel rice. You should eat more. There’s also your favorite preserved plum lemonade—seven-tenths sugar, light ice."

As Liu Xun reached out to grab the lemonade on the table, Lu Chengfeng snatched it up first. He thoughtfully inserted a straw before placing it in front of Shu Yan.

The room fell silent. A wave of heat rushed to Shu Yan’s face. She wondered about Lu Chengfeng’s intentions—could he be trying to let her colleagues know about that absurd incident from last night?

Absolutely not! If her colleagues found out she had picked up a random stranger at a bar to spend the night with, she would never be able to show her face again!

Seeing that no one was moving, Lu Chengfeng spoke up, "What are you all standing around for? We have a meeting in ten minutes."

Hearing this, everyone rushed to grab their meals and began wolfing them down. Lu Chengfeng also picked up a box of eel rice to eat; he liked it too.

Taozi observed Lu Chengfeng while she ate, growing increasingly suspicious. She found something off about him; he kept glancing in Shu Yan’s direction, his gaze as gentle as water. Taozi had dated during her freshman year, and although it only lasted six months, she was all too familiar with that kind of ambiguous tension.

To test him, Taozi bit her chopsticks and asked with feigned innocence, "Captain Lu, may I ask an intrusive question?"

Yang Guang looked at her, confused. "If you know it's intrusive, why ask?"

Unexpectedly, Lu Chengfeng replied candidly, "It’s fine. Everyone can ask whatever they like; there's no need to be so formal."

Taozi breathed a sigh of relief and asked with a mischievous smile, "Captain Lu, do you have a girlfriend?"

Lu Chengfeng’s gaze subconsciously flickered toward Shu Yan as he replied clearly, "Not at the moment."

Shu Yan’s hand, clutching her chopsticks, faltered, and her lips trembled slightly. She took a fierce sip of the plum lemonade but ended up choking. Taozi dropped her bowl to pat Shu Yan on the back.

Lu Chengfeng handed her a few tissues. "Eat slowly. I only said ten minutes to scare them."

Once she recovered, Shu Yan took the tissues from his hand, wiped her mouth, and took a deep breath. She managed to choke out two words: "I'm fine, it was my own carelessness."

Yang Guang scolded Taozi, "It's all your fault. Just eat your food; why do you have to ask so many questions?"

Taozi looked at Shu Yan and said aggrievedly, "But I was asking Captain Lu. Aren't you all curious? Captain Lu is so handsome, he must have many girls pursuing him." She turned back. "Captain Lu, have you had a girlfriend before? An ex-girlfriend?"

"No, I’ve never dated," Lu Chengfeng replied matter-of-factly. "I haven't had the time."

Taozi leaned against Shu Yan. "Our Sister Yan has never dated either."

Liu Xun finally realized what Taozi was up to, thinking to himself that the girl was trying to play matchmaker between Lu Chengfeng and Shu Yan. She was certainly good at buttering people up; she had quite a devious mind.

He gave a deliberate cough, grabbed a cup of milk tea, and set it down firmly in front of Taozi. He said loudly, "Taozi, are you planning to change careers and become a matchmaker? Stop talking nonsense. It’s Captain Lu’s first day here; you’ll make him think we’re unprofessional. The joke has gone too far."

Chastised by Liu Xun, Taozi didn't dare to make another sound and lowered her head to eat.

Lu Chengfeng glanced at Liu Xun, seeing right through his little crush on Shu Yan. Of course, he could also tell that Shu Yan had absolutely no interest in Liu Xun. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone to a hotel with him last night.

Before meeting Shu Yan last night, Lu Chengfeng had always been strictly disciplined, dedicated solely to serving the people and his country. But their encounter last night had caused him to lose control. His heart and his being had been captured by Shu Yan.

That morning, he had been too restless to sleep and had to get up to take a cold shower, trying over and over again to cool his fire. He had already put Shu Yan through so much that night; he was afraid she couldn't handle any more.

He hadn't expected her to be gone when he came out of the bathroom. For the first time in his thirty-two years, Lu Chengfeng had felt panicked. He hadn't even had the chance to ask her name or get her number before she left. He had believed she felt something for him too, that it shouldn't have just been a moment of impulse. But she had simply walked away, leaving him to spiral into self-doubt. An unprecedented sense of depression had engulfed him, plunging his mood to rock bottom.

It wasn't until he saw that heart-stopping figure again at the scene of the unnatural death that he felt a surge of hope. Just seeing her in profile, Lu Chengfeng recognized the woman who had spent the night with him. The feeling of recovering something lost made his heart leap.

Even now, Lu Chengfeng’s heart rate was faster than usual, and he was more talkative than ever. Back when he worked in Hongcheng, he wouldn't utter an extra word unless absolutely necessary. Prudence in speech and action was a philosophy his father had instilled in him from childhood, demanding strict adherence.

Lu Chengfeng had suppressed himself for thirty-two years. It was only because he could no longer bear it that he finally erupted, decisively fleeing that suffocating home. He hadn't expected to meet Shu Yan on his very first night in Licheng. He had never believed in fate before, but now, he did.