Night.
In the duty room.
"Sister Chen, I'll be going now."
"Alright."
Click, the main door closed.
The entire police station was left with only Chen Yingyin.
She was reviewing a recent murder case.
Her brows furrowed tightly.
It read:
[Four people brutally killed in Autumn Water Garden community, each with three claw-like scratches on their chest.]
[The victims are...]
This was already the fourth murder case in Autumn Water Garden, and the killer still hadn't been caught.
The only clue was the three claw marks on the victims' chests.
They looked like the claws of a fierce beast, but completely different from a tiger or lion.
Not a bear either.
There were no zoos or jungles near Autumn Water Garden, and this bizarre murder case was giving Chen Yingyin a headache.
She had suspected that it might actually be three knife wounds deliberately carved by the killer.
But after the forensic examination, it was determined that these were not knife wounds.
They were claw marks.
This stumped the entire police station, and they invited various renowned experts in the field to examine them.
All shook their heads, unable to identify them.
"Tsk, what kind of creature could possibly cause wounds like these?"
Chen Yingyin frowned as she twirled her pen.
Her gaze drifted towards the monitoring room.
Xiao Lin sat dejectedly on the wooden bed in the cell. Since he was a murderer who had killed several people, he was temporarily confined alone in a single room.
Once they made a public announcement, Xiao Lin would be taken to court for sentencing.
What a shame for such a young man.
Chen Yingyin shook her head.
Just then.
Click~
The main door was gently pushed open. Chen Yingyin thought it was the young police officer who had just left coming back, so she instinctively asked, "Did you forget something..."
The words caught in her throat as she saw who it was, and her expression froze.
"Long time no see, Sister Yingyin."
Gu Yan closed the door, smiling as he waved a greeting.
Seeing the visitor, Chen Yingyin looked puzzled. Although it had been a long time since they'd been in contact, she still recognized him: "Gu Yan, what are you doing here?"
She didn't really want to give Gu Yan a warm welcome.
After all, as a man, he was a bootlicker, went against his parents, and disrespected his elders.
So she didn't particularly like Gu Yan.
He used to be such a cute kid when he was little.
Seeing her reaction, Gu Yan didn't seem to feel uncomfortable. Instead, he made himself at home, finding a sofa to lie on. He smiled at Chen Yingyin and said, "Didn't I file a police report this morning?"
"So I wanted to ask if that person had been caught."
"I called Uncle Chen to ask about the situation, and he said you were here, Sister Yingyin. I thought since it's been a long time, I'd come to see you."
Gu Yan wasn't lying; he had indeed just called Chen Guoping not long ago, making his story watertight.
That old man...
Chen Yingyin rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on. She thought of her father urging her to get married earlier that day.
She looked at Gu Yan's young, smiling face and shook her head helplessly.
There's no way she could be with someone so much younger than her!
What on earth was Dad thinking!
"Alright, I understand why you're here, but as you can see, your sister is very busy."
"If you don't have anything else, you should leave soon."
"The Xiao Lin you reported has been caught and will be sent to court for sentencing soon."
"Are you satisfied now?"
Chen Yingyin waved her hand dismissively, her intention to drive him away clear as day.
Seeing this, Gu Yan inwardly smiled.
That's right, this was how it developed in the original story too.
Xiao Lin was mistakenly arrested as the murderer.
However, in the original story, the person who freed Mei Xue from her shadow slave state was Leng Qingqiu.
In the original story, Xiao Lin did indeed meet the criteria for sentencing.
But unfortunately, after tonight, someone would bail him out.
And because of this, Chen Yingyin would have a big fight with her father.
From then on, she would embark on a journey determined to arrest and imprison Xiao Lin.
Then the plot would become old and familiar.
After repeated encounters with Xiao Lin, Chen Yingyin would discover his good qualities, his uprightness, his kindness, and through several crucial life-and-death battles.
She would develop feelings for him, realizing he wasn't the type to kill indiscriminately.
Then she would become one of the protagonist's combat forces.
The protagonist's luck that Chen Yingyin possessed as a female lead was incredibly potent, with various big and small opportunities waiting for them in the later stages.
Once these people grow stronger, they would all become massive threats.
So...
"Of course I'm satisfied."
"I'll be leaving then."
Gu Yan stood up with a smile, making as if to leave.
But whether intentionally or not, he suddenly turned and said with some concern, "But Sister Yingyin, I heard that Xiao Lin has an unusual background."
"What if someone bails him out?"
"What should we do if such a menace remains in the world?"
Hearing this, Chen Yingyin's face darkened. She put down the files in her hand and looked up at Gu Yan, saying seriously, "Impossible!"
"In cases I handle, there's never been any talk of bailing people out!"
"Not to mention that Xiao Lin is just a migrant worker who recently came to Jianghai City. Even if he did have connections!"
"I'd like to see just how powerful his background is to bail out this murderer from my hands!"
As a police officer, Chen Yingyin naturally despised evil and promoted good.
For criminals like Xiao Lin, she only felt regret that someone so young had committed such a crime.
But she would never soften her heart and let him off because of this, so she was absolutely certain about this matter.
Hearing this, Gu Yan's expression also seemed to relax. He smiled lightly and said, "Then I'm relieved, because my friend is still in the hospital."
"I was afraid that after Xiao Lin got out, he might do something irrational to my friend."
"After all, my friend was deceived by his initially pure and kind act."
Pure and kind act?
Chen Yingyin frowned slightly, remembering Xiao Lin's remorseful and guilty appearance in the interrogation room earlier.
That didn't seem to be an act.
But then she thought of the lecherous look Xiao Lin had given her at first, and his initial nonchalant attitude in the interrogation room.
Chen Yingyin became uncertain again.
No, no, he's going to be sentenced anyway.
Whether it was an act or not doesn't matter anymore, does it?
Chen Yingyin shook her head. She looked at Gu Yan with some annoyance. This little brat was really irritating, making her overthink with just a few words.
"Why are you telling me all this? Do you have a grudge against Xiao Lin?"
"No grudge, I don't even know him, but he almost killed me."
"Almost killed you?"
Chen Yingyin was startled. She asked in surprise, "What happened?"