Chapter 4
Birthday

On Monday, Xie Qing was taken around the various departments by Cao Haisheng to familiarize herself with the work environment and greet her colleagues. Afterward, she went to the county with an experienced forensic doctor, Chen Qian, who was set to retire after the New Year.

They went to the county for injury assessments, with Xie Qing assisting and taking notes. The work was rather mundane.

From Monday to Friday, she went on two business trips with the forensic doctors, conducted three injury assessments (one of which was in the city), and performed autopsies on two bodies with unnatural deaths. It wasn’t until Friday evening that she had some free time.

After locking the office door, Xie Qing was about to head down the stairs when Li Ke rushed up, saying, “Xie Qing, hurry up! There’s braised pork tonight.”

Braised pork was the cafeteria chef’s specialty, soft and sweet, and both Xie Qing and Li Ke loved it.

As a foodie, Xie Qing perked up and followed Li Ke downstairs without hesitation.

Just as they reached the entrance, Li Ji caught up, using his height and long legs to overtake them with a grin, “You better hurry, first come, first served!”

Li Ke shouted, “Ji Ge (*及格), that’s not fair! Shouldn’t we share the good and the bad together?”

(*) It’s not ‘Ge’ in ‘brother’ but rather a nickname.

She called Li Ji “Ji Ge,” which sounded like “pass” in Chinese, so she just called him “Pass.”

Li Ji didn’t look back and said, “Only if we get it first. You two take your time. No rush.”

Police work was busy, and many couldn’t leave on time. When Xie Qing arrived, plenty of braised pork remained, and everyone got a portion.

The two of them got their food and sat across from Li Ji.

Li Ji took a sip of tomato egg drop soup and said, “I haven’t seen much of you this week, Xiao Xie. Busy?”

Xie Qing replied, “Five days a week, three days out of the office, and the rest of the time…”

Considering they were eating, she didn’t go into detail, but it was enough for Li Ji and Li Ke to understand.

In between, she also went to the bank and the securities hall twice, buying the three best-performing stocks mentioned in the book. She calculated that with these three stocks and 400,000 yuan, she could have at least 1.2 million yuan by the end of the year. By then, she could buy a car and invest in real estate, living comfortably off the rental income.

Li Ke changed the subject, “Xie Qing, was the business trip interesting? I want to go on a trip too.”

Xie Qing smiled wryly, “It was just injury assessments and unnatural deaths. We worked as soon as we arrived and left as soon as we finished. It wasn’t particularly interesting. How’s the case in the Development Zone? Any leads?”

“Not that easy,” Li Ji said, swallowing a bite of braised pork. “Our colleagues in the Development Zone and our second team have been working overtime, but we haven’t found any valuable clues.”

Xie Qing said, “It seems the deceased was indeed an out-of-town salesperson.”

Li Ke nodded, “If they’re out of town, it’s normal not to be in contact for a while. If the deceased had a strained relationship with family and friends, no one might miss them for a long time, making the case even harder.”

Li Ji said, “Our captain mentioned that if the deceased was a salesperson, the company they worked for must be quite large, and the amount involved in the case must be significant. The company would definitely be anxious. We’ve already published the case details in the internal newsletter, so let’s wait. We’ll get news soon.”

Some cases are like this; solving them doesn’t depend on wisdom or experience but on a stroke of luck.

As the veteran officers gradually came in, the three of them stopped talking and focused on finishing their meals.

Li Ji also stayed in the dormitory, and the three of them chatted and laughed as they returned to the dormitory building.

Just as they reached the third floor, Xie Qing’s pager turned on. She took it out and saw a message from Xie Chen, which instantly made her heart sink.

The message was just three words: “Call back.”

If it wasn’t urgent, he wouldn’t use such a tone, which likely meant that the original owner’s father, Xie Xun, had spoken.

Xie Xun disapproved of the original owner’s job as a forensic doctor and wanted her to join the family company and marry well. Xie Chen’s birthday party was the perfect opportunity for persuasion or matchmaking.

Not calling back would be too inconsiderate.

Xie Qing informed Li Ke and Li Ji and went to the duty room downstairs.

As expected, Xie Chen’s main point was: “Dad wants you to come, and you can’t refuse for any reason.”

…

On Saturday, there was nothing urgent at the police station, and Cao Haisheng wasn’t on duty. Xie Qing couldn’t find an excuse to avoid it, so she decided to go to the Marriott.

In the morning, she did laundry and tidied up the dormitory. In the afternoon, she got a haircut and bought a birthday gift. By evening, she was in a taxi.

The Xie family wasn’t extremely wealthy, and the birthday party was relatively low-key. It was held in a small banquet hall on the fourth floor with some close friends and family.

When Xie Qing arrived, Xie Chen was quietly discussing something with a hotel staff member in a suit. She waited for a while until the staff member left, then stepped forward to greet him, “Happy birthday, big brother!”

Xie Chen was a bit surprised, “Why are you here so early?”

“Birthday gift.” Xie Qing handed him a gift box with a branded tie. “I’m not busy today, so I came to see if you needed any help.”

As the saying goes, “If you decide to help, help to the end.” Since she decided to come, it was better to arrive early and help Xie Chen with the guests, as a dutiful younger sister should.

“Xie Qing has grown up,” Xie Chen said, patting her shoulder. “It’s good that you’re here. I’ve already arranged everything. How’s work going?”

He pulled out two chairs and sat down.

Xie Qing sat in the other chair, “It’s going well. Everything is smooth.”

This probably wasn’t what Xie Chen had expected.

He paused for a moment, “Aren’t you afraid?”

Xie Qing replied, “Once you get used to it, it’s not scary.”

“But it’s hard to find a partner in this line of work,” Xie Chen said helplessly. “A few of my friends are quite good. They’ll be here soon. Keep an eye out and see if there’s anyone suitable.”

She guessed right again.

Xie Qing smiled, “Sure, I’ll take a look.” Since they didn’t meet often, agreeing would save a lot of arguments.

Xie Chen sighed in relief, “Xie Yun might be interested in Gu Ling. The rest are up to you.”

Among his friends, Gu Ling was the most outstanding. But that was how the story went, and Xie Qing had no complaints about Xie Chen, so she obediently agreed.

Xie Chen said, “Xie Qing has really grown up.”

Xie Qing smiled slightly, “Mainly because I left home and found peace of mind.”

“You…” Xie Chen wanted to argue but couldn’t. “Mom is an elder, and you’re the younger one. Just listen to her. Confrontation won’t do you any good.”

Xie Qing didn’t respond and glanced at the door, “It looks like someone is coming.”

Xie Yun arrived with Xie Chen’s friends.

Xie Qing followed Xie Chen to greet them, and before they reached the door, she noticed Xie Yun’s guarded look.

Xie Yun was meticulously dressed, with her eyebrows and eyeliner done, light brown eyeshadow, and cherry red lipstick. She wore a Prussian blue and light blue gauzy long dress, which made her look as serene and elegant as jade.

Xie Qing nodded slightly at her, then turned her gaze to the young man in the brown casual suit.

This must be the male lead.

She remembered the book described him as: “Gu Ling was tall, with sharp and striking features, the kind of presence that stood out anywhere.”

To be honest, although the description wasn’t very detailed, it conveyed the idea well—he was indeed a rare, domineeringly handsome man.

Xie Qing wanted to tease Xie Yun a bit, but considering the powerful aura of the male and female leads, she decided against it. It wasn’t worth sacrificing a peaceful life for a moment of satisfaction.

Xie Chen first introduced Xie Qing to his friends, then personally introduced them to Xie Qing, “Xie Qing, this is Gu Ling, Qin Jie, and Chai Yu. You probably don’t need an introduction to these two.”

There were a total of five young people. Two of them were Xie Chen’s high school classmates, who were close to the Xie family and known to the original owner. Gu Ling, Qin Jie, and Chai Yu were new faces to the original owner.

Gu Ling, of course, was the male lead. Chai Yu was the third male lead, who also liked Xie Yun.

Qin Jie was the original owner’s husband in the book. His family background was not as good as Gu Ling’s, but he had a clean and handsome appearance with an oval face and peach-blossom eyes. He was loyal as a friend but had many hobbies.

The original owner couldn’t win over Gu Ling and foolishly chose Qin Jie—though it was actually the author’s choice to create a contrast.

Xie Qing greeted everyone. She adhered to the principle of speaking as little as possible, completing the reception task with minimal words, and then excused herself to the restroom to avoid facing Xie Yun and Chen Yuehua.

Xie Qing wandered in the restroom for half an hour and returned to the small banquet hall after the feast had already begun. She glanced around the entrance and saw that the only empty seat was at the table with Xie Chen’s classmates. Taking advantage of the lively conversation, she quietly followed the server into the room and quickly took her seat.

This table consisted of Xie Chen’s friends, including the five she had met earlier and a new face—a man wearing old-fashioned black-framed glasses, a brown jacket, and dark blue trousers, looking like an old cadre.

Xie Chen was talking to Gu Ling, and the man didn’t introduce himself. Xie Qing guessed he was probably the second male lead. As a half-host, she politely nodded, considering it a greeting.

Xie Yun sat opposite Xie Qing, next to Gu Ling, occasionally glancing over as if guarding against a thief.

Xie Qing felt annoyed and rebelliously rolled her eyes. With her hair in a small bun, revealing a pretty forehead, willow-leaf eyebrows, big eyes, and wearing a simple white puff-sleeve dress with no makeup, she looked like a mischievous little girl.

Chai Yu noticed and laughed, saying to Xie Chen, “Your little sister is quite interesting.”

Xie Chen glared at Xie Qing and explained, “Xie Qing was raised by our grandfather. She’s much more mischievous than Xie Yun.”

Xie Qing didn’t care what Xie Chen said. She was already hungry, and since the feast had begun, she focused on eating.

Anhai City was by the sea, so the feast featured a lot of seafood. There were king crabs, mantis shrimp, prawns, lobsters, abalone, and more.

Xie Qing loved seafood and took a bite of everything that came her way. She was a skilled eater, and soon, her plate was piled with bones and shells. In contrast, Xie Yun ate gracefully, enjoying abalone, steamed egg with sea urchin, and occasionally a bite of steamed flounder.

The comparison was stark.

Xie Qing remembered her role as a foil and thought she was doing a good job without even realizing it.

The small banquet hall was filled with joy as everyone ate and chatted. Only Xie Qing and the man with black-framed glasses remained silent, quietly eating and listening.

The conversation topics ranged from stocks, phones, cars, real estate, and hotels to food, becoming increasingly trivial. Soon, someone mentioned the murder case at the Development Zone construction site.

“Gu Ling, that’s your family’s new project site, right? Is it affected?”

“I heard it was a body dump, so it’s not a big deal. Construction hasn’t started yet.”

“Has the case been solved?”

“Not at all. They haven’t even identified the victim.”

“The police are useless…”

“Hey, don’t say that.”

The one who stopped the conversation was Xie Chen’s classmate, Jiang Xu. He glanced at the man with black-framed glasses and Xie Qing, then changed the subject, “Have you heard? Yan Heng is back from the US and is now in the medical equipment business.”

Xie Chen said, “He has resources abroad and connections at home. It’s a sure profit!”

Xie Qing pondered. The domestic medical equipment and pharmaceutical industries were just starting, with significant profit potential.

Could the deceased have been a medical equipment salesperson?