Chapter 29: Give It a Try

Lan Xinqiao hurriedly shielded the person behind her, her gaze icy as she looked at the girl who had spoken.
“I brought her. Do you have a problem with that?”
Li Yiru was taken aback, not expecting Lan Xinqiao to come to Shen Qing’s defense. Being rebuked like this in public, her cheeks quickly flushed red.
“I… I have no problem,” she mumbled, lowering her head in embarrassment.
Zhang Fan, unable to contain himself, stepped forward to defend her.
“Chief Lan, this is the major crimes division. How could you bring an outsider in here?”
The others, hearing Zhang Fan’s words, also looked at Shen Qing with clear disapproval.
Lan Xinqiao glanced at them, her expression indifferent. “She’s an external expert I’ve brought in. The case has been open for so many days and we still can’t determine the cause of death. What’s wrong with asking for some help?”
“Chief Lan, please don’t be angry,” the group muttered, exchanging uncertain glances.
Li Yiru took another look at Shen Qing, whose face was mostly concealed by a hat.
“If even the forensic pathologists can’t find anything, what makes you think she can?”
A faint smirk played at the corner of Shen Qing’s lips. She took off her hat with a backward motion, flicking her hair back with a roguish air. She swept her gaze across the group. “Let’s give it a try.”
At the sight of Shen Qing’s face, everyone in the room was momentarily stunned by her striking beauty.
Li Yiru bit her lip as she stared at that captivating face. “What if you can’t find anything?”
Lan Xinqiao frowned, wondering what exactly this new girl was after.
“If I can’t, then I can’t. What else is there?” Shen Qing leaned against the doorframe, her manner careless.
“Miss Shen, let me take you over,” Lan Xinqiao said with a smile to Shen Qing, her expression turning stern as she looked at the others. “Well? Lead the way.”
The others thought to themselves: That’s quite a rapid change of face!
A young man stepped out. “I’ll take you.”

“This is ridiculous. Li Ye’s going along with this nonsense too,” Zhang Fan grumbled, scowling as the three of them walked out.
Li Yiru lowered her eyes and said softly, “I’ll go get the master.”
**
Li Ye walked ahead, briefing Shen Qing on the victim’s autopsy.
“The deceased was female, twenty-eight years old, worked at an electronics factory, unmarried, with multiple wounds on her body, none of which were fatal.”
“Was her blood tested?”
“Yes, it was. No traces of poison.”
Li Ye stopped in front of a door, produced his police badge, and the guard at the door saluted both Lan Xinqiao and Li Ye before pulling out a key to unlock it.
“Hold on!”
A dark-skinned middle-aged man strode quickly down the corridor.
“Captain Long,” Lan Xinqiao nodded at him.
Li Ye, seeing who it was, lowered his head and greeted him quietly, “Master,” while behind him Li Yiru and Zhang Fan followed.
“Chief Lan,” Captain Long greeted Lan Xinqiao and glanced at Li Ye, who hung his head even lower.
“And this is?” Captain Long’s gaze finally landed on Shen Qing. He’d heard from Li Yiru that Chief Lan had brought in an outsider for the autopsy.
Initially, he’d been pleased—Lan Xinqiao had transferred in from the capital, so any expert she brought in shouldn’t be lacking. But Li Yiru had described her as a flashy, unruly girl.
Now, seeing Shen Qing in person, he couldn’t help but question Lan Xinqiao’s judgment. After all, looks and ability rarely go hand in hand.
Lan Xinqiao, aware of Captain Long’s concerns, got straight to the point. “This is the external expert I brought. Don’t worry, her skills are exceptional.”
Li Yiru snorted at this. If she were so capable, what were the seasoned forensic doctors—just eating for show?
At this, Captain Long’s expression darkened. He looked at Shen Qing again. “This young lady looks like she’s still in high school, isn’t she?”
Such a young girl—wouldn’t she have nightmares after seeing a corpse?

Lan Xinqiao’s face fell. “Captain Long, you know the saying: you can’t judge a book by its cover. We don’t even have any leads in this case. Maybe she’ll find a breakthrough.”
“This isn’t by the book.”
Shen Qing narrowed her eyes and spoke lazily, “Captain Long, which rule am I breaking? Is it because I’m not some old man or woman and I don’t look intimidating enough?”
Captain Long looked at Shen Qing. The girl leaned against the wall, as languid as a cat.
“Little girl, this isn’t a place for fooling around.”
There it was—the heart of the matter.
If Shen Qing were older, he’d have no qualms about letting her in.
Shen Qing clicked her tongue. “It’s been three days and you still haven’t found the cause of death. Who’s really fooling around here?”
“Hey! Watch your mouth!” Li Yiru scolded.
“Yiru!” Captain Long shot a cold glance at the girl behind him, and she lowered her head in protest.
“Captain Long, if this case drags on any longer, how will you explain it to your superiors? Besides, do you think I, Lan Xinqiao, am the kind of person who fools around?”
“If you won’t agree, so be it. I’ve invited her here, but if you refuse to use her, then you can handle the case yourself. Miss Shen, I’m sorry to have troubled you today. Allow me to escort you out.”
Lan Xinqiao gave Shen Qing a respectful gesture of invitation.
“Wait,” Captain Long stopped the two as they turned to go, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he lowered his voice.
“Let her try.”