DSMIS CH56

Chapter 56: Director Shen Presumes Himself a Top

Past 3 AM, the night was pitch-black—the hour when all sleeping souls were in the deepest throes of slumber. In the courtyard of the county bureau, a battered taxi was driven inside. It was Niu Gui’s; for the past few years, he had made a living driving a taxi around the county town.

On the front steps of the bureau building stood Jiang Lin, clad in a dark windbreaker, his brows and eyes cold, sharp, and austere. Beside him stood an older police officer in a white lab coat.

Watching the car pull in, Jiang Lin turned his head:

“Thank you for the trouble, Teacher Wang.”

“Part of the job.”

Shen Xing hovered behind the group of officers, trying his best to minimize his presence. Yet the scene before him was both thrilling and tense. After all, the dead of night, a dilapidated taxi, a cluster of detectives, and a crime scene technician carrying evidence cases—the entire tableau looked like something straight out of a real-life blockbuster.

Perhaps sensing his inner excitement, just as the officers moved toward the taxi, Jiang Lin glanced back toward Shen Xing. Director Shen, whose wide eyes were practically shining with curiosity, found his gaze abruptly colliding with Captain Jiang’s. In Jiang Lin’s eyes, Director Shen craning his neck and peeking forward looked entirely like an inquisitive cat.

Jiang Lin beckoned with a hand. Shen Xing immediately scampered over:

“Hero, what’s the situation?”

“Come here.”

Jiang Lin took his hand, leading him down the steps before letting go. Veiled by the night and with everyone’s attention locked onto the taxi, no one noticed. Still, the tips of Shen Xing’s ears flushed slightly. How did I never realize before just how smooth this guy is at flirting?

Before long, however, the blush faded from his ears. He spotted the jug held by the white-coated technician Jiang Lin had addressed as Teacher Wang. The label read: “Luminol Solution.”

“3-aminophthalhydrazide?”

The moment the chemical name left his mouth, Wang Wenfu turned around in surprise. Shen Xing quickly clamped his mouth shut. Jiang Lin introduced them:

“This is Section Chief Wang from the bureau’s Crime Scene Investigation Section. Section Chief Wang, this is Director Shen, visiting from Tianjin to support the county hospital. He’s the attending surgeon for the injured boy.”

Wang Wenfu smiled and shook Shen Xing’s hand, tactfully asking no questions about why Shen Xing was here in the middle of the night.

Jiang Lin stepped forward to inspect the car’s interior. The vehicle was visibly aged. The seats were covered in faux-leather slipcovers that were scuffed and peeling. Jiang Lin lifted a corner of the leather; underneath, the original seat upholstery was fabric.

“Spray the outer surfaces and the trunk first, then remove the seat covers.”

The Luminol solution was misted inside the vehicle. Shen Xing poked his head in to look. There was no distinct reaction in the main cabin. Just then, an officer called out:

“Captain Jiang, we have a reaction in the trunk.”

In the dark of the night, an eerie, luminous blue glow spread across the trunk. Shen Xing’s eyes widened. He knew the theory behind the Luminol chemiluminescence reaction, but this was his first time seeing it in real life. A rookie officer couldn’t help but gasp:

“My god, just how much blood was that?”

Jiang Lin stepped closer, squinting slightly to examine the fluorescence pattern before instructing:

“Strip the seat covers.”

As time ticked by, eerie blue spots also emerged across the woven fabric of the seats, pooling into large, continuous patches in several places. The sight was chilling to behold.

Jiang Lin studied the fluorescent patterns on the seat, then returned to the trunk for another close look before exchanging a grim glance with Wang Wenfu:

“Section Chief Wang, prepare for species identification.”

Wang Wenfu looked at him:

“Captain Jiang, you already have an idea in mind, don’t you?”

Jiang Lin pressed his lips into a tight line:

“Just a deduction. We still need rigorous scientific proof.”

Shen Xing had no idea what riddle they were trading. His head swiveled back and forth between Jiang Lin and Wang Wenfu, looking so adorably bewildered that Jiang Lin almost reached out to ruffle his hair in front of the entire team.

“Understood. Given the condition of these samples, it’ll take five days at the earliest.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Wang.”

“Think nothing of it.”

By the time the initial testing wrapped up, the sky was already threatening to break dawn. Yet, energized by the grim developments of the case, no one felt a trace of sleepiness. Jiang Lin checked the time, dismissing the team to eat or catch whatever rest they could. Only then did he and Shen Xing step out of the county bureau.

Reaching out, Jiang Lin gently circled Shen Xing’s waist, turning slightly toward him:

“A perfectly good Lantern Festival, completely spent between emergency surgeries and criminal cases. How about we head home? I’ll boil some tangyuan for you.”

The moment they stepped through the door, Jiang Lin, worried Shen Xing was starving, hurried straight into the kitchen. There were packages of black sesame and five-kernel tangyuan bought before the holiday. He also planned to slice some recently arrived sausages and feed Director Shen some pre-made braised delicacies. Shen Xing leaned against the kitchen doorframe, the two furballs nuzzling against his shins, yet his entire focus was riveted on the man at the stove.

Watching that busy silhouette, Shen Xing recalled the authoritative, hyper-focused, and intensely commanding Captain Jiang from the interrogation room and under the night sky. And yet, this exact same man was currently boiling water to make him sweet dumplings. An acute sense of cognitive dissonance washed over him—and he loved every single bit of it.

Just as Jiang Lin lit the burner, a warm body pressed against his back from behind. The person rested his chin heavily on Jiang Lin’s shoulder and puffed a warm breath against his neck. Amused, Jiang Lin asked:

“What are you up to? Aren’t you hungry?”

Shen Xing wrapped his arms around Jiang Lin’s waist, nuzzling his chin into the crook of his shoulder, his cheek brushing Jiang Lin’s ear:

“Captain Jiang, promise me something: wear your uniform next time you conduct an interrogation, okay?”

Captain Jiang earlier had been impossibly handsome. The only flaw was that he hadn’t been wearing his police uniform. Shen Xing didn’t dare imagine how devastatingly ascetic and heavenly Jiang Lin would look sitting in an interrogation room in full dress uniform. Manga characters couldn’t hold a candle to the real deal. Those hands, those shoulders, that waist… Lost in his reverie, Shen Xing buried his face in Jiang Lin’s shoulder like a greedy cat, taking deep, appreciative sniffs of his scent.

Feeling the heat rising through his veins under Shen Xing’s teasing, Jiang Lin chuckled indulgently:

“You like seeing me in uniform that much?”

Draped over his back, Shen Xing murmured languidly:

“I do. But the uniform needs to be worn in specific settings—like briefing rooms or interrogation rooms. It’s a shame I never get to see it. Every time I see you in uniform, it’s always in the cafeteria.”

Then, remembering something, he added:

“Wait, except for that time you visited Auntie Shulan at the hospital. You looked incredibly handsome then, Captain Jiang.”

In that moment, he had genuinely felt that Jiang Lin was born for this profession. When those police insignias rested on his shoulders, an innate, solemn sanctity radiated from him.

Jiang Lin tilted his head, brushing his cheek against Shen Xing’s:

“Did Director Shen fall for me back then?”

“Hmph. Just a tiny bit.”

The water boiled, and Jiang Lin dropped the tangyuan into the pot. Less than ten minutes later, he ushered the clingy Director Shen to the dining table to eat. Shen Xing truly couldn’t hold back his curiosity:

“What did Teacher Wang mean earlier when he said you already had an idea? Are you already certain Xiao Niu’s mother was really… by that animal Niu Gui…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say the word aloud. He would rather believe the mother had truly “run off with someone else,” as Niu Gui claimed, than face the reality that she had met a horrific end.

Jiang Lin placed a slice of Shen Xing’s favorite sausage into his bowl, his lips pressed thin:

“We can’t be certain yet. However, the Luminol reaction inside the car was exceptionally vivid, indicating a massive amount of blood had been cleaned away. While Luminol doesn’t distinguish between human and animal blood, the fluorescent pattern on the rear seat closely resembles high-velocity arterial spurting—the kind created when an artery is abruptly severed under pressure. A normal person wouldn’t slaughter chickens in the back seat of a taxi.”

Therefore, even without the species identification results, he was virtually certain a violent, bloody assault had occurred in the rear seat. Whether the victim had died, and whether that victim was indeed Xiao Niu’s mother, remained unconfirmed.

The topic cast a pall over Shen Xing’s mood:

“How can people be such utter beasts?”

As a surgeon, Shen Xing frequently witnessed the colorful spectrum of human nature in the hospital, but when it came to the depravity of criminal malice, his exposure paled in comparison to Captain Jiang’s.

“Indeed. If such people didn’t exist, crime rates would plummet.”

Shen Xing thought of Xiao Niu lying in the hospital bed:

“If he really murdered her, they have to throw the book at him and put him away for good. Without him around, Xiao Niu’s life might actually stand a chance.”

Jiang Lin raised a hand and gently ruffled Shen Xing’s hair:

“Don’t worry. If he did it, the law won’t let him walk. Are you working outpatient clinic today?”

Shen Xing popped a tangyuan into his mouth:

“No, inpatient ward duty today. You have to go back to work soon, don’t you? I’ll do the dishes in a bit. Go lie down in bed.”

“I’m fine. I’m used to pulling all-nighters.”

“You’re used to it, but your leg isn’t! Get into bed right now and prop your leg up. Otherwise, after another full day on your feet, it’ll swell into a pig’s trotter by evening.”

The two of them managed to doze in bed for barely two hours before it was time for work. Shen Xing rubbed his eyes while clinging to Jiang Lin. Heartbroken at the sight, Jiang Lin held him close, patting his back softly:

“Why don’t you call in sick today?”

“There are patients waiting for me.”

Jiang Lin kissed the corner of his lips:

“Aren’t there other orthopedic doctors on duty?”

Shen Xing laughed, looping his arms around Jiang Lin’s neck:

“Captain Jiang, where did all your professional principles go?”

“What does this have to do with principles? It’s completely normal for an exhausted doctor to take sick leave.”

Ultimately, Doctor Shen resisted Captain Jiang’s tempting propositions and dragged himself out of bed for work. The morning began with grand ward rounds. The wards were far from full; over the Spring Festival, non-critical patients had mostly been discharged, and elective surgeries were rarely scheduled during the holidays. Most current inpatients were trauma cases who had no choice but to stay.

His primary focus during rounds was Xiao Niu, who had just undergone surgery the previous night, and the nine-year-old boy whose severed limb had been successfully replanted on New Year’s Eve—both surgeries performed by Shen Xing himself.

Having eaten breakfast at home with Jiang Lin, he hadn’t noticed whether the rice noodle shop downstairs had reopened today. When he checked on Xiao Niu, he found both the shop owner and the young man present. Shen Xing inspected the incisions, reviewed the vitals, gave post-op instructions, and returned to his office once satisfied. With no scheduled surgeries or clinic duty today, he could catch a quick nap if nothing arose.

The species identification test results for the blood in the car came back eight days later. Shen Xing happened to be heading upstairs for rounds when he ran into Jiang Lin and Section Chief Wang from CSI. Their gazes locked across the corridor. Shen Xing immediately guessed there was a breakthrough. Letting his eyes linger briefly on Jiang Lin’s crisp, tailored uniform, he cleared his throat:

“Captain Jiang, here to see Xiao Niu?”

“Mm. The species identification confirmed it’s human blood. We need to collect Xiao Niu’s DNA for a familial match. Is he in his room?”

“He is.”

During Xiao Niu’s hospitalization, Shi Xu stayed with him during the day, while Fang Shuo took over at night. Inside the ward, Shi Xu was currently peeling a mandarin orange for the boy. Seeing the police arrive, he instinctively stood up, his intuition sensing the gravity:

“Officer Jiang.”

Jiang Lin gave him a gentle nod, softening his tone as much as possible:

“It’s like this: Niu Gui may be implicated in a violent assault case. We need to swab Xiao Niu’s DNA for comparative analysis.”

Collecting DNA for a criminal investigation required the subject’s informed consent, so Jiang Lin had to explain it to Xiao Niu. Yet, facing a young child, he struggled to be blunt. To everyone’s surprise, the boy on the bed was exceptionally sharp. Clenching the bedsheet with his uninjured hand, his large eyes locked onto Jiang Lin. Terrified and trembling, he still fought to hold back his tears:

“Is the person hurt… my mom? Where is she?”

Shen Xing felt his heart clench at the question and glanced at Jiang Lin. Sure enough, Captain Jiang, who handled hardened criminals with effortless command, was utterly at a loss when facing a child in pain.

Xiao Niu spoke again, his eyes brimming with tears, his voice breaking into sobs:

“She wouldn’t run away with anyone else. He beat her so many times, and she never ran. Did she… did she die?”

Jiang Lin took a deep breath, sitting down on the edge of the bed:

“We can’t confirm that yet. But I promise you, we will do everything in our power to find her, okay?”

Reaching out, he gently wiped the tears streaming down Xiao Niu’s cheeks. Watching this, Shen Xing felt an overwhelming ache in his chest.

When Jiang Lin clocked off that evening, Shen Xing was already home. Dressed in cream-colored loungewear, Shen Xing was sitting on the living room rug, cuddling Qianjin in his arms while Heibao rested against his legs. It looked like a tranquil, cozy picture, yet Jiang Lin could tell at a glance that Shen Xing was deeply upset. He walked over, sitting beside him, and Heibao nuzzled up immediately.

Jiang Lin stroked Heibao’s head. The next moment, a weight rested on his shoulder—Director Shen had laid his head down. Jiang Lin tilted his head, resting his cheek against Shen Xing’s:

“Niu Gui will probably confess soon.”

They both knew in their hearts that Xiao Niu’s mother had almost certainly perished at Niu Gui’s hands. All they could do now was unearth the truth and recover her remains for a proper burial.

Just as Jiang Lin predicted, three days later, Niu Gui broke down and confessed. He admitted to murdering Li Chunmei inside the taxi, establishing the vehicle as the primary crime scene, before dumping her body in the mountains fifty kilometers away.

The police deployed search teams with cadaver dogs, combing the mountains far and wide. However, with nearly a year having elapsed and Niu Gui unable to identify the exact dumping spot in the vast wilderness, the odds of recovery were heartbreakingly low. After nearly a week of exhaustive searching, they recovered only a few fragmented bone remains. DNA testing confirmed a direct maternal match with Xiao Niu.

Li Chunmei’s bone fragments were handed over to Xiao Niu. Though it was the expected outcome, seeing the young boy sobbing until he could barely breathe while clutching the small box in the hospital ward tore at Shen Xing’s heart. Though accustomed to life-and-death departures in the hospital, witnessing a family torn apart by such brutal cruelty was a rare, raw agony.

Shen Xing looked sideways at Captain Jiang, who stood tall in his uniform. He recalled how Jiang Lin had keenly sensed something amiss regarding the mother’s disappearance that night and relentlessly pursued the lead. For the first time, Shen Xing truly grasped how critical sharp intuition and relentless resolve were in a detective. Sunlight streamed through the ward window, reflecting off the metal epaulets on Jiang Lin’s shoulders. To Shen Xing, those badges looked exceptionally radiant today. This man truly belonged in this uniform.

After a long while, Shen Xing looked back at the small box cradled in Xiao Niu’s arms. Perhaps Li Chunmei’s spirit in heaven had guided the police to crack the case, ensuring that Niu Gui would never again cast a dark, violent shadow over Xiao Niu’s life.

After Xiao Niu was discharged, Shi Xu helped arrange a proper burial for Li Chunmei. Concurrently, the procuratorate filed formal indictments against Niu Gui for intentional homicide and domestic abuse of a minor.

By March, the early cherry blossoms in Fulan County were bursting into bloom. Several trees in the hospital courtyard were flowering magnificently. Today, Shen Xing finally stepped out from the gloom of the past few weeks, buoyed by wonderful news: the little boy whose severed arm had been replanted on New Year’s Eve had recovered remarkably well and was being discharged today.

The entire family arrived in full force, heaping endless gratitude upon Shen Xing in the ward. Zhuoga’s older brother, Wangga, carried a large sack tied with red silk ribbons, insisting it was a local specialty from their family that Shen Xing simply must accept.

Without even looking at the contents, Shen Xing waved his hands frantically in refusal:

“We strictly cannot accept gifts. Please take it back.”

Anxious, Wangga forcibly shoved the bundle into his arms:

“Director Shen, it really isn’t anything expensive! Our family herds yaks, so we have plenty of this! I’ve seen you doctors pulling all-nighters constantly lately. A lot of folks seek this out specifically to brew medicinal liquor for vitality! These are all from our own yaks, absolutely genuine! Please take it, Director Shen, it’s just an honest local specialty!”

The family possessed terrifying physical strength. Shen Xing, an orthopedic surgeon renowned for his endurance, was completely overpowered. Before he could shove it back, the entire family sprinted out of the ward as if fleeing for their lives, leaving him standing there, torn between laughter and tears.

Only then did he look down into the sack.

The moment his eyes registered the contents, he froze dead in his tracks.

The items tied with red ribbons were indeed from yaks, and they certainly qualified as local specialties.

It was a giant sack full of dried yak pizzles—bull penises…

Shen Xing stood there as if struck by lightning, utterly dumbfounded. What about me looks deficient? What on earth made Wangga think I need to brew bull penis tonic liquor?!

Staring at the massive bag of yak pizzles, a sudden realization struck him. Counting back, he and Jiang Lin had been officially dating for a month now. Between back-to-back overtime and sleepless nights, would this long-term strain cause issues? Shouldn’t he find an opportunity to finally “devour” Captain Jiang? After all, he had been drooling over Captain Jiang’s physique for ages; the mere thought of it was thrilling. He weighed the bag of yak pizzles in his hands, clocking out right on the dot.

He stopped by a liquor store to buy ten jin of high-proof baijiu, bought a massive glass steeping jar, and spent the evening researching recipes for tonic liquor. Bull penis wine was renowned for nourishing the kidneys and boosting yang energy. Furthermore, according to his extensive online research that afternoon, the physical toll during “that kind of activity” was significantly heavier on the bottom partner. His Captain Jiang was already exhausted from his demanding police work every day. Shen Xing decided he absolutely could not let his man suffer physical strain in that department, and resolved to brew this restorative tonic well in advance.

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Author’s Note:

My dear Director Shen still believes to this day that he is the Top.