Chapter 20: A Chance Encounter with Song Lin
Fang Xiaocao parked her car by the roadside and carefully removed the memory card from the dash cam as if she were defusing a time bomb.
She wrapped the card in a tissue, placed it securely in her bag, and let out a sigh of relief. “This is worth a million—I need to keep it safe.”
Restarting the car, she headed toward Xintiandi Community.
She planned to go home, change clothes, and then head out for a good time.
Upon arriving at Xintiandi, she casually found a parking spot, parked the red Range Rover, and carried her bag upstairs to apartment 301.
Once inside, she retrieved a small lockbox, placed the dash cam memory card inside, and carefully hid it in a drawer.
Since she still had money to spend, she didn’t plan to retrieve the gold just yet. After all, suddenly becoming too wealthy might be hard to explain.
Besides, she was still renting an apartment—keeping a stash of gold in a rental felt too risky. She decided to wait until she could move back into her villa on 5th Street before transporting the gold there.
After changing into a stylish yet comfortable outfit and applying light makeup, she left her apartment once again.
Ever since being hunted by Qi Yu, she had stopped wearing dresses.
Her current style leaned towards sporty wear—perfect for both casual outings and quick getaways if necessary.
Driving out of the complex, Fang Xiaocao planned to find a small restaurant for a feast.
Three days in the hospital, eating nothing but bland food, had driven her crazy.
Her stomach was screaming for meat—time to treat herself!
Arriving at the food street, she found a parking spot, parked her car, and hopped out with flair.
“Xiaocao?”
Just as she stepped out, a familiar voice called from behind.
She froze and turned around.
It was Song Lin and Wang Qiang, standing by the roadside.
“Captain Song? Officer Wang?”
She blinked in surprise.
“Oh, Xiaocao got another car!” Wang Qiang teased, eyeing the Range Rover.
“Hehe, just a second-hand one.” She grinned.
“Second-hand is still pretty nice.” Wang Qiang chuckled.
“Here for a meal?” Song Lin asked with a smile.
“Yeah, hospital food nearly drove me mad.” She nodded eagerly.
“Perfect, join us!” Song Lin offered.
“Uh… is that okay?” She hesitated.
“Of course! It’s just an extra pair of chopsticks.” Wang Qiang laughed.
“Alright then~ I won’t be polite!” She giggled.
“Let’s go—this place is good.” Song Lin pointed at a barbecue restaurant.
Fang Xiaocao followed them inside without hesitation.
The moment they entered, the owner greeted them warmly.
“Officer Wang, welcome!”
“Hey, Uncle Lin, business is booming, huh?” Wang Qiang grinned.
“All thanks to you guys keeping the area safe! Otherwise, how would I have such good business?” Uncle Lin laughed heartily.
“Come, come—this table is available.”
Uncle Lin led them to a table.
“Master, Xiaocao, you two sit down—I’ll handle the grilling!”
With that, Wang Qiang rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a bunch of skewers, and headed toward the grill.
Fang Xiaocao watched in surprise.
“Surprised?” Song Lin chuckled.
She nodded.
“Before joining the city bureau, Wang Qiang interned at the local precinct here. He only stayed two years, but he built strong ties with the local business owners.
“This area used to have trouble with gangsters harassing the shops. Wang Qiang, with his stubbornness, drove them all away.
“Even after transferring to the city bureau, he still makes a point to eat here and support their business. The shopkeepers appreciate him, and he treats them like family. If the place is busy, he’ll even help out.”
Song Lin explained with a smile.
“Captain Song, is that why you took him as your apprentice?” She asked curiously.
“Exactly.” He nodded.
“Wang Qiang has great potential as a detective. With a little guidance, he’ll be capable of handling major cases on his own.
“One day, he’ll surpass me—he has a bright future in the city bureau.”
Song Lin looked at Wang Qiang with admiration.
“Yeah, Officer Wang is a great cop.” She nodded in agreement.
“Here, when you eat with Wang Qiang, you have to grill your own food—want something, go get it yourself.”
Song Lin grinned and got up to grab some skewers.
“Wait, isn’t he grilling for us?” She asked, confused.
“Him? He doesn’t care about us.” Song Lin laughed.
Fang Xiaocao blinked, bewildered.
She followed Song Lin’s lead, picked out her favorite skewers, and headed to the grill.
“You’ve done this before?”
Song Lin raised an eyebrow, watching her skillfully handle the skewers.
“Hehe, I used to work part-time at a BBQ place.” She smirked.
Song Lin gave her a thumbs-up.
She returned the gesture with a smile.
Once the food was ready, they returned to their table. Before they could start eating, Wang Qiang sat down and shamelessly grabbed some skewers from Song Lin’s plate.
Seeing this, Fang Xiaocao quickly pulled her own skewers closer to herself.
“Officer Wang, you’re unbelievable—you grilled all that food but didn’t bring any back, and now you’re stealing ours?” She muttered internally.
“You never change.” Song Lin shook his head with a laugh.
Even as he scolded Wang Qiang, he still handed him most of his skewers.
“Eat up, but don’t steal from Xiaocao.”
Song Lin chuckled.
Hearing this, Fang Xiaocao felt a little awkward.
“Oops, my little move got caught.”
She scratched her head.
“Relax, Master, I’ll only steal yours.
“If I steal Xiaocao’s, what if she runs me over?”
Wang Qiang teased.
Clearly, her sneaky move hadn’t escaped his sharp detective’s eyes either.
“Wow, these guys are on another level—detectives really do have insane observation skills!”
She marveled at their awareness.
“You talk too much, Wang. You’re paying today.” Song Lin smirked.
Wang Qiang laughed it off and kept eating.
Their meal ended in laughter, with Song Lin and Wang Qiang bantering the whole time.
Fang Xiaocao had planned to secretly pay the bill, but when she tried, the owner told her that Song Lin had already covered it in advance.
(End of Chapter 20)
Starting from this chapter, Police Officer Li changes his name to Wang Qiang. It seems that he wants to avoid the surname Li. The surname in the entire chapter has been deleted by the reviewer. In order not to affect the reading experience of the babies, it is better to change the name. The author will change the previous chapters when he has time.
