Soul Patch

Chapter 34: You Pay the Bill

After a short while, Qin Fen slowly spoke through the rising smoke.

"...Because of his daughter!"

Qin Fen's voice was very soft, yet it resounded like thunder in Wenjie's ears.

daughter?

Could Lin Tao's daughter be... Lin Yufei?

Does this mean Lin Yufei's drowning wasn't accidental, but murder?

But what about Xu Mo, Guan Xiaonan, Wang Gang, Qin Fen... Could all four of them be related to Lin Yufei's drowning case?

After a moment of shock, Wenjie silently looked at Qin Fen.

Qin Fen moved closer to Wen Jie without making a sound. She gently leaned on his shoulder, like a kitten seeking comfort.

Apart from their heavy breathing, there was only a long silence between them.

The park's hustle and bustle contrasted sharply with their silence.

Wenjie lowered his voice and whispered in Qin Fen's ear, "So what's your connection to Lin Yufei's drowning case?"

Qin Fen raised her head, her eyes meeting Wen Jie's through her misty gaze. As the sun set and the sky gradually darkened, the streetlights around them began to illuminate the scene.

Under the dim light of the streetlights, Qin Fen, leaning on one shoulder, had a gentle gaze, but there was clearly some hostility hidden within that gentleness.

"Are you a police officer? Are you recording?" Qin Fen abruptly left Wen Jie's shoulder.

"No!" Wenjie said, sounding a little impatient.

Qin Fen hesitated, refusing to speak.

Wenjie had an urge to turn around and leave; it seemed impossible to get this woman to talk on her own.

"Let's go eat!" Wenjie said casually, pulling Qin Fen toward the park entrance.

The two of them exited the north gate of the park and saw a row of food stalls: open-air food stalls, barbecue stalls, grilled cold noodles, cream popcorn stalls, fruit stalls, toy stalls... People gathered around the stalls, eating and drinking, picking and buying things. The air was filled with the aroma of cooking oil and the place was bustling with activity.

The strong smell of fireworks filled the air, leaving Wenjie in awe.

Since starting his internship, he has always worked overtime and has never visited the night market or park in M ​​City, including the park with the ancient trees next to his apartment building.

Wenjie's mood was clearly influenced by the food street; he happily pulled Qin Fen along and quickened his pace.

"Hurry up, I'm getting hungry just looking at all that food!"

Qin Fen chuckled. As expected, he was still a naive young man, his happiness or unhappiness was written all over his face.

In this light, perhaps what the boy said was true. He wasn't one of Lin Tao's men, nor was he a policeman. He might really have come to help me.

As Qin Fen pondered, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a row of beautiful teeth.

Her smile had the air of a refined lady; her full lips parted slightly, revealing eight pearly teeth, the curve of her mouth and her white teeth complementing each other, creating a harmonious and beautiful effect.

But she didn't like street food stalls at all!

How many years has it been since she sat on the street, eating skewers and drinking beer, letting passersby watch her open her mouth to eat?

It's been many years.

It seems like the last time she ate at a street stall, she and Liang Bin weren't married yet, but in the blink of an eye, they've been married for fifteen years.

Qin Fen sighed. Those days of holding hands, kissing, and hugging in the street, those trivial and beautiful moments hidden in street stalls, have become blurred in the depths of her memory.

She waved her hand, whether to interrupt the memories drifting to the past or to stop Wenjie from walking towards the food street.

"Let me treat you! Let's find a quiet place!" Qin Fen said calmly, hailed a taxi, and got in.

Wenjie quickly followed, and as Qin Fen casually closed the car door, Wenjie braced half of his body against the door that was about to close.

Ouch... I've got my legs clamped together.

Wenjie rubbed his legs and squeezed onto the bus, bringing his face close to Qin Fen's, looking at her with a half-smile.

Still want to get rid of him?

Having learned his lesson the hard way, Wenjie has remained vigilant ever since.

Qin Fen didn't even look at Wen Jie, and said to the taxi driver, "No. 008, Ghost Street, West District, Longda."

Longda? Is that a place to eat crayfish?

Longda is a famous crayfish chain restaurant originating from Hunan, and its flagship store in M ​​City is located on Ghost Street.

"Hunan crayfish," Wenjie thought to himself, "that stuff is too spicy; I can't get used to it at all."

Half an hour later, Wenjie's mouth was dripping with oil, and his tongue and mouth were numb from the spiciness, but he was still peeling crayfish non-stop.

Qin Fen ate politely, while Wen Jie finished half a bowl of food. Qin Fen had just peeled two of the two.

Seeing that there were fewer and fewer crayfish in the basin, she pouted unhappily: "Can you peel a few for me?"

"No," Wenjie mumbled, his mouth full of tender lobster meat.

Qin Fen was drinking her coconut juice when she heard Wenjie's words and almost choked: "Why?"

"That would prevent me from eating crayfish!"

Pfft... Qin Fen spat out a mouthful of coconut juice: What a rare oddball!

"By the way, after you drowned, Liang Bin started dating a really artsy girl..." Wenjie's words were still vague. "Did you know about this?"

Qin Fen had choked earlier and was coughing incessantly, patting her ample chest to catch her breath. Hearing Wenjie's words, she choked again and began coughing violently.

What does it mean to die from drowning?!

She looked around and noticed that the people eating at the next table were glancing at them.

"You...shut up! You're insane!"

Qin Fen's face was full of anger, and the look she gave Wenjie could kill.

"Oh? It seems you know this woman!"

Wenjie then stuffed another large, peeled lobster into his mouth.

Plump and juicy, with a lingering fragrance, Longda's crayfish truly live up to their reputation.

"Right, where were we when we were smoking? Oh... I remember now. We were talking about your connection to Lin Yufei's death?" Wenjie deliberately dragged out his words, seeing Qin Fen's flustered expression.

Qin Fen turned pale with fright and warned Wenjie in a low voice, "Shut up... If you say anything more nonsense..."

"So? You're going to drown yourself?" Wenjie asked dismissively.

"I'll get up and leave, and tell the waiter you're paying the bill..."

"..."

(End of this chapter)