You went on a blind date and presented an A-level wanted criminal as a meeting gift?

It was late that night, at 11:40 PM.

The lights were still on in the forensic identification center of the municipal bureau building.

Lin Chen pushed open the heavy iron door, and the smell of formaldehyde and disinfectant mixed together hit him.

He had gotten used to it, and even felt that the taste was just like Jiang Tingxue herself—beneath the cold exterior lay an inexplicable sense of addiction.

But the forensic room tonight is different from usual.

There were no corpses on the dissection table, and the surface was so shiny it reflected light.

Jiang Tingxue stood in front of the control panel, her goggles pushed up to her forehead, holding an extremely thin pipette in her hand, injecting some strangely colored liquid into a row of miniature syringes.

One is light purple, one is dark red, and the other two are almost transparent.

She was so focused that she didn't even notice Lin Chen pushing the door open and coming in.

Lin Chen leaned against the door frame, crossed his arms, and watched for a few seconds.

She was wearing a white lab coat with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, revealing a section of her slender, white forearm.

Strands of hair slipped down from behind her ears, falling beside her cheeks and swaying gently with her movements.

"What are you doing?"

Jiang Tingxue almost dropped the pipette from her hand.

She turned her head and saw Lin Chen. Her tense shoulders relaxed, and she glared at him.

"Make a little noise when you walk."

"I always walk silently."

"……I know."

Jiang Tingxue took off her goggles and placed them on the table, then took out a palm-sized special medical kit from behind the control panel.

The box is made of titanium alloy, and when opened, the inner lining is made of custom-made shock-absorbing foam, with four syringes securely embedded in the grooves.

She walked up to Lin Chen and stuffed the medical kit into his arms.

"Su Qingge told me this afternoon about your trip to the capital."

Jiang Tingxue's voice returned to its usual cool and aloof tone, but Lin Chen noticed that her speaking speed was half a beat faster than usual.

"The capital is not like Jiangcheng; the waters there are deep and there are many turtles."

Lin Chen looked down at the syringe in the box.

"These two light purple vials contain a high concentration of adrenaline mixed with a cardiac stimulant, three times higher than the concentration in military first aid kits."

"In cases of cardiac arrest or severe blood loss, a direct intramuscular injection can bring a person back from the brink of death within fifteen seconds."

Jiang Tingxue pointed to the deep red one.

"This is a nerve blocker. Based on the traditional Chinese medicine meridian theory you taught me before, I made a compound extraction of aconitine derivatives and tetrodotoxin. After injection, the whole body's motor nerves are paralyzed in 0.3 seconds. The target remains conscious but cannot move."

"In a critical moment, it can save lives, or it can kill."

Lin Chen put away the medical kit and looked at the woman in front of him.

She spoke as if it were business, but Lin Chen noticed that there were three band-aids on her fingertips.

The preparation of those micro-injections requires repeated trial and error; even a slight deviation in concentration renders the product unusable.

She didn't know how many sleepless nights she stayed up to make these four.

"Listening to the Snow".

"Um?"

Lin Chen stepped forward, supported her lower back with one hand, and then lifted her up in his other arm.

Jiang Tingxue gasped and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What are you doing—"

Lin Chen placed her on that cold stainless steel dissection table.

The low temperature of the metal tabletop seeped through her white coat onto her legs, raising goosebumps.

Jiang Tingxue sat on the edge of the stage, her line of sight level with Lin Chen, who was standing. Their faces were very close, close enough for her to see the subtle things hidden deep in Lin Chen's eyes.

It's not desire.

It was a seriousness she rarely saw on this man's face.

"Compared to these medicines."

Lin Chen's voice was very low, with a magnetic quality that sent chills down one's spine.

"I care more about the people who make the pharmaceuticals."

Jiang Tingxue's ears turned red.

She moved her lips, wanting to say something firm to bring the atmosphere back, but Lin Chen didn't give her the chance.

He lowered his head and kissed her.

The operating lights in the forensic lab emitted a cold, incandescent light overhead, illuminating two figures pressed tightly together.

Jiang Tingxue's fingers slid from Lin Chen's neck to the back of his head, digging into his hair. Her response grew increasingly passionate from its initial stiffness.

They don't need to say much to each other.

After that night at Ren'ai Hospital, something was set in stone. Words are superfluous; only actions speak louder than words.

I don't know how much time has passed.

Jiang Tingxue leaned against Lin Chen's chest, panting, her cheeks burning red, and most of the buttons on her white coat undone.

"When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

Jiang Tingxue was silent for a few seconds, then raised her head. Her eyes, which usually shone with the rational light of anatomy, were now covered by a thin layer of mist.

"Come back safe and sound."

she says.

Five words, without any unnecessary embellishment.

Just like her as a person.

Lin Chen wiped the corner of her eye with his thumb, then lowered his head and placed a kiss on her forehead.

When have I ever let you down?

Jiang Tingxue didn't answer. She simply buttoned up her white coat again, jumped off the dissection table, picked up her goggles, and walked back to the operating table.

Her back was straight, as if nothing had happened.

But Lin Chen noticed that her hand holding the pipette was trembling slightly.

He didn't turn around, but pushed open the iron door of the forensic room and walked out.

The corridor was long, and footsteps echoed in the empty passageway.

Lin Chen carefully put the titanium alloy medical box away from his body.

Her feelings were heavier than any bulletproof vest.