My Dongguan Love Story

My cousin's wife caught sight of the elegant Lin Tao beside me and froze instantly, her face turning cold.

She muttered to herself, "There's still a strange woman lying in the room, and now they've brought another one back. Men are all the same; they only behave when they're hanging on the wall."

Lin Tao paused, looked at her sister-in-law with her exquisite makeup and fashionable clothes, sized her up and down, and then turned to look at me with a puzzled expression.

She had met my girlfriend Tang Yan, but who was this woman in front of me? Suspicion immediately arose in my heart, and I secretly felt that I was two-timing her.

Although neither of them spoke, I could clearly see the doubt and scrutiny in their eyes.

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming increasingly awkward and the misunderstanding was about to escalate, I quickly broke the ice and introduced them to each other: "Sister-in-law, this is Lin Tao, Officer Lin."

After saying that, he looked at Lin Tao and said, "Officer Lin, this is my cousin-in-law, Li Qing."

Upon hearing this, the cousin-in-law paused slightly, concealing the suspicion in her eyes. She gave Lin Tao a deep look and nodded slightly.

Upon learning the other woman's identity, Lin Tao's tense expression instantly relaxed. She had just been filled with suspicion, thinking I was having an affair, but it turned out this beautiful and charming woman was just my cousin's wife.

Her worries vanished, and she politely explained to her cousin-in-law, "Hello, Ms. Li, I'm here today mainly to have Su Qin give a statement about the case."

Upon hearing this, the cousin-in-law instantly realized that the sick woman in the room was named Su Qin. She suppressed the doubt in her eyes, stepped aside to make way, and waved her hand dismissively, saying, "I see. Officer Lin, please make yourself at home."

Lin Tao smiled slightly in response, then turned to me and said, "Dazhuang, let's get down to business and take the statement. Where's Su Qin?"

I led her straight to the bedroom. Su Qin, who was on the bed, had already heard the noise outside the door, but she was burning up and her limbs were weak. She was too sleepy to keep her eyes open and had no strength to get up.

The moment the door opened, she forced her weak body to slowly open her eyes.

She and Lin Tao already knew each other. When she saw the person who came, she forced a smile through her pale lips: "Officer Lin."

"Okay, lie down." Lin Tao pulled over a chair by the bed and sat down, then began taking her statement.

When Lin Tao heard that Brother Nan and his gang were forcing Su Qin to sell herself to pay off their debts, her face turned ashen. She clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and her eyes were filled with rage.

As a woman myself, she could deeply empathize with Su Qin's despair and helplessness at that time. Fortunately, I rescued Su Qin in time, otherwise her life would have been completely ruined.

After completing the entire statement, Su Qin, who was running a fever and exhausted, could no longer hold on. Her head lolled to the side, and she drifted off to sleep.

After finishing the statement, Lin Tao got up and put away the notebook. She glanced around the bedroom casually, then turned to me and said, "Dazhuang, I'm leaving now. Can you walk me downstairs?"

I was slightly taken aback, then immediately nodded and replied, "Ah, okay."

It's only right that I give her a ride tonight since she had to come all the way here to give a statement and handle the case.

The two walked side by side in the quiet stairwell. Lin Tao suddenly turned to look at me and casually asked, "Why haven't I seen your girlfriend, Tang Yan?"

She had met Tang Yan once before and knew that Tang Yan was sensitive and extremely jealous. As soon as she entered the house, she noticed that Su Qin was wearing a rather sexy nightgown and sleeping on the master bedroom bed. Given Tang Yan's personality, she would never tolerate another woman sleeping in her bed.

Moreover, she hadn't seen Tang Yan at all, which had already made her quite suspicious.

Upon hearing this, I sighed softly and told her the truth: Tang Yan had already left Dongguan and returned to her hometown.

I didn't say outright that we had broken up, but Lin Tao was very perceptive and immediately understood the implication, guessing that we had already parted ways.

Upon realizing this result, Lin Tao felt inexplicably pleased.

She instantly realized her own subtle thoughts and smiled bitterly to herself: How could she have such thoughts? How could she secretly feel happy about someone else's breakup? It was so wrong of her.

We walked downstairs, and Lin Tao climbed onto her police motorcycle, ready to say goodbye. After a few seconds of silence, as if she had been struggling with this for a long time, she looked up at me and softly asked, "Dazhuang, are you free tomorrow?"

I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lin Tao's ears flushed slightly, her eyes darting away, clearly hesitant. Afraid I might misunderstand and think she'd asked me out alone, she quickly added, "I just received a tip; they spotted Li Jianzhong near Yunhe Shopping Mall. I'd like you to come with me tomorrow to investigate."

I realized instantly. Li Jianzhong was the suspect who stabbed Lin Guilian and fled. He had been missing for so long, and the police had been searching everywhere without any leads. I had long since given up hope of catching him.

Unexpectedly, we have a new lead, so I immediately nodded and agreed: "Okay, no problem, just call me tomorrow."

"Okay." Lin Tao nodded gently, suppressing the shyness on her face, twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle roared away down the street.

Lin Tao rode her motorcycle at breakneck speed, a gentle breeze sweeping across her face. A sudden, inexplicable panic gripped her, her heart pounding wildly out of rhythm.

Just thinking about how she had taken the initiative to ask me out made her cheeks flush again, and she felt shy.

She did receive a tip that Li Jianzhong was in Xishi, but the tip was hard to verify and unreliable. Besides, apprehending fugitives is the police's job, and there was absolutely no need to ask me for help.

She knew perfectly well that after learning that I had broken up with Tang Yan and was now single again, she was driven by selfish motives and used the pretext of investigating a case to try and arrange to meet me alone.

I watched Lin Tao walk away, then turned and went back to my rented room.

My cousin's wife was sitting upright on the living room sofa waiting for me. When she saw me come in, she waved to me and gestured for me to come into her room to talk.

As soon as the door closed, her sister-in-law's face darkened instantly, her expression becoming extremely serious. She cut to the chase, asking, "Dazhuang, tell me honestly, what exactly is your relationship with Officer Lin and Su Qin, who's lying in the house?"

I shook my head frankly: "Sister-in-law, Lin Tao and I are just ordinary friends. We met while working on a case, and you know that. Su Qin helped me before, but we're just friends."

My cousin's wife crossed her arms and stared at me sharply, looking me up and down for a long time. Seeing that I looked honest and wasn't lying, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and then earnestly advised me: "You're tall and handsome, so you're bound to have many suitors. You must keep your principles and never let President Lin down."

I understood that my cousin-in-law meant well, so I nodded obediently and replied, "I know, I understand."

I had just opened my mouth to reply when my gaze inadvertently swept across the area and suddenly fell on my cousin's sister-in-law's fair and delicate collarbone. I was immediately stunned and couldn't take my eyes off her.

My cousin's wife immediately noticed my gaze, glanced down at her chest, her cheeks slightly flushed, and grabbed my ear, her tone both scolding and fierce: "Where are you looking at?"

A sharp pain shot through my ear, and I quickly waved my hands awkwardly, begging for forgiveness: "Oops! Sorry, I just glanced at it accidentally!"

My cousin's wife told me to beg for mercy and then she let go. Seeing this, I quickly ran out of the room, rubbing my burning and sore ears and muttering to myself: Why does my cousin's wife always like to twist my ears? She's too rough.

I turned and walked into the master bedroom, looking at Su Qin on the bed. She was sleeping soundly, motionless, her breathing even. I sighed helplessly, deciding to grab a pillow and make do on the living room sofa for the night.

The bed was placed right against the wall, with Su Qin sleeping on the outer side. The only remaining pillow was placed at the far end against the wall. It was a bit far, so I had to lean over and reach for it. My arms weren't long enough, so I had to bend forward, pressing most of my body against the bed.

Just as my fingertips were about to touch the pillow, I was suddenly gently tickled on my side.

I lost my balance instantly, and my body lurched forward, uncontrollably crashing heavily onto Su Qin.

A soft, warm touch washed over me, and I instinctively looked down to find Su Qin clutching the hem of my clothes. She wasn't asleep at all; her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes held a delicate fragility and timidity born of illness. She spoke softly and gently:

"Dazhuang, don't sleep on the sofa, just stay here with me, okay? I'm a little scared lying here alone."