An American knife seller? No, please acknowledge me as your godfather.

Seattle’s coastline is known as the dazzling necklace on the edge of the North American continent.

Alki Beach is undoubtedly the most dazzling main diamond in this necklace.

As Seattle's largest and most scenic coastline, this area has always been a paradise for tourists from all over the world and locals alike.

Even after nightfall, the number of people is still astonishingly large.

Along the coastline, a variety of well-decorated restaurants line the water, their neon signs reflecting the vibrant colors of the sea.

The beach was a scene of utter chaos.

A homeless man busking with a broken guitar, a street dancer with a fiery physique, a juggler who breathes fire and swallows swords...

Drug addicts huddled in dark corners with unfocused eyes, young couples embracing and kissing deeply, and even pickpockets skillfully weaving through the crowd—you name it, they've got it.

Of course, if you're willing to pay a hefty sum in US dollars, you can even enjoy special piston services offered by bikini-clad "ama" (female divers) behind the receding tide.

In short, this land, filled with the smell of the sea and the hormones of alcohol, is the epitome of Seattle's nightlife.

Marilyn's Seaview is located in the prime spot on this coastline.

The entire building boasts a lavish, panoramic bulletproof glass structure with overhanging eaves, resembling a crystal palace suspended above the waves.

Sitting here, you can not only enjoy a panoramic view of the entire stunning coastline, but also gaze across the sea at the bustling skyline of downtown Seattle.

"You want me to treat you to a meal here?"

When she saw the huge, mesmerizing blue "Marilyn's" sign in front of her, a look of undisguised astonishment appeared on Annie's delicate face.

If her memory as an excellent detective is not impaired.

That annoying Evans had been pestering her on the phone, inviting her to what seemed to be this very restaurant!

This is such a coincidence...

Muttering to herself, Annie quickly glanced around out of the corner of her eye.

At this moment, a long queue had already formed outside the restaurant.

Upon seeing this, Annie's long eyebrows immediately furrowed tightly.

It wasn't that she was stingy with money; having been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, she had never lacked money in her dictionary.

What really bothered her was that without an appointment, it would take at least several hours to queue.

For her, wasting time is simply wasting her life!

What's worse is that she only decided to have dinner with Lynn on a whim tonight and didn't have time to go back to the police station to change into her regular clothes.

At this moment, he was still wearing that imposing dark blue police uniform!

A rough estimate suggests that within the short half-minute she stood at the entrance of this luxurious restaurant, she had already attracted at least hundreds of gazes, a mixture of amazement, curiosity, and even fear.

The feeling of being stared at like a giant panda made her feel extremely uncomfortable physically.

Just as she was getting a chill down her spine and was about to suggest that Lynn go somewhere else, she heard Lynn's lazy voice say, "Let's go, this way."

Upon hearing this, Annie instinctively wanted to respond, but she keenly noticed that Lynn's steps did not lead him toward Marilyn's Restaurant, but instead he walked straight past it toward a dark and narrow alley at the edge of the restaurant.

The way he navigated it so skillfully was as if he were inspecting his own backyard.

Annie paused slightly, a hint of curiosity appearing on her beautiful face, before quickly following after him.

After walking for a few minutes, Lynn stopped in front of a small shop that smelled strongly of the sea and the aroma of stir-fried dishes. He turned back, raised an eyebrow, and smiled: "We're here! This is it!"

Following Lynn's shoulder to the narrow shop in front of them, Annie's cool voice carried a hint of doubt: "This is it?"

It wasn't that she was being dramatic, but she never expected that the place Lynn mentioned for dinner would be like this!

The storefront of this little shop was pitifully narrow, squeezed so much by the bright and shiny buildings next to it that it seemed to be struggling to breathe.

Above the entrance hangs a weathered, greasy wooden plaque with several bold, red Chinese characters painted on it.

Several huge blue plastic tanks were casually placed at the entrance, filled with lively seafood swimming around, while a water pump made a cheap "buzzing" noise.

If the Marilyn Restaurant next door is a high and mighty emperor, then this little shop is simply a beggar cowering in a corner, completely unworthy of respect.

"Yes! This is it!"

Lynn pointed at the signboard without a care, his eyes resolute: "Old Chen's Chaoshan Seafood Stall! I bet it's absolutely delicious, or you can bite me!"

Annie nodded as if she understood, then added in a rather serious tone:

"It's my treat, are you sure you want to eat here? I just received my attendance bonus a couple of days ago."

Although it wasn't said too explicitly, the meaning was conveyed very clearly.

Since she had promised to treat everyone, she would never be stingy.

Compared to Lynn's help yesterday, she wouldn't even bat an eye if she treated her to ten meals at Marilyn's Restaurant.

She didn't want Lynn to deliberately compromise herself because of concerns about her wallet.

In his view, problems that can be solved with money are not problems at all.

"Don't worry, if it's not good, just handcuff me." Lynn smiled nonchalantly, turned around and stepped into the restaurant first.

He certainly saw through Annie's little scheme and guessed that she was probably not short of money.

But he didn't really think that much; he just wanted to fill his protesting stomach with the most authentic carbohydrates and protein as soon as possible.

This Chaozhou-style food stall has been open for many years. The owner is a native of the coastal area of ​​Dongda, and his skills in raw marinating and stir-frying are simply superb.

Before, when we were struggling to make ends meet, we couldn't afford to eat well. Now that we're better off, of course we should treat ourselves.

Following Lynn into the shop, the environment, though cramped, suddenly opened up.

A handwritten menu in black ink on red paper was pasted on the wall, a chubby lucky cat sat on the cashier's counter, and the air was filled with the aroma of seafood mixed with satay sauce.

Lynn went straight to a seat by the window, casually pulled out a chair, and invited Annie to sit down.

Looking at the chair, which was covered in oil and even slightly reflective, Annie's beautiful brows furrowed in distress.

After hesitating for a full three seconds, I gritted my teeth and carefully sat down on half of my buttocks.

"Gurgle—"

Lynn's stomach issued an ultimatum.

"What would you like to eat?" Lynn rubbed his stomach and asked directly.

"Hmm..." Annie looked bewildered, her tone slightly hesitant: "Whatever you want, just do what you think is best."

"Alright then, I won't stand on ceremony."

Lynn expertly called out to the kitchen owner, "One order of raw marinated crab, one order of peppered pork tripe and chicken soup, stir-fried razor clams, and one order of basil stir-fried clams! Hurry up, I'm starving!"

Then, he turned to Envy: "What would you like to drink?"

"Sparkling water, please, thank you," Annie replied immediately.

"A bottle of sparkling water and a bottle of Coke! Yes! The Coke has to be the old-fashioned glass bottle, with ice, and a straw too!"

Such a series of smooth and seamless operations left even the seasoned Annie, who was used to all kinds of big scenes, momentarily stunned.

She stared intently at Lynn, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, her tone filled with disbelief: "You...don't you need to look at the menu when ordering?"

"Ha, no need."

Lynn pointed to her temple, a confident smile curving her lips: "The best food is all written here."

"Is that so..."

Annie nodded thoughtfully, her curiosity about Lynn seemingly growing stronger.

She had met people from Dongda University before, but they only praised and flattered her, revealing a kind of boring slickness in their nature.

For her, this was the first time ever that she had ever had a face-to-face conversation with a student from the University of Tokyo in such a cramped little shop.

This novel experience surprisingly outweighed the discomfort with the environmental hygiene.

"Honestly, thank you so much for yesterday."

During the break between serving the dishes, Annie leaned forward slightly and expressed her gratitude again in a rather solemn tone.

Last night, she specifically looked up forensic cases of severe fentanyl-induced dizziness and respiratory failure, and the results gave her a real scare.

I am deeply aware of how lucky I was to have met Lynn yesterday.

After listening quietly, Lynn did not reply with the standard "You're welcome."

Instead, his gaze was fixed intently on Annie's sexy, thin lips, and a slight upward curve appeared at the corner of his mouth:

"There's no need to be so polite. If you really want to thank someone, you should thank yourself... It's all thanks to you for agreeing to give me the ticket, isn't it?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Annie froze, clearly not expecting Lynn to give such a reply.

Carefully savoring the ambiguous undertones in those words, I subconsciously averted my gaze.

A series of unusual colors involuntarily appeared in his usually cold and aloof eyes.

The atmosphere between the two suddenly became somewhat strange.

"Your food is ready! Enjoy!"

Soon, the kitchen owner's voice broke the gradually heating up atmosphere.

In no time at all, the small table was filled with all kinds of delicious food.

Looking at the crab covered in rich sauce and the fragrant pork belly and chicken, Annie couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Suddenly, I realized that this store wasn't as bad as I had imagined.

"Eat whatever you like, I won't stand on ceremony!"

Hungry Lynn didn't care about table manners and grabbed a piece of raw marinated crab to slurp.

Seeing Lynn eating so heartily, Annie's throat bobbed involuntarily, and her once rock-solid thoughts began to waver violently.

No one had ever eaten like this in front of her before.

Which one isn't dressed in a suit and tie? Which one doesn't have a white handkerchief padded in front of their chest?

Who among them doesn't hold a knife and fork, chewing and swallowing with utmost elegance, barely daring to make a sound?

But seeing Lynn enjoying her meal so much, her thoughts were once again shaken.

"Gulp..."

Finally, Annie couldn't help but swallow hard.

The next moment, she took a deep breath and decided to go all out!

Picking up his chopsticks, he imitated Lynn, picked up a piece of razor clam meat soaked in broth, and very carefully put it into his mouth.

The moment it entered my mouth, I instinctively frowned, as if wary of potential adverse reactions.

But next second.

"boom!"

An extremely domineering sweet and spicy flavor explodes on the taste buds like a nuclear bomb!

Annie's eyes widened instantly, her pupils filled with incredulous shock.

How can such seemingly rough food have such rich layers of flavor? The umami flavor is so intense it's almost overwhelming! It's so delicious you'll want to scream!

Without any further hesitation, she quickly reached out with her chopsticks and picked up the second, the third, the fourth...

My hand speed increased, my chewing speed increased, and only one thought was swirling wildly in my mind.

Why is it so delicious!

This is a million times better than those dry, tough tomahawk steaks from Michelin-starred restaurants that taste like shoe soles!

The more she ate, the more she felt that she had been eating pig swill for the past twenty years.

They were living like ascetics!

Looking at the usually aloof and stunning policewoman in front of him, his cheeks were bulging out like a hamster as he frantically stuffed food into his mouth.

Lynn's hand, which was holding a chopstick, froze in mid-air, and she was momentarily stunned, a rare sight for her.

The contrast is just too great!

This isn't some cool, elite detective at all! He looks exactly like a starving man who hasn't eaten for three days and three nights!

Soon, Lynn couldn't help but smile.

Indeed, no one in the world can withstand the overwhelming power of Tokyo University's carbohydrates and spices.

If so, it's only because I haven't eaten it yet.

And so, under the two's almost whirlwind-like onslaught, a large table of food was quickly reduced to empty plates and a pile of seafood shells.

Just as Annie put down her chopsticks, her whole body stiffened, as if she had been frozen in place by a spell.

"Um?"

Lynn looked over curiously.

Annie's delicate face tightened, and her sensual lips parted slightly, emitting an untimely and strange sound:

"belch--"