Chapter 96: Smashing the Rich Kid’s Face

I quietly observed from the side, waiting until Ye Shiwen said she was tired and took a sip of her drink before speaking up. Interrupting others is always rude, no matter what.

"Ye Shiwen, did you recently injure your arm?" I asked.

She flinched slightly and instinctively pulled down the sleeve on her right arm. "Good eye. Yeah, I hurt it playing basketball."

Zhang Yan immediately swooned, "Ye, the handsome basketball star! When I was a kid, I loved watching Slam Dunk. Guys who play basketball are always so cool. You must be really good!"

Ye Shiwen smiled, "Just playing around. I've been playing since middle school. A three-step dunk is no big deal."

"Wow, a three-step dunk! I wish I could see that. It must be awesome!" Zhang Yan exclaimed.

I chuckled to myself. The distraction was working perfectly. There was no way I was going to chat about poetry or literature with him — I'd stick to my expertise.

Like a medical examiner, I not only examine corpses but often treat injuries in living people. So I know scars and wounds very well. The mark on his arm was clearly not from a scrape.

I sneered, "That's a chemical burn, isn't it? Which basketball team brings sulfuric acid onto the court?"

...

Xia Mengmeng covered her mouth and stifled a laugh. Ye Shiwen shot me a glare. "Dude, what do you study?"

"Applied electronics," I replied.

"Applied electronics?" Ye Shiwen's face darkened. "An electronics nerd playing Sherlock Holmes? Think you're some big detective?"

Wang Dali suddenly banged the table and laughed out loud. Everyone else gave him weird looks.

Wang Dali explained, "He's just into detective novels."

I gave him a warning glance — don't spill anything about the cases we've worked on. They're confidential police department business.

Ye Shiwen crossed his legs arrogantly. "If you like detective novels so much, show us what you've got. Let's see what you can observe."

"How do you want me to show off?" I asked casually.

"Detectives in novels are good at observation, right? Look me over and tell me what you find."

I shrugged. "What's there to see? You're just a student."

He sneered, "I thought you were something special. You back down after a few words?"

No way was I going to lose face. I activated my "Piercing Eye" and scanned him up and down. Luckily, the bar was dimly lit, so my eye color change didn't startle anyone.

"You're about 1.75 meters tall, weigh around 60 kilos. Your right eye is more nearsighted than your left by about 100 degrees. You like gaming. You had a bike accident as a kid and broke your right leg. You broke up with your girlfriend a month ago after dating her for a long time. Your parents are divorced, and you were raised by your mom. Also, you should cut down on smoking — I think your lungs are in rough shape."

Both girls stared in astonishment. Ye Shiwen suddenly stood up and pointed at me. "Who... who exactly are you? Did you investigate me?"

"What's there to investigate? I'm not into guys," I said.

Xia Mengmeng covered her mouth laughing again. Ye Shiwen's face paled. "Stop pretending to be some supernatural. No way you can tell my parents are divorced or that I just broke up with my girlfriend."

"So, I got all that right?" I asked.

He said nothing, which was answer enough. I waved my hand casually, "Sit down, I'll explain."

In truth, everything I observed—height, weight, broken leg—are basic skills for a medical examiner in ancient times. I glossed over those to avoid revealing my real identity. As for the breakup, it was simple — the chemical burn on his arm was from tattoo removal. Judging by the fading scar, it happened about a month ago.

From the faint mark, it looked like three characters — probably a name tattooed on his arm. But why remove it? That told me he ended a long relationship a month ago.

The divorce? I cheated a bit there — I saw a message pop up on Xia Mengmeng's phone from a contact saved as "Stepdad." Maybe his biological father passed away, but I guessed right with the divorce.

Ye Shiwen's face flushed with anger. "Such a boring trick."

I smiled and sipped my drink. Ye Shiwen glared at me. "Don't stare at me like that."

"Scared now?" I chuckled.

"Yeah right, I'm not scared of you," Ye Shiwen said, lighting a cigarette.

"Can you go smoke outside? There are two girls here," I said.

He looked awkward and got up to leave.

Zhang Yan eagerly wanted me to analyze her next. The strong perfume smell was a bit much, and I wasn't keen on talking, but to help Wang Dali, I humored her with some words. Zhang Yan nodded enthusiastically and kept calling me "Detective."

My little disruption broke the ice. Wang Dali and Xia Mengmeng talked a bit — she was quiet and polite. From the sidelines, I guessed she was emotionally guarded. No idea if Wang Dali had a chance.

But that was all I could do.

Around nine, Wang Dali suggested hitting a KTV. He's usually a karaoke king and does a great Jay Chou impression. Xia Mengmeng said, "It's too late tonight, maybe next time."

Zhang Yan pushed, "Come on, Xia, we haven't sung in ages."

Ye Shiwen had been quiet since earlier and suddenly said, "The KTV near school isn't great. Let's go to one downtown. I have a car — I'll drive."

Zhang Yan's eyes lit up. "Ye, you have a car?"

"Let's go or not?" Ye Shiwen asked.

"Sure! Xia, let's go!" Zhang Yan nodded excitedly.

They clicked instantly, deciding to go. They seemed like a good match — Ye Shiwen liked his ego stroked, and Zhang Yan was happy to oblige.

Xia Mengmeng reluctantly agreed, and I had no choice but to go too. We got into Ye Shiwen's BMW — his stepdad must be loaded.

To give Wang Dali a better shot, I took the front passenger seat so the two girls could sit in the back. Ye Shiwen rolled his eyes and smoked to annoy me all the way. My sacrifice tonight was real!

On the way, Ye Shiwen whispered, "Bro, you have a girlfriend. Why get involved with this?"

"I'm not involved. I just like singing, okay?" I replied.

"Hmph!" Ye Shiwen snorted. "Don't think only Wang Dali can bring reinforcements. You know who my friends are? Some in the underworld, some run nightclubs, some sell ecstasy. You think you're on my level? I don't even bother competing with losers like that."

"Oh yeah? If my friends came, they'd probably arrest all your friends," I smiled faintly.

Ye Shiwen laughed loudly. "You're bluffing. You're a student — how would you know cops?"

"Alright, I'll plan my bluff better next time," I said.

"Keep pretending!" Ye Shiwen didn't believe me.

"I really know some cops," I said.

"If you know even one cop, I'll call you 'Dad,'" Ye Shiwen challenged.

"Deal!" I agreed without hesitation.

His face changed — probably scared I might really know some cops and ruin his pride. Then he added, "But no cops or traffic cops. We agreed — only detectives count."

"I know detectives," I said.

Ye Shiwen laughed. "Detectives, huh? Impressive."

Of course, I was just talking big. No way was I going to call Huang Xiaotao out just to show off in front of a rich kid. But to my surprise, that very night, I actually met her…

(PS: For new readers, I update twice daily at 9 AM and 6 PM. Sometimes more if needed. Thanks for your support! The new case is just as chilling — brace yourselves.)