Observation Chapter 17
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Observation Chapter 17: Aftermath
“Hehe… I didn’t choose that, Lin Qian picked it out himself.”
An Lan explained, scratching her head.
“I didn’t have a choice; I wouldn’t dress like this either — it’s too much trouble.” Lin Qian shrugged. “Oh right, An Lan, I might have to pay you back for these clothes later… It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but I’m really strapped for cash right now. Like, seriously strapped. I’ll return the money once I’m back up on my feet.”
His whole ensemble ended up costing over 2000 dollars — an absurd amount for clothing.
In contrast, his previous outfit totaled less than $200 from head to toe.
‘Here I am, a reverse millionaire again…’
Though the financial blow was painful, Lin Qian had no regrets. While he acknowledged some responsibility for the disaster Zhang Qian had become, he did not believe the blame rested solely on him.
‘Who could have known that the throwaway villain I casually wrote would leap off the page… and into my life!’
Honestly, he had gotten the short end of the stick here. But what could he do? Regardless of who was to blame, it was now up to him to clean up this mess.
And there was another factor influencing his decision — Ye Li. In the few encounters they shared, he had actually developed a good impression of her that he felt compelled to help out.
Of course, he had his limits: If something was truly beyond his capabilities, he could only accept it and move on. End of story.
But if it was within his power, he would not hesitate to offer it.
An Lan, who had taken out her phone to surreptitiously snap a few photos of him, froze. “Oh? Don’t worry about it, you were just helping Ye Li anyway…”
The whole situation left her feeling a bit dazed; she had been completely caught off guard when Lin Qian asked her for money.
She could not see the connection. What did that have to do with saving Ye Li at all?
The first thought that had flashed through her mind was ransom.
But she recalled that he did not borrow much — just two thousand dollars. On top of that, the money never passed through his hands; she ended up footing the bill herself.
Yet, with such a paltry sum, he actually got her friend out — through a series of outlandish moves, no less!
She barely needed to lift a finger; In less than 15 minutes, the entire rescue was complete.
‘How is that possible?’
No matter how hard An Lan thought, she just could not figure it out.
“So… what went down between you two during that time?” Her tone laced with a hint of mischief, Ye Li winked at her friend.
“Ha, no, nothing like that! Lin Qian went out of his way to get this outfit just to save you, you know?”
“Is that so?” She still looked unconvinced. “I can’t help but feel there’s more to your story than that.”
One could practically see a question mark floating above her head.
She could not help but recall that scene from a short while ago.
A woman had stormed into the room and tied the kidnapper up without a word.
Lin Qian then took his time exchanging a few quiet words with the intruder.
As if under a spell, she held out a pair of handcuffs with both hands.
Seeing that, he took out a whip and gave her a few strikes on the buttocks, after which she proceeded to tie herself up with a rope.
Finally, he stepped forward and cuffed her wrists, completing the restraint.
Moments later, the police arrived.
The whole thing felt like something out of a movie.
“To be honest… I don’t really know either.” An Lan looked bewildered, almost dazed. “He just had me act along, say a few lines… and call the police.”
Lin Qian had only two requests: first, to take part in his plan by posing as an extremely furious girlfriend; second, to contact the authorities directly after.
He had not explained why.
The two girls whispered, exchanging glances with each other.
Eventually, their eyes settled on him.
Lin Qian was reaching for a second cigarette from his pocket when he suddenly shivered.
He slowly turned to face them. “What’s the matter?”
“Um~ N-Nothing.” An Lan stammered, waving her hands frantically.
“We were just thinking how handsome you look.” Unlike her friend, Ye Li did not hold back her compliment and remarked with a slight smile.
“Mm-hmm!”
The flustered girl whipped out her phone and began snapping a flurry of photos. “I used to think guys who smoked were kinda, you know… But seeing you now, it doesn’t seem so bad after all…”
He drew in a sharp breath, as a revelation suddenly struck him. “Hey… Maybe I should use this look of mine to snag a sugar mama? Not a bad plan, wouldn’t you say?”
He was not looking for the type of arrangement his neighbor had with the landlady — just some casual flirting and conversation.
Wouldn’t he be able to pay off the two thousand dollars debt pretty quickly that way?
Ye Li’s expression froze for a split second at his words, while An Lan put her phone down.
A heavy silence hung in the air.
Just then, a middle-aged man in a police uniform walked over. “Li.”
“Uncle Qin, you’re still here?” Ye Li turned and said, “Thanks for everything tonight.”
“No need,” The man whom she called ‘Uncle Qin’ said with a sigh. “When I got your dad’s call, I nearly jumped out of my skin. If anything had happened to you, I wouldn’t have been able to look him in the eyes.”
“But I’m fine, aren’t I?”
“Thank goodness for that. I’m here for Lin Qian.”
Lin Qian, who was smoking off to the side, turned around. “Can I help you? Is there anything else you want me to add?”
“No, nothing like that. I just came by to thank you.”
“There’s really no need. It was no trouble at all.”
Watching the young man smoke, the policeman felt his own craving stir. He took out two cigarettes, handing one over before lighting one for himself.
“You’ve really helped me out this time. We couldn’t have rescued Ye Li so quickly without you. On top of that, Zhang Qian is a particularly tricky suspect — he’s been linked to several cases, but we’ve never had solid evidence. The higher-ups have been putting a lot of pressure on us, but now, we’ve finally got him.”
“I had no idea he was that kind of person. Good thing we managed to catch him.”
Lin Qian remarked casually.
“He’s a sly one. Lin Qian… Could you walk me through how you figured it all out?” The man said, revealing a look of intrigue. “We interrogated him and Liu Jing earlier, and something just felt…”
He trailed off, unsure how to put it into words.
The interrogation results were downright bizarre. It was as if the youth had not just seen through the two suspects, but played them like a fiddle.
“Hmm… Now that I think about it…”
Lin Qian started to spin a story in his head.
He could not possibly tell the truth: these two were nothing more than throwaway characters he had written without much thought.
Or worse, admit that he was twisted himself — that it took one disturbed mind to deal with another.
“Growl…”
Click. As if a switch had been flipped, his mind went completely blank.
‘Ugh… I’m starving…’
“Police Chief Qin, I’m afraid this isn’t something I can sum up in a few words.” Lin Qian promptly gave up on thinking, choosing to make something up instead.
“…”
The policeman took a deep drag of his cigarette, but before he could speak, Ye Li walked over. “Uncle Qin, we have classes tomorrow, so we’ll be leaving now.”
With that, she gave her fellow student a knowing look.
“…Lin Qian, when you have time, come by the police station more often. I’ve taken a real liking to you.” Uncle Qin made no attempt to keep them there. He gave the young man a firm pat on the shoulder before heading toward a patrol car parked by the roadside.
“…”
‘Come by the police station often… ’
The corners of Lin Qian’s mouth twitched a few times, a bit thrown off by his remarks.
‘Is the Police Chief planning to rope me into being a temp? Or were there some… peculiar reasons behind the invitation?’
……..
On West Serenity Way, Ye Li watched the passing taxis and asked, “Lin Qian, are you heading back to school with us?”
“I don’t live on campus, and…” Lin Qian rubbed his stomach. “I need to find somewhere to grab a bite. You and An Lan go on ahead — though I wouldn’t mind splitting a cab with you.”
“Oh? You’re hungry?”
Her eyes lit up. “In that case, let’s go for a late-night meal then. My treat, Lin Qian. Consider it… a small token of my appreciation.”
“Are we getting supper?” An Lan checked the time on her phone. “I’m up for it, but… Lili, if we return now, we can still talk our way past the dorm staff and get in. Once we stop for food, we won’t make it back before curfew.”