Chapter 111 A Gift for Each Other

"Hehe, Senior Lin Xian!"

A light, bell-like voice. Lin Xian and Ji Lin, busy at their desks, looked up simultaneously and saw Chu Anqing leaning against the doorway, waving.

"Anqing?"

Lin Xian blinked. "What are you doing here?"

This was the special investigation team for the Xu Yun case at the Donghai City Public Security Bureau, a highly confidential place that outsiders couldn't just waltz into…

But then, on second thought, he understood.

After all, she was Chu Shanhe's daughter. Chu Shanhe knew so much confidential information about the Public Security Bureau, which meant he had a very good relationship with the police chiefs here. So, as his "calling card," wasn't it easy for Chu Anqing to come and go as she pleased?

Throughout Donghai City, the places Chu Anqing couldn't enter were probably few and far between.

"Dad said you're all busy working overtime and haven't eaten yet, so I'm bringing you some dinner. You need to eat on time!"

As she spoke, Chu Anqing skipped in and took out neatly stacked lunch boxes one by one, placing the exquisite dishes made by Su Xiuying in front of Lin Xian.

"I'm so envious…" Ji Lin said, looking at the food in front of Lin Xian.

"There's some for you too."

Chu Anqing placed another identical set neatly in front of Ji Lin.

"Here." She handed each of them a pair of chopsticks.

"Thank you so much." Ji Lin was genuinely surprised; he hadn't expected a portion for himself.

After all, he wasn't close to Chu Anqing. They had only met once at the New Year's Eve banquet, yet she had taken the initiative to bring him the same dinner as Lin Xian.

But he didn't say much, calmly took the chopsticks, and started eating.

Lin Xian wasn't in a hurry to eat.

Instead, he got up, took a disposable cup, and poured a cup of hot water for Chu Anqing. "How did you get here so late?"

"I had the driver bring me." Chu Anqing smiled slightly. "Senior Lin Xian, you should eat quickly too, it won't be good cold!"

Lin Xian nodded, picked up his chopsticks, and began eating with Ji Lin.

The taste was familiar.

It was clearly made by Su Xiuying.

She was really good at steaming rice, not dry, not sticky, with a great texture. And the rice Chu Shanhe's family ate seemed different from what was available on the market… It was the first time in a long time that Lin Xian had tasted such a pure rice flavor.

It was a hard-to-describe taste. Unlike the "quick products" of three-season or four-season rice, which had a "perfunctory" texture, this full-bodied rice seemed to have absorbed the sunlight of all four seasons, slowly growing up yawning in a lazy environment where no one urged it. It had a lot of strength, a lot of aftertaste.

"Delicious." Ji Lin swallowed a large mouthful and sincerely praised, "Did you make it? Your skills are really good, you'll definitely be a good wife and mother in the future."

"Hehe, really? My mom and I made it together!" Chu Anqing was very happy.

"Which part were you responsible for?" Ji Lin asked meticulously.

"Washing the vegetables and carrying the bowls!"

"Hmm…" Ji Lin took a few bites of rice, swallowed, and then slowly said, "Those are two crucial steps."

*Pu*—

Lin Xian couldn't help but laugh.

After dealing with Ji Lin for so many days, he was quite impressed with Ji Lin's mind; his thinking was very quick and agile, and he could come to answers almost instantly without needing to think about anything.

But he hadn't expected…

The world really had its ways. Chu Anqing's answer had frozen even someone as smart as Ji Lin, who could only strategically eat to buy time to think.

"I, I'm learning slowly." Seeing Lin Xian laugh, Chu Anqing's cheeks flushed slightly. "Then! Then next time you come to my house for dinner, I'll personally cook a few dishes for you, okay?"

Speaking of this, Chu Anqing happily said, "How about my birthday party in a few days? March 28th is my birthday! I've invited a few good friends to eat and play together. Senior Lin Xian, please come too!"

"Birthday…"

Lin Xian hadn't celebrated his birthday in a long time.

Mainly because he was getting older and didn't have as much interest in it anymore. This year, his birthday on March 20th was no different from any ordinary day, except for some congratulatory text messages from the bank.

Even Gao Yang was already at the age, and then nothing.

After guys came of age, they basically rarely celebrated their birthdays anymore; there wasn't much point.

On the other hand, a precious jewel like Chu Anqing, her birthday parties should be very lively every year, right?

"Don't you spend your birthdays with your family every year?"

Chu Anqing shook her head. "Before 18, I definitely spent them with my family. My parents, aunt, and relatives would all come. But my dad said that after 18, I should have my own social circle, so after 18, they completely leave me alone to arrange things myself, to entertain my own friends!"

Talking about being able to have a birthday planned by herself, Chu Anqing was still very excited. "Actually, I was planning to send you an invitation these few days… My parents gave me a villa to hold a birthday party there and entertain my friends. Senior Lin Xian, come and play! There aren't any other adults, I've invited classmates from school, your junior sisters, and they're all looking forward to you coming!"

"Can I go?" Before Lin Xian could answer, Ji Lin butted in directly.

"Of course!"

Chu Anqing's eyes curved into shallow crescents. "The more friends, the better!"

"Friends…" Ji Lin repeated the word, silently looking at Lin Xian.

He asked if he could go, just because he didn't want Lin Xian to leave his sight. If Chu Anqing allowed him to go, then he would naturally let Lin Xian go with him.

He could tell that Chu Anqing was interested in Lin Xian.

He didn't want to eat their food and then not let Lin Xian go to their birthday party, right?

He had never considered himself to have any friends.

From childhood to adulthood, the only people he could consider friends were his sister and Xu Yun, but unfortunately, they both left him when he was very young.

Lin Xian sighed softly and said with a smile, "If you have nothing else to do, then let's go together. We can't just eat their food for free, right?"

Lin Xian had been cooped up here for too long, hadn't been out for many days, and the food at the bureau was just so-so. Eating it for several days in a row was tiring, and he wanted to change the taste.

"Okay."

Ji Lin smiled and put the lids on the finished lunch boxes. "Then I have to pick out a birthday gift for you."

"Really?"

Chu Anqing happily smiled. "I'm really looking forward to the gift prepared by the great writer! But hahaha, I'm just kidding, you're usually so busy with work, I'd be satisfied if you just came, the gift doesn't matter!"

"No, no, no, gifts are still necessary."

Ji Lin's expression became very serious. "When I was a kid, Xu Yun would always give me gifts for my birthday. But for later birthdays, I never received any more gifts… Although it feels a little embarrassing to say it now, I still really looked forward to someone giving me a gift every birthday. Many times I would lie in bed looking at the ceiling, waiting from midnight until the next midnight, waiting for a 'Happy Birthday' and waiting for a gift, but my heart was still very disappointed."

"Ah… so that's how it is."

Chu Anqing blinked. She had never imagined that someone's birthday could be so bleak, but she could empathize with that kind of loneliness and solitude. "In that case… let's exchange gifts!"

Chu Anqing took both of their hands, placing the three hands together. "Then let's make a promise, we'll give each other gifts for every birthday from now on! That way, everyone can be sure to receive at least two gifts every birthday!"

"Every birthday…"

Lin Xian smiled, looking down. "Until when do we give each other gifts?"

"Until forever!" Chu Anqing smiled very sweetly, the two small dimples on her cheeks faintly visible. "Since we're good friends, of course we have to celebrate together until the last birthday of our lives!"

Ji Lin lowered his head, looking at the three hands pressed together by Chu Anqing. "I really hope I can celebrate many more birthdays with you."

After saying that, he raised his head and looked at Lin Xian. "Lin Xian, when is your birthday?"

"March 20th," Lin Xian replied.

"It's already passed…"

Ji Lin chuckled and shook his head. "What a pity."

"What about you? Ji Lin, when is your birthday?" Chu Anqing asked.

"My birthday is in May, May 3rd."

"That's still early! Just wait, Lin Xian and I will definitely prepare a big gift for you then! We'll make up for all the birthday gifts you didn't receive in the past!"

Listening to Chu Anqing's words.

Ji Lin looked at the folding calendar on the desk.

According to Arrogance's arrangement, two scientists from the Dormant Realm, and the Greed disguised as a fake scientist, would appear in Donghai on April 12th…

If it was proven in this operation that Lin Xian had the ability to foresee the future and disrupt history… then he would probably not survive past May.

"Will you give me a birthday gift?"

Ji Lin turned to look at Lin Xian.

Lin Xian also looked down at the calendar on the desk.

Now it was a little over a month away from May 3rd… How long would this cat-and-mouse game between himself and these people last?

When would he be able to catch them red-handed? What opportunity would he have to wipe them out in one fell swoop?

Did he really have to drag it out until May 3rd?

He wasn't sure.

But he hoped to end everything before May 3rd, and give Xu Yun and Tang Xin's graves a most sincere gift.

"Maybe." Lin Xian didn't want to spoil Chu Anqing's mood and said softly.

"Thank you both in advance."

Ji Lin looked at the two of them. "I'm looking forward to it."

…

After chatting for a while, Chu Anqing had to go home.

Lin Xian helped her pack up the lunch boxes and went out to see her off, planning to take her to the driver in the parking lot before coming back.

Ji Lin didn't say anything, waved, and let the two of them leave.

*Thud*.

After the office door closed, Lin Xian and Chu Anqing's laughter and footsteps gradually faded away.

Ji Lin returned to his desk and picked up the black notebook that Lin Xian had left behind when he first came to report for duty.

Lin Xian was holding this small black notebook when he came to report, and when he joked that Ji Lin regarded it as a death note, he threw it directly on the table. Then Lin Xian went home to pack his personal belongings and forgot the notebook here.

Ji Lin opened it and read it at the time.

It mainly contained records of Lin Xian's work in the unit, a handwritten speech he gave at a university lecture, and some information about Xu Yun's resume, including his master's graduation time and doctoral graduation time…

Seeing these two time points, Ji Lin clearly guessed that Lin Xian was also investigating the murderer who killed Xu Yun.

That was why that night he stayed up late, he asked Lin Xian if he had heard the name "Ji Xinshui."

Since Lin Xian had specifically written down Xu Yun's master's and doctoral graduation times, it would be easy to find out about Ji Xinshui, that is, the relationship between Arrogance and Xu Yun.

He thought that Lin Xian would hide this matter, keep his mouth shut, or pretend he had never heard the name Ji Xinshui.

But to his surprise, Lin Xian openly admitted that he had heard the name Ji Xinshui, and not only knew that Ji Xinshui was Xu Yun's tutor, but had also heard the name from Tang Xin.

"Lin Xian…"

Ji Lin flipped through the contents of the black notebook. "Did you see through my trap and use it against me… or did I simply wrong you?"

So far, he hadn't found any convincing evidence for his suspicions about Lin Xian.

There was no trace of Lin Xian's handwriting in Xu Yun's manuscript.

In these few days of testing and probing, Lin Xian hadn't revealed anything, but instead was natural and frank, showing that he trusted himself very much.

Ji Lin turned his head and looked at the two dates on the calendar.

April 12th, May 3rd.

"I really hope it's not you…"

He flipped the black notebook to the end and pulled out the folded sketch.

The girl in the sketch had a radiant smile and a lovely appearance. Her beautiful eyes curved into two shallow crescents, and under her fair face, two faint dimples hung at the corners of her mouth. At the corner of her left eye, there was also a well-placed beauty mark.

The girl in the painting was Chu Anqing, who had just left, the Chu Anqing who regarded him as a friend and invited him to her birthday party.

"What gift should I give her…"