Chapter 1 The arranged marriage partner is the white moonlight of his long-time crush.
Hong Kong is shrouded in the hustle and bustle of daytime.
The forensic department of the judicial bureau, the autopsy room in the basement, was chillingly cold.
Lin Xili stood in front of the stainless steel dissection table and deftly put on double gloves.
She raised her hand and picked up the scalpel from the instrument table.
"Xi Li, wait!" Her colleague Wen Qing leaned closer, her face hidden behind a mask, her voice muffled, "Your hand?"
Lin Xili paused, her hand hanging in mid-air.
She followed Wen Qing's gaze and looked to her right.
The fingers gripping the knife were trembling slightly, uncontrollably.
"I've been working too much overtime, so I'm a little tired, but it's okay."
She took a deep breath and gripped the knife handle tightly.
The scalpel fell precisely, making a standard Y-shaped incision on the corpse's chest.
This is the body of a young woman, who was found in her bathroom several days ago.
Police have initially determined it to be a suicide, but a forensic autopsy is needed for final confirmation.
"Neck chords, figure-eight jerk, obvious vital signs, petechiae on the eyelids and conjunctiva..."
Lin Xili operated the equipment while dictating the instructions in a deep voice.
Wen Qing took notes from the side: "No defensive wounds on the hands, no signs of poisoning in the body."
Three hours later, Lin Xili stitched up the wounds on the corpse, and the autopsy was over.
Wen Qing always praised her suturing skills as being even more exquisite than those of a surgeon, and Lin Xili felt that this was the final respect for the deceased.
Lin Xili took off her protective suit, revealing a standard oval face, with eyebrows like distant mountains, and upturned eyes, shrouded in a layer of cold mist, aloof and distant.
She casually tied her long, straight black hair back into a low ponytail, with a few stray strands falling down, revealing her slender, snow-white, and graceful neck.
After disinfection, the two returned to the office.
Wen Qing handed her a cup of iced coffee.
Lin Xili has been feeling thirsty lately and prefers iced coffee and milk tea.
She took a deep breath, placed the laptop on the right side of the computer, turned it on, and prepared the autopsy report.
"Are you sure it was suicide?" Wen Qing asked.
"Yes, it's a typical case of suicide by hanging, homicide can be ruled out."
Wen Qing spun her chair closer to her, "What's wrong with these people? It's so good to be alive, to enjoy love, money..."
"Speaking of love, have you heard? There's another marriage between two wealthy families, the Lin family and the Xu family!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Xili's fingers paused slightly as he typed on the keyboard.
"Why do wealthy families love arranged marriages? They don't give us ordinary people a chance, ahhhhh..." Wen Qing wailed.
Lin Xili continued typing without looking up, "Arranged marriage is the lowest-cost form of binding interests. To enjoy wealth and luxury, one must sacrifice their right to choose their own marriage partner."
This is something that Lin Weihua, the father, often says.
Wen Qing curled her lip. "Who wants freedom of marriage? I also want to be a wealthy socialite, not chat with corpses all day."
"By the way, you also have the surname Lin. It would be so great if you were from the wealthy Lin family. Take me with you!"
Lin Xili smiled but remained silent.
Lin Xili is the daughter of the Lin family. Outsiders only know Lin Xuenuo, but who knows her?
She never revealed her family background to anyone, preferring to be an ordinary person rather than a nobody in the Lin family.
A name uncontrollably surfaced in my mind—Xu Yanchi.
The male protagonist in the marriage alliance between the Lin and Xu families is the man she has secretly loved for many years.
He was a hot commodity in high society, handsome, dashing, and exuding an effortless charm.
Many heiresses secretly fell in love with him, including her.
When her parents told her that her arranged marriage partner was Xu Yanchi, she couldn't believe it.
At that moment, she even fantasized that this business marriage would be the dawn of her bitter life.
Thinking about her upcoming marriage registration with Xu Yanchi, Lin Xili's lips unconsciously curved into a slight smile.
"Wow! The Ice Queen from the Justice Bureau smiled!" Wen Qing exclaimed. "She looks so beautiful when she smiles, she should smile more!"
Lin Xili quickly suppressed her smile, glanced at the time in the lower right corner of the computer, and said, "I'm leaving get off work on time today. I need your help."
"Hey, is the sun rising in the west? The workaholic is leaving on time? Where are you going?"
"A family dinner," Lin Xili replied briefly, then turned off the computer.
She got up, walked to the coat rack, took off her white coat, revealing a white shirt and black trousers underneath.
He picked up his backpack, patted Wen Qing on the shoulder, and said, "I'm leaving now. Send the report to Captain Wei."
"Okay, let's go. Remember to bring pork soup dumplings for breakfast tomorrow!"
Lin Xili replied "Okay" and left.
She drove to Genting Garden, a top-tier restaurant in Hong Kong.
The waiter respectfully led her into the reserved private room.
The moment the door opened, the lively atmosphere inside instantly froze.
"Xi Li has arrived," Lin Weihua said calmly.
Her mother, Song Yuan, looked her up and down, her brows furrowing slightly. "Why are you wearing this again? Didn't you buy a dress?"
Lin Xili sat down in silence without responding.
She knew that responding would only invite more criticism.
Lin Junsheng, the elder brother, and Chen Jinyue, the sister-in-law, sat opposite him and nodded in acknowledgment.
Lin Xuenuo, the younger sister, leaned affectionately against her mother, wearing an exquisite pink dress.
"Sis, do you smell like that?" Lin Xuenuo pinched her nose, feigning nonchalance. "The smell of a corpse?"
Lin Xili picked up her water glass, took a small sip, and said, "I washed my hands and disinfected them."
Lin Weihua said, "The Xu family has made arrangements. Next week, you and Yanchi will go for a premarital medical check-up, and you will temporarily stay at the South Bank Villa after the wedding."
Lin Xili gave a soft "hmm" and didn't react further.
"Dad, Mom, why won't you let me marry Xu Yanchi? I like him too!" Lin Xuenuo said, pulling Song Yuan's hand and pleading.
Song Yuan patted her youngest daughter's hand. "There's nothing we can do. The Xu family specifically asked for your older sister because she works at the Bureau of Justice. You know, a purely business-driven wealthy family like ours lacks connections in the political arena."
Lin Xili gripped the water glass tightly, her knuckles turning white.
It turns out that the Xu family only agreed to the marriage because she worked within the system.
Lin Junsheng then spoke up: "It's a good thing for the Lin family that Xili can marry into the Xu family."
"Yes, the Xu family's influence in the media industry is a great help in promoting our Lin's Real Estate project."
Lin Weihua nodded, "Xili, after marriage you need to learn to be a good wife. Don't always spend all your time in the anatomy lab. Transfer to a secretarial position as soon as possible and interact more with political figures."
Lin Xili looked up and met his father's eyes for the first time. "This is my job."
Lin Weihua said firmly, "Don't be willful."
Dinner ended in a tense atmosphere.
Lin Xili barely touched her chopsticks, feeling as if she were a commodity at an auction, being appraised and her fate arranged.
The day of the physical examination was exceptionally sunny.
Lin Xi arrived at the VIP room of the medical examination center ten minutes early.
Xu Yanchi was already waiting.
He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, the sunlight gilding his tall figure.
Hearing footsteps, he turned around, a perfectly timed smile appearing on his handsome face.
"Miss Lin, you're right on time."
“Mr. Xu arrived even earlier,” Lin Xili said, trying to keep her voice calm.
The premarital medical examination process is complicated, yet well-organized.
Blood test, electrocardiogram, ultrasound...
Lin Xili followed the instructions of the medical staff, occasionally stealing glances at Xu Yanchi not far away.
He maintained a composed demeanor throughout, even making a simple blood pressure measurement look like he was shooting a fashion editorial.
What was once an unattainable dream is now about to become husband and wife.
"The last item, a gynecological examination." The nurse led Lin Xili into the examination room.
After the physical examination, Xu Yanchi politely asked, "Do you need me to take you back to the Justice Bureau?"
"No need, I've already taken a day off," Lin Xili replied.
He nodded, without insisting, "Then I'll go first, I have a meeting at the company."
Watching his departing figure, Lin Xili stood there for a long time.
She completed her bachelor's and master's degrees, graduated at the age of 23, and was admitted to the Bureau of Justice. After a two-year internship, she was officially hired at the beginning of this year.
During the pre-employment screening, I was in good health. Now, it's just a formality.
Perhaps, this marriage is another form of loneliness.
But that was Xu Yanchi—the boy who once smiled at her under the sycamore tree on campus.
Even if he doesn't remember himself.
A faint glimmer of hope began to grow in my heart.
As the saying goes, familiarity breeds affection, and she believed that she would experience the feeling of being loved.
Lin Xili looked up at the blue sky and took a deep breath.
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