The Forensic Big Shot's Psychic Darling - Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Qin Zhan raised his hand and peeled the yellow talisman off his forehead.
The thin sheet of talisman paper was held between his long, slender fingers, its cinnabar markings directly facing Lin Yaoyao. The forensic lab was abnormally quiet; even Zhao Gang tactfully stifled his laughter and quietly took half a step back toward the door.
Lin Yaoyao was still being held by the waist by Qin Zhan. The moment her feet touched the floor, her hands hastily braced against the autopsy table nearby.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to slap it onto your face.”
Looking at the crumpled evil-repelling talisman, she added softly with heartache, “The materials for this one cost three yuan.”
A vein throbbed on Qin Zhan’s temple.
“You should worry about whether you can stay in the forensic lab first.”
Lin Yaoyao immediately straightened up, the rims of her eyes already turning red. “Those talismans are really useful! That malevolent spirit from last night possessed heavy malice, and it even touched evidence from an old case. It could track me down through my aura at any moment.”
“So you plastered this place like this?”
Qin Zhan swept his gaze over the doorframe and window before finally landing on the red string on the morgue cold storage unit.
Those few copper coins were gently swaying in the breeze from the air conditioner, making soft, clinking sounds that were completely at odds with the serious, cold atmosphere of the forensic lab.
Lin Yaoyao followed his gaze, her voice growing smaller and smaller.
“I pasted them very neatly.”
“Tear them down.”
“I can’t.”
“Lin Yaoyao.”
Whenever Qin Zhan called her by her full name, it meant his patience was on the verge of running out. Lin Yaoyao shrank her neck back, yet she still shielded the nearest yellow talisman.
“Leave at least four sheets. Suppressing one corner each in the East, South, West, and North will keep that thing from getting in.”
“We have access control and surveillance cameras here.”
“Ghosts don’t need to swipe an ID badge!”
Unable to hold it in, Zhao Gang turned his face away and let out a cough.
Qin Zhan cast a cold glance over. “Funny?”
“Not funny.” Zhao Gang tried hard to press down the corners of his mouth and pointed at the doorframe. “Though Little Lin has a point. Last night’s surveillance footage indeed showed anomalies, and the water traces near the evidence box have been sent for testing. Before the results come out, keeping a few talismans won’t affect work.”
“Are you the head of criminal investigation, or the temple abbot she hired?”
“I’m respecting the work habits of special talent.”
Qin Zhan didn’t bother listening any further and reached out to peel the talisman off the window.
Lin Yaoyao hurriedly grabbed his wrist. “You can’t touch this one! The window faces the body holding area outside, so yin energy will enter through here.”
Her fingers were slender, gripping tightly through his shirt sleeve. Qin Zhan looked down, his movements pausing.
Thinking he had taken her words to heart, Lin Yaoyao explained earnestly, “The talisman paper won’t block the light, and the cinnabar won’t fade either. I used glutinous rice paste, so it can be wiped clean with just plain water.”
“Let go.”
“Only if you promise not to tear it down.”
“Let go first.”
Lin Yaoyao hesitated for a moment before slowly pulling her hand back.
Qin Zhan pinched a corner of the talisman paper, but he didn’t peel it off. He stared at the cinnabar pattern on it for a few seconds before turning toward the cold storage unit.
Lin Yaoyao’s heart leaped into her throat. “The red string can’t be taken down either!”
“Take the copper coins off.”
“Why?”
“The cold storage unit needs regular disinfection. Wrapping the red string around the handle hinders opening and cleaning.”
Lin Yaoyao looked at the cold storage unit, then back at him, realizing she truly hadn’t thought things through. She quickly ran over to untie the red string and hung the copper coins onto the nearby file cabinet instead.
“Putting them here can also suppress yin energy.”
Qin Zhan didn’t stop her; he merely raised his hand and pointed toward the innermost corner.
“All talisman papers can only be posted in that area. You are not allowed near the equipment, not allowed to block the cameras, and strictly forbidden from touching the shadowless lamp again.”
Lin Yaoyao froze for two seconds.
“You’re agreeing to let me post them?”
“I just don’t want to see you hiding behind my back every day, affecting the autopsy.” Qin Zhan stuffed the crumpled talisman back into her palm and said coldly, “Furthermore, if you dare stand on a wheeled chair again, I’ll have Logistics swap all the chairs in the forensic lab for fixed seats.”
Lin Yaoyao clutched the talisman paper, her eyes brightening up bit by bit.
She had thought Qin Zhan would throw everything away and was even prepared to be sent back to the archives room. She never expected he would designate a corner for her, implicitly allowing her to keep those talismans.
“Forensic Pathologist Qin, you’re so nice!”
“Don’t rush to conclusions.” Qin Zhan took off his white coat that she had crumpled, speaking in a cold voice, “Clean it up within today. If any glue marks are left on the wall, I’m deducting it from your allowance.”
Lin Yaoyao immediately nodded, running toward the corner holding the remaining yellow talismans.
Zhao Gang stood at the doorway watching the entire process, his expression deeply meaningful.
“You backed out of your principles pretty quickly.”
Qin Zhan retrieved a clean white lab coat. “Since it doesn’t affect normal operations, there’s no need to waste time arguing.”
“In the past, when Little Chen left a packet of biscuits under his desk, you made him remove it that very same day.”
“Food contaminates the environment.”
“And talisman paper doesn’t?”
Qin Zhan buttoned up his coat and raised his eyes to look at him. “Are you that free?”
Seeing that things were turning south, Zhao Gang turned around to leave. Having only taken two steps, he seemed to remember something and turned right back around, sauntering directly over to Lin Yaoyao’s side.
Lin Yaoyao was standing on tiptoe to stick a talisman up, having switched to a stable stepladder this time. She aligned the talisman paper with the corner of the wall, carefully pressing down the edges so that not a single wrinkle was left.
Zhao Gang looked up for a good while. “Little Lin, besides keeping ghosts away, can your talismans ensure peace and safety?”
“Yes, but the talismanic script is different.”
“Then draw one for me, too.”
Zhao Gang patted his chest, intentionally raising his voice. “We’re out there arresting criminals every day, so the odds of us encountering danger are much higher than for a forensic pathologist. You can’t just protect Qin Zhan and ignore whether the criminal investigation team lives or dies, right?”
Lin Yaoyao thought that made sense. “A regular safety talisman will do. You haven’t been haunted by yin energy recently, nor are you facing any blood calamities.”
“A regular one won’t cut it.”
Zhao Gang pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. “I want one just like Forensic Pathologist Qin’s—preferably one I can carry with me so all evil stays away. I’ll pay double for the material costs, and once it’s drawn, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
Lin Yaoyao’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
She had just paid her rent recently, and the bonus in her bank account hadn’t arrived yet. Cinnabar and yellow paper both cost money; if Zhao Gang was willing to cover double the material costs, it would cover her expenses nicely.
“Of course it’s real.”
Zhao Gang pulled out his phone. “Let’s add each other’s contact info first. You list the materials, and I’ll go buy them after work.”
Just as Lin Yaoyao pulled out her phone, a cold glare fell over them.
Qin Zhan stood beside the autopsy table, flipping through autopsy records in his hands, unable to process a single word for quite some time.
Zhao Gang clearly had her work contact, yet he insisted on coming right up to her face to add her private contact. Furthermore, safety talismans could easily be bought from any temple—there was no need to have her draw one personally.
Qin Zhan closed the record book.
“No.”
Lin Yaoyao looked up. “What’s no?”
“No private transactions are allowed during working hours.”
Zhao Gang looked at the talismans on the wall. “Does her posting talismans in the forensic lab count as a private activity?”
“That is dealing with last night’s evidence anomaly.”
“Me asking her to draw a talisman is also to lower risks while performing official duties.”
Zhao Gang deliberately extended his phone closer to Lin Yaoyao. “Come on, let’s scan. Besides safety talismans, do you know how to draw wealth-attracting talismans? My salary is never enough to spend, and I really need one right now.”
Lin Yaoyao opened her QR code and said earnestly, “A wealth-attracting talisman cannot guarantee promotions or pay raises; it can only gather rightful financial fortune. If you want to rely on it to win the lottery, it definitely won’t work.”
“Gathering wealth is good enough—draw me the best one.”
“The highest-grade talismans are very expensive, and they also require the person’s cooperation.”
“I’ll cooperate.”
Zhao Gang dragged his chair a bit closer. “Do you need my birth date and time, or a personal item? Just name it, and I’ll prepare it today.”
Their heads leaned closer and closer together.
Looking at the distance between them that was less than half an arm’s length, Qin Zhan felt an inexplicable surge of frustration chest-bound. He set the record book down onto the desk with enough force to make the instruments on it clink softly.
The next second, he walked up behind Zhao Gang, grabbed him by the back collar, and hauled him back.
Before Zhao Gang could react, he had been lifted clean out of his chair.
“Qin Zhan, what are you doing?”
“The criminal investigation team just sent over a supplementary report. You have time to beg for talismans here, but no time to go back and verify it?”
“The report isn’t urgent for this exact minute!”
Qin Zhan didn’t give him the chance to keep talking. He dragged him to the door and pushed him straight out.
Zhao Gang stumbled two steps before regaining his balance. By the time he turned around, the door had already slammed shut with a bang.
Through the door, he shouted, “Lin Yaoyao, we’ll talk about the talisman after work! Triple the material cost!”
Qin Zhan clicked the lock behind him.
The forensic lab fell quiet once again.
Lin Yaoyao was still holding up her phone, looking at him in confusion. “I haven’t added Captain Zhao’s contact info yet.”
“It’s in the work group.”
“Then his safety talisman…”
“Are you that short on money?”
Lin Yaoyao nodded honestly. “Cinnabar is quite expensive. Since Captain Zhao is willing to pay triple the material costs, I could make a little extra for labor.”
Looking at her eyes shining as she calculated the math, the inexplicable fire in Qin Zhan didn’t abate; instead, it burned even hotter.
He turned and walked into his office, returning a moment later holding a black leather wallet, which he slapped onto the table with a loud crash.
“Go buy the materials. Tonight, draw me the highest-grade protective amulet. Miss a single stroke, and I’m deducting it from your salary.”
