My Best Friend's Brother, the Taxi Driver

Lin Xiaoman first met Su Ye at a barbecue stall. He leaned against a beat-up taxi with a dented left headlight, canvas shoes stained with oil, a rag clutched in his hand, and a shallow scar at the corner of his eye hidden in the shadows—her best friend Su Qing said he was her taxi driver brother, honest and simple. But something felt off. From the back seat came a sound like a gun safety clicking off; he said it was a stray cat. The car always smelled of a bitter disinfectant; he said he'd driven a patient. On a call, he said 'Target lost sight,' then hung up, claiming a passenger had left something behind. Until one day, she found a backpack in the back seat, not fully zipped, revealing the corner of a dark green training uniform, and in the steering wheel grip, half of a police ID card glinting coldly.