The shrill ring of her phone sliced through the early morning quiet, dragging Yinlin from a restless sleep. With a groan that barely registered, she swatted at the bedside table until her fingers found the offending device. A quick glance at the caller ID – a colleague – and she was instantly awake, the gears in her mind already turning.

Her morning routine was a blur of efficient movements: a splash of cold water on her face, a swift application of minimal makeup, and the pulling on of her work attire, each action performed with a practiced speed that spoke of countless similar mornings.

Grabbing her keys and a half-smoked cigarette from the night before, she was out the door in a matter of minutes, the city's awakening mirroring her own abrupt transition into the day's demands. Arriving at the precinct, she strode purposefully towards the interview rooms, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor.

She intercepted a uniformed officer near the entrance. "The witness is already here, right?" she stated, her tone less a question and more an assumption, before pushing open the door to the waiting room without waiting for confirmation. "Good morning, I'm the detective who takes care of the case. My name is Yinlin."