Los Angeles Legendary Sleuth

South Coast Mall.

This is a large shopping center, hosting over 400 stores filled with expensive, well-known brands. It was Luke's first time shopping here.

He never expected that his first mall shopping experience would be to buy a coffee machine.

However, seeing Daisy's serious expression, he didn't say anything.

Perhaps for Americans, coffee had become an indispensable part of life.

The mall was quite large, spanning four levels. Although not that tall by domestic standards, it was considered a high-rise building in Los Angeles and covered a much larger area than those back home.

The two went directly to the third floor, which mostly sold home appliances. There were all kinds of electrical appliances, including four brands that specialized in coffee machines alone.

One of these brands primarily focused on large commercial coffee dispensers.

The other three were geared toward domestic use.

Luke wasn't very knowledgeable about choosing coffee machines; he mainly followed Daisy's advice.

Daisy had three criteria: first, the coffee must be freshly ground.

Second, it should be easy to clean — very important because if it's too complicated, it would probably be left unused after just a few uses.

The third was the type of coffee it could make. A regular coffee function was fairly simple, while a mixed coffee function offered more variety and was slightly more expensive.

After some deliberation, Luke chose a brand called Mechir, priced around 1500 US dollars.

He tried a sample, and the taste of the coffee was very good; the milk foam was also professionally done.

Luke felt that this price was manageable. Any higher, and he would have struggled to accept it — not that he lacked the money, but he felt the technology involved wasn't that advanced.

This price could get a quality coffee machine. Any higher, and it would merely be paying for the brand or what one might call an "IQ tax."

After buying the coffee machine, the two began to shop for clothes.

Luke had been keeping busy since arriving in Los Angeles and hadn't really had the chance to shop properly. With Daisy along, it was a good opportunity for a romantic outing.

The second floor housed the clothing stores, and they stepped off the elevator right into the men's section.

Luke visited a few shops, buying a T-shirt, a shirt, two pairs of pants, a pair of shorts, three underwear, and three pairs of socks, spending less than two hundred dollars in total.

He didn't place much emphasis on clothes. As long as a man was good-looking, tall, and well-built, what he wore didn't make much difference.

He viewed clothing as purely functional for warmth and modesty, and saw no need to splurge on them.

In fact, this applied to women as well, he thought. If you look good and have a great figure, does it really matter what you wear?

Later, Luke bought a pair of shoes for nearly two hundred dollars.

He valued shoes quite highly, as a good fit was extremely important and not something to compromise on.

You get what you pay for; once you've worn good shoes, you understand the difference from ordinary ones.

When you're young, you may not notice, but with some life experience, you understand the importance of protecting your feet.

If you hurt your feet, you're practically incapacitated.

This is especially true for policemen.

After his own shopping, Luke began to accompany Daisy on hers.

Luke didn't enjoy shopping, but today was different; he had to make sure Daisy enjoyed herself.

This was their first official shopping trip together since they started dating.

Daisy first went to the cosmetics stores, buying various masks, perfumes, skincare products, and the like. Luke wasn't much into these products, but he knew they cost nearly 3000 US dollars.

Daisy also bought two outfits for about 1500 dollars.

Then, she purchased a pair of shoes for 700 dollars.

Luke was inwardly astonished, grateful that he had some financial flexibility, otherwise, he couldn't have afforded her upkeep, considering they had already spent over five thousand dollars on daily items.

What if she decided to buy a bag?

Of course, Daisy wasn't just spending wildly; it had to do with her job as well.

The legal field could be quite mercenary.

This wasn't a derogatory term, but clients considering law firms and lawyers often assessed the lawyer's capabilities.

A lawyer's personal economic standing was also a factor.

High spending by a lawyer indicated high income, proving capability; conversely, if you dressed poorly and couldn't afford proper clothes, how could a client trust you?

Many rookie lawyers, even before they start earning, invest in an expensive suit.

A lawyer doesn't only represent themselves but their law firm as well.

This difference is inherent to the professions, a result of industry-specific consumer attitudes.

After finishing her shopping, Luke wanted to pay, but Daisy refused.

Daisy was financially independent, and Luke didn't insist further.

This could also be linked to Daisy's background.

At noon, the two had a buffet lunch together.

Lobster, tuna, salmon, grouper, abalone, oysters — they could eat all kinds of seafood as much as they liked.

Wagyu beef, ham, foie gras, and other types of meat were also unlimited.

Daisy's appetite was average; she definitely wouldn't eat enough to make her money back.

But Luke surely would.

The two also enjoyed a bottle of red wine to set the mood.

After the meal, Luke suggested they catch a movie together. They had known each other for so long yet had never watched a movie outside together. Wasn't it odd?

When they arrived at the cinema and began choosing a film, they hesitated because there wasn't anything they really wanted to watch.

"Dinglingling…"

The sound of a cellphone ringing cut through.

Luke pulled out his phone and saw it was a call from his mother.

Luke was surprised; he hadn't mentioned to his mother that he was taking a break; she seldom called during working hours.

Luke glanced around; could his mom know that he was on a date?

There was no one in sight.

Luke pressed the answer button, "Hi, beautiful, what's up?"

"Luke, where are you now?" Linda's voice sounded serious.

"I'm at South Coast Mall. What's the matter?"

"Your uncle got into trouble and was taken to the police station. You better come over."

Luke frowned, "What happened?"

"He got into a fight, and he might now be charged with intentional injury."

"Why did he fight?"

"Well... Val found a job at a supermarket.

Someone was exploiting a loophole for zero-dollar purchases, and it wasn't the first time.

They were always leaving the supermarket in chaos, and Val couldn't stand it anymore. He tried to stop the guy, and the two ended up in a conflict; he injured the other person."

"Is the other person seriously injured?"

"I don't think it's serious, but the man refuses to settle and insists on pressing charges for intentional injury against Val."

"Who started it?"

"Val said the other guy hit first, but the monitors didn't capture it.

And the other guy won't admit it. Plus, since his injuries are relatively serious, the situation is quite unfavorable for Val, and he is likely to be detained."

"Have you found a lawyer?"

"No, do you know any good lawyers? Money is not an issue, your grandfather will cover it."

Luke glanced at Daisy next to him, "Of course, I'll be right over."

Luke hung up the phone, and Daisy next to him asked, "What happened?"

"My uncle works in a supermarket. There was this guy exploiting a loophole for zero-dollar purchases there, so he stepped in to stop him. The two ended up fighting, and now my uncle is being sued for intentional injury.

He says the other guy started it, but he won't admit it, and the monitors didn't capture it, so it's quite troublesome." Luke finished, then looked at Daisy, "Are you busy these days?"

Daisy countered, "You want me to be your uncle's lawyer?"

"What do you think? If you're not comfortable with it, that's fine, I can look for another lawyer."

Luke had two people in mind, one was Daisy, and the other was Port.

He had dealt with Lawyer Port twice before. Port was capable and had a good character. Normally, he handled cases for the Robbery and Murder Department; this case would be a piece of cake for him.

Daisy hesitated.

Luke saw that and said, "If it's difficult for you, forget it."

"It's not that I find it difficult, it's just having your family there might feel a bit..." Daisy looked at him with a knowing expression.

Luke said, "Just show your usual professional standards and ignore them."

"Is that okay?"

"Of course, I'm asking you to be the lawyer, not to chat with them.

Besides, you're my girlfriend. Impressing just one person is enough."

"Shouldn't it be you impressing me?" Daisy laughed, then seriously added, "OK, hearing you put it that way, it doesn't seem too hard. I'll take the case."

Luke patted her on the small of her back, "Miss Lawyer, it's a pleasure working with you."

Daisy said, "That's not where a client should be touching, be careful I might sue you."

Luke laughed, "Lucky for me you're not a cop."

...

Southern District, mediation room.

The mediation room was about twenty square meters, with a square conference table in the middle.

A black police officer and an Asian female officer sat in the middle, with the parties involved on either side.

One side was Val and Linda.

The other side, a black man, his right cheek swollen, the corner of his mouth showing a trace of blood.

The Asian female cop glanced at her watch, "Hey, I brought you together to give you a chance to settle. Listen, this is to the benefit of both sides, right?"

The black man covered his cheek, "You're joking, right? Asking me to settle with a murderer?"

Val retorted, "Who are you calling a murderer? It was clearly you who hit first; I was only defending myself."

The black man pointed to his face, "Look at my face. Do you still dare say you were defending yourself?"

Val said, "It was you who grabbed my neck first; I only pushed you away."

"Lies, I didn't touch your neck at all. You were the one who pushed me down first and then started beating me while on top of me. There are witnesses from the scene who can testify. If they hadn't come to help, you might have killed me."

The Asian female officer shook her head, offering the black man a wet wipe, "Wipe off the blood from the corner of your mouth."

The black man bluntly refused, "No need. I think it's fine as it is. This is the evidence that the assailant tried to kill me. I won't destroy it."

The Asian female officer was both annoyed and amused, "You're making it sound worse than it is. At most, you just got beaten up; there's no murderer, and you're not going to die."

"You're right, so I'm suing him for intentional injury. I was just terrified, I thought he might kill me."

Val angrily said, "Enough. It was clearly you who started it; you were the one who grabbed my neck first. It just happened in a blind spot.

Your lying really disgusts me."

The black man pointed at Val, "You're the liar.

I won't settle; see you in jail."