Yin Feng was also staring at the coffee table, which held several fashion and finance magazines, along with a plate of snacks, drinks, a thermos, tissues, and other miscellaneous items. These only occupied a small portion of the surface, leaving most of it empty. Upon closer inspection, it did seem a bit odd.
Their gazes swept around the room and finally settled simultaneously on a corner of the bookshelf, where a tea set was placed.
You Mingxu walked over, put on gloves, and picked up the teapot. She found it had been cleaned, but there were still water stains inside. She remarked, "It was washed not long ago. There's clearly space on the coffee table, yet it was moved to the bookshelf."
"And it was placed on the inner side, farther from the coffee table, not in a convenient spot for easy access," Yin Feng added.
They exchanged a glance, and You Mingxu immediately pulled out her phone to call a colleague, requesting forensic personnel be sent over. After all, they couldn't overlook any doubts or clues now.
"So..." You Mingxu's mind suddenly cleared, "Given Fan Jia's skills, taking down three men would be no problem for her. Yet she fought so desperately with Zhou Rongfeng and even used an ashtray to draw blood. This makes sense now—something must have been put in the tea!"
Yin Feng said, "In a hurry, it couldn't have been washed thoroughly. There's a high chance residual traces could be detected on the cup walls."
You Mingxu felt a surge of energy; this might be the most direct evidence the police could find so far. For the first time in days, her face broke into a smile. Yin Feng watched her, feeling his own heart brighten at the sight. He thought to himself that as long as he could make her smile like that, he'd be willing to go to any lengths, no matter the cost.
You Mingxu pondered for a moment and said, "Given Fan Jia's personality, at that point when the opponent had just shown their hand, even if she suspected something in the tea, she'd probably take the risk and drink it. And at that time, she couldn't have anticipated losing the tracking device."
You Mingxu felt a warmth in her eyes, lowered her head to stare at the floor for a while, and when she looked up again, her expression was clear. Yin Feng noticed all these subtle emotions of hers and couldn't resist reaching out to gently pat her head, just as she often did to him.
You Mingxu said, "How dare you rebel."
Yin Feng muttered, "I really do want to rebel against you."
Ignoring his strange, ambiguous remark, You Mingxu brushed his hand away and said, "Stop messing around. Next, we're heading to Zhou Rongfeng's room. That's where Fan Jia started to go missing."
—
In Zhou Rongfeng's office, everything was arranged as it had been during the day, with the bloodstains still on the floor. The silence made it hard to recall the heart-stopping events of the daytime.
You Mingxu glanced at Zhou Rongfeng's desk, cabinets, and sofa—nothing seemed out of place. The tea set was still on the coffee table, with two half-drunk cups of tea.
Only the computer was missing, having been taken by the police immediately, but no useful evidence had been found from it.
Frowning, You Mingxu said, "There's a question. Zhang Wei hastily cleaned and hid the tea set, and when I came in, they were destroying evidence on the computer. This means they had already guessed Fan Jia's identity as a police officer. How did they know?"
"Fan Jia's skills?" Yin Feng thought for a moment and said, "At that time, she was drugged, probably disoriented and slow, yet she still managed to injure Zhou Rongfeng and escape. An ordinary girl wouldn't have that ability."
You Mingxu nodded and said, "True. If I were Zhou Rongfeng, I'd be suspicious because of that. But just based on that, to go as far as destroying the computer—isn't that being overly cautious?""Fan Jia must have done something else," Yin Feng said.
You Mingxu's gaze fell on the empty spot on the desk and she said, "The computer! Fan Jia brought a decoder. She would definitely try to collect evidence. The destroyed data in that computer might have been tampered with by her!"
Yin Feng nodded. "Possibly."
"Could it be that Zhou Rongfeng discovered her tampering with the computer, leading to their fight?" You Mingxu asked.
Yin Feng shook his head. "Unlikely. There were signs of struggle in the room. If Zhou Rongfeng had discovered it at that moment, why wouldn't he have called for backup immediately? He tried to subdue Fan Jia alone because he had ill intentions toward her.
It wasn't until he was knocked unconscious for a few minutes and woke up that he realized Fan Jia's unusual combat skills. Being cautious, he might have checked the computer first, discovered it had been tampered with, and then panicked, destroying evidence and launching a large-scale pursuit."
You Mingxu locked eyes with him for a few seconds before speaking slowly, "So, before they realized it, Fan Jia likely already took the crucial evidence out of this room."
Yin Feng nodded.
You Mingxu pushed open the office door, revealing a dim and secluded corridor. Some doors along it were tightly shut, while others were slightly ajar, as if hiding unknown secrets.
"Where would that silly girl go next?" You Mingxu murmured.
Yin Feng's eyes were clear and sharp. "When Fan Jia first escaped this room, she hadn't alerted anyone. Some might have heard noises and glanced her way, but there was no large-scale pursuit yet. Fan Jia's psychological state would determine her actions."
You Mingxu smiled bitterly. "She wouldn't be afraid. Having finally obtained the evidence, her only thought at the time must have been to bring it out and reunite with us. But she lost her alarm and was drugged—it must have been extremely difficult for her."
Yin Feng pulled her into his arms and gently ruffled her hair. Lately, he'd grown increasingly fond of doing this. He wanted to do it when he felt moved, and he wanted to do it when he felt heartache. As for anything else, he didn't dare.
The man's palm was large, slender, and carried a warmth and strength distinct from a woman's. You Mingxu remained still for a few seconds before turning her head away.
Yin Feng lowered his hand, not disappointed but rather satisfied with those few seconds. He pointed to the staircase beside them and said, "As long as Fan Jia still had her wits about her, she would take the shortcut downstairs. The farther she got from Zhou Rongfeng, the sooner she could escape danger. But it's hard to say—she might have collapsed on the stairs after just a few steps. Then both she and the evidence would have fallen into that person's hands."
"Jinx," You Mingxu said flatly. "I can only assume she didn't collapse here, because the scenario you described holds no meaning for us. If that happened, all our reasoning tonight would be in vain."
She descended the stairs to the second floor and said, "Below is the first-floor entrance. We were watching it the whole time and found nothing. Let's assume further: Fan Jia was intercepted by that person on the second floor. Where was she intercepted?"
Yin Feng followed behind her, looking around. They spoke in unison:
"Not in the stairwell." "Not in the corridor."
You Mingxu glanced at him, and he grinned. "You explain," she said.Yin Feng replied, "Because it's too conspicuous and easily noticed. Yet he not only subdued Fan Jia but also evaded everyone's sight. Either he hid Fan Jia somewhere in this building, or he transported her out through some secret passage. If I were him, I would definitely choose a concealed spot to act, perhaps even giving Fan Jia some kind of disguise to facilitate the operation."
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