Coming to Myself

The police continued their intensive manhunt at all possible locations where Chen Zhaoci might appear, but so far, they had no leads.

After an all-night interrogation, You Mingxu sat in the office, holding the statement notebook, staring blankly at the ceiling with an expressionless face.

Yin Feng was also exhausted, resting his head on the adjacent desk, his deep, clear eyes half-closed as he watched her.

"If what they said is true, then Liu Yisha's case was indeed an accident, related to this group's series of economic and sexual crimes, but it has nothing to do with last year's Zhao Feier case," You Mingxu said.

Yin Feng's voice was lazy: "The details in everyone's statements match up and align with their motives. They're telling the truth. Don't forget, when last year's incident occurred, they were all abroad, and none of their fingerprints matched those on the suitcase, including Chen Zhaoci's."

You Mingxu stared at him: "So, the person who tortured and killed Zhao Feier is someone else. This is a case within a case."

Yin Feng blinked: "Yeah, I already created the criminal psychological profile. I just didn't expect the second case to be an imitation." His gaze grew distant, as if lost in thought.

You Mingxu flicked his forehead and said, "You're so smart. I told you I can't investigate cases based on wild guesses, but didn't we still uncover the Gold Splitting Treasure Company, that big cancer? And didn't you say your people are investigating based on the profile? How's that going?"

Yin Feng said, "I estimate the timing is about right."

You Mingxu asked, "Where did you get the manpower?"

Yin Feng replied, "I have many subordinates—Chen Feng, the cook, the driver, the gardener, the maid... But whether they're competent or not, I'll have to review that."

Only then did You Mingxu realize that "his people" were a group of domestic staff...

Was he playing house like a child? She couldn't be bothered to ask further and lowered her head to continue reviewing the statements.

Yin Feng pondered the case for a while. If this series of cases was like a tangled ball of yarn messed up by a cat, then capturing the Gold Splitting Treasure Company had unraveled a big knot. But the rest was still a mess.

However, he wasn't worried. If You Mingxu's approach was to slowly untangle the yarn loop by loop, then criminal psychology was like taking a pair of scissors and cutting through the tangled threads all at once, revealing the truth inside.

Thinking this, he felt somewhat proud again. He remained lying on the table, not doing anything else, just watching You Mingxu.

You Mingxu had been working intently, but after a while, she started feeling uncomfortable. She looked up and saw his puppy-like, moist eyes fixed on her. She smoothed her hair, and he kept watching; she lowered her head to flip through some documents, and he was still staring.

Damn... Is he a high school student?

You Mingxu said irritably, "What are you looking at?"

He didn't respond, turned to face another direction, and finally stopped looking at her.

But You Mingxu felt uneasy—this dog was making it seem like she had bullied him. So she grabbed his collar and turned his head back. Yin Feng was already smiling, while You Mingxu kept a straight face because this guy had really become increasingly difficult to handle lately. If she wasn't careful, he'd climb over to the other side of the line.Although the crimes of Gold Splitting Treasure Company and Liu Yisha's death had been fully uncovered—making this a major case they'd exposed—You Mingxu felt no relief whatsoever. Instead, an even heavier gloom settled over her.

Because Fan Jia was still missing.

Zhao Feier's case had also returned to square one.

Yin Feng didn't know when he'd fallen asleep. Probably exhausted from these past days, he'd begun dozing off while talking with You Mingxu until she waved her hand and told him to rest his head. So he did.

He had no idea how long he'd slept. When he opened his eyes, it was already dark outside. The small office was empty of others. You Mingxu lay motionless across the table, her head resting on her arms.

Yin Feng went out to splash water on his face from the tap, then returned to find You Mingxu still in the same position. After glancing outside, he gently closed the door and locked it.

You Mingxu lay with her head tilted on her arms, her usually slender face slightly plumped by the pressure. Yin Feng watched for a while and smiled. The room had no air conditioning, and he felt chilly in just his shirt. Picking up his suit jacket from the chair back, he sat beside her and carefully draped it over her.

Seeing his oversized jacket envelop her brought him a strange satisfaction. Actually, he'd never liked wearing suits and dress shirts, but following You Mingxu's request, he'd worn them these past days until it became habit. They didn't look so bad after all. The key was... she probably liked them.

Lost in thought, he propped his chin on his hand and kept watching her. In her dreams, You Mingxu seemed uncomfortable—after a while, she frowned and shifted her neck as if seeking a better position, yet remained unsettled.

A pang of heartache struck Yin Feng. After a moment's consideration, he moved closer quietly, gently lifted her neck, slipped his arm beneath, and carefully lowered her head again.

The moment he did this, You Mingxu opened her eyes to see white shirt sleeves and Yin Feng sitting close, their gazes meeting.

Beneath her cheek, through the thin fabric, was his soft, warm arm. Over her body lay his suit jacket.

He said, "Keep sleeping. Just treat it as a pillow."

She didn't move, resting quietly on his arm, and asked, "Why are you always so foolish?"

He lowered his head with a soft laugh. "How can doing what I want be foolish?"

For some reason, as if defying someone, You Mingxu retorted, "Suit yourself." Then she turned her face away, still using his arm as a pillow, unsure what else to say but refusing to look at him.

After a long while, she felt him gradually drawing nearer, pressing against her from behind. His breath ghosted over her neck, his head seemingly resting against hers. His other arm encircled her from behind, lightly embracing her waist.

Thus, he held her entirely from behind, wordlessly nestling against her.

You Mingxu remained motionless and silent.

He whispered, "A Xu, I won't get too close. I won't cross the line. You just tell me where the line is, and Handsome will guard it. Okay?"

A bittersweet ache suddenly surged in You Mingxu's heart. She didn't know how to respond. Though she thought of pushing him away and getting up, she found herself utterly incapable of doing so. She simply couldn't.Seeing her silent acquiescence, he understood her consent and felt a surge of joy tinged with slight bitterness. Not daring to overstep, he instinctively tightened his arms, holding her even closer.

Until You Mingxu's phone rang. She abruptly pulled away from his embrace, turning her back to him as she answered the call from Han Feng.

"We might have found the Secret Passage the killer used to smuggle Fan Jia out!"