Coming to Myself

Slipping quietly through the window, You Mingxu paused just as she was about to drop down.

Through the kitchen door, she caught a glimpse of a figure darting across the living room.

A chill ran down her spine as her mind raced through a series of deductions: Xiang Rong? No, the car wasn’t in the private parking spot outside. Besides, if the homeowner were here, they would have shouted or come to investigate upon hearing the noise, not turned and fled.

Then who was it?

Who else had come snooping around Xiang Rong’s house?

You Mingxu leaped down from the window and gave chase. The intruder made no further attempt to hide, yanking open the living room door and sprinting away, leaving only a glimpse of a tall, slender back—likely a young man.

You Mingxu smirked coldly and pursued him.

The man wore a black hoodie and sweatpants, moving with surprising agility as he dashed out of the building in a few quick strides. But You Mingxu was faster, practically flying as she ran—the physical prowess of a judo expert was beyond imagination. Just as the man reached the flowerbed outside the building, You Mingxu vaulted over it, grabbed him, and tackled him to the ground.

The man scrambled to his feet and tried to flee again, his long, slender legs moving nimbly. He twisted his head sharply to the side, as if afraid You Mingxu might see his face. A thought struck her, and she barked, “Stay down!”

Startled, the man felt his legs grabbed from behind, lost his balance, and then took a heavy blow to his back, sending him sprawling face-first to the ground. You Mingxu pressed forward, pinning his arms behind his back. Lifting his head to see his face, she froze.

You Mingxu called for backup, then secured the man in the car before returning to Xiang Rong’s house to investigate. She immediately noticed several drawers left open and signs of rummaging in the cabinets. It seemed the man had also been searching for something. You Mingxu quickly combed through the entire house but found no clues linking Xiang Rong to the secret organization. She then restored the place to its original state and slipped out.

But this trip had netted her the intruder—whether that counted as a gain remained to be seen…

Police Station.

You Mingxu didn’t take him to an interrogation room but instead brought him to a small, empty conference room and handcuffed him there.

She brewed two cups of coffee—one for herself and one for him. When she entered the room, she found him sitting with his head bowed, revealing a pale sliver of his neck. His legs were pressed tightly together, and his cuffed hands were clenched into fists. His face was flushed, and a fine layer of sweat beaded his forehead—he was clearly extremely nervous.

On the way back, You Mingxu had already sized him up: he wore a pair of slightly worn sneakers, with the outer soles thick and the inner soles worn thin, the forefoot bearing more weight than the heel—typical of a habitual thief. Moreover, during their chase, his movements and running gait indicated he was an experienced hand.

So, was this artist under Yin Feng’s wing actually a seasoned, skilled habitual thief?

You Mingxu set the coffee in front of him. “Drink.”

Xiao Yan remained motionless and silent, his entire body still tense.

You Mingxu sat opposite him, crossing her legs. A sudden spark of insight flashed in her mind, and she realized, “Yin Feng’s lock-picking skills—did he learn them from you? He’s quite good, but clearly not as professional as you.”

Mentioning Yin Feng seemed to relax the young man slightly. He lifted his head a little, glanced at her quickly, then looked away and said, “Yes. The teacher thought it was interesting, so he learned a trick or two from me.”

You Mingxu smiled.Since he was Yin Feng's man and appeared to be a very "cultured" artist, she hadn't considered investigating him before. With skills like his, what room couldn't such an artist enter? He probably had numerous cases on his record. But subconsciously, since he was Yin Feng's man, You Mingxu felt he shouldn't be problematic. Otherwise, why would Yin Feng employ him?

Hold on—since when did being Yin Feng's man mean he was clean? He should be investigated even more thoroughly!

A fierce determination rose in her heart. She asked calmly, "Why were you there today?"

Xiao Yan lowered his head.

"Do you know what kind of place that is?"

He remained silent.

"Who sent you? Yin Feng? What was his purpose?"

Even Xiao Yan's neck turned red. You Mingxu concluded inwardly: He seemed extremely afraid of the police and terrified of being interrogated by them.

"Miss You today..." he said quietly, "...didn't you also go there? It looked like you broke in too."

You Mingxu: "..."

Anger flared in her chest, her face burning with humiliation. Damn, this guy really took after his master—appearing honest and simple but actually cunning at heart!

"I'm asking you questions," she said flatly. "The police don't need to explain themselves when handling a case. Whether you talk or not, I have my ways. Let's see who comes to bail you out—then I'll know who's behind this."

However, Xiao Yan was determined to remain a silent clam. He finished his entire cup of coffee with his head bowed, his face still flushed, and continued his silence.

You Mingxu left him there for the time being.

Sure enough, not long after, the person coming to bail him out appeared.

You Mingxu was still sitting with Xiao Yan in a conference room, reviewing case files with her head down, when a colleague brought the visitor in.

Chen Feng was still dressed impeccably and looked every bit the refined gentleman. He smiled and said, "Miss You, I'm truly sorry. I'm here to take him back."

You Mingxu didn't even look up, couldn't be bothered with him. Beside her, Xiao Yan stared blankly at Chen Feng, his face a mix of shame and gratitude.

Chen Feng gave him a look, signaling him to stay calm. Seeing that You Mingxu wasn't giving him any friendly treatment, he walked to the table and said quietly, "Teacher Yin reviewed the juvenile exchange murder case files again and thought Xiang Rong was suspicious, so he sent Xiao Yan to investigate. After all, as you can see, the police haven't taken any action, but since it concerns Teacher Yin, we couldn't just let it slide, right? I didn't expect it to cause you trouble. I'm truly sorry—I'm here to take him back."

In response, You Mingxu said without looking up, her tone indifferent, "You can't take him."

Chen Feng was taken aback, then understood. He sighed inwardly and, without any argument, nodded and said, "I'll have him come." Then he turned and left.