Yin Feng suddenly recalled the past, and his gaze subtly returned to her. Since they had been together back then, even if he had lost his sanity, he probably couldn't have tolerated another man laying a finger on her.
After a brief moment of shock, Xiang Rong quickly calmed down, as if he had long been prepared for this day. Xu Mengshan escorted him to the car and handcuffed him, while You Mingxu called for local police support and an ambulance. She also brought Zhou Shaoling outside the courtyard, comforting him all the while.
Soon, the sound of sirens echoed from the distant highway, and the flashing police lights were faintly visible. Zhou Shaoling was still trembling, crouched on the ground, calling his family and girlfriend to reassure them. You Mingxu stood calmly, and when she inadvertently looked up, she saw Yin Feng still standing alone in the room. Under the dim light, his figure appeared both tall and shadowy. Then he raised his head, and their eyes met across a distance of over ten meters. At that moment, even Yin Feng's gaze was dark and profound. After quietly watching her for a while, he suddenly revealed a faint, almost imperceptible smile. You Mingxu was taken aback, but he had already turned his head away.
——
Xiang Rong was taken back to the Xiangcheng Police Station.
However, to You Mingxu and the others' surprise, Xiang Rong seemed to have been prepared for his arrest, or perhaps he had been instructed long ago. They couldn't extract any information related to the mysterious organization from him.
Deep inside his old family home, the police found a series of highly valuable pieces of evidence, including the ID card and clothing of Chen Kaize, the first young man who had gone missing in Guizhou. Xiang Rong's phone contained multiple photos he had taken of Liu Ruoyu, Li Biran, and the current victim, Zhou Shaoling, indicating that Xiang Rong had been stalking all three of them.
Regarding the crime of murdering Chen Kaize, Xiang Rong confessed without hesitation due to the overwhelming evidence. As for the attempted murder of Zhou Shaoling, which You Mingxu and the others had caught him in the act of committing, he also admitted to it outright.
However, when questioned about whether he was involved in the cases of Liu Ruoyu and Li Biran, he smiled meaningfully and flatly denied it.
Xu Mengshan slammed the table. "Stop playing dumb! Your phone is full of photos of you stalking both of them. What was your purpose?"
Xiang Rong replied, "I just wanted to see how these two enemies are doing now. Do you think I could have commanded them to kill someone?"
No matter how the police interrogated him, once the topic shifted to the murder exchange case, Xiang Rong refused to admit anything, completely distancing himself from it. Since his role in this case was only speculative, and they had no concrete evidence, You Mingxu and the others had no way to pin it on him. However, he did confess to one murder and one attempted murder. This "father killer," who had sought revenge after six years, had been tracked down by the police from among the vast sea of people.
——
Just because Xiang Rong didn't admit it didn't mean You Mingxu was out of options. They had already caught the man—why worry about finding evidence? Faced with Xiang Rong's silence, You Mingxu thought for a moment, called two colleagues over, gave them a few instructions, and then went downstairs to eat.
After finishing her lunch in the cafeteria, she took a walk around the police compound to aid her digestion. As she passed the training room, she noticed it was unusually lively, with many people standing by the door watching. Being someone who had always excelled in martial arts, she went over to see what was happening. When she saw the two people sparring inside, she was taken aback.
It was actually Tuya and Xu Mengshan.Xu Mengshan's standing in the branch bureau's martial arts hierarchy placed him second only to one person, yet above all others. You Mingxu curled her lips slightly and leaned against the doorframe to watch.
Xu Mengshan was lean and wiry, having shed his jacket to reveal a T-shirt and trousers, drenched in sweat. Despite the grappling, he occasionally flashed a cheeky grin. Tuya, who had somehow found his way to the police station, stood in stark contrast—dressed in a white shirt and black suit pants, maintaining his chauffeur attire. His robust, well-defined muscles were visible through the shirt. His expression, however, was far more stern and cold, like a tiger finally baring its teeth. Yet, his movements remained agile as he engaged in close combat with Xu Mengshan.
"Bravo!" the crowd cheered as Xu Mengshan deftly dodged Tuya's punch and seized his arm, attempting to pin him down. But You Mingxu inwardly scoffed, thinking Xu Mengshan still lacked some finesse—had he not noticed the seemingly stern Tuya secretly smirking at the corner of his mouth?
Sure enough, Tuya executed a move that even surprised You Mingxu, twisting Xu Mengshan into a lock and slamming him to the ground, then pressing his 170-180 jin body down. Xu Mengshan grunted in pain, his back nearly breaking. Tuya abruptly turned, and Xu Mengshan kicked him under the armpit. Wincing, Tuya paused before landing a punch on Xu Mengshan, who groaned and struggled to rise. Seeing this, Tuya relented, panting heavily, and helped Xu Mengshan up.
"Bravo!" the crowd applauded and cheered.
Xu Mengshan clutched his chest, while Tuya pressed his ribs, both exchanging strained, insincere smiles. In this round, Tuya had clearly gained the upper hand.
You Mingxu felt an itch to join, but as she stepped forward, a calm voice from behind remarked, "It seems your partner lost to my driver."
The remark was irritating—deliberately highlighting that one was her life-and-death partner, while the other was merely a driver from his domestic team. If she stepped in now to spar with his driver, winning or losing would both be humiliating.
So she stayed put, her tone sharp: "What are you doing here?"
Nearby, several officers turned to glance at the rumored couple.
Yin Feng said, "Let's talk outside."
You Mingxu leaned against the wall for a few seconds before turning to follow him out.
They stood in the corridor outside. It was afternoon, and the courtyard was relatively empty. You Mingxu had worked through the night to bring Xiang Rong in for interrogation, only catching a brief nap in the morning. Now, dark circles were evident under her eyes, but she didn't seem dispirited—just languid. Yin Feng, in contrast, had gone home to sleep, enjoyed a refined breakfast, and changed into a black suit topped with a black overcoat. You Mingxu glanced at him before turning away.
"I reviewed the confession upstairs earlier," Yin Feng said. "Regarding the mastermind, Xiang Rong isn't telling the truth."
You Mingxu replied, "I'll find a way."
"Let me talk to him. I might have a method."
Without even lifting her eyelids, she said, "Fine."
She led him to the interrogation room in silence. As they reached the door, Yin Feng suddenly remarked, "Don't female police officers care about their image?"
You Mingxu retorted coldly, "What do you mean?"
Yin Feng pointed to his own under-eye area and then to his hair, offering a faint smile before stepping into the interrogation room and closing the door in her face.
You Mingxu: "..."She finally turned to glance at the glass beside her—just a bit of dark circles and slightly messy hair, that was all. She removed the hair tie and re-tied her hair, thinking to herself how utterly pretentious this Yin Feng was.
Yin Feng sat down opposite Xiang Rong, who glanced up at him without any other reaction. Yin Feng knew that You Mingxu must be watching from the observation room. Well then, let her see how effortlessly he obtained the clues she had been struggling to find.
His first words were: "Guess how we found you?"
Xiang Rong lifted his head—this was indeed the question that had been puzzling him. Chen Kaize's case had been closed for a year with no movement from the police. He hadn't directly participated in the exchange murder case. The plan to abduct Zhou Shaoling had only been finalized in recent days. Yet the police seemed to have learned everything overnight.
Yin Feng rested one arm on the table, tapping his fingers lightly as he said: "You, Li Biran, and Liu Ruoyu all come from the same village, and you're connected to the drowning case from six years ago. That was indeed the main reason for our suspicion. However, before we noticed this detail, someone... tipped us off."
Xiang Rong's eyes widened.
"Guess who gave us the hint?" Yin Feng smiled faintly while subtly lifting his gaze, as if glancing at the one-way mirror behind Xiang Rong. To You Mingxu watching through the glass, this expression again carried a hint of wickedness.
Xiang Rong mumbled: "...Who was it?"
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