Yin Feng abruptly changed the subject and asked, "Did he ever tell you why he wanted to help you seek revenge? Did he say it was simply because he couldn't stand seeing criminals escape legal punishment, that the police were powerless, and he wanted to uphold justice for you?"
Xiang Rong’s face flushed slightly, and he remained silent.
Yin Feng’s voice was cold and clear: "But you’re also a businessman. You know very well—there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. He taught you, lured you, gradually molding you from a resentful, aggrieved father into a serial killer. Just like what you did to Liu Ruoyu and Li Biran. But then, he turned around and handed you over to the police. If it weren’t for their tip-off, how could we have noticed you? Your revenge could have been completed. What do you think he’s doing all this for?"
Xiang Rong’s voice trembled: "For what?"
Yin Feng leaned forward—a posture that exuded pressure and unwavering confidence—and whispered temptingly, "Actually, you’re not the first. We’ve already discovered in another case that he was inducing and grooming someone else to commit crimes. In the end, it was his people who personally shot and killed that criminal. Discovering, grooming, assisting in crimes... and finally judging and punishing—whether they do it themselves or use the police as a tool—they’re just raising you all one by one, turning you into serial killers, only to kill you with their own hands."
Xiang Rong’s face turned crimson: "No! Impossible! How could that be?"
Yin Feng leaned back in his seat and said calmly, "You’re a smart man. Think about it—isn’t that the case? If you continue to cover for them, there will only be a second, a third version of you, becoming puppets manipulated in their hands."
The room fell into a long, heavy silence.
Beyond the glass, You Mingxu didn’t look at Xiang Rong, whose head was gradually drooping, but at the person opposite him. After a fierce psychological assault and manipulation, that person appeared extremely patient, leaning back in his chair with an expression that seemed indifferent, somewhat lazy, and tinged with mockery. He looked as though he cared about nothing, yet it was clear he knew exactly what he wanted and would undoubtedly obtain it.
Xiang Rong raised his head, his voice hoarse: "I don’t know his real name. He’s probably in his early thirties. He told me to call him Brother Yu."
Brother Yu? Which "Yu"?
Yin Feng asked, "Which character is it?"
Xiang Rong shook his head: "I didn’t ask."
Yin Feng pulled out his phone, flipped to a photo, and held it out to him: "Is this him?"
Xiang Rong’s expression didn’t change. After a brief glance, he shook his head: "No. I don’t know this person."
Yin Feng glanced toward the glass. You Mingxu could see clearly—it was a photo of Gu Tiancheng, but Xiang Rong claimed not to recognize him.
Could it be that the person from the organization who contacted Xiang Rong was someone else? Early thirties, with the name or nickname containing the character "Yu"?
However, no matter how much Yin Feng pressed, Xiang Rong couldn’t provide any more information about that person, only able to describe his physical features. He admitted that the man had given him a drug, possibly a new synthetic narcotic, and instructed him to secretly administer it to the two children. He also admitted that the man had taught him a great deal about committing crimes, both through words and actions. The man had always sought him out proactively, maintaining a single line of contact.
"Why did you trust him?" Yin Feng asked.Xiang Rong smiled and replied, "Because the first time he came to me, he told me that my first enemy, Chen Kaize, was currently trapped in the mountains of Guizhou."
—
You Mingxu immediately called the provincial department to request the assistance of a forensic artist. Based on Xiang Rong's description, they would sketch the facial features of the person in question.
After making the call, she stepped out of the interrogation room. Yin Feng happened to emerge from the opposite room at the same time. Their eyes met briefly, but neither spoke.
You Mingxu turned and headed downstairs, with him following a few steps behind.
You Mingxu said, "Thanks."
He replied indifferently, "It was nothing."
You Mingxu didn’t feel like engaging with him further, but her mind drifted to the old You Yingjun. Back then, whenever he helped her solve a case and she praised him, he would always nudge his head over, beaming with pride and joy, or seize the opportunity to ask for a reward.
It turned out that You Yingjun had truly been like a little sun—always warm and radiant.
Nothing could be more absurd than this situation. When it came to the person behind her now, You Mingxu felt nothing but mutual annoyance. Yet, when she thought of the him from before, her heart warmed, filled with a sweet and comforting tenderness.
"How do you plan to thank me?" The words slipped out before Yin Feng even realized it. He wondered if it was because this woman’s attitude toward him was too cold. Even though he had helped her, he hadn’t received any gratitude. Since he’d already said it, he decided to follow his instincts and see how she would respond.
You Mingxu finally turned to face him directly, her tone still icy. "How do you want me to thank you?"
Yin Feng’s gaze lingered on her lips as they moved, and his mind inexplicably flashed back to that intense, electrifying kiss in the hospital—the one that had made him hard in an instant and nearly caused him to lose control. This wasn’t a good sign. Did his body still remember her? And now, just the slightest thought of it was enough to stir a faint excitement within him.
Yin Feng looked away and said, "Let’s note it down for now. We’ll talk about it later."
You Mingxu, however, felt that the current Yin Feng was truly much more cunning. Since they clearly had nothing more to say to each other, he had still managed to make her owe him a favor. She turned and walked away without another word. Yin Feng noticed her stifled anger and felt a sense of satisfaction, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
Just then, a police officer hurried toward them—the same one You Mingxu had previously assigned to handle the matter. He glanced at Yin Feng behind her, and You Mingxu said curtly, "Speak."
The officer then reported, "Sis You, as you instructed, we investigated Xiang Rong’s whereabouts during the period leading up to the juvenile exchange murder case. So far, we haven’t found any footage of him meeting with anyone. However, three months before the incident, Xiang Rong frequently visited a small restaurant. Surveillance footage from the restaurant’s entrance shows another person who also visited often. Sometimes, their visits overlapped." The officer glanced at You Mingxu and added, "This person... you know him, Sis You."
You Mingxu took the surveillance photo from him and froze. Although the image was somewhat blurry and the person was wearing a baseball cap, half of his face was still visible. She recognized him at a glance...
Yin Feng also stared at the photo. He couldn’t recall who the man was, but he felt a sense of familiarity. At the same time, a wave of intense disgust and hatred surged within him.
This person had taken something from him.
The thought surfaced automatically in his mind. It must have happened during the time he was mentally impaired and had lost his memory. His expression turned cold as he snatched the photo from You Mingxu’s hand, his eyes dark and intense. "Who is this? I assume he’s no good."You Mingxu glanced at him, snatched the photo back, and suddenly curled the corner of her mouth, saying lightly, "Oh, this is my ex-boyfriend, Luo Yu."
Brother Yu? Could it actually be Brother Yu?
You Mingxu never expected that the various suspicious points would actually point to Luo Yu, who seemed unrelated.
Could it be that besides being an elite lawyer and a shady lawyer, Luo Yu had a third identity?
Thinking of his persistent efforts to entangle with her in the past and his unclear motives, her expression darkened. Along the way, she and Yin Feng had solved one case after another and caught one criminal after another. But why, at this point, did she feel as though everything had only just begun?
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