The new colleague transferred from the narcotics division—either due to health reasons, covert protection, or no longer being suited for narcotics work—was likely a senior officer. You Mingxu even pictured a tanned, stern, unshaven middle-aged man in her mind, similar to Ding Xiongwei but less pompous.
"Yeah," You Mingxu replied. "Once they arrive, let's treat them to hotpot as a welcome!"
————
After returning from the police station, Yin Feng went back to bed to catch up on sleep. He used to be someone who meticulously cared for his health, with a group of devoted Paranoiacs attending to his every need. But after waking from a two-year coma, he noticed his complexion had darkened slightly, his skin had coarsened, and dark circles lingered under his eyes—undeniable traces of his recent time trailing that woman.
He slept until dusk descended. In his dreams, chaotic yet familiar scenes replayed. He strained to see clearly, but a thick fog seemed to perpetually veil his vision. Waking drenched in sweat, his mind and body retained only the lingering sensations of something intensely tender, sweet, and aching—as if he'd once loved someone passionately, only to lose them abruptly.
Yin Feng sat on the bed, cradling his head. The image of You Mingxu surfaced in his mind, intensifying the stifling feeling. He told himself it was just a dream, a dream born of longing for affection.
With this self-mocking interpretation, he chuckled dryly and got up.
Chen Feng had been waiting in the villa all day. Knowing Yin Feng was awake, he arranged dinner first, then brought the materials Yin Feng had requested earlier to the study.
The spacious study was serene, airy, and softly lit. Mannequins stood frozen in various poses in the distance, bookshelves lined the walls, and beyond the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, moonlight shimmered over the tranquil lake.
Yet the conversation between master and servant was far from lighthearted.
Yin Feng sat behind the massive desk, Chen Feng opposite him. During such moments, Chen Feng could always sense the complex, indescribable aura around Teacher Yin—a subtly dangerous pressure even a psychopath like himself could perceive.
"That case over there is temporarily concluded," Yin Feng said.
"Any leads?" Chen Feng asked.
Yin Feng glanced at him and shook his head. The look sent a faint unease through Chen Feng, though he couldn't pinpoint why. Yet, as a psychopath, he secretly relished this feeling of being controlled by his master. And Teacher Yin seemed to understand this perfectly.
"Let's set that case aside for now," Yin Feng said. "We need to thoroughly sort out what happened during the period I lost my memory."
Chen Feng nodded. Earlier, while Yin Feng was in the hospital, it was too crowded and inconvenient to discuss in detail—they had only briefly touched on it. After discharge, Yin Feng immediately dove into Xiang Rong's case. That's why Chen Feng had been waiting, anticipating this detailed inquiry.
Yin Feng asked, "On what day did I leave for Guizhou?"
Chen Feng replied, "February 25th."
Yin Feng: "Who saw me off, and where to?"
Chen Feng: "Myself, Tuya, and Guan Jun. We accompanied you to Xiangcheng Airport. You instructed us not to follow. You took a direct flight to Guiyang Airport, where a pre-arranged car picked you up and drove you directly to Longyan Town in Guizhou. An old house was rented there, with weekly cleaning services. You said you'd handle meals on your own."Guan Jun was the name of the gardener at the villa. His surname was Guan, given name Jun.
"Who knew about this trip of mine?" Yin Feng asked.
Chen Feng paused before replying, "Only a few of us."
Yin Feng looked up, locking eyes with him for several seconds before smiling faintly. This indeed aligned with his usual capricious style. He then asked, "How did we communicate during my writing retreat?"
Chen Feng answered, "Same as before - daily WeChat messages, phone calls, sometimes video calls. You rarely contacted me during your retreat, sometimes only once a week."
Yin Feng nodded and asked, "You mentioned before that the house was surrounded by surveillance cameras."
Chen Feng replied, "Yes, and the security system is remotely connected to our end. If any intruders appear, it alerts us immediately."
"Which day did I leave that house in Guizhou for Tibet?"
Chen Feng answered, "June 8th."
Yin Feng slowly rubbed his clasped fingers together: "Eight days after Gu Tiancheng's case, three days after fleeing to Tibet... Chen Feng, how can you be certain that the person who left that house for Guizhou that day was actually me? Couldn't it have been someone else impersonating me?"
Chen Feng felt a jolt of surprise and replied, "You... sent me voice messages, and we later spoke on the phone."
Yin Feng said, "Your phone."
Chen Feng immediately took out his phone, quickly scrolled up to that day's chat history, and handed it to him.
Yin Feng played the audio on speaker: "Chen Feng, book me a flight. I'll send you the flight details later." It was unmistakably his voice.
Then came a text message with the flight number to book, followed by: "I'm going to Tibet to gather firsthand information about the serial killings. Rent me a car and leave it at Lhasa Airport with necessary supplies prepared. Don't follow me."
It was his typical tone.
After Chen Feng arranged everything and messaged him, he replied with a voice message: "Okay."
Yin Feng put down the phone, his lips curling in a faint, ambiguous smile as he asked, "Is there any other evidence proving that person was me?"
For some reason, cold sweat began to form on Chen Feng's back. He said, "I'll check the surveillance footage immediately."
Chen Feng immediately called Guan Jun, who was responsible for the surveillance and security systems of both this villa and the old house in Guizhou - the former high-tech economic fraudster. Soon, a surveillance video was sent to Chen Feng's phone.
Both of them opened and watched it.
It showed the courtyard of an old house, captured by a black-and-white camera. The footage displayed a long row of exquisitely carved wooden eaves under the courtyard sky, along with the bluestone pavement below and a thin layer of moss.
It had rained that day, and the stones were wet.
In the silent footage, after a few seconds, a person carrying an outdoor backpack walked into view. He stood 185 cm tall, wearing dark-colored outdoor clothing from an international luxury brand that Yin Feng preferred - the same set he often wore. In fact, after the incident in Tibet, this was the very outfit Gu Tiancheng had taken and worn.
The person had his back to the camera. Though his face wasn't visible, both his physique and hairstyle looked strikingly familiar to the two viewers - everything about him appeared to be Yin Feng himself. The person took a bottle of mineral water from a cabinet beside the courtyard, unscrewed the cap, and twirled it between his fingers several times - exactly Yin Feng's habitual gesture. Then he tilted his head back and took a large gulp. From the camera angle, only a small portion of his profile was visible.Chen Feng clicked pause, glanced at Yin Feng who didn't object, then zoomed in on the image with his fingers. Although they had installed relatively high-quality and clear cameras, because the person stood far from the camera and there was mist in the air, only a few contours of the side profile were visible. Yet Chen Feng could see it was indeed identical to Teacher Yin before him.
Seeing Yin Feng showed no particular reaction, Chen Feng clicked to continue playback.
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