This was only You Mingxu's second time visiting Yin Feng's home. The first time, she had arrived with high spirits only to leave in disappointment, having encountered one of Yin Feng's messy romantic entanglements that utterly ruined her mood. Consequently, she had developed a dislike for this place. Yin Feng later became more perceptive and never again mentioned inviting her to his home. Looking back now, You Mingxu felt that even back then, Yin Feng might have already sensed something happening between them.
The night was deep and silent.
You Mingxu got out of the taxi and stood outside the courtyard gate. With a "click," the iron gate opened, revealing the old man she had met once before. He smiled obsequiously as he opened the door, speaking with extreme deference, "You're here, please come in."
"Thank you," You Mingxu said, following him inside. Watching his perpetually stooped back and his slightly tense, awkward physical reaction in the presence of police, she felt a pang of sympathy and said, "You've worked hard."
Lao Jiu could kill his enemies and cut off the ears of prison bullies, but he was most afraid of police officers. Especially after hearing that You Mingxu was a notoriously tough female cop in the area, he had been trembling with fear. Unexpectedly, this cold-hearted officer had such a gentle side in private.
Lao Jiu felt a surge of emotion. Originally, regarding Yin Feng and You Mingxu's relationship, he had been inclined to oppose it. Teacher Yin had said it himself - those who walk different paths cannot make plans together. That Teacher Yin would take in people like them was already an anomaly. But now, he felt this female officer might not be as terrifying as he had imagined.
Lao Jiu silently led You Mingxu to the main house, watching her enter before turning to leave. Meanwhile, You Mingxu felt that all of Yin Feng's subordinates seemed to share an indescribable stubbornness. Though Lao Jiu hadn't done anything particularly noteworthy, she could sense that certain qualities in him were the same as in Tuya, the painter, and even Chen Feng, who had previously humored the demented Yin Feng in his madness.
Chen Feng was already waiting in the living room and quickly stood up to escort her upstairs. Having Yin Feng come down personally to greet her was impossible - Teacher Yin was too concerned with saving face. But having developed some rapport with You Mingxu, Chen Feng felt it would be impolite not to welcome her, so he took it upon himself to shoulder this small responsibility for his master.
You Mingxu wasn't like these domestic-staff-turned-oddballs who overthought everything. After going upstairs, Chen Feng gently knocked twice on the study door. A deep, magnetic voice came from inside: "Come in."
Chen Feng opened the door, waited for You Mingxu to enter, then softly closed it before going downstairs. He instructed everyone in the household not to disturb the study tonight no matter what - even if the sky were falling.
When You Mingxu entered, she paused momentarily.
Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows lay the thick, silent darkness of night. Inside, however, the room was brightly lit as if it were daytime. The man wasn't sitting behind the desk but stood with his back to her beside a bookshelf. During their recent case investigations, the awakened Yin Feng had always dressed sharply with an air of wildness and mischief. Today at home, he wore a white sweater and casual trousers. His physique was still clearly outlined - tall and slender with distinct curves.
He turned around, surprisingly wearing anti-radiation glasses that gave his handsome face an appropriately scholarly air. He walked to the desk and sat down, removing the glasses as he said, "Please have a seat."
They sat facing each other across the desk where a pot of tea had already been prepared. He warmed her cup, discarded the first brew, poured the second brew, and placed it before her.
You Mingxu: "Thank you."
The corners of this mature man's lips lifted slightly: "You're welcome. Thank you for coming."You Mingxu: "No need to thank me. You extracting the information about 'Brother Yu' from Xiang Rong makes us even."
Yin Feng raised an eyebrow and said lightly, "Fine."
You Mingxu crossed her long legs, placing both hands on the armrests, and said, "Go ahead, what have you found?"
Yin Feng slowly leaned back, unconsciously studying her. She clearly came straight after work—after a busy day, her hair was messy again, her cheeks flushed from the cold wind. There were even a few mud stains on her trousers. Her entire demeanor carried a simple, unpretentious air.
Yet her sitting posture was unexpectedly domineering. Interpreting from body language, such a pose could only be pulled off by a woman who was exceptionally charming, alluring, and authoritative. Most people would reveal their insecurity first. But she sat there quietly, as if it were her throne...
Yin Feng withdrew his gaze. He had gotten distracted.
He picked up the tablet on the table and played the surveillance footage. Then he placed the voice and text records of the "himself" from Chen Feng's phone in front of You Mingxu.
...
You Mingxu had always known that this Yin Feng, after regaining his senses, had precisely lost his memories from before. They had only been interacting for just over half a year, while he had forgotten everything from more than a year ago. When it came to the brain, no one could say for sure. So she hadn't been suspicious before. Besides, she was already numb to the state of Yin Feng's broken brain.
But now, after hearing Yin Feng's deduction, she was still startled.
If Yin Feng had an early connection to that organization, then Gu Tiancheng pointing the finger at him on the mountain that day made sense.
Yet as You Mingxu watched the surveillance video, it unmistakably showed Yin Feng's back, profile, and build. She glanced at him and said, "Are you really sure this isn't you? After all, your brain..."
She paused.
Yin Feng looked at her, his gaze cold and detached, and said, "Even with partial memory loss, I still have a sense of what I've done and what I haven't."
You Mingxu fell silent for a moment, then smiled faintly.
Yin Feng suddenly understood the meaning behind that trace of mockery in her smile, so he too grew quiet. Originally, the tablet had been on the desk, and they were both looking at it together. Now, You Mingxu was staring at the tablet, while he was watching her. Even the steam rising from their teacups seemed filled with a silent, indescribable tension.
"Still holding a grudge?" he asked softly.
You Mingxu felt a sharp pain deep in her chest, but her expression remained calm. "Who do you think you are? Holding a grudge against you? Go on."
She then felt Yin Feng's dark eyes linger on her face for a moment before shifting back to the desk. He said, "Regarding the time in Guizhou, I hope you can use some resources to check the surrounding surveillance, vehicle movements, population flow, etc. See if we can find any clues."
You Mingxu was about to agree but then said, "You could approach the bureau chief or the department head—they have greater authority."
Yin Feng took a sip of tea and replied, "These resources are well within a criminal investigation team's jurisdiction. Besides, I don’t want too many people knowing about my affairs. Since you're already involved, you’re naturally my best partner."
You Mingxu also took a sip of tea, raised an eyebrow, and answered briskly, "Fine."
"If you need financial, material, or human resources, you can always contact Chen Feng," he added.
You Mingxu nodded and looked up at him. Coincidentally, he was also looking at her. They locked eyes for a while, neither saying a word.She said, "Nothing else, right?"
"Mm."
She stood up and walked out.
Yin Feng remained seated, watching her until she disappeared into the distance. He poured himself several more cups of tea, finished them, then stood up and casually began clearing the tea set. Her cup still had half-finished tea left. Yin Feng picked it up, about to place it back on the tea tray, but paused.
He couldn't quite articulate what he was feeling. Since waking up, he had only felt a vague, even physically-driven closeness toward this woman. But he had long drawn a line in his heart, separating the two of them. Yet after her visit tonight and subsequent departure, he realized his gloomy mood, brought on by being manipulated by that organization, had lifted considerably. He even felt a lingering sense of satisfaction, as if some hazy longing within him had finally been quenched by a sip of sweet dew, bringing him solace.
He stared at the teacup in his hand—the tea clear, its warmth still lingering.
He remembered clearly how she had drunk the tea earlier: gulping it down, finishing each small cup in one go, then setting it down steadily. She hadn't even bothered to smell, let alone savor, his premium West Lake Longjing tea.
At this thought, Yin Feng smiled faintly. He glanced again at the leftover tea in his hand, fell silent for a moment, and felt his throat grow somewhat dry and itchy.
After staring at it for a while, he poured the remaining tea into the trash and tossed the cup back onto the tea tray.
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