"Xiao You, I'm a bit cold."
A light voice cut in, abruptly disrupting the somber, bitter emotions weighing on the two detectives' hearts.
You Mingxu lowered her hand and saw Yin Feng standing nearby, his face indeed looking somewhat pale, his eyes still deep and unreadable. She took off her down jacket, while Jing Ping had already moved aside.
Yin Feng looked at her but didn't take it.
You Mingxu frowned.
Yin Feng suddenly smiled and said, "Suddenly, I'm not that cold anymore."
You Mingxu thought he was utterly ridiculous. Having warmed up a bit by holding his down jacket, she tossed it back into his arms and turned to find Xu Mengshan.
Yin Feng chuckled, put the jacket on, and slid his ice-cold hands into the pockets as if nothing were amiss.
The inside was warm, having been warmed by someone else. His brows lifted slightly, and that faint, inexplicably comfortable sensation crept up from his chest once more.
With the exact location now confirmed, additional backup police units arrived shortly after, taking a shortcut to the scene.
Officers spread out along the lake to search for evidence and traces. The forensic examiner also arrived, and Guo Xing's body was lifted onto a stretcher.
You Mingxu, Xu Mengshan, and their colleagues discussed the next steps for information gathering:
Search for surveillance footage and eyewitnesses within a five-kilometer radius, compiling a list of individuals who entered or left the area between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. that day.
Contact the Yunnan police to obtain more detailed information about Guo Xing, particularly regarding enemies from his many years in the underworld.
Investigate whether the Kaiyang Group had any unusual activities that afternoon.
...
The fact that Guo Xing was an undercover agent was clearly a secret Jing Ping had been forced to disclose. Naturally, You Mingxu didn't mention it to anyone else, not even Xu Mengshan. However, to access Guo Xing's information as a police officer, she could only inquire privately with one person.
After organizing her tasks, You Mingxu looked around. The forensic examiner was conducting a preliminary examination of the body, and Yin Feng was crouched nearby, his expression calm and focused. He was both the same as the person from before and entirely different—similarly earnest and absorbed, but whereas that person's eyes had been clear, his were now profound and inscrutable.
You Mingxu felt a sharp, stabbing tug in her chest. Ignoring it, she turned to look for Jing Ping.
He wasn't easy to find. Jing Ping was hiding behind a large boulder, surrounded by tall weeds, smoking quietly.
You Mingxu pushed through the grass and walked over. Jing Ping glanced at her—his eyes were no longer red, but the usual faint smile was absent from his face.
"Everything arranged?" he asked.
"Yeah." She leaned against the boulder beside him, pulled out a cigarette, and he, seemingly out of habit, produced a lighter and lit it for her. You Mingxu accepted it naturally, holding the cigarette as they both smoked in silence.
"Were you close?" she asked.
Jing Ping rubbed his forehead with his cigarette-holding hand and replied, "We used to be very close. He was my brother. But we hadn't seen each other for six years."
He said it lightly, but You Mingxu felt a heavy weight in her heart.
She lit another cigarette and placed it at their feet, letting it burn. Then she said, "My condolences."
Jing Ping simply watched her movements quietly—her offering of the cigarette, her distant expression—and suddenly, the suppressed pain in his heart surged forth, unbidden and unreasonable.Old Guo, he thought to himself, do you know you died in this distant Xiang City, unable to return to Yunnan? Almost no one would have known. But now, there's a female officer who never even saw you alive, sincerely offering you a cigarette.
What about me? When I die someday, will someone light a cigarette for me?
He took a deep breath and said, "Thank you," his voice low and hoarse.
You Mingxu gazed at the sky and said, "I also lost a comrade last month." She forcibly held back the tears welling in her eyes.
Had it only been a month? Yet time rushed forward so swiftly, it felt as if she had lost her for a lifetime.
Jing Ping's eyes reddened slightly as he said, "It seems we are both souls adrift in this world."
You Mingxu replied, "Let's have a drink when we have time. We'll call Mengshan along."
Jing Ping said, "It's on me."
Yin Feng stood outside the grass, on the other side of the large rock, unable to hear clearly. He could only see the two of them talking with their heads bowed, both wearing smiles. Suddenly, Yin Feng felt a strange sensation—those two were very similar, like mirror images.
They were drawn to each other.
—The moment this thought crossed his mind, a sharp, intense pain stabbed through his chest. It was unbearable, utterly unbearable. The pain spread with a speed that caught him off guard, so overwhelming it threatened to drown him.
He steadied himself, raised his still-cold hand, and pressed it against his forehead. Only after several seconds did he feel his emotions begin to settle slightly. He walked aside and called Chen Feng: "Help me look into someone."
—
The news of Guo Xing's murder was secretly relayed back, shocking the higher-ups. After the body was transported back to the bureau, the chief and Ding Xiongwei came to see it privately, removing their hats in silent mourning and handling the aftermath—but that is a story for later.
In the conference room sat Jing Ping, You Mingxu, Xu Mengshan, and Yin Feng. With Ding Xiongwei's approval, Xu Mengshan had also been briefed on the inside story.
However, with these four sitting together, the atmosphere seemed somewhat peculiar.
The peculiarity naturally came from the one who stood out.
The other three were all tough, no-nonsense detectives, dressed plainly, their auras clearly distinct. He, on the other hand, was clad in luxurious suits, with a sleek golden Apple laptop in front of him, a Montblanc diamond-studded pen at his side, and even a pair of blue-light-blocking glasses perched on his nose. At last, You Mingxu understood where Chen Feng's refined yet rogue-like demeanor came from.
But the detectives present were all seasoned enough to hold their ground. Xu Mengshan spoke with his usual composure: "Jing Ge, don't mind me asking, but since Guo Xing was one of ours, what's the deal with the case against him? I've seen the materials on that rape case—the evidence is solid. His fingerprints were found at the scene, and surveillance footage caught him assaulting the victim."
You Mingxu twirled a pen in her hand.
Yin Feng looked up leisurely, waiting for Jing Ping's explanation.Jing Ping had already regained his composure, returning to his somewhat nonchalant demeanor. He tapped his fingers on the table and replied, "It's fake. He reported that case to his superiors. At the time, another member of the criminal gang wanted to cause trouble for the victim. Guo Xing couldn't dissuade him, so he pretended to kick the victim a few times, hoping to appease his companion and prevent more serious harm. But that night, the companion still sneaked into the victim's home and committed rape and murder. He even called Guo Xing afterward to boast about it. With the victim already dead, Guo Xing had no choice but to play along. When the police listed both of them as suspects, he accepted it. The more he appeared to be rejected by the police, the more trust he would gain from the other side."
You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan both nodded. Jing Ping, looking into You Mingxu's eyes, suddenly understood what she wanted to ask. His voice softened slightly: "We haven't forgotten the real culprit. Once the mission is completed, we'll arrest him immediately."
You Mingxu nodded.
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