You Mingxu's ears were ringing, unable to hear anything. The surroundings shook violently, and in her blurred vision, she could only see a pair of eyes fixed intently on her.
They were exceptionally calm eyes, yet they carried a warmth that could instantly soothe one's heart.
Shrapnel from the explosion rained down like a storm, assaulting the two of them. Yet, held firmly in that strong embrace, You Mingxu could only see his chest before her, her nostrils filled with his unfamiliar scent. At one moment, his body trembled slightly, but he made no sound.
Jing Ping had been shielding her all along.
For You Mingxu, this was an unprecedented experience. Ever since she joined the police force, she had always been accustomed to standing in front of her partners. Because she was tough, she was the one who protected others. She had shielded other officers, she had shielded You Yingjun, and she had even once shielded Xu Mengshan. The moment the explosion occurred, her instinct was to turn and protect Jing Ping.
But she never expected him to react even faster, shielding her instead.
Due to the temporary hearing loss, Jing Ping frowned and closed his eyes for a moment. You Mingxu, nestled in his arms, looked at his face so close to hers and, for a fleeting moment, felt the urge to smooth out the furrow in his brow.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, and their gazes locked in that corner filled with flames and dust.
The explosion seemed to have subsided, and You Mingxu's hearing gradually returned. She climbed out of his embrace, and he swiftly stood up as well.
The car was now completely mangled by the blast, and several nearby vehicles were engulfed in flames. There was no chance of survival for anyone inside. Police officers from the rear were already calling for fire trucks and ambulances.
Yin Feng lay on the ground, while Tuya, staggering slightly and covered in dust and blood, helped his boss up.
As soon as Yin Feng raised his head, he looked toward them, his eyes meeting You Mingxu's. He gave a slight nod.
You Mingxu glanced at him, picked up her gun from the ground, and moved closer to the wreckage with Jing Ping and the others to assess the situation.
Gu Tiancheng lay on the ground, his body still burning. This time, he was truly and utterly dead. The scene inside the car was even more gruesome—scattered limbs and corpses, with no survivors.
These ruthless criminals had faced the police with such a resolute and final act.
You Mingxu, Jing Ping, Xu Mengshan, and the others stood at the periphery of the wreckage, watching the flames still raging fiercely, all of them falling into a heavy silence.
Xu Mengshan walked over and asked You Mingxu, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. What about you?"
Xu Mengshan replied, "I was standing farther away, so I'm definitely fine."
After Xu Mengshan turned to check elsewhere, You Mingxu glanced back and froze for a moment.
Jing Ping stood right in front of her, his jacket torn in over a dozen places by the explosion's shrapnel. Fortunately, his winter clothes were thick. But his neck hadn't been so lucky. On his fair skin, several cuts had appeared. One was deeper, with a fragment the size of a thumbnail embedded in it, and he seemed completely unaware of it.
You Mingxu said, "Don't move."
Jing Ping stood still.
She swiftly reached out and plucked out the fragment, watching as a drop of blood trickled down his neck. Instinctively, she wiped it away, then took out a tissue to clean the blood from his neck. "Go see the medics later to disinfect it and see if you need a tetanus shot," she said.
"Mm," he replied, turning to look at her. Under his single eyelids, his gaze was faint and calm.
You Mingxu smiled. "Old Jing, you've got another scar now." No wonder he was decorated with honors.
Jing Ping asked, "What does it matter?"You Mingxu: "Thanks for earlier."
Jing Ping: "No big deal. As seniors, it's only natural we look out for the younger ones."
You Mingxu: "Get lost."
He glanced at her twice: "You're the first person who dares to tell me to get lost."
You Mingxu chuckled and said, "You're quite full of yourself."
"What, can't stand it?"
"We'll see after we fight."
Originally, Jing Ping hadn't taken their arranged fight seriously at all. He genuinely didn't want to fight a woman. Women are naturally weaker in physical strength and power compared to men—what's the point? But after these past few days together, he had witnessed You Mingxu's sharpness, quick-wittedness, and decisiveness. Rarely, he actually felt a sense of meeting his match.
And she's just a young girl.
"Alright," he said with a faint smile in his eyes, lowering his voice, "I'll try not to make you cry."
"...What did you say?"
The dust settled.
Yin Feng, wrapped in a thin blanket, stood not far behind them. He watched the two of them talking, sometimes laughing, sometimes sizing each other up.
In reality, You Mingxu and Jing Ping had only spoken for a minute or two at most. But in Yin Feng's eyes, it felt like an eternity. It seemed that whenever those two were near each other, they clicked perfectly, their personalities in sync.
Yin Feng closed his eyes and then reopened them. Chen Feng, standing beside him, observed his expression with mixed feelings. There was a certain schadenfreude at seeing him finally get himself into this situation, but as Yin Feng's subordinate, he also felt guilty for such wicked thoughts. Even Chen Feng, watching the two detectives ahead, thought they made a good pair... It was an indescribable feeling—they genuinely shared a certain kind of aura.
"A Xu," Yin Feng suddenly called out loudly.
You Mingxu turned her head. Yin Feng waved his hand, and she walked over.
Their eyes met briefly, and You Mingxu's gaze quickly dropped, discreetly scanning him from head to toe. No injuries.
She asked, "What is it?"
Yin Feng suddenly clenched his fist and brought it to his lips, coughing several times in a row. Chen Feng looked nervous: "Teacher Yin, are you alright?"
You Mingxu also stared intently at his face, which seemed a bit pale.
Yin Feng rubbed his forehead again and said, "I'm fine. Just a bit of a headache, from the explosion earlier..." He trailed off, then looked at You Mingxu: "I'm okay, I'll head upstairs right away."
You Mingxu had the same idea, but seeing him frown in discomfort, she felt a bit irritated and said, "You go to the hospital. We can check the scene."
"We?" Yin Feng sneered, "The lair of the person who tried to harm me—I need to see it for myself." With that, he strode off toward the elevator first.
You Mingxu had no idea what had gotten into him again—he was being oddly sarcastic. She gathered Xu Mengshan, Jing Ping, and the others to head upstairs together.
But because Yin Feng had mentioned his headache earlier, You Mingxu kept an eye on him once they were in the elevator. Noticing him press his forehead with his hand again, she moved closer to him and asked, "Are you okay?"
He forced a faint smile at the corner of his mouth: "I'm fine."
Suddenly, a warm softness touched his forehead. It was You Mingxu reaching out to feel his temperature.
Naturally, Yin Feng's forehead temperature was perfectly normal. You Mingxu withdrew her hand without saying a word.Yin Feng lowered his head and saw their faint shadows cast together under the lamplight. She had been standing by his side all along, paying no attention to others and not speaking. Suddenly, Yin Feng's mood lifted, a sense of delight seeping slowly into his chest like a sip of light honey water.
After Jing Ping finished giving instructions to one of his subordinates, he looked up and saw You Mingxu and Yin Feng standing together. Though the two weren't speaking and remained still, they stood so close that one could inexplicably sense an intimate aura between them, impenetrable to outsiders. With Jing Ping's sharp eyes, he could tell at a glance.
He only glanced at them briefly before turning his gaze away.
OpenNovel