Coming to Myself

Xu Mengshan: "Tsk tsk! Sister You prioritizes romance over friendship, favoring the new over the old."

You Mingxu finally glanced at him with a smile: "So you know you don't count as 'romance'?"

Xu Mengshan: "I can't eat this meal anymore."

Just then, someone approached who knew Jing Ping and chatted with him briefly. Xu Mengshan lowered his head and whispered: "What's going on between you and Yin Feng now? I can tell something's off with you."

But You Mingxu didn't want to tell anyone about Yin Feng's secret, not even her closest brother.

She remained silent for a moment before sighing: "I don't know what this situation is either."

——

In the afternoon, a rare glimpse of sun appeared in the sky, bringing a hint of warmth to the air. During the lunch break, the police station was relatively quiet, with only occasional footsteps and voices echoing through the halls.

Three detectives were all leaning back in their chairs, eyes closed for a brief rest.

During the short half-hour break, You Mingxu still managed to fall asleep, drifting into a hazy slumber. She vaguely sensed a familiar presence nearby but couldn't quite distinguish it clearly.

When the work bell rang, she opened her eyes. Jing Ping and Xu Mengshan beside her also stirred.

The thin white sunlight streamed in through the doorway, falling upon the person standing before her. Dressed in a tailored suit with jet-black hair, his long legs were crossed casually. He held a case file in his hand, his cuffs neat and his fingers pale yet strong.

The office wasn't large, and her desk was tucked away by the window at the very back. He sat right beside her desk, though it was unclear how long he had been there.

You Mingxu stood up and went to wash her face. Behind her, Yin Feng remained focused on the case file, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Jing Ping and Xu Mengshan both greeted Yin Feng. Yin Feng set down the case file and watched as You Mingxu walked back.

His gaze was still deep and quiet, but it lacked the turbulent darkness of that day, appearing much more serene. He asked: "Have you thought it over?"

He didn't lower his voice intentionally, so the two nearby could naturally hear. You Mingxu replied: "We'll talk later."

She had just sat down when his chair slowly slid closer, one arm resting on the desk. The distance between them was a bit too close, and You Mingxu stiffened her expression.

"I've waited five days," he said.

Jing Ping remained relatively unfazed, lowering his head to prepare projection materials, while Xu Mengshan stared at his computer, the side of his face clearly smiling. You Mingxu felt extremely awkward, shooting Yin Feng a cold glare and whispering: "Shut up."

Yin Feng studied her for a moment before saying calmly: "Then I won't wait anymore."

You Mingxu was taken aback, not understanding what he meant. Was he giving up on waiting for her?

"Then don't wait. That's for the best."

He said nothing.

Jing Ping finished preparing the materials, glanced around, and asked: "Shall we begin?"

You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan both agreed. Yin Feng placed a hand on the back of You Mingxu's chair and nodded.

Seeing this, Xu Mengshan felt a sudden jolt, thinking: Here we go again! It's really happening again! Wasn't this exactly how Yin Feng used to cling to Sister You, sticking to her like a shadow? Has he finally come to his senses again?

But judging by his current demeanor, he seemed even more difficult to handle than before.

Jing Ping also noticed Yin Feng's action, and for some reason, when he lifted his gaze, it met You Mingxu's eyes.

Both of them quickly averted their glances simultaneously.The first to appear on the screen was a man around fifty years old. At first glance, you would never mistake him for a corporate CEO; instead, he resembled a scholar. The man was tall and slender, with fair skin. Though strands of white already touched his temples, he still carried an air of handsome elegance. Dressed in a suit, his physique remained as well-maintained as a young man's. One could easily imagine how handsome he must have been in his youth—with a full forehead, long eyebrows, and narrow eyes that tilted slightly upward. His nose was straight and prominent, and his lips were neither too thin nor too thick.

This was Xing Jifu, Chairman of Kaiyang Group and its shadow leader. Rumors had circulated that he rose from underworld origins, with three generations of his family shrouded in ambiguity. Yet the corporate assets now under his name were entirely legitimate—real estate, finance, logistics, environmental protection... It was said he had donated to build many Hope Schools and contributed numerous resources to the city. He fully embodied the image of a socially responsible entrepreneur.

Below his photo, the first image on the left was of his eldest son, Xing Yanjun. While Xing Jifu himself graduated from Renmin University, Xing Yanjun had surpassed his father—completing his undergraduate studies at Tsinghua University and earning a master's degree in the United States. He had returned to China less than two years prior and was being groomed as the Crown Prince successor. Currently serving as Vice President of the group, Xing Yanjun was involved in many operational management activities.

The younger son was still studying abroad, reportedly majoring in literature. He was still young and had no involvement in the family business whatsoever.

Beside Xing Yanjun was a man in his late twenties with tea-colored hair. He wore a black jacket over a gray T-shirt, his facial features sharply defined, his gaze cold.

Jing Ping explained, "This is Xing Jifu's adopted son, Huang Long. Both his parents are deceased—they used to work for the Xing family. Xing Jifu currently has three ambiguous business sectors: one in finance, one in logistics, and another handling certain legal matters. Huang Long is in charge of a financial company. He's one of Xing Jifu's trusted confidants."

To the right of Huang Long's photo was a man in his forties. He was quite tall, with a sturdy build, ordinary features, but piercingly sharp eyes.

Jing Ping said, "This is Guo Feirong. He's also been with Xing Jifu for a long time and manages the logistics company. On the surface, this logistics company mainly handles internal group transportation. But I've looked into it—this subsidiary has a large workforce, high costs, and has been consistently operating at a loss. Yet Xing Jifu has kept it running, and Guo Feirong clearly remains one of his key confidants. So I suspect there's something shady going on here."

With Jing Ping's extensive experience in drug enforcement, both You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan nodded in agreement. Where there's abnormality, there must be a hidden scheme.

The next photo of a confidant was someone they were all familiar with: Luo Yu.

Luo Yu had graduated from the Provincial University of Political Science and Law. After graduation, he joined his current law firm and, through some unknown connections, managed to align himself with Kaiyang Group. Now holding a controlling stake in the firm, he essentially worked exclusively for Kaiyang. His presence was evident in many of the group's critical decisions and events. In recent years, he had become one of the fastest-rising figures close to Xing Jifu.The remaining individuals are middle and senior management of Kaiyang Group, most with clean backgrounds engaged in legitimate above-board operations. This indicates that Kaiyang Group's business operates on two parallel tracks: one legitimate, and another—already under police suspicion—involving gray-area operations, borderline activities, and potentially illegal dealings. However, concrete evidence has remained elusive.

The drug trafficking organization from the Yunnan border is seeking collaborators in Central China, with Kaiyang Group emerging as a potential partner. This suggests the group's involvement might run deeper than initially suspected by the police.

Complicating matters, Guo Xing—the undercover agent acting as the vanguard for the Yunnan organization—was unexpectedly killed by a victim's family member. Both sides are currently maintaining a temporary standoff. Luo Yu's presence near Guo Xing's death scene now serves as crucial evidence linking Kaiyang Group to the Yunnan organization.