The apartment had been set up as a simple and convenient monitoring room, making it easy for the on-duty personnel to live there. After the meeting, You Mingxu took a disposable cup and went to the kitchen to get some water.
"Didn't even get a sip of water at Luo Yu's place?" a voice came from behind.
You Mingxu turned her head while drinking, seeing Jing Ping's smiling face.
"Didn't have the chance," You Mingxu said. "Was too busy looking around."
Jing Ping pulled something out of his pocket and handed it to her. You Mingxu took it and examined it—it was wooden, flat, warm and smooth to the touch, with an exquisitely carved bird on one end.
You Mingxu: "What is this?"
Jing Ping gestured somewhat clumsily: "For tying up your hair."
You Mingxu’s heart skipped a beat—it was something like a hairpin. She smiled and asked, "What for?"
Jing Ping glanced at her, his gaze penetrating as if he saw right through her hesitation. He tapped the bird’s head and said, "Pull it out."
You Mingxu applied some force and discovered the hidden mechanism. The outer part was actually a sheath. Pulling it out revealed a thin, cicada wing-like wooden blade, glossy and incredibly sharp. You Mingxu was instantly captivated, waving it around in her hand. "Where did this come from?"
Jing Ping finally smiled. "A friend in Yunnan makes these. I remembered and had him send one over. Could come in handy for a female undercover agent."
You Mingxu was delighted. "Thanks!"
Jing Ping motioned for her to hand the knife back. Taking it, he weighed it in his hand, his fingers moving with astonishing dexterity. The thin blade flipped and spun in his grasp before he suddenly flicked his wrist, sending the blade flying to embed itself with a "thud" in the wooden kitchen door.
You Mingxu raised an eyebrow, impressed by his skill—something she couldn’t manage, being not particularly adept with blades. Jing Ping walked over, pulled the small knife out, and returned it to her. "Use it to tie your hair normally. If anyone crosses you, just pull it out and slice them."
You Mingxu’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Instead of putting it in her hair right away, she continued playing with it in her hand. With a sudden flick of her eyebrow, she thrust the knife toward Jing Ping. Jing Ping chuckled and sidestepped effortlessly. You Mingxu’s blade changed direction mid-air, sweeping horizontally toward him. Jing Ping remarked, "Already slicing at me?" while simultaneously catching her arm in a firm, swift grip. You Mingxu struggled but couldn’t free her arm as he grinned lazily. She kicked at his knee, but he hopped back just in time to avoid it, then made a move toward her throat, startling her into jerking away.
His hand changed course mid-motion, lightly tapping her on the head instead while releasing her arm. "No respect for your elders!" he scolded.
Then, the usually cool beauty broke into a radiant smile and declared, "Old Jing, we’re definitely having that fight someday!" Clearly, her competitive spirit had been roused.
Jing Ping smiled faintly. "Fine. After we crack the case, I’ll deal with you then."
As they laughed together, You Mingxu noticed a shift in Jing Ping’s expression. She turned and saw Yin Feng standing at the kitchen doorway, his face unreadable.
Jing Ping walked out, leaving the two of them alone.
You Mingxu slid the blade back into its sheath, quickly twisted her hair up, and secured it with the hairpin. Yin Feng approached her, touched the hairpin, and asked, "What is it?"
You Mingxu replied, "Jing Ping gave it to me. They have these in Yunnan. Might save my life in a critical moment."
Yin Feng said nothing.You Mingxu picked up her teacup to drink, feeling somewhat surprised that the guy hadn't already bristled with sarcasm as usual. Suddenly, a soft, tingling warmth spread across her neck—someone had licked her! Even her ears went numb from the shock. She glared at him. "What are you doing?"
Yin Feng's expression was utterly calm. "Kissing you."
She should've known! He'd been waiting for this moment.
Licking her neck—was he a dog?
As this thought crossed her mind, You Mingxu suddenly froze. Memories flashed through her head of how he used to be when he was still You Yingjun—looking up at her eagerly, squatting by her feet, reaching out for a hug. And she had more than once silently complained: Was he a dog?
Old habits die hard...
You Mingxu said lightly, "Did I say you could kiss me?"
Yin Feng remembered how Jing Ping had tapped her head earlier and how she had smiled in response. A surge of violent irritation rose in his chest, and he blurted out, "You said it yourself—I can kiss you however I want."
As soon as the words left his mouth, both of them froze.
Vague images surfaced in Yin Feng's mind: the two of them in bed, intimately close, her eyes still red as she said, "From now on, I'm yours. What more reward do you need? Kiss me whenever you want, do whatever you want—I'll be here with you."
And what about him?
What had he said afterward?
Why did this memory bring such an overwhelming wave of bitterness, threatening to swallow him whole?
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall what happened next.
Yin Feng steadied himself and, seeing the similarly unreadable look in her eyes, smiled. He leaned in close to her neck again, but this time instead of licking, he gently sucked at the skin before pulling away. "You'd better hope it takes me a while to remember."
You Mingxu: "..."
She felt that after just one night and half a day of behaving himself, his annoying, provocative demeanor had returned. She pressed a hand against his face and said, "You've got thirty years. Take your time remembering."
He chuckled softly, refraining from further advances, and straightened up with a serious expression. "I didn't tell them everything earlier. There are actually thirty-five cameras in total. Two of them are in your bedroom, and I don't plan to share the feeds with them."
You Mingxu shot him a glance.
He continued, "One is pointed directly at the bed, the other at the wardrobe by the door. There's a blind spot near the window side of the wardrobe."
His meaning was clear—the blind spot was left for her to change clothes or for other private moments.
You Mingxu wasn't the type to let personal friction compromise the bigger picture. Having cameras in the bedroom actually made her feel safer. But...
"Why not share the feeds with them?"
He leaned back against the marble kitchen counter, his expression indifferent. "I just don't want to."
You Mingxu: "..."
—
Later in the evening, You Mingxu ate a boxed meal with the others before slowly making her way back to Luo Yu's house.
Luo Yu hadn't returned yet, and the spacious house felt empty and silent. But knowing that thirty-five pairs of eyes were watching her every move in this house, You Mingxu felt both incredibly secure and a little exasperated.
She went back to her bedroom and leaned against the headboard to rest. Suddenly, she remembered Yin Feng's words—one of the cameras was pointed right at the bed. She looked up at the curtains, the curtain rod, the desk lamp on the study table, the drawer handles, and other objects, and before she knew it, a laugh escaped her.Meanwhile, in the surveillance room of the building opposite, Yin Feng had naturally taken over one of the bedrooms as a base for himself and his subordinates. Additionally, the video feed from You Mingxu's bedroom was being recorded in real time on his phone. Leaning back in his chair with the gentle breeze from the window brushing past, he watched his phone as You Mingxu entered her bedroom and settled onto the bed.
He stared intently at the screen.
Suddenly, at that very moment, she smiled.
She smiled at him.
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