The morning was still young, the sunlight soft and clear.
"You Mingxu, come here," Yin Feng said.
You Mingxu thought to herself, so he's not calling me 'sister' now? She didn't mind though, walking over and asking, "What is it?"
He looked up: "What are we doing today?"
You Mingxu: "..."
She then said: "Go wash up first. You know how to brush your teeth and wash your face, right? Get all the sleep sand and drool cleaned off."
"Mm!" Yin Feng obediently got out of bed and went into the bathroom. You Mingxu sat down by the bed, thinking again about the man in the photo, suddenly finding it both ridiculous and unreal.
He came out shortly after, clean and tidy from washing up. You Mingxu said: "You're still injured, lie down to talk."
He climbed back onto the bed. You Mingxu noticed that when he was awake, his lying posture was quite domineering - his long legs spread apart, hands behind his head, like some lord.
"Yin Feng, I'm a police officer. I have a lot of work to do every day. Including follow-up work on that criminal Gu Tiancheng we caught a few days ago. As for you, your injuries haven't healed yet, and your mind isn't cured either. If your mind gets better, you'll become smarter, right? So for now, I need to go to work. You should stay here and focus on recovering. Let's both handle our own responsibilities properly, and then... then we'll meet again and play together, alright?"
Anyone familiar with You Mingxu would be shocked to hear her speaking so kindly and patiently. Normally, she was cold and brutal towards men who pestered her.
It was only because You Mingxu understood that Yin Feng currently had the mind of a teenager - naive and simple-minded. Yet stubborn about what he believed in, single-minded. How unfortunate that he had clung to her the moment he woke up, completely imprinting on her like a baby bird. But it didn't matter - she was a crafty veteran detective, having managed to play the weakling throughout her act with Gu Tiancheng. For now, she would coax and stall Yin Feng. Given time, she wouldn't care what happened to him.
Perhaps because her explanation was too reasonable to refute, Yin Feng lowered his head. You Mingxu watched his fair, well-defined neck. There was an unexpected vitality to it that was purely masculine, despite his current innocence.
"Do you really have to go to work?" he asked.
"Yes, otherwise I'll lose my job and income," she said. "And I wouldn't be able to help other people either."
Yin Feng pressed his lips together tightly, for some reason. His dark, luminous eyes actually made You Mingxu feel somewhat guilty. She wondered - when someone's mind becomes childlike from injury, do their worldly eyes become pure too?
He removed his hands from behind his head and said: "Okay. Go to work then. I'll focus on recovering too. But when will you come see me again?"
You Mingxu said: "I'll come back in a few days."
Having so easily escaped the baby bird's hospital room, You Mingxu couldn't help but admire herself. Chen Feng was waiting outside the door, looking momentarily surprised when he saw her.
"Taken care of," You Mingxu tossed out as she passed him.
"Thank you," Chen Feng said quickly, glancing into the room before lowering his voice. "Miss You, I hope... you can visit Teacher Yin regularly. Please."
You Mingxu glanced at him but didn't respond.
Fortunately, there were spare clothes at the police station. After arriving, You Mingxu took a shower first, then threw herself into the intense work.The day passed by unnoticed. Due to the major case involving Gu Tiancheng, everyone had been working on empty stomachs. By the time they finished and left the police station, the city was already aglow with evening lights.
They went out for a late-night snack.
Seated in their usual restaurant, the table full of police officers didn’t look all that different from the other patrons. Aside from their louder voices, they all seemed spirited and carried a certain sharpness about them.
You Mingxu sipped a bottle of beer, listening as they shared one amusing or unfortunate story after another—things they looked down on or that excited them. Occasionally, she chimed in, joining them in venting, mocking, or bursting into laughter.
Just as the atmosphere was lively with the aroma of alcohol, Xu Mengshan leaned close to her ear and said, “You asked me to keep an eye on Yin Feng and his assistant. I did.”
You Mingxu lowered her voice as well. “What did you find out?”
Xu Mengshan replied, “This morning when I went to check on things, I saw you coming out of his hospital room, still wearing yesterday’s clothes, looking refreshed and glowing.”
You Mingxu snapped, “Get lost!”
Under the lights, her partner gazed at her with a teasing glint in his eyes. The usually quiet and reserved Officer Xu was now smirking like a sly fox.
Fan Jia, catching a few words, leaned in and asked, “What’s going on? Why is Sister You so worked up again?”
You Mingxu shot a glare at Xu Mengshan, who blinked his single eyelids and whispered rapidly, “She spent the night in Yin Feng’s hospital room last night.”
Fan Jia’s eyes widened, a mischievous, gossipy grin threatening to burst from her expression. Fortunately, the two of them had enough sense to keep their voices down, so none of the other officers noticed their hushed conversation. You Mingxu retorted, “Bullshit. He’s like a little kid right now. I just went to visit and comfort him yesterday. Xu Mengshan, you’re a single dog who can’t even find a girlfriend, but you’re quick to imagine these things, you gossipy old lady!”
Completely unfazed, “Gossipy Old Lady” Xu picked up a skewer of grilled meat and took a bite, then patted Fan Jia’s head and said, “Who would’ve thought our ruthless Sister You has a thing for that type? No wonder all those men who tried to pursue her before never stood a chance. Sister You likes them young.”
Fan Jia chimed in, “Yeah, yeah. But it makes sense—a strong, independent woman liking a sweet, innocent guy.”
You Mingxu took a large gulp of beer and spat out just two words: “You’re dead.”
The other two clinked their beer bottles together.
You Mingxu couldn’t help but laugh and decided to ignore them. The image of Yin Feng’s “innocent and adorable” demeanor from that morning flashed in her mind, making the situation even more absurd.
Fan Jia then remarked, “I wonder if Writer Yin’s mind will ever recover. If it does, he’s actually quite a catch, isn’t he? Tall, handsome, and talented. I heard he earns over a hundred million a year just from writing books, making movies, and running his cultural company. He’s even been on the list of wealthiest authors! Hey, Sister You, since you two have such a connection and he’s so attached to you now, why not take advantage of his condition and make a move? Cook the raw rice, so to speak. By the time he recovers, he’ll already be yours. Then he’ll have no one to turn to and will be completely at your mercy…”
You Mingxu was amused by the girl’s antics and chose to ignore her, but Xu Mengshan cut in, “Enough already. Don’t treat that guy like some prized catch. We’re just joking around. Even if he were normal, would he be good enough for Sister You? I looked into it yesterday—before his accident, he had publicly dated two girlfriends, both of them internet-famous models. What’s so great about a man like that?”
Fan Jia fell silent, taken aback. You Mingxu’s expression remained indifferent as she scoffed, “What does any of that have to do with me?”After the meal, a group of people walked out of the restaurant and took separate taxis home. You Mingxu, Xu Mengshan, and Fan Jia shared one cab. When they reached the entrance of You Mingxu's residential complex, they dropped her off. You Mingxu let out a drunken burp, her backpack slung over one shoulder, but she had only taken a few steps when she spotted a car parked by the roadside with someone leaning against it.
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