Coming to Myself

Thus, You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan's deduction regarding the perpetrator's method of entry was confirmed—

The perpetrator had likely followed the victim inside around 2:30 a.m., subduing her with a neuroparalytic drug.

He had remained at the scene for at least two hours.

Xu Mengshan immediately arranged for a focused investigation of nearby usable surveillance footage from around 2:30 a.m. to between 4:30 and 6:00 a.m. that day.

However, the building was located in a remote area, relatively old, with a limited number of surveillance cameras. There were also many small paths and blind spots not covered by the cameras. So far, nothing had been found.

Colleagues from the forensics department also reported—aside from the fingerprints and DNA of Luo Ting and her roommate, no traces belonging to a third party were found at the scene: no footprints, fingerprints, bloodstains, or strands of hair… This indicated that the perpetrator had been almost fully equipped when entering the house—gloves, shoe covers, and even a hair cover, all prepared in advance. This was not a crime of passion.

As for the drop of blood on the back of the chair in Luo Ting's bedroom, it was confirmed to belong to Luo Ting herself.

—

The reason the local criminal police team had reported this case to the Lushan Branch was that just ten days earlier, another girl had been murdered in a different residential complex within the same district.

That victim was named Peng Dan, 23 years old, also a native of the province, and worked as a massage therapist at another bathhouse. She lived alone in a small apartment. Ten days ago, her parents came to visit in the morning and found her dead at home.

Peng Dan was also a hardworking, honest, and trouble-free single woman.

Her time of death was also the night before. The condition of her body was almost identical to Luo Ting's. Moreover, it had now been confirmed that both victims had inhaled the same neuroparalytic drug before their deaths.

The police had sufficient reason to believe the perpetrator was the same person and merged the cases for investigation.

Ding Xiongwei immediately decided that You Mingxu would lead the investigation, with Xu Mengshan as her deputy, heading a team to take charge of this serial case.

—

That night, by the time You Mingxu returned to the villa, it was already past 1 a.m.

You can't become fat in one bite—everyone recognized the complexity of this case and was prepared for a prolonged and challenging battle. But they couldn't afford to exhaust themselves all at once—it would be counterproductive. So tonight, they each went home to catch up on sleep and resume the investigation with full force the next morning.

When You Mingxu had moved in the day before, Guan Jun had registered her fingerprint and said with a grin, "Now your access level is the same as Teacher Yin's. Any unexplored corners of the house… you're free to snoop around."

You Mingxu thought to herself, "Snoop, my foot!"

But now, it was convenient. With a press of her fingerprint, the front door opened automatically without disturbing anyone and closed behind her.

The courtyard was tranquil, and from afar, she could see some light still on in the master bedroom. This guy! He had only been discharged from the hospital a few days ago and still wasn't sleeping early.

Despite thinking this, a warmth spread in her heart.

She entered the living room without turning on the lights and immediately spotted Xiao Yan sitting at Chen Feng's usual workstation, the sounds of combat coming from the computer—he was actually playing a game. Xiao Yan was so absorbed that he didn't even notice You Mingxu walking past him.

You Mingxu smiled and didn't disturb the ever-youthful boy. She turned her head and frowned.

Two people were sprawled on the sofa—who else could it be but Tuya and Guan Jun?

Why were they sleeping here?Guan Jun was relatively fine, wrapped in a blanket. Though usually so wild and unrestrained, he slept curled tightly into a ball, shrinking himself small. His face was buried deep in the sofa.

Tuya's sleeping posture was far worse. One leg was draped over the back of the sofa, the other dangling to the floor, his arms splayed out. The thin blanket covering his waist was almost entirely on the verge of falling off, and his snoring was loud. You Mingxu walked over, shook out the blanket, and covered him properly again before heading upstairs.

Chen Feng's door was tightly shut, likely already asleep. This guy had always been more disciplined than the others, even quite focused on maintaining his health. Otherwise, the villa would have long descended into chaos.

You Mingxu pushed open the door to the master bedroom and saw Yin Feng leaning against the bed, holding a book.

It was actually a rather strange feeling. No matter how frantic and overwhelmed You Mingxu had been outside today, now that she returned to his home and saw this person—handsome as jade, sitting there quietly—her heart instantly calmed down.

You Mingxu then thought that the old sayings about establishing a family before building a career, and how even the hardest steel can be twisted around a finger, weren't without reason.

Yin Feng had no idea that in You Mingxu's mind, he had just played the role of a "little wife" for a moment. He looked up and asked, "How did it go?"

You Mingxu replied, "It's a troublesome case." She took off her jacket and tossed her bag by the bed.

Yin Feng said, "Come here."

You Mingxu walked to the bedside and sat down, only to be pulled into his embrace. He didn't say a word, his arm holding her tightly, his gaze, which seemed to carry the chill of wind and snow, scrutinizing her from head to toe.

As if understanding something, he chuckled softly and whispered a few soothing words.

It took a long while before she pushed him away, saying, "Alright, I'm filthy. I need to shower." He reluctantly let go for the time being. However, recalling last night's events, both of them felt a bit restless.

Not long after, You Mingxu finished her shower, changed into her pajamas, and stepped out of the bathroom. She saw that he had turned the bedside lamp on brightly, sitting cross-legged on the bed, reading the case files she had brought back. She picked up a towel to dry her hair and sat beside him. Yin Feng pulled her close, letting her lean against his chest, one arm wrapped around her waist while the other held the documents.

To be honest, You Mingxu actually quite liked this feeling. The old You Yingjun, though he had also loved clinging to her, would at most hug her from behind—it always felt like something was missing. The current Yin Feng, however, exuded the aura of a mature man in every gesture and didn't hide his desire to take the lead.

Seeing him staring intently at the crime scene photos, his brow furrowed, You Mingxu knew what he was thinking. She reached into her bag, pulled out the photos from the case nineteen years ago, and placed them side by side. The vivid photos from today and the yellowed ones from nineteen years ago showed nearly identical conditions of the bodies.

After the Kaiyang Group case concluded, Yin Feng had been recuperating from his injuries, Jing Ping had left, and the four-person team was effectively disbanded. These past few days, You Mingxu had been busy working alone. However, before she returned today, Ding Xiongwei had stated that this case was rather special and that they could seek Yin Feng's opinion. That was why You Mingxu had brought back a stack of copied case files—specifically for Yin Feng.

"Do you think it's the same person?" You Mingxu asked.

Yin Feng replied, "It's too early to tell."You Mingxu added, "Before I returned, I asked Lao Ding, and he was very certain: it couldn't be the same person. The real culprit from nineteen years ago must be Xu Baping. The evidence is very solid—there's no room for error, and it can't be overturned."