You Mingxu returned to the villa with a heavy heart.
Upon entering the living room, however, she saw everyone carrying on as usual—some were playing video games, others working overtime, and one engrossed in a TV drama. The dining table nearby was laden with fragrant dishes, waiting for her return.
Yin Feng sat on the sofa as always, a book in hand.
Gradually, You Mingxu’s heart settled, thinking that those underhanded slander tactics would ultimately fail.
When Yin Feng saw her, he smiled as if nothing had happened. You Mingxu remained equally composed. Guan Jun tossed his phone aside and said, "You’re finally back," urging everyone to eat.
Yin Feng walked over, took her hand, and studied her intently for a moment. Suddenly, You Mingxu felt an urge to draw close to him. Ignoring the others present, she wrapped an arm around his waist and buried her face against him. He simply stroked her hair gently and chuckled softly, asking, "Did someone upset you?"
His voice was deep, carrying a faint, almost imperceptible chill. The others, however, had never seen You Mingxu appear so tender and reliant. They all stared wide-eyed, wondering if she was running a fever today.
You Mingxu released him and said, "How could anyone upset me? I just came back to spend a couple of days with you. Let’s eat first, we’ll talk later."
Yin Feng understood—even You Mingxu had been implicated, meaning the situation had likely worsened. Truthfully, he didn’t take the opponent’s tactics seriously. He hadn’t expected Yin Chen to pull such a move, and he already had an inkling about the Punisher’s next steps. Still, having You Mingxu home was, in his view, for the better. Being together was preferable to being apart and unable to support each other. Perhaps Ding Xiongwei had sent her back with exactly that in mind. Did they really think he would docilely stay home and let the Punisher smear his reputation without investigating behind the scenes? Did they take him for a lamb?
Hearing her words, he led her to the dining table, hooked her chair closer with his foot, seated her, and pulled her into his embrace. With others around, You Mingxu tried to pull away, but he whispered, "Why care about them? I want you close to me."
Suddenly, You Mingxu’s heart softened, recalling the gossip about him in his absence today. She thought, at times like this, he still resembled You Yingjun—dependent on her in his heart, though he rarely admitted it. So she yielded, keeping her eyes downcast and ignoring the others.
Apart from Xiao Yan, who was slow to react, what kind of people were Guan Jun and the rest? They had witnessed all sorts of messy romantic scenes, so no one paid any attention to the couple being closer than usual.
Guan Jun finished eating first, put down his bowl, and asked, "Why are there two extra police officers outside? Are they here to keep an eye on us?" Everyone looked at You Mingxu, who realized Yin Feng hadn’t yet informed them of the day’s events. She glanced at him, and seeing no objection, recounted everything that had happened in as calm and factual a tone as possible—right up to the moment she handed in her gun and returned home.
Guan Jun shot to his feet, his expression dark and teeth clenched.
Yin Feng commanded, "Sit down!"
After a few seconds of locked gazes, Guan Jun sat back down, his face ashen.Tuya slammed his chopsticks onto the table with a sharp crack, his rugged face flushed crimson with rage: "Teacher Yin, what do you need us to do? Damn it, I thought I'd already seen the most despicable and shameless acts, but I never expected the Punisher could stoop to such depths!"
Xiao Yan's face, however, was pale from fear. Being wrongly accused by the police was his greatest fear in life—he knew exactly what that meant. He whispered, "What should we do? How can Teacher Yin clear his name? Is it even possible to clear it? Should we run away?"
Chen Feng, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke: "What's with all the panic! Listen to Teacher Yin and the boss lady! We'll just follow their lead!"
The room fell silent at his words.
Seeing that Yin Feng hadn't spoken yet, You Mingxu took the initiative. She glanced at Chen Feng before turning to Yin Feng: "Su Ziyi claims to be your ex-girlfriend, saying you forgot all about her after returning from Tibet. What's really going on with her?"
Chen Feng stiffened at the question, instinctively looking toward Yin Feng.
Their relationship back then was something he'd never fully understood. Yin Feng hadn't confided everything to him during that period.
Yin Feng spoke, his tone utterly calm: "She's spouting nonsense, how shameless. She's Yin Chen's person. When she came to Xiang City back then, I merely looked after her as a courtesy. Later, when I began suspecting issues with Yin Chen's death, I used the opportunity to test her, but gained nothing significant. So I kept her at arm's length."
You Mingxu understood immediately. No wonder Su Ziyi dared claim to be an ex-girlfriend, blurring the nature of their relationship. Given Yin Feng's notorious reputation back then, many outsiders probably believed the same.
After a moment's thought, she continued: "What about Li Mingdi? Have any of you met him? Or have any impression of him?"
Yin Feng answered bluntly: "Never met him."
Guan Jun sneered: "If we'd met him, we'd have skinned him alive already. Why wait until now?"
Xiao Yan shook his head.
Tuya said coldly: "Haven't met him! If I had, I'd have killed him too!"
This was the first time You Mingxu had heard Tuya speak of killing with such chilling coldness, and she froze momentarily.
Chen Feng also shook his head, looking at You Mingxu as he said: "I haven't met him either."
Yin Feng interjected: "Who said any of you could go around killing people?"
Silence fell over the group.
Seeing the tension, You Mingxu smoothed things over: "The police station is investigating now. At times like this, we shouldn't act rashly—it'll only make things more complicated if we can't explain ourselves later. If needed, we'll definitely ask for your help. Just like before."
The group's expressions relaxed somewhat, though they all seemed afraid of provoking Yin Feng's anger, avoiding his gaze as they hurriedly finished their meals and retreated to their rooms.
After dinner, You Mingxu took Yin Feng's hand for a walk in the courtyard.
They walked in silence for a while before she asked: "Are you feeling upset right now?"
Yin Feng let out a cold laugh: "Isn't this exactly what they want? Well, I refuse to give them the satisfaction. Do they think I'm some fragile person who breaks under pressure?"
You Mingxu had been carrying her own worries, but his words made her chuckle. Yin Feng's pride sometimes carried a childish stubbornness, yet he could also be remarkably cunning when needed.
She said gently: "I have all the detailed statements and various documents. Lao Ding and the others won't hide anything from me. Later we'll carefully study everything and find a way to dismantle their scheme."
Yin Feng made a noncommittal sound, seeming rather unconcerned.
You Mingxu asked: "What are you thinking about?"The two walked to the edge of the small fishpond, where the dim water surface reflected a faint glimmer of light, wavering gently. The surroundings were quiet, with tree branches swaying as if concealing some silent secret. Yin Feng pulled her down onto a bench and held her in his arms.
You Mingxu was actually quite unaccustomed to being held like a little thing. But Yin Feng enjoyed it and was stubborn about it. After a few times, she gradually grew used to it.
OpenNovel