In the darkness of the night, Yin Feng caressed her waist and hand, silently kissing her as he lowered his head and said, "I was thinking—such a good card, buried for so long, and now they've played it. They were willing to sacrifice two people just to restrain you and me. What does that mean?"
You Mingxu's heart stirred, and she replied, "It means they're about to launch their final counterattack!"
Yin Feng approvingly kissed her cheek and said, "A Xu, you always understand what I'm thinking. This won't just be a counterattack—it's something they're pouring all their remaining strength into. Many people might die!"
You Mingxu's heart sank.
Yin Feng held her slightly cold hand, gently rubbing it in his palm, and said, "Let Ding Xiongwei and the others clear our suspicions for us. Drag it out slowly, and it's best to make the situation sound serious to the outside—like the two of us being detained or something similar. Of course, we can't overdo it, or they won't believe it. Let the Punisher feel free to act. What we can do now is wait. Once the Punisher makes a move, we'll coordinate with Ding Xiongwei and capture them all in one sweep."
You Mingxu hadn't expected that, even after being "expelled" alone today and placed under police supervision, he was still scheming like this. Then again, she had been too emotionally involved, solely focused on clearing his name, and hadn't thought of turning the enemy's plot to their advantage or taking the offensive as a form of defense. She immediately called Ding Xiongwei and relayed Yin Feng's thoughts. Ding Xiongwei also found it feasible and agreed to make arrangements.
But after hanging up, You Mingxu still reassured him, "Don't worry, Lao Ding and Mengshan know what they're doing. They're no pushovers—they'll definitely help clear your name."
Yin Feng, however, remained indifferent and said, "Once we capture the founder of the Punisher, the truth will come to light, and my innocence will be proven."
For some reason, a thought surfaced in You Mingxu's mind—this was just like his stubborn, proud nature. He pressed her, "After what happened today, didn't you have even the slightest doubt about me?"
Without hesitation, You Mingxu replied, "No."
"Why?"
Why, indeed?
You Mingxu suddenly recalled You Yingjun looking up at her with a smile, his eyes clear and bright; the pained expression on Yin Feng's face when Lao Jiu died; and the lonely, desolate look he had when he called himself a Paranoiac, insisting on having her... She gently touched his face and said, "Because you're my Yin Feng."
——
The two returned to their room as the night deepened. You Mingxu, having experienced extreme emotional highs and lows throughout the day, was utterly exhausted and soon fell asleep. Yin Feng held her but remained awake for a long time, only drifting into a fitful slumber around midnight.
He woke abruptly after an indeterminate amount of sleep, opening his eyes to stare at the ceiling. The room was dim, with the faint outlines of furniture barely visible. They hadn't drawn the curtains before bed, and the blurred shadows of trees outside now cast hazy shapes on the wall opposite the bed.
Unable to fall back asleep, Yin Feng glanced at You Mingxu. She was curled up with her head lowered, resting against his arm, sound asleep. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, but she remained completely unaware.
Yin Feng sat up, resting his arms on his knees, motionless.
Sometimes, it's in the half-awake, half-asleep state that memories of past events or certain details become clearer and more vivid. Just now, for instance, he recalled the scene from dinner earlier that evening.At the time, Yin Feng had taken in everyone's expressions and reactions when they discussed Su Ziyi and Li Mingdi. Nothing seemed unusual then, but looking back now, something felt off.
Some had been overly agitated. Perhaps their emotions were on the verge of spiraling out of control.
Others, however, had been unusually calm. They barely registered any presence, lacking even the usual tacit understanding in their eye contact with him.
A chill slowly crept up from Yin Feng's heart. He realized he had overlooked someone tonight.
Yin Feng got out of bed, dressed quietly, and glanced back at You Mingxu. If someone was hiding something and intended to act, it would likely be tonight.
Every corner of the villa was under Guan Jun's surveillance and security system. Yin Feng decided to go to the study to check what each of them was doing now.
But as soon as he cracked open the master bedroom door, he caught sight of a dark figure darting across the opposite staircase.
Yin Feng stood motionless, his eyes peering through the gap.
That person rarely dressed like this—wearing a black jacket, black trousers, and a baseball cap, almost blending into the night. He slipped downstairs swiftly and hurried out the main door.
After a moment of silence, Yin Feng pushed the door open quietly, went to the study, retrieved a gun, and headed downstairs.
The villa was expansive. Though two police officers were stationed outside the main gate, it would be effortless for anyone inside to slip past them.
Yin Feng pushed open a side door tucked away in a corner of the villa courtyard. Usually obscured by dense branches and matching the wall's color, it went unnoticed by outsiders.
Soon, Yin Feng hailed a taxi. It was 3 a.m. If Yin Feng wanted to tail someone, it was impossible to be detected. Moreover, the person ahead had been following him for years. He understood that person's meticulousness as well as he understood his own.
The taxi the person was in stopped at the inpatient department of a hospital.
Yin Feng had the driver pull over under the corridor of the outpatient building. From a distance, he watched the person lower their hat brim, get out, and head upstairs. Moving hurriedly, they drew almost no attention.
Yin Feng glanced up at the hospital's name printed on the building—the very one You Mingxu had mentioned today, where Li Mingdi had been admitted. That person was familiar with the police system and had access to his expert credentials; finding out which room Li Mingdi was in would be effortless.
Yin Feng got out and followed silently. He switched his phone to silent mode to avoid any unexpected disturbances that might alert the target.
In the deep night, the hospital elevators were empty. When Yin Feng reached the elevator bay, he saw only one elevator ascending, its numbers climbing steadily. He pressed the button and waited patiently. Finally, the elevator stopped at the 15th floor.
Yin Feng stepped into the elevator.
With a "ding," Yin Feng slowly exited the elevator and surveyed his surroundings. To the right front was a corridor with a nurse's station. Behind him lay a row of dimly lit patient rooms. He moved quietly to the corner of the wall and was about to turn toward the nurse's station to inquire when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a figure flashing past at the other end of the hallway.
The figure's back wasn't the person he was tailing, yet it gave him a strange feeling. Yin Feng's heart skipped a beat. He quickened his pace, chasing to the corner of the corridor, only to find it was a dead end with several closed doors and no one in sight.
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