Coming to Myself

You Mingxu paid no mind to Yin Feng's petulant tone of "If you manage me, I'll manage you." However, the moment she pushed open the door to her home, she froze in surprise.

Thin strips of lights hung down from the living room ceiling, twinkling intermittently. The dining table stood in the center, covered with candles arranged in a smiling face. Two sets of napkins and cutlery were placed at either end. Surrounding the table were numerous bouquets of fresh flowers. The entire space was filled with a hazy, romantic, and warm ambiance.

This was the first time You Mingxu had encountered such a scene. She glanced at Yin Feng, but the guy who had meticulously arranged all this was still sulking. Without a word, he walked to the dining table, pulled out a chair, sat down, buried his face in his arms, and ignored her.

You Mingxu couldn't help but laugh.

Just then, Chen Feng emerged from the kitchen carrying several appetizers, smiling politely. "Miss You, this was specially designed and arranged by Teacher Yin to celebrate your return home after four consecutive days of overtime work. There will be cake after the meal."

You Mingxu felt her temples throb a few times. Now she not only thought Yin Feng was abnormal, but Chen Feng also seemed a bit... eccentric. In all her life, this was the first time she had seen someone make such a grand fuss over celebrating four days of overtime work.

Chen Feng quickly retreated back into the kitchen—truly a model Chinese assistant. Yin Feng remained motionless with his face buried. You Mingxu walked over, poked his head, and he still didn't move.

You Mingxu said, "Weren't you going to celebrate for me?" Her voice was slightly gentler than before. Finally, the guy slowly straightened up, but the moment he saw her still-swollen face, he immediately stood and said, "Let's get you to the hospital first!"

You Mingxu restrained herself and replied, "It's just a minor injury. No need for the hospital. I'll wash my face and apply some medicine." With that, she headed to the bathroom, carefully washed her face, and examined it in the mirror. It was indeed swollen and looked utterly hideous.

Tossing the towel aside, You Mingxu walked back to the bedroom to find Yin Feng already sitting inside, holding an ice pack. She took it and gently pressed it against her face, letting out a hiss of mixed relief and pain. The corner of Yin Feng's lips twitched into a fleeting smile, but he quickly resumed his pout, his handsome face sulky again.

Suppressing a laugh, You Mingxu ignored him. He then picked up cotton swabs and iodine from the nearby table and said, "Move it, I'll apply the medicine for you."

You Mingxu reached out her hand. "I'll do it myself."

His lips pressed together tightly. "No."

You Mingxu couldn't be bothered to argue. She set down the ice pack and turned her swollen face toward him. He applied the iodine meticulously and gently, making her face feel both itchy and cool. She glanced sideways and caught sight of his serious, focused expression—identical to the man she had seen earlier in the car reviewing case files.

Once the medicine was applied, they could finally go eat.

You Mingxu looked at the exquisite dishes covering the table, with the chef and servants continuously bringing out more food. Chen Feng remained standing to the side, overseeing everything. She simply buried her head and ate heartily. After finishing, she set down her knife and fork and said, "Hey, thanks for this time, but don't go to such extremes in the future. I work overtime frequently, and when I come home, I just want to eat and sleep normally."

He lowered his head. "Understood."

You Mingxu suddenly had a strange feeling—this kid seemed to have matured a bit, starting to form his own thoughts. He no longer wore every emotion on his sleeve, nor did he blindly obey every word.No, that's not right. In fact, from the very beginning of their encounter, even though he seemed foolish, he had always had his own thoughts and intentions.

After finishing dinner and taking a shower, You Mingxu sat on the balcony outside the living room, holding an ice pack to her face. The sky was completely dark by then, with a few stars twinkling brightly. You Mingxu lounged lazily in her chair, her mind relaxed and unfocused.

Yin Feng pushed the door open and walked out, dragging a chair to sit beside her. He held a cup of Coke in his hands, taking small sips. You Mingxu could almost feel the cold, sweet sensation of the Coke flowing down her throat. She swallowed a bit of saliva and said, "Get me one too."

Yin Feng immediately protectively held the Coke closer. "This is the last one at home."

You Mingxu let out a soft humph.

He quickly said, "I'll have someone buy one for you."

You Mingxu wasn't actually used to ordering others around and said, "Never mind, let me have a sip of yours." As a police detective, she was often exhausted and thirsty during stakeouts, and sharing a bottle of water with her colleagues was commonplace. She was used to roughing it and didn't mind such things.

Yin Feng, however, froze for a moment because he never shared food or drinks with others. Feeling his heart flutter, he slowly handed the cup over.

You Mingxu took it, tilted her head back, and took a big gulp before handing it back to him.

Yin Feng took it back and stared at the rim of the cup where she had drunk—exactly where he had drunk from. He couldn't quite describe the feeling: a mix of nervousness and secret delight. Even though she was the one using something he had used, he felt as if he had done something mischievous.

"Your deduction might be wrong," You Mingxu said.

Yin Feng looked up.

You Mingxu gazed into the distance and briefly summarized the progress of the investigation over the past few days. Then she said, "No suspects with clear motives or opportunities to kill have been found around Xie Huifang. Your earlier insistence on a revenge motive probably doesn't hold up. Our investigation direction has now shifted to burglary homicide."

After saying this, she turned to stare at him, expecting to see an embarrassed expression on his face. Instead, she found him calm, with only a slight frown.

You Mingxu chuckled, snatched the Coke from his hand, and took another sip.

"I'm not wrong," Yin Feng said. "Each victim was stabbed multiple times. The meticulous killer specifically chose a time when Xie Huifang was home alone. And the act of piling up the bodies serves no practical purpose—only a psychological implication. All of this conveys strong emotion and motive. It's revenge killing. You must have overlooked something or someone."

You Mingxu locked eyes with him for a few seconds without speaking. Truthfully, although this case seemed straightforward, she also felt something was off.

Seizing the opportunity, Yin Feng took the Coke back from her hand. Only he knew he hesitated for a second before bringing it to his lips, aiming for a specific spot, and gulping down the rest in one go. His heart thumped loudly and silently in his chest.

Then he clutched the empty cup in his palm, gripping it back and forth for a while, before breaking into a bright smile. "If you continue investigating in the direction of burglary, it'll be a waste of effort. A Xu, you're doing something foolish."

Although You Mingxu also had doubts about the investigation direction, hearing him say this annoyed her. It felt as if he were slapping her and her colleagues in the face. She let out a light humph and said, "Why do you care so much? How we investigate is up to us."Yin Feng didn't know why, but it felt as if a sudden flash of inspiration had struck him from the sky above—a moment of serendipitous clarity. He blurted out, "How about we make a bet?"

You Mingxu lifted her eyelids slightly.

Yin Feng said, "Let's bet on whether this case is a revenge killing or a crime for profit. If you follow the theft lead and find nothing, then I win. My wager is... that you take me along whenever you investigate cases from now on."