The next day, the police immediately began interrogating the two teenage suspects.
Despite not getting home to sleep until 4 a.m. the previous night, You Mingxu arrived at the police station on time. Along the way, many colleagues asked with concern, "Sister You, was Writer Yin okay yesterday?" "Is Writer Yin alright?"
You Mingxu replied, "He's fine. He went straight to sleep when he got home. The doctor will check on him again today."
When she entered the office, both Xu Mengshan and Fan Jia looked up at her. You Mingxu sat down expressionlessly and began organizing documents. Fan Jia's chair slid over with a "whoosh" as she leaned in and whispered, "Sister You, I heard you took care of Writer Yin yesterday?"
You Mingxu's hand paused mid-motion before she could answer. Meanwhile, Xu Mengshan also slid over with a "whoosh" from the other side. Though his face wore a provoking expression, his words were directed at Fan Jia: "Maybe, just maybe, it was Writer Yin who took care of Sister You. Yesterday in the car... he was quite fierce too."
You Mingxu: "Nothing happened."
"Oh?" "Oh?"
Just then, a colleague called from the doorway: "Meeting time!" Saved by the bell, You Mingxu immediately stood up and walked out with a stern face. Xu Mengshan smiled faintly and followed behind. Fan Jia hurried a few steps forward and whispered in her ear: "Did you really kiss Writer Yin? What's going on between you two?"
Her friend's face showed not only curiosity and excitement but also concern and doubt. You Mingxu understood immediately what those doubts and concerns were about. This inexplicably irritated her.
Her mind flashed back to that morning when she left—gently pushing open Yin Feng's door to find the guy still habitually sprawled on the bed like a frog, limbs splayed, drool at the corner of his mouth, snoring heavily in his sleep.
She couldn't help rubbing her temples. Seeing Fan Jia still blinking expectantly, she instead smiled and said: "Don't take it seriously. Neither of us will make a big deal out of it. It's no different from kissing a kitten or puppy."
Despite saying this, after the briefing meeting, as You Mingxu led Xu Mengshan with notebook in hand toward the interrogation rooms, her phone chimed with a text message.
She looked down to see a message from Yin Feng: "I'm awake now!"
She put the phone away and turned it off. Lifting her head to look at the thin sunlight streaming brightly through the corridor, the events of last night resurfaced in her mind.
Had she... lost her mind yesterday?
At this thought, You Mingxu felt the corner of her mouth twitch, and her mood sank to its lowest point.
She must have been possessed by temporary insanity.
During the latter half of the car ride yesterday, they had stopped kissing and simply held each other, cheek to cheek—his arms around her waist, her head resting against his chest. Then, for some reason, his eyes bright, he kept chattering about meaningless things.
"A Xu, I want to eat steamed buns tomorrow morning." "Mm..."
"I'm going to wear that yellow Ultraman shirt tomorrow." "Mm..."
"A Xu, are you hungry now? I'm a little hungry." "I'm not hungry."
"A Xu, are you still cold? I'm not cold anymore." "I'm not cold either."
...
Was it that someone with a childlike disposition like him would start rambling about trivial matters whenever he felt happy or excited? Thinking of this, You Mingxu's lips curved slightly. Hah...
Wait! Why was she still smiling about it now?
You Mingxu immediately wiped the expression from her face. Remembering how she had been even more proactive than him last night, her frown deepened.What did it feel like back then? It was as if my mind was completely muddled, utterly unwilling to think about what it meant. I just didn’t want to resist.
Damn. She really wanted to punch herself.
Later, when they got home, that kid Xu Mengshan pretended to be calm and said seriously, "Sister You, Teacher Yin, rest early." Thinking of this, You Mingxu shot a glare at her partner beside her. Xu Mengshan’s eyes still held a faint, fox-like smile.
You Mingxu also remembered how, under Xu Mengshan’s watchful gaze yesterday, Yin Feng had held her hand and led her upstairs. At that moment, her heart felt incredibly steady, her mind still muddled as if smeared with shit, and she hadn’t resisted…
As soon as they got home, Yin Feng collapsed on the bed and fell asleep. She, too, flopped onto her own bed and slept incredibly soundly, unwilling to think about anything…
Standing at the interrogation room door, You Mingxu flicked her forehead a few times, a bit too hard, and it stung sharply. Afterward, she walked in with Xu Mengshan, her expression unchanged.
————
This was actually a very common yet utterly unimaginable story.
From a young age, Li Biran lived in a relatively privileged environment. His parents ran a small business outside, not exactly wealthy, but comfortably well-off. So, from childhood, he was a proud boy.
Proud and lonely.
His parents only came back during holidays.
During these times, his parents were excited, full of a sense of achievement and self-satisfaction. After all, they had worked hard all year and saved some money. Even though their child wasn’t with them, wasn’t all their struggle for his sake? And he had grown up fine, first with his grandparents and now with his aunt and uncle. He was already turning into a young man.
During the brief ten-day Spring Festival holiday, his parents took Li Biran to visit relatives and friends—a rushed yet lively affair. Then, the day of their return gradually drew closer.
As parents, they still felt somewhat uneasy deep down—both for their child and for their own sacrifices and hard work. So, when it came to money, they never shortchanged Li Biran. Before he started high school, compared to his peers, he was definitely well-off.
And Li Biran’s personality was likely shaped by these many factors.
Compared to the kids around him, he definitely felt a sense of superiority. He had more money, more freedom, his grandparents doted on him, and they were increasingly unable to control him. Although his parents weren’t around, which sometimes felt pretty damn annoying, making him feel like they hadn’t really given him much, he remembered crying occasionally in elementary school and calling his mom. Gradually, he felt it didn’t matter anymore. Parents were just like that. Raising him was their duty. As long as they didn’t skimp on his money, it was fine. When they came back, they’d nag about everything, and he felt uncomfortable anyway.
As for Xie Huifang, she was truly the person Li Biran detested the most. When he first started living with them, she was polite and respectful, though she did like to lecture him, she didn’t dare go too far. But as time passed, the old hag showed her true colors. She started controlling everything—what time he went to class, what time he came back, where he went after school, who his friends were, whether he hung out at internet cafes…
Who did she think she was? If it weren’t for the 1,000 yuan his mom gave her every month, would she really let him live in her house? Would she even care about him?What annoyed Li Biran most was how Xie Huifang kept nagging—saying how hard his parents, her sister and brother-in-law worked as migrant laborers; claiming she wasn’t watching over him for the 1,000 yuan but purely out of family duty while raising two kids; scolding Li Biran for not studying hard, praising her own children’s obedience, and demanding he act like an elder brother... To make things worse, her daughter would seize every chance to act smug, immediately reporting to Xie Huifang if she caught him smoking or gaming. Damn it.
Li Biran grew increasingly disgusted with this household. This was never his home. Yet he remained trapped here like a caged beast.
Every time the teenager thought of this, he felt deeply wounded in a way that seemed weathered by time—an unseen sorrow no one else could understand.
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