That night, the rain poured heavily, as if basins of water were being dumped from the sky. The "pitter-patter" sound crashed against the windowpanes, making the spacious room feel like a separate world from the misty, rain-soaked outside.
She stood under the lights, naked, feeling utterly ashamed. Several men and women stood nearby. Their expressions appeared calm, but their eyes were fixed on her.
After the shooting, someone tossed clothes to her, while others offered soft, comforting words. Her mind was a muddled mess, completely unable to discern whether their words were genuine or false. Perhaps they were sincere—otherwise, what could she do?
Later, someone pulled her along to drink. They all drank together, acting so affectionately as if they hadn’t been the ones coercing her earlier. She couldn’t remember when things spiraled out of control. She vaguely noticed someone’s shifty gaze but couldn’t recall what she had drunk. At first, it felt like she had entered a bizarre, kaleidoscopic world of pleasure, with countless hands groping her body. Though she was no longer a virgin, she still felt pain. She was constantly manipulated into different positions, subjected to various methods meant to drive her wild and inflict suffering...
Her consciousness seemed to drift into a long, dim river. She clearly pleaded, "Don’t do this," and "Please, let me go..." but no one listened. The hidden fangs were finally bared—they had reverted to a pack of predatory beasts.
Later, someone scattered money, heaps of it, all over her. Those scattered red notes reflected in her eyes like blood. Money—it was money, she thought. Hadn’t she always wanted money? Suddenly, she let out a foolish laugh. With money, she would have nothing to fear. She wouldn’t need to retreat; she could live any life she desired.
Eventually, even her consciousness faded. She only felt herself lying on the cold ground. They seemed tired from their revelry, their bodies coiled like snakes on the surrounding couches. Unaware, her pale, youthful form lay amidst the piles of banknotes, like a lily blooming in a swamp, making everyone’s eyes ache.
At one moment, she felt someone approach, gently touch her face, and whisper, "They’ve had their fun. Get up and go home. Don’t come back again."
But she didn’t move. Slowly closing her eyes, she thought: I can’t go home anymore. I’m already bound here by heavy ropes. My life is over.
——
As deep autumn set in, Hunan saw even more rainfall. Leaving Changsha and heading toward western Hunan, the mountain ranges stretched endlessly, shrouded in mist and rain all day long. Occasionally, rivers flowed slowly through the foggy landscape. Along the banks were roads or paddies, with a few water buffaloes standing quietly in the fields. This was the delicate, picturesque scenery of western Hunan, as described by Shen Congwen.
After exiting the highway and switching to national, provincial, and county roads, the journey grew rougher. The recent rain had worsened the conditions, and the chartered minibus jolted up and down, sometimes crawling slowly to make way for oncoming traffic, lulling everyone on board into a drowsy state.
You Mingxu had initially planned to review the case files during the ride but had to abandon the idea. Instead, she gazed out the window at the damp, lush scenery.
Yin Feng took out a thermos, poured himself a small cup to drink, glanced at her, and then poured another cup, handing it over. "A Xu, have some hot water."You Mingxu took it and drank. He put the thermos back into his backpack and pulled out two apples: "A Xu, you haven’t had any fruit today."
Fan Jia, sitting in the row ahead of them, chuckled softly. Fortunately, Xu Mengshan was still fast asleep with his head tilted back. The other colleagues were also dozing off. Ignoring Fan Jia, You Mingxu said quietly, "I’m not hungry."
Yin Feng nodded, put the fruit away, and then, seemingly out of nowhere, produced a handful of beef jerky pieces and handed them to her. This time, You Mingxu was amused. She took one and ate it, asking, "Are you Doraemon?"
This tall guy, dressed in sportswear and white sneakers, with an expert pass hanging on his chest, was hugging a large sports backpack. Did he think he was here for an autumn outing?
Ever since Yin Feng had helped them solve the last case, and given that he already had an expert pass, Chen Feng had somehow managed to go through internal procedures for him. Now, he was officially registered in the system and could legitimately assist in solving cases.
Yin Feng merely smiled faintly and said, "If you’re tired, you can lean on me and sleep." Then, he placed his backpack on the floor, closed his eyes, and pretended to be sleeping seriously. However, his shoulder on her side was noticeably tilted, as if waiting for someone to lean on.
You Mingxu smiled, closed her eyes, and leaned against the window. They had set off before dawn, and soon she grew drowsy.
In her half-asleep state, she felt the bus hit a pothole and jolt upward. Without opening her eyes, she frowned and was about to fall back asleep when she felt something heavy and warm press against her.
She opened her eyes and saw a dark head nestled in the crook of her shoulder. The guy had completely fallen into his usual sleeping posture—limbs sprawled out, with one arm draped over her thigh. Half his body weight pressed against her as he slept soundly, breathing heavily.
He had offered to let her lean on him, but in the end, he was the one who turned boneless.
His hair was soft, and his head felt warm and heavy. You Mingxu realized it was actually quite comfortable to lean against him like this.
After a moment, she closed her eyes.
Yin Feng had actually felt her stir and knew she was awake. But he kept his eyes tightly shut, and the hand he had deliberately placed on her thigh was slightly sweaty.
She didn’t push him away.
A while later, Yin Feng slowly opened his eyes and felt her head resting against the top of his. Her breathing was steady—she must have fallen asleep. The feeling of snuggling like this was just too good. Yin Feng couldn’t help but smile.
But as soon as his lips curved upward, he noticed that Xu Mengshan in the front seat had woken up at some point and was turned around, staring at him. His gaze was deeply amused, as if he had witnessed Yin Feng’s earlier antics.
Yin Feng’s response was… to close his eyes, let out two soft smacking sounds as if dreaming, turn his head, bury his face deeper into You Mingxu’s embrace, and continue "sleeping."
Even Xu Mengshan, who was usually unflappable, couldn’t help but widen his eyes at the guy’s shameless maneuver. Glancing at You Mingxu, who was "holding" him, clearly sleeping without a care in the world, Xu Mengshan suddenly felt that Queen You had truly adopted a little wolf in sheep’s clothing this time.
The minibus carrying elite criminal investigators from the province came to a stop by the county road. They were now deep in western Hunan, within Huai Cheng’s jurisdiction.
Beside the county road was a dirt slope, and below it lay a riverbank overgrown with withered, yellow weeds. Against the backdrop of the emerald-green river, it looked like a Wilderness on the water from a distance.They got out of the car, pushed through the thick grass, crossed the riverbank, and came upon a small inlet about thirty meters wide, with a small island on the opposite side.
This case had been reported from Huaicheng to the provincial level, leading to the formation of a special task force for support. The leader of the task force was an old criminal police officer surnamed Tan, with You Mingxu serving as the deputy in charge of fieldwork. Coincidentally, two years ago, Yin Feng had interviewed Lao Tan about a major case he had solved. Perhaps because Yin Feng no longer showed obvious signs of his past mental impairment, You Mingxu brought him along without Lao Tan raising any objections.
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