Coming to Myself

After the meeting ended, everyone filed out of the conference room. You Mingxu's team felt somewhat frustrated.

You Mingxu walked briskly, with Yin Feng following closely, quickly creating distance from the others. At the staircase corner, she suddenly turned around and said, "When Lao Tan wanted to shut down the Gold Splitting Treasure Company lead earlier, why didn't you say anything?" She tugged at the expert badge on his chest: "With this thing, your words might carry more weight than mine!"

Yin Feng replied, "A Xu, as a consultant, I can't interfere with your investigative direction."

You Mingxu was taken aback, thinking to herself what the hell am I doing, acting like a petulant little girl venting at him. She rubbed her nose, offered no apology, and turned to leave.

Yin Feng followed closely, a hint of laughter in his voice: "A Xu rubbing her nose means she's feeling guilty."

You Mingxu didn't want to engage with him.

Then she heard him say: "Don't worry, we'll catch the killer."

She retorted irritably: "How?"

He said: "I'll find the person who perfectly matches the criminal psychological profile and bring them to you."

You Mingxu stopped and turned back, meeting a pair of clear, determined eyes. This was a completely unfamiliar experience for her. Over the years, she had grown accustomed to relying on no one. This was the first time someone had casually offered to take all the burdens and carry them for her. The key point was that this man was Yin Feng, whom she had practically "raised" herself...

That awkward feeling surged in her heart again. You Mingxu gave no definite response and continued walking. Yin Feng followed silently.

After a while, she spoke: "I won't give up on the Gold Splitting Treasure Company lead. My intuition tells me they're involved. There's no such coincidence in this world - their connection is the only unusual commonality between the two victims. You focus on the profile, they'll focus on the vehicles and fingerprints. Even though my path seems unclear right now, I still believe it's the right one."

Yin Feng was about to murmur agreement when he suddenly realized she was confiding in him. Looking up, he saw her face remained as stubborn as ever, but her tone had unmistakably revealed hidden uncertainty and helplessness.

This was You Mingxu - capable of anything, never showing weakness. Yet now she was softly sharing her thoughts with him, with him alone.

Perhaps even she herself wasn't aware of this spiritual intimacy.

But Yin Feng suddenly understood. Their hearts might be closer than she realized.

A hand pressed against the wall, blocking You Mingxu's path.

She turned to see a pair of calm, sincere eyes, unusually devoid of any foolishness.

He smiled gently, like spring blossoms: "A Xu, let's make another bet."

You Mingxu raised her chin.

Yin Feng said cheerfully: "Let's see who catches the killer first. If you win, I'll fulfill any request of yours - as long as it's within my abilities and means."

You Mingxu thought he was being utterly ridiculous and asked: "And if you win? What are your conditions?"

Have you. These two words automatically popped into Yin Feng's mind, carrying a secret, burning sensation. But he lowered his head, only letting her see his fair, slightly reddened ears: "Up to you. Whatever reward you give, I'll take it."You Mingxu saw him putting on that innocent, demure act again and was about to tease him when she abruptly heard the word "reward." Her heart clenched as if squeezed by something, unsure whether Yin Feng had said it intentionally or not, and whether this "reward" meant what she thought it did.

She turned her head away: "We'll see."

——

Action followed words.

You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan changed into their police uniforms and drove straight to Chen Zhaoci's apartment building. The officers originally surveilling Chen had already been withdrawn, leaving only them and Chen Zhaoci—likely their final confrontation.

Chen Zhaoci lived near Huaicheng University. They parked their car as evening fell, with plenty of pedestrians around. Deciding to go straight upstairs, they had taken only a few steps when a familiar figure emerged from the building entrance—none other than Chen Zhaoci himself.

You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan exchanged glances. There was no need for deliberation now; they would directly ask him to return to the station for questioning under the pretext of investigating the murder case.

Chen Zhaoci wasn't in a hurry to get in his car. Instead, he lit a cigarette and stood by the roadside smoking, glancing around. His eyes met those of the two police officers.

He paused slightly, looked at them twice, then turned away.

"Sneaky rat," Xu Mengshan muttered under his breath, annoyed.

You Mingxu: "You have a problem with him?"

Xu Mengshan looked away: "No."

As they spoke, the two approached Chen Zhaoci, getting closer. Chen faced the other direction, took a few puffs of his cigarette, glanced sideways at them again, paused briefly, then continued smoking calmly.

When they were about five or six meters away, even a blind person could see Chen's slight stiffness. You Mingxu found it somewhat amusing but felt extreme disgust toward this seemingly honest viper. Just as she thought about startling him, her phone rang urgently.

They stopped about five or six meters from Chen Zhaoci. You Mingxu saw it was Fan Jia calling and continued walking while answering: "What's up?"

Fan Jia said: "Have you arrested him yet? I just saw a text from Chen Zhaoci asking me to meet at the company tomorrow to discuss alternative solutions."

You Mingxu: "Got it." She glanced at Xu Mengshan, hung up, and the two walked past Chen Zhaoci.

Watching the two officers chatting and laughing as they entered a nearby convenience store, Chen Zhaoci breathed a sigh of relief. He scanned his surroundings, got in his car, and drove off. After a short distance, he glanced back at the convenience store, then checked his phone again at Fan Lingling's reply agreeing to meet. Frowning slightly, he drove away expressionlessly.

——

That night, at the same cured pork knuckle hotpot restaurant, You Mingxu, Fan Jia, Xu Mengshan, and Yin Feng sat around a table.

Fan Jia said: "Let me go. The entire investigation direction has shifted now. Even if we report this to the superiors, they'll probably just tell us to bring Chen Zhaoci in—what could we possibly get out of him then? Those two weeks of effort would be wasted. Let me probe further. This time I can get into Gold Splitting Treasure Company's headquarters—who knows what we might find!"

You Mingxu asked: "Mengshan?"

Xu Mengshan set down his beer glass: "Report to Lao Tan. We'll do whatever the leadership decides."

Fan Jia slapped his arm: "Xu Fox, what's with you lately? So timid? Where's the bold, decisive Xu Mengshan from before? If we report to Lao Tan and abort the operation, won't my two weeks as an undercover agent be for nothing?"Xu Mengshan remained still as a mountain, letting her do as she pleased.

You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan exchanged a glance, after which the latter nonchalantly lowered his head to drink his beer. She then asked, "Yin Feng, what do you think?"

But when she turned around, she saw the man under the flowing overhead lights, dressed in a black sweater that revealed his slender neck. His profile was as picturesque as a painting, his deep eyes fixed on the beer glass in his hand as he quickly licked his lips.