For those waiting, every minute and second was silent and tense. Xu Mengshan stared at the monitor, watching the cursor representing Fan Jia move and stop intermittently, idly playing with a lighter in his hand. You Mingxu, with her arms pillowed behind her head, remained equally vigilant.
Yin Feng sat in a chair diagonally behind her, chin propped on his hand. After watching the screen for a while, his gaze naturally drifted to You Mingxu.
To avoid arousing suspicion, the curtains in the room were drawn, leaving only an inconspicuous gap. A dim lamp illuminated the room, making it feel like nighttime. Yin Feng watched as the soft light outlined You Mingxu’s silhouette.
Upon closer inspection, her features were both sharp and softened by subtle curves. Her stern expression lent her features a certain severity, yet her lips were full and crimson, and her chin, though small, had a soft roundness. Below her slender, pale neck, the lines of her body swelled into rounded curves before tapering into a waist that was slim, resilient, and delicate.
He had touched every one of these places before, though only twice. At the thought, a wave of tender melancholy washed over him.
"The road ahead is long and winding; I will search high and low"—this famous line suddenly sprang into his mind.
But now, he could sense that You Mingxu was still subtly blocking his path, whether intentionally or not. Moreover, she was wholly absorbed in the case, sparing almost no attention for him. When would he ever manage to cross that barrier?
You Mingxu’s eyes ached from staring at the screen for too long. She closed them, rubbing the soreness away, and caught the scent of coffee. When she opened her eyes, she found a round thermos lid placed in front of her, filled with coffee.
She looked up to see Yin Feng’s tall frame blocking the light as he stood behind her, one hand resting on the arm of her chair. "Are you tired, A Xu? Have some coffee to refresh yourself."
Truth be told, his timing was perfect. You Mingxu smiled. "Thanks."
Noticing this, Xu Mengshan nearby felt a craving and asked, "Teacher Yin, could I have a cup too?"
Yin Feng replied, "I only brought one cup. Do you want to share with us?"
Xu Mengshan clicked his tongue and returned his attention to the screen.
Over the past few days, the case had kept them so busy that You Mingxu had eaten and drunk whatever Yin Feng offered without a second thought; sometimes, they even shared a single bottle of water without her minding. But now, hearing his words, she felt a little awkward. Unconsciously, she had grown too familiar with him again, so she set the cup down.
Yin Feng noticed and asked, "Is it not good?"
She answered, "It’s fine. I’m not that thirsty."
"Oh."
He remained standing there. After a moment, You Mingxu could feel the warmth of his arm and the fabric of his chest lightly brushing against her. She glanced sideways and saw him still leaning on her chair, intently watching the surveillance screen.
The faint heat of a grown man’s body seeped through their clothes, barely perceptible.
You Mingxu sat in silence for a while before saying, "Go back to your seat. Don’t just stand here."
Again, he replied, "Oh," and finally returned to his chair.
They waited a while longer.
Xu Mengshan broke the silence, "She’s been staying in this spot for quite some time. Almost half an hour now."You Mingxu frowned. As the leader of this team, every decision she made now carried consequences and risks. Charge in? Fan Jia might be at a critical moment in her operation, and their intrusion could ruin everything. But if they didn’t go, what if Fan Jia was in danger?
Yet her instincts told her they couldn’t wait any longer.
Just as she was about to give the order, the long-silent listening device suddenly crackled to life. The three of them held their breath, listening intently. It sounded like someone had opened a door and entered the room. Footsteps were chaotic, voices overlapped, and someone shouted, "Is she here?" "Not here!" "Search carefully! We have to catch her—can’t let her escape!"
Xu Mengshan shoved his chair back and stood up, looking at You Mingxu. She sprang to her feet as well. "Call for backup! We’re not waiting—move out now!"
The three charged straight into the Gold Splitting Treasure Company. A guard tried to stop them, but Xu Mengshan flashed his police badge. "Out of the way! We’re apprehending a fugitive!" The guard shrank back, and they rushed inside.
They had only taken a few steps when they ran headlong into a group of men searching the area. Both sides froze for a moment. Before the others could speak, You Mingxu said coldly, "A girl reported illegal confinement and assault. Where is she?"
They remained silent. You Mingxu’s heart sank, and she roared, "Get out of my way!"
A clever one stepped forward. "You say you’re police? Show us your credentials."
Slap, slap, slap. Two police badges and one expert ID were thrust in their faces. Yin Feng interjected, "I’m an expert from the Provincial Department. My rank is higher than theirs. One of my credentials counts as two."
"Even if you’re police, you can’t just barge in like this, right? You need a search warrant, an arrest warrant... Do you have one?"
You Mingxu sneered. "The girl who called for help is in life-threatening danger. This is an emergency—since when do we need a warrant? Step aside, wait in the corner for questioning, or we’ll haul every one of you to the station!"
When You Mingxu got fierce, she was truly formidable. Her willow-leaf eyebrows arched sharply, her gaze icy, and her voice—honed by years alongside veteran detectives—boomed like a lion’s roar. Clutching her baton at the front, she stood with the imposing aura of one holding the pass against ten thousand.
The group of men trembled under her outburst. Only Yin Feng watched her domineering display with a mix of adoration and familiar heartache. He wanted to see her continue triumphantly sweeping through obstacles, yet he also longed to hide this version of her away, keeping her all to himself. Loving someone really is full of contradictions, he thought.
But one of the men retorted, "We’re not easily intimidated. Since when can police break into private property? We’re going to file a complaint! We’ll petition!" His words stirred the others to echo, "Get out!" "Scram!" "Since when can police trespass freely?"
Xu Mengshan could barely contain himself anymore. "Sorry, boss," he said quickly to You Mingxu. "I’ll take full responsibility for any consequences." Before he finished speaking, You Mingxu had already kicked the ringleader flying. "I’ve been intimidating people my whole career. Yin Feng, cover the rear."
Chaos erupted.
In no time, the opposition lay scattered on the ground, groaning in pain. Though You Mingxu fought with relish, anxiety gnawed at her. It seemed they were also searching for Fan Jia, yet there was still no trace of her. She could only hope that no news was good news.The commotion was too loud, and several more people rushed over, but they all looked like ordinary office workers, unlike the previous group who seemed like thugs kept by a loan shark company. Seeing the situation, none of them dared to approach.
The three of them charged straight upstairs.
Fan Jia's location showed she was in the office at the far end of the third floor. As soon as the three of them ran up to the third floor, they saw the door of that office slightly ajar, and a voice came from inside: "That damned woman... when I catch her back, I'll make sure she's done for! What's going on downstairs? It's so noisy!"
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