You Mingxu felt a surge of suffocating misery the moment her words left her mouth. She lowered her head and shoved him away abruptly. Yet he stubbornly refused to let go, grabbing her hand again. She shook him off, only for him to seize it once more. After a brief struggle, she lost her temper and forcefully pinned him against the wall, her eyes blazing with fury: "Can you even understand human language? Stop acting foolish, cute, and pathetic right now..."
Before she could finish, Yin Feng leaned in and kissed her hard on the lips. You Mingxu froze, her entire body trembling. He took advantage of the moment, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her more fiercely, like a young wolf. His familiar scent instantly flooded her senses, yet all she felt was the explosion of emotions she had suppressed for so long—grievance, pain, resignation, restlessness, intense sweetness, and stimulation—all mingling together.
But a shred of reason remained. She pushed his face away, and he collided with the wall, both of them panting heavily. Still, he stared intently at her and said, "A Xu, I'm not a child. Even though I'm still a bit foolish, I understand everything you're thinking. Don't be sad or blame yourself—it's not your fault. Investigating cases always involves risks and uncertainties. You're human, not a god; you can't predict everything.
Besides, I'm here with you! No matter who you have to fight next, no matter how hard or painful it gets, You Yingjun will always be by your side." After saying this, he flashed her a brilliantly silly grin.
You Mingxu felt utterly wretched. The chaotic, directionless emotions she had been grappling with suddenly dissipated. She felt both disheartened and deeply ashamed. What am I even doing? she wondered. Just because he's a bit foolish and always gives in to me, does that mean I can vent my anger on him? And why did he have to kiss me like that? Isn't this mess chaotic enough already?
She released his collar and turned to leave.
He followed a few steps behind.
By the time they reached the interrogation room door, You Mingxu had calmed down. She said first, "You come in too, help with the assessment."
Yin Feng: "Mm."
She gripped the doorknob and glanced back at him. His dark eyes were fixed on her. For some reason, You Mingxu's heart suddenly settled. It felt as if she could bear anything, even if the sky were to fall.
"That was just anger talking; don't take it to heart," she said softly. "I'm sorry."
Then she saw a bright light spark in his dark eyes: "Of course I won't take it to heart, and I won't be angry with you either."
You Mingxu wanted to smile at him but couldn't manage it. She turned her head and pushed the door open.
Zhou Rongfeng had been sent to the hospital for treatment. Her first interrogation target was Apple Bro Chen Zhaoci, the one who had dragged "Fan Lingling" into this mess.
Xu Mengshan was already inside. The two men sat facing each other, the atmosphere tense. You Mingxu took a seat beside Xu Mengshan, while Yin Feng lingered to the side.
You Mingxu shot Xu Mengshan a look, signaling him to follow her lead. Only then did the young man rein in his aggressive, wolf-like aura, lowering his head to stare expressionlessly at his notebook.
You Mingxu: "Name?"
"Chen Zhaoci."
"Age?"
"27."
"Place of origin?"
...
"You know Fan Lingling, right?"
"...Yes."
"What was she doing at your company today?"Chen Zhaoci appeared neither aggressive nor flustered, looking every bit like an honest and somewhat dull young man. He answered methodically, "She wanted to apply for another loan, so I took her to the company to discuss it. Officer, she's also a police officer, isn't she?"
You Mingxu replied, "Don't ask about things you shouldn't. After she arrived at the company, what happened? Describe everything in detail, one thing at a time."
Chen Zhaoci remained unperturbed and said, "After she arrived at the company, I first took her... to go through a security check. After all, what if we encountered someone with ill intentions? Then I took her to see Sister Wei..."
"Sister Wei?"
"That's the financial director, Zhang Wei. The two of them got along very well and chatted for a while."
"What did they talk about?"
"I didn't listen and left. Probably just girl talk."
"Hah..." You Mingxu chuckled. "And then?"
"Then..." Chen Zhaoci answered, "I took her to see Manager Zhou."
"She's just an ordinary girl, and the loan amount was only a few thousand. Did your general manager Zhou Rongfeng need to see her personally?"
"I don't know what the leadership thinks," Chen Zhaoci replied. "But he occasionally meets with ordinary clients."
"After they met, what did they talk about? What happened?"
Chen Zhaoci said, "I don't know. After I brought her to Manager Zhou's office, I returned to my own office. Later, I heard that she had injured Manager Zhou for some reason. I also wanted to find her and ask what happened, so I searched room by room in the company. Then I encountered you officers, who brought me back here."
You Mingxu stared directly at him. "So, after parting with Fan Lingling, you first stayed alone in your office, then spent the rest of the time looking for her without leaving the company?"
"Yes."
"Why do you think Fan Lingling would injure Zhou Rongfeng?"
"How would I know?"
Xu Mengshan slammed the table with a stern expression. "Think carefully before answering. A girl is now missing at your company, and you were the one who brought her there. Do you think you can absolve yourself of responsibility?"
Chen Zhaoci smiled bitterly. "Officer, I really don't know. But our Manager Zhou has always been respectful and caring toward clients, especially college students. I think there must be some misunderstanding. Maybe Fan Lingling... is that even her real name... maybe she has already gone home? I really want to find her too, after all, she's my client."
——
During an interrogation break, Xu Mengshan squatted in the hallway, smoking a cigarette in frustration.
You Mingxu pushed the door open and squatted down beside him, borrowing a light to smoke alongside him.
"When did it start?" You Mingxu suddenly asked.
Xu Mengshan understood immediately, his eyes fixed blankly on the opposite wall as he answered, "I don't know. I just felt that she's very cute, cuter than all the women in the bureau, and much cuter than you."
You Mingxu smiled bitterly and replied, "Yeah, I think so too. Then why didn't you say anything?"
Xu Mengshan scratched his hair and said, "My family circumstances aren't great. She's an only child, and I'm a few years older than her. I thought I'd wait until I got promoted one more rank before telling her. I also thought..." He also smiled bitterly. "She's right under my watch anyway. Who would dare to mess with her?"
The smile on You Mingxu's face faded at some point, and he took a few more puffs.
Xu Mengshan suddenly whispered, "Do you think she's very scared right now?"Tears welled up in You Mingxu's eyes as she said in a hoarse voice, "I don't know."
Xu Mengshan fell silent.
Yin Feng was about to leave the interrogation room when he paused at the sight of You Mingxu and her partner through the glass.
In front of him, she had always been imposing and formidable. Whether it was the Gu Tiancheng case or the teenage exchange murder case, she would always end up standing over the criminals, lighting a cigarette as if nothing in the world could ever trouble her.
But this was the first time Yin Feng had seen her and her partner—two outstanding detectives—looking so lonely and defeated. In the deep of night, in an unnoticed corner, she crouched on the ground like a man, utterly exhausted, brows tightly furrowed, leaning against her partner as they smoked their sorrow-laden cigarettes. She appeared so stubborn, so pitiful.
Then, You Mingxu inadvertently looked up and saw Yin Feng.
In the solitude of the late night, the two stood separated by a glass door, just over a meter apart, gazing quietly at each other.
Then, You Mingxu watched as Yin Feng closed his eyes, lowered his head, pressed his face against the glass, and gently pressed his lips to it in a kiss.
A hot ash fell on You Mingxu's finger, making her flinch. And her heart seemed to tremble along with it.
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