Yin Feng suddenly remembered that period from the past, and his gaze unconsciously returned to her. When they were together back then, even in his most irrational state, he probably wouldn’t have tolerated another man touching even a finger to her.

After his initial shock, Xiang Rong quickly calmed down, as if he had long prepared for this day. Xu Mengshan handcuffed him and secured him in the car, while You Mingxu called for local police backup and an ambulance, then took Zhou Shaoling outside, continuously comforting him.

Police sirens soon echoed from the distant road, their flashing lights barely visible. Zhou Shaoling was still trembling, crouched on the ground, calling his family and girlfriend to let them know he was safe. You Mingxu stood quietly, and when she happened to look up, she saw Yin Feng still standing alone in that room, his tall figure dark and imposing in the dim light. Then he raised his head, and their eyes met across a distance of more than ten meters. At that moment, even Yin Feng’s eyes were dark and deep. After watching her quietly for a moment, he suddenly showed a faint, ambiguous smile. You Mingxu froze, but he had already turned to look elsewhere.

—

Xiang Rong was taken back to the Xiangcheng Police Station.

However, to their surprise, Xiang Rong seemed prepared for his arrest or perhaps had been warned long ago. They couldn’t extract any information from him about the mysterious organization.

In the depths of his old house, the police found a series of valuable evidence, including the first missing youth Chen Kaize’s ID card and clothing from Guizhou. Xiang Rong’s phone contained photos of Liu Ruyu, Li Biran, and the current victim Zhou Shaoling, showing he had stalked all three.

Given the solid evidence of Chen Kaize’s murder, Xiang Rong confessed readily. He also admitted to the attempted murder of Zhou Shaoling, having been caught in the act by You Mingxu and her team.

However, when questioned about his connection to Liu Ruyu and Li Biran’s cases, he simply smiled meaningfully and denied everything.

Xu Mengshan slammed the table: “Stop playing dumb! Your phone is full of surveillance photos of those two. What was your purpose?”

Xiang Rong replied: “I just wanted to see how these enemies of mine were doing. Are you suggesting I could somehow command them to kill?”

No matter how the police interrogated him, whenever the exchange murders came up, Xiang Rong refused to admit anything, keeping himself completely clean. Since his role in this case was only speculation without evidence, You Mingxu’s team couldn’t do anything about it. But he did confess to one murder and one attempted murder. This “father-turned-killer” seeking revenge after six years had been pulled from the vast sea of humanity by the police.

—

Xiang Rong’s denial didn’t mean You Mingxu was out of options. With the suspect in custody, finding evidence wouldn’t be impossible. Faced with his silence, You Mingxu thought for a moment, found two colleagues, gave them some instructions, and went down for lunch.

After finishing her lunch in the cafeteria, she took a digestive walk around the police compound. Passing the training room, she heard quite a commotion, with many people standing at the doorway watching. Being generally dominant in martial arts, she went over to take a look. When she saw the two people sparring inside, she was startled.

It was Tu Ya and Xu Mengshan.

In terms of martial arts prowess at the branch, Xu Mengshan was second only to one person. You Mingxu’s lips curved slightly as she leaned against the doorframe to watch.

Xu Mengshan was lean but solid, now stripped to a short T-shirt and pants, sweating profusely, occasionally flashing a cocky grin despite the intense fight. Tu Ya, who had appeared at the station sometime earlier, was dressed completely differently in a white shirt and black pants, still in his driver’s outfit. His muscular build was clearly defined even through his shirt. His expression was much more serious and cold, like a tiger finally showing its teeth, engaged in close combat with Xu Mengshan but maintaining his agility.

“Great!” The crowd cheered as Xu Mengshan perfectly dodged Tu Ya’s punch and attempted to grab his arm for a takedown. You Mingxu inwardly sneered, thinking Xu Mengshan still lacked some insight – couldn’t he see that seemingly stern-faced Tu Ya was secretly smiling?

Sure enough, Tu Ya pulled off a move that surprised even You Mingxu, grabbing Xu Mengshan from behind, throwing him down, and pressing his hundred-and-seventy-some pounds on top. Xu Mengshan grimaced in pain, his waist nearly breaking. Tu Ya suddenly turned, and Xu Mengshan kicked his armpit. Tu Ya winced, hesitated for a moment, and landed a punch on Xu Mengshan. Xu Mengshan groaned, unable to stand for a moment. Seeing this, Tu Ya stopped, panting heavily, and helped Xu Mengshan up.

“Excellent!” The crowd applauded.

Xu Mengshan clutched his chest while Tu Ya pressed his ribs, both exchanging forced smiles. This round had gone to Tu Ya.

You Mingxu’s fingers itched to join in, but just as she was about to step forward, she heard a cool voice behind her: “Looks like your partner lost to my driver.”

Those words were rather irritating. Deliberately pointing out that one was her life-and-death partner while the other was merely one of his household staff – a driver. If she were to step in now and fight his driver, she’d lose face whether she won or lost.

So she stayed put and replied coldly: “What are you doing here?”

Several nearby police officers turned to look at this rumored couple.

Yin Feng said: “Let’s talk outside.”

You Mingxu leaned against the wall for a few seconds before turning to follow him out.

They stood in the hallway outside. It was afternoon, and the compound was relatively quiet. You Mingxu had brought Xiang Rong back for questioning overnight, only managing a brief nap in the morning, and now had obvious dark circles under her eyes. Though not dejected, she appeared lazy and scattered. Yin Feng, however, had gone home for a full night’s sleep, enjoyed an elaborate breakfast, and changed into a black suit with a black overcoat. You Mingxu glanced at him once before looking away.

“I just went upstairs to review the confession,” Yin Feng said. “Regarding the people behind this, Xiang Rong won’t tell the truth.”

You Mingxu replied: “I’ll find a way.”

“Let me talk to him, I might have a method.”

You Mingxu didn’t even lift her eyelids: “Fine.”

She led him toward the interrogation room in silence. When they reached the door, Yin Feng suddenly said: “Do female police officers not care about their appearance?”

You Mingxu responded coldly: “What do you mean?”

Yin Feng pointed to the area under his own eyes, then to his hair, smiled faintly, and walked into the interrogation room, closing the door in front of her.

You Mingxu: “…”

She finally turned to look at her reflection in the glass – just some dark circles and slightly messy hair, that’s all. She took down her hair tie and redid her ponytail, thinking Yin Feng was truly affected.

Yin Feng sat down across from Xiang Rong, who glanced up at him without any other reaction. Yin Feng knew You Mingxu must be watching from the observation room, so he’d show her how easily he could obtain the clues she had struggled to find.

His first words were: “Want to guess how we found you?”

Xiang Rong raised his head – this had indeed been puzzling him. Chen Kaize’s case was a year old with no police movement. He hadn’t directly participated in the exchange murders. The plan to kidnap Zhou Shaoling had only been decided days ago. Yet the police seemed to know everything overnight.

Yin Feng rested one arm on the table, drumming his fingers, and said: “You, Li Biran, and Liu Ruyu being from the same village, plus the connection to the drowning case six years ago – these were indeed the main reasons for our suspicion. However, before we noticed these points, someone… tipped us off.”

Xiang Rong’s eyes widened.

“Care to guess who gave us the hint?” Yin Feng smiled slightly, simultaneously lifting his gaze to glance almost imperceptibly at the one-way glass behind Xiang Rong. To You Mingxu watching, his expression seemed to carry a hint of wickedness…

Xiang Rong stammered: “…Who?”