Gu Tiancheng spoke these words calmly as if merely deciding to eat a hamburger today. The night accompanied him from behind, a quiet and desolate color. Suddenly, You Mingxu understood that perhaps all shocking and unconscionable decisions in this world stem from nothing more than a person’s self-talk after long periods of silence upon silence.

Though they shared only ten or so seconds of quietness, it felt like an eternity had passed.

You Mingxu ignored the fine sweat seeping from her palms, lowered her head with a smile, and said, “No wonder… I didn’t suspect you at first. You acted reluctant to let me and Ming Tao into the car, even though I fit your preferred prey type quite closely. You were deliberately playing hard to get. If you had agreed too readily, I would have become suspicious.”

Gu Tiancheng gazed at her, his eyes even deeper than when they first met. For a moment, countless emotions flashed through them—excitement, pain, wariness, obsession. Finally, they settled into a stillness as vast as mountains and seas.

You Mingxu realized she had let something slip, but she wasn’t particularly concerned, nor did she show any panic. They locked eyes for a moment as she slowly shifted backward, making herself more comfortable against the tree trunk. By now, the fool had unconsciously moved to her feet, his face pale from blood loss. Like her, his hands and feet were bound with zip ties. You Mingxu knew his wounds weren’t fatal, nor severe enough to completely immobilize him. But with his childlike mental state, she suspected his psychological fear far outweighed his physical pain, leaving him in such a weakened state. The fool, for whatever reason, simply rested his head against You Mingxu’s leg, his over-six-foot frame curled up beside her feet like a giant baby. You Mingxu had no time to deal with him and just let him be.

Gu Tiancheng’s attention was completely focused on You Mingxu, ignoring the pathetic figure on the ground. Seeing her maintain that calm demeanor, phoenix eyes naturally carrying a hint of clear detachment, cherry lips pressed together, he suddenly realized this woman who had remained unperturbed throughout their journey was even more resilient and composed than he had initially thought.

“So how did you discover something was wrong?” Gu Tiancheng asked with a faint smile. “Was it because of those two large suitcases? My oversight—I hadn’t expected this fool, half-dead as he was, could still escape and let you see the empty trunk. Earlier, when loading the bicycle, I’d already said the trunk was full, so I had to make up the story about two large suitcases.”

You Mingxu said, “That wasn’t much of anything. Though it’s rare to see a man traveling with two large suitcases, it’s not impossible. I only found it slightly strange and started paying attention to you. Later…” She paused, looking directly into his eyes, “Strange things kept happening. You showed excessive concern for everyone’s safety, inconsistent with your earlier behavior. It made me feel you were ‘acting.'”

Gu Tiancheng wasn’t angry at all; rather, he seemed intrigued.

“However…” You Mingxu changed her tone, “Many people have somewhat of a performative personality—Ming Tao even more so than you. So this wasn’t a major discovery either, just added another degree of suspicion about you. What really made me believe you were connected to Song Lan and Zou Furong’s disappearance was something you said.”

“What did I say?” Gu Tiancheng asked almost immediately.

“‘Those two girls,'” You Mingxu said.

Gu Tiancheng paused, somewhat puzzled. You Mingxu smiled and said, “After Song Lan and Zou Furong disappeared, we mentioned them several times. Each time, you said ‘those two girls,’ ‘those two girls,’ or at most ‘them.’ You never once said their names. Only liars do that. They always avoid saying victims’ names, preferring to use pronouns instead. What, you read so many books on criminal psychology but didn’t learn this point?”

Gu Tiancheng’s expression turned somewhat gloomy. After a moment of silence, he laughed: “So it is true—not saying their names makes me feel more at ease. I’ll remember this and won’t make the same mistake next time.”

You Mingxu’s lips curled into a mocking smile. Gu Tiancheng saw it clearly but laughed instead of getting angry: “What’s that smile about?”

You Mingxu remained silent, her expression blank as if she hadn’t heard, somewhat like playing dead. Gu Tiancheng stubbed out his cigarette on the ground, smiled, and stood up.

Now You Mingxu finally felt a trace of tension as he silently approached. She disliked this feeling—that even now, she could still be affected by this beast’s presence. She found it all utterly ridiculous.

Gu Tiancheng crouched beside her, resting his hands on his knees, still carrying that faint, pleasant cologne scent. Though this scent had been stolen from the foolish policeman on the ground. His expression looked peaceful, still very much like the man she’d first met.

You Mingxu appeared oblivious, letting him stare while she looked at the ground. What left her speechless was that the fool on the ground… had actually fallen asleep. Or perhaps passed out? His eyes were tightly shut, still curled up with his head on her leg, producing steady, prolonged breathing sounds, even snoring a bit…

“Are all female police officers as difficult as you?” Gu Tiancheng softly asked near her ear.

You Mingxu felt a hard, hot sensation churning in her chest. She smiled provocatively: “Oh? How do you plan to handle me?”

“Very simple.” Gu Tiancheng reached out and touched her face. She immediately turned away, but he didn’t mind—instead, his eyes lit up with particular excitement. “You’re in my hands now, and I don’t see your backup arriving anytime soon. Won’t I be able to handle you however I want?”

You Mingxu’s expression turned very cold, her phoenix eyes downcast—in this state, she seemed to look at everyone with a hint of disdain. She said, “Let’s be practical. Release the others, including the fool. I’ll go with you. As you said, I’m already in your hands, and our future path is long—who lives and who dies isn’t certain yet. I knew early on that you hadn’t called the police, so I’ve already notified my brothers. You don’t have much time, so why waste it on these people? Taking me away quickly is what matters.”

But Gu Tiancheng gazed deeply at her with those eyes full of darkness. He stared so intensely that even the typically rough You Mingxu felt a hateful anxiety rising in her heart.

“Are you sincere…” he asked, “about using this kidnapping as an opportunity to come with me? Or are you just trying to appease me, planning to catch me after saving the hostages?”

You Mingxu was silent for a moment, her black curved eyelashes trembling slightly, the corner of her mouth rising in a self-mocking smile: “You guess.”