When Yin Feng walked into the Lushan Precinct, his face was as cold as ice. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when someone greeted him: “Teacher Yin, you’re here?”

He glanced at the speaker, a burly police officer, and responded with a light “Mm.”

“Little Yin is here!” This time it was a cleaning lady, her face blooming like a flower. “Oh my, Little Yin, why are you dressed so formally today? Not your usual lively self. Are you here to see Sister You? Haven’t seen you in days—you two haven’t fought, have you?”

Too many questions made Yin Feng furrow his brows slightly. He didn’t say anything, just nodded once and continued walking.

Further inside, he ran into Ding Xiongwei. Yin Feng naturally didn’t recognize him, though he looked familiar enough to warrant a second glance. Ding Xiongwei was a perceptive man, and seeing the complete transformation before him—the cold, reserved demeanor replacing what was once a clingy, rabbit-like disposition—left him amazed.

Ding Xiongwei knew that after this man “woke up,” he had dumped You Mingxu. Being protective of his own, Ding had never liked these scholarly, pale-faced men like Yin Feng. However, his face betrayed nothing as he smiled and asked, “You’re here? What brings you?”

Even if Yin Feng had a business, he couldn’t discuss it with him. The matter of Xiao Yan’s breaking wasn’t something he could mention. He could only nod politely and say, “I’m here to see You Mingxu.”

“Oh?” Ding Xiongwei responded. “Didn’t you two break up? Why are you looking for her?”

Yin Feng paused, then replied coolly, “She asked me to come.”

Ding Xiongwei gave him a look and walked away.

Though it was just a glance, it irritated Yin Feng slightly. He touched his nose, and just as he was about to continue walking, a sharp pain shot through his head. He stopped, one hand against the wall, the other pressing against his temple. Since regaining consciousness, he hadn’t fully recovered, and these painful episodes still occurred from time to time.

Cold sweat broke out as he stood still, waiting for the pain to pass.

Then, without warning, a clear image appeared in his mind.

He saw himself sitting in a chair, indeed wearing that ridiculous green Astro Boy T-shirt, paired with green pants and white sneakers that only teenagers would wear. His expression was pitiful, but the face was unmistakably his.

He was curled up in that chair, arms outstretched.

You Mingxu stood before him, her face expressionless, but her eyes held a trace of amusement and sympathy.

“Put them down, I’m not going to hug you.”

He watched himself sheepishly lower his arms, head drooping so low it nearly touched the chair, utterly dejected.

…

Yin Feng felt his temple throb, and simultaneously, a long-forgotten yearning and sweetness welled up from deep within his heart. It was an itching sensation that made his heart flutter. It was as if… he shared the same emotions as the person in that memory.

Even as a psychology scholar, he couldn’t accurately judge what these memory flashes meant. Had he yearned for her so desperately back then? Or was this just the natural fading of residual memories? He collected himself, noting that the pain in his head had subsided, and continued walking toward her office.

After a few steps, he paused again, looking down at his feet.

It seemed he didn’t need to ask for directions—his body remembered the way perfectly.

—

You Mingxu hadn’t expected that Yin Feng’s subordinate, despite being timid and afraid of the police, would be so simple-minded. After leaving him alone for a while, she heard snoring.

You Mingxu looked up to see the artist slumped in the chair. His previously bowed head was now tilted back against the wall, making soft snoring sounds like a small animal, having fallen asleep while trapped there. After watching for a moment, she finally took her jacket from the chair and gently draped it over him.

This was the scene Yin Feng witnessed when he reached the glass windows of the meeting room. The female police officer, with calm features, covers the habitual thief Xiao Yan—once suspected of patricide and matricide—with her police uniform jacket. After covering him, she seemed to show a hint of fatigue, leaning against the conference table, lighting a cigarette that she held between her full, rouge-colored lips, her slender fingers occasionally dropping down as she smoked slowly.

Though Yin Feng disliked women smoking, he had seen many do so. Some were businesswomen during professional dealings, others seductresses playing their parts. All had turned his stomach. But the woman before him was different. She carried herself with a man’s crisp efficiency and charm, even in this simple act of smoking. Yet she was blessed with striking beauty, creating an inexplicable rich charm. It wasn’t affected—you felt this was exactly how she should be. She was simply this kind of quiet, cool person.

After watching for several moments, Yin Feng finally tapped lightly on the glass.

You Mingxu turned to look at him, her expression unchanged, then returned to gazing out the window while smoking indifferently.

Yin Feng entered, not waking Xiao Yan. Standing two meters apart, he said, “I’m here to collect my person.”

You Mingxu still wouldn’t look at him, turning to sit down and taking out a statement book and pen: “Sit.”

Yin Feng removed his coat, revealing only a black dress shirt underneath, perfectly tailored to highlight his physique. Then he placed one hand on the table, watching her.

You Mingxu couldn’t be bothered to look at him: “Name?”

Yin Feng paused for a moment, then answered: “Yin Feng.”

“Age?”

“30.”

“Gender?”

Yin Feng finally tilted his head and smiled, not answering.

“Gender?” You Mingxu’s tone grew firmer.

Yin Feng raised his eyes to look at her: “Don’t you know very well?”

The words came out almost automatically, and Yin Feng was slightly startled after speaking. You Mingxu hadn’t expected that even at this point, he would still say something so shameless. Her expression darkened, and she remained silent.

The atmosphere grew strangely quiet. And then Yin Feng suddenly understood—he had slept with her.

Even during his period of mental confusion, he had managed to sleep with this woman.

Then after waking up, he dumped her.

Yin Feng couldn’t quite describe what he was feeling. First was surprised that even in his confused state, he had managed to pursue such a thorny woman; second, while he had never taken any woman seriously before, he had at least parted amicably with his two previous girlfriends, leaving no debts. But with You Mingxu, he owed her.

And for a man, sitting across from someone who had once been his woman naturally felt different.

“Male.”

Seeing that he had finally dropped his frivolous manner and was cooperating properly, You Mingxu continued without looking at him: “The person next to you broke into Xiang Rong’s house this afternoon—was that under your orders?”

He answered: “Yes.”

“Purpose?”

“Same as yours.”

You Mingxu’s pen paused, and she gave a cool laugh: “I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean.”

Yin Feng stopped arguing with her, tapping his fingers on the table twice before answering: “I’ve seen all the case files related to Gu Tiancheng. Since he wants to throw dirt on me, and we have both old and new grudges, I’ll fulfill his wishes and investigate. I’m the type who must have revenge, and I must catch him with my own hands. Along with those… people behind him.”

You Mingxu observed his cold expression, thinking how this person was completely different from before. When she first met him, he had been scared to tears by Gu Tiancheng; later, on the mountain when catching Gu Tiancheng, even though he was barely standing, he had managed to subdue Gu Tiancheng at gunpoint, risking his life without hesitation.

And now, he would send his subordinates to act, moving even faster than her. He coldly said, I’m the type who must have revenge, must catch him with my own hands.

You Mingxu took a quiet breath, pulling her attention back, and said coldly: “Investigation is police work, don’t interfere. Take your person and leave. I don’t want to see any of you around suspects in the future.”

Yin Feng leaned back in his chair, crossing his long legs, hands clasped over his knees. You Mingxu lowered her gaze, momentarily catching only the shadowy suggestion of these movements.

He said: “Do I need to call Director Duan again? I hear I’m now officially attached to Yuelu Precinct as a consultant, based on your application at the time, assigned to your team.”

You Mingxu smiled and said: “As you said, that was at the time.’ Things change. Now that Teacher Yin has returned to normal, you’re free to approach the director, the commissioner, and even the Ministry of Public Security, networking as you please, interfering with cases however you like. Why bother staying in this small precinct, mixing with small-time detectives like us?”

For some reason, hearing “Teacher Yin” from her lips particularly grated on Yin Feng’s ears. He leaned forward, hand on the table, instantly blocking the light above You Mingxu’s head.

“Miss You,” he said, “It seems our thoughts are aligned. The sooner we solve this case, the sooner we can conclude things, and I won’t have to be an eyesore in front of you. This case directly involves me—I can’t completely entrust it to others. Besides, if you end up solving the case, wouldn’t I be indebted to you again? Then wouldn’t our… entanglement continue?”

His voice dropped lower on the last sentence, carrying a cold, lazy tone. It seemed passionate, yet was utterly passionless. You Mingxu felt a surge of anger hearing this and was about to retort when he continued calmly: “About what happened before, I wronged you. But now I truly can’t help it.”

You Mingxu froze, raising her head to meet the man’s eyes.

What kind of eyes were they? So deep, calm, and even containing a hint of gentle apology, but lacking any of the sincere affection she had known.

A Xu, I love you, I worship you, I would die for you. If only you would love me too.

But now I truly can’t help it.

You Mingxu felt a knife-like pain in her heart, and suddenly her anger dissipated. What was she angry about, what was she secretly hoping for? The one she loved was clearly You Yingjun, what did that have to do with this rational, mature man before her who even carried a hint of wickedness?

She tossed aside her pen and let out a very light, slow breath, her tone utterly cold: “You can take your person. If you want to interfere with the case, go ahead. We’ll investigate separately, no need to communicate.”

Yin Feng looked at her for a moment, his voice dark as he replied: “Fine.”