You Mingxu asked, “What have you discovered about Xiang Rong’s family background? Is his son’s drowning from years ago suspicious?”

Yin Feng glanced at her again. This was exactly what he had wanted to ask. He hadn’t expected her to be so perceptive. On second thought, he felt a sense of understanding—perhaps this explained why his amnesiac self had been willing to be with her.

She did have some real ability.

Xu Mengshan gave a meaningful smile and said, “Sister You is truly Sister You, hitting the nail on the head. In this case, the local police station only reported it as an accident, with no further details recorded. I asked the officers who handled the case back then. That summer, Xiang Rong’s son, Xiang Muhua, drowned while playing by the river. There were several other children with him that day.”

You Mingxu’s gaze sharpened like lightning: “Could it be…”

Yin Feng: “Li Biran and Liu Ruyu were among them.”

You Mingxu fell silent. Xu Mengshan looked between them and casually answered: “Exactly. That summer, Liu Ruyu still lived in the village, and Li Biran had returned to his rural hometown for summer vacation. They were all by the river that day. The investigating officers had their suspicions at the time—with several children playing together, was it possible that Xiang Muhua had been pushed in as a prank, or was it an accident during their games? But all the children firmly denied this. Xiang Muhua might have fallen in accidentally and been swept away by the current. The other children, frightened, had all run away. So by the time Xiang Muhua’s mother discovered he was missing, his body was already downstream. The other children’s parents were very protective and reacted intensely. Without any witnesses or evidence, the case was eventually dropped.”

You Mingxu asked: “Where was Xiang Rong at the time?”

Xu Mengshan answered: “He was doing business out of town—he’d made quite a bit of money over those years. He didn’t return to the village until two days later. Soon after, he divorced his wife and moved away.”

The three fell silent for a moment.

Yin Feng asked: “Who else was by the river that day?”

Xu Mengshan’s eyes brightened: “Two others. One called Chen Kaize, the oldest, is already in university. He went missing while hiking in Guizhou last summer and still hasn’t been found. Likely met with an accident or foul play. The other, Zhou Shaoling, didn’t continue after high school. His family was well-off, and he now runs a mobile phone shop in Chenxi County.”

You Mingxu instinctively looked up at Yin Feng. He was already looking at her.

After their eyes met, both calmly looked away.

“Which one are you watching?” You Mingxu asked Xu Mengshan.

Before Xu Mengshan could answer, Yin Feng spoke: “Tu Ya can watch one.”

You Mingxu lowered her gaze, and Xu Mengshan asked puzzled: “Tu Ya?”

Yin Feng smiled and answered: “My driver.”

Xu Mengshan: “Uh…”

You Mingxu said flatly: “We’ll watch as we need to.”

Yin Feng said: “Before becoming a driver, he fought in underground matches, rarely lost. He won’t make any mistakes watching Zhou Shaoling.”

You Mingxu fell silent, and Xu Mengshan glanced between them before nodding with a smile: “Alright. Then we can focus on watching Xiang Rong’s house. Better safe than sorry.”

After Yin Feng left, You Mingxu returned to her room, showered, prepared her equipment, and went back to Xu Mengshan’s room.

Xu Mengshan, having been busy all day, had taken a short nap and looked somewhat tired, though his eyes were bright. He held several takeout boxes and asked, “Ready to go?”

You Mingxu made an affirmative sound, noticing there were more portions than needed for two people, and said coolly: “You don’t need to be so courteous to him.”

Xu Mengshan sighed and said: “How could we not? He’s an expert after all. He’s been helpful in past investigations and helped us quite a bit. Sister You, even if a deal falls through, we can maintain goodwill. If he can’t be a lover, he can be a follower.”

“Get lost.”

Walking out of the room, they found Yin Feng already waiting at the hotel entrance. The night was deep and the wind slightly cold. His impeccable coat and handsome features seemed completely out of place in the rural night scene. You Mingxu only glanced once before looking away.

Hearing movement, Yin Feng turned around, his gaze passing over the smiling Xu Mengshan to land on the cold-faced woman behind him. He noticed she had changed into loose clothing suitable for action, her hair tips still wet from showering, making her face appear even more fair and beautiful. After all… he thought, she was a woman, particularly when she needed to be, showing those few traces of femininity.

The three got in the car.

Tu Ya had already been sent by Yin Feng to Chenxi County to watch Zhou Shaoling, taking both himself and the car. Yin Feng was used to having his subordinates arrange everything for his travels. Now with Tu Ya gone and night fallen deep, he hadn’t noticed until he smelled the food Xu Mengshan brought that he was famished.

He glanced at the simple plastic takeout boxes, then turned to look out the window.

Unexpectedly, You Mingxu in the passenger seat grabbed a box and started eating right there in the car. The food’s aroma grew stronger. She ate on her own, ignoring others. Xu Mengshan said: “Teacher Yin, we bought some for you too. The hotel owner’s wife cooked it, it’s quite clean, help yourself.”

When had Yin Feng ever eaten in a car? But he understood that police on duty couldn’t be too particular, time was pressing. Plus, he was really hungry. Just as he reached for a box, he heard the woman in front say coldly: “Our cheap rural boxed meals—could someone like him eat such things? Don’t waste your concern.”

Xu Mengshan chuckled: “Didn’t we all eat together before?”

Just then, a pale, slender hand emerged from an elegant man’s sleeve, reaching into the plastic bag beside You Mingxu to take out a box. That low, steady voice came right by You Mingxu’s ear: “Why wouldn’t I be able to eat it?”

You Mingxu ignored him.

Xu Mengshan pretended to be invisible.

You Mingxu wolfed down her meal in minutes, then grabbed a bottle of water from the bag, drank half, and tossed it back. Yin Feng had barely eaten half his portion, watching her every move, finding it both disagreeable yet somehow fitting for this woman. Without realizing it, he’d finished most of his meal, finding it not as unpalatable as he’d imagined.

The car stopped in bushes at a county road bend.

Beyond that point, Xiang Rong’s house would be visible, with no obvious cover. From a distance, his house was dark, and no car was parked outside—he probably wasn’t home.

The three crept forward in the darkness. You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan, long accustomed to working together, split up wordlessly to flank the yard from both sides. Yin Feng watched their agile movements from behind, quickly following You Mingxu.

You Mingxu crouched by the wall under a window, about to rise and look when she sensed someone behind her. She said irritably: “Go with him.”