Yin Feng had been intensely focused on watching the window earlier, and following her had been purely instinctive. At this point, changing course would mean losing face. After a moment of silence, he said flatly, “I won’t get in your way.”

A’Xu, am I in your way?

I promise I won’t get in your way.

Those two voices seemed to whisper right next to her ear. From the corner of her eye, You Mingxu could see that familiar face and figure still following closely behind her. She turned away, ignoring him.

The house was empty.

This meant the police would begin what might be a long stakeout, with no clear timeline. You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan exchanged glances, quickly discussed their plan, and each found a dark, concealed spot in the courtyard to hide.

The countryside moonlight was exceptionally bright, flooding the entire courtyard. You Mingxu took cover behind a row of abandoned chicken coops in the yard, leaning against the fence with only a bottle of water at her feet, eyes closed and motionless.

Yin Feng leaned against the fence about a foot away from her. In the past, when he assisted the police with cases, he had always been in the command center with the bureau chief and squadron leaders. When had he ever mixed with such grassroots police officers, let alone staked out suspects? While he found it somewhat novel, he still maintained that sense of looking down from his usual high position at these foot soldiers.

After sitting like this for about half an hour, the woman beside him kept looking at her phone with the brightness turned low, still ignoring him. Yin Feng also checked his phone for a while, but having barely rested during their daytime journey, he felt drowsy and decided to take a nap.

“Wake me if anything happens,” he said.

She continued to ignore him.

His lips twitched slightly as he settled into doze.

After some time passed, You Mingxu heard the steady, deep breathing beside her. This breathing pattern was deeply familiar to her, indicating he had fallen into a deep sleep.

You Mingxu turned her head to look at him.

In sleep, that usually composed and profound expression he wore during the day had changed. His brows were slightly furrowed – the brows of a mature man. After watching for a while, You Mingxu turned to face forward again.

But unexpectedly, there was movement beside her. Before she could react, Yin Feng’s head had tilted and fallen onto her shoulder, still sleeping deeply, unawoken.

His breath ghosted lightly across her chin. You Mingxu sat frozen as if under a spell, remaining stiff for a moment before turning her head to see his brow bone, the bridge of his nose, and the line of his jaw. Her eyes grew hot with tears, but she quickly suppressed them.

“A’Xu…” he mumbled, his brows furrowing deeper. He even burrowed his head further into the crook of her shoulder, his expression only relaxing when he seemed to sense her warmth.

“A’Xu…” he called out again, his breathing becoming deeper and longer as he settled against her, motionless.

You Mingxu remained completely still for a long while before finally reaching out to gently stroke his head.

Yin Feng was awakened by the vibration of his phone. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the ground in the courtyard, his phone buzzing in his pocket. His head ached slightly, and he seemed to have been dreaming about desperately searching for something, though he couldn’t remember what upon waking. He took out his phone as he sat up – it was Tu Ya calling.

“Mm?”

Tu Ya said, “I’m in Chenxi County. Zhou Shaoling isn’t at home or the store. I asked his girlfriend, and she said he was meeting with a boss from Xiangcheng today to discuss business. She hasn’t seen him since dinner.”

Yin Feng’s eyes narrowed slightly as he asked, “How did you question his girlfriend?”

On the other end of the line, Tu Ya, like a black bear, sat on the balcony of Zhou Shaoling’s home, looking at the trembling girl inside. After a moment of silence, he answered, “Well… I just grabbed her and asked.”

Yin Feng: “Alright, I understand.”

After hanging up, he looked toward You Mingxu, only to realize he had been lying in her original spot, while she had moved more than a meter away, still looking down at her phone.

Was she that repulsed by him? Moving so far away?

Feeling somewhat displeased, Yin Feng said coolly, “The target will return soon, bringing the prey with him.”

You Mingxu still wouldn’t look at him, just nodding slightly: “Understood.”