“Little You, I’m a bit cold.”

The soft voice cut in, abruptly disrupting the two detectives’ shared moment of grief and frustration.

You Mingxu lowered her hand to see Yin Feng standing nearby, his face indeed somewhat pale, though his eyes remained calm and unreadable. She took off the down jacket just as Jing Ping walked away.

Yin Feng watched her but didn’t take the jacket.

You Mingxu frowned.

Yin Feng suddenly smiled and said, “Suddenly it’s not so cold anymore.”

You Mingxu thought he was mad. After being warmed by his down jacket for a while, she had also warmed up. She threw the coat into his arms and turned to find Xu Mengshan.

Yin Feng smiled and put on the jacket. His hands were as cold as ice, but he casually slipped them into the jacket pockets.

The pockets were warm, still holding someone’s heat. His eyebrows lifted slightly as that inexplicable tickling comfort crawled up from his chest again.

With the exact location now known, more police support arrived shortly after, taking shortcuts to reach them.

Police forces spread out around the lake, searching for evidence and traces. The medical examiner had also arrived, and Guo Xing’s body was lifted onto a stretcher.

You Mingxu, Xu Mengshan, and other colleagues discussed their next steps for gathering information—

Search for surveillance footage and eyewitnesses within a five-kilometer radius to identify anyone who entered or left the area between 2 PM and 6 PM that day;

Contact Yunnan policy for more detailed information about Guo Xing, especially regarding potential enemies from his years in the field;

Investigate whether the Kaiyang Group had any unusual activity that afternoon.

…

Guo Xing’s undercover status was confidential information that Jing Ping had been forced to reveal, so You Mingxu naturally didn’t mention it to others, continuing to keep it even from Xu Mengshan. However, for information about Guo Xing’s police identity, she knew there was only one person she could ask privately.

After arranging immediate tasks, You Mingxu looked around. The medical examiner was conducting a preliminary examination of the body, with Yin Feng crouching nearby, his expression calm and focused. He was similar to his former self, yet completely different. The same serious dedication, but while his previous self’s eyes had been clear, now they were dark and unfathomable.

You Mingxu felt another twinge in her heart, a sharp pain. Ignoring it, she turned to look for Jing Ping.

He wasn’t easy to find. Jing Ping was hiding behind a boulder, surrounded by man-high weeds, smoking silently.

You Mingxu pushed through the grass to approach him. Jing Ping glanced at her—his eyes were no longer red, but his face had lost its usual faint smile.

“Everything arranged?” he asked.

“Yes.” She leaned against the rock beside him and pulled out a cigarette. He seemed to naturally produce a lighter and lit it for her. You Mingxu accepted straightforwardly, holding the cigarette as they silently shared the smoke.

“Were you close?” she asked.

Jing Ping rubbed his brow with the hand holding his cigarette and answered, “We used to be very close, like brothers. Then six years without seeing each other.”

He spoke casually, but You Mingxu felt the weight of his words heavily.

She took out another cigarette, lit it, and placed it at their feet to burn, then said, “My condolences.”

Jing Ping quietly watched her actions, watched her offer the cigarette in both hands, saw her distant look, and suddenly the suppressed pain in his heart surged forth unreasonably.

Old Guo, said in his heart, do you know that you died here in distant Xiangcheng, unable to return to Yunnan? We rarely knew. But now, a female officer who never saw your living face is sincerely offering you a cigarette.

And me? When I die, will someone light a cigarette for me?

He took a deep breath and said, “Thanks,” his voice hoarse.

You Mingxu looked at the sky and said, “I also lost a comrade, just last month.” She forcefully held back the tears in her eyes.

Had it only been a month? Yet time rushed forward, making it feel like she’d lost her for a lifetime.

Jing Ping’s eyes reddened slightly as he said, “Looks like we’re both wanderers in this world.”

You Mingxu said, “We should have a drink sometime, bring Mengshan along.”

Jing Ping replied, “My treat.”

Yin Feng stood outside the grass, on the other side of the boulder, unable to hear clearly, only able to see the two of them talking with heads bowed, smiles appearing on their faces. Yin Feng suddenly had a strange feeling—those two people were very alike, similar to each other.

They were drawn to each other.

—This thought flooded his mind, and his chest suddenly felt a sharp pain. Uncomfortable, extremely uncomfortable. The pain spread at a rate that caught him off guard, so intense it threatened to overwhelm him.

He steadied himself, raising his still-cold hand to press against his forehead. Several seconds passed before he felt his emotions slightly stabilize. He walked aside and called Chen Feng: “Help me investigate someone.”

—

The news of Guo Xing’s death was secretly reported back, shocking the higher-ups. After the body was transported back to the bureau, the Bureau Chief and Ding Xiongwei privately came to pay their respects, removing their hats in silent tribute and handling the aftermath, but that’s a story for later.

In the conference room sat four people: Jing Ping, You Mingxu, Xu Mengshan, and Yin Feng. With Ding Xiongwei’s approval, Xu Mengshan had also been informed of the situation.

However, with these four sitting together, the atmosphere seemed somewhat strange.

The strange element naturally came from the one who stood out—

The other three were hardened detectives with tough dispositions, dressed simply, their presence distinctly different. But him? He wore a luxurious suit, had a slim golden Apple laptop in front of him, a diamond-studded Montblanc pen beside him, and even wore blue-light filtering glasses on his nose. Finally, You Mingxu understood where Chen Feng had gotten his scholarly scoundrel air from.

However, the detectives present could all hold their own. Xu Mengshan spoke naturally: “Brother Jing, don’t take this the wrong way, but since Guo Xing was one of ours, what’s the story with his case? I’ve seen the rape case files—the evidence was conclusive, with his fingerprints at the scene and surveillance footage showing him beating the victim.”

You Mingxu twirled a pen in her hand.

Yin Feng looked up leisurely, waiting for Jing Ping’s explanation.

Jing Ping had already recovered his emotions, back to his slightly casual manner. His fingers tapped the table as he answered: “It was fake. He’d reported about that case to his superiors. At the time, another member of the criminal group wanted to harm the victim. Guo Xing couldn’t talk him out of it, so he pretended to kick the victim a few times, hoping to appease his companion and prevent more serious harm. But that night, his companion still snuck into the victim’s home and raped and killed her. He even called Guo Xing afterward to brag about it. With the victim dead, Guo Xing could only go along with it. When the police listed them both as suspects, he accepted it. The more he appeared to be rejected by the police, the more they would trust him.”

You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan both nodded. Jing Ping looked into You Mingxu’s eyes, suddenly understanding what she wanted to ask, his voice softening slightly: “We haven’t forgotten the real killer. As soon as the mission is complete, we’ll arrest him immediately.”

You Mingxu nodded.