Luo Yu’s residence perfectly matched his surface identity as an elite lawyer.

A high-rise apartment in the city center, upscale community, tight security, quiet and cold. Even the police couldn’t freely patrol the compound, forced to maintain surveillance from inconspicuous corners outside, watching 24 hours a day.

Today, You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan were on the day shift.

Stakeouts were mind-numbingly boring. They reclined their car seats, taking turns watching the compound entrance while occasionally checking Luo Yu’s windows through binoculars. Nothing unusual.

When Xu Mengshan’s ordered lunch boxes arrived, he retrieved them from the street corner, and they ate in silence.

You Mingxu inserted a plastic straw into her drink, took a sip, licked her lips, and set it aside.

Xu Mengshan glanced at her.

After a while, You Mingxu noticed the stir-fried liver in Xu Mengshan’s box looked tempting. She reached over with her chopsticks, and without a word, he compensated by taking some of her sautéed pork in exchange.

“What drink did you order me?” You Mingxu took a big gulp. “It’s deliciously sweet and sour.”

Xu Mengshan said between mouthfuls: “I ordered the same thing the day before yesterday. You didn’t seem to like it then?”

“Really?”

Xu Mengshan smiled, saying: “I knew something was different about you today. Since breaking up with Yin Feng, you’ve always worn a cold expression at work, looking ready to fight anyone at any moment. You’d eat and drink whatever was given to you without caring. Today you suddenly seem normal again, like you’ve come back to life. What’s going on? Don’t tell me you two are back together?”

Good cops were shrewd, and this fox before her was especially so.

You Mingxu hadn’t noticed it herself until he pointed it out – her mood had been inexplicably good today. She felt like her tail had been caught, irritation rising as she said coldly: “No. Quite the opposite – I’m like this because I’ve stopped caring.”

Xu Mengshan finished eating and put his box in the bag, saying: “How can you let go when he’s always hanging around our unit working cases?”

You Mingxu replied flatly: “Let him do what he wants. I’m only focused on the case now.”

Just then, a familiar car emerged from the garage ahead – Luo Yu’s. Xu Mengshan raised his binoculars, confirming Luo Yu behind the wheel, and they followed.

The sky darkened as traffic flowed around them.

For all his faults, Luo Yu was an exceptionally careful driver, steady and patient. In days of surveillance, they’d never seen him break a traffic rule.

After about thirty minutes, they arrived at a nightclub where Luo Yu parked and went inside.

Xu Mengshan parked nearby on the street and said: “Back to his debauchery.”

This seemed to be Luo Yu’s typical nightlife. Apart from occasional overtime work, it was all entertainment and socializing with various shady characters.

“His ambitions have always been clear – never taking the righteous path,” You Mingxu said. “As long as there’s high risk and high return, he doesn’t care if the money’s clean. I think he enjoys power too, likes having authority over others.”

And such abnormal power could only be found in the night.

Xu Mengshan shot her a sideways glance: “Tell me, why do you keep attracting these lost souls? What charm do you possess that draws them one after another?”

You Mingxu: “Get lost.”

They continued watching. It was almost time for the night shift, and this evening would likely pass without incident.

You Mingxu’s phone rang – it was Yin Feng.

She glanced at the nosy Xu Mengshan and turned aside to answer, her tone low and serious: “Hello.”

Faint music could be heard on the other end. Someone seemed to be having a leisurely time, chuckling as he called out: “Ah Xu.”

You Mingxu didn’t respond.

Yin Feng asked: “What’s wrong, inconvenient to talk?”

“It’s fine, go ahead.”

“It’s like this,” he said slowly. “I have some new thoughts about that organization. Come have dinner, let’s discuss it.”

You Mingxu was silent for two seconds.

He waited patiently.

Then she laughed slightly and said: “Sure.”

Afraid of you?

He sensed her casual attitude and his voice grew more amused: “Give me your location, and I’ll have Tu Ya pick you up.”

His car was too conspicuous. You Mingxu said: “No need, not convenient. I’ll get a ride myself.”

Yin Feng understood and asked: “How long until you arrive?”

You Mingxu checked her watch: “Off duty in half an hour, probably an hour to reach your place.”

“Good,” he said softly. “Ah Xu, I’ll wait for you.”

After hanging up, You Mingxu’s expression remained neutral as she watched the neon lights at the nightclub entrance. Night had deepened, and pedestrians’ faces blurred in the darkness. The lights flickered silently in the air, like ripples in her long-still heart. But there was also confusion, bitterness, and uncertainty.

Soon after, their relief arrived, half an hour early. As Xu Mengshan briefed them on the day’s events, You Mingxu was gathering her things when she happened to look up and froze.

The three-story nightclub was elegantly understated, with fragrant shadows drifting. Each floor had several windows, barely visible in the darkness. But You Mingxu’s exceptional eyesight caught a familiar figure passing a second-floor window. She immediately raised her binoculars, but the person had vanished inside.

Xiao Yan.

Despite the black clothes and lowered head, You Mingxu couldn’t mistake that delicate face, fair neck, and slight frame.

Under Yin Feng’s direction, Xiao Yan was like an ancient scout – skilled at picking locks, able to infiltrate anywhere. Agile and elusive, a master of stealth.

Yin Feng sending him here could only mean one thing – it was also about Luo Yu.

You Mingxu frowned slightly. Since Yin Feng had decided to cooperate with her, such secret operations needed to stop. She resolved to discuss this with him tonight.

With their relief arriving early, she and Xu Mengshan had no reason to stay. They left their car in the night, moving away from the nightclub area. Xu Mengshan said: “Come on, the bus stop’s over there.”

You Mingxu didn’t even look up: “You go ahead, I have something to do.”

Xu Mengshan patted her shoulder twice, said nothing, and left.

You Mingxu stared into the night and traffic flow, feeling both warmth and annoyance at her colleague’s knowing gesture. She was annoyed at Yin Feng, so skilled at manipulating hearts, using You Yingjun as bait to draw her closer. But she wasn’t easily fooled either – she’d counter his moves.

Soon, her rideshare arrived and headed straight for Yin Feng’s house.

The night grew deeper.

As the car entered the villa complex, it was nearly 9 PM. You Mingxu hadn’t told Yin Feng she’d be early – what was there to say? As the car drove slowly along the community’s tree-lined paths, she could already see the walls of Yin Feng’s house in the distance.