After her outburst on the terrace and the long conversation with Yin Feng, You Mingxu was parched. As soon as Guan Jun left, she grabbed the teacup and drained it. When she looked up, she met Yin Feng’s contemplative gaze…

Although he later threw her into the bathtub and doused her with cold water three times, largely clearing her mind, the weakness in her limbs and the burning sensation hadn’t fully subsided. He had wrapped her in a towel, carried her back to bed, and tossed her one of his clean shirts, saying, “Change out of those wet clothes so you don’t catch cold. There’s hot water on the table. When you can walk, go to the small study—check what’s in the bottom of the third drawer, and wait for me to return.”

She stumbled to the small study, wondering what he was up to, and found some yellowed papers.

One was his brain scan. At first, she didn’t understand why he wanted her to see this, until she read the annotations—this type of brain structure naturally lacked certain central organizing systems, making it difficult to perceive normal human emotions, thus showing more interest in violent stimuli—in other words, what we call a “natural-born psychopath.”

Her thoughts churned as she read, memories of Yin Feng and Yu Yingjun’s two personalities floating through her mind. Yet in the end, it was this Yin Feng—always with his gloomy, dark expression—and his group of “former criminals” that stood out.

She hurriedly looked at the second document. This one analyzed behavior and psychology. Results from an authoritative American institution showed that Yin Feng’s responses to many psychological tests deviated significantly from the norm. The conclusion: he belonged to a high-risk group extremely susceptible to psychopathy.

Suddenly, she remembered that time when Xu Mengshan casually mentioned a psychopathy test question he’d read somewhere, and Yin Feng had immediately answered.

Why had he left these documents for her to see? Were they forged? But if so, they were forged incredibly well, even artificially aged.

While she pondered this, Yin Feng burst in with Wei Lan and Xiao Yan.

Meeting his fierce eyes, You Mingxu suddenly recalled his earlier words:

Trust me.

Trust in me.

Her heart steadied. He wanted her to react naturally and improvise, didn’t he?

…

The chemistry between people is something inexplicable. After exchanging a few barbs with Yin Feng, You Mingxu suddenly realized that every word he spoke seemed to guide her, while she seized on points in his words and fired back instinctively. Their conflict escalated naturally, step by step…

After Wei Lan and Xiao Yan left, they exchanged a few more words before he said quietly, “Now knock me down and run. I’ll have them catch you.”

But You Mingxu thought: Wei Lan and the others must be guarding the door—running out that way would be too stupid, inconsistent with her strength. Didn’t this need to be convincing? So she jumped out the window instead.

Yin Feng’s expression changed instantly. He rushed to the window, watching as she lay still for a moment before getting up. Only then did he relax and chase after her through the door.

…

Under the soft light, Yin Feng removed the last shackle from You Mingxu’s feet. She pushed herself up to sit, but her body felt weak all over.

Yin Feng tossed the chains aside and walked to the basement entrance, closing the door to ensure no one could spy or eavesdrop. You Mingxu watched him—his expression remained calm, his movements methodical. Now, looking back, she realized how his series of arrangements had been interlocked, logically tight, reasonable yet unexpected.

First, he let her “accidentally” catch him flirting with another woman. Given his past as a scoundrel, this wasn’t surprising. With You Mingxu’s temperament, publicly humiliating him and slapping him was probably exactly what he expected.

Having lost such face, it was natural for him to feel both love and hatred toward You Mingxu, forcefully detaining her from the study and instructing Guan Jun to drug her. Given his cold personality of “revenge is never too late,” this too made sense.

Then he “forced himself” on her. They already had a physical relationship, as Chen Feng and the others knew. Even at this point, though Chen Feng’s group had probably prepared damage control measures, there was still hope for reconciliation.

Then, You Mingxu accidentally discovered his two “evaluation results,” learning his deepest secret. With his inner darkness fully exposed to her, given her zero tolerance for impurity, she naturally couldn’t accept it. This drove him to greater obsession, his possessiveness intensifying.

When she managed to escape, he had to mobilize his subordinates to surround her. Their conflict escalated head-on—he was now officially suspected of rape and illegal detention, with nowhere to turn.

So he could only lead her into darkness.

Bringing her to the basement, fully prepared for long-term imprisonment.

But such charges weren’t enticing enough, and they couldn’t wait that long.

So he didn’t come immediately after she woke up. He was probably waiting for that person to sneak in.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

After their renewed argument, You Mingxu quickly caught the signals in Yin Feng’s words, making her attitude more angry and resolute, seizing the weakness of a long-term psychopath and humiliating him to death. Under the emotional breakdown, wanting only to silence this woman, he accidentally strangled her…

Each development surprised everyone.

Yet each development was reasonable, fitting their personalities and behavioral patterns.

Moreover, it all happened under the noses of different people in this house. From any perspective, it all seemed real.

…

Yin Feng took two bottles of water from the cabinet, tossing one to her and drinking from the other. You Mingxu watched him as he tilted his head back to drink—still, that handsome face, defined jawline, and cold expression.

The former Yu Yingjun had been quick-minded when solving cases, always grasping the key points. More than once, she had seen this man in Yu Yingjun’s eyes. But why had he fallen into such circumstances then? Who had been plotting behind the scenes, and how could they escape the maze? Yu Yingjun had been confused, wanting only to stay by her side, unwilling to look at the past or break free from the situation.

But now he was back—and what had he done?

In just one day, he had caught Xiang Rong and identified the new suspect, Luo Yu; in one day, he had caught the suspect who killed Guo Xing.

One look and he knew the “him” in Guizhou was fake.

Then he planned this interlocking scheme—had 48 hours even passed? Already the mole hidden beside him had shown their hand.

If they wouldn’t come to him, he would go to them.

He was leading a group of former criminals to declare war on them.

Yin Feng didn’t look at her, suddenly smiled, and said, “Why are you staring at me?”