“Tsk tsk! Sister Yu, you value looks over friendship and always chase after the new while discarding the old,” Xu Mengshan said.

You Mingxu finally cast him an amused glance. “So you admit you’re not much to look at?”

“I can’t eat with this kind of treatment,” Xu Mengshan complained.

Just then, someone who knew Jing Ping came over and chatted with him briefly. Xu Mengshan lowered his voice and asked, “What’s the situation between you and Yin Feng now? Something seems off with you.”

You Mingxu didn’t want to tell anyone about Yin Feng’s secret, not even her closest friend.

After a moment of silence, she sighed. “I don’t even know what the situation is myself.”

—

In the afternoon, the sun made a rare appearance, bringing a touch of warmth to the air. During the lunch break, the police department was relatively quiet, with only occasional footsteps and voices breaking the silence.

The three detectives were all leaning back in their chairs, eyes closed for a quick rest.

During that brief half hour, You Mingxu had dozed off into a light sleep. She vaguely sensed a familiar presence nearby but couldn’t quite place it.

When the work bell rang, she opened her eyes. Beside her, Jing Ping and Xu Mengshan also stirred.

The thin white daylight streamed in through the doorway, falling upon the person in front of her. He wore a suit, had jet-black hair, and sat with his long legs crossed. He held a case file in his hands, his cuffs pristine, his fingers fair and strong.

The office wasn’t large, and her desk was positioned against the window at the far end. He sat at the edge of her desk, and she didn’t know how long he’d been there.

You Mingxu got up to wash her face. Behind her, Yin Feng continued reading the case file, a smile playing on his lips.

Jing Ping and Xu Mengshan both greeted Yin Feng. He set down the file and watched You Mingxu return.

His gaze remained dark and quiet, but lacking the turbulent darkness from that day, appearing much more serene. He asked, “Have you thought it over?”

He hadn’t particularly lowered his voice, so the other two could naturally hear. You Mingxu replied, “We’ll discuss it later.”

She had barely sat down when his chair slowly slid over, one arm resting on her desk. They were a bit too close, and You Mingxu’s face tensed.

“I’ve waited five days,” he said.

Jing Ping seemed fine, keeping his head down while preparing projection materials, but Xu Mengshan, though looking at his computer, was smiling. You Mingxu felt very awkward and shot Yin Feng a cold glance, whispering, “Shut up.”

Yin Feng studied her for a moment before saying flatly, “Then I won’t wait anymore.”

You Mingxu froze for a moment, not understanding his meaning. Was he giving up on waiting for her?

“Good, don’t wait then. That’s better.”

He remained silent.

Jing Ping had finished preparing the materials and looked around, asking, “Shall we begin?”

You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan both agreed, while Yin Feng placed one hand on the back of You Mingxu’s chair and nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Xu Mengshan’s heart suddenly jolted: Here we go again! It’s happening again! This was exactly how Yin Feng used to be, constantly hovering around Sister Yu, inseparable. Had he finally come to his senses?

Though looking at his current demeanor, he seemed even more persistent than before.

Jing Ping also noticed Yin Feng’s gesture, and somehow, when he looked up, his eyes met You Mingxu’s.

They both quickly looked away.

The first image to appear on the screen was of a man around fifty years old. At first glance, you’d never take him for a corporate CEO – he looked more like a scholar. The man was tall and slim with fair skin, and despite the grey at his temples, he still maintained an elegant, scholarly appearance. His suit fit him like a young man’s, his figure still perfectly maintained. You could easily imagine how handsome he must have been in his youth, with his broad forehead, long eyebrows, and slightly upturned eyes. His nose was straight and proud, his lips neither thin nor thick.

This was Xing Jifu, Chairman and behind-the-scenes leader of the Kaiyang Group. Rumors suggested he had underworld origins, with three generations of his family involved in questionable dealings. But now his visible corporate assets were all legitimate – real estate, finance, logistics, environmental protection… It was said he had donated to many Hope Schools and made numerous contributions to the city. He completely embodied the image of a socially responsible entrepreneur.

The first photo to the left below his was of his eldest son, Xing Yanjun. While Xing Jifu himself had graduated from Renmin University, Xing Yanjun had surpassed his father, completing his undergraduate studies at Tsinghua University and earning his master’s degree in America, returning to China less than two years ago. He was being groomed as Xing Jifu’s successor and crown prince. Currently, as the group’s vice president, Xing Yanjun was involved in many aspects of business management.

The younger son was still studying abroad, reportedly majoring in literature, and being quite young, hadn’t touched any of the family business.

Next to Xing Yanjun was a man in his late twenties with tea-colored hair. He wore a black jacket over a grey t-shirt, with strong facial features and cold eyes.

Jing Ping explained, “This is Xing Jifu’s godson, Huang Long. His parents are deceased; they both used to work for the Xing family. Xing Jifu currently has three unclear business sectors: finance, logistics, and legal affairs processing. Huang Long manages a finance company. He’s one of Xing Jifu’s most trusted confidants.”

To the right of Huang Long’s photo was a man in his forties. He was quite tall with a solid build, and unremarkable features, but sharp eyes.

Jing Ping continued, “This is Guo Feirong, another long-time associate of Xing Jifu, in charge of the logistics company. On the surface, this logistics company mainly handles internal group transportation, but I’ve investigated – despite having many employees and high costs, it’s consistently losing money, yet Xing Jifu keeps it running, and Guo Feirong remains one of his trusted lieutenants. So I suspect there’s something fishy going on.”

Given Jing Ping’s extensive experience in narcotics enforcement, both You Mingxu and Xu Mengshan nodded at his observation. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

The next confidant’s photo was of someone they all knew well – Luo Yu.

Luo Yu had graduated from the Provincial University of Political Science and Law. After graduation, he joined his current law firm, and through unknown connections, established ties with the Kaiyang Group. Now holding absolute shares in the firm, he essentially provided dedicated service to Kaiyang. His presence could be found in many of Kaiyang Group’s key decision-making events. He was considered one of the fastest-rising figures in Xing Jifu’s inner circle in recent years.

The remaining individuals were Kaiyang Group’s middle and senior management, mostly with clean backgrounds, engaged in legitimate business operations. In other words, Kaiyang Group’s operations ran on two tracks. One was normal; the other, which the police already suspected, involved grey areas, borderline activities, and possibly illegal dealings. However, they had yet to obtain any evidence.

A Yunnan border drug trafficking organization was seeking cooperation partners in Central China, and Kaiyang Group might be that partner. This suggested that Kaiyang Group’s involvement might be deeper than the police had originally suspected.

However, Guo Xing, the police undercover agent who had acted as the Yunnan organization’s advance scout, had been unexpectedly killed by a victim’s family member. Both sides were currently maintaining their positions. The fact that Luo Yu had been spotted near the scene of Guo Xing’s death was crucial evidence of Kaiyang Group’s connection to the Yunnan organization.