Luo Yu held a gun, the gunpowder scent still lingering, his expression indiscernible in the darkness.
“Take them away,” Luo Yu ordered.
Several subordinates quickly dragged away the two unconscious men and the shot-dead Ah Hua.
You Mingxu stepped out of the car.
Luo Yu watched her.
He smiled: “Baby, I just saved your life. How do you plan to repay me?”
You Mingxu thought it was Yin Feng who saved me. But her face showed appropriately complex emotions, avoiding mention of his shooting to prevent angering him. She bit her lip and asked, “Why are you here?”
You Mingxu had her doubts—since Ah Hua and his men were Kaiyang Group’s contacts, they were on the same side as Luo Yu. Why would he shoot them? Was it just to save her?
Luo Yu: “You’re so clever, can’t you guess what your husband came to do? If it were any other woman in that car, I’d have thrown her in the pond to feed the fish. Damn it, it had to be you. You Mingxu, this one’s on your tab. Listen, you never saw me tonight, and I never saw you. If I hear even a whisper about this, I’ll kill you. Tomorrow noon, noon, meet me at 23 Wenshan Road.”
You Mingxu remained silent and still, watching them get in their cars and drive away.
As soon as they were gone, movement rustled in the surrounding grass as Jing Ping and his team emerged. As You Mingxu had suspected, they had arrived earlier but were observing the situation. She immediately ran to the trunk and flung it open. Yin Feng stood up and climbed out. Others rushed over. He looked as disheveled as she did, covered in dirt, blood on his forehead, multiple scrapes on his face, gun in hand.
Before she could speak, Yin Feng’s body fell toward her, and You Mingxu caught him. He wasn’t unsteady—the embrace was just too sudden and forceful, pulling her entirely into his arms.
Seeing this, the others remained silent. You Mingxu let him hold her for a moment before pushing him away, saying, “Enough.”
She felt annoyed with herself—why use that tone with him? Was she treating him like the person he used to be?
Yin Feng’s eyes were dark.
Earlier, in the dark, bouncing trunk, with that painful collision, more memories had surfaced in Yin Feng’s mind.
He remembered Tibet.
Remembered that weak, terrified soul, trapped in a trunk just like this—stinking, hungry, scared.
Then he heard that woman’s soft, familiar voice.
…
He crawled out of the sleeping bag to see those clear eyes like clouds drifting over the plateau. She held his hand, let him rest his head on her lap, and blew smoke in his face that made him scrunch up his features while she chuckled…
Bittersweet emotions rapidly filled his chest. Yin Feng once again felt overwhelmed with tenderness, almost needing to catch his breath. God, he realized that even back then, she had been unconsciously seducing him, cherishing him.
What a feeling it was, to be cherished by a woman, to be loved like a precious pet. He found himself desperately wanting to taste that again.
So when the trunk opened and her face appeared, showing concern and tenderness in the moonlight, Yin Feng felt his heart surge—she was so good at giving him what he craved, fulfilling his wishes so quickly, making his whole body tremble slightly. Thus, Yin Feng almost uncontrollably pulled her into his embrace. He just wanted to possess her completely.
After she pushed him away, despite his emotional turmoil, Yin Feng spoke coolly: “You Mingxu, you owe me your life.”
You Mingxu thought, you’ve forgotten, I owe you far more than one life.
But she pushed away this tall human attachment: “Get off!”
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Yin Feng stopped his advances. Xu Mengshan, seeing their injuries, asked, “Are you both alright?”
You Mingxu glanced at Yin Feng, his forehead still bleeding, and said, “We’re fine.” She reached into her pocket for a tissue, about to hand it to him. But Yin Feng had already pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, looking at her.
Their eyes met as they both held out their hands.
Yin Feng suddenly smiled.
You Mingxu turned away, using the tissue to wipe blood from her face.
Jing Ping surveyed the area around the car and asked, “They took everyone away?”
You Mingxu nodded.
Jing Ping said, “Something’s suspicious here. I’ve sent a car to follow them. Let’s discuss this back at the station.”
—
It was already late at night.
Back in the police station office, You Mingxu and Yin Feng’s wounds had been treated simply—fortunately all superficial. Yin Feng’s face bore two bandages, while You Mingxu wasn’t much better, with gauze on her arms and knees.
The four sat down.
You Mingxu said, “Luo Yu arranged to meet me tomorrow at noon, 23 Wenshan Road. I checked—it’s an upscale restaurant known for privacy.”
Yin Feng’s brows furrowed.
Jing Ping said, “I just spoke with Sister Yun. She’s confessed and is willing to cooperate with the police for a reduced sentence. She said she’d met Ah Hua yesterday. That’s why Ah Hua recognized our identities as soon as he arrived today.”
Xu Mengshan said, “This Ah Hua was something else.”
You Mingxu realized it made sense. Ah Hua had sensed something wrong as soon as he saw her but showed no signs. With his experience, he probably knew the room was full of police. He went along with it, asking You Mingxu to come with him. The police couldn’t have anticipated every possibility, and with hotel guests in the hallway to consider, they could only play along and follow.
So the plan to lose the police and subdue You Mingxu was something Ah Hua had designed en route.
He just hadn’t expected You Mingxu to be so strong, nearly winning against three opponents. If not for that final crash and Ah Hua’s lucky retrieval of the gun, they might all have ended up in police custody.
You Mingxu now turned to Yin Feng: “How did you get into the trunk?”
Jing Ping and Xu Mengshan also looked at him. When the police first mobilized, they’d discovered Yin Feng missing, couldn’t reach him by phone, and with the urgent situation, couldn’t spare time to look for him. Who knew he would appear as if from nowhere, emerging from the trunk?
But Yin Feng didn’t care to explain how he’d taken shortcuts, climbed roofs, and scrambled to beat Ah Hua’s group, picking the car lock to hide inside. He said simply, “How could I let you face danger alone?”
You Mingxu stopped questioning him. Xu Mengshan smiled and said, “Teacher Yin is quite impressive—before it was just his mind that was sharp, now his physical skills and reactions are so agile too.”
Yin Feng now found Xu Mengshan quite agreeable, giving a faint smile: “Not agile, just barely keeping up with her.”
You Mingxu: “…”
Jing Ping then asked, “Xiao Yu, why do you think Luo Yu appeared there?”
Yin Feng glanced at him again.
You Mingxu answered, “I don’t think he was there to assist Ah Hua.”