You Mingxu wasn’t afraid of being drugged—police were everywhere, inside and out. Besides, Luo Yu was too shrewd to do something that would give others leverage over him. She picked up the tea and sipped it slowly.

Luo Yu smiled slightly, returned to his seat, and said, “It’s been a long time since we sat down to eat together.”

You Mingxu didn’t respond.

He wasn’t bothered, continuing to reminisce: “I remember last time at your place, I made Sichuan sour soup fish hotpot for you. You said my cooking was good. Back then, I thought I’d finally found a companion, and then we…”

He trailed off.

You Mingxu could barely remember what happened that night, probably just letting him hold her, touch her hand, take some small liberties. After all, she was just a short-haired female police officer then, and he was an elite young lawyer who’d pursued her through matchmaking, treating her well every day. They had both cherished what they had.

You Mingxu: “Shut up.”

Luo Yu smiled, his gaze passing over her to the silent tree branches and eaves outside the window. “Whether you believe it or not, I was truly happy during that time. I thought if I could spend my life with you, I might be willing to give everything up, quit all this, and start fresh.”

He wasn’t entirely lying, You Mingxu knew. She still remembered how he would unconsciously look at her back then, with deep, intense eyes—the way a man looks at a woman.

But You Mingxu hadn’t come today to hear his confessions.

She even felt an urge to explode in anger. If it turned out he was just harassing and disgusting her like before, with no real intelligence to share, she would have to grab him and beat him up.

Just then, a subordinate knocked, and servers entered with dishes. Luo Yu said, “Let’s eat first.”

Once all the dishes were served, everyone else withdrew, leaving just the two of them again.

Luo Yu said, “How did you end up in A-Hua’s car that day?”

You Mingxu glanced at him.

So he hadn’t known she would be there beforehand, yet upon seeing the situation, he’d shot A-Hua without hesitation to save her?

Even if he had been plotting against A-Hua, there surely was no need to kill him. Having one of them die by his hand would only increase the risk. So had it been for her?

“Thanks for that day,” You Mingxu said.

Luo Yu picked up a napkin, wiped his mouth corner, and said, “No need. Whoever touches you, I kill them.”

You Mingxu was momentarily stunned.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” he said.

His question wasn’t easy to answer. Regarding Sister Yun and the meeting, You Mingxu didn’t know how much intelligence Luo Yu had gathered.

She said, “I also received orders to temporarily assist another team in arresting someone at the XX Hotel, but we came up empty. I saw A-Hua and his group and found them suspicious, so I followed them and pretended to be caught off guard when they took me into the car. I wanted to follow the lead, and you saw what happened after.”

The XX Hotel was where Sister Yun had been staying.

Her words were deliberately ambiguous, but she didn’t miss the flash of pleasure in Luo Yu’s eyes. You Mingxu’s heart stirred—so Luo Yu had also intended to get information from her today.

He stirred the small spoon in his soup bowl and said, “Do you know who they were trying to arrest?”

You Mingxu said, “Do you think I can tell you that?”

Luo Yu smiled slightly and said, “I know most of what you say isn’t true. But telling me this much is enough.”

You Mingxu: “Why did you appear there yesterday?”

Luo Yu looked at her and smiled. That look was clear—there’s no need to pretend and probe about things we both understand.

You Mingxu leaned back, laying her cards on the table: “Why did you invite me here?”

The smile gradually faded from Luo Yu’s face, his eyes growing dark: “You Mingxu, I know what you want. You probably also guess what I want. But in this world, wanting to get anything that doesn’t belong to you requires paying a price and taking risks. You and I are the same, cops and criminals are the same. Seeing you like this today, I can’t help myself! It makes my heart itch! Suddenly I want to make a big gamble, see which of us can devour the other. Let’s make a deal!”

“What deal?”

He stood up, walked to her side, placed his hand on her shoulder, and said, “Stay by my side for two months, give me a chance. Don’t you want to investigate Kaiyang? Follow me, and whatever you can discover depends on your ability. Either you send me to prison, or I send you to bed. Dare to try?”