After a few seconds, You Mingxu finally spoke: “Are you dreaming?”

Luo Yu gripped her shoulders and said, “Mingxu, I won’t do anything to you—what could I possibly do? It’s just a thought, wanting to see you regularly, occasionally share a meal, and have a conversation. That’s enough. Who knows? As time passes, you might change your mind.”

Though it didn’t seem like much of a sacrifice, You Mingxu smiled and said, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll take down Kaiyang and you along with it?”

He smiled and uttered two words: “Not afraid.”

You Mingxu: “Sit back down. Keep your distance.”

Luo Yu complied readily, returning to his seat, still maintaining his dignified appearance. He said, “Take a day to consider it. If you agree, we’ll start tomorrow—at 2 PM at the Fufeng Golf Course. Join me for a game.”

You Mingxu left the restaurant and got into the concealed command vehicle parked at the street corner, where Jing Ping, Yin Feng, and Xu Mengshan were waiting.

All three looked at her.

You Mingxu recounted Luo Yu’s words in detail, though she omitted his comment about “you putting me in jail, and I’ll put you in bed.”

Among them, Xu Mengshan had the earliest contact with Luo Yu. He found it quite incredible—what criminal would dare keep a police officer by their side? Either they were too arrogant or had ulterior motives. But what could Luo Yu want from You Mingxu? Did he truly just want her company? Was he that infatuated? Had he lost his mind?

But then Xu Mengshan remembered Gu Tiancheng’s passionate declaration of love for You Mingxu before his death and began to believe in You Mingxu’s inexplicable attraction to scoundrels.

So the fox-like Xu remained silent, offering no opinion.

Jing Ping was also hesitant. Even with nearly ten years in narcotics enforcement, he’d never encountered a drug dealer making such a foolishly emotional request. Though slightly unsettled, reason prevailed. After weighing the pros and cons and feasibility, he finally said to You Mingxu: “It’s your decision.”

All three instinctively looked toward Yin Feng.

He sat with his long legs crossed, maintaining a genteel pose, as if he hadn’t heard anything. His expression remained indifferent, and he said nothing.

So You Mingxu said: “I’ll think about it.”

That afternoon, back at the bureau, You Mingxu sat in the spacious office for a while before taking her cigarettes and heading out. Less than a minute later, Yin Feng also rose and left.

Jing Ping and Xu Mengshan remained seated.

Given the many eyes and ears at the bureau, You Mingxu walked out of the main entrance and continued to the riverbank, where she found a patch of grass to sit on and lit a cigarette. After just two puffs, someone sat down beside her.

You Mingxu didn’t move a muscle.

Yin Feng said, “You’re not considering accepting his deal, are you?”

You Mingxu said, “I’ve thought it through. There’s no real danger—if Luo Yu wanted to do something to me, he would have done it that night. Since we suspect Luo Yu isn’t fully aligned with Kaiyang, and he’s offering such a flawed deal, I want to play along and figure out his true motives.”

He grabbed her hand that held the cigarette. He took the cigarette and extinguished it under his foot. You Mingxu glared at him.

Yin Feng: “You’re not going.”

You Mingxu: “What right do you have to stop me?”

He gave her a deep look and said, “Axu, you know what kind of person I am. I don’t want anyone touching even a finger.”

You Mingxu froze, looking at his cold, handsome face. His hands rested on his knees as he looked up at her, his gaze emanating an icy chill.

This Yin Feng was the complete opposite of the sunny Yu Yingjun. Yet why did that slowly rising feeling of tenderness in her heart feel the same?

But she quickly regained her composure—the investigation took priority.

“Whether you like it or not, I have to go,” You Mingxu stood up. “This is a lead to an entire drug trafficking route. Undercover officer Guo Xinggang sacrificed his life for this. Compared to all that, Yin Feng, we don’t matter.”

“I don’t matter?” he asked coldly.

You Mingxu didn’t want to argue with him, but she also disliked his forceful attitude and attempt to treat her like property. She simply said coolly, “Don’t interfere with my investigation. You couldn’t control me before, much less now.”

She walked back to the police station. When she reached the slope by the river, she looked back—Yin Feng stood there, still watching her with a gloomy expression.

As soon as You Mingxu returned to the office, she sent word to Luo Yu accepting his conditions.

Yin Feng never came back. Even by the time they finished work, he hadn’t reappeared.

—

Yin Feng went straight home.

Seeing his displeased expression, Tu Ya remained silent throughout the drive. After arriving home, he went directly to his study and closed the door.

Tu Ya had no choice but to call for Chen Feng.

Chen Feng knew without asking that it must involve You Mingxu. He’d heard from Tu Ya that these two were almost back together, so he didn’t hesitate to text You Mingxu: “What happened between you two? Teacher Yin looks particularly dejected after coming home.”

In truth, Teacher Yin looked more like a brooding firecracker, but Chen Feng deliberately used the intriguing word “dejected.”

After a while, You Mingxu replied: “Don’t worry about him, let him work it out himself.”

Chen Feng held his phone, thinking: Why did it feel like their interaction pattern and You Mingxu’s tone were reverting to old habits? Was You Mingxu so formidable that she could train a normal Teacher Yin to be as obedient as Yu Yingjun? If so, he would truly have to accept her as his new master, heart and soul.

Though internally gossiping, Chen Feng still cared about Yin Feng. After a while, he took some pastries and went to knock on the study door. Tu Ya, also concerned, quietly followed—he now considered himself someone who had made great behind-the-scenes contributions to their reconciliation, so how could he stop caring now?

“Come in,” Yin Feng’s voice came through, surprisingly not sounding angry.

When they entered, they found Yin Feng had opened the study’s small balcony door and was sitting outside watching the sunset. On the small table beside him sat a bottle of red wine and a wine glass.

“Have some food first, dinner will be ready soon,” Chen Feng said.

They had hired a new chef, though truly just a chef—one who would tremble at the sight of Tu Ya’s muscular frame.

Yin Feng said flatly, “No appetite. You two eat, don’t wait for me.”

Chen Feng pulled up a chair and sat beside him. Tu Ya looked around and found only a small stool, which he dragged over and managed to sit on.

Since they were there, Yin Feng reached for two more wine glasses from the cabinet nearby, and the three clinked glasses. Chen Feng had only intended to take a small sip, but unexpectedly, that bear Tu Ya downed his in one gulp and gave a silly grin. Yin Feng had also only planned to sip, but seeing this, he suddenly smiled and threw his back as well. His drinking posture was far more elegant than Tu Ya’s—the dark red wine lingering on his lips, which he gently wiped away with his hand, was so devilishly handsome that even Chen Feng and Tu Ya, both men, found it wicked and cool.

Tu Ya quickly refilled everyone’s glasses and said, “Teacher Yin, may your wishes come true soon!”

These words were skillfully chosen and pleasant to hear. Though Yin Feng was still full of dark clouds, he felt slightly better. Tu Ya downed another glass in one go, and Yin Feng, also feeling the need to vent, emptied his glass in one breath.