The apartment had been set up as a simple but functional surveillance room, equipped for staff on duty. After the meeting, You Mingxu took a disposable cup to get water from the kitchen.

“Couldn’t even get water at Luo Yu’s place?” came a voice from behind.

You Mingxu turned while drinking, looking at Jing Ping’s smiling face.

“Didn’t get around to it,” You Mingxu said. “Too busy exploring.”

Jing Ping pulled something from his pocket and handed it to her. You Mingxu examined it—wooden, flat, smooth, and warm to the touch, with an intricately carved bird at one end.

You Mingxu: “What’s this?”

Jing Ping demonstrated somewhat awkwardly: “For your hair.”

You Mingxu’s heart skipped a beat. It was similar to a hairpin. She smiled, “What for?”

Jing Ping gave her a knowing look, seeming to understand her hesitation. He pointed to the bird’s head: “Pull it out.”

You Mingxu pulled, discovering its secret mechanism. The outer part was a sheath concealing a razor-thin wooden knife, gleaming and extremely sharp. You Mingxu was instantly captivated, making a few practice moves: “Where did you get this?”

Jing Ping smiled: “A friend in Yunnan makes these. I remembered and had him send one over. Perfect for a female undercover agent.”

You Mingxu was delighted: “Thanks!”

Jing Ping gestured for the knife. Taking it, he weighed it in his hand, his fingers moving with incredible dexterity as the thin blade danced between them. Suddenly, he flicked his wrist, sending the blade flying to embed itself in the kitchen’s wooden door with a “thunk.”

You Mingxu raised her eyebrows, impressed by this hidden skill. She wasn’t proficient with knives and certainly couldn’t manage that. Jing Ping retrieved the knife and returned it to her: “Use it to do your hair, and if anyone offends you, pull it out and teach them a lesson.”

You Mingxu’s eyes danced with amusement. Instead of putting it in her hair, she played with it a bit more, then suddenly thrust it at Jing Ping. He smiled, easily sidestepping. You Mingxu changed direction mid-strike, slashing horizontally. Jing Ping said, “Already trying to cut me?” while swiftly catching her arm. His grip was quick and firm—You Mingxu couldn’t pull free as he smiled lazily. She kicked at his knee, but he hopped away just in time, then reached for her throat, making her flinch back sharply.

His hand changed direction mid-movement, instead tapping her head as he released her arm, saying: “So disrespectful!”

The usually cool beauty broke into a bright smile: “Old Jing, we need to have that sparring match someday!” Her fighting spirit had been aroused.

Jing Ping smiled mildly: “Sure. After we crack this case, I’ll sort you out.”

As they were laughing, You Mingxu noticed Jing Ping’s expression change. She turned to see Yin Feng standing in the kitchen doorway, his face expressionless.

Jing Ping left, giving them space.

You Mingxu slid the knife back into its sheath and quickly pinned up her hair with it. Yin Feng came to her side, touching the hairpin: “What is it?”

You Mingxu answered: “From Jing Ping. They make these in Yunnan. Might save my life in a pinch.”

Yin Feng said nothing.

You Mingxu raised her cup to drink, somewhat surprised—usually, he would have been sarcastically bristling by now. Suddenly, she felt a warm, wet sensation on her neck—he had licked her! Even her ears tingled as she glared at him: “What are you doing?”

Yin Feng’s expression remained neutral: “Kissing you.”

She knew it! He’d been waiting for this.

Licking her neck—was he a dog?

The thought made her pause suddenly. Images flashed through her mind of him as Yu Yingjun, looking up at her hopefully, crouching beside her feet, reaching up for hugs. She had wondered more than once then: was he a dog?

Mountains may move, but nature remains unchanged…

You Mingxu said coolly: “Did I say you could kiss me?”

Yin Feng remembered how she had smiled when Jing Ping tapped her head, and anger bubbled up inside him. He blurted out: “You once said I could kiss you however I wanted.”

They both froze at his words.

Yin Feng had a hazy vision of them in bed, faces closed, her eyes still red as she said: “I’m yours from now on. What more reward do you need? Kiss me when you want, do whatever you want, I’ll be with you.”

And what had he said?

Why did thinking of this scene fill his chest with such bitter emotion that threatened to overwhelm him?

But try as he might, he couldn’t remember what happened next.

Yin Feng collected himself, meeting her equally complex gaze. He smiled, lowering his head to her neck again, this time sucking instead of licking, leaving a mark before pulling away: “You’d better hope I don’t remember too soon.”

You Mingxu: “…”

She thought he’d only managed to behave for one night and morning before his irritating mischievousness returned. She pressed a hand against his face: “Thirty years, remember? Take your time.”

He smiled down at her, turning serious: “I didn’t tell them everything earlier. There are 35 cameras. Two more are in your bedroom, and I’m not sharing that feed with them.”

You Mingxu gave him a look.

He continued: “One faces the bed, one faces the closet by the door. The closet area near the window is a blind spot.”

His meaning was clear—the blind spot was for her to change clothes.

You Mingxu wouldn’t let their friction affect the bigger picture; having cameras in the bedroom was safer. But still…

“Why not share with them?”

He leaned back against the marble counter, expression distant: “Don’t want to.”

You Mingxu: “…”

—

As evening approached, You Mingxu ate takeout with them before slowly returning to Luo Yu’s place.

Luo Yu hadn’t returned yet, and the spacious apartment was silent. Knowing that 35 pairs of eyes were watching her made You Mingxu feel both incredibly secure and somewhat helpless.

She went to her bedroom and rested against the headboard, suddenly remembering Yin Feng’s words about a camera facing the bed. She looked at the curtains, curtain rod, desk lamp, and drawer handles, and couldn’t help but smile.

Across the street, in the surveillance room, Yin Feng had naturally claimed a bedroom for himself and his subordinates. Additionally, the video feed from You Mingxu’s bedroom streamed directly to his phone. Now he reclined in his chair as a gentle breeze came through the window, watching You Mingxu enter her bedroom and lean against the bed.

He kept watching.

Suddenly, she smiled.

Smiled at him.