The morning was still young, with soft, clear sunlight filtering through.

“You Ming Xu, come here,” Yin Feng said.

You Ming Xu thought to herself, ‘So he’s not calling me ‘sister’ anymore?’ But she didn’t mind and walked over, asking, “What is it?”

He looked up at her. “What are we doing today?”

You Ming Xu: “…”

She continued, “First, go freshen up. You know how to brush your teeth and wash your face, right? Clean off the sleep from your eyes and mouth.”

“Mm!” Yin Feng obediently got out of bed and went to the bathroom. You Ming Xu sat down on the edge of the bed, thinking again of the man in the photograph. Suddenly, it all seemed laughable and unreal.

He emerged shortly after, clean and tidy. You Ming Xu said, “You’re still injured, lie down while we talk.”

He climbed back into bed. You Ming Xu noticed that when he was awake, his lying posture was quite domineering – long legs spread out, hands behind his head, like some kind of lord.

“Yin Feng, I’m a police officer, and I have lots of work to do every day. Including follow-up work on that bad person Gu Tian Cheng, we caught a few days ago. As for you, your injuries haven’t healed, and your brain isn’t better yet. When your brain recovers, you’ll be smarter, right? So now, I need to go to work. You should stay here and recover properly. Let’s both do what we need to do and then… then we can meet again and play together, okay?”

Anyone who knew You Ming Xu well would have their jaw drop hearing her speak so gently and patiently. Usually, she was incredibly cold and ruthless toward men who clung to her.

But You Ming Xu understood that Yin Feng was now like a child of ten or so years, naive and simple. Yet he was stubborn about things he’d decided on, single-minded. How unfortunate that she’d been caught in his arms right when he woke up, completely capturing his imprinting instinct. But it didn’t matter – she was a cunning criminal investigator. She hadn’t played the role of weakness with Gu Tian Cheng for nothing. First, placate Yin Feng, put him off, and after some time passed, she wouldn’t care what happened to him.

Perhaps because her reasoning was too logical to refute, Yin Feng lowered his head. You Ming Xu found herself staring at his fair, well-defined neck. There was a kind of masculine vitality even in its purity.

“Do you have to go to work?” he asked.

“Yes, otherwise I’ll lose my job and income,” she said. “And then I won’t be able to help other people either.”

Yin Feng’s lips were pressed tight, for some unknown reason. Those pitch-black, bright eyes made You Ming Xu feel somewhat guilty. She wondered if when someone’s brain was injured to the point of innocence, worldly eyes truly became pure.

He lowered his hands from behind his head and said, “Alright. Go to work then, I’ll work hard on recovering too. But when will you come to see me again?”

You Ming Xu said, “In a few days.”

Escaping so easily from the little fledgling’s hospital room, You Ming Xu couldn’t help but admire herself. Chen Feng was waiting right outside the door, and for a moment, even he seemed surprised to see her.

“Handled it,” You Ming Xu tossed the words at him as she passed by.

“Thank you,” Chen Feng said quickly, glancing into the room and lowering his voice. “Miss You, I hope… you can come to visit Teacher Yin frequently. Please.”

You Ming Xu gave him a look but didn’t answer.

Fortunately, there were spare clothes at the police station. After arriving, You Ming Xu first took a shower and then threw herself into intense work.

The day passed without notice. Due to the major case of Gu Tian Cheng, everyone worked on empty stomachs until they left the police station as the first lights of the evening were coming on.

Everyone went for a late dinner.

Sitting in their familiar restaurant, this table of police officers didn’t look much different from others around them. Except for their slightly louder voices, they all looked quite energetic, with an air of authority.

You Ming Xu was drinking a bottle of beer, listening to them talk about various amusing incidents, misfortunes, things they looked down on or got excited about. Sometimes she’d interject a few words, joining in their cursing, sarcasm, or hearty laughter.

Just as the wine’s fragrance was getting strong, Xu Meng Shan leaned close to her ear and said, “You asked me to keep an eye on Yin Feng and his assistant, and I did.”

You Ming Xu also lowered her voice: “And?”

Xu Meng Shan: “This morning I went to scout around, and saw you coming out of his hospital room, still wearing yesterday’s clothes, looking refreshed and glowing.”

You Ming Xu: “Get lost!”

Under the lights, her partner’s eyes gleamed with amusement. Officer Xu, usually considered quiet and reserved, was now grinning like a fox.

Fan Jia caught bits of their conversation and leaned in: “What’s up? Why is Sister You getting angry again?”

You Ming Xu shot Xu Meng Shan a hateful glance, but he had already lifted his single eyelid slightly and said extremely quickly and quietly: “She spent last night in Yin Feng’s hospital room.”

Fan Jia’s eyes widened, that gossipy, lewd smile almost jumping out of them. Fortunately, the two of them were discreet, speaking softly enough that the other officers didn’t notice their whispering. You Ming Xu said, “Bullshit. He’s like a child now, I just went to visit and comfort him yesterday. Xu Meng Shan, you single dog can’t find a girlfriend but you’re quite active in imagining things, Old Lady Xu!”

Old Lady Xu didn’t mind at all, picking up some barbecue skewers and eating them, then patting Fan Jia’s head, saying, “Who would have thought our ruthless Sister You would like this type? No wonder all those men who pursued her before had no chance. Sister You like them young.”

Fan Jia: “Yeah, yeah, but an older sister liking a young puppy seems quite fitting actually.”

You Ming Xu took a big gulp of beer and only spat out two words: “Wanna die.”

The other two clinked their beer bottles.

You Ming Xu couldn’t help but smile, too lazy to bother with them. The image of Yin Feng’s “young and cute” appearance from this morning floated through her mind, making it seem even more amusing.

Fan Jia then said, “Wonder if Writer Yin’s brain can recover. If it does recover, he’s quite a catch, isn’t he? Tall, handsome, and talented. I heard just from writing books, making movies, and running his culture company, his annual income is over 100 million! He’s been on the writers’ rich list. Hey, Sister You, look how fate brought you two together, and now he likes you and sticks to you. Why don’t you take advantage while his brain isn’t working right and make things official? When he wakes up later, he’ll already be yours, and there’ll be nothing he can do about it, you can do whatever you want…”

You Ming Xu was amused by this girl’s words and couldn’t be bothered to respond, but Xu Meng Shan said, “Come on, don’t treat him like he’s such a catch, we’re just joking. Never mind that his brain isn’t right now, even if it was normal, would he be worthy of Sister You? I checked yesterday, before his accident, he publicly dated two girlfriends, both internet celebrities and young models. What’s good about that kind of man?”

Fan Jia was stunned into silence. You Ming Xu’s expression remained indifferent as she sneered, “What’s it got to do with me?”

After eating, the group left the restaurant and split up to take taxis home. You Ming Xu, Xu Meng Shan, and Fan Jia shared one cab. They dropped You Ming Xu off at her residential complex entrance. You Ming Xu let out a small beer burp, shoulder bag slung across her body, but after walking just a few steps, she saw a car parked by the roadside with someone leaning against it.