However, Chen Feng’s face revealed nothing. Without looking at Yin Feng, he addressed You Mingxu directly: “Boss Lady, Ding Xiongwei and several leaders are coming to visit Teacher Yin. They’ll be here shortly.”

You Mingxu saw that Yin Feng was in good spirits—after all, during their recent kiss… he’d been quite responsive—so she nodded in agreement. She had no reason to feel awkward staying; everyone knew about their relationship anyway. She and Chen Feng prepared several cups of tea just as Ding Xiongwei and the leaders arrived.

You Mingxu stepped aside.

Ding Xiongwei glanced at her with a perfectly measured smile before joining the other leaders at Yin Feng’s bedside.

You Mingxu noticed that Yin Feng was quite the actor in front of others. Gone was his earlier hot-and-cold, alternately cute and cool tsundere behavior from when they were alone. Though pale, he maintained an appropriate smile, neither servile nor arrogant, handling the situation with ease.

The leaders inquired about Writer Yin’s injuries and asked some questions about the Punisher case, which Yin Feng answered one by one. As for the fact that the Punisher’s leader was his brother, the leaders didn’t mention it, and he did not explain. Everyone skirted around that topic.

Finally, the leaders noticed You Mingxu—they all knew her—and one said, “Mingxu, take good care of Teacher Yin.” They were all smiling.

You Mingxu nodded in agreement.

As they headed out and You Mingxu prepared to see them off, she caught Yin Feng watching her thoughtfully, wearing a slight smile. You Mingxu thought to herself that after the leaders’ show of support, his ego would be through the roof. She deliberately avoided his gaze as she walked out.

Ding Xiongwei, walking last, said to her, “Back together again?” His tone was impossible to read—joy or disappointment?

It was rare for Ding Xiongwei to gossip like this. You Mingxu made a noncommittal sound, then added directly, “We never stopped being together.”

Ding Xiongwei gave her a look that was hard to describe.

Then he said, “You need to return to duty tomorrow. With several of them injured, we need to wrap up the case, and other work needs your support. Can you return to Xiangcheng with me tomorrow?”

You Mingxu paused briefly before answering promptly, “Yes.”

Returning to the ward after seeing them off, she immediately noticed Yin Feng staring at her intently.

As she approached, a smile finally spread across his face. “Your superior, your superior’s superior and your superior’s superior’s superior all told you to… take good care of me.”

So that’s what he was gloating about. Just a polite phrase.

You Mingxu was silent for a moment, touching his face before saying, “Old Ding just said I need to return to Xiangcheng tomorrow for work. I have to go back.”

Yin Feng stared at her for several seconds before saying coldly, “You’re going back?”

You Mingxu didn’t appreciate his tone but held back, saying, “Many people in the team are injured now. Jing Ping and Xu Mengshan can’t leave yet, there’s a lot of wrap-up work for this case, plus other cases. Old Ding is short-handed; I can’t not go back. Yin Feng, I’m a police officer.”

Yin Feng turned his head aside, showing only his sharp profile.

“This injury will keep me in bed for at least a month,” he said. “Fine, go. I have Chen Feng.”

His tone was so cold it could have formed ice crystals. If they weren’t already so familiar with each other, You Mingxu would have thought he was the same Yin Feng who had just awakened—a cold, stubborn man.

You Mingxu felt like smiling, her heart softening a bit. She took his hand; he didn’t respond.

She said, “I’ll come see you whenever I can. I’ll call you.”

He let out a near-mocking snort, seemingly dismissing her words entirely.

But You Mingxu leaned closer, saying softly, “A-Feng, you’ve been acting spoiled with me all day—isn’t that enough?”

Yin Feng didn’t speak, but the hand she held suddenly tightened, and that cold profile was once again tinged with crimson.

“What did you say?” The words came slowly through his clenched teeth.

You Mingxu lightly patted his unusually flushed handsome face and said, “Although I don’t know exactly what you’re being awkward about… when you figure it out, give me a call.”