“I want an autograph too,” Fan Jia mumbled at the next table.

Xu Mengshan: “Yeah, me too.”

You Mingxu ignored them, continuing to eat quietly with Yin Feng. She still found the situation novel and strange. The person before her, who had seemed so pathetic when they first met and now stubbornly insisted on living at her place, following her around like a baby bird, was a celebrity whose autograph others prized.

“Sign one for me when we get back,” You Mingxu said casually.

Yin Feng immediately smiled, nodding vigorously: “Mm! Look, Mingxu.” He stuck out his tongue, showing her how he could curl it, with a bean sprout rolled up in the middle.

“Eat properly!” You Mingxu said.

He lowered his head, then quickly stuck his tongue out again before pulling it back.

You Mingxu couldn’t help but laugh.

As an excellent criminal investigator, You Mingxu possessed keen awareness and intuition about her surroundings and crowd movements. Like now.

After eating a few bites, she suddenly sensed something off about the atmosphere. Glancing up, she noticed many officers whispering and looking their way. At 1:30, 3:00, 9:00, and 11:00 positions, people were pulling out notebooks and pens, looking eager. Several were walking toward them.

Their table had become the cafeteria’s epicenter of brewing excitement.

Meanwhile, the person across from her continued eating and playing, completely oblivious.

You Mingxu figured Yin Feng wouldn’t want to be surrounded here, that too many people crowding around might overwhelm him. Decision made, she patted his hand and stood up: “Come with me.”

Yin Feng stood immediately. Thus, under everyone’s watchful eyes, they managed to escape just before the crowd could converge.

You Mingxu led Yin Feng straight to her office. She worked in a large room with her team. Currently, only one or two people were napping there. Having brought him back, she realized he was like a hot potato—where could she put him now?

Yin Feng stood before her, looking at her expectantly, oil still in his mouth.

She pulled out a napkin and handed it to him: “Wipe it off.”

His eyes sparkled as he stood still, not taking it.

“What, you want me to wipe it for you?” she asked.

“I don’t know where it’s dirty,” he said. “I don’t think it’s dirty.”

You Mingxu, worried about other matters, absently said, “Come closer,” and instinctively reached up to wipe his mouth corner.

He immediately puckered his lips to make it easier for her to wipe. While You Mingxu searched her phone for Chen Feng’s number to come pick him up, she continued wiping. His skin felt soft, the man’s jawline clean and clearly defined, his lips full. She could feel slight warmth and moisture against her fingers. After a few wipes, she paused, threw away the napkin, and said without looking up: “Done.”

Yin Feng touched his mouth corner, speaking as if to himself: “Mingxu wiped it clean. My mouth feels like new.”

What kind of weird comparison was that? Seeing his serious, bright eyes, You Mingxu turned away, laughing again.

After three attempts, Chen Feng still wasn’t answering his phone.

You Mingxu looked up at Yin Feng, hesitated, and then asked: “Can you find your way home by yourself?”

Her mention of “home” somehow made Yin Feng’s heart warm. But he lowered his head, avoiding her direct gaze, and answered slowly: “I… can’t find it.”

You Mingxu pressed her temples: “I’ll call a car, give the driver the address, and have you sent back.”

He was quiet for a few seconds, then said softly: “I don’t want to ride alone, and I don’t want to ride with strangers. Mingxu, how long until you get off work? Can we go home together?”

——

You Mingxu had been working for quite a while when she happened to look up and saw him in the conference room, slouched in a chair like a boneless worm. Both legs propped up on the conference table. His shoes were off, revealing Ultraman socks. He was bored but refused to leave, insisting on waiting for her.

Earlier, when Yin Feng had asked to wait for her after work, she hadn’t immediately refused. Not because she planned to agree, but because as a police officer, his words about “not wanting to ride with strangers” had struck a nerve—she remembered what had happened to him in Tibet. If he feared that, it was only natural.

But she had work to finish and couldn’t leave. She could only temporarily leave him in the empty conference room. At least he had a high-level access pass, so it wasn’t against regulations.

She ended up working until sunset.

During this time, Yin Feng had pressed against the glass several times, looking at her longingly. But You Mingxu was too busy to pay attention. Seeing their situation, Fan Jia and Xu Mengshan were quite excited. Xu Mengshan said: “Sister, don’t bring your kid to work tomorrow. Looks too pitiful.” Fan Jia shook his head and sighed: “How sad, a great writer willing to become a caged bird, a pet in hand, just to win the cold-faced policewoman’s heart…”

You Mingxu: “Don’t you have work to do? Get lost.”

When the sunset’s glow filled the corridor and most office workers had left, You Mingxu finally stretched, then suddenly froze, turning to look.

Yin Feng had fallen asleep and curled up in the chair at some point.

Though the black leather chair was large, it was still cramped for his six-foot-plus frame. Yet he had somehow curled his entire body into it, filling it. Long legs tucked in, arms hugging his knees, head resting on his knees. His handsome face, nestled in the black leather, looked even more fair. A trail of drool ran from the corner of his mouth.

How could sleeping like that be comfortable? The thought suddenly occurred to her.

She quickly packed up her things, as most people had left the office by now. She walked into the conference room, stood before him, watched for a few seconds, then lightly patted his head: “Yin Feng, Yin Feng…”

He opened his eyes, looking around with a child-like confusion and helplessness before finally focusing on her face.

Then, he reached out both arms toward her.

You Mingxu froze, then her forehead twitched as she said: “Put your hands down. I’m not going to carry you.”

He silently lowered his hands.

You Mingxu: “Put your shoes on.”

He bent down to put on his shoes.

Seeing his pretty white sneakers, You Mingxu’s heart softened again, and she said in a gentler tone: “Alright, let’s go home.”

“Mm.” Yin Feng nodded vigorously, smiling happily again.

“Mingxu, this suspect might be lying.”

You Mingxu was startled, following his gaze. The conference room walls were covered with case materials and photos, including one corner about a home invasion rape case handled by others. Because it happened at night and the victim was panicked, they hadn’t gotten much useful information about the perpetrator.

You Mingxu quickly scanned the materials and asked: “What do you mean?”

Yin Feng stared at the wall, saying: “The crime occurred around 10 PM last night when rain was forecast. The suspect lives below the victim. When police arrived, his shoes and coat were wet with muddy water stains. He claimed he was out walking during the entire time of the crime and knew nothing about what happened. In the photos, the entryway is extremely neat and clean, spotless. The shoes and coat are visible.

But photos of other areas of his home, including the closet, living room, and bedroom, are messy and unkempt, obviously not cleaned for a long time. This shows his usual living habits. People often try to present fabricated evidence more clearly and perfectly to others. However, they tend to overlook small behavioral patterns and habits. I think the probability that someone who is usually messy would suddenly decide to clean only the entryway area thoroughly in the middle of the night, without expecting visitors, is very small and illogical. Although you haven’t found physical evidence yet, this is very clear behavioral evidence.”

After rattling all this off in one breath, Yin Feng himself seemed dazed.

You Mingxu watched him for a few seconds, took out her phone, and made a brief call to the officer in charge of the case. After hanging up, she saw Yin Feng scratching the back of his head, lost in thought.

You Mingxu felt a sudden wave of emotion.

“Let’s go home,” she said.

He seemed to have completely forgotten what just happened, happily stuffing both hands in his pockets and following closely behind her.