He was three or four years older than her—yet walking down the street like this, no one mocked him. They probably just saw him as a trendy, free-spirited young man.

You Mingxu couldn’t help but smile slightly.

She had already changed out of her police uniform into a simple white T-shirt and ankle-length pants. Her long hair fell loosely around her shoulders, her body still carrying the distinct scent of a female detective’s sweat, mixed with her natural fragrance, drifting into Yin Feng’s nose with the breeze. Usually maintaining a cold demeanor, her smile now made her natural beauty bloom uninhibited. Her phoenix eyes were long and graceful, her red lips slightly parted. Her whole face seemed to radiate with a vivid, alluring light.

Yin Feng didn’t know why he was observing her so carefully. Everything was quite peaceful, but then he felt blood rushing toward his heart. He could even feel his heartbeat quickening—thump, thump, thump. It seemed that from their very first meeting, You Mingxu had always stirred up these restless feelings in him, yet paradoxically, those feelings were peaceful and special.

He felt too embarrassed to keep staring at her face, feeling his face grow warm as if he’d done something shameful. So he turned his head to watch a group of children chasing and playing on the slope.

Suddenly, an intense, clear desire arose in Yin Feng’s heart. This desire gave him a sense of sudden enlightenment, as his previous wicked impulses toward her suddenly found their purpose.

You Mingxu had no idea his psychological activity was so complex and rich; she thought he was just spacing out. Then she heard Yin Feng say, “Xu, will you chase me?”

You Mingxu looked up at him, silent.

She saw the handsome young man in green clothes and pants, his face breaking into an incredibly bright and brilliant smile. He was like a pure, radiant being, gleaming in the starlit night.

“Come chase me,” his voice was deep and magnetic as he quickly turned and ran.

You Mingxu closed her eyes, opened them after a few seconds, and shouted, “You stand right there! Don’t. You. Dare. Run!”

—

They were already walking back home.

You Mingxu walked ahead with a lazy expression, while Yin Feng followed a person’s distance behind her in silence. You Mingxu knew he was sulking—he had learned to sulk—just because she wouldn’t play his “chase me, chase me” game.

Let him be.

But after walking for a while, he started dawdling again. You Mingxu turned back irritably: “What now?”

He had stopped, intently watching the space beside the greenway—where several children around ten years old were playing soccer. You Mingxu watched his head turn back and forth, following the ball.

Just like a cat watching a ball of yarn.

You Mingxu couldn’t help but laugh, asking, “Want to play?”

“Mm.” Yin Feng was already walking toward the children. You Mingxu watched his much taller figure, hesitated for a moment, wanted to stop him, but ultimately remained silent.

The children all saw him but continued playing their game. He seemed unsure how to approach his “peers,” so he just stood to the side with his hands in his pockets.

Soon, the ball rolled to his feet. You Mingxu saw him smile faintly and kick it. His kick was good, with steady power and angle. One child exclaimed “Damn!” and had to chase quite far to catch up with the ball. By now, Yin Feng had taken his hands out of his pockets, his expression loosening, showing subtle pride as he waited to continue playing.

However, the children looked at each other, and the oldest one looked at this strange uncle, showing a rather cold, disdainful expression, saying: “Let’s go!”

The children ran away with the ball, looking back vigilantly at Yin Feng as they fled.

Yin Feng’s expression gradually stiffened as he stood motionless. You Mingxu walked up and patted his shoulder: “Let’s go.”

He followed without a word.

You Mingxu looked at his long shadow under the streetlight, falling at her feet, appearing even more lonely and stubborn than usual. She suddenly realized something.

She realized that no matter how brilliant and proud this man had once been when he woke up with a child-like mind, this world had become completely unknown and strange to him, even incompatible. Adults wouldn’t treat him normally, and neither would children.

Perhaps he couldn’t find his place anymore.

Was that why… he was so dependent on her? The first person he saw when he woke up.

You Mingxu didn’t like seeing him this way; it made her feel uncomfortable.

“Hey,” she spoke up, “it’s no big deal, they played terribly anyway.”

Yin Feng remained silent.

You Mingxu stood still, rose slightly on her toes, and patted his head: “Alright, let’s go home.”

“Mm.” Though he responded, he turned his head away, avoiding her gaze. You Mingxu noticed his ears seemed to be red. Still angry? Feeling embarrassed?

You Mingxu laughed, and somehow found herself blurting out: “I’ll buy you a soccer ball tomorrow.”

He turned to face her, his eyes already bright: “Really?”

“What do you mean really or not, it’s just a ball,” You Mingxu said.

Before she could finish speaking, a pair of large hands suddenly gripped her waist from behind. You Mingxu’s whole body stiffened as she was lifted high into the air. Passersby all showed expressions of surprise and amusement.

“Yay…” Yin Feng cheered softly.

You Mingxu: “…Put me down, damn it!”

After all this dawdling, they didn’t get home until after nine.

As soon as they stepped through the door, You Mingxu’s phone rang. Seeing it was Ding Xiongwei calling, her expression turned serious, and she answered while still standing in the entryway: “Captain Ding.”

“There’s been a murder at Wangyue Mountain Residential Complex, preliminary report shows three dead, get your people back here immediately!”

You Mingxu: “Yes, sir!”

After hanging up, she saw Yin Feng watching her with concern. You Mingxu pushed him aside, rushed into the house, quickly got dressed, and gathered her things before returning. She saw him still standing there, looking at her reluctantly. Just like a child watching their mother heading out for overtime work.

You Mingxu patted his head: “Go to sleep by yourself, if anything happens, find Chen Feng, don’t look for me.” She headed out and down the stairs.

Yin Feng stood there for a while, then sat down and thought for a moment, looking up at the quiet house. He took out his phone.

Chen Feng: “Teacher Yin, what can I do for you?”

Yin Feng: “Xu went to work on a case, get me a car ready, I want to follow her.”

Chen Feng: “That might be… inappropriate…”

Yin Feng interrupted him: “It’s so late, and I heard on the phone it’s a murder case. I’m worried about her safety. Besides, I feel like I’m… quite good at investigating cases. Don’t say anymore, do as I say, prepare the car.”

Chen Feng: “Yes, sir.”

—

Wangyue Mountain Residential Complex was located in the busy city center, adjacent to schools. Even at night, there was constant traffic and pedestrian flow. When You Mingxu and her team arrived at the crime scene, they found crowds of people gathered three layers deep, all pointing and discussing.

The street lamps were bright, and police lights flashed. You Mingxu led her team through the crowd, ducking under the police tape as they entered. Many eyes fell on them, but You Mingxu ignored them. At times like these, she always felt a strange stillness in her heart. As if she and the excited crowd stood in two different worlds.

The complex was quite old, but being in a school district, it had many non-local residents. The deceased family were tenants. Walking up the worn stairs, Fan Jia muttered behind her, “Damn, there are kids too.” Xu Mengshan and You Mingxu remained silent.

They reached Room 301.

You Mingxu glanced at the neighboring 302, noting that both the door frame and doormat were much more refined than 301’s. At the moment, 302’s door was tightly closed, presumably, no one was home.

You Mingxu entered 301.

The first thing that hit her was the thick smell of blood. You Mingxu put on shoe covers and gloves, breathing slowly to adjust while scanning the door, flicking the broken lock with her finger.

Xu Mengshan had already briefly conferred with the first responding officers and reported, “An upstairs neighbor saw blood flowing out from under the door, knocked and called with no response, so they called the police. The lock was intact when we arrived; we had to force it open.”

It was a small two-bedroom apartment, visible from end to end. But now, it was a bloody mess. Blood stains were everywhere on the floor, along with bloody footprints, and some bloody handprints on the walls. Two chairs were overturned, and the tea table and desk were crooked.

Most striking were the thick drag marks on the floor by the kitchen door.

An officer came over and said, “They’re in the kitchen.”

You Mingxu led the way.

As soon as she reached the kitchen doorway, she saw them.

There was a wooden table against the wall, and they were piled under it.

At the bottom was a small boy, no more than 5 years old judging by his size. He was lying face down; from You Mingxu’s angle, they could see his bottom and legs.

An 8 or 9-year-old girl was overlapping the boy. She was still wearing her school uniform, now completely soaked in blood. You Mingxu could see her profile, drained of all color.

On top was a woman, appearing to be in her forties, lying across the two children with her knees half-bent. One arm was trapped under her body, the other hanging naturally, not embracing the children. The woman had several deep wounds on her body.