You Mingxu’s words left her feeling deeply conflicted as she lowered her head and shoved him away forcefully. Yet he persisted, grabbing her hand again. They struggled back and forth – her pulling away, him grabbing on – until she finally snapped. With sudden force, she pinned him against the wall, her eyes blazing. “Can’t you understand simple words? Stop acting foolish and playing cute right now…”

Before she could finish speaking, Yin Feng leaned forward and pressed his lips firmly against hers. You Mingxu froze, her entire body trembling. He took advantage of her surprise to wrap his arms around her waist, kissing her more intensely, like a young wolf. That familiar sensation spread throughout her mouth, and You Mingxu felt years of suppressed emotions explode within her. Grievance, pain, willingness, chaos, extreme sweetness, and excitement… everything mixed together.

But the reason remained. She pushed his face away, and he hit the wall, both of them breathing heavily. Yet he continued to gaze at her steadily as he said, “Ah Xu, I’m not a child. I might still be a bit foolish, but I understand everything you’re thinking. Don’t be sad, and don’t blame yourself – it wasn’t your fault. Investigation work always comes with risks and uncertainties. You’re human, not a god. You can’t predict everything.

Besides, you have me by your side! No matter who you need to fight against next, no matter how difficult things get, You Yingjun will always be with you.” He finished with a silly yet brilliant smile.

You Mingxu felt terrible inside. The chaotic emotions that had found no outlet suddenly dissipated, leaving her feeling both dejected and ashamed. She thought to herself: What am I doing? Just because he’s a bit silly and always accommodates me, does that give me the right to snap at him? And what’s with him suddenly kissing me – isn’t everything chaotic enough already?

She released his collar and walked away.

He followed a few steps behind.

By the time they reached the interrogation room door, You Mingxu had calmed down. She said first, “Come in with me. Help me assess the situation.”

Yin Feng: “Mm.”

As she gripped the door handle, she turned to look at him, finding his dark eyes already fixed on her. Somehow, You Mingxu’s heart suddenly found peace. It felt as if she could bear even the sky falling.

“What I said earlier was out of anger. Don’t take it to heart,” she said softly. “I’m sorry.”

She watched as those dark eyes lit up: “Of course, I won’t take it to heart, and I won’t be angry with you.”

You Mingxu wanted to smile at him but couldn’t manage it. She turned and pushed open the door.

Zhou Rongfeng had been sent to the hospital for treatment, and her first interrogation would be with “Apple Brother” Chen Zhaoci, the one who had led “Fan Lingling” into the trap.

Xu Mengshan was already inside, the two men sitting across from each other in a tense atmosphere. You Mingxu sat down beside Xu Mengshan, while Yin Feng stood to the side.

You Mingxu gave Xu Mengshan a look, signaling him to follow her lead. Only then did he retract his fierce wolf-like demeanor and lower his head, expressionlessly looking at his notebook.

You Mingxu: “Name?”

“Chen Zhaoci.”

“Age?”

“27.”

“Place of origin?”

…

“You know Fan Lingling, right?”

“…Yes.”

“What was she doing at your company today?”

Chen Zhaoci appeared neither aggressive nor flustered, completely resembling an honest, dull young man as he answered straightforwardly: “She wanted another loan, so I brought her to the company to discuss it. Officer, she’s also police, isn’t she?”

You Mingxu replied: “Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t. What happened after she arrived at the company? Tell me everything, detail by detail.”

Chen Zhaoci maintained his unperturbed demeanor and said, “After she arrived, I first took her… first did a security check, just in case we encountered someone with ill intentions. Then I took her to meet Sister Wei…”

“Sister Wei?”

“The Financial Director, Zhang Wei. They got along well and chatted for a while.”

“What did they talk about?”

“I didn’t listen, I left. Probably girl talk.”

“Heh…” You Mingxu smiled slightly. “Then what?”

“Then…” Chen Zhaoci answered, “I took her to meet General Manager Zhou.”

“She’s just an ordinary girl asking to borrow a few tens of thousands. Why did she need to meet your General Manager Zhou Rongfeng personally?”

“I don’t understand the leader’s thoughts,” Chen Zhaoci replied. “But he occasionally meets with regular clients.”

“What did they discuss when they met? What happened?”

Chen Zhaoci said: “I don’t know. After taking her to Manager Zhou’s office, I returned to my own office. Later I heard that she had somehow injured Manager Zhou, so I wanted to find her and understand what happened. I was searching for her room by room in the company. Then I met the police officers who brought me here.”

You Mingxu stared directly at him: “So after parting with Fan Lingling, you first stayed alone in your office, then spent the rest of the time looking for her, never leaving the company?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you think Fan Lingling injured Zhou Rongfeng?”

“How would I know?”

Xu Mengshan slammed the table with an angry face: “Think carefully before you answer. A girl has now disappeared in your company, and you brought her there. Do you think you can avoid responsibility?”

Chen Zhaoci smiled bitterly: “Officer, I don’t know. But our Manager Zhou has always been respectful and caring toward clients, especially college students. There must be some misunderstanding. Maybe Fan Lingling… is that really her name… maybe she’s already gone home? I really want to find her too, after all, she’s my client.”

—

During a break in the interrogation, Xu Mengshan crouched in the hallway, smoking a cigarette in silence.

You Mingxu came out and crouched beside him, borrowed a light, and joined him in smoking.

“When did it start?” You Mingxu suddenly asked.

Xu Mengshan understood, his eyes fixed on the opposite wall as he answered: “I don’t know. I just felt that she was cute, cuter than all the women in the bureau, much cuter than you.”

You Mingxu smiled bitterly and replied: “Yeah, I think so too. Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

Xu Mengshan scratched his head and answered: “My family’s circumstances aren’t great, and she’s an only child. I’m also several years older than her. I was thinking of waiting until I got promoted to another rank before telling her. I thought…” He smiled bitterly: “She was right under my nose, who would dare touch her?”

The smile on You Mingxu’s face had vanished at some point as she took a few more drags.

Xu Mengshan suddenly said softly: “Do you think she’s very scared right now?”

You Mingxu’s eyes welled up with tears as she answered hoarsely: “I don’t know.”

Xu Mengshan fell silent.

Yin Feng was about to leave the interrogation room when he saw You Mingxu and her partner through the glass and stopped in his tracks.

In front of him, she had always been magnificent and commanding. Whether it was the Gu Tiancheng case or the youth exchange murder case, she always ended up standing victorious over the criminals, lighting a cigarette as if nothing in the world was difficult for her.

But this was the first time Yin Feng had seen this lonely, defeated side of her and her partner. In the dead of night, in an unknown corner, she crouched on the ground like a man, brow furrowed, leaning against her partner as they smoked cigarettes that couldn’t chase away their worries. She looked so stubborn, so pitiful.

You Mingxu happened to look up and saw Yin Feng.

On this desolate night, they gazed at each other silently across the glass door, separated by just over a meter.

Then, You Mingxu watched as Yin Feng closed his eyes, lowered his head, brought his face close to the glass, and softly pressed his lips against it in a kiss.

Hot ash fell on You Mingxu’s finger, making her jump. And her heart seemed to skip a beat along with it.