Watching Xie Tangmao being led out of the interrogation room, You Mingxu leaned back in her chair with crossed arms, closing her eyes.

“He acts timid and seems desperate to distance himself from everything,” she muttered. “Claims to know nothing about anything.”

“That might be just the face he chooses to show,” Yin Feng said. “Notice how he talked a lot, but every word was proper yet empty, never touching on anything substantial. He might be quite clever, believing this persona allows him to manipulate everyone.”

You Mingxu glanced at him, then at the clock on the wall. Fan Jia had been missing for three hours.

She clenched her fist.

Among the Fenjin Bao Company management personnel brought in, Financial Director Zhang Wei was undoubtedly unique. She was extraordinarily beautiful and alluring. However, she was also the most defiant when facing police questioning.

No matter what the police asked, whether through gentle or forceful approaches, she maintained her silence. Occasionally she would take a sip of water, brush her hair, and gaze indifferently to the side.

When the police were at their wit’s end, she finally smiled, her voice gentle: “Has our company’s lawyer arrived yet? The police used entrapment and brought us here without cause, and to the Criminal Investigation Division no less. Even if our company had done something improper, shouldn’t Economic Crime Investigation handle it? Is what you’re doing within regulations? Do citizens have any rights left? When will you release us? Otherwise, we’ll have to file complaints online.”

…

The rest of those brought in were either company employees or thugs. Some claimed to know nothing, others only knew they were told to catch a girl, but were unaware of the details.

Soon after, the technical analysis results came back for the computer You Mingxu had seized from Zhou Rongfeng’s office. The hard drive had been destroyed by a virus program, and there was no technology that could recover it quickly.

Meanwhile, the police had temporarily pulled large numbers of officers from the serial killer task force to search for Fan Jia around the Fenjin Bao Company area. However, the area was densely populated with chaotic housing arrangements, and they hadn’t found any trace of her yet.

Dawn was breaking.

Old Tan ordered: “Push them! Keep pushing! Get the provincial office to release those fingerprint results! We must have them before we have to release these people! Damn it, if you don’t push and cry about it, how will they prioritize this case among so many others? You Mingxu, call Old Ding – isn’t he your senior master? Time to put that relationship to use, go cry to him!”

Time ticked by. The Fenjin Bao Company people were still detained at the police station, but nothing more could be learned from them. You Mingxu, Xu Mengshan, and others had joined the main force in conducting a thorough search for Fan Jia.

The sun was setting.

The deadline to release the suspects was approaching.

Xu Mengshan had long disappeared, probably searching some street corner. You Mingxu emerged from a shop with Yin Feng, having found nothing.

This was the very definition of being consumed by anxiety and frustration.

By now, they hadn’t eaten for twenty-four hours. You Mingxu had moved past hunger, feeling only acid in her stomach. As she was about to rush forward again, Yin Feng grabbed her hand.

Nearby was a small restaurant with a couple of occupied tables, the aroma of food wafting over. Yin Feng said: “Ah Xu, I’m really hungry.”

Only then did You Mingxu notice that You Yingjun, who was always fresh and neat, now had dark circles under his eyes and looked somewhat haggard.

“Let’s eat,” she sat down with him. They ordered casually, and when the food arrived, You Mingxu realized how ravenous she was and started wolfing it down.

Soon after, Yin Feng placed a bottle of water in front of her. She said “Thanks,” only then realizing how thirsty she was, twisting it open and taking a big gulp.

Yin Feng watched her stubborn expression, the numbness mixed with exhaustion, and felt his heart ache as if it had been struck.

You Mingxu finished quickly. Yin Feng, being a man who had trained alongside her for so long, had developed speed too, quickly finishing his food and drinking half a bottle of water in one go. You Mingxu smiled watching him.

Yin Feng noticed and asked: “What are you smiling at?”

You Mingxu said: “Smiling at how you’ve become as rough and tough as us criminal investigators.”

He lowered his head and smiled, temporarily regaining some of his innocent “little white flower” demeanor, and asked her: “Is that better?”

She paused for a moment, then “Mm.”

He raised his head, looking into her eyes in the dusk. You Mingxu suddenly remembered that previous kiss, when he lost control and pounced like a young leopard, forcefully kissing her. The kiss had hurt her heart but also awakened her reason. After a moment of silence, she stood up and said: “Let’s go.”

He stood up with her, and after walking a few steps, he suddenly placed his hand gently on her shoulder, his face drawing close as he softly asked: “Are you tired, Ah Xu?”

You Mingxu felt her entire back tremble slightly, especially the shoulder under his hand, which suddenly felt much heavier. Looking ahead, she said: “Not tired.”

He said: “That’s good.” His masculine presence lingered beside her cheek. They walked like this for a while before his hand silently fell away.

Night had finally fallen.

This also meant the police station had released the suspects.

You Mingxu and Yin Feng still had found nothing. No good news came from the other teams either.

Standing in a quiet, dark alley, with pedestrians and vehicles passing in the distance, You Mingxu’s heart sank deeper into the darkness. She also discovered that her urge to discuss the case with the person beside her, to seek his opinions, was growing stronger.

So she said: “Who do you think it was? She disappeared in their company, in just over half an hour. It must be connected to their group.”

At her call, Yin Feng naturally gave it his all, answering: “Zhou Rongfeng is still in the hospital, but he insisted in his office that Fan Jia attacked him and ran away. One is ruthless and decisive, one is meticulous and cunning, one deliberately shows weakness, and the other two are watertight. Theoretically, any of them could have hidden or taken her when she was alone. Even the injured Zhou Rongfeng.”

“Do you think the others knew what Zhou Rongfeng intended to do to Fan Jia at the time?” You Mingxu asked again.

Yin Feng’s eyes were clear: “I think… they all knew.”

“But her disappearance wasn’t a conspiracy. When we burst in, they were still openly searching for her. Which means one person, hiding from the others…”

Yin Feng continued: “…took Fan Jia for themselves.”

You Mingxu felt chills running through her heart, and though reluctant, she consulted this criminal psychology expert: “Do you think… something has happened to Fan Jia?”

Yin Feng looked into her eyes, and the straightforward “chances are slim” that had reached his lips suddenly couldn’t be spoken.

Almost instinctively, he reached out and held the back of her head. This position placed half of her body essentially in his arms. This was his first time making such a gesture toward her, and You Mingxu didn’t move. He said seriously: “Among the wolf pack hides a venomous snake. But the two eagles soaring in the sky will surely catch them, fighting to the bitter end.”

You Mingxu fell silent for a moment, then smiled. Seeing her smile, he smiled too. But his five fingers, as if naturally skilled, gently massaged through her long hair. You Mingxu could feel his fingers’ subtle pressure, creating a slight tickle that made her tremble from head to neck. She thought about how he truly could – this boyish man could truly treat her like a real man would.

In this moment of silence, neither felt they could stop or break it. Until You, Mingxu’s phone rang, and she turned her head away from his hand to answer.

Han Feng’s voice was heavy on the other end: “Little You, the first batch of fingerprint comparison results is in.”