Yan Qing’s face had gone pale, her lips tinged with a faint blue. She clutched Shi Ting’s coat around herself, trembling without pause.

Even Chestnut sensed something was wrong and began to whimper low with unease.

Shi Ting looked out the window. The rain showed no sign of easing — if anything, it was getting worse. On one side, the storm raged. On the other, Yan Qing’s trembling grew worse by the minute.

He pressed a hand to her forehead. It was hotter than before. If he let the fever run unchecked like this, the consequences could be dire.

Shi Ting did not deliberate long. He stripped off his own coat, wrapped it around Yan Qing, then layered the rain cape over that.

“Chestnut. Come.”

Chestnut obeyed, leaping out through the car door he opened.

When Shi Ting stepped out, the water nearly reached his shins, muddy and full of gravel beneath.

He lifted Yan Qing from the car onto his back, made sure she was bundled as tightly as possible, and set off into the rain — step by step, picking his way through the uneven ground.

Chestnut scouted the path ahead. Shi Ting followed close behind. Man and dog pressed on through the downpour.

“Shi Ting…” In her half-conscious state, Yan Qing became aware of the rain louder in her ears, and of resting against a broad, strong back.

“I’m here.” He turned his head to look at her, his gaze soft. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

His words worked like a sedative. She felt the corners of her mouth lift, and she closed her eyes in perfect peace.

How far they walked, she could not say. Ahead, a faint glow appeared, and through the wind and rain, voices drifted toward them.

Chestnut plunged happily through the water and took off at a sprint.

Shortly after, Bai Jin and several officers in rain capes came quickly forward. Their police vehicles were parked nearby, and the headlights illuminated Shi Ting’s face — streaked with mud and rain.

~

When Yan Qing next woke, it was midday the following day. The sharp smell of disinfectant filled the air, and white-clad figures moved past her line of sight.

It was only when one familiar face gradually came into focus that she knew she had made it back safely.

“Miss, you’re awake — you’re finally awake!” Jing Zhi’s eyes went red with excitement. “I’ll go get the Master!”

Yan Qing still felt somewhat groggy, but the cold and damp were gone. She had been changed into a clean hospital gown, and the blankets were warm and comfortable.

Master Yan was outside speaking with the doctor. The moment he heard Yan Qing was awake, he came at a small trot and pushed through the door.

“Yan Qing.” Master Yan took his daughter’s hands with emotion. “Is anything hurting? I’ll go get the doctor now.”

Yan Qing shook her head with a smile. “Father, I’m alright.”

The care in his eyes reached all the way to his core — the kind of love and concern for a child she had never experienced in the other world.

So this is what parental love feels like, she thought. So real. So fierce.

“Tell Father who that scoundrel was who kidnapped you. Father will tear them to pieces.”

Yan Qing laughed. “Father, this is Shun Cheng. Everything follows the law now. Even if someone is caught, they’re handed over to the Military Police Division.”

“Yes, yes, I know.” Master Yan shook his head helplessly. “We owe Director Shi everything this time. If he hadn’t happened to be here collecting medicine, those useless lot wouldn’t have found you half so quickly.”

At the mention of Shi Ting, the image of him carrying her down the mountain surfaced unbidden in her mind.

The rain had been cold. The path had been steep. But his back had been warm.

“Yan Qing, your face is red again — are you running a fever? I’ll go find the doctor right now.” Master Yan rushed out through the door in a fluster, missing Yan Qing’s call after him entirely.

She was blushing, yes — but not from fever.

“Miss, have some water. The doctor says to drink plenty of warm fluids.” Murong and Jing Zhi helped her sit up, tucking a pillow behind her for support.

Yan Qing took the cup and found herself thinking of the water cup in Shi Ting’s car — it had looked exactly like this one.

Since waking, people had mentioned Shi Ting at every turn, and she kept finding her thoughts drifting back to him without meaning to.

“Miss, we owe everything to Director Shi this time,” Jing Zhi said, standing at the bedside with red-rimmed eyes. “If he hadn’t found you, I don’t even want to imagine what might have happened.”

Murong nodded. “Director Shi kept a clear head in a crisis, thinking through everything so precisely. You can’t help but admire him.”

“Miss is lucky too, to have run into Director Shi and come through it.” Jing Zhi leaned in with a conspiratorial air. “Speaking of which, Miss — Director Shi got hurt saving you. The Master asked him to stay in hospital and have his wound dressed, but he said it was nothing and left. I saw him walking when he left — he had a slight limp.”

“He was hurt?” Yan Qing paused midway through her sip of water, visibly tense. “Badly?”

“From what I heard, he injured his leg, but we don’t know how seriously.” Jing Zhi sighed. “Someone like Director Shi — I suppose he’s used to it.”

But no one is beyond pain.

While Yan Qing was still worrying, Master Yan returned with the doctor, who conducted an examination and smiled. “Miss Yan has nothing to be concerned about now. A couple more days of rest in hospital and she’ll be ready to go home.”

“Doctor, I’d like to be discharged now,” Yan Qing said quickly.

Master Yan was the first to object. “The doctor says to rest two days — you’ll do as you’re told.”

Yan Qing knew the most effective way to handle her father was a little coaxing, so she arranged her expression into something suitably forlorn. “Father, I’ve grown up breathing the smell of disinfectant — I truly cannot bear another day of it. At home I’ll have Jing Zhi and Murong to look after me, and if you’re worried, you can send two more people to help. The surroundings at home are far nicer, and when one’s mood is good, healing comes faster.”

Under her persistent pleading, Master Yan inevitably softened. After confirming with the doctor that there would be no serious complications, he agreed to let her go home.

Once back, Yan Qing obediently took her medicine and drank her water in front of A-xi — only after she had done so did A-xi return to report to Master Yan.

The moment A-xi was gone, Yan Qing sent Murong to prepare ingredients.

“Miss, what are you making? If you’re hungry, I can ask the kitchen to prepare something right now.”

“Not for me.” Yan Qing said. “A thank-you gift.”

Jing Zhi’s eyes lit up with a knowing smile. “I know — Miss wants to make something to send to Director Shi. Am I right?”

Yan Qing shot her a look. “Go light the stove.”

There was a small kitchen in the courtyard, which Yan Qing liked to use for making pastries and snacks. The previous Sixth Miss had never once lit a fire there in her life, but now — though it wasn’t used often — at least the place had some warmth to it.

Once Murong had the ingredients ready and Jing Zhi had the fire going, they were set to begin.

“Miss, what are you making?” Jing Zhi asked curiously.

“You’ll see when it’s done.”

Yan Qing rolled her wheelchair to the stove, found the lye and flour among the ingredients, added water, and kneaded the dough.

While the dough rested and rose, she prepared the sauce. She deep-fried peanuts, dried fish, and dried shrimp, then ground them into a paste. To this she added dried red chili powder, garlic, and shallots, frying everything over low heat until the fragrance bloomed. After a final round of seasoning, the result was a glossy, rust-red satay sauce — rich, savory, aromatic, and just the right degree of spicy.

The satay noodle dish was something she had learned from a veteran detective back at the bureau — a man from Fujian whose greatest skill in the kitchen was precisely this. Whenever a case hit a dead end, he would go to the bureau’s small kitchen and cook up a pot of noodles. A hot, steaming bowl was enough to restore everyone’s spirit and confidence, and over time the dish earned a nickname: “Battle Noodles.” Because after a bowl of it, everyone was ready to return to the fight.

“It smells incredible,” Jing Zhi murmured, lost in the aroma. “This isn’t called ‘soul-snaring noodles,’ is it?”

“You’re hopeless,” Murong laughed. “What kind of terrifying name is that?”

“We follow Miss around among dead bodies every day — what do we have to fear from a name like ‘soul-snaring’?”

“Alright, alright.” Yan Qing shook her head in fond resignation. “Go find two food boxes and a basket.”

“Yes, Miss!” Jing Zhi trotted off at once.

To keep the noodles from sitting in the broth too long and turning soft, Yan Qing packed the noodles and soup separately in two of the boxes. She put the cooked prawns and squid along with other garnishes in the third box.

“Jing Zhi, did you get all the medicinal herbs I asked you to prepare earlier?”

“Done long ago! Have no worries, Miss.”

Yan Qing trusted both Jing Zhi and Murong completely. Once everything was ready, mistress and maid slipped quietly out.

~

The Military Police Division was as busy as ever. Though no major case had broken out, robberies, assaults, and thefts were a constant stream.

In unstable times, when people’s hearts were unsettled, maintaining order in Shun Cheng under such conditions was no small achievement.

“Good day, Sixth Miss.”

“Good day, Sixth Miss.”

Officers who had met Yan Qing before greeted her warmly. Those who hadn’t yet made her acquaintance asked their colleagues in hushed, curious tones.

“Captain Bai, who exactly is this Sixth Miss?” A young officer trailed after the easygoing Bai Jin with eager questions.

Bai Jin perched on the edge of a desk with a cigarette dangling from his lips, looking every bit the picture of casual ease. The young officer quickly produced a lighter and held the flame for him.

“Nobody special. Just a young lady from the Yan family.” Bai Jin exhaled a ring of smoke.

“But Director Shi treats her differently from anyone else. Whenever she comes to the Division, he’s the one personally pouring the tea and seeing to everything.” The young officer blinked. “Captain Bai, do you think the Director might actually have feelings for her?”

Crack!

A smack landed on the young officer’s head.

“One more word of that and I’ll have you in confinement.”

“I was only guessing,” the young officer said, looking deeply wronged. “Neither of them is attached. What’s so wrong about that?”

Bai Jin’s narrow eyes narrowed a fraction further.

Neither of them attached… was that so?

He could only hope his Seventh Brother knew what he was doing.

Shi Ting worked through a stack of documents. The phone on his desk rang again. In the middle of the call, there was a knock at his office door.

“Come in.” His attention returned to the phone.

Murong opened the door, and Yan Qing wheeled herself inside. Seeing him on a call, she turned the chair to leave rather than disturb him.

Shi Ting immediately ended the call — as though afraid she would disappear — and called out quickly: “Yan Qing.”

(On the other end of the line, the district commissioner stared at the receiver in bewilderment. Had the line gone dead?)