"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" The others stared at Zhao Yiyang with such sympathetic and pitiful expressions that he felt uneasy.

"Oh, Yiyang." Zhang Ming patted Zhao Yiyang's shoulder sympathetically. "Muran has already discovered this. You came in as soon as she was done telling us."

"Th… then why didn't you tell me!" Zhao Yiyang said indignantly, "What a waste of my effort!"

"You were speaking so fast," said Zhang Ming earnestly. "We didn't have the chance to stop you. Speak slower next time."

Zhao Yiyang snorted twice, "Did we find out anything from Zheng Xiaorui's boyfriend?"

"Zheng Xiaorui did not meet with him. He went to Palau for a vacation with his friends last week, and just returned on Sunday," said Xing Jiadong.

"Find out more regarding the transfer student's suicide," said Jiang Yuecheng.

Qi Youxuan slouched lazily in his chair playing with his cell phone and suddenly realized that the room became silent. He looked up in surprise, "What are you guys looking at me for?"

"Do you have any other instructions? Do you need to accompany us to investigate the situation of the family member?" asked Zhang Ming, who seemed rather unaccustomed to Qi Youxuan having nothing to say.

"Can't you handle such a trivial investigation on your own?" Qi Youxuan looked at them with contempt. "How did you handle the cases before I showed up? You can't be dependent on me for everything. What happens when I leave? You have to buck-up dear comrades. I'm not here to babysit."

"Bloody hell, I shouldn't have asked!" Zhang Ming said remorsefully. "You have not changed one bit since childhood. You've always been so infuriating."

"Everyone says that I have a wonderful and lovable personality." Qi Youxuan was particularly dissatisfied. He waved disapprovingly, "Hurry up, lives are at stake."

Jiang Yuecheng said, "Muran, you and I—"

"She will attend to me," Qi Youxuan interrupted quickly.

"Mr. Qi." Jiang Yuecheng frowned and was about to refuse.

"I'm helping you solve the case for free. If I'm in a bad mood, I can curse you so that you won't be able to solve even one case in the future."

Bloody hell!

This person has no shame!

Xing Jiadong almost could not hold-back pushing up his sleeves to start a fight. In the end, they had no choice but to leave Wei Muran. Everyone else went back to work.

Wei Muran was particularly embarrassed and felt like she had inconvenienced her colleagues.

Qi Youxuan suddenly heard a loud "bang" and looked toward the source of the sound. Wei Muran had slammed a glass of water next to his arm.

Qi Youxuan shuddered and quickly looked up at her. "Mumu, what's wrong?"

"Not much, I'm just attending to you." Wei Muran raised her eyebrows and put on a fake smile.

She never realized that she was spoiled by Qi Youxuan from an early age. When did Qi Youxuan really let her do anything on her own? As long as it was delicious, she did not even need to mention it, Qi Youxuan would have brought it right to her. As long as Qi Youxuan was around, she did not even need to lift a finger.

Therefore, Wei Muran did not believe for once that Qi Youxuan dared ask her to attend to him.

Sure enough, Qi Youxuan stood up and asked her to sit down, "Don't be ridiculous, it is I that should attend to you. What would you like to eat, to drink? Would you like to take a nap?"

Wei Muran, "..."

Wei Muran ignored him and started sorting out the case materials.

Qi Youxuan remained on one side, holding on to his cell phone, god knows what game he was playing. They were the only two people in the room. It was quiet.

Finally, Qi Youxuan turned around and said, "Just say what you have to say. You're making me feel embarrassed."

His face blushed as he spoke.

From an early age, Qi Youxuan blushed easily. It was not a big deal when they were little, but they were grown-ups already. What could she have said?

On the contrary, she thought him blushing like that was cute.

Wei Muran thought she must be infatuated.

"..." Wei Muran hesitated for a long time but finally let it out. She lowered her head and asked a little reluctantly, "What you said at noon, what did u mean by it? It may cause a misunderstanding."

"What was it I said?" Qi Youxuan tilted his head and asked while rubbing his chin.

"Nothing," said Wei Muran coldly and then continued to ignore him.

Qi Youxuan smiled and asked, "I'm being serious."

Wei Muran stared blankly, and the pen she was holding fell to the desk with a "clack".

"You... What are you talking about!" Her mouth was grim, her face was a little flustered, her ears were burning, but her eyes remained fixed on Qi Youxuan.

From the looks of it, she did not believe it.

Qi Youxuan frowned secretly and said, "Youning told me you might not believe it, thinking it was just something we said as children. However, I was being serious, and never wavered."

"Have you ever wondered what this kind of feeling is? Maybe you like me, but is this love? We have played together since we were little. I'm the only other female person you've been close with, other than your immediate family. I'm afraid this familiarity may have confused you."

Qi Youxuan wanted to refute. He frowned and wondered how to convince Wei Muran. In fact, he did not know how to explain it either. Rather, he felt that, if it could be explained, it would not be what he felt.

"Moreover." Wei Muran shook her head. "I don't know how I feel about you either, and I dare not agree with you so rashly. Such an impetuous decision is neither good for you, nor me."

Qi Youxuan remained silent, got up slowly and walked in front of her, and placed both hands on the back of the chair she sat in. Unknowingly, Wei Muran was trapped between his arms.

His chest suddenly looked magnified directly before her eyes—it looked especially solid.

Unconsciously, her breathing turned frantic.

Seeing her reaction, the corner of Qi Youxuan lips curled up. Having more confidence, he lifted his clean and slender hands to approach her.

Wei Muran was stunned and did not know how to react; she only watched as his fingers got closer and closer to her cheek. Her breathing became more and more frantic. He had not even touched her, yet, her body was sweltering.

Qi Youxuan just picked up some stray hairs gently and tucked them away behind her ears. His fingertips inevitably brushed her ears, gently sliding down from the tip of her ears. This immediately caused a slight tingling sensation.

Wei Muran felt that her ears were numb. This numbness traveled all the way to her cheeks, neck, and shoulders, and caused her to tremble uncontrollably.

Did she not say she did not know how she felt?

She was being protected by Wei Ziqi all this while and was naive in this regard.

Qi Youxuan chuckled and said, "Then I'll give you some time to think about it. You don't need to worry about my feelings. My feelings have always been clear. When I see you, I want to hug you, I want to kiss you, I want to bed you. I want to marry you and spend my whole life with you. I don't feel that way toward others. When I was a little, I just thought you were pretty and cute, and have a great personality, that's why I liked you. Maybe the feeling wasn't mature at that time. But as you grow older, this feeling has also become the feeling of adults. I like you, and it won't change. I won't study criminal psychology just for anyone, nor I will take a year off just to spend your rookie year by your side. I won't be reporting to the police station every day. Losing my wallet today and losing my cellphone tomorrow. I'm very clear about my feelings and I've never been disconcerted. Therefore, you don't need to worry about another woman coming into the picture for me to realize that my feeling towards you was not that kind of feeling and make you sad. Because there won't be such a woman."

"I'll give you some time to consider, but not too long. It'll be the duration of this case. I'll need an answer when the case is solved. If the answer is yes, I will be happy, if not, I will find a way to turn it into a yes."

Wei Muran, "..."

She was stunned and did not know how to react.

This was clearly an affectionate confession of feelings, but she was still speechless.

It was not a surprise that her father always said that Qi Youxuan's father was a rogue back in the day. His son was no different.

She did not know what her father meant at the time, but she had finally witnessed it.

'To bed me?'

And that last part. Regardless of her answer, the final answer was to agree?

Wei Muran's thoughts were a mess and she could not think straight. She instinctively used what she learned at the police academy against Qi Youxuan and hit Qi Youxuan's stomach.

Qi Youxuan did not guard against it. He could have blocked the blow but was willing to take the hit. When one's wife hits you, you have to take it willingly, and cry out even though it did not hurt.

Wei Muran hit hard. She was inexperienced. During practice and exams at the academy, she put all her strength in it. It had only been a few months since she graduated and joined the criminal investigation team, so she had not encountered a situation where she needed to fight in close quarters.

In addition, Qi Youxuan's words had her all fired up. She didn't bother to control her strength. It was a real blow. Qi Youxuan was not faking it, he was actually in pain.

Bending over and clutching his stomach, his face turned pale, "Mumu, you… didn't hold back at all! It really hurts! I'm weak, unlike you who went through training… Ouch..."

Qi Youxuan fell to the ground, rolling over clutching his stomach.

"You… I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to! I didn't control my strength." Wei Muran looked at his pale face and felt hurt. She immediately kneeled down with regret and put her hand on his belly, "I… I'll give it a massage, it looks like I didn't hit a bone."

"Ouch!" As soon as Wei Muran's hand touched him, Qi Youxuan trembled, his body curled up, and conveniently laid down in Wei Muran's arms. "Mumu, you're so ruthless. It hurts... It hurts... Ouch!"

"This... I... I won't strike you in the future. I really didn't expect it, and... Why did you say those things?" Wei Muran was also anxious. She struck Qi Youxuan. She felt guilty and wished that he could just return the favor and hit her.

"Whatever I said was sincere. I told you everything that's on my mind. I wasn't not lying," said Qi Youxuan pitifully, yet took the opportunity to snuggle closer in her bosom, as if like a soft pillow—he felt extremely comfortable.

Wei Muran felt something was off. She looked down. Qi Youxuan still looked half in pain, his complexion rosy, his eyes squinted, his lips puckered.

"Qi Youxuan!" shouted Wei Muran angrily as she pushed him away and stormed out without saying another word.

Qi Youxuan wanted to give chase, but he was not faking his pain. It hurt when he tried to move and he fell back down. Finally, he gave up the chase.

...

Wei Muran was just passing the time outside until Zhang Ming returned. Only then she returned to the office.

Qi Youxuan no longer seemed to be in pain and was sitting there looking bored.

"The girl who committed suicide by jumping off the building was called Li Anqi. The family moved to G City a year after the incident. Later, because of Li Anqi's father, Li Huailiang, job change, he was sent to the company's Singapore branch and took up permanent residence there. Li Anqi had an older brother, who was studying in Canada at the time and hasn't returned for years."

"If we don't find Zheng Xiaorui soon, she'll be in trouble," said Qi Youxuan frowning.

"Find out who Zheng Xiaorui was in contact with before she disappeared," said Jiang Yuecheng in a deep voice.

"Those harassment calls she received before she disappeared, although they're from different numbers and could've been disconnected by now, but check on those as well in case there's a clue." Qi Youxuan said, "We'll have to follow up on every little clue."

…

The girl looked in horror at the man in front of her. The naked man shuddered and did not dare to move forward. Suddenly a whip struck his back, and a voice murmured, "If you don't go, then cut your thing off yourself!"

The man flinched at the pain and had no choice but to continue moving toward the young girl. The young girl leaned weakly against the wall, her body fully exposed. Her originally fair and delicate skin was covered with whip scars and some fresh bloodstained wounds.

Her lips trembled so badly, she was terror-stricken, yet there was nowhere to hide.

"Don't come over, I beg you. Please don't come over, please ..."

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... if I don't, we will die. We will both die," the man murmured then engulfed the girl.

Only the girl's screams could be heard.

…

It has been three days since they started to investigate Zheng Xiaorui's whereabouts, but they still had no leads.

They even released a photograph of Zheng Xiaorui, requesting those who had seen her to contact the police. Only one person contacted them in three days, and the leads provided were not useful.

"Someone called and said that she was spotted in Nanshan last Wednesday. It was the lady owner of a grocery store. There's a village at the foot of Nanshan. Zheng Xiaorui went there to buy something as not many frequent the place. Apart from the villagers, the grocery store is mostly empty. Therefore, the lady owner particularly remembered Zheng Xiaorui. The village is remote so the photographs we distributed only reached the village yesterday," said Zhao Yiyang.

"Nanshan..." Qi Youxuan muttered, "I remember the forensic report mentioning that a piece of soil between the toes of the deceased Zheng Wentao didn't match those found in the West Suburbs. The West Suburbs was not the first crime scene, fortunately. The body was buried, so the storm didn't wash away what was on the body."

Qi Youxuan looked up abruptly. "Has the forensic science division compared the soil sample from the deceased's toe that did not match the West Suburbs with the soil from Nanshan."

Zhao Yiyang did not look at Jiang Yuecheng this time, and quickly nodded. "I'll get them on it at once."

"It's been three days, I'm afraid it will not be good for Zheng Xiaorui."

The forensic science division came back with the results very quickly. When Zhao Yiyang came back with the report, he was very excited. "It's a match, the same as Nanshan."

"Head out to Nanshan," ordered Jiang Yuecheng immediately.

Qi Youxuan also tagged along. As Jiang Yuecheng took some men with him to investigate, Wei Muran also followed but someone grabbed her ponytail.

Wei Muran turned, and Qi Youxuan did not let go. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To do my job of course," said Wei Muran awkwardly.

She did not think much about their relationship since she was busy with the case for the past few days. Qi Youxuan also did not bring it up, but it was still awkward to be alone with him.

Whenever her mind was not busy, she could not help but think about what he said the other day. She dared not even look him straight in the eyes the past few days.

"Those guys are going to be traversing in the mountains, you don't need to go. Come with me to the grocery store." Qi Youxuan let go of her ponytail and grabbed her wrist.

Wei Muran gave in and reluctantly followed.

…

"There weren't many customers that day. The young lady was well dressed, had fair and delicate skin, and also had a western look. You could tell immediately that she was from the city. Our village is small and the villages know each other. Nanshan is also not a tourist destination, apart from the strawberry season where people will come pick strawberries. It isn't in-season now, so it's pretty quiet here. Therefore, I remember this girl very clearly," said the lady owner of the grocery store.

"Did she buy anything?" asked Qi Youxuan.

He had surveyed the store when he walked in. The store was small and the three walls in it were stacked full of shelves of daily necessities. The lady owner stood behind a glass counter, which contained cigarettes, bread, some chocolate, sausages, and instant noodles.

"She bought a fruit knife. She didn't have much on her, just a small backpack. It's really weird. She didn't look too good either."

"Other than the girl, were there any other outsiders recently?" asked Qi Youxuan.

The lady owner thought for a while and shook her head, "No, not that I know of. Other than the girl, I haven't seen any strangers."

There was nothing more to be found here. Qi Youxuan and Wei Muran headed back to regroup with the others.

About halfway back, Wei Muran received a phone call, and her expression changed. She turned to Qi Youxuan and said, "They found Zheng Xiaorui's body."

When they arrived, a perimeter had already been set up around Zheng Xiaorui's body. Zheng Xiaorui was lying naked in a pit, and there was some freshly dug dirt beside her.

Half her face was smashed in. Her hair was soaked in dried blood which made it clump together with the mud.

Just like Zheng Wentao, her body was covered in whip scars, old and new. Wei Muran took one look and could not bear to look any longer and averted her eyes.

Bai Mo and her colleagues from the Forensic Science Division rushed over. She only glanced at Wei Muran, then proceeded to inspect the body.

The Forensic Science Division retrieved their samples and left. Only after Bai Mo thoroughly inspected it was the body removed. She came over to Jiang Yuecheng and said, "The deceased had been raped prior to her death. There were obvious signs of injury to her lower body. We also found male semen. The time of death was between twelve to one in the morning last night. The cause of death was a high fall."

"The killer intentionally left us clues. Whether it's the semen in Zheng Xiaorui's body or the marks on her neck, we can trace it back to the killer," Qi Youxuan said before continuing, "He's provoking us. He wants us to find him. There must be a clue left here intentionally by the killer nearby. Find it at once."