After Little Li left, Lin Dongxue ordered some takeaways to eat. Chen Shi couldn't stay idle but continued using the wire and bicycle for experiments, recording the results each time.

Repeated tests proved that if it was hooked on tight enough, the "murder hook" still had a certain success rate, which shook Chen Shi's originally firm belief.

Lin Dongxue saw that he was fiddling with the bicycle obsessively. She forced him to take a break. "Actually, this is what I planned. If Yueyue had really killed him, I will delay the release of the wanted order so that she can have time to run away. You can consider it as my being partial. After all, I don't want her to be sent to a place like the reformatory."

Chen Shi said, "If she escaped punishment the first time she makes a mistake, it’ll actually be doing her harm!"

"I think Yueyue is still a kind-hearted child at heart. She could pretend that this has never happened, but in the end, she couldn't bear the guilt in her heart and told you everything."

"Is she kind by nature? She’s just afraid of punishment! That's why she escaped!"

"That's what you think of her?"

"I like her, but I also understand her well, because we have things in common. Although we aren’t related by blood, we are very much like father and daughter!" Chen Shi said dejectedly. Yueyue's choice was so similar to his choice back then. He himself was also a coward who escaped from his past.

Lin Dongxue stroked the back of Chen Shi's hand. "This is a parent’s distress. From a certain moment, the child is no longer under their control."

"You're right. I experienced this kind of trouble in advance while I’m still so young."

"Haha, young?" Lin Dongxue moved closer. "Let's go to the bedroom for a while. You’re under too much stress."

"My condition today may not be too good..."

"It's okay!" Lin Dongxue winked.

After the “exercise”, Chen Shi felt that he was indeed more relaxed. It was only 9:00PM. He had no interest in entertainment or drinking, so he proposed, "Little Li is at the hospital. Why don't we go visit your brother and then go together to the scene with her?"

"Fine!" Lin Dongxue readily agreed.

Lin Qiupu was still lying in the ICU. His various indicators had improved, but he was still in a coma. Seeing Lin Qiupu's appearance, Lin Dongxue felt sad again, and tears streamed down as she leaned upon the monitoring window.

After she finished crying, Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi sat in the hallway for a while. Chen Shi's gentle touch replaced comforting words. There was a patient's family member on the phone in the hallway, seemingly trying to borrow money. His attitude was earnest and humble, which was heart-wrenching for listeners.

Lin Dongxue was moved and said, "Fortunately, the bureau has shouldered all the medical expenses, otherwise I would really break down. Is saying this a bit too realistic?"

"Don't all human troubles come from reality? The doctor didn’t say that he will definitely remain in a vegetative state. You have to be patient."

Lin Dongxue nodded. "I feel better after crying. Fortunately, I have you by my side."

"I want to say the same thing too!" Chen Shi smiled.

At 11:30, the three came out of the hospital and returned to the scene of the crime. There were almost no vehicles in the middle of the night. Some unlicensed stalls had been set up on the road. Mala crayfish sizzled as they were flipped in the fiery iron pots. The air was full of the spicy fragrance. Summer was approaching, and people gradually became more interested in going out for supper.

The three of them wore gloves and bent over to search the surface carefully. In principle, Chen Shi shouldn't have been helping, but it seemed too pedantic to be still abiding by this rule.

It was unknown how many times this section of the road had been cleaned, but no evidence could be found. There was a manhole at the side of the road and some debris could have fallen into it. However, to open it up to search, one would need the assistance of the sewer maintenance staff. Little Li said, "Do we have to go down and search? I’m not saying that it would be too dirty or too tiring for me. I just think that since there are only two of us in charge of this case, we should expend our energy where it’s most needed!"

Chen Shi said, "If you can trust me, I will come and search by myself tomorrow night, and I will bring you everything that I find intact."

Although he knew that it was unlikely to yield results, on the off chance that there was a clue and he didn't look for it, he would regret it.

Lin Dongxue said, "I will contact the relevant department tomorrow to come with you at night!"

"Thank you!"

They went home at that point.

In the dead of night, Chen Shi heard movement in the living room. He got up to check and found a string of dirty footprints on the floor of the living room. He followed the dirty footprints to the kitchen and saw a muddy Tao Yueyue devouring leftovers out of the opened refrigerator. She turned her head when she heard him. Her eyes resembled that of a frightened little animal.

"Yueyue!"

Chen Shi yelled too loudly and woke himself up. Lin Dongxue was also woken up, and asked in a daze, "Dreaming about Yueyue?"

"Yes, it's a pity that I wasn’t able to finish saying anything..." Chen Shi said regretfully, and then he really went to the kitchen to take a look, even opening the refrigerator to confirm it. Of course, Tao Yueyue had never returned.

He poured himself a glass of wine and sat on the sofa to calm himself down. Yueyue knew how to pick locks, hack into computers, understood psychology, and even possessed some pickpocketing skills. Also, she was flexible and adaptable.

This meant that Yueyue could survive among crowds of strangers. A day or two wasn’t a problem, but over time, will she come into contact with some evil people, be manipulated by them, be affected by them, and slowly degenerate?!

These worries almost made Chen Shi go crazy, and even alcohol couldn't relieve his stress.

After drinking a few glasses of wine, he went back to bed. Lin Dongxue stroked his face and said, "Be confident, we’ll definitely be able to find Yueyue!"

"I know." Chen Shi replied feebly.

"Guess who I just dreamed of?"

"Your brother?"

"Yes, I dreamed about how when we were young, we went to the playground with our parents. It was a happy dream. When I woke up, I remembered reality. Haii... I have gotten your pillow damp!"

"Dongxue!" Chen Shi grasped her hand. "Actually I..."

When the words reached his lips, he was stuck again. Lin Dongxue said, "You don't have to force yourself to say it. Although I don't know how you were like in the past, I know you must be a good person!"

"Wait for everything to calm down. Wait until Yueyue is found and your brother recovers. It's best if Zhou Xiao is arrested too. I will marry you!"

Lin Dongxue was overjoyed, and said coyly, "You’re saying it just like that? Shouldn't you kneel down while holding a ring?"

"The ring..."

Chen Shi left, came back and gave her a small box, "I bought it a long time ago."

Lin Dongxue opened it and found that it was a glistening platinum ring. "When did you buy this?!"

"Not too long ago. The invoice is still there. If you don't agree, I can still return it."

"Ha, you’re not allowed to!" Lin Dongxue clenched it in her hand, smiling like a fool. "This doesn’t count as a marriage proposal, right?"

"Consider it an advance notice of the marriage proposal."

"Haha, a proposal that comes with a notice..." Lin Dongxue tried on the ring, which was just the right size. "I hope the three of us can live together and become a happy family! I must learn how to make the dishes Yueyue likes to eat!"