After a while, Sang Tong finally pulled herself out of her emotional state. She wasn’t someone who was timid or easily scared, her strong reaction had been caused by the lingering emotions of the deceased.

Her gaze fell on the high heels inside the box. They were exactly the same pair she had seen on the official website, a brand new pair of red-soled high heels lying neatly in the box. There was nothing else inside.

Sang Tong couldn’t even be sure whether this pair of shoes had actually been sent by Yu Yang.

After thinking it over, she decided to inform Ye Jinchen about it first.

[Wait for me to come back.]

Seeing the four-character reply from Ye Jinchen, Sang Tong felt more at ease. She didn’t know the intention behind sending this pair of shoes, but one thing was certain—this time, the person was blatantly provoking them.

By 2:00 in the afternoon, Ye Jinchen returned to the office. Everyone in the team already knew about the shoes Sang Tong had received, and their expressions were serious.

“He definitely did it on purpose. It’s a direct provocation against our Team Eight!” Ding Jianxiu said, face darkened.

“What if Sang Tong is his target?” Le Qiwen asked.

“If I’m his target, that’s fine. I can be used as bait to catch him in the act. But I don’t think he’d do that,” Sang Tong shook her head.

Yu Yang gave her a strange feeling. She had exchanged glances with him several times, and always felt like there was something he was desperately craving in his eyes. His smile was gentle, but there was a whirlpool in his gaze.

“If it really is Yu Yang, then we can try to approach him directly,” Ye Jinchen said as he walked in, drawing everyone’s eyes to him.

Yu Yang was clearly interested in Sang Tong, but it wasn’t the kind of interest a man typically shows toward a woman. It was something much more difficult to read.

Sang Tong originally thought Ye Jinchen would oppose her earlier suggestion, but to her surprise, he didn’t argue.

“Are you afraid?” Ye Jinchen turned his head to ask Sang Tong.

She shook her head. For her, completing a mission of this level wasn’t difficult.

“If he’s approaching you, he definitely has a purpose. Don’t worry—we’ll protect you,” Ye Jinchen looked at Sang Tong and said seriously.

If Sang Tong were just an ordinary civilian, Ye Jinchen wouldn’t have let her take on this task. But because she had joined Team Eight and sat in this very office, she now carried a responsibility.

Just like him. It was a mission. Of course, as the team leader, he would also take on his share of the burden.

But before anything happened, they had to be fully prepared. So Ye Jinchen and Sang Tong first went to see Xiang Tiancheng. Since he was in the know, he was their fastest path to a breakthrough.

“Do you know Yu Yang?” Sang Tong sat in the interrogation room and handed over a photo.

“I do. We went fishing together,” Xiang Tiancheng glanced at it, then looked away, his expression indifferent.

“Did you earn money by gambling at the fishing spot?” Sang Tong asked again.

“There’s no real money to be made at those places. At most, ten thousand a day,” Xiang Tiancheng said disdainfully.

“These days, if you want to play big, you have to go into the mountains. A single round there can be worth hundreds of thousands. The fishing spot is nothing.”

Sang Tong had worked similar cases in the county and knew that, to avoid investigations, some remote places hosted private gambling dens. Because they were mobile, it was hard to catch them. So what Xiang Tiancheng said wasn’t completely off.

“Can your daughter’s life-saving money afford to be lost by you?” Ye Jinchen suddenly asked coldly.

Xiang Tiancheng’s previously nonchalant expression froze. He moved his lips but didn’t say a word.

“You don’t need me to explain why you were caught stealing before, do you? Bad luck is one thing, but if your skills are weak, you’ve got no one else to blame. Your tricks couldn’t even fool an ordinary person. In those high-stakes, rigged gambling dens, how much do you think you can win—or lose?” Ye Jinchen suddenly smiled.

If it was a small private gambling spot with a few thousand yuan on the table, Xiang Tiancheng might have made some money. But the larger the sum, the more unlikely it was he’d win. He simply didn’t have the skills or the smarts.

“If we can find out about Yu Yang, we can find out everything else too. We’re not here today to negotiate with you. This is a notification. Even if you admit your crimes, this won’t be the end of it,” Ye Jinchen said coldly, his expression emotionless yet carrying a heavy aura that made Xiang Tiancheng stiffen.

“Do you know the money you transferred to your daughter is already gone?” Sang Tong added.

“How could that be? I watched the transfer happen myself!” Xiang Tiancheng’s emotions flared. That wasn’t just a few thousand, it was over a million yuan. He saw the money go into the account with his own eyes! How could it just disappear?

“The moment you went in, your elderly father got a scam call. The money was transferred out in five transactions, cleaned out completely,” Sang Tong said. She herself had been shocked when she received the news. They hadn’t even tracked down where the money came from, and it was already gone.

The money in Xiang Tiancheng’s daughter’s account had been transferred several times before ultimately ending up in a virtual account in Country Y. From there, it was entirely withdrawn in cash. The final destination of the money was difficult to trace, but one thing was certain—it was gone and couldn’t be recovered.

“You should think about it yourself, what choice you really want to make.”

That’s what Sang Tong said to Xiang Tiancheng as she left the interrogation room.

Xiang Tiancheng looked visibly shaken, as if he had just suffered a major blow. He kept muttering, “Impossible… no way…” Honestly, it wasn’t surprising. He was even willing to take the fall for that sum of money. And now someone was telling him, it was all gone. How could he not break down?

«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶

At 5:30 PM, Sang Tong went to the main entrance—someone was apparently waiting for her there.

“Hello, I’m Yu Yang. We met yesterday.”

The twenty-four-year-old man was wearing a white shirt and black athletic pants, with a pair of spotless white sneakers. His whole appearance exuded a youthful, vibrant aura.

“Mm, I remember you.” Sang Tong nodded. “Do you have something to add to your statement? You didn’t have to wait this long, any of the reception staff could’ve helped you.”

Yu Yang had been waiting outside since 5:00. It was now 5:30.

“No, I came specifically to see you,” Yu Yang said, shaking his head. “I just didn’t expect you to get off work at 5:30. I thought it was five. I came too early.”

“You came to see me specifically?” Sang Tong looked puzzled.

“Yes. I was hoping to have dinner with you. Is that okay?”

Yu Yang threw the question out directly, and his face even flushed a little pink. There was a hint of shyness in his tone.

Sang Tong glanced at him but didn’t speak immediately. Her brows knit together slightly.

“Not even if it’s about Xiang Tiancheng?” Yu Yang added.

She looked at him. His eyes held a bit of anticipation, and his expression was sincerely serious. Honestly, as Zhang Weimin had said, this man didn’t look like a murderer at all…

But Sang Tong knew very well—this seemingly harmless man in front of her was the one who had cruelly murdered three women.

“Dinner is fine, but it can’t be far. I need to be back for a meeting by 7:30,” she finally replied.

“Alright.” Yu Yang nodded and then gave her a big smile. He looked genuinely happy.

Sang Tong looked at him again. She truly couldn’t understand how someone could have two completely different faces. The man standing here, with a warm smile and gentle demeanor, was the same person who had smiled like a demon in the dark.

“You’re not wearing the shoes I gave you?” Yu Yang suddenly asked.

“You gave those shoes?” Sang Tong was surprised.

“Yeah. I thought they’d suit you well,” Yu Yang nodded.

“Sorry, I don’t accept gifts. I’ll go back and return them to you right now,” Sang Tong turned to leave.

“Can’t you just keep them?” Yu Yang’s face showed a hint of disappointment as he looked at her.

Sang Tong kept her expression firm and shook her head. She was resolute.

“Alright then, I’ll come back for them after dinner,” Yu Yang compromised, but didn’t continue the topic.

They ate at a restaurant Sang Tong picked, a nearby spot that was relatively busy at that hour. She ordered a bowl of cold noodles. After a full day of work, she was hungry, and in the hot weather, something cool sounded perfect.

“Next time, I’ll treat you to something better. There’s a nice steakhouse on Kaihua Road,” Yu Yang said casually.

“Sorry, I don’t really like steak. Cold noodles are better in this weather,” Sang Tong responded blandly.

“Your department doesn’t pay that well, does it? Five, six thousand a month?” Yu Yang asked again.

“Mm, it’s alright, something like that…” Sang Tong poured vinegar into her bowl. The rich aroma of the vinegar, mixed with chili oil, rose instantly—mouthwatering.

“So what were you saying about Xiang Tiancheng?” she asked while sipping iced mung bean soup. It was crushed into a slush and tasted refreshingly cold.

“His daughter seems to be sick. He asked to borrow money from me last time, but I refused,” Yu Yang said.

The disposable chopsticks had to be broken apart, but they had splinters. One of them jabbed him. He frowned and wiped a bit of blood from his finger with a napkin.

“Really? I thought he had plenty of money himself,” Sang Tong said, surprised.

“He said he made it gambling. I’m not too sure. He’s the one who took me to the fishery that time…” Yu Yang moved his chopsticks, but then set them back down.

“Alright, I’ll report this to my superior. Or you can come back with me and tell them yourself. The person who talked to you last time was my leader,” Sang Tong said in an official tone.

Yu Yang hadn’t expected her to be so unyielding. Though he didn’t show it on his face, Sang Tong caught a flicker of displeasure in his eyes that he didn’t manage to hide in time.

A few minutes later, Yu Yang got a phone call—apparently something urgent had come up at his company.

“Alright, you can come back another time when you’re free,” Sang Tong said, not bothering to say much more.

Watching Yu Yang hurry off into the subway entrance, she withdrew her gaze and continued slurping her noodles.

“Want another cup of soy milk?” Someone appeared beside her—without looking up, Sang Tong already knew it was Ye Jinchen.

“Cold one,” Sang Tong replied with a nod.

Ye Jinchen gave her a glance, then turned to order the soy milk.

She had chosen the location, but the surroundings had already been fully set up. Ye Jinchen had been sitting in the shop just now, but Yu Yang’s eyes had been so fixated on Sang Tong that he hadn’t noticed him.

In truth, Ye Jinchen’s looks were quite eye-catching. No matter where he went, he was bound to attract a few stares. When stern, his presence was intense and hard to ignore; when restrained, he didn’t draw as much attention—but still, tsk, Team Eight really had some talent.

“That man likes to find a sense of accomplishment through women,” Sang Tong said, looking at him after he sat back down.

“Yuan Panqiao once told her brother that Yu Yang remembered everything she ever said, even the tiniest details he would keep in mind,” Ye Jinchen replied. “So sending you shoes is just the first step.”

“What’s so special about the steakhouse on Kaihua Road?” Sang Tong asked, still unfamiliar with the place.

“28 ounces cost a thousand yuan,” Ye Jinchen answered flatly.

“Pfft, can’t afford that,” Sang Tong licked her lips. Sweet mung bean soup was still the best.

By the time she finished her soy milk, Ye Jinchen was done eating too. Sang Tong picked up the napkin on the table and stuffed it into her pocket.

«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶

When Ye Jinchen returned to the office, he found an additional item on his desk. Flipping open the cover, he saw three big characters on the first page: Self-Reflection Letter.

He flipped through it for a moment and had to admit, it was much less nonsense-filled than the last time. Her attitude toward admitting fault seemed quite sincere.

Although he still felt Sang Tong wasn’t a great fit for Team Eight, over the past few days, he had seen her ability and attitude.

Deputy Director Chen was right, she was already here. Forcing her out wasn’t appropriate, especially since the girl hadn’t committed any major errors and even played a key role in solving the case.

He figured he ought to be fair to Sang Tong. Letting her stay in Team Eight was a decision he made after serious consideration. That’s why he didn’t object to her contact with Yu Yang this time.

But... when he received news that afternoon, he still felt uneasy.

He wasn’t great at mentoring, this was a bit of a headache.

Team Three’s leader, Wu Zhixue, was in his forties. When Ye Jinchen had just joined the team, he had trained under him for a while. He thought Wu might be helpful with this.

“Taking on a disciple? Haven’t you done that already? Didn’t you train everyone in Team Eight yourself?” Except for Zhang Weimin, who was transferred from another group, everyone else in Team Eight was personally recruited by Ye Jinchen. And now he’s asking how to mentor someone? The sun must be rising from the west!

Ye Jinchen: …

Forget it. Waste of a question. That bunch of free-range folks in the group weren’t exactly helpful examples!

What he didn’t know was that in just one night, Wu Zhixue had spread the story everywhere—it even reached Deputy Director Chen.

“Ha, just two days ago he wanted to send her to Team Three, and now he’s changed his mind?” Deputy Director Chen chuckled when he heard about it.

Other people might not understand what made Sang Tong special, but he did—after all, he was the one who brought her in…

Some things can be said, some things can't. Better to let the team leader work it out on his own.

«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶

Sang Tong’s arm had already been hurting, and after writing so much in the self-reflection yesterday, her whole arm was numb today.

She rubbed on some ointment while fretting over the case.

They had tracked Yu Yang down, but a critical piece was still missing. As Old Zhang said, without evidence, even catching him wouldn’t be of much use.

After wrapping a self-adhesive bandage around her arm, Sang Tong pulled out a white lump from her pocket.

On the white tissue, a small spot of red stood out starkly.

She had swiped the tissue today right under Ye Jinchen’s nose, and it had made her nervous. Hopefully, he hadn’t noticed—this little detail surely flew under his radar… right?

She’d stayed in the county for a whole year without being found out. Surely she wouldn’t be exposed within a week of being in Team Eight… That would be terrifying.

As she pondered this, she rubbed at the bloodstain on the paper.

Her vision was once again engulfed by thick white fog. When it cleared, the scene before her was not what she had expected—it wasn’t the crime scene, nor Yu Yang’s escape route.

When Sang Tong opened her eyes, she was greeted by a mountain of junk, reeking with a foul stench that made her instinctively wrinkle her nose.

A bulldozer lifted a heap and dumped it into a machine. Within seconds, it was compressed into a perfect rectangular block, completely unrecognizable.

Sang Tong didn’t quite understand why this was the scene she saw—it wasn’t a murder site, nor anything directly related to Yu Yang’s escape.

Until… her vision rotated slowly on its own, and she saw a familiar flash of red—

Sang Tong abruptly snapped out of it. She had a good idea of what she had just seen.

Taking out her laptop, Sang Tong started searching for the information she wanted, then pulled out the documents Le Qiwen had given her and began carefully comparing them.

Fifteen minutes later, Sang Tong got the result she wanted!

«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ «̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ »̶ ̶̶̶

Ye Jinchen had just finished washing up when he heard a knock on the door. After being "mocked" by Captain Wu earlier, Ye Jinchen’s expression wasn’t exactly good.

When the door opened, Sang Tong saw Ye Jinchen’s cold face. Her own excitement instantly faded.

Should she have called to report before coming over?

When Ye Jinchen saw Sang Tong standing at the door, his originally harsh expression softened noticeably.

“Something wrong?” Ye Jinchen asked.

“Yeah,” Sang Tong nodded.

“A new discovery?” he asked again.

She nodded once more.

“Alright, come in,” he said. They couldn’t just stand and talk at the door forever.

Without hesitation, Sang Tong carried her laptop into Ye Jinchen’s personal space.

She had to admit… Ye Jinchen’s room was simpler than she had imagined. Besides a made bed and a computer on the desk, there was almost nothing else—this wasn’t minimalism, it was emptiness.

“There’s just one chair. Sit and tell me,” Ye Jinchen said.

Sang Tong didn’t refuse and sat at the desk, opening her laptop the screen lit up instantly.

“This is Yu Yang’s movement route after Xiang Tiancheng was caught,” Sang Tong showed the marked map to Ye Jinchen.

“This is Yu Yang’s usual movement route before Xiang Tiancheng was caught,” she placed another map on the desk.

Two maps side by side—one marked in red, the other in green.

“Excluding usual entertainment places, there’s one extra location here,” Sang Tong pointed to a spot on the map that wasn’t a fishing spot or a dining/entertainment place.

She zoomed in on the image. Ye Jinchen leaned over, coming closer.

“What place is this?” His low, calm voice came from behind her, brushing past her ear. His breath carried a faint, subtle fragrance unique to him, making her involuntarily catch her breath.

Her fingertips resting on the touchpad trembled slightly. After two seconds, she regained her voice…