The 48-hour interrogation period ended, and Zhou Jie walked out of the police station. The night was deep, and the traffic lights were flashing continuously. The little red figure on the opposite side of the crosswalk blinked a few times before turning green.

Across a narrow road, Zhou Rongguang and Zhu Wanting were waiting for her.

The wind rustled the leaves, and an elm leaf detached from its branch, swaying in the night sky before gently landing at her feet. She bent down to pick up the golden leaf.

The center of the leaf had been eaten away by insects, as if a person’s heart had been gouged out.

Zhou Rongguang, growing impatient, cursed loudly, “You beast, just don’t come home, it’d be best if you died out here!”

After he finished, he stormed off. Zhu Wanting didn’t say anything, still standing there waiting for her. When Zhou Jie reached her, Zhu Wanting coldly remarked, “How did I give birth to something like you…”

The wind was biting cold, and Zhou Jie was only wearing a thin sweater, the collar washed to a faded white. The wind seeped into her collar and sleeves, making her shiver involuntarily.

Before leaving, she glanced back at the brightly lit police station behind her.

Mo Lin’s car was parked not far from them. The person in the passenger seat, arms crossed, suddenly said, “About that day, I misunderstood you.”

Mo Lin didn’t expect him to say that. His long fingers tapped his thigh casually, a smile tugging at his lips. “So how do you plan to make it up to me?”

“What kind of compensation do you want?”

“Did you eat that candy? The blueberry flavored one…”

Gu Yuan fished out a blue candy from his pocket. “Not yet.”

“Eat it, and we’ll call it even.”

Gu Yuan looked at the candy in his palm, frowning slightly. “Is it that simple?”

Mo Lin looked at him indulgently, smiling. “It’s that simple.”

Gu Yuan unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth, the rich blueberry flavor spreading across his tongue.

“Bite into it,” Mo Lin said.

Gu Yuan bit down, the candy’s shell cracking in his mouth, releasing syrup that danced intensely on his tongue.

The intense sensation on his tongue surprised Gu Yuan. Just as he was about to ask what exactly he had been given, Mo Lin said in a very unserious tone, “That candy is like me. If you like it, you can taste it too.”

Gu Yuan’s brow furrowed instantly.

What on earth was this guy talking about?

Why did these words strung together make no sense to him?

*

Meanwhile, in the interrogation room, Qiu Yao was being questioned by the criminal police. He refused to admit he had been to the kitchen on the first floor.

“If the owner of the sleeve is Qiu Yao, it proves that after the victim died, he didn’t leave but instead went into the kitchen of Zhou Ji Barbecue, moved the boxes to stage an accident scene, and threw the victim into the oil pot before returning to his room from the attic.”

Meng Lan wrote these speculations on the drawing board. After pondering for a moment, she continued, “If the owner of the sleeve is Zhou Jie, then after throwing the victim into the oil pot, she would definitely hide the school uniform. Such a large item like a school uniform, how could it just disappear… If we find this missing school uniform, it proves Zhou Jie handled the body. If we can’t find it, then Qiu Yao handled the body.”

Xiao Ze: “If Zhou Jie really hid the school uniform, she would definitely find a way to destroy it.”

*

Mo Lin’s car was parked downstairs at Zhou Ji Barbecue. Gu Yuan pulled down his hat brim, staring intently through the second-floor window at the activity inside.

Tonight, Qiu’s Duck Neck was still open for business. Although business wasn’t as good as a few days ago, there were still over a dozen customers sitting at the shop’s entrance.

Laoban niang Qiu Yue was a strong woman. After her divorce, she had been living with Qiu Yao. Even after such a big incident, she was still making money. When facing customers, she forced a smile, but when her back was turned, her face was full of worry.

The couple from Zhou Ji Barbecue clearly weren’t in the mood to operate. After returning home, the lights on the first floor remained off, while the second floor was lit. Not long after, Zhou Jie’s pitiful cries could be heard from the second floor. Zhou Rongguang’s voice was loud, starting with curses and escalating to roars, causing complaints from the customers downstairs.

Gu Yuan opened the car door. “So noisy, I’m going up to make him shut up!”

Just as he finished speaking, the shutter door of Zhou Ji Barbecue was suddenly pulled open. Zhu Wanting rushed out from inside, clawing towards Qiu Yue.

Qiu Yue was busy attending to customers and didn’t notice someone attacking her from behind. Her wine-red curls were grabbed by Zhu Wanting, and intense pain shot through her scalp.

Zhu Wanting’s grip was strong, causing Qiu Yue to lean back. Realizing what was happening, Qiu Yue wasn’t one to be trifled with, and the two women instantly started grappling, pulling each other’s hair.

Zhu Wanting cursed loudly, “You’re a whore! Your son killed my son, you seduced my husband, and now my family is in chaos. You won’t have it easy either!”

“What nonsense are you spouting? My son would never do such a thing, don’t wrong him!”

When it came to her son, Qiu Yue fiercely defended him, her strength increasing as she pulled a handful of hair from Zhu Wanting’s head.

“Bitch! Your whole family is full of bitches!” Zhu Wanting cried and fought back, venting her dissatisfaction on Qiu Yue. Qiu Yue pushed her hard, causing Zhu Wanting to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

On the ground, Zhu Wanting no longer cared about her image, throwing a tantrum, crying and shouting, spewing insults and curses, making it impossible for customers to continue eating…

The crowd watching the commotion grew larger. Gu Yuan frowned, wondering which side to silence first.

At this moment, the window on the second floor of Zhou Ji Barbecue was pushed open. Zhou Jie, crying, shouted out the window, “Help… help!”

Her voice was powerful, drawing the attention of the people on the street from the two women to the little girl. They saw a dark shadow slowly approaching the girl from behind. As she turned, the shadow of a cleaver flashed by!

Gu Yuan quickly rushed to the second floor, where he saw a man in a gray high-end shirt using a grappling technique to restrain Zhou Rongguang, taking the cleaver from his hand and throwing it into the corner.

The smell of alcohol on Zhou Rongguang was strong, and he seemed disoriented.

Mo Lin was slightly out of breath. “He’s drunk.”

Gu Yuan noticed blood dripping from Mo Lin’s fingertips, his pupils constricting as he quickly went to restrain Zhou Rongguang. “What happened to your hand?”

“It’s nothing, just scraped it on the blade.” Mo Lin raised his hand to look at his palm. There was a small cut, bleeding but not deep.

Gu Yuan: “Why didn’t you call me?”

“The situation was urgent, no time to call you…”

Gu Yuan took a tissue from his pocket and handed it to Mo Lin. Mo Lin accepted it and wiped the blood from his hand.

Zhou Jie huddled in the corner, clutching an empty wine bottle, her body trembling uncontrollably. Her hair was disheveled, covering her face, which was marked with red welts from being hit.

Her eyes darted around, tears streaming down her face. When Mo Lin approached, she remained on guard.

“Don’t worry,” Mo Lin said, “you’re safe now.”

The girl’s emotions slowly calmed, and she looked up at him. “I want to leave here…”

Mo Lin looked into her eyes, as if understanding the helplessness within them. “Alright, we’ll take you away.”

The nearby police officers quickly arrived, trying to control the situation. Zhou Jie followed Mo Lin downstairs at Zhou Ji Barbecue. A crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle. Some were watching her, but more were watching Zhu Wanting, who was throwing a tantrum on the ground, and Qiu Yue, who looked ashen.

Zhou Jie suddenly stopped, and Mo Lin turned back to her. “What’s wrong?”

“Brother… I heard that underage offenders are sent to a reformatory. What is that place like?”

Mo Lin’s brow seemed to twitch slightly. “That place… is similar to a school… do you want to go?”

Zhou Jie lowered her head, staring at her toes. After a moment, she said, “Wait for me a moment.”

When Zhou Jie returned, she was holding a large brown teddy bear, which Gu Yuan had seen on her bed before.

After getting in the car, Zhou Jie sat in the back seat, her teddy bear beside her. She leaned against the window, watching the scenery outside retreat. “Brother, you knew all along, didn’t you?”

Mo Lin, driving, glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “Yeah.”

Gu Yuan was sure they were speaking in human language, but he couldn’t understand a word.

Zhou Jie: “Then why didn’t you expose me?”

Mo Lin: “If I exposed you, would you admit your mistake?”

Zhou Jie didn’t answer, continuing to watch the lights and people outside the window. After a while, she slowly uttered four words, “This is fine too…”

*

When they brought Zhou Jie back to the police station, everyone was surprised. Seeing the marks on the girl’s face, they had a sense of what had happened.

“Hand over the item,” Mo Lin said.

The girl, teary-eyed, handed the teddy bear to Li Meng.

Li Meng, bewildered, took the bear, looking at Mo Lin in confusion. “Mr. Mo, what’s this?”

“Aren’t you looking for evidence? She brought it herself.”

Li Meng’s eyes widened. “You mean…”

Five minutes later, the police found the missing Seventh High School uniform wrapped in plastic inside the teddy bear’s belly. The uniform had traces of blood and was sent to the lab for testing.

Mo Lin was forcibly taken to the office by Gu Yuan.

In the office, Gu Yuan picked up a cotton swab soaked in iodine, frowning slightly. “Hand out.”

Mo Lin obediently extended his hand, palm open, a smile playing on his lips. “Like this?”

“Yeah, don’t move.”

Gu Yuan avoided Mo Lin’s hand, holding the cotton swab carefully as he cleaned the wound.

The cool cotton swab glided gently across the palm, bringing a delicate sensation. Mo Lin lowered his head, watching the other’s long eyelashes. His palm suddenly felt hot. “Is the light here okay for you to see?”

“It’s fine.”

Mo Lin reached out with his other hand, wrapping it around Gu Yuan’s back to feel for the switch on the wall. His hand brushed against Gu Yuan’s waist…

Even through a layer of clothing, Gu Yuan frowned slightly, the cotton swab in his hand poking the other’s palm.

“Hiss…” Mo Lin’s palm shrank, his fingertips brushing against Gu Yuan’s pale, slender fingers.

Gu Yuan paused, momentarily stopping his actions.

“I won’t move,” Mo Lin said, “I didn’t control it well just now.”

Gu Yuan lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly, the tips of his ears quickly turning pink…

Author’s Note: Hehe~ Auntie smile