Han Xiangya’s breakthrough went smoothly because a doctor of psychological medicine, Rao Shuwan, had temporarily joined the team.
She had majored in psychology abroad, completing both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in a continuous program. After returning to the country, Director Meng invited her to serve as a psychological counselor at the general headquarters, but unexpectedly, she threw herself wholeheartedly into the Quanxiu branch.
Perhaps it was because of his age, but Director Meng now felt that whenever he saw a young woman coming and going from the criminal police team, it had to be related to Shen Yan. Yet the man had done nothing at all—his reputation simply preceded him, and admiring women were everywhere.
He was genuinely anxious about his daughter. Shen Yan was clearly a tough nut to crack. It had been years now—he wouldn’t even accept invitations to visit their home, let alone go out for meals. How could anyone possibly break through to a man like that? Even as a bureau director, he couldn’t arrange to meet Shen Yan outside of official business.
And now there was another one, Rao Shuwan. What was he supposed to do?
She took the organized leads directly to Shen Yan, brushing past Wen Xin as she walked. As a woman, Rao Shuwan’s bearing was no less impressive than Meng Xinya’s, and from the very marrow of her bones, she exuded a determined, ambitious air of someone who would stop at nothing.
Rao Shuwan didn’t stand on ceremony either. She pulled over a chair and sat down directly across from Shen Yan, quietly staring at him without saying a word.
Inwardly, she murmured to herself: He really is handsome.
Though there was a scar along his brow bone, it didn’t detract from his looks in the slightest—if anything, it added a few degrees of maturity and steadiness to his bearing.
It was Shen Yan who broke the silence. He suddenly closed the file in his hands and asked casually, “Miss Rao, if you have something to say, say it directly.”
“Captain Shen, on a personal note, I’ve developed feelings for you. On official business, Qin Lang, He Yu, and Han Xiangya have all been broken through one by one. Qin—” Rao Shuwan was about to continue reporting on other work when Shen Yan raised his hand to stop her.
Her gaze fell on his hand, with its clearly defined knuckles—a sight one wouldn’t easily forget.
“I’ve already notified everyone. Meeting in ten minutes.”
Rao Shuwan could only nod.
Seeing that she still hadn’t left.
Shen Yan raised an eyebrow. “Anything else?”
Rao Shuwan wasn’t angry. She merely reminded him, “Regarding the personal matter, don’t you want to respond?”
Shen Yan’s lips pressed into a thin line, carrying an icy coldness that kept people at a distance. “Respond to what?”
Her face flushed bright red in an instant. Rao Shuwan had never expected such an answer. Before coming, someone had already warned her that Shen Yan of the criminal police team was a thousand-year block of ice that no one could break through.
It seemed that those words were already seventy percent true.
Rao Shuwan lowered her gaze and gave an awkward smile, then hugged her files and headed straight to the office.
In the rest area of the police reception hall, a young woman was leaning docilely against a chair in the corner. Her long, slender legs had nowhere to rest, and the hair falling at her collarbone covered half her face, yet it couldn’t diminish her stunning beauty.
Rao Shuwan took out her phone, snapped a photo, and saved it to her camera roll.
Meeting room.
All members were in place. All suspects had already been apprehended—the main task now was to sort through all the points of doubt.
Rao Shuwan raised her hand. “Captain Shen, let me go first.”
Shen Yan raised his hand, signaling for her to begin.
“Han Xiangya, a psychologist, has been Qin Lang and Xie Aixian’s therapist all along. Qin Lang is a live-in son-in-law; his son had to take the Xie surname. After Xie Jingnan was born, his relationship with Xie Aixian soured. When Xie Jingnan was two, Qin Lang had an affair with He Yu. During that time, Qin Lang was obsessed with livestreaming internet celebrities and repeatedly neglected He Yu, which drove her to want to kill Wen Xin.”
“Han Xiangya was Qin Lang’s high school classmate. The two missed their chance back then because their families didn’t match in status. Objectively speaking, Han Xiangya is a love-struck fool. Qin Lang’s family background was nowhere near hers, yet because of his words, she used her position to alter Xie Aixian’s psychological assessment tests. Over the years, this caused Xie Aixian’s mental illness to worsen, even leading to hallucinations.”
“The reason no wounds were found on Xie Aixian’s body is that she could hear a certain command—she had to do it! That’s why she fell from the building. Preliminary judgment is that it was the scent on her.”
Rao Shuwan’s voice came slowly, dissecting the case’s doubts point by point.
Jiang Shisan added, “Also, Qin Lang’s obsession with the internet celebrity ‘Little June’ isn’t ordinary. He’s also quite skilled at makeup. Boss, that time Miss Wen reported someone knocking on her door in the middle of the night—that was Qin Lang. He disguised himself as a wealthy woman, originally intending to scare her. Unexpectedly, Miss Wen managed to stall for time, which was completely beyond his expectations.”
The more Shen Yan listened, the deeper his frown grew. “How many followers does she have online?”
“Twelve million.”
Jiang Shisan added again, “She’s a top-tier influencer, very popular. A single livestream draws over a million viewers, and after going offline, she naturally gets at least ten trending topics. Her pull is stronger than a celebrity’s, so it’s no surprise Qin Lang is obsessed with her.”
He lay back in the recliner. At that moment, Elder Shen sent him over a dozen WeChat messages… plus a voice call.
Shen Yan turned off his phone, his voice somewhat heavy. “When Han Xiangya jumped, she kept saying the word ‘secret.’ So what exactly is the secret between her and Xie Aixian? What secret could there be between a doctor and patient?”
He swept his gaze over everyone.
Even Rao Shuwan lowered her eyes. When interrogating Han Xiangya, she hadn’t brought up that matter at all—only saying the two were friends.
A man’s looks plus a silver tongue, and women would jump through hoops for him.
Even a woman from a family like Han Xiangya’s wasn’t exempt.
Shen Yan reassigned everyone’s tasks. Jiang Shisan and Rao Shuwan would continue to break through Han Xiangya, while Nami would focus on interrogating the person who published the article.
He walked out of the meeting room and dialed Elder Shen’s number.
A deep voice came through the receiver. “Ayan, how is Xinxin? Is she still staying at Yuehu Residence? I heard it’s not safe there either. Why not just have her move to the family compound?”
Elder Shen offered his suggestion.
Shen Yan pinched the bridge of his nose, hesitating slightly. “Xinxin is grown up now. She’ll have her own boyfriend in the future. It wouldn’t be convenient for her to live with me.”
“Nonsense. You two may not be biological siblings, but you’ve lived together for over a decade. Isn’t that bond even closer than real siblings?”
“Grandfather, I have my own arrangements.”
Suddenly, the sound of a cup toppling over came through the receiver.
“You arranged it—you sent her to Moon Lake View, and the very next day she ran into trouble. Good thing she was smart enough to get out unscathed. Don’t you feel ashamed? How could you, as the head of the criminal investigation unit, allow something like this to happen to your own sister?” Elder Shen berated Shen Yan.
Then, not quite satisfied, he added sternly, “I’ve been thinking these past two days—how exactly did you become the head of this unit?”
Shen Yan: “…”
“So it’s settled. Have Xinxin move into the family compound. As it happens, a leader at the bureau just bought a house—his old place is bigger, a two-bedroom, one-living-room setup that’s plenty for the two of you. That way, there’s no issue of a man and woman being inconveniently cooped up together, right?”