You never know until you look, and the results were bone-chilling. The three of them stared at the computer screen, letting out sighs of disbelief as they scrolled through the criminal history on Zhao Xingjian’s identity profile.
Originally, they had thought this ordinary taxi driver was just a weak, incompetent loser—and in Ye Linghan’s eyes, a deceptive swindler to boot.
They never expected that this seemingly timid man actually had a record of raping a minor when he was only twelve years old.
While reeling from the shock, Ye Linghan frowned and asked, “Why wasn’t any of this in the background info they gave us at the start?”
Su Mo shook his head with a look of helplessness. “Who knows?”
Even though it was highly suspicious, now wasn’t the time to turn their spears toward their own department, so they all tacitly agreed not to mention it further.
“This guy is an animal! He deserved to die!” At twenty-something, Yao Qingluan was at an age where she couldn’t hide her emotions; she clenched her fists, her face full of loathing for Zhao Xingjian.
Su Mo nodded. “We can’t grant amnesty to every criminal, but if they are also victims themselves, the first thing we must do is ensure the other perpetrator doesn’t get away.”
“Our mission is to never allow a single criminal to inflict harm on an innocent person again.”
“Exactly!” Yao Qingluan raised her hand in agreement.
“Look at you, getting all poetic,” Ye Linghan joked with a smile. “If only you had such a pious heart of repentance back when you arrested the wrong suspect.”
He was still brooding over being wrongfully arrested and frequently brought it up, intentionally or otherwise, to lodge his complaint.
“Do your work!” Su Mo looked around for something handy to hit him with, eventually settling for a pen, which he tossed at Ye Linghan. “Hurry up and see what else is in the files.”
“You got it.” Ye Linghan caught the thrown pen with a laugh, twirling it between his fingers.
The clues they had gathered so far were very fragmented. The sudden discovery of a set of skeletal remains was a shocking revelation that would take them some time to process.
Ye Linghan rummaged through the photos and physical evidence they had collected from Zhao Xingjian’s home, pulling out a scrap of pale red cloth. “Do you think this scrap could have been left behind by that rape victim?”
Yao Qingluan took it and examined it closely. “Hard to say. We don’t even know who the victim was back then, so we can’t conclude. Besides, would he be stupid enough to keep evidence?”
Ye Linghan remained silent, observing the fabric intently. Although it was faded, it gave off an indescribable feeling—it looked as though it had been carefully washed. It bore the marks of time, but it wasn’t tattered.
“Doesn’t the system say who the victim was?”
However, this didn’t seem as easy as I had imagined. He thought that in an era of high-tech advancement, all information could be found in computer backups. But he had overlooked one thing: the assault happened twenty years ago. In an era where nothing was digitized, too many grievances remained unaddressed.
The sound of the keyboard mixing with mouse clicks echoed through the room. After a moment, Su Mo said in a heavy voice, “No. I asked Officer Zhang, the archives manager. He said the system crashed five years ago, and a batch of files was lost. I think the one we’re looking for might have been in that batch.”
How could it be such a coincidence?
Five years isn’t exactly a long time, but it isn’t short either. It looked like an accident, yet it happened to be connected to exactly what they needed, making it hard not to suspect it was premeditated.
The fact that the victim’s information was deleted while Zhao Xingjian’s record was left behind made it even more suspicious.
In an instant, the investigation felt even more uphill. A dead silence fell over the Investigation Bureau.
“In that case, we can only start the investigation from other angles. It’s just taking the long way around, no big deal,” Ye Linghan said, attempting to boost morale.
“Xiao Ye, I’m going to the police station in a bit to drop off some evidence and ask them for an appraisal. Do you need a ride back?”
“No need, my place is close. I’ll just walk. But didn’t you say the police don’t interact with us much and that there’s friction? Won’t they mind us constantly bothering them?”
“These are connections I built back in school, it’s fine. And even if we don’t get along, in the end, it’s for the people. Bringing criminals to justice and returning peace to the public is our common ideal.”
For a moment, Ye Linghan’s eyes felt warm.
It really wasn’t obvious—Su Mo didn’t look that old, but when he spoke, he sounded like a true adult.
Su Mo checked the time. “You sure you don’t want a lift?”
“I’m sure,” Ye Linghan laughed.
“Alright then, let’s pack up and head down together.”
Because they had found quite a bit of evidence this time, Ye Linghan helped carry some downstairs and placed it in the trunk of Su Mo’s car.
As Su Mo stood up, his gaze drifted to the other side. He nudged Ye Linghan with his elbow. “Xiao Ye.”
Ye Linghan straightened his back and poked his head out from behind the trunk. Seeing that Su Mo wasn’t looking at him, he asked, “What is it?”
Su Mo turned his head and jerked his chin in the opposite direction, signaling Ye Linghan to look. It was just after 7:00 PM in the summer, and the sky wasn’t completely dark yet; it glowed with the pale orange hues of the setting sun.
Combined with the embellishment of neon lights, he followed Su Mo’s gaze and saw a luxurious, flashy, limited-edition silver-grey Bentley parked not far away.
That car looks familiar, Ye Linghan narrowed his eyes. He seemed to have seen it in Yin Chen’s garage. When he got his driver’s license, Yin Chen had taken him to the garage to pick a vehicle, but he had declined because they were too ostentatious. Perhaps he had caught a glimpse of it then.
The window was lowered halfway, faintly revealing the blurred facial profile of a man. Even though it wasn’t clear, every contour was perfectly placed, like the most flawless character model in a video game.
Just by standing there doing nothing, he could attract everyone’s attention, proving he was no ordinary NPC.
Beside him, Su Mo clicked his tongue. “No wonder you didn’t need a ride. Turns out someone is picking you up.” He feigned a sigh, acting as if he were a jilted lover.
Ye Linghan shot him a look and acted mysterious. “Hiss, ouch.”
Su Mo quickly looked at Ye Linghan, thinking he was unwell. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Ye Linghan said with a smile, teasing him nonchalantly. “I just smell something sour, wondering where it’s coming from.” (“Sour” is Chinese slang for jealousy.)
Su Mo gnashed his teeth and shoved Ye Linghan away, snapping, “Get lost!”
Ye Linghan didn’t stand firm and stumbled away as Su Mo pushed him. As he ran, he laughed and turned back, cupping his hands like a megaphone toward Su Mo. “If you’re really thinking about her, call Sister Luan down! We aren’t the same—men need to be more proactive!”
After saying his piece, Ye Linghan ignored Su Mo’s polite hand gesture of “civilized greeting” (the middle finger) and ran toward the car by the roadside.
He pulled open the door and sat naturally in the back seat, breathing slightly hard from the run.
“Master, aren’t you busy these days? It’s rare to see you twice in one day.”
Yin Chen kept his eyes down, his chest rising and falling steadily. A thin laptop sat on his lap, his beautiful fingers clicking away at the keyboard.
He didn’t answer Ye Linghan’s question, but instead asked what he wanted to hear: “Why aren’t you and he ‘the same’?”
“Huh?” Ye Linghan didn’t react immediately. Me and who? Then he suddenly remembered what he had just said to Su Mo. His voice must have been loud enough for the person in the car to hear.
“You mean Su Mo?” he asked tentatively.
“Mm.”
“Oh, him.” Ye Linghan truly hadn’t expected that at Yin Chen’s age, he would be so into gossip.
However, thinking about how stiff and formal Yin Chen usually was, the fact that he was actively asking for gossip was quite funny.
Seeing Yin Chen didn’t follow up, Ye Linghan continued on his own, “The way those two are… their eyes are practically locking together. Who couldn’t see that something is going on? They’re just shy and embarrassed to say it, playing that ‘pure love’ game.”
Ye Linghan was very sensitive to the romantic atmosphere around people, as if he had a built-in radar. He could often accurately capture the slightest hint of romance. He had suspected it since the first time he saw Su Mo and Yao Qingluan, but since they weren’t close, he hadn’t asked. It wasn’t until this morning when Su Mo subconsciously pulled Yao Qingluan into his arms that he became even more certain.
“What does ‘pure love’ mean?” Yin Chen stopped typing and turned his head, looking at Ye Linghan seriously, waiting for an answer.
However, because the visibility in the car wasn’t very high and the lights weren’t on, Ye Linghan didn’t notice the flash of craftiness in the corner of Yin Chen’s eyes.
“Cough… Master, you…” Ye Linghan choked on his own breath. It seemed his Master was also part of the ‘pure love’ camp. Every time Yin Chen nearly lost control, he looked like a veteran of a hundred battles; Ye Linghan had overlooked the fact that he had never seen or heard of anyone else being by Yin Chen’s side.
“Well?” Yin Chen pressed.
Ye Linghan had no choice. He thought seriously about how to explain it. Usually, this kind of term is meant to be felt, but explaining a specific meaning was actually quite difficult.
“Um… It’s like chatting under a blanket, where emotions come first. Something like that.”
He thought Yin Chen was just asking casually, so he didn’t explain it properly, thinking he could just brush it off.
To his surprise, Yin Chen became interested and continued to press, “Then, are you ‘pure love’?”
“Huh?” Ye Linghan blinked, staring blankly at the person in front of him. His mouth opened and closed, but not a single sound came out.
Something was wrong—not just a little bit, but entirely wrong. Why had his Master suddenly started acting so abstract these past few days? These questions were coming out of nowhere, and he didn’t know how to respond.
Could it be that this centuries-old ghost has a crush?
Then whoever he’s set his sights on is in for a rough time, Ye Linghan thought to himself. Based on his knowledge of Yin Chen, his partner would definitely have to be someone whose blood tasted right. If that were the case, normally providing blood on the night of the full moon would be enough, but if they entered a real relationship, wouldn’t they be pestered and have their neck bitten every day?
In this current situation, he was likely the only one who had grown accustomed to that feeling.
Scenes of their nighttime intimacy flickered through Ye Linghan’s mind, making him shiver involuntarily.
“Are you cold?” Seeing Ye Linghan’s body tremble slightly, Yin Chen asked with concern.
“Huh? No, no.” Ye Linghan immediately sat up straight with a smile on his face.
“Then why aren’t you speaking?”
Yin Chen persisted.
Why is this man so stubborn?
Ye Linghan thought for a moment and said, “Of course I am… and… I’m actually quite looking forward to seeing what kind of person I’ll spend the rest of my life with.”
The latter half of the sentence was very quiet, almost whispered to himself. Since childhood, he had stayed by Yin Chen’s side as a blood slave—the lowest status in the eyes of the vampires—and his body practically belonged to Yin Chen. It was a blessing that his friends hadn’t abandoned him; he wouldn’t dare ask for more.
Furthermore, after six thousand days and nights together, it would be a lie to say he had no feelings for Yin Chen. But even if he did, what of it? Yin Chen was too flawless; he had no right to disturb that.
To be able to stay by his side until Yin Chen found his true love was enough to leave him with no regrets.
By saying those words, he was also holding onto a sliver of fantasy, wanting to see how much weight he held in the other person’s heart.
Yin Chen had always been very good to him and respected him. He didn’t know if this kindness stemmed from emotion or if Yin Chen was just a highly principled person.
“What’s wrong with you?” Yin Chen focused his gaze on the person in front of him, who was dazed and seemingly discouraged. He lifted a finger, so pale it lacked any hint of blood, and touched the other’s forehead.
Ye Linghan suddenly felt a slight chill on his forehead, and a surge of restlessness rose in his heart. It was like small pebbles being thrown into a lake, creating ripples; his heart felt as if it were being suddenly squeezed and then released.
However, his remaining logic told him to stay calm.
“Do you have a fever?” Yin Chen asked.
Ye Linghan lowered his eyes and leaned back slightly, avoiding Yin Chen’s touch. “It’s nothing, I’m just a bit tired after a busy day.”
As he spoke, he forced out a smile that carried a hint of bitterness.
Yin Chen noticed Ye Linghan’s abnormality. His deep eyes turned several degrees colder. From childhood until now, Ye Linghan had never rejected him, yet this time, even his concern had been rebuffed.
Yin Chen’s hand paused in mid-air for a moment, then he curled it into a fist and lowered it. “Drive,” he said coldly to the driver in the front seat.
The already quiet interior of the car was now filled with an added layer of chill.
Ye Linghan also realized his behavior just now was too abnormal, but trapped in this awkward scene, he didn’t know what to do.
Perhaps because he cared, he was more sensitive; yet because he knew there would be no result, he could only choose to bury these feelings deep within his heart.