Chapter 106 Meal

Chapter 106: Reunion

The car had just come to a stop in the police station parking lot when Zhou Yuanfeng rushed forward.

The tall young man’s eyes were bloodshot. Without hesitation, he pulled Qin Jiayu into a tight embrace the moment he saw her.

Qin Jiayu froze for a moment, glancing at her parents’ displeased expressions before trying to pull away slightly. But when she felt the wetness of tears on her neck, she stiffened in surprise.

She blinked slowly, and after a long pause, she finally raised her hands and gently patted his back. “It’s okay… It’s okay…” she said.

Even as she spoke, an inexplicable sense of grievance welled up inside her. Why? Why had she been dragged into something like this for no reason? What had she even done?

Listening to Zhou Yuanfeng’s quiet sobs, her chest tightened, and her lips unconsciously trembled. “I said it's okay…”

“I’m sorry…” Zhou Yuanfeng hoarsely said, his voice choked with emotion. “It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, Ke Zhiwei wouldn’t have targeted you. If I hadn’t argued with you, he wouldn’t have found an opportunity… I’m sorry, it’s all my fault, all my fault. I’m sorry, I was wrong…”

Zhou Yuanfeng had always been so carefree around her, never one to show much vulnerability. This was the first time she had ever seen him cry. Qin Jiayu hesitated for a moment before sniffled. “I already said it’s not your fault…”

“I wasn’t perfect either. I should’ve discussed things with you properly before making decisions. I shouldn’t have stubbornly insisted on going to Linzhou. And that night when he knocked on the door, I should’ve been more alert. It was my carelessness that let him take advantage…”

The young couple held each other tight, murmuring words of comfort while everyone else awkwardly averted their gazes, unsure what to say.

Qin Jiayu’s parents had initially been displeased, but seeing Zhou Yuanfeng’s desperate worry, they couldn’t bring themselves to say anything harsh. Hearing his self-blame, they were inclined to let it slide—until the two of them lingered in their embrace for far too long. Qin Jiayu’s father finally gave a loud, pointed cough.

Only then did Zhou Yuanfeng realize they weren’t alone. He hastily loosened his grip and took a step back, stiffening slightly when he met the gaze of Qin Jiayu’s father, who bore a faint resemblance to her.

Qin Jiayu also belatedly snapped back to reality. Wiping her face, she introduced with flushed cheeks, “Th-These are my parents…”

Zhou Yuanfeng naturally recognized them—they had confronted him when Qin Jiayu first went missing, demanding answers!

But this meeting was entirely different from their last encounter. Clearing his throat, he quickly stepped forward, extending his right hand with a mix of nervousness and solemnity. “Uncle, Auntie, hello!”

Qin Jiayu’s father stiffly looked him up and down, ready to pick a fight. But seeing the tall, handsome young man—especially his red-rimmed eyes—he merely grunted in acknowledgment.

Qin Jiayu’s mother, however, wore a complex expression before finally offering a small smile. “Good, good. As long as everyone’s safe.”

With all the evidence previously pointing to Zhou Yuanfeng, Qin Jiayu’s parents had been convinced he was the kidnapper. Now that the truth was out, they knew the real culprit was someone else—though Zhou Yuanfeng wasn’t entirely uninvolved. The awkwardness left them unsure what to say.

Having learned the general situation on the way back, Qin Jiayu understood the tension between her boyfriend and her parents. Glancing between them, she suggested, “Let’s… Let’s go inside first and see what’s going on…”

Zhou Qiming quickly stepped in to mediate, mentioning that there were still statements to be taken from both of them. The group then made their way into the building.

With conclusive evidence confirming Ke Zhiwei’s guilt, Zhou Yuanfeng’s name was cleared. After giving their statements, they were free to leave.

Before they departed, however, Captain Yang and the others questioned Zhou Yuanfeng again—had he ever clashed with Ke Zhiwei during their four years at university? After much thought, Zhou Yuanfeng still insisted there had been no conflict. If anything, Ke Zhiwei had always been friendly and kind to him.

Exchanging glances, the officers realized they wouldn’t get any leads from him and let them go.

As Shen Qingye leaned against the corridor railing, looking down, she happened to see the group exiting the office building. Despite nothing being wrong, Zhou Yuanfeng was still hovering around Qin Jiayu, attending to every little thing. Meanwhile, Zhou Yuanfeng’s parents, who had rushed to the entrance, slowed their steps upon seeing them. The two sets of parents exchanged formal, uncomfortable greetings, leaving the young couple to sneakily hold hands by their sides.

After this ordeal, the rift between them had dissolved, and they'd grown closer.

How wonderful.

A paper cup suddenly appeared in front of her. Shen Qingye turned to see Yue Lingchuan offering it to her.

She smiled in thanks and asked, “Is Captain Yang interrogating Ke Zhiwei?”

Yue Lingchuan nodded. “He’s already been brought in. Knowing Captain Yang, they're probably interrogating him now.”

Shen Qingye nodded, her gaze trailing the figures downstairs as they gradually faded into the distance. She couldn’t help but mutter, "But what exactly was Ke Zhiwei’s motive? He and Zhou Yuanfeng didn’t seem to have any serious beef..."

"If regular folks could get inside criminals’ heads, they wouldn’t be called normal anymore," Yue Lingchuan shrugged, turning to look at her. "Captain Yang has already sent people to dig deeper into Ke Zhiwei’s background. Some people can fake it for a while, but not forever—eventually, their true colors will come out. By then, we’ll see what kind of person he really is and figure out what his beef was with Zhou Yuanfeng."

Shen Qingye shook her head, still puzzled. "But didn’t he realize that what he did wouldn’t actually do much to Zhou Yuanfeng?"

After all, once the incident occurred, Zhou Yuanfeng was immediately detained by the police. Even if Ke Zhiwei had intended to kill him, he wouldn’t have had time.

Yue Lingchuan replied, "Maybe he didn’t count on us moving this fast."

According to Ke Zhiwei’s plan, after killing Qin Jiayu today, he would bury her body in the mountains. The lower temperatures at Bolang Mountain, combined with the soil slowing bacterial and microbial activity, would delay decomposition. Then, after some time, he could discreetly reveal the body’s location to the police, throwing off the forensics on the time of death.

Who’s to say Zhou Yuanfeng didn’t kill her before getting arrested?

But what Ke Zhiwei hadn’t anticipated was how fast the cops would move—following the letter Qin Jiayu left and the clues on the forum, they traced everything back to him.

What really threw him off was Han Songlin showing up right there, spotting him heading up the mountain.

Shen Qingye gazed into the distance and sighed heavily. "Thank God... thank God he didn’t kill Qin Jiayu the night he kidnapped her..."

Otherwise, all their work would’ve been for nothing.

At this thought, while relieved, Shen Qingye still felt confused—if Ke Zhiwei was set on killing Qin Jiayu, why wait until today? Why not act sooner?

Yue Lingchuan seemed to read her mind and glanced at her. "Maybe Qin Jiayu meant something to him."

Shen Qingye looked at him.

Yue Lingchuan continued, "As we mentioned before, Ke Zhiwei never came clean about his feelings to Qin Jiayu. Perhaps he clung to the hope she didn’t totally hate him, which delayed his actions. Or maybe he simply felt that since Qin Jiayu was already in his control, he was confident enough that killing her sooner or later wouldn’t make a difference—so why not keep her around a little longer?"

Shen Qingye shook her head. "I don’t buy it."

After a pause, she smiled faintly. "But if that’s the case, we owe his ego a thank-you."

Yue Lingchuan chuckled in response.

He stood up. "Alright, haven’t we been exhausted enough these past two days? Let’s hand the rest off to Captain Yang’s team. We’ll just wait for the results."

This case had originally been assigned to Team One. Due to its urgency and the involvement of a life, coupled with Team One’s shortage of personnel, Shen Qingye and Yue Lingchuan had stepped in to assist. Now that the situation was resolved, they were off the hook. Captain Yang was a seasoned investigator—a guy like Ke Zhiwei was no match for him.

They could breathe easy now.

Shen Qingye smiled too, finally feeling a bit more relaxed.

This was her first time working a case without relying on her special abilities, so it was only natural that she had been tense throughout. Now that Qin Jiayu was safe, the tension eased up a little.

She tilted her head to look at Yue Lingchuan, her eyes curving into crescents as she made an invitation. "It’s getting late, Captain Yue. Wanna grab a bite?"

Her intention was to return the favor after he had treated her last time. To her surprise, Yue Lingchuan stiffened, hesitating before replying, "Dinner? Now?"

For a moment, it almost seemed—though she might have imagined it—that this tall, strikingly handsome man, who usually remained unshaken even in the face of disaster, looked thrown off.

Shen Qingye paused, then smiled. "If you’re busy, Captain Yue—"

Yue Lingchuan quickly interjected, "No, I’m good! Totally free!"

He cleared his throat, slipping his hands into his pockets, his expression calm and composed. But as he glanced down at his casual attire, a flicker of regret crossed his brow.

This was Shen Qingye’s first time inviting him out—why didn’t he dress to impress?

"I'm available," he said.

Shen Qingye hesitated slightly. "No worries. If you've got something else to do, we can always eat together another time..."

Before she could finish, a confused voice piped up from behind. "Grabbing food? What's this about eating? Xiao Shen, you guys grabbing food?"

Yue Lingchuan stiffened, slowly turning his head. Wei Zhengyi had just walked out of the office, scratching his head. "Speaking of which, it is mealtime. I didn’t even have breakfast this morning—got pulled away right after clocking in."

"But now that you mention it, I do know a newly opened place nearby. Heard it’s bomb!"

Yue Lingchuan’s vibe turned icy, his demeanor cold. Just as he was about to say something, Luo Kaiyang chimed in. "Oh, I know! That old hotpot place you mentioned last time, right? It’s really good. I passed by before and saw it was packed!"

"Will there even be seats if we go now?"

"No biggie. We’ve got nothing urgent right now. We can wait."

Zhou Qiming strolled over and added, "Then let’s go. It’s been a while since I’ve had hotpot..."

Everyone chimed in, with Jiang Cheng also nodding. Wei Zhengyi turned to Yue Lingchuan, eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "Boss, shall we head out now?"

Yue Lingchuan stared at the group, his expression stiff.

"Since when is this a ‘we’ thing? Who’s ‘we’ with you?"

He had wanted to go out alone with Shen Qingye. What was the point of bringing all of them along?

He remained silent for a moment. Wei Zhengyi, a beat too late, finally realized. "Oh, I get it..."

Yue Lingchuan’s eyes faintly brightened, hoping he’d say something considerate—only to hear him continue, "Boss has something else today, right? No sweat, we’ll go without you!"

He then turned to Shen Qingye. "Xiao Shen, Xiao Shen, I’m telling you, that place is incredible! Fiery and tingly, with top-notch ingredients. Everyone I know who’s tried it says it’s great. Are you coming...?"

Shen Qingye glanced at Yue Lingchuan’s increasingly rigid expression and couldn’t help but find it amusing. Feeling bad, she bailed him out. "Sure, sure, everyone’s invited. I’m buying."

Wei Zhengyi instinctively looked at Yue Lingchuan. "So… boss in?"

Shen Qingye smiled at him and echoed, "Boss in?"

Under the collective gaze, Yue Lingchuan stayed quiet for a few seconds before reluctantly sighing, "...*Sigh* Fine."

Wei Zhengyi, completely oblivious to his mood, whooped and herded everyone out. Shen Qingye lingered at the back, watching Yue Lingchuan’s sulky look and tightly pressed lips. Strangely, she could guess exactly why he was upset.

She cleared her throat, sidled up to him, and nudged his shoulder, whispering, "This one’s on me for everyone. Next time… I’ll treat you alone?"

At that, the tense line of Yue Lingchuan’s mouth finally curved upward slightly.

Keeping his eyes forward, he replied with feigned indifference, "Don’t sweat it."

Then he added, "Just give me a heads-up next time." *(...gotta dress to impress.)*

Shen Qingye just grinned at him, eyes sparkling.

"Okay."