Liu Yi walked in, "What are you doing here?"

"The first crime scene should be the rooftop, right?" Qin Feng asked. "Is there surveillance on the rooftop?"

"No." Liu Yi shook his head, "The rooftop door isn't even locked, it's a security hazard. People live here just because the rent is cheap."

"Let's go up and take a look."

Lin Fan jogged to keep up with Qin Feng, accidentally overtaking him in her haste. Qin Feng grabbed her arm and looked back at her, "We'll talk about it tonight. Don't say anything out here."

Was he afraid that talking about her ability to see spirits would be too shocking? Lin Fan nodded, and Qin Feng didn't let go, guiding her into the stairwell, "Slow down, why are you running so fast?"

Liu Yi teased as he looked back with a smile, "Old Qin, you might as well carry her on your back."

Lin Fan finally caught on and blushed bright red. Qin Feng had thought there wouldn't be any lights in the stairwell, given how run-down the place was, but there was a light. He let go of Lin Fan.

Liu Yi chuckled as he walked ahead, "I always thought you liked the mature type—"

"Enough talking," Qin Feng cut him off.

Liu Yi changed the subject, "Did you book the hotel?"

"Yes."

The rooftop door was quite casual, without a lock, allowing anyone to come and go freely. Qin Feng inspected the door with his flashlight. Liu Yi said, "At least dozens of people came up here after the incident, police, reporters, nosy neighbors. All the evidence is destroyed, fingerprints are meaningless."

Qin Feng put away his flashlight and stepped onto the rooftop. The wind was strong, making their clothes flap loudly. Liu Yi walked to the edge, "He probably fell from here."

Lin Fan surveyed the surroundings from the high vantage point, with an unobstructed view.

"Were there any eyewitnesses?"

"No, according to the autopsy, he died around 4 a.m. when everyone was asleep, so no one noticed."

"Is there a surveillance camera at the exit of the complex?"

"Broken, unfortunately."

Lin Fan walked to the other edge, where a lot of wooden sticks were scattered. She closed her eyes and seemed to see Chen Lei being forced to the edge on the rooftop, retreating step by step. He had exposed the truth for the sake of justice, using his life to prove his point. How desperate he must have been, about to become a father, coming from a remote place to wander in City B, finally managing to settle with his girlfriend. They rented a cheap apartment, barely making ends meet with his monthly salary, all for the sake of his ideals and justice.

Lin Fan walked forward when suddenly a voice shouted from behind, "Lin Fan? What are you doing?"

Lin Fan turned to see Qin Feng rushing over. He pulled her away from the edge, his tone unhappy, "What are you doing? If you fall, you'll die."

Lin Fan stumbled but regained her balance, rubbing her nose, "Do Chen Lei's injuries look like they were caused by these wooden sticks?"

Lin Fan crouched down and picked up a stick. It was about a meter long and five centimeters thick. She noticed a black stain and sniffed it, "Blood."

Qin Feng took the stick and shone his flashlight on it, revealing scratched bloodstains, "It's blood."

The stick wasn't smooth, making it hard to retain fingerprints. Qin Feng turned it over and found a shallow bloody fingerprint on the other end.

"This might be the killer's blood," Qin Feng called Liu Yi over, "The blood on this can be tested, it might belong to the killer."

Lin Fan examined the remaining sticks, which were scattered messily but showed few signs of damage.

Only Lin Fan and Qin Feng were left on the rooftop. Qin Feng crouched beside her, looking up at her, "What happened just now? Why were you going to the edge?"

"Chen Lei is so pitiful." Lin Fan didn't answer his question, speaking softly, "He was about to become a father, never got to see his child. So young, and he died like this. If no one had discovered him, it would have been deemed a suicide. A vibrant life buried. What was he after? Money? Fame? Rewards?"

Lin Fan's eyes were red. Qin Feng remained silent, his large hand resting on her head, "Many professions are like this. What for? For the peace and prosperity of the country, for the well-being of the people, for their conscience."

Lin Fan sniffed and nodded softly. Her hair was soft, tickling Qin Feng's palm.

"I'll remind Liu Yi to have someone protect Chen Lei's family."

Lin Fan's nose stung as she nodded vigorously.

"Let's find some evidence," Qin Feng said as he stood up, stretching his limbs. "If there's a crime, the truth will come to light."

There were no footprints at the edge, clearly indicating it wasn't a suicide, which the autopsy also confirmed. The two of them buried their heads in searching for clues. After ten minutes, Lin Fan noticed a fiber hanging at the edge, "Is this from someone's clothes?"

"We'll know after testing." Qin Feng took a photo and called Liu Yi over to put the fiber into an evidence bag.

Finding no other traces, they packed up and left the rooftop. It was already past ten o'clock, and Qin Feng and Lin Fan headed to the hotel, while Liu Yi went back to the station to organize the evidence.

They didn't reach the hotel until eleven. It was in the city center. Qin Feng led Lin Fan to check in, but the receptionist was taking a long time. Qin Feng, trying to be patient, asked, "Is there a problem?"

"Well, we tried to call you to confirm, but there was no answer. So, we had to cancel one of your reservations. We only have a room with a double bed left. Is that okay?"

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Qin Feng's eyebrow twitched, "So, you're saying there are no other rooms?"

The receptionist nodded apologetically. Qin Feng's phone had died, so he borrowed Lin Fan's phone to call nearby hotels, but given the late hour, finding two rooms was challenging. Returning the phone to Lin Fan, Qin Feng asked, "Do you have any suites?"

"No."

"A double room?"

"No."

"Alright, can we get an extra blanket?"

"That can be arranged." The receptionist glanced at Lin Fan, "Is she over 18?"

Lin Fan quickly handed over her ID. After registration, Qin Feng took the room card and headed for the elevator with Lin Fan following closely. They were both tired, but with so much on their minds, they seemed distracted.

Qin Feng, hands in his pockets, was deep in thought about Chen Lei's case. When he looked up, he met Lin Fan's wandering eyes. He stared at her for a moment until the elevator dinged, snapping him back to reality. He quickly looked away and strode out of the elevator.

The room was smaller than expected, but there was a long sofa by the window. The sofa was fine for Lin Fan to sleep on but too small for Qin Feng, who couldn't stretch his legs.

Lin Fan, knowing her place, put her bag on the sofa, "I'll sleep on the sofa."

Qin Feng plugged in his phone and went to the bathroom to wash his face. Lin Fan felt a bit uneasy. Liu Yi's joke earlier had been clear enough, and even she couldn't miss it.

Qin Feng soon came out, his face still wet. He removed his tie and tossed it on the table. "Do you want to take a shower?"

Lin Fan quickly glanced at him and then averted her eyes, "Yes, I do."

The room was small, making things awkward for Qin Feng as well. "You go first. Do you have a change of clothes?"

Lin Fan nodded, unsure where to look, and hurried to the bathroom with her bag. After she closed the door, Qin Feng found the remote and turned on the air conditioner, cooling the room down. He powered on his phone and received some files from Liu Yi: the forensic report and Chen Lei's records. It was confirmed that before his death, Chen Lei had reported on a gutter oil processing plant, prompting an investigation. The main culprits had been arrested, and the plant shut down, but the case hadn't been widely publicized.

Qin Feng messaged, "Do we have a detailed list of the involved oil brands?"

"No, the suspect refuses to disclose that information." Liu Yi quickly followed up with a voice message, "Come over tomorrow, and we'll discuss the case in detail."

"Okay."

"Make sure someone watches over Chen Lei's wife and family. We don't want them getting hurt."

"Don't worry, I've already assigned someone."

Knowing who killed Chen Lei was useless without evidence. It was all empty talk without proof.

Qin Feng was reading the files on the bed when the bathroom door opened. Lin Fan came out, her hair wet and hanging down her back. She had changed into shorts and a long-sleeved pajama top. Her face was pale, and she seemed to want to cover herself with the towel.

"The towel is dirty," Qin Feng said, putting down his phone. "If you're cold, get under the covers."

The blanket wasn't very clean either, but it was better than the towel.

"What about you?"

"You sleep on the bed, I'll take the sofa." Qin Feng stood up, undoing a button on his shirt, "If you're cold, turn off the air conditioner."

When he came out of the shower, Lin Fan was curled up on the small sofa, covered with a blanket. There was another blanket on the bed, probably brought by the hotel staff. Lin Fan was already asleep, with only half of her face visible and her hair still wet, clinging to the pillow.

Qin Feng considered waking her up but then decided against it. The sofa was too small, even for Lin Fan. He turned off the main light and leaned against the bed, continuing to review the documents Liu Yi had sent. Lin Fan seemed to turn over in her sleep and suddenly fell off the sofa with a thud, taking the blanket with her.

Qin Feng turned his head, momentarily silent, then got out of bed to check on her. Lin Fan, half-asleep, got up from the floor and rubbed her head, trying to get back on the sofa. Qin Feng pulled her over to the bed, frowning, "Lie down."

Lin Fan looked at him with wide, clear eyes. "Uncle Qin—Qin big brother."

Qin Feng picked up the blanket and tossed it onto the bed. "Sleep."

Uncle? He wasn’t old enough to be her uncle.

Lin Fan finally woke up fully and was about to speak when Qin Feng grabbed the pillow from the small sofa and threw it onto the bed. "Sleep. Don't talk."

Lin Fan, intimidated, hugged the pillow and lay down. Qin Feng got into bed from the other side, turned off his phone, and switched off the light.

"We'll stay here for tonight. We'll change hotels tomorrow."

Lin Fan's heart was pounding. She clutched the blanket tightly and pressed her lips together.

The bed was large, and there was plenty of space between them, but Lin Fan was inexplicably nervous, so much so that her breathing almost stopped. She closed her eyes, trying to stop her mind from wandering.

After a long silence, Lin Fan turned over, and Qin Feng opened his eyes.

"Qin big brother?" Lin Fan called him cautiously.

"Yes?" His voice was deep and rich, blending into the heavy darkness.

Lin Fan bit her lip, feeling a bit anxious. Her fingernails scraped against her palm, causing a sharp pain. "Do you like mature women?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, her mind buzzed, and she couldn't hear anything for a moment. Her eardrums and heart beat in sync, pounding like drums.

Liu Yi had said that Qin Feng liked mature women. On the way back, Lin Fan had secretly looked up what "mature women" meant online. After reading, she felt a bit disappointed. She couldn't explain why she was disappointed; it just left her with a heavy feeling in her heart, unresolved and unrelieved.