The air was still, and Lin Fan regretted her words, feeling a pang of anxiety. "I—"

"Have you ever been in a relationship?" Qin Feng asked.

Lin Fan opened her mouth, her face burning, and shook her head, "No."

Qin Feng was silent for a moment before he spoke, "When you fall in love, you'll understand that true affection doesn't come with specific conditions."

It was Qin Feng's first time having a pure conversation under the covers with a girl, and Lin Fan, oblivious to the sensitivity of the topic, insisted on discussing it. Qin Feng thought about lighting a cigarette but dismissed the idea when he saw her beside him.

Lin Fan quietly burrowed her head under the blanket, feeling suffocated. A vague and elusive thought flitted through her mind, but she dared not voice it. She raised her hand to cover her face and closed her eyes.

"Is there someone you like?" Qin Feng asked, his voice deep.

Lin Fan pulled the blanket away just enough to shake her head vigorously, "No."

"Then why ask?"

Lin Fan covered her face, unable to speak. After a moment, Qin Feng said, "Go to sleep."

She drifted off into a fitful sleep, dreaming of being pursued. Thousands of troops thundered toward her, rivers of blood flowing. The man behind her wore cold, hard armor that pressed into her back. A horse neighed as it reared, with a cliff ahead offering no escape.

There was no way out. She knew it was a dream, but the despair was overwhelming, as if she were really there. Tears rolled down her cheeks. They were going to die there today.

His hot breath brushed against her neck, "Princess, this general can protect you no further. The road ahead is perilous; take care!"

He dismounted, drawing his sword and striking the horse's back with the scabbard, "Go!"

"No!"

Lin Fan bolted upright. She stared into the dark room, gasping, heart pounding.

"Lin Fan?" His voice was followed by the light switching on.

Lin Fan looked at him. Qin Feng was wearing a black tank top, his face inscrutable in the backlight. Lin Fan's face was streaked with tears, and she stared at Qin Feng. The man in her dream had been Qin Feng.

"What’s wrong?" Qin Feng searched for a tissue but couldn't find one, so he reached out to wipe Lin Fan's face. "Why are you crying? Nightmare?"

Lin Fan continued to look at him, her lips pressed tightly together.

"What are you looking at?"

His voice was husky from sleep.

Lin Fan shook her head, "Just a nightmare."

Qin Feng got out of bed, grabbed a bottle of water, and handed it to Lin Fan after unscrewing the cap. "Have some water."

In the dim light, he yawned and suddenly chuckled, "I thought you were fearless. What was the dream about?"

Lin Fan hugged the bottle and shook her head, refusing to say that in her dream, Qin Feng seemed to be a general. She drank half the bottle, finally shaking off the dream. She felt ridiculous. How could she be a princess? Qin Feng wasn't a general either; she'd watched too many TV dramas.

"I dreamed I was being chased by ghosts," Lin Fan lied.

"You're afraid of ghosts?" Qin Feng glanced at his watch. It was six o'clock. He put on his watch, "It's six. If you want, you can sleep a bit more."

Lin Fan put the bottle down, hugging the blanket, lost in thought.

"Not sleeping?"

Lin Fan shook her head, "I can't sleep, afraid of more dreams."

"Then get up. I'll take you to see the flag-raising."

Lin Fan nodded vigorously, but they didn't get to see it. Liu Yi called with news about the blood sample. The extracted DNA had matched a record in the database. The individual had a criminal record for robbery, had served four years, and was released in March.

"Go to the hospital and get the report first. Call me when you're done, and I'll pick you up."

"Do you know which hospital Chen Lei's wife is at?"

"Probably Taikang," Qin Feng replied, then raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"I want to visit her."

"I'll go with you once I finish up here."

"I just want to take a quick look. I won't cause any trouble. The hospital for my check-up is not far from there. I’ll bring her some things."

Qin Feng looked at Lin Fan for a moment. "Do you have enough money?"

Lin Fan nodded, "Yes."

Qin Feng still wasn’t reassured. Although Lin Fan had some self-defense skills, she was quite weak now. He pulled a cylindrical steel baton, about four to five centimeters long, from his pocket and handed it to her. "This extends to seventy centimeters. Use it for protection."

The baton belonged to Liu Yi, who had carelessly left it lying around yesterday, and Qin Feng had picked it up. It suited Lin Fan perfectly; it was safer than a knife and easier to carry.

Curious, Lin Fan fiddled with it, causing a section to extend. Qin Feng said, "Keep it with your keys. It can pass security checks."

Lin Fan retracted the baton, nodded, and attached it to her keys. "I’m leaving then."

"Stay safe." Qin Feng watched her enter the subway and disappear from sight. He felt a bit like a worried father, which was somewhat amusing. He composed himself and walked in the opposite direction. The case involving Chen Lei wasn't difficult to investigate; the challenge was that it couldn’t be investigated openly.

Lin Fan headed straight to the hospital and picked up her report at ten o'clock to see the attending doctor.

"You're slightly anemic, but everything else is fine."

Lin Fan's heart sank. If there was nothing wrong with the check-up, why had she fainted? She put the report back in her bag and took out her phone to see the detailed address Qin Feng had sent for Taikang Hospital.

She bought some baby clothes and fruits from a nearby mall before entering the inpatient ward. As she approached the room, a police officer stopped her. "What's your name?"

"Lin Fan."

The officer nodded. "Alright, you can go in."

Lin Fan nodded, hugged the items, and pushed open the door. Inside, a child was crying in a stroller. A frail woman stood by the window, staring into the distance.

"Hello," Lin Fan greeted.

The woman turned, her face pale, lips chapped, and her eyes dull. "Who are you?"

Lin Fan set down the items and looked at her. "My condolences."

The woman stared at Lin Fan sharply. "Who are you? I’ve never seen you before."

"I’m a fan of your husband," Lin Fan said. "He exposed a fake medicine factory that saved my grandmother’s life. When I heard about his situation, I wanted to visit you and the baby."

The woman was skeptical. Lin Fan pointed to the crying baby in the stroller. "Your baby’s been crying for a while. Is he hungry?"

The woman seemed to realize this for the first time and quickly picked up the baby to prepare some formula. The formula was a cheap domestic brand. She struggled to prepare it with one hand while holding the baby. The bottle fell. Lin Fan rushed over to help, "Let me do it. How many scoops?"

"Two."

The room's water dispenser wasn't on, and the thermos lid was open, leaving the water cold. The chaos was palpable. Lin Fan couldn’t imagine how a woman felt losing her husband right after childbirth. "I'll get some water."

The woman held her baby, burying her face in the baby’s hair, kissing him.

Lin Fan found the hot water dispenser with the help of a nurse and returned with a bottle. With police officers in the room, she slipped back in and poured the hot water into a cup to cool.

The door opened again, and a man in a police uniform strode in, stopping short when he saw Lin Fan. "What are you doing here?"

It was Liu Yi.

Lin Fan blinked, "I came to see if I could help."

Liu Yi's expression was heavy, not as relaxed as yesterday. "You should go back soon. Don’t wander around."

Lin Fan nodded. The police asked the woman several questions, but she responded to everything with "I don't know." Holding her crying baby, she seemed numb. "I don't know. My husband might have had an accident or might have been murdered. I don't know. My mother-in-law is on her way. She will handle the aftermath."

The water finally cooled. Lin Fan prepared the formula while listening to their conversation. The woman remained silent afterward, just holding her baby.

The police eventually left. Liu Yi was the last to go, reminding Lin Fan, "Go home soon."

"Okay."

Lin Fan handed the bottle to the woman. "It's warm. The baby can drink it."

The woman took the bottle without looking at her. "Are you a police officer?"

Lin Fan shook her head and pulled a chair over to sit across from her. "My friend is a police officer."

"You don't need to follow me. It's useless. I don't know anything."

Lin Fan looked down at her fingers and then at the baby's face. "Are you going back to your hometown?"

"In a few days, when I'm feeling better."

"Going back is good," Lin Fan sighed. "It's safer."

The woman remained silent, and Lin Fan didn't say much more. She felt frustrated, hoping that all the bad guys would be punished. But the situation was complicated, and the living had to go on living. At noon, she bought chicken soup and rice for the woman and brought it to the room just as she received a call from Qin Feng.

Lin Fan slung her bag over her shoulder, said goodbye to the woman, and walked out of the room to answer the call. "Qin Da Ge."

"Where are you?"

"Taikang Hospital."

"Have you eaten?"

"Not yet."

"Wait for me at the entrance."

"Okay."

The call ended, and Lin Fan stood at the hospital entrance, waiting for Qin Feng. The sun was scorching, but she didn't feel hot; a chill permeated from within her. Hospitals had a heavy atmosphere. An ambulance roared into the emergency room, and Lin Fan saw a dazed man following a body inside. She sighed. Every day, people die in this world.

Her shoulder was bumped, and she instinctively stepped aside. A man glanced at her and walked away. Lin Fan belatedly checked her bag, relieved to find her money untouched.

After about twenty minutes, Qin Feng arrived. He didn't get out of the car but waved to her from inside a taxi.

Lin Fan ran over and got into the car. The air conditioner was blasting cold air, making her shiver.

"Did you get your medical report?"

Lin Fan took out the report from her bag and handed it to Qin Feng. "The doctor said there's nothing wrong."

All of Lin Fan's indicators were normal. There was indeed nothing wrong. Qin Feng, seeing her pale face, reached out to touch her forehead, but Lin Fan quickly pulled back, stopping halfway when she realized what she was doing.

"I'm not hot."

Qin Feng withdrew his hand. "You're right. You're cold."

Lin Fan didn't understand. Qin Feng put the report away without intending to give it back to her. "Did you visit her this morning? How was it?"

Thinking about Chen Lei’s family, Lin Fan felt a pang in her heart. "It's very sad. Can we bring her some formula later?"

Qin Feng looked at Lin Fan and smiled. "Sure." He tucked the medical report into his pocket and said, "Let's eat first."

It was already two o'clock. He had come straight from the police station.

The man who left the bloodstain was named Ding Hao. The police had caught him at a casino. After his release from prison, Ding Hao, who had been penniless, suddenly had money to gamble. They found 10,000 yuan in cash on him, clearly obtained through dubious means. But Ding Hao refused to talk. He remained silent, bearing it all.