They had knives and were quickly upon Lin Fan, flashing the blades towards her face. With a glint of steel, Lin Fan stepped back, bumping into the railing, and instinctively flipped over it. She grabbed Qian Fang, trying to pull her over, but Qian Fang didn't move and instead pushed the child into Lin Fan’s arms. "Run!"

"Go!" Lin Fan held the child with one hand and reached for Qian Fang with the other, but grasped only air. She turned to see a man’s knife plunge into Qian Fang’s body, blood gushing out. Qian Fang opened her mouth, and the baby in Lin Fan's arms started to wail. The other three men jumped over the railing and rushed at her. Lin Fan, unable to think, clutched the child and ran towards the high-speed rail station hall.

Amidst countless voices and chaos, she was at a loss. Chen Lei was dead, Qian Fang was dead, and their child was in her arms. She didn’t know if she was crying; her mind was blank.

Armed police stationed at the high-speed rail station rushed up. Lin Fan held the child tightly. Her world was a buzzing, chaotic mess. She bumped into people, not knowing what to do. She wanted to cry for Qian Fang’s death.

Lin Fan had seen many deaths. She was born surrounded by death, her mother dying in childbirth. Later, her grandmother died, then her father. She didn’t want to see more people die in front of her.

Lin Fan was scared. She was afraid. She couldn’t bear the heavy burden of life. She thought that if she worked hard enough, there would be less crime in the world. But she had just watched Qian Fang die in front of her, powerless.

She bumped into someone and tried to avoid them, but the person blocked her way again. Lin Fan looked up, through tear-filled eyes, and saw Qin Feng. He reached out, "Give me the child."

Lin Fan handed over the child, and a policewoman came up to take the baby. Qin Feng put his hand on Lin Fan's head, "It's okay. The police are here."

Lin Fan lowered her head, silent, tears rolling down her face.

"Lin Fan?"

Lin Fan threw herself into his arms, finally crying out, still a teenager after all. Others at eighteen were growing up under their parents' protection, but she had to face all this cruelty. She cried, her whole body shaking, clutching Qin Feng's clothes tightly. "Sister Qian Fang is dead."

"No, she’s in the hospital," Qin Feng reassured, stroking her hair. "Don't cry, it's okay."

Lin Fan hiccupped through her tears and looked up, "Really?"

Qin Feng wiped away her tears. "It didn't hit any vital organs. She’ll be okay."

Qin Feng's rough fingers burned Lin Fan's face as he wiped her tears. She sniffed, "What about the child?"

"Safe." Qin Feng finished cleaning her face, "Are you okay?"

Lin Fan shook her head, "I'm fine."

Qin Feng wanted to grasp her shoulder but avoided the wound, holding her arm instead, "Stay with me. After we finish Chen Lei's case, we'll go back to Jiangcheng."

Lin Fan nodded.

With the evidence from the USB drive, Zhongyou Group was done for. Many people were involved, and Qin Feng worried about Lin Fan's safety, keeping her within sight. He booked a suite in the hotel, staying outside where he could watch over her.

Qian Fang was saved in time, and her parents came to take care of her and the child.

On the fourth day, the investigation results were out. Several brands under Zhongyou Group were found to have cooking oil that did not meet national safety standards. Zhongyou's CEO, Cai Yingfei, was arrested. The National Food Safety Bureau rechecked cooking oil on the market, finding various issues with major brands. A comprehensive overhaul was launched, causing a national uproar after the news broke.

Ding Hao, who had direct contact with Cai Yingfei, received 100,000 yuan to take what Chen Lei had. He recruited some death row inmates he had met in prison. They tortured Chen Lei for the account book, but he didn’t give in. In frustration, Ding Hao accidentally pushed Chen Lei off the building while threatening him.

The wounds on Chen Lei's hands were from being scraped by keys. They searched his house with the keys but found nothing. Cai Yingfei, fearing exposure, sent people to get rid of Chen Lei's child, but they encountered the tenacious Lin Fan.

Lin Fan was leaning against the window, looking outside, while Qin Feng slept with his arms folded. The reporter's suicide case, which turned out to be murder, was finally solved. This was Lin Fan's second time flying, the first also with Qin Feng, but she couldn’t see outside from her aisle seat.

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She gazed at the layers of clouds, feeling heavy-hearted. Chen Lei's case was finally closed. She hoped Qian Fang would live well; the deceased had passed. She hadn’t seen Chen Lei's spirit again, probably because he had moved on. Grudges and grievances would fade with time, dust returning to dust.

Someone moved beside her. Lin Fan turned her head to see Qin Feng opening his eyes. They looked at each other, and Lin Fan averted her gaze first, her face heating up under his sharp scrutiny.

She pursed her lips and smiled, "What are you looking at?"

Her voice was soft and light. Like a feather, it gently brushed Qin Feng's heart. He smiled too, squinting slightly, "Is it uncomfortable sitting here?"

Originally, Qin Feng wanted to book first class, but when Lin Fan went to see Qian Fang before they left, he only took one card. Most of the money was used for Qian Fang's medical bills. Her family wasn’t well-off and needed to raise the child.

The remaining money only covered economy class tickets, causing some discomfort for Lin Fan.

Lin Fan shook her head.

Qin Feng unscrewed a water bottle and drank, his Adam's apple bobbing, then set it down. "Not sleeping?"

"Can't sleep." Lin Fan looked back at the vast clouds outside, saying somewhat naively, "It's really beautiful out there."

Qin Feng glanced, "It is quite beautiful."

Most people in the cabin were asleep; it was very quiet.

"Brother Qin."

"Yes?"

Lin Fan turned around and looked straight at Qin Feng. His eyes were beautiful, deep and dark. After a moment of looking at him, she clenched her fists below and, gritting her teeth, gathered her courage, "Is there a chance you might like a girl who is younger?"

Qin Feng looked at her, raising his thick eyebrows.

Lin Fan was so embarrassed that she rubbed her hands on her clothes, "I mean—"

"What do you mean?"

Lin Fan bit her lip, avoiding Qin Feng's gaze, "I saw a TV show yesterday, and there was a very cute actress. She was pretty, but quite young—"

"I'll wait for you to grow up," Qin Feng interrupted her, his dark eyes fixed on her.

Lin Fan looked up at Qin Feng's smiling eyes, then quickly lowered her head, "I'm not, I don't know..." Her voice trailed off, and she kept her head down, not saying anything.

Qin Feng put his hand on her head, "Hmm?"

The intonation was teasing. Lin Fan's face grew hotter under the warmth of his hand. She didn't dare look up. "Brother Qin—"

"Hmm?"

Qin Feng's ex-girlfriend was very beautiful, the type that exuded a mature charm. Lin Fan thought she understood what he meant by waiting for her to grow up, yet she wasn't entirely sure. She muddled through her thoughts, wondering if Qin Feng would remain single. Probably not.

Because of this awkward topic, Lin Fan didn't dare speak when they got off the plane, following Qin Feng wherever he went. She stayed close, ensuring she didn't lose him. When they reached the underground parking lot, it was very quiet. Qin Feng opened the car door and got in, and Lin Fan hurried to sit in the passenger seat. As she pulled on her seatbelt, Qin Feng suddenly leaned over. Lin Fan froze, her eyes wide.

Qin Feng reached over, closed the door properly, and said, "It wasn't shut tight."

The close distance allowed Lin Fan to feel his breath. She stared at Qin Feng's lips, noticing how well-shaped they were. His skin was dark, and his features were rugged.

Qin Feng's Adam's apple moved, and he looked at Lin Fan for a few seconds before sitting back. He shook his head with a smile, taking a cigarette out but not lighting it. He opened the window to let the wind in. After a moment, he put the cigarette back into the pack, started the engine, and reversed out.

Lin Fan's pinky finger trembled slightly as she clutched the edge of her clothes. Her heart pounded rapidly, like a drum. She felt as if Qin Feng wanted to kiss her, but maybe she was just imagining it.

"What do you want to eat tonight?"

"Anything is fine." Lin Fan, nervous, bit her tongue and winced in pain. "Do you have a map of Jiangcheng? A paper one?"

"Probably in the study. You can look for it when we get back."

Lin Fan nodded, "After handling the enrollment, I want to go back to my hometown for a while. There's still some time before school starts."

"Do you still have relatives there?"

Lin Fan shook her head, "No."

"Then why go back?"

"To find the ghost-suppressing talisman. I feel like I've seen it somewhere before, but I’ve visited few places. It might be in my hometown. I want to check, maybe find some clues." Lin Fan also wanted to verify Ouyang Yu's words and understand the true cause of her mother's death. Did she truly live up to eighteen naturally or was her life extended by someone?

"Do you want me to go with you?"

"No," Lin Fan said. "I'll go by myself. I'll be back soon."

Qin Feng was about to speak when his phone rang. He answered it.

The loudspeaker was on, and the voice was loud.

"Captain Qin, are you back?"

"What's up? Speak." Qin Feng held the steering wheel, looking at the road ahead.

"There was a murder at Ruijing Garden. A woman, estimated to have been dead for three or four days."

"Has the scene been disturbed?"

"We received the report this morning. The forensic team has taken the body for an autopsy, but the scene remains intact."

Qin Feng glanced at his watch, "I'll be there by five-thirty. Keep the scene secure."

"Okay."

After hanging up, Qin Feng asked, "Do you want to go back or come with me to check the scene?"

Lin Fan, currently uninterested in corpses, said, "Drop me off somewhere easy to catch a cab."

Qin Feng didn't argue, dropping her off at a subway station in the city. "Stay safe. Call me if you need anything."

Lin Fan nodded, "I know. You go ahead."

After Qin Feng's car drove off, Lin Fan hailed a taxi, gave the driver the address, and covered her face to cool down. She might be slow in matters of the heart, but not so oblivious as to confuse feelings between men and women.

"Can we take Zhengming Road? Yinglun Road is under construction and heavily congested."

Lin Fan looked ahead and was shocked to see a woman standing in the middle of the road. She was tall and slender with long, flowing hair. It was the same ghost she had seen at the airport on the day she went to B City.

The sun was obscured by thick clouds. The ghost turned to look at Lin Fan, her pale face devoid of color, her hollow eyes staring.

"Miss?" The driver’s voice snapped Lin Fan back. The taxi drove through the ghost, and the driver repeated, "Is Zhengming Road okay?"

Lin Fan, now fully awake, nodded, "Yes."