Lin Fan sat by the lake for a long time until Qin Feng called her. She answered, "Brother Qin?"

"Where are you?"

"By the lake."

"Which part of the lake?"

"The lake by your neighborhood."

Qin Feng hung up the phone. Lin Fan looked at the now calm girl beside her. "In the next life, meet each other sooner and be together properly. Go on, he's waiting for you."

Xiong Jiao's figure gradually became transparent. She looked into the distance as if Han Xu was waiting for her there.

She suddenly approached Lin Fan. Lin Fan looked up as Xiong Jiao hugged her, her hand brushing against Lin Fan's cheek. Lin Fan couldn't move, staring wide-eyed at Xiong Jiao.

Xiong Jiao placed something cool in Lin Fan's palm before turning and walking away, gradually disappearing.

"Lin Fan?"

Lin Fan could move again and quickly looked at her palm. There was only a faint mark, disappearing at a visible speed. She opened her mouth, and Qin Feng was already in front of her. "What are you looking at?"

Lin Fan looked up at Qin Feng, her back chilled.

"What's wrong?" Qin Feng asked, seeing her pale face. He placed a hand on her head. "Cold?"

His palm was warm and broad, bringing some heat to Lin Fan's body, but she still shivered from the cold. "It's nothing—"

The two words came out stuttered, her lips constantly trembling. Qin Feng's expression changed. He touched her forehead; it was unnaturally cold. He lifted her and walked quickly, "To the hospital."

"No." Lin Fan shrank in his arms, feeling slightly warmer. She bit her lip. "This isn't an illness; the hospital won't help." What did Xiong Jiao give her? That thing had entered Lin Fan's body, causing this cold.

Qin Feng stopped. The night was deep and quiet. The white light shone on Lin Fan's face, making it look ghostly pale. She clutched Qin Feng's clothes tightly. "Xiong Jiao gave it to me. I don't know what it is, but the hospital definitely can't treat it."

After a brief silence, Qin Feng carried Lin Fan back to their place.

Entering, he placed Lin Fan on the bed, then went out to close the door, found the remote, and turned on the air conditioning's warm air. He wrapped her in blankets. Lin Fan shivered on the bed. He frowned, lit a cigarette, and watched her face through the drifting white smoke. Lin Fan looked listless, and he had no solution.

"How can you see ghosts? You didn't have Yin-Yang eyes since childhood. Did something happen?" Qin Feng suddenly thought of a bad possibility. People near death could see ghosts. He was troubled by this thought and stubbed out his cigarette in the trash. "You weren't this weak before."

The warm air couldn't alleviate the cold rising from her heart. She shivered with her eyes closed. "I don't know. I couldn't see ghosts when I was a kid. After my dad died, I had nothing left to live for—" Lin Fan shivered violently, unable to complete her sentences. Qin Feng's fists clenched and unclenched several times before he went over, lifted the blanket, and held her. His large hand brushed her face. "Still cold?"

Lin Fan leaned against him. Qin Feng's body was warm, and he wasn't wearing much in the summer. She found his hand and held it. His fingers were rough but gave her a strange sense of security.

Ouyang Yu said being with Qin Feng would shorten her life, right?

Lin Fan smiled, ignoring the embarrassing issue, and rested her head on Qin Feng's neck. "I sold a jade piece from my neck. After that, I could see ghosts."

"Who did you sell it to?"

Lin Fan was very thin and not tall, curling up small in Qin Feng's arms.

"Do you know the antique market? Near there, a boss named Jin."

"I'll help you get it back tomorrow." Qin Feng squeezed her hand, still cold. Lin Fan dozed off, barely conscious, and soon fell asleep. She was quiet in her sleep, turning to bury her face in Qin Feng's chest, hugging him.

Qin Feng took out his phone to search for similar cases but found nothing. Holding Lin Fan, he moved to the bed and laid her down. Lin Fan immediately clung to him. Qin Feng sighed, pulled up the blanket, and put down his phone.

A boss named Jin near the antique market? That shouldn't be hard to find.

Having worked on cases continuously, he fell asleep quickly. The next day, he woke to the sound of the door opening. He squinted against the bright light and raised his hand to shield his eyes.

"Qin Feng, you—" The door slammed shut. Qin Feng frowned, rubbed his brow, and looked down at the girl in his arms. Lin Fan curled up, holding his hand. He gently pried her hand away and got out of bed.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Lin Fan turned over and continued sleeping.

Yawning, Qin Feng stepped out to see his parents in the living room. His father paced until he saw Qin Feng and immediately raised a finger, shaking it, lowering his voice, and speaking sternly, "She's so young! This is a crime. As a police officer, you know the law and break it!"

Qin Feng rubbed his face and walked to the kitchen, opening the fridge to get a bottle of water. His father followed, "What are you trying to do?"

"First, she's over eighteen. Even if we did anything, it's not a crime." Qin Feng drank half the bottle and said to his father, "Second, she was sick yesterday. I was afraid something would happen, so I stayed. I've been working cases non-stop and was too tired. I fell asleep."

His mother pulled his father aside, her attitude entirely different, almost overjoyed. "Confirmed? Girlfriend? Where is she from? Do her parents know?"

Qin Feng regretted giving them a key.

"I'll bring her home this weekend." Qin Feng put down the water. "You should go. She'll wake up soon."

His mother handed over a large bag of food, reminding him, "Remember to bring her. It's okay if she's young. You're older and can take care of her."

Qin Feng: "..."

"You're almost thirty. Hurry up."

Qin Feng took the bag and put it on the counter, one hand in his pocket. "Are you leaving?"

"We're leaving."

His father was pulled away by his mother, and Qin Feng opened the bag to find mostly semi-finished products. Knowing Qin Feng didn't cook, they brought items that could be heated and eaten. Qin Feng took out a bag of custard buns and put the rest in the fridge.

Hearing the door open behind him, Qin Feng turned to see Lin Fan. She looked towards the door, "Did someone come by just now?"

"Yeah, my parents came by to drop off some food." Qin Feng saw some color in her face and felt relieved. "Go brush your teeth. Breakfast will be ready soon."

"Okay."

Qin Feng prepared the semi-finished products, throwing the custard buns into the steamer, then went to the bedroom to wash up.

While brushing her teeth, Lin Fan stared at herself in the mirror, still confused about what had happened last night. She vaguely remembered waking up when Qin Feng did in the morning but kept her eyes closed to avoid embarrassment.

How did they end up sleeping together?

Lin Fan couldn't recall. She looked at her palm, but there were no marks left. Everything from last night felt like a dream. She wiped her face and went out to find the steamer on, the room filled with a fragrant steam. She turned off the steamer and saw some small rice dumplings in the fridge, so she decided to make soup.

Footsteps sounded behind her, and Lin Fan turned to see Qin Feng striding over. He had changed into a black short-sleeved shirt that revealed his strong arms. The shirt fit closely, clearly showing his chest muscles. Lin Fan quickly looked away. Qin Feng approached, "What are you cooking?"

"Soup. Do you like sweet things?"

Qin Feng passed by her, smelling faintly of mint.

"Anything is fine." His voice was deep and rich.

Lin Fan sneaked a glance at him, only to meet his gaze unexpectedly, and quickly looked away.

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow, suppressing a smile, "If you want to look, just look openly."

Lin Fan wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it. "I wasn't looking."

Qin Feng put the custard buns on a plate and took them out. Lin Fan turned off the stove and served the soup. Qin Feng rummaged through the fridge, found a bag of pickles, and took it out. Lin Fan placed the bowls on the table, pinched her ears, and pulled out a chair to sit down.

Qin Feng wasn't picky about food; as long as it was edible, he was fine.

Lin Fan sipped the glutinous rice dumpling soup and watched Qin Feng. He put down his spoon and looked directly at her, "There's something I forgot to mention yesterday. In the future, stay away from those desperate criminals. Don't get close to them."

Lin Fan averted her gaze, "Got it."

Qin Feng: "Don't just say you got it, remember it."

"Okay, I'll remember." Lin Fan thought of something. "Why did that person want to kill Xiong Jiao?"

"He was motivated by lust." Qin Feng explained, "Shang Yilong was a security guard at the Rui Li Garden. He had seen Xiong Jiao a few times. She was pretty and wealthy, so he got bad ideas. After his shift, he pretended to leave but actually hid in the neighborhood. At night, he climbed up to Xiong Jiao's terrace using the air conditioner. The terrace was unlocked, giving the perpetrator an opportunity."

When Xiong Jiao saw Shang Yilong suddenly appear, she immediately told him to get out. Shang Yilong attacked, trying to rape her. Xiong Jiao fought back fiercely, scratching him. In a rage, Shang Yilong struck her head with a telescopic baton he carried. He intended to continue his crime but panicked when he realized she had stopped breathing. Fearing the police would catch him, he sat in the living room for a long time, trying to figure out what to do. Following what he'd seen on TV, he lowered the room temperature. Seeing her purse, he decided to steal. Finding little cash in her home, he ransacked drawers and cabinets, finding only a few thousand yuan. Living frugally, he didn't recognize the valuable brands.

Thinking he had been clever, he felt safe when no one discovered Xiong Jiao's body for days. He later resigned for unrelated reasons, distancing himself from the crime. The telescopic baton was forgotten in her wardrobe. Recently, with more money, he spent his time at internet cafes, not thinking about it.

But the long arm of the law eventually caught up with him.

Lin Fan finished her soup. "That kind of person is thoroughly rotten."

Qin Feng cleaned the dishes. "Do you have any plans today?"

Lin Fan shook her head. "No, I plan to go back to my hometown tomorrow."

"Go handle your school paperwork first, and later we'll find your jade."

Lin Fan was puzzled. "What?"

"Your jade." Qin Feng walked towards the kitchen. "You're very weak right now; you can't keep seeing ghosts."

How did Qin Feng know about the jade? Did she say something last night? Lin Fan patted her head, trying to remember but couldn't. She felt like crying. What did she do last night?

"It's been a long time. Who knows if the jade is still there?"

"Who gave you the jade?"

"My grandmother."

"What did she say?" Qin Feng washed the dishes. Lin Fan cleaned the table, opened the fridge, and started sorting the food. Qin Feng always stored things haphazardly, which made the food spoil quickly.

"She just told me not to take it off. She didn't say anything else."

Qin Feng thought of something. "How long will you be in your hometown?"

"A few days, I guess." Lin Fan said, "I have some things to figure out."

Ouyang Yu's words remained a thorn in her side, unresolved and troubling.

Qin Feng didn't ask further. After cleaning up, he took Lin Fan to her school to handle enrollment procedures. Once done, they headed straight to the antique market. Lin Fan was stunned to see a restaurant in place of the old pawn shop.

"Are you sure this is the place?"

Lin Fan nodded. "It used to be a pawn shop. I'm sure it was here. Why is it a restaurant now?"

"I'll go in and ask. You wait here—no, better come with me."