"Lin Fan?"

Qin Feng tentatively called out, pulling a blanket over her. Lin Fan opened her eyes, saw him, and then looked away. "Why are you here?"

Qin Feng got up and dressed. His shirt was covered in blood, so he left it off, only putting on his pants and fastening his belt. He looked at Lin Fan. "The gentleman brought you here."

"What gentleman?" Lin Fan frowned. "Where are my clothes?"

"The gentleman who read your fortune." Qin Feng found Lin Fan's clothes and handed them to her. "Can you dress yourself?"

Lin Fan was a bit confused. Wasn't she at her old home? How did she end up here with Qin Feng, undressed, in this strange place? It was so embarrassing; she didn't know where to look. She tried to move but found her arms uncooperative.

Qin Feng, shirtless, looked up. "What's wrong?"

Lin Fan blinked. "I can't lift my arms."

Qin Feng locked the door, as the room had no windows, then came over to dress Lin Fan. Women's clothing was complicated; it was his first time dressing someone, and he felt quite awkward. With clumsy hands, he roughly put her clothes on. "You can't move?"

Lin Fan struggled to lift her arm. "What's wrong with me?"

"Do you remember how you passed out?"

"I heard crying at my grandmother's house, then I don't remember anything."

"Don't think about it if you can't remember." Qin Feng lifted her to a sitting position. "Do you need to use the bathroom?"

Lin Fan's face turned red instantly, then she nodded. "Yes."

Qin Feng carried her out and saw the gentleman's attendant. He asked, "Where's the bathroom?"

The attendant pointed to a corner of the courtyard and glanced at Qin Feng. "The gentleman prepared clothes for you two."

"Thank you."

After bringing Lin Fan to the bathroom, he stood outside and took a cigarette from his pocket, lighting it and taking a deep drag. The sun was blazing. Qin Feng took out his phone from his pocket, it was off.

He immediately turned it on, and it started ringing. It was Xiao Wang. Qin Feng answered.

"Captain Qin, what happened? Why was your phone off?"

"Lin Fan had an incident," Qin Feng said. "How's the case?"

"We've found the kidnapped children and rescued four."

They had been investigating in Zhao Village, and by chance, someone said they had seen the car. They traced it to a house where the owner tried to escape over the wall. With so many police, he didn't get far. Once caught and interrogated, they got results quickly.

"It was in X City. After capturing the traffickers in Jiangcheng, they coordinated with X City to lock down the area. They didn't have time to sell the children. Luckily, Jiangcheng found out early. Otherwise, finding the kids would be like searching for a needle in a haystack."

"Are they all caught?"

"The ringleader is still at large."

"Are you heading back to the county now?"

"On the way, straight to Jiangcheng," Xiao Wang said. "Is Lin Fan badly hurt?"

"She's much better now," Qin Feng said. "We'll discuss it in Jiangcheng."

Hanging up, Qin Feng called the office. He had left without permission, a serious dereliction of duty. He also needed to request leave; he couldn't leave Lin Fan in her current state.

After finishing his calls, Lin Fan came out of the bathroom, trembling slightly. She looked pitifully frail. Qin Feng went over to support her. Lin Fan finally looked directly at him, noticing his injuries. "How did you get hurt?"

It seemed Lin Fan had really forgotten. Qin Feng's hand slid over her head, resting on her cheek. "Got injured on the job. Can you walk? Or should I carry you?"

Lin Fan quickly shook her head. "I can walk."

"Then I'll let go."

Lin Fan nodded. "I'm so stiff. I need to move."

Qin Feng extinguished his cigarette in the sink and let go of Lin Fan. "Can you stand?"

Lin Fan walked slowly, her body not very responsive. The sun was harsh, she had no idea what time it was. Qin Feng washed the blood off his body at the sink and rubbed his chin, feeling stubble. He washed his face and turned to see Lin Fan had just reached the front door.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Sunlight spilled onto her as she walked slowly. Qin Feng watched her, water dripping from his chin. Lin Fan reached the door, leaned against the frame, and turned to smile.

Her smile was radiant, her eyes curved. "Qin Feng."

Qin Feng took long strides towards her, about to kiss her.

"Mr. Qin, your clothes are ready."

Qin Feng's fingers brushed Lin Fan's face, masking the intimate moment. He quickly took the clothes. "Thank you. Is the gentleman still here?"

"He went back to Jiangcheng."

Qin Feng picked out a T-shirt and put it on, then looked at Lin Fan. "Do you want to change?"

"No need."

The prepared clothes were all men's and very thin. Lin Fan, prone to cold, didn't want to wear them.

Qin Feng returned the clothes. "Then we'll take our leave. We'll visit to thank the gentleman another day." The attendant showed no intention of keeping them, and Qin Feng had things to handle.

Outside, Qin Feng carried Lin Fan, opened the car door, and put her inside. Lin Fan looked around. "Where are we? What are we doing here? Oh right, I saw Ouyang Yu at my old home. I wonder what he wanted."

Qin Feng turned the car around. "You lost some memories. He almost killed you."

Lin Fan was shocked. "What?"

"We're in Ying County now."

"What about Ouyang Yu?"

"I don't know," Qin Feng said. "You were badly injured. I brought you to the gentleman first, fearing you might die."

Lin Fan was puzzled, having lost part of her memory. "Where are we going now?"

"First, to get something to eat." Qin Feng glanced at Lin Fan and smiled. "Ouyang Yu might be linked to the heart-removal case. I need to go to your old home."

"I also suspect he's involved. My neighbor grandmother said she knew him when he was young. It's odd. He didn't recognize me when he rented me the house, yet he knew me as a child."

Qin Feng silently glanced at Lin Fan. You probably knew each other in a previous life.

"You knew each other as kids?" Qin Feng asked. "You have no memory of it?"

Lin Fan shook her head. "No."

Qin Feng tapped the steering wheel. Lin Fan's attention shifted from his face to his fingers. "What happened to your fingers?"

Qin Feng looked at his hand. "Accidentally cut myself."

It looked like a long cut. Lin Fan felt a pang of concern. "Be more careful in the future. Fingers are connected to the heart, it must hurt a lot."

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow. "It does hurt a lot. How about you buy some band-aids later?" His gaze fell on her, with a hint of a smile. "A girlfriend should be caring."

Lin Fan's face turned red. She stammered, "I'll buy them when we get to town." Don't smile like that, it's too captivating.

Half an hour later, they arrived in the county. Qin Feng found a restaurant, parked the car, and helped Lin Fan out.

It was near noon, and the restaurant was quite busy. Qin Feng found a spot in a corner for Lin Fan to sit. "I was going to take you back to Jiangcheng first, but now I'm worried. Stay with me for now."

Qin Feng ordered porridge and some vegetarian dishes. Lin Fan, starving, stared at the meat dishes on the menu. "Is this okay?"

"No." Qin Feng only ordered easily digestible food and returned the menu. Lin Fan asked, "Have you seen my phone?"

"It's probably lost. We'll buy another one later."

Lin Fan felt a pang of regret. "That phone was expensive. I don't even know where I lost it."

Qin Feng poured two glasses of water and handed one to her. "Drink some water."

Water only made her hungrier. The porridge came first. Qin Feng served some to Lin Fan. "You slept for a day and a half."

Lin Fan was shocked. "That long?"

Qin Feng placed the porridge in front of her. "Eat slowly, it's hot."

Lin Fan devoured the porridge. After half a pot, she finally felt warm and alive again.

"Are you full?"

"If I say I'm not, will you order some meat for me?"

Qin Feng chuckled. "Then you'll have to stay hungry."

Lin Fan hadn't washed her face in the morning. "I'll go wash my face in the bathroom. Wait for me, okay?"

"Go ahead, call me if you need anything."

Lin Fan's legs were much more functional now.

Qin Feng felt reassured seeing her move without issues. He checked WeChat and saw an internal update. Xiao Wang had arrived in Jiangcheng.

The human trafficking ring had noticed Dong Hui's surveillance for a while. They hadn't acted, fearing they'd alert the authorities. When they saw Dong Hui on the highway and realized there were no cameras, the driver didn't hesitate to hit him. Confirming his death, they drove away. The car had fake plates, so they weren't worried about being traced.

They switched plates after leaving, hoping to disappear without a trace.

But the law's net is wide and tight. They were tracked down by the police. The contact in Ying County was timid and confessed immediately when he saw the police. Following the clues, they found the base and took them all down. The escapee was Xu Zhi, thirty-eight, from X City, with a scar on his face. Qin Feng memorized the photo and put his phone away.

Looking up, he saw Lin Fan coming out, her face wet. Qin Feng handed her a tissue. "Wipe your face."

Lin Fan sat down and wiped her face. "I feel much better now. I was probably just starving earlier."

Qin Feng didn't explain. He poured more water. "Are you tired?"

"No." Lin Fan suddenly remembered something and stood up to go outside. "You stay here, I need to buy something."

"What?" Qin Feng grabbed her hand and called for the bill.

"Band-aids."

Qin Feng pulled her close and took out his wallet. "I was joking, you took it seriously?" He asked the server, "How much?"

"One hundred and one."

The server took the money, and Qin Feng put his wallet away, leading Lin Fan outside. She held onto his sleeve. Even though Qin Feng walked slowly, she couldn't keep up. "Slow down."

Qin Feng took her hand and turned around. Lin Fan immediately stopped.

"Brother Qin?"

Qin Feng leaned down and kissed her on the lips, his thumb brushing her face. Lin Fan was so nervous she could only mumble. Qin Feng asked, "What?"

Lin Fan covered her mouth and took a step back, escaping his embrace. "I haven't brushed my teeth."

In this conservative small town, many people were already watching. Qin Feng smiled at her for a moment, then tilted his head. "Get in the car."

Lin Fan opened the door and got in. Qin Feng drove towards the highway entrance and asked, "In your dreams, how much did you see about Ouyang Yu?"

The sudden question surprised Lin Fan. She thought he might be upset. She turned to look at him. "Not much, only once."

"Was that the time you dreamt of the princess's death?"

Lin Fan nodded. "He was kneeling by the princess's bed."

"I was already dead then, right?"

This sounded odd to Lin Fan. She rubbed her nose. "In the dream world, you were dead."

Qin Feng understood. "Sleep if you're tired."

Lin Fan didn't want to sleep. For some reason, after waking up this time, she especially missed Qin Feng. She wanted to hug him, kiss him, but felt too embarrassed. She also felt ashamed for having such thoughts.

How could she think like this? But she couldn't stop looking at him. Lin Fan watched Qin Feng's profile. "Brother Qin."

"Yes?"

"What else happened while I was unconscious?" Lin Fan often had episodes of unconsciousness, so she didn't find it suspicious.

"Not much."

Lin Fan rubbed her neck, forcing herself to look away and close her eyes. She had a chaotic dream, with fragments she couldn't piece together.