"Did you have a confrontation with Ouyang Yu?" Liu Song asked.

"Yes," Qin Feng replied.

"Why didn't you call the police? Or take him back to the station? He harmed your... girlfriend, didn't he? Don't you realize the security risk?"

Qin Feng frowned, "I wanted to save her life first."

Forensic doctor Liu also looked over, "Was Lin Fan in serious condition?"

Qin Feng nodded, "If there had been another option, I wouldn't have left things as they were." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "They were family to Lin Fan, people who watched her grow up. I didn't want to see this either. At that moment, I didn't think too much, I just wanted to take Lin Fan away first." The situation between him and Lin Fan was something outsiders couldn't understand, and he couldn't say too much.

Liu Song wanted to say more, but forensic doctor Liu intervened, "It's getting late. Let's all find a place to rest for the night. The bullet is not from a police gun. We'll know more when we catch the culprit tomorrow."

"I'm not saying Captain Qin did it, I'm just following procedure. What illness does Lin Fan have? She doesn't seem too serious now," Liu Song said.

Qin Feng stood up, "The driver took Ouyang Yu's car and left. This is the license plate number. Captain Liu, if you have nothing else to do, you can check this license plate. With roadside surveillance, you should be able to track it down. Be careful, the driver is armed."

Qin Feng turned and went back to the room. Lin Fan hadn't slept; she was sitting and staring blankly ahead. Qin Feng walked over and sat opposite her, lowering his head to meet her eyes without saying a word.

Lin Fan sniffled and looked up, "Qin Feng."

Qin Feng opened his arms, "Come here."

Lin Fan moved over, put her head on his shoulder, and hugged his waist, "I'm not a likable child. When I was little, they said I was a jinx, cursed to bring misfortune. But I didn't do anything wrong. I don't know what I did wrong."

Qin Feng didn't know what to say, holding her tight. Lin Fan was very thin.

"When I was born, my mother died. Then my grandmother died, my father died. Even my stepmother, who had nothing to do with me, died a violent death, and my good friend ended up in prison for murder."

"It's not your fault. Don't take all the blame onto yourself."

"I used to comfort myself like that, but Ouyang Yu killed my grandparents. They died because of me."

Qin Feng also felt guilty. Those two elderly people were good people. "We haven't caught anyone yet, so we can't draw any conclusions."

Lin Fan bit her lip for a while, then spoke in a hoarse voice, "I'm just a curse, Qin Feng. Will I harm you? I'm really scared."

She didn't dare sleep; she didn't dare close her eyes. The people around her were leaving. She shouldn't get close to anyone; if she did, they would die. She liked Qin Feng a lot, but how far could she and Qin Feng go? She was afraid something might happen to him.

"That's not true. Don't think like that. It's just a coincidence."

Lin Fan grabbed Qin Feng's clothes, her tears soaking them, "I suspect the heart-extraction case was done by Ouyang Yu, and it might be related to me. Qin Feng, if that's true, I'd rather kill myself."

"Shut up," Qin Feng said sternly. "Even if there were a life extension ritual, it would have to be voluntary. How could someone who died a violent death willingly give up their heart? And why would Ouyang Yu want to extend your life? Close your eyes and sleep. I'm here. No matter what happens, I'm here. Don't be afraid. Even if it's because of your fate—I'm tough. No one can overcome me."

Lin Fan's head buzzed; she had a severe headache. She hated herself. If it weren't for her, her grandparents wouldn't have died. She was the source of this.

Lin Fan didn't know when she fell asleep. Someone was calling her name from the window; the room was pitch black. Lin Fan stood up, and the voice outside became a man's, seemingly Qin Feng's.

"Fan Fan, come out."

Lin Fan opened the door and walked out. He was standing at the door, "Come here."

"Qin Feng?" Lin Fan called.

"It's me. Come over."

Lin Fan couldn't see his face clearly and wanted to walk over, but the ground outside had somehow become muddy and difficult to walk on. She frowned, "Qin Feng?"

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Qin Feng stood at the door, "Hurry up and come over."

Lin Fan stepped through the mud towards him, reaching the middle of the yard. He turned and walked away quickly. Lin Fan stopped, "Qin Feng?"

He turned back, "Hurry up, don't dawdle."

A brief silence followed, and Lin Fan sensed something was wrong. She said, "Qin Feng, you're walking too fast."

He continued walking without slowing down, "You're walking too slowly. Hurry up and come over."

Lin Fan turned and ran back; he wasn't Qin Feng. Qin Feng would never let her struggle alone. He definitely wasn't Qin Feng. The person said, "Why are you running? Hurry up, I'll take you away."

Lin Fan's scalp tingled. Qin Feng wouldn't ignore her struggles, nor would he walk straight ahead without caring about her. In an instant, the person was in front of her, raising a hand to grab her neck. In her panic, Lin Fan blocked with her hand, suddenly holding a short sword. She counterattacked, slashing forward. The person screamed and disappeared.

"Lin Fan?"

Lin Fan opened her eyes and threw a punch. Her fist was caught, and Qin Feng frowned, "Had a nightmare?"

Lin Fan opened her eyes. It was still dark outside, rain pattering softly. She sat up and rubbed her face, "I had a nightmare. I dreamed you left me alone in the rain, and you didn't respond when I called you."

"Silly," Qin Feng touched her forehead. "I wouldn't let you walk in the rain alone. I wouldn't leave you. Sleep, it's still early, sleep a little more."

"I can't sleep. Talk to me."

Qin Feng lay beside her, pulled her close, and kissed her, "What do you want to talk about?"

Lin Fan turned to face Qin Feng, "If there was another mature woman who fell in love with you now, would you choose her?"

Qin Feng: "..." Will this mature woman joke never end?

Lin Fan looked at him, her voice lowering, but her gaze still firm, "Would you?"

"No." Qin Feng didn't avoid her eyes, "I don't like any mature woman. Now sleep."

Lin Fan kept staring at him, "Really?"

I've already given you my life, and you still don't believe me? Qin Feng's arm wrapped around Lin Fan's shoulder, his large hand pressing her head towards him as he kissed her. The kiss ignited like a wildfire, quickly growing intense. Lin Fan held him tightly, pushing him down and kissing him frantically, biting his lips and tongue. Qin Feng closed his eyes, cooperating with her wildness. The air was quiet as they kissed passionately, only stopping after a long time. Lin Fan lay on top of him, kissing from his chin to his neck.

Qin Feng's stubble had grown out, prickling her. Lin Fan's cool face brushed against him. She was trembling as she held Qin Feng's hand but didn't stop. Her lips touched his Adam's apple, and Qin Feng, hugging her waist, restrained her movements, "Don't be reckless."

His voice was hoarse, filled with fire.

Lin Fan stopped, burying her face in his chest and exhaling a breath.

"Sleep." Qin Feng laid her down, "Everything will be better when you wake up."

The next day, Lin Fan was woken by Qin Feng. She followed him out to wash up, and Qin Feng handed her a bag of bread, which she ate numbly.

"A lot of bones were found under your house."

Lin Fan looked up, and Qin Feng said, "Do you know what's going on?"

Lin Fan shook her head and swallowed the dry bread.

"Do you want to go and see?"

"Okay."

Qin Feng handed her a bottle of water, "Have a drink."

Lin Fan drank the water to suppress the choking feeling and stood up, "Let's go."

Seven sets of bones were found under Lin Fan's house, including men, women, and children. The bones were old, buried directly in the soil without coffins. The bones at the four corners of the house were particularly small. The bones in the northeast corner were from a child around four or five years old. Despite being careful, the ribs were broken during excavation due to their fragility.

Lin Fan felt sick, holding her mouth. The bones had been laid out on the ground outside the door, with plastic sheets under them. Today was sunny. The sunlight on the bones made her dizzy.

"It rained last night, and the house collapsed, exposing three sets of bones in the middle first." They dug and found four more, which was shocking.

So many bones buried not very deep couldn't be an old grave. If it were an old grave, the bones at the four corners would have been discovered when the foundation was laid.

Forensic doctor Liu was handling the bones, and Liu Song came out quickly, "Is Lin Fan the owner of the house?" He looked at Lin Fan, "Do you know anything about these bones?"

Lin Fan shook her head.

Liu Song frowned, "Can I talk to you alone?"

Qin Feng didn't look pleased and wanted to stop it but had no reason to. Lin Fan nodded, "Sure."

When the two elders were killed, Qin Feng couldn't clear his name. His car was parked at the village entrance; where could he have gone? How did he leave? On the night of the incident, he was there but didn't know who fired the shot? Qin Feng had many suspicious points. As an experienced detective, he knew the suspect could harm again but did nothing? Qin Feng said Lin Fan was seriously ill, but she had no medical records, and now she looked fine.

Now, seven sets of bones were found under Lin Fan's house, and she couldn't be unrelated. Given her relationship with Qin Feng, he couldn't handle the case anymore.

In the room, Liu Song looked at Lin Fan, "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"Are you the owner of the house?"

"My grandmother built the house, but now that she's gone, I guess it's mine."

"When was the house built?"

"I don't know. The house has been there since I can remember."

"Do you know about the bones under the house?"

"No." Lin Fan remembered when Qin Feng first came home with her, he asked if she smelled anything. Thinking back, Qin Feng probably noticed something. Because of Lin Fan's special constitution, he didn't investigate further.

"How can you not know? It's your house."

Lin Fan pressed her lips together and looked up, "Do you know when your ancestral house was built, how it was built, and who the craftsmen were?"

"My family lives in the city."

"How did you buy the house? Who was the developer? What was the land used for before development? Do you know?"

Liu Song's face darkened, "What are you trying to say?"

"The house has been there since I can remember. I really don't know what the older generation did. If I knew there were bones under the house, I would have dug them up long ago. They should be buried properly, not forever trapped under the house. No matter who the bones belong to, I don't want to see this."

"Do you have the ability to see ghosts?" Liu Song suddenly asked, then laughed, "Do you understand geomancy?"

Lin Fan looked at him. Liu Song's demeanor wasn't friendly. The question was sharp, tinged with inexplicable prejudice. Lin Fan's fingers moved, and she asked, "Is it related to the case?"

Liu Song: "Yes."