"You must know! You do! Tell me! Who killed my father?!"
Liu Yutong looked at her sister Gao Min's almost frantic expression and remained silent for a moment.
Finally, under Gao Min's hopeful gaze, she shook her head and uttered four words: "I don't know."
Gao Min's grip on Liu Yutong's arm loosened weakly, as if unwilling to accept this answer.
For the past while, she had rewatched the surveillance footage countless times and combed through every piece of information she had gathered. She felt so close to the truth, yet it remained just out of reach.
The feeling was utterly devastating.
That was why she had suddenly come to see her younger sister Liu Yutong early in the morning.
She believed Liu Yutong must also want the truth—or worse, might even be deliberately hiding it from her.
Though she harbored a sliver of wariness toward Liu Yutong, she had to admit that Liu Yutong was the most remarkable girl she had ever met.
In fact, her sister gave off an almost prophetic aura, as if she knew everything and nothing could escape her notice.
Of course, Gao Min was a staunch materialist and didn’t believe anyone could truly foresee the future. Most people in Dragon Country were materialists, after all.
She simply thought Liu Yutong was extraordinary.
But if even Liu Yutong didn’t know who the killer was, who else could she turn to?
"How could you not know? How is that possible? You're so smart, so capable—nothing ever stumps you! Even the bureau chief says you're incredible, that nothing is beyond you. You must be lying to me, right?"
Liu Yutong couldn’t help but inwardly sigh.
She wasn’t as amazing as Gao Min made her out to be. She just had a slight advantage of foresight, which created the illusion of omniscience.
But there were things even she didn’t know.
"I’m sorry, sis. I really don’t know."
Gao Min stumbled back a few steps, her back slamming against the cold doorframe with a thud. She swayed slightly before steadying herself.
The emotions she had suppressed to the breaking point finally erupted, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
"Ugh…"
She didn’t wail, but the muffled sobs sounded as if her heart had been ruthlessly torn apart, wrenching to hear.
This was likely the first time Gao Min had ever appeared so vulnerable in front of anyone else.
She hadn’t cried at her father’s funeral. She hadn’t cried during the grueling police academy training, even when injured. She hadn’t shed a tear through all the hardships that followed.
But now, with the last thread of her composure snapping, she broke down completely.
Liu Yutong watched her sister, now a sobbing mess, and felt a pang of sorrow.
She understood why Gao Min had collapsed. For nearly a decade, she had clung to this obsession, driving herself forward.
To see the entire investigation turn up empty—it was unbearable.
Liu Yutong stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Gao Min’s trembling shoulders.
"Sis, just let it out."
Gao Min stiffened slightly, but the instinctive bond between them made her return the embrace, crying even harder, her tears soaking Liu Yutong’s collar.
Liu Yutong didn’t say anything else, just gently patted her back, letting her sister release the emotions she had bottled up for far too long.
Time passed unnoticed.
Only when she felt Gao Min’s breathing steady did Liu Yutong slowly pull away, her expression solemn.
"Sis, look at me."
Gao Min lifted her red, swollen eyes to meet Liu Yutong’s gaze.
As her emotions settled, a belated sense of shame crept in.
She was the older sister! How humiliating to cry like this in front of her younger sibling!
Yet, strangely, she was the one acting like the fragile little sister, while Liu Yutong carried herself with the maturity of an elder.
"Sis, I truly don’t know who the killer is. But I promise you, I’ll help you find them as soon as possible."
Gao Min’s voice was still thick with tears, but a glimmer of hope flickered in her eyes.
"You’d really… help me?"
Liu Yutong curved her lips into a soft yet utterly sincere smile, dissolving the distance between them.
"You’re my sister, my family. Of course I’ll help you."
"But sis, the state you’re in right now isn’t sustainable. You’re pushing yourself too hard. If this goes on, you’ll break down before we even find the culprit."
"Some things—the harder you chase them, the further they slip away."
"I think you need a proper break."
Gao Min instinctively wanted to argue, to insist she was fine, but in the end, she nodded obediently.
Because she knew her sister was right.
Honestly, she was also deeply curious.
How had Liu Yutong, despite being younger, grown into someone so composed, confident, and seemingly flawless?
What kind of upbringing had shaped her into this?
Unaware of her thoughts, Liu Yutong spotted the suitcase by the entrance and suddenly had an idea. She extended an invitation.
"Sis, come celebrate New Year’s with me back in my hometown."
Gao Min blinked. "Me?"
Before she could refuse, Liu Yutong nodded. "Yes. Don’t you want to see where I grew up?"
Truthfully, aside from genuinely wanting Gao Min’s company for the holidays, she had two other motives.
First, she didn’t want Gao Min to spend New Year’s alone.
Second, she had a mischievous little plan—to gift Gao Min a small professional victory and a shocking revelation.
The victory? Busting a high-stakes gambling ring.
The shock? Showing her how she’d ruthlessly turn in her own relatives.
Gao Min’s reaction would be priceless.
Gao Min had been about to decline—after all, that place was Liu Yutong’s home, not hers.
But after hearing her sister’s words, she suddenly wanted to go.
Partly because she did want to spend time with Liu Yutong, but mostly because she was dying to see what kind of place could produce someone as extraordinary as her sister.
Seeing Gao Min’s lack of refusal, Liu Yutong smiled, grabbing her suitcase with one hand and Gao Min’s hand with the other as they left the apartment.
Just as she was about to wait for Yun Cheng to drive them in the Maybach, she remembered something and changed her mind.
She decided to take the red Ferrari instead and drive Gao Min herself.
Yun Cheng deserved a break.
He had barely left her side all this time—it was only right to let him go home for a visit.
Besides, he needed to go back.
