As the words "Lu Tingfeng" fell, both men fell into silence. Eventually, it was Lu Tingfeng who recovered first, lying back down with a smile as he asked Xu Nian, "I've told you what I've been up to all these years. Aren’t you going to share your experiences?"
Xu Nian also lay back expressionlessly. "Just solving cases, same as before you left. Let’s talk about you instead."
Lu Tingfeng rolled onto his side, propping himself up to look at Xu Nian. "What do you want to know? Ask away."
Xu Nian thought for a moment before asking, "The 319 case in Qiuning City, Ningyun Province—was it you who provided the crucial lead that helped the local police crack it?"
Lu Tingfeng’s grin widened. "I knew it. You’re still the same old stubborn softie. Pretending not to care about me on the surface, but secretly keeping tabs on my news."
Xu Nian ignored Lu Tingfeng’s teasing, not even bothering to move.
Seeing Xu Nian’s lack of reaction, Lu Tingfeng finally answered, bored, "Yeah, it was me. Not just me, though—two friends were with me. We followed the clues and deduced the killer’s burial site, but we weren’t entirely sure. We just wanted to check it out first. Who knew we’d be so unlucky? It was just getting dark when we were searching, and we ran into two guys carrying a body, ready to dig a hole. Our first instinct was to pin them down on the spot. Between the three of us—one ex-cop, one ex-soldier—we figured we could handle one each without a problem. But before we could even lunge, one of them suddenly pulled out a gun. Luckily, we reacted fast, or we might’ve been done for right then and there."
Lu Tingfeng smirked. "Still, despite the close call, it wasn’t a wasted effort. We got the local police to reopen the cold case and put one guy away—plus two extras as a bonus. Solid evidence, airtight case."
Xu Nian almost scoffed. "And you wanted to drag Guan Xia into something this dangerous?"
Lu Tingfeng quickly scooted back, afraid of getting kicked. "Didn’t I just swear to you and make promises? Why bring it up again? Relax, I only went through with it because I knew my friends could handle it. I might seem careless, but I’m not an idiot. I’m not about to throw myself at a killer’s knife. It was just bad luck, pure coincidence. I know my limits—I’m not a cop anymore, just a civilian. I’m not out here leading manhunts. We were just looking for new leads. The moment we found something that could reopen the case, we handed it straight to the police."
Xu Nian studied Lu Tingfeng’s expression carefully. Despite his usual unserious demeanor, his eyes were earnest. That was enough for Xu Nian to reluctantly believe him.
Still, Xu Nian repeated, "I trust you. That’s why I hinted to Guan Xia that you’re barely a decent person. I don’t know if it’ll help, but it might soften her opinion of you a little. But my stance hasn’t changed—until she’s willing on her own, you can’t force her into anything, by any means."
Lu Tingfeng looked at Xu Nian, scrutinizing his expression. He knew this was both advice and a warning. Finally, he sighed. "Fine. What are friends for? I’ve listened to you since the day we met. Guess I’ll humor you one more time. I promise—no forcing her into anything until she’s ready."
After talking all night, Xu Nian finally relaxed, smiling—until Lu Tingfeng couldn’t resist adding, "What if I just use my face? That doesn’t count as ‘means,’ right? Doesn’t break the agreement?"
Xu Nian clenched his fists, holding back as long as he could—before finally flipping over and swinging a punch at Lu Tingfeng’s infuriating face.
---
After her brief conversation with Xu Nian, Guan Xia spent the next few days holed up at home, barely stepping outside. Between binge-watching shows and reading, she focused on studying the system in her head.
That night, sketching the system’s reaction had given her an idea. Over the next few days, she kept replaying memories of the three cases, and sure enough, she noticed a pattern: any video the system had triggered and displayed before would replay if she recalled it again.
Guan Xia felt like the system had turned her memories of the killers into a hard drive. Police questioning was the search bar, and anything related to the killers was a keyword—once matched, the system would activate, replaying the footage without limits.
But even after figuring that out, she was still clueless about the "halo."
Trying to summon the system interface through memory, Guan Xia attempted to call out to the "halo," but the system remained unresponsive. It just replayed the same video before vanishing again.
She even experimented with repeatedly summoning the interface, checking if its colors or glow changed—but nothing.
After days of research, the system stayed the same. Guan Xia, however, was losing it. Frustrated, she grabbed a pillow and started pounding it, as if beating up the stupid, useless system she wished had never appeared in the first place.
Just as she was venting, the doorbell rang. Guan Xia froze for a second before registering the sound. Before she could even get up from the couch, Pang Le’s loud voice came through. "Guan Xia, open up!"
Pang Le showing up unannounced was unexpected.
Opening the door, Guan Xia let her in. Pang Le shut it behind her and handed Guan Xia something.
Guan Xia took it automatically, only looking down to realize it was the art book she’d lent Dong Yuncheng.
Surprised, she asked, "Isn’t this the one I lent to Attorney Dong? Why are you returning it?"
Pang Le kicked off her heels, slipped into slippers, and flopped onto the couch before answering casually, "I came to talk to you about Lu Tingfeng. It’s complicated—hard to explain over the phone—so I figured I’d just drop by. Before coming, I remembered what you said about not being interested in Attorney Dong, so I went and got the book back from him. Didn’t want him using it as an excuse to bother you later."
Guan Xia set the book on the coffee table and sat beside Pang Le. "He just gave it to you like that?"
She found it hard to believe Pang Le’s earlier claim that Dong Yuncheng was interested in her—if he’d let go of such a perfect excuse to see her again so easily.
Pang Le laughed. "Of course not. But you know me—I’ve got thick skin. He tried brushing me off, saying since he borrowed it, he should return it himself. So I told him, ‘You’re so busy, who knows when you’ll get around to it? This is part of a series, and every time I come over, seeing that empty spot on your shelf drives me nuts.’ He didn’t know how to argue with that, so he handed it over."
Guan Xia chuckled and gave Pang Le a thumbs-up.
Pang Le sighed. "See? That’s men for you. They’ll claim they’re interested, but when it comes down to it, they won’t spare a moment to get to know you. To them, their careers will always come first. Women are just something to pass the time with."
Guan Xia found Pang Le's somewhat mocking expression rather odd. "If you're so experienced, why do you spend so much time dating?"
Pang Le replied matter-of-factly, "I like everything beautiful. I’m drawn to their looks, just like how I shop for pretty dresses. Isn’t it normal to spend time on that?"
Guan Xia couldn’t understand it, nor did she want to try. She quickly changed the subject. "When you came in, you said you had results from looking into Lu Tingfeng?"
Pang Le straightened up a little, hummed in agreement, and pulled out her phone. After tapping for a moment, she handed it to Guan Xia. "Take a look at this photo first."
Guan Xia took the phone. It was a candid shot of a little girl around seven or eight years old, with short bobbed hair and a sun-kissed complexion that suggested she spent a lot of time outdoors. Her large eyes crinkled into crescents as she laughed, glancing back at the camera mid-run, radiating vitality.
Pang Le hadn’t said anything yet, but just from the photo, Guan Xia realized something. "This is Lu Tingfeng’s..."
Pang Le nodded. "His younger sister. Born in 2007, died in 2014."
Guan Xia’s fingers tightened around the phone unconsciously.
Pang Le continued, "There’s another photo. Take a look."
Guan Xia swiped, and the second image appeared.
The setting was a dried-up pond, with only a shallow layer of murky water and black sludge at the bottom. Withered weeds surrounded the area. A heavily pixelated figure lay at the edge of the pond—small, barely discernible. The image was blurred, but patches of blood and large bruises on exposed skin were faintly visible.
After seeing the lively, energetic photo of the little girl, the abrupt shift to her corpse lying in such a desolate, filthy place made Guan Xia’s chest tighten, even though she’d braced herself.
Taking a moment to steady her emotions, Guan Xia set the phone down and forced herself to stay rational. "So this is why Lu Tingfeng sought me out?"
"Pretty clearly," Pang Le said. "His sister was one of the victims in a serial murder case at the time. The details of the case are unknown—this is all I could dig up. The year his sister was killed, Lu Tingfeng was 19. After graduating from the police academy with top marks, he worked as a detective for over four years. But because of his volatile temper—especially toward suspects in cases involving female victims—he was repeatedly reported and disciplined. Eventually, he was transferred from fieldwork to desk duty. He refused and quit."
Guan Xia listened quietly before asking, "And after that?"
Pang Le shrugged. "No idea after that. He left Yongquan City. The person I asked for info only found out that he seemed to be moving around, never staying in one place for long. Because he was so unpredictable, there’s very little concrete information."
Though they couldn’t confirm what Lu Tingfeng had been doing after leaving the police force, his sister’s death had clearly left a deep mark on him. It was likely he’d been chasing leads on her case all these years.
With this context, Guan Xia’s dislike for Lu Tingfeng lessened slightly. While his abrupt approach and probing were irritating, as Xu Nian had hinted, he wasn’t a bad person.
But one thing puzzled her: If Lu Tingfeng had already left the police force, why did his questioning still trigger the system? Was the system’s mechanism just that broad, or did it include former officers too?
Guan Xia mulled it over, thinking she might need to test it with another ex-cop. But the idea immediately gave her a headache—her social circle was too small. Aside from Xu Nian and his friends, Pang Le’s connections didn’t overlap with law enforcement. She’d have to wait for an opportunity.
After zoning out for a moment, Guan Xia refocused and asked Pang Le, "Has Lu Tingfeng been back to your gym recently?"
Pang Le shifted into a more comfortable position. "Yeah, every day. Like a regular customer. He bought a yearly membership, hops on the treadmill, warms up, then hits the weights. We even sparred once."
Guan Xia was curious. "Who won?"
Pang Le lifted her chin proudly. "Obviously me. He’s decent, but his moves are all about subduing suspects. I, on the other hand, have competition experience and know way more techniques. He got a few hits in at the start, but after that, I had him pinned most of the time."
Guan Xia raised a thumb in admiration. "World champion for a reason. You’re seriously impressive."
"Obviously," Pang Le said, her chin tilting even higher.
The lighthearted exchange eased the mood. Guan Xia grabbed a pillow and slumped into it, only for Pang Le to suddenly ask, "Has Lu Tingfeng contacted you again since that night?"
Guan Xia shook her head. "No. Not even a friend request."
"That’s weird," Pang Le frowned. "From what he did last time, it seemed like he’d heard about your… uniqueness and wanted to recruit you to help investigate his sister’s case. Why make one move and then act like he’s given up? Playing hard to get?"
Hearing the word "recruit," Guan Xia frowned too. "Could you phrase that differently? It makes it sound like he’s trying to drag me into a crime."
Pang Le lightly swatted her. "Don’t derail me. I’m actually using my brain here, and it’s about to shut down if I don’t keep going."
Guan Xia let the wording slide and followed the train of thought. "Even if he hasn’t reached out, he’s still showing up at your gym normally. That means… he hasn’t actually given up?"
Pang Le thought for a moment, then shook her head. "But he hasn’t asked me anything. Doesn’t even talk to me. Acts like he’s just there to work out. I asked the staff—he hasn’t tried to chat them up for info either. Comes in, exercises, leaves. A couple times when I was in the lounge on my phone, he didn’t even say hi before walking out."
"That is strange," Guan Xia mused, but nothing came to mind. "Well, if he’s not making a move, let’s just leave it be."
Pang Le sighed. "Guess we’ll have to. But more importantly—what do you think? And that night, you remembered something from his photo. Did you tell Xu Nian?"
Guan Xia nodded. "Yeah, I told him right after I got back that night. Asked him about Lu Tingfeng too."
Pang Le looked surprised. "You really trust Xu Nian, huh? Not that I blame you—he does seem reliable. But how did you even know Xu Nian would know Lu Tingfeng?"
Guan Xia shared her speculation, "I only provided the police with leads three or four times, all within a single month. Even if my involvement was somewhat unusual, only Xu Nian’s second team, who I had contact with, would know about it. At most, it might extend to the Pingjiang District precinct—and then there’s you. But given our relationship, you wouldn’t have leaked anything. So who else could it be?"
Pang Le belatedly realized the implication, "No wonder you asked about Xu Nian. What did he say?"
Guan Xia replied, "Xu Nian actually shared less information than what you managed to dig up. But I understand, given confidentiality protocols. He did hint, though, that Lu Tingfeng isn’t a bad person."
Pang Le scoffed, "Lu Tingfeng is his friend and former colleague—of course he’d defend him. Don’t get me wrong, I sympathize with Lu Tingfeng’s situation too; it’s even tragic. But he’s been out of the police force for years, and he’s obsessively fixated on his sister’s case. Who knows how much his personality has changed? The fact that he used me to get close to you proves he’s operating outside police protocols now, acting recklessly. I’m afraid he might go to any lengths for his sister’s case, even force you to help him."
Pang Le shuddered, as if struck by a sudden thought, and grabbed Guan Xia’s arm. "Promise me, Guan Xia—don’t let his good looks cloud your judgment. Pitying a man will bring you a lifetime of bad luck."
Guan Xia rolled her eyes. "I’m not like you, collecting pretty things like trophies. If I were truly swayed, I wouldn’t have remembered anything and then deliberately misled him."
Pang Le nodded. "Fair point. Still, let me remind you: admire his beauty all you want, but stick to the surface. Don’t try to understand his heart or soul, and definitely don’t play the savior. You know how it goes in dramas—people start ‘saving’ someone and end up losing themselves in the process."
Watching Pang Le’s earnest expression, Guan Xia couldn’t help but laugh. "I’m not stupid. Why would I throw away my peaceful life to ‘save’ anyone? But with my… unique abilities and constitution, I’ll inevitably keep crossing paths with the police. I’m just unsure how to handle things moving forward."
Pang Le paused, studying Guan Xia seriously. "Have you made up your mind? Do you actually enjoy helping the police solve cases now?"
Guan Xia fell silent, images of the victims from the cases that had triggered her system flashing through her mind. After a moment, she said quietly, "I wouldn’t call it ‘enjoying’ yet. But I feel like I should do something."
Maybe it was because this world blended elements of crime fiction, or maybe she simply hadn’t encountered enough cases, but Guan Xia couldn’t shake the feeling that female victims were disproportionately represented. She had no desire to disrupt her quiet life, yet whenever she stumbled upon reports of unsolved cases, they tugged at her emotions. And then there was that elusive, low-profile aura she still couldn’t decipher—she couldn’t stay passive forever. As she’d told Pang Le, one way or another, she had to act.
