Section 5

Perhaps it is related to her profession, or perhaps it is due to her personality, but He Rao does not often smile, especially in the presence of Xiao Yi. At this moment, the slight curve of her lips softens her originally reserved and heroic demeanor, creating a sense of delicate charm under the moonlight

The bright moonlight gently enveloped her, and He Rao raised her gaze: "I will attend in full regalia"

Rather than being entangled with that person, it is preferable that the other party's target is her

Lu Chengyuan listened with great amusement: "Have you progressed to the point where you can defeat your superior?" He then nudged Feng Jinxiao with his elbow: "You really understand his joy, don't you?" After saying that, he directed his foot towards Chai Yu's calf: "Your specialty is sniping; as for close combat, it would be better for you to hide and not cause trouble for your team leader."

Her voice is pure and harmonious, exuding a resolute and dignified aura amidst its clarity, which makes it difficult for others to approach her

If it were not to conceal from Xiao Yi, she should have called immediately upon noticing something unusual after arriving home. However, she did not even turn on the lights, in order to avoid attracting attention by engaging in a struggle with a hidden killer in the house. Therefore, she waited until Xiao Yi left before notifying Feng Jinxiao. Thus, this so-called "outsider" refers to Xiao Yi.

She is actually smiling, does that mean she did not hear what he just said? This kind of thinking is overly optimistic, yet it is still hard to avoid harboring such hope in this moment. A few strands of starlight are hidden in her deep eyes, and Xiao Yi's gaze lingers on her face, unmoving for a long time, "I—"

Why is it so difficult? Two years later, at the airport again, the almost instinctive reaction made He Rao feel embarrassed

Nine years is not a short time, and their interactions have been few, yet Xiao Yi is still clear that He Rao has such a character. Moreover, this is not a very good time; it would be better to wait until the hotel opens. In the moment they brushed past each other, Xiao Yi grasped her arm: "Why?"

It is not a good excuse; as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it

Years later, recalling that moment, Xiao Yi still feels a lingering fear

He nodded slightly to express his apology, then turned around and ran towards the exit with the map and book.

Agreed just like that? Xiao Yi was surprised: "What I mean is, as my partner."

As her gaze fell upon those eyes that were tinged with urgency and joy, He Rao shook her head

Without compromising the scene, Chai Yu was responsible for collecting evidence. Unfortunately, apart from the dagger, nothing else was obtained

In the drizzling weather, the square in front of A City Station is bustling with people coming and going, whether they are departing or arriving, all in a hurry, including him

In this beautiful night, his posture and stride remain as they were in my memory, giving a sense of calm and leisurely pace

She dialed Feng Jinxiao's number, "Master, I have encountered a bit of a situation here"

"I was indeed moved by her years of dedication—" At this point, Xiao Yi suddenly stopped, as he instinctively turned his head, and He Rao's tall and slender figure appeared in his line of sight

With her current skills, she would be able to evade it, but unfortunately, at that time, she was not the Officer He of today

In the brightly lit room, there was no expected scene of a home being ransacked. Both the furniture and the decorations remained as they were before she left. The only alarming sight was the dagger, stained with what appeared to be blood, inserted into the door frame.

He slightly narrowed his eyes and said, "Next Friday, I invite you to attend the opening reception of the 'Royal Court' Hotel." As he spoke, he took out the invitation letter, "I mentioned it to Feng Jinxiao; unless there are special tasks, he will accompany Yuhang as well."

Feng Jinxiao also believes that she will not be in danger for the time being, "but you still need to be more cautious when going out, after all, the enemy is hidden while we are in the open." He looked at Chai Yu: "During this period, you are responsible for He Rao's safety."

The implication is that this time, He Rao being threatened is a precursor to retaliation

Herao, who has never easily expressed his opinions, paused for a moment and said: "Intuition"

Is that so? Lu Chengyuan decided to test how much his fighting skills had improved: "Then I must avenge Xiao Liang." As soon as he finished speaking, he threw a straight punch at the book.

Unfortunately, the expectations in my heart have ultimately been worn away by the passage of time. To be precise, they have been exhausted by his obsession with others. When he crossed the ocean for He Xi, He Rao was already reminding himself: this is the end.

Her gaze swept across his face: "You must have learned about my daily routine from the master, right?"

At the crime scene, how can you make such a big fuss, leaving people in such a difficult position

He should have walked over, yet he hesitated

The reason I remember the time of our first encounter so clearly is because of He Xi. However, that phrase "for you" comes from the heart. As for the answer, Xiao Yi is still searching, so do not ask him why

Who else could it be besides Xiao Yi

The implication is to remind He Rao not to evade responsibility by citing tasks

But before she had the chance to finish her sentence, she was interrupted. He Rào averted her gaze and said, "If there is nothing else, I will go upstairs." After she finished speaking, she left, seemingly not having heard what he had said earlier, showing no emotion whatsoever.

Feng Jinxiao noticed the change in Chai Yu's expression and stated in a businesslike tone: "Take the evidence back for testing to confirm that it is indeed bloodstains, and then compare the DNA."

Chai Yu turned sideways to avoid and responded with a triumphant tone: "In today's combat training, I defeated your disciple Liang Rui"

He Rào rejected: "If the other party intended to harm me, it would not be as simple as just breaking in and inserting a dagger."

Chai Yu put away the evidence and turned to He Rao: "Team Leader, you can no longer stay at home. Please pack your things, and I will take you to the police dormitory."

Based on the distance, she should have heard his earlier words

He Riao did not reach out to take it

The brightly lit square in front of the station, his figure quickly submerged in the depths of the crowd

He Rao probably really did not understand, she turned around and asked: "What?"

Xiao Yi paused for a moment and released his grip: "I mean, you don't have any sudden tasks, do you?"

Xiao Yi had a premonition that things would not go smoothly, especially since she had just said some words to *Tu* Shu that could be misunderstood and might even upset her. So she spoke directly: "He Rao, I am doing this for you." Under the streetlight, the man's gaze was focused on her. Then, he stepped closer, matching her breath: "On that day nine years ago, we first met."

He Rausong let out a sigh as if to say: "I hope so"

Who? Lu Chengyuan and Chai Yuwen were taken aback, clearly thinking that He Rao's request for confidentiality was to prevent others from worrying

Regarding the apprentice's anxious state of mind, he responded swiftly: "Do you think it is related to him?"

"I apologize, did you not fall anywhere?" He was in a hurry and distracted by his phone call, causing him to bump into her and make her stagger.

Secondly, the other party is well aware of her thoughts and uses this to warn her not to meddle in Xiao Yi's affairs

I just do not know how much has been heard

After everyone had left, Xiao Yi remained motionless in place, feeling a sense of unease

After a gap of nine years, his skills were still lacking. He Riao steadied himself, raised his eyes to look at him. The man in front was dressed in a dark trench coat, paired with a simple white shirt that had no intricate designs or accessories. Under the orange light, the bright white shirt accentuated the man's handsome features.

After the investigation, Lu Chengyuan frowned: "The other party is very experienced, leaving no fingerprints or shoe prints."

Regardless of the possibility, it indicates that Xiao Yi is in danger

Of course. I cannot say that I have complete knowledge of your whereabouts, nor am I entirely ignorant.

As expected, Feng Jinxiao stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, looking down at the direction of the community security guard: "If I am not mistaken, the surveillance in the security room should have malfunctioned at least once today"

Indeed

This is not something a seasoned special police officer should say What is frightening is that a woman's intuition has always been very accurate

It seems that it is not just this way

He Rhaohe's Invitation: "I am very honored"

But the words "for me"—finally no longer indifferent, He and Tu's eyes flashed with a glimmer. However, this subtle change in expression was not due to surprise; she almost wanted to turn and leave, but still reached out to take the invitation letter and opened it.

Lu Chengyuan was the first to understand who He Rao referred to as outsiders. He proposed a third possibility: "All the cases we handle are major and significant cases, and there are indeed many people who view us as enemies. Although our identities are confidential, we cannot rule out the risk of leaks."

There are no abnormalities. Even the door lock shows no signs of being tampered with

The blank period in the surveillance footage corresponds to the time when the suspect committed the crime

Clearly, that was not the intention, but if He Rao had asked him to explain at that moment, he truly would not have known how to respond

That day was ーー

Alternatively, she does not need to explain at all

He Riao's first thought was: for safety reasons, it is not advisable to bring Nan Nan over in the short term. Secondly, "Master, please do not let outsiders know about this matter, except for those who are necessary."

The hotel building has been completed for a long time, yet it has not opened; is it waiting for that day

She reached out and pressed the switch to turn on the chandelier in the living room

To repay with love due to being moved is perhaps more cruel than rejection

Chai Yu was displeased: "Team Leader, my fighting skills have greatly improved"

The three words "It's okay" had not yet left his lips when his call was connected. He heard him say: "I have arrived, where are you?" In the midst of his words, he glanced back at her, seemingly to confirm whether she had something to discuss.

Pretending not to see has lost its meaning. After all, he can wait until late at night and would not allow her to leave in his presence. Even though she is fully capable of doing so.

After a brief standoff, Xiao Yi ultimately chose to walk over.

There is indeed a reason. Xiao Yi understands

The only suspects that can be linked to Xiao Yi are those he came into contact with while undercover, which means that although the Lin case has been solved, there are still some fish that have slipped through the net. The other party threatens He Rao with two possible scenarios:

The first encounter—nine years have passed since that night with the books, yet it feels as if it were just yesterday. Many details, she dares not recall. Now mentioned by Xiao Yi, the distant story traverses through layers of dense time, reaching deep into her memory, as clear as if it had happened yesterday

"Let's leave it at that, I'm hanging up." Xiao Yi hung up the phone and turned to face her.

He Rao, I hope what you give me is a genuine surprise

Chai Yu looked at her, his gaze deepening.

At that moment, the woman in the white shirt became rigid like a sculpture under the shimmering shadows of the night

Unexpected

On the evening of September 3rd at 8:00 PM, the opening reception of the Royal Court Hotel will be held in the Sky Banquet Hall on the 66th floor of the Yiyao Building

She knows everything. However, I initially thought it would require a lot of persuasion, and I even considered asking Feng Jinxiao and Xiao Yuhang to step in if the invitation did not succeed. To my surprise, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise

Downstairs, Xiao Yi was lost in his thoughts; upstairs, He Rao, after unlocking the door with her key, caught a glimpse of something unusual by the switch out of the corner of her eye, and suddenly froze in place. In the next moment, she swiftly drew her sidearm and stood at the door, remaining motionless for a long time. It was only after she determined from the sound of the engine that Xiao Yi had left that He Rao calmed herself and assumed a vigilant posture as she crossed the living room, checking each room from the master bedroom to the study.

First, the other party misunderstood her relationship with Xiao Yi, using intimidation against her to intimidate Xiao Yi

Why make such a fuss? He Rao stood still and asked, "Do you need something from me?"

Ten minutes later, Feng Jinxiao and Lu Chengyuan arrived simultaneously, while Chai Yu was about a minute late

Feng Jinxiao described her as resilient and swift, while Xiao Yuhang said she was kind and sincere, yet she remained indifferent and distant towards him

In fact, there is no need for her to remind him; Feng Jinxiao would not mention the cases from the team to others.

Is it that the explanation is unclear

Herao expressed disagreement with his arrangement: "Master, he is the one I brought out."

This hotel, invested by the Xiao family and designed by a world-class designer, took five years to complete and is shaped like a five-pointed star when viewed from above. It is currently the most luxurious hotel in the country—what does it have to do with her