Shen Ting and Chu Huainan both knew this could absolutely not be just a coincidence.

Harboring various suspicions about Li Huanming, Shen Ting turned his head and asked, "Isn't this We Fashion the very first media outlet that reported the fingerprint news?"

At this moment, his mind was entirely filled with the case, completely forgetting that their current posture was "unsuitable for turning heads." Even though he immediately realized this and turned his face back, his profile still lightly brushed against Chu Huainan's cheek.

Although it was just a fleeting moment, Chu Huainan felt as if his heart had been scalded by the other's body temperature.
Had Shen Ting's expression when turning his head not been overly composed, he would almost certainly have concluded that this person was playing hard to get and intentionally teasing him.

The two were so close that only their breathing separated them.

Shen Ting also felt a rare moment of awkwardness, yet he still maintained a face full of open magnanimity.
Police Inspector Shen, whose dating experience was absolute zero, was teasing without realizing it. He righteously thought to himself: It was just accidentally brushing a cheek. This level of intimacy, if placed on the real Song Ci, shouldn't require any special reaction... right.

Acting as if nothing had happened, he continued regarding the case: "If Li Huanming really works at We Fashion, then I think the possibility of someone from Li Guangqiang's side committing the crime is actually quite low."

Chu Huainan stared at him with a dark, heavy gaze for a long time, but didn't say anything further.

Right now, although this person's expression was normal, the tips of his ears and even his cheeks were faintly flushed red, making it temporarily impossible to distinguish whether he was truly innocent or just a seasoned flirt.

Seeing that Chu Huainan didn't reply, Shen Ting, pretending to be thick-nerved, continued his analysis on his own: "Suppose the killer is a relative of Li Guangqiang. Since he knew to use a mobile IP to send the news to the media, it shows he already considered that the police might try to trace the leaker's lead."

Staring at the laptop screen with a serious face, without even blinking, he said: "According to common sense, the killer wouldn't send the news to their own relative's workplace."

Of course, this was merely a deduction. After all, according to normal human logic, even if someone committed murder, they wouldn't necessarily dare to dump the body in a busy downtown area. Shen Ting had another, even bolder deduction in his mind, but he deliberately held it back, waiting to hear Chu Huainan's opinion.

But Chu Huainan merely gave a casual "Mm," and then actually straightened up and walked away.

The shoulder that had been constantly pressed down by his chin was suddenly freed. Shen Ting felt as if he had been granted a general amnesty, immediately using his peripheral vision to observe the other's every move.

This apartment was very large with a square layout. Chu Huainan probably went toward the dining area. When he returned, he held a thermos flask in his hand.

He naturally sat back down on the long sofa and reached over to add some hot water to Shen Ting's completely cold glass.

Shen Ting had been "talking loudly and confidently" all night. Although he occasionally picked up the glass to drink, the water level had barely decreased.

Special professions cultivate certain special habits.

Over the years, Shen Ting had accumulated quite a few particular rules. For example, he never slept in the same room with anyone else; even when on business trips with teammates in the past, he would always choose a single room. This was to avoid subconsciously reacting violently in his sleep if he sensed someone nearby.

Another example: he never smoked cigarettes offered by others. Even in situations where he had to smoke, he would only smoke freshly unsealed, intact packs of cigarettes.
After all, most of the missions he participated in were related to drug crimes; he had to stay vigilant at all times to avoid smoking something laced.

The same principle applied to beverages and food.
Up to this point, Shen Ting did not believe Chu Huainan was trustworthy, thus he constantly kept an extra eye open.

After the other party finished pouring the water, he thanked him, picked up the glass again, and pretended to take a sip, acting as if to moisten his throat, before continuing his analysis.
"I think the killer might be one of An Kang's people."

Chu Huainan narrowed his eyes slightly, his brows knitting together to form a shallow furrow between them.

He didn't deny this possibility.
The killer indeed could be An Kang's person, who, after committing the murder, used Li Guangqiang's fingerprint to play the devil, and even leaked the fingerprint information to We Fashion where Li Huanming worked. The goal was to confuse the public and shift suspicion onto Li Guangqiang's relatives.
But...

The capitalist, after pondering for a moment, took a different approach and countered: "Even if the killer chose We Fashion, where Li Huanming works, to release the news, it doesn't rule out the possibility that they are a member of the Li family."
His peach-blossom eyes lowered slightly, revealing a hint of a cunning smile: "Haven't you heard the saying, 'It's darkest right under the lamp'?"

Shen Ting stared at him with burning eyes, hooking a very admiring smile: "True."

What Chu Huainan said was exactly the other possibility Shen Ting had intentionally obscured earlier.

Under a fixed mindset, a killer will usually try to avoid people and things associated with themselves. But as long as this killer is bold enough, they can naturally do the exact opposite. —After all, the most dangerous place is the safest place.

Using a media outlet where one of their own works to release the news not only allows them to monitor the timing of the news exposure but also deliberately confuses the public when the police come to investigate.

Shen Ting had always been very confident in his imagination and analytical skills. In his previous analysis, he deliberately hid some possibilities and repeatedly tested the other party on purpose.

Now, he could confirm that Chu Huainan absolutely had the potential to be an outstanding criminal investigator or a genius criminal.

This capitalist had extraordinary logical thinking abilities and a unique approach to analyzing things. In terms of case analysis, he actually shared a bit of telepathic mutual understanding with Shen Ting.

If this person truly was an enemy, he would probably be an incredibly difficult opponent to deal with.

Shen Ting looked down at his watch, thinking to himself that regardless of whether the killer was An Kang's or Li Guangqiang's person—whether it was an intentional frame-up or hiding under the lamp—one thing was set in stone. —The killer definitely knew of Li Huanming's existence.

He needed to inform Chen Cong about this immediately, have him get someone to watch this Li Huanming right away, and simultaneously investigate Li Huanming's social network.

Shen Ting stood up and grabbed his jacket draped over the armrest of the sofa.

Chu Huainan looked up and asked, "What is it?"

"I've pretty much analyzed the case for you; I have to go now." Saying this, he curled his lip in a half-smile, putting on a bit of a thuggish air: "Didn't you say it? That you wanted to have a serious, long-term relationship with me." He pointed at his watch. "Look at the time. If I don't retreat now, I can't guarantee I won't do something serious but highly improper to you."

Chu Huainan's eyes curved at the corners, looking as if he was highly anticipating him actually doing something improper.

Shen Ting smiled back at him, his mind racing, trying to think of something to say before the atmosphere got even weirder, and then make a quick escape.

His luck had always been pretty good. Before Chu Huainan could make any further moves, the doorbell rang.

Withdrawing his teasing gaze, Chu Huainan got up to open the door, and Shen Ting took the opportunity to follow him toward the entrance.

Standing outside the door was a tall young man wearing a burgundy knit sweater.
He was almost as tall as Chu Huainan, but didn't give off any sense of oppression at all.

This person had a brownish mole at the outer corner of his right eye, gentle features, and a face as kind as a young lamb.
He also had a pair of smiling eyes, but unlike Chu Huainan's, they held no sharp aggressiveness. On the contrary, his gaze was amiable, giving people the impression that he had a very good temper.
"Youfei, why are you here?"

Seeing Chu Huainan glance behind him, Lin Youfei immediately understood his meaning and explained, "Xinghe has a schedule early tomorrow morning, so he's already gone to sleep." He raised the bottle of red wine in his hand. "He asked me to give this to you, and complained that I'm always bothering you over trivial matters."

Although he called it a trivial matter, everyone among their friends knew: as long as it involved Lu Xinghe, regardless of size, Lin Youfei took it to heart.

Chu Huainan knew the "bother" he spoke of likely referred to borrowing the hotel terrace the other day. To make a special trip just to deliver a gift over such a small thing seemed a bit like making a mountain out of a molehill: "Your Xinghe is treating me too much like an outsider."

Lin Youfei was amused by the phrase "your Xinghe" and laughed. A warm smile formed a bright film in his eyes. He turned his face to assess Shen Ting standing behind Chu Huainan and asked with a smile, "You have a guest?"

Chu Huainan naturally draped an arm over Shen Ting's shoulder, pulling him to stand side-by-side with him. "Song Ci." He then turned to introduce him to Shen Ting: "This is Lin Youfei."

Lin Youfei glanced at Chu Huainan's arm around Shen Ting's shoulder and said meaningfully, "Huainan rarely brings friends home. It seems you are very special to him."

Shen Ting couldn't figure out the relationship between these two. But as the saying goes, you don't hit a smiling face. So he shot a sidelong glance at Chu Huainan and immediately started pouring on the praise: "Birds of a feather flock together; a beauty's friend is indeed another beauty." Saying this, he extended his hand. "Hello, President Lin. I'm Song Ci."

Lin Youfei had never seen anyone as bold as Song Ci, actually daring to call Chu Huainan a "beauty" right to his face. He felt more and more that describing this slightly frivolous youth as a "special person" couldn't be more fitting.
He smiled and reached out to shake his hand. "No need to be so polite, just call me Youfei."

On the palm of Song Ci's right hand, there was a thin layer of calluses. Secret agents who held guns long-term in spy movies would also develop similar calluses in this position.

But the handsome young man before him clearly didn't look like a secret agent. These calluses were probably just left behind from playing golf or tennis.

Although Lin Youfei lived right next door, it was rare for him to come over. Seeing the wine in his hand, Chu Huainan took it while inviting him inside, hinting that they should have a drink together.

Lin Youfei had originally planned to head back right after delivering the wine, but catching Chu Huainan's signaled look and noticing Song Ci clutching his jacket, he instantly understood: his good friend wanted him to help find an excuse to keep the person here.

He and Chu Huainan hit it off right from the start, and having known each other for a while now, they shared a deep mutual understanding. He immediately nodded knowingly: "Sure, let Mr. Song join us too."

Standing to the side, before Shen Ting even had time to refuse, he heard Chu Huainan, who had his arm around him, say with a smile: "A 2000 La Tâche. Song Ci, if you don't have a little, I'm afraid it won't do justice to your nickname as a 'wine fanatic'."
Shen Ting: ...

Song Ci was indeed a wine fanatic, but Shen Ting absolutely did not like drinking. However, in order to play Song Ci well, his brain was stuffed with a pile of wine knowledge that even senior sommeliers might not necessarily know.

Lin Youfei was also a very knowledgeable and well-informed person. He spoke with humor and wit, always unconsciously wearing a kind smile. Furthermore, in front of him, Chu Huainan didn't initiate any more physical contact with Shen Ting.
Therefore, even someone as highly guarded as Shen Ting, after chatting with him for a while, secretly gave him a high evaluation: This guy looks good, has a good personality, is highly educated; it's just a pity his neighbor isn't very good.
...

The three of them chatted harmoniously for half the night. It wasn't until the hands of the watch pointed to 3:00 AM that Lin Youfei took his leave.
Seeing Shen Ting let out a small yawn, the corners of his eyes moist with sleepiness, Chu Huainan handed over the bathrobe draped over his arm: "I don't have guest robes at home. This one is mine, never been worn."

Shen Ting had known an hour ago that he wouldn't be able to leave tonight. At this point, he simply stretched, took the bathrobe, and pressed the moist corners of his eyes: "Are we sleeping in the same room?"

The night was deep, the masculine yang energy was weak, and the male fox spirit began to act like a demon.
Shen Ting watched guardedly as Chu Huainan loosened his tie in two or three pulls, and then slowly began to unbutton his shirt.

One button, two buttons... The buttons unfastening in sequence were like drumsticks landing on his chest, beating his heart into a rapid thump-thump.

That detestable male fox spirit wagged his tail. With his half-open shirt only halfway off, wearing a face brimming with the lust of spring, he said contrary to his true intentions: "Let's not. I have a meeting tomorrow. Another day."

Shen Ting suspected the other party was engaging in illicit sexual harassment, but he had no evidence.

Continuing tomorrow at midnight~ Love you all.

Darkest right under the lamp (灯下黑): A Chinese idiom meaning that people often fail to notice what is right in front of them or directly under their noses (similar to "hiding in plain sight").

Hit it off right from the start (倾盖如故): A Chinese idiom describing two people who feel like old friends the very first time they meet.

Act like a demon (作妖): Internet slang meaning to act provocatively, cause trouble, or behave in a teasing/seductive manner.

Another day (改日): In normal conversation, this means "another day" or "some other time." However, in Chinese internet slang, the character "日" (day) is also a homophone for "fuck." Thus, Chu Huainan's response is a highly deliberate double entendre: "We'll fuck another day." This is why Shen Ting suspects him of sexual harassment!