Qin Churan returned to her room in a daze and lay awake all night.
What kept echoing through her mind was no longer Zhao Hua's confession, nor Gao Yuliang and Wang Tianhua's ruthless measures, but the Leopard Cat's utterly icy gaze.
The next morning, when Qin Churan emerged from her room with heavy dark circles under her eyes, still in a stupor, Chen Lin was already sitting leisurely in the courtyard, drinking Fish Fillet Congee and teasing the two "kittens" that terrified her.
Seeing her come out, Chen Lin raised an eyebrow and pointed at the other bowl of congee, still steaming on the table. "Captain Qin, were you out robbing someone last night?"
Qin Churan opened her mouth, but no words came out. She could only sit down silently, pick up her spoon, and mechanically shovel congee into her mouth.
Yet even its exquisite flavor could do nothing to calm the turmoil raging inside her.
Just then, Chen Lin's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID and casually put it on speaker.
A strong, resonant voice immediately came through, tinged with unmistakable amazement and fatigue.
"Chen Lin, my friend, you really... opened my eyes!"
It was Qi Tongwei!
Qin Churan's grip on her spoon tightened sharply, and she instinctively held her breath.
Chen Lin leaned lazily back in his chair, took a sip of congee, and asked in an even tone, "Director Qi, I take it last night's operation went smoothly?"
"Smoothly? That's an understatement!" Qi Tongwei's voice brimmed with barely contained excitement. "Zhao Hua and all his accomplices are in custody! Following the leads from his confession, we also uncovered two deputy-ministerial-level officials in Wucheng who were protecting them. The Commission for Discipline Inspection has already taken them away for investigation in isolation!"
"On top of that,