Who broke the glass 8: Pei Qingyu was in poor health, and when he slept...

Song Xiao looked up at Xun Yin. "If that's what you're asking, officer, I know these things happened because of my sister's 'foolish' kindness, but this wasn't her fault. I won't blame her for it."

"All right, get some rest. We'll come back and let you know when there's progress in the case." Xun Yin glanced at Song Xiao, nodded, and led Pei Qingyu out by the hand.

Only once they were in the car did Pei Qingyu pull free of Xun Yin's hand. Bracing himself against the seat, he turned and said with a smile, "A-Xun, did you notice something when you said that last part?"

Xun Yin discreetly rubbed his fingers over the spot Pei Qingyu had just held and said quietly, "Not really. It was just Song Xiao's fleeting microexpression. I felt there was more remorse than guilt about hiding something."

Xun Yin looked up at Pei Qingyu's faint, knowing smile, and the tips of his ears began reddening again. "It's just that you taught me a little about microexpressions before, Captain, and I suddenly remembered... I don't know if..."

Before he could finish, someone suddenly ruffled his hair. His expression went blank for an instant, and he looked up in confusion.

Seeing Xun Yin's stunned expression, Pei Qingyu mischievously ruffled the kid's hair again and smiled. "It's fine. You did well. I was just thinking... I only mentioned it in passing before. I didn't expect you to actually study it, A-Xun. You really do pay attention to me."

As he spoke, Pei Qingyu reached up and pressed his chest. He had been going almost nonstop for two days and a night. Now, however good his mood was, it could not overcome the tightness in his chest. He turned his head and coughed, his face paling again.

Xun Yin's expression grew grave too. He took the medicine out of Pei Qingyu's pocket and gently coaxed him into placing it under his tongue as he sat with his eyes closed, saying nothing.

"Don't always look so cold. Smile more, or look all dazed like you did just now. That's nice too..." With the medicine in his mouth, Pei Qingyu murmured drowsily, "Don't always be so worried about me. You have to learn to get used to it."

"I can't get used to it."

Xun Yin answered quietly, but Pei Qingyu did not catch it. Turning his head and leaning against the passenger seat, he said slowly, "Your impression just now was right. Song Xiao... she really was lying about something."

Chapter 19: Who broke the glass 8: Pei Qingyu was in poor health, and when he slept...

Pei Qingyu slept soundly, curled up in the passenger seat. Xun Yin glanced over while taking a turn. Streetlights flashed past one after another amid the surging traffic, and Pei Qingyu's brows drew together, as though the flickering light had disturbed his sleep. Xun Yin turned his head back and smoothly moved one lane inward.

Song Xiao had given them two locations, and the factory where Song Sheng worked happened to be nearby. Xun Yin parked by the roadside, but instead of getting out right away, he turned to look beside him.

Pei Qingyu was still sleeping beside him, oblivious. Xun Yin watched him silently for a long while, then leaned over and unfastened his seat belt.

He did not seem in any hurry to wake Pei Qingyu. After a moment, he leaned over again to reach for the blanket on the far side. His entire body hovered over the sleeping man as he stared without blinking.

Pei Qingyu was in poor health, and his breathing was especially faint when he slept. Xun Yin lowered his eyes, unable to resist wanting to draw a little closer so he could hear those soft breaths clearly. His warm breath brushed Pei Qingyu's face, growing quicker, like a wolf cub patrolling its territory, sniffing uncertainly here and there.

The tips of Xun Yin's ears slowly reddened again. He suddenly stopped and squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, he found Pei Qingyu watching him through half-lidded eyes with a faint, knowing smile. Xun Yin froze, then jerked backward, unexpectedly hitting the steering wheel. A piercing honk immediately rang out, startling them both. Pei Qingyu abruptly pushed himself upright, while Xun Yin lost his balance and fell straight forward.

"Hiss-" Pei Qingyu turned his head and coughed a few times. Looking at the man sprawled on top of him, he was both annoyed and amused. "Vice Captain Xun, are you trying to murder your captain so you can officially take over?"

"No, I..." Xun Yin scrambled to push himself up, only to knock his head squarely against the roof. Watching him swiftly return to the driver's seat without a word, Pei Qingyu sighed and reached over to rub his head.

"Does it hurt?"

"No," Xun Yin replied quietly. "Captain, I was just trying to wake you up, but I lost my balance..."

"Really?"

Pei Qingyu turned his head and coughed for another long while. He opened his mouth to take the tablet Xun Yin held out to him, then opened the car door and rose, mumbling around it, "Then why do I remember a wolf cub staring at me for ages in my dream?"

Xun Yin opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but Pei Qingyu had already shut the car door.

Sitting in the driver's seat, Xun Yin felt somewhat at a loss. What he did not know was that outside the car, Pei Qingyu stood half bent over, staring absently at his reflection in the window as he gently pressed his chest.

After arriving at the factory and making some inquiries, they learned, unsurprisingly, that Song Sheng had not been there in the past two days.

"She's such a good young woman, smart and hardworking. It's just a shame she got involved with a scumbag." The factory owner seemed to know about Zhang Zhao too, and sighed. "That man kept coming to pester her, forcing her to switch from marketing to behind-the-scenes work. Our factory laboratory has entry requirements he can't meet, so he ended up waiting at the gate every day for her to come out."

"What kind of production was Song Sheng mainly responsible for?" Xun Yin asked, looking around.

"We mainly handle metal smelting here."

Seeing Xun Yin's serious expression, the owner thought they also intended to inspect the wastewater discharge and hurriedly added, "Our wastewater is only discharged after it's been treated to meet standards. There's absolutely no pollution."

"Yes, all right. Don't be nervous."

Pei Qingyu chuckled. He glanced at the owner, and although he did nothing else, the man's expression grew even more nervous.

Pei Qingyu said nothing more, merely turning and naturally hooking his finger around Xun Yin's little finger, then scratching his palm soothingly.

"If Song Sheng comes back, please let us know."

"Of course, of course." The owner wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, agreeing repeatedly.

Pei Qingyu nodded, but showed no intention of letting go of Xun Yin's hand. Instead, he led him straight outside.