“No—wait.” Xiao Zhang stood there, stunned, unable to move. He turned from side to side in disbelief. “Old Chen, didn’t you hear that? Dr. Sang just said the underwear in the victim’s house belongs to *her*! Hers!”

“I swear, the first thing that popped into my head was—serves him right! The guy had the nerve to steal Dr. Sang’s clothes. He was asking for it!”

Gu Yezhou’s voice dropped. “Xiao Zhang. Watch what you say.”

Xiao Zhang snapped his mouth shut immediately.

Sang Ning stared at the wardrobe filled with bras. Some of them were ones she’d thrown away—washed first, bagged up, and discarded. Others were pieces she had hung outside to dry.

“Captain Gu,” she said quietly, “please use that drying pole and try to reach the clothes next door.”

Gu Yezhou didn’t ask any questions. He simply did as she said.

A moment later, Sang Ning’s coat appeared at the end of the pole in his hand.

She snatched the garment from him and looked straight into his eyes.

“I went out drinking last night,” she said seriously. “But I didn’t drink much. I came home around eight. At the time I felt a little dizzy, so I lay down for a short rest.

“Later, a phone call woke me up. It was around ten-thirty. My boyfriend—well, now he’s my ex-boyfriend—said he’d had too much to drink and wanted me to pick him up.

“I left the house around eleven, but I never actually found him. By the time I got back, it was already past midnight.

“So within that one-hour window… the killer most likely murdered Shi Li.”

Gu Yezhou quickly picked up on the inconsistency.

She claimed she hadn’t drunk much, yet after returning at eight she had slept for more than two hours. That kind of deep sleep usually happened only when someone had been heavily intoxicated.

“How’s your alcohol tolerance?” he asked.

Sang Ning walked toward the door with her coat in hand.

“I don’t drink often, but I wouldn’t say I’m bad at it.”

Gu Yezhou watched her retreating back, his brow slowly tightening.

“Captain Gu, I need to go to the hospital for a blood test. Once the results are out, I’ll answer your questions.”

With that, Sang Ning waved without turning around and left the scene, heading straight for the hospital.

Unfortunately, the moment she arrived—

She ran straight into the person she least wanted to see.

One hand pressed against the cotton ball on her arm where blood had been drawn as she watched the man hurry toward her, his face full of anxious concern.

“Ningning, I’m sorry—really, I’m so sorry. About the marriage registration… can we postpone it for a while?”

The man in front of her was Lin Zehui, the blind date she’d been seeing for a year.

His parents had been extremely eager for them to get married—so eager they’d pushed the couple to get the marriage certificate first and hold the wedding banquet later.

The bride price and gold jewelry had already been handed over to Sang Ning.

She took a step back.

Her expression was colder than he had ever seen it.

“Where did you go last night?”

“I told you—I was drinking,” Lin Zehui said quickly. “Out with friends. I had too much. I don’t even know when Xiaoyue came back. As soon as she arrived, she clung to me and wouldn’t let go. What could I do? Ningning, you know me. Xiaoyue and I have always been close. I’ve always treated her like a little sister. She got cheated by some guy, so I had to comfort her.”

He stepped forward, trying to grab Sang Ning’s hand, but she avoided him.

He assumed she was just angry.

“Ningning, if there’s anything you want to buy, I’ll get it for you. Just don’t be mad, okay? Nothing happened between Xiaoyue and me. We’re innocent. You believe me, right?”

Sang Ning rolled her eyes.

If she stayed here any longer, Lin Zehui might manage to spew out even more nauseating nonsense.

She had only eaten two pan-fried buns at noon.

There wasn’t much in her stomach to throw up.

“Lin Zehui,” she said flatly, “you’d better be telling the truth.”

She walked over to an empty seat.

She couldn’t leave the hospital yet—she had to wait for the test results.

Why not run the test at the police station?

Because she wanted the results to come from a place so impartial that the other party would have no grounds to dispute them.

Her position was sensitive. If someone accused her of tampering with the report, it would cause endless trouble.

“Of course I’m telling the truth, Ningning,” Lin Zehui said eagerly. “When have I ever lied to you?”

He looked confused when he saw she had no intention of leaving.

“Ningning… are you still mad at me? Xiaoyue’s stomach condition flared up—she’s here too. Can you… not upset her right now?”

Sang Ning laughed.

Her delicate, radiant face became even more captivating when she smiled.

Lin Zehui’s breathing hitched.

No matter how he looked at her, he had always been satisfied with this blind date.

This was the kind of face he liked.

And also the kind he hated.

Why could Sang Ning always smile so brightly, so openly?

Sometimes he wished he could lock her away at home forever.

A forensic pathologist—of all professions.

Handling corpses every day.

The thought made him uncomfortable. In all the years they’d been together, he’d never dared to touch her. Every time he wanted to get close, the image of her hands touching dead bodies would flash through his mind.

And yet now she was smiling again.

That possessive urge stirred in him once more.

“Ningning… how about we go register our marriage tomorrow?”

Sang Ning lowered her gaze at the man crouching before her like a pleading dog.

“No need,” she said calmly. “We won’t be getting a marriage certificate—ever. Whatever relationship you have with that Xiaoyue has nothing to do with me.”

She lifted her slender, pale arm and shook it slightly.

Sometimes people laughed when they were too speechless to respond.

“Lin Zehui, if you’re not using your eyes, maybe you should donate them. Instead of apologizing nonstop, why don’t you take a look at what I’m actually doing at the hospital?”

It was a reminder.

Both Lin Zehui and his older brother, Lin Zedong, were avid climbers.

Height, build, strength—every physical trait matched the killer’s profile.

Especially Lin Zehui.

The drink he’d given her last night…

Had something been mixed into it?

“Ningning, what’s wrong? Are you sick?” Lin Zehui suddenly slapped himself on the cheek. “I’m such an idiot. I was so busy explaining myself that I didn’t even notice. I’m really sorry. Ningning, don’t be mad. If there’s anything wrong with you, I’ll take care of you for the rest of my life. No matter what it costs, I’ll cure you.”

His expression was full of sincerity.

People waiting nearby for their own test results had already begun pulling out their phones to record the scene.

Sang Ning didn’t mind.

In her spare time she often filmed vlogs documenting her daily life—though her face never appeared on camera.

“Miss, you should marry a man like that,” the middle-aged woman beside her said kindly. “I thought you came to the hospital alone earlier.”

Sang Ning ignored the comment.

Her eyes drifted to the time printed on the test receipt.

It said the report would take two hours—but sometimes results came back in half an hour.

“Ningning,” Lin Zehui said quietly, glancing around, “let’s talk about this at home, okay? Could you…”

His hand reached toward Sang Ning’s bag.

She immediately pressed it down and stared at him coldly.

“What are you doing?”

“Ningning, since you’ve already had your blood drawn, you’ll need to collect the report later, right? I’ll get it for you. Why don’t you go home first?”

Lin Zehui didn’t seem to be lying.

He kept repeating the same thing—go home.

Suspicion crept into Sang Ning’s mind.

“You really want me to go home?”

Lin Zehui nodded vigorously.

“My report will be ready soon. I’ll take it and then leave.”

“Really?” Lin Zehui’s eyes widened.

By now, Sang Ning could see clearly.

This man only wanted her to leave the hospital as soon as possible.

He didn’t care why she needed a blood test.

Nor did he care why she insisted on waiting here for the results.