Lu Lin glanced at the wheels and slowly circled the car as he spoke.

“A Volkswagen? Honestly, I’m not really that interested in Volkswa—holy shit!”

What was that saying again?

You could crash into a regular Volkswagen.

But never crash into one with letters on the back.

“I’m in. We’re swapping.” Lu Lin rubbed his hands together eagerly, already itching to experience what the car drove like. “But how long are we talking? Don’t tell me you’re taking it back in two days.”

“As long as I’m still working at the station, we can keep driving each other’s cars. If you don’t trust me, we can even sign a contract.”

Gu Yao looked one sentence away from blurting out:

*Honestly, you can just have the car if you want.*

In Lu Lin’s eyes, this little brat simply had no taste.

Otherwise, why would he have spent the past half year calling her “little brat”?

“You’re moving, right? I’ll come help.” Lu Lin puffed out his chest proudly. “You two girls probably can’t lift heavy stuff like washing machines. Leave that to me!”

Sang Ning looked at him speechlessly.

“If you’re moving washing machines, shouldn’t you hire movers instead?”

From the way Gu Yao was acting, this whole “move” looked like something that could be solved with two suitcases or a couple giant sacks.

“No need,” Gu Yao said quietly. “I’m just moving out. I’ll leave all that stuff to him.”

Afraid they might start asking questions, she quickly changed the subject.

“Since Forensic Doctor Lu is coming with us anyway, why don’t we switch cars now? It’s weird for a grown man to drive this thing. Take mine instead.”

Before anyone could respond, Gu Yao hopped out of the car and darted into Lu Lin’s adorable little vehicle.

Then she waved enthusiastically at Sang Ning.

“Sister Ning, come here! It’s so cute inside! Everything’s fluffy! Waaah, Forensic Doctor Lu really knows how to live.”

Sang Ning climbed out of the passenger seat helplessly.

Looking at the two excited faces in front of her, all she felt was tired.

But the moment she sat inside Lu Lin’s car, she immediately understood.

The passenger seat wasn’t cold leather.

It was soft.

Warm.

Fluffy.

A middle-aged woman’s buried girlish heart instantly awakened.

“I’ll follow behind you,” Lu Lin said excitedly.

He just didn’t know whether the little brat drove fast enough.

Then something occurred to him.

“Oh right. Check the mileage meter. I charged the car the day before yesterday, but I don’t know how far it can still go. If the place is too far, we might not make a round trip.”

Gu Yao glanced at it.

“Round trip’s fine. Alright then—let’s go!”

A drive that should’ve taken twenty minutes somehow felt like half an hour in this tiny car.

When they reached the apartment complex entrance, Gu Yao rolled down the window and casually greeted the security guard before being waved through.

“The security here’s pretty good,” Sang Ning finally said, voicing the question she’d been thinking about the whole ride. “Why are you moving?”

Then another thought surfaced.

“Is it because your brother transferred here, so you’re planning to move closer to the station?”

Gu Yao’s eyes widened.

“My brother? He hates people living in his house. Especially me. He’s rejected me since we were kids.”

“Why?”

“He thinks I’m annoying. And says I have too much stuff.” Gu Yao sounded deeply aggrieved. “But girls naturally have lots of things, don’t they?”

Sang Ning couldn’t help laughing at the absurd reason.

The apartment building was old and had no elevator, so they had to climb the stairs.

Thankfully, Gu Yao only lived on the third floor.

“Um… Sister Ning, can you wait outside for me?”

Sang Ning found that strange.

Wasn’t this supposed to be moving house?

“If you organize alone, it’ll be exhausting. I can help.”

“No need, Sister Ning. I can do it myself.”

Gu Yao spoke softly while opening the door, peeking inside nervously.

Honestly, it didn’t look like someone returning home.

The moment the door opened, Sang Ning smelled alcohol.

Through the gap, she could see empty liquor bottles piled across the coffee table in the living room, along with untouched leftovers.

Lowering her eyes toward the entryway, she saw nothing but men’s shoes.

Gu Yao’s shoes were probably hidden in the cabinet.

“I can—”

Sang Ning had barely started offering help before Gu Yao shut the door in her face.

Left standing outside in the stairwell, Sang Ning looked completely baffled.

Not long after, Lu Lin finally trudged upstairs behind them, panting heavily.

“These stairs are brutal.” He leaned against the railing. “Why aren’t you inside?”

Only the two of them stood there in the dimly lit hallway.

Warm yellow lighting cast soft shadows across Sang Ning’s face as she shrugged helplessly.

“She said she could handle it herself and asked me to wait out here. Maybe she already packed everything?”

She wasn’t sure.

But if Gu Yao didn’t want them inside, then they’d respect that.

“Then why the hell did I come up here?”

Lu Lin braced himself against the handrail dramatically.

Sang Ning headed downstairs and casually patted his shoulder before leaning against the corner of the stairwell. Her back faced the window as icy night wind drifted in.

It really was freezing.

“Why are you touching me?” Lu Lin looked disgusted. “Did you even wash your hands before coming out?”

As fellow forensic doctors, they both possessed varying degrees of cleanliness obsession.

“Mind your own business.”

Sang Ning glared at him.

At least with Lu Lin around, waiting didn’t feel too boring.

Bzzz. Bzzz.

Her phone vibrated twice.

As she checked it, she casually continued talking.

“Old Lu, with your physical condition, you seriously need to exercise. Remember that time the elevator broke during fieldwork? You made it to the tenth floor and nearly died. Remember who carried you the rest of the way?”

“You’re the boss. Happy now?”

One of Lu Lin’s darkest moments had just been dragged back into daylight.

Sang Ning glanced at the message Gu Yao had sent and frowned slightly.

“What kind of thing can’t be said face-to-face?” Lu Lin leaned over curiously.

“Shh.”

Sang Ning gestured for silence.

Then she muted her phone vibration and motioned for Lu Lin to do the same.

The apartment remained eerily quiet.

No rummaging.

No packing noises.

Lu Lin pulled out his phone and texted her instead.

【Lu Lin: What’s going on?】

【Sang Ning: We’re talking too loudly. The neighbors might complain.】

【Lu Lin: …Bullshit.】

The two stood there staring at each other while texting on their phones, looking ridiculous.

Then the apartment door slowly creaked open.

Gu Yao emerged cautiously, dragging two enormous storage bags behind her like a thief sneaking out during the night.

Not suitcases.

Huge quilt-storage sacks.

Four in total.

Whatever was inside had been wrapped tightly in clothing, so nothing clattered around.

“We’re going downstairs,” Gu Yao whispered.

Lu Lin stepped forward to grab one of the bags.

The instant he lifted it, his hand dropped violently.

His entire body nearly pitched backward down the stairs.

“Careful.”

Sang Ning grabbed him immediately.

Looking at the remaining bag, Gu Yao whispered, “I’ll come back up for the rest.”

Sang Ning walked right past her.

Then, without warning, she grabbed one end of the sack and effortlessly hoisted two giant bags at once before heading downstairs.

The other two froze in shock.

They simply stared as Sang Ning carried both oversized bags downstairs without making much noise at all.

People moved houses all the time.

But moving like burglars?

This was a first.

Finally, after cramming the luggage into the trunk and stuffing the backseat full, Gu Yao let out a massive sigh of relief.

“Thank god he wasn’t home. We’re fine now. Let’s hurry and go.”

She never wanted to return to this place for the rest of her life.

“Yaoyao… you’re back? Is that you, Yaoyao?”

A drunken voice suddenly drifted over from behind them.

Lu Lin was still leaning against the car catching his breath, insisting he needed a break before driving again.