The moment I stepped out of Mu Anmian’s villa, I saw Lan Jinxuan waiting by the roadside. Her appearance gave me a pleasant surprise, yet why was she here?

Harboring my doubt, I walked toward her. Clearly, Lan Jinxuan, deep in meditation, hadn't noticed my approach.

But just as I was about to reach her, preparing to startle her, she suddenly spun around and threw a joint lock at me. Thankfully, I reacted instantly and dodged, saving my reputation as the “Senior Brother.”

“My dear young lady, what are you doing?” I asked as I straightened my clothes.

“I didn’t do anything; it was Senior Brother who was sneakily approaching me,” Lan Jinxuan clearly had the upper hand.

“When was I being sneaky? Your Senior Brother is a man who stands tall and upright, acting with integrity, living up to my name!” My image couldn’t possibly be ruined in front of such a familiar beauty, could it?

Lan Jinxuan smiled at me, unwilling to continue the sparring. See? This is my charm; even the beautiful Lan is moved.

However, immediately afterward, that hateful girl rolled her eyes at me and feigned a gagging expression. Fine, I was wrong. Did I overestimate her taste?

“Alright, alright, I won't argue with you. Tell me, why did you come looking for me?” I asked, feigning seriousness, while subtly resting my hand on Little Sister Lan's shoulder—the height was just right!

“Who said I came looking for you? Hey, hey, hey, where are you putting your hand? A Senior Brother should act like one,” Little Sister Lan complained, flicking my hand away.

“This is what being Senior Brother and Junior Sister is about—a perfect pair. You were lonely by yourself, so of course, you came to find me,” I reverted to my usual roguish manner.

“Dream on! I came because you didn’t answer your phone, and Lord Jiang needs to see you. Judging by your performance yesterday, I knew you’d come looking for this woman again, so I just had to stake out this spot,” Lan Jinxuan said, not forgetting to give me a look of disdain.

“What performance yesterday?” I asked, feeling a bit hazy.

“The way your eyes nearly stopped working when you saw Mu Anmian yesterday. Men really are just lecherous beasts.” If the funeral pyre incident hadn't left Lan Jinxuan reeling, she wouldn't be teasing me about this now.

“What? Are you jealous?” I teased her with a mischievous grin, nudging her slightly.

“Hmph! Jealous of what? Lord Jiang is waiting for your audience!” Lan Jinxuan turned and left, her posture graceful.

I took a closer look. Not bad. This girl was wearing a pair of black high heels today. But why did I have a feeling that after last night, Little Sister Lan’s attitude towards me had shifted?

“Hey! Why aren't you leaving yet!” Seeing I hadn't reacted, Little Sister Lan turned back to urge me on.

“Oh, oh! Coming!” My thoughts snapped back to the present, and I hurried to keep up with her pace, but my mind was still tangled in that question.

Lan Jinxuan naturally hadn't driven, and we walked together toward the bus stop. As we passed the flower shop that had left such an impression on me, I stopped again.

“What is it?” Lan Jinxuan asked, perplexed.

“Wait for me here, I’ll be right back.” The words were out before I smiled and dashed into the florist’s.

The moment I entered, the woman as beautiful as a magnolia instantly recognized me and handed over a bouquet she had already prepared. After paying, I didn't linger, hurrying back outside.

Seeing me emerge holding a large bouquet of blue Eustoma (Lisianthus), Lan Jinxuan was momentarily surprised, but it quickly melted into a smile full of knowing amusement.

“What? A rendezvous with a beauty?” I always felt there was a strange undertone in Lan Jinxuan’s words.

“Yes, who else would I have but you! I bought this especially for you!” I don't know why I bought this bouquet, but since Lan Jinxuan happened to be here, I might as well give the flowers to her.

“Specially for me? Why give me flowers out of the blue?” Lan Jinxuan glanced at the Eustoma in my hand, but her movements didn't slow; she took the flowers right away. Ah, if only I were that bouquet right now!

“Of course, it’s an apology for my rudeness toward our great beauty Lan just now?” I said casually, though what occupied my mind was the flower language of the Eustoma.

“For the sake of these flowers, this young lady will tentatively accept. But do you know the meaning of Eustoma?” Lan Jinxuan looked at me with a smile, and I, immersed in her smile, nodded without realizing it.

Lan Jinxuan paused slightly, then said somewhat bashfully, “I know too.”

By the time I snapped out of it, Lan Jinxuan was already walking away. As I chased after her, I felt like I had discovered something, and my heart began to pound faster. For the rest of the walk, Lan Jinxuan merely fiddled with her Eustoma and didn't say much to me, but I wasn't dense enough not to understand her meaning. It felt like a cheerful, refreshing breeze had passed over me; though we didn't exchange many words, our hearts were filled with unspoken understanding.

I didn't know what Lord Jiang wanted to discuss with me, but when we returned to the precinct, everyone was still engrossed in the cases of Wang Dong and Tao Jiahao.

“You’ve got quite the attitude, needing to be summoned by an official before you show up. Keep your phone on twenty-four hours a day from now on, or I’ll have you working twenty-four hours a day!” Lord Jiang was clearly in a foul mood, perhaps having been vexed somewhere else. Was I just his current punching bag?

I certainly didn't want to provoke him while he was angry, so I just nodded silently.

“Look at this case. It’s been three days, not only has there been no progress, but another life has been lost. The deadline from above is fast approaching. Let’s see how you plan to account for that!” Although Lord Jiang was harsh, what he said was fact, leaving me no room to argue.

“I have a lead now. I believe as long as we can thoroughly investigate that clue, the case should unravel itself.” Thinking of Ouyang Min and Mu Anmian, I still felt they were the breakthrough point for this case.

“I don’t care about the process, I only want results! Regardless, solve the case as quickly as possible!” Lord Jiang threw those words out and left the precinct.

Indeed, these past few days, we had been running around like headless flies. Although we were searching for an angle, we had made absolutely no headway. It seemed I couldn't wait for Ouyang Min to contact me; I needed to reach out to him actively.

I got Ouyang Min’s phone number from that kid Gao Jianning. Not long after I dialed, I heard a middle-aged man’s deeply resonant voice.

“Hello.” The voice on the other end sounded uncertain.

“Hello, I am an investigator from the Special Investigation Unit of the Anyin City Public Security Bureau. We need your assistance with a case and hope you can come to the precinct as soon as possible.” I quickly stated my purpose, eagerly hoping to uncover some clues from Ouyang Min sooner rather than later.

“Hmm… is this about the cases of Wang Dong and Teacher Tao?” Ouyang Min didn't sound the least bit surprised by my words. “My wife called me not long ago and instructed me to assist with your investigation.”

“Yes, I was hoping to know when you might be available to meet with us.” Hearing Ouyang Min, I felt Mu Anmian wasn't such a small-minded woman after all; perhaps it was just that I caught her at the wrong moment yesterday, leading to her nearly rude treatment.

“I’m currently out on a business trip,” Ouyang Min paused, then continued, “I will contact you tomorrow afternoon.”

“That’s fine.” Since the gentleman was so polite and willing to help, I naturally needed to be considerate of his situation.

“Well, I’m busy now. See you tomorrow.”

“Alright, see you then.” Ouyang Min must have been truly busy; I felt a pang of guilt for interrupting him so abruptly.

After hanging up, my heart inexplicably started beating faster, but what truly bothered me was that I couldn't tell if this was the excitement of getting closer to the truth, or a sudden wave of unease and fear.

With this strange feeling, my thoughts were too scattered to organize. I casually arranged for Gao Jianning and the others to continue deeply investigating people related to the case—not overlooking a single detail—and then I returned home. I had been busy since last night, and now I felt drowsy but couldn't summon any sleep.

My mind felt hollow. Absentmindedly, I opened my computer, intending to check the news. Just as I was about to open a webpage, my email notification popped up. It was probably that guy Huang Zekai finding some new film, but I really wasn't in the mood right now.

Then I just casually scrolled online; there was no news that could catch my eye. My thoughts somehow drifted back to that flower shop.

I searched for "Jacaranda," and there were indeed many pictures, but what surprised me was that this tree prefers warmth and humidity and cannot tolerate frost and snow. Given Heilongjiang’s climate, it was entirely unsuitable for planting Jacarandas; in fact, Jacarandas simply couldn't survive in that climate.

Suddenly, a mysterious aura brushed the back of my neck—warm and rhythmic. I spun around sharply, but the space behind me was empty. I turned back to stare at the photos of Jacarandas on the screen, and a growing sense of unease churned within me.

Turning back again, I noticed I had forgotten to close the door when I entered; the slightly ajar door frame was enveloped in deep shadow. I quickly got up to shut it. After securing the door and scanning the room once more, I found nothing unusual. Returning to the computer, I felt deeply uneasy about the impression the "Jacaranda" gave me, so I closed all related webpages and started searching for "Eustoma" again. These two flowers shared a similar color, but the feeling they evoked was completely different.

The meaning of Eustoma: everlasting love—what a beautiful sentiment. But when I saw the words "hopeless love," I was shocked again. If I hadn't impulsively searched, I might never have discovered that Eustoma possessed this dual meaning: everlasting love and hopeless love. The two drastically different meanings left me bewildered. Did none of this require logic? Or was the ultimate outcome determined by one's own choice?

I felt generally out of sorts lately, my mood agitated. I opened my email again, only to find the previous message wasn't from Huang Zekai.

The sender’s address was unfamiliar, and the email had no subject line. Clicking it open revealed only a few nonsensical characters: Wù jǐ qǐ xī, shuǐ yuán mù xī.

I had no idea what the sender meant by these disconnected phrases. Just as I was about to close the meaningless email, I realized things weren't that simple; the progress bar beside it indicated the email content was longer.

Reading further, I found an old black-and-white photograph. In it were four girls, about eleven or twelve years old. Three stood side by side, while one hid behind them, only her head showing. Her empty eyes and dull expression were starkly different from the other three girls, who were beaming. Behind the four girls was a rural scene, including a tree laden with blossoms. Wait! I zoomed in on the photo and realized the flowers on the tree behind the girls looked incredibly similar to Jacaranda!

And the next three black-and-white photos made my blood run cold! Photos of Wang Dong, Tao Jiahao, and then both of them appeared one after another. The last photograph showed an unfamiliar man, but his smile was as unnerving as Wang Dong’s and Tao Jiahao’s!

Coincidence? Or premeditation?