Xiao Feng walked back to the city center, he didn't return to the criminal police team but headed straight to the hospital.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he saw a young man in a hospital gown sitting in the corridor, chatting with a nurse while on an IV drip.

The young man blinked at Xiao Feng and flashed a smile.

Xiao Feng nodded in acknowledgment, immediately realizing that this was someone Gong Kaishan sent over to both protect Qingyue and keep an eye on Su Yuzhuo.

Without a word, Xiao Feng walked directly into Du Qingyue's ward. After exchanging a few words, he lay down to sleep.

For Xiao Feng, staying up all night wasn't much of a physical burden, but it was mentally exhausting.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Xiao Feng awoke from his sleep. He turned over silently, reached out to embrace Qingyue beside him, and caught the faint fragrance, unconsciously smiling at the corner of his mouth.

"Thud!"

Qingyue tapped Xiao Feng on the head: "Still pretending to sleep after waking up," she said.

Xiao Feng rubbed his head and chuckled, "I have a rather strange question."

"What is it?" Qingyue asked warily.

"You've been lying here for almost half a month. How come you still smell so fragrant?" With that, Xiao Feng deliberately leaned closer.

Of course, Xiao Feng knew that the service in these deluxe hospital rooms was thorough, and nurses would come by daily to help clean up. He said it just to tease Qingyue.

Sure enough, Qingyue blushed and retorted, "Don't you have any serious questions?"

"I do!" Xiao Feng responded and then stood up to stretch lazily, "Is the Chinese medicine they gave you working?"

Speaking of serious matters, Qingyue nodded with a serious expression, "The effect is noticeable; at least I feel like I've regained some strength. The doctor said that in another week, I should be able to get out of bed and move around."

After saying this, as if suddenly recalling something, Qingyue asked, "By the way, when is that training program you mentioned starting?"

Xiao Feng turned around, somewhat guilty, and replied, "You mean the training program, it's not urgent, you don't have to attend. When the time comes, I'll tutor you one-on-one."

Yet in his heart, he found it strange. Previously, the young girl had expressed interest in learning combat, which was understandable given her natural inclination for action, having a restless nature. It was part of her character.

Why had Qingyue unexpectedly expressed such an interest in joining the training program now?

Ultimately, Xiao Feng still didn't fully understand women. A woman's competitive spirit is almost innate. After witnessing Su Yuzhuo's skills, Qingyue clearly saw her as a benchmark to rapidly chase and even surpass!

"Why do I feel like you're hiding something from me?" Qingyue asked suspiciously, "Could it be that the training program is all about beautiful female students?"

Xiao Feng couldn't help but panic inside. It's often said that a woman's intuition is spot on, but Qingyue's perception was eerily accurate.

The first batch of trainees, except for Wang Lubo, were indeed mostly female!

However, Xiao Feng, having weathered many storms, was of calm demeanor, and confidently responded to Qingyue's doubt, "How could that be? Except for that girl Mu Shihan, all the trainees are male, and they all paid the tuition."

"Hehe," Qingyue gave a dry laugh, clearly unconvinced by this claim, thinking she should investigate quietly when the time came.

Xiao Feng felt increasingly that it was not wise to linger here and made an excuse, "You must be hungry. I'll go get something to eat. You can read for a while."

With that, he left the ward in a hurry.

When he exited the hospital, it was already evening.

The sky was gloomy, with several dark clouds hanging overhead, creating a sense of oppression.

The evening breeze started to blow, and pedestrians on the street glanced up at the sky, noting that it seemed like it could rain at any moment. Then, they wrapped their clothes tighter and quickened their pace.

"Crack!"

A thunderclap echoed through the sky, rolling clouds gathered as the rain "whooshed" down, prompting pedestrians to run hurriedly, either home or into stores on either side to shelter from the rain.

Winter rain isn't as refreshing as summer rain; the droplets on skin feel like pricks from needles, cold and penetrating.

Just then, a taxi stopped in front of Xiao Feng: "Need a ride... hey, it's you!"

Xiao Feng smiled, "Long time no see."

The driver was indeed someone familiar, the one who had previously taken the drunken Zhang Wan to the hotel and slipped a little "gift" into his pocket.

"Quick, quick, get in the car," the driver warmly greeted him.

Xiao Feng didn't stand on ceremony, he opened the door and got in directly.

"You've probably been promoted recently?" The driver handed him a cigarette, "Haven't seen you take a taxi in a long time."

In the driver's mind, with Xiao Feng's previous habit of always asking for receipts, it was clear he was a government employee. Not taking taxis recently could very well mean he got promoted and now had an official car and driver assigned.

This was also why he bypassed business to exchange pleasantries with Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng waved off the offered cigarette and didn't explain his occupation, as they were familiar but not deeply acquainted.

The driver was undeterred by the cold reception; he understood that to gain favors, one must adopt a humble attitude, and he was prepared for this.

"Business has really been harder to do these days." The driver sighed, expertly placing the cigarette in his mouth. Just as he was about to light it, he remembered Xiao Feng hadn't taken a cigarette from him.

This indicated two possibilities: either Xiao Feng didn't smoke, or he found the cigarette grade too low.

A non-smoker is generally averse to smoke.

Xiao Feng seemed to catch onto the driver's thought process and smiled, "Go ahead, I'm not that sensitive to smoke."

The driver, slightly embarrassed, grinned and put the cigarette back in the armrest box, saying, "Your government unit is really good, a secure job. By the way, does your department need drivers? I've got over ten years of driving experience, impeccable skills!"

"Probably not," Xiao Feng replied honestly.

The criminal police team, unlike the regular security forces, requires driving as a basic skill, making it unnecessary to hire dedicated drivers. Anyone idle could do it temporarily if needed.

Of course, this was Xiao Feng's speculation; he wasn't particularly knowledgeable about the specifics.

The driver seemed somewhat disappointed. To him, Xiao Feng's response clearly indicated reluctance to help, otherwise, he would have said something like "not in need at the moment."

"Where are you headed? I'll take you there," the driver politely inquired. Although Xiao Feng couldn't assist him, he was still a customer and should be treated warmly.

Xiao Feng pointed his finger, "Stop at the next intersection; I want to buy some steamed buns."

"…" The driver felt deflated, realizing the other person not only didn't plan to help but also wasn't giving him an opportunity to earn any money.

At this moment, the rain suddenly intensified, shifting from a light drizzle to a heavy downpour. In an instant, the windshield was like a water curtain, obscuring visibility completely.

"Damn!" the driver cursed and hurried to close the rear window, but despite this effort, some of the backseat was still wet.

This kind of weather is uncommon not just in Jiangcheng but across the country, as heavy winter rain is rare and it's turning heavier, with the wipers at maximum barely clearing the view.

The driver pulled the car over to the roadside, thinking it was futile to continue picking up passengers; he might as well give it a shot. Perhaps with a little more effort, fate could change, and his imagination began to churn.

Just then, a minivan sped by at a speed likely not less than 60 mph, prompting the driver to sneer, "Driving that fast in this weather, they're really asking to die, one skid and it's the end of both the person and the car."

Xiao Feng ignored the driver's sarcasm and suddenly felt something wasn't right; driving that fast in such weather wasn't what an average person would do.

The more he thought, the more uneasy he felt and said at once, "Follow that car in front!"

"Huh?" The driver wondered if he'd heard wrong; driving so fast in the pouring rain was insane.

"Triple the fare," Xiao Feng said calmly.

The driver's eyes lit up, buckled his seat belt, released the handbrake, "Buckle up."

The vehicle started, following the minivan at full speed.

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