Chapter 149: Jealousy to the Extreme

Upon hearing Ye Fan's words, Cao Guanghai's expression became incredibly interesting.

"Eat?"

"Mm."

"Is eating more important, or solving the case?"

"Eating is more important."

Ye Fan didn't hesitate for a second, giving the answer without a doubt.

Unless the sky fell, no one could stop him from having a meal with Ning Xi.

"..."

"..."

As Xie Zhengtao, who had been contemplating against the wall, turned around and walked over to Ye Fan's side, he grabbed his hand and said seriously, "Ye Fan, your reasoning just now might be the truth. Since you have such a monstrous... powerful reasoning ability, I hope you can contribute your strength."

"The sooner we catch the killer, the sooner the deceased can rest in peace…"

"Stop!"

Ye Fan quickly interrupted.

Xie Zhengtao's lecture might work on others, but it was useless to him.

"Director Cao, Captain Xie; I've already analyzed so many clues for you. Isn't it easy to identify the killer from the four witnesses using the available information?"

Ye Fan stood up, nodded towards the two, and said indifferently, "I have something important to do, so I'll take my leave now. You two continue working, goodbye."

Without giving them a chance to speak, he turned and left swiftly.

"..."

"..."

Cao Guanghai and Xie Zhengtao exchanged a glance, both speechless.

Something important?...

"Captain Xie, control the four witnesses immediately!"

"Understood!"

...

After leaving the Order Bureau, Ning Xi suddenly stopped walking and wore an expression with a hint of grievance. "What did you talk about in there? Why did you send me out?"

"Nothing much."

Ye Fan said without blushing or skipping a beat, "Just talked about some man-to-man things with Director Cao and Captain Xie. Girls shouldn't listen."

"You're lying!"

"..."

Meeting Ning Xi's clear gaze, Ye Fan felt a bit guilty, though he truly didn't want Ning Xi to know about these things.

Good and evil are two extremes, and they shouldn't cross paths.

"Sigh!"

Ye Fan hunched over, looking as if he was in pain.

"What's wrong?"

"Stomach hurts, probably because I'm hungry."

"Are you sure?"

"Mm."

"Does your stomach grow on your chest?"

"..."

Now, Ye Fan was genuinely embarrassed.

This little one was getting harder to fool, and that was not a good sign.

"Ahem—"

Ye Fan chuckled awkwardly and placed his hands on Ning Xi's shoulders, gently guiding her to a spot under a willow tree on the sidewalk. "Little Xi, I won't hide anything from you about what I need to tell you, but there are some things you shouldn't ask about. You have to listen."

Ning Xi puffed up her cheeks and retorted, "You're not even anyone important to me, so why should I listen to you?"

Ye Fan smirked, raised his hand, and pinched her soft, delicate little face. "You're my good little sister. Isn't it natural for a sister to listen to her brother?"

"I..."

"Don't deny it."

Ye Fan didn't give her a chance to speak, chuckling softly, "Just now, in there, you called me brother."

"Listen, good little sister."

"You..."

Ning Xi's lips parted slightly, her eyes flickering rapidly.

That was because she had no choice but to say it earlier, and now Ye Fan had taken full advantage.

How frustrating!

This wasn't fair!

"Fine, I don't want to know, anyway!"

Ning Xi turned her head, her beautiful and serene face attracting the attention of many pedestrians who glanced at her repeatedly.

Especially a man in his twenties wearing glasses, who, upon seeing Ning Xi, seemed almost dazed. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her face and ended up walking straight into a lamppost.

"Bang!"

The man's head collided with the pole with a loud thud. The impact… wow!

Ye Fan raised an eyebrow, took Ning Xi's mask from her hand, and put it back on her, teasing lightly, "My little Xi is so beautiful, she's even turning people into zombies."

"I'm not your little…"

Ning Xi blushed, lowered her head, feeling flustered.

The more she thought about it, the more her voice became softer.

Ye Fan smiled and said nothing.

Not now, but eventually.

He positioned himself in front of Ning Xi, blocking most of the gazes from onlookers.

Ye Fan took out his phone and contacted Zhuang Li. A few minutes later, Zhuang Li arrived at the Order Bureau entrance by car.

"Did you get the money?"

"Got it."

As Zhuang Li started the car, he asked, "Do you want to go to the bank first? Carrying so much cash around isn't convenient."

Ye Fan was slightly surprised.

Recently, for some reason, Zhuang Li's attitude toward him had improved a lot.

But he didn't think too much about it.

After all, it was a good thing.

"Thanks."

Once everything was settled, they arrived at Zhaiya Xuan around twelve o'clock noon.

Ye Fan and Ning Xi followed the waiter into the private room. Upon entering, his eyes immediately lit up.

At the entrance, there was a screen with an ancient, elegant design, adorned with a beautiful landscape painting.

Passing the screen, there was a row of purple bookshelves along the wall, and sunlight filtered through the carved wooden windows. In the middle, there was a classic redwood table with an incense burner beside it, and smoke rose gently, giving the place an air of poetic beauty.

Looking around, Ye Fan couldn't help but marvel.

Indeed, rich people don't eat food—they eat an experience.

"Please sit."

"Okay."

The poetic ambiance of the environment matched the poetic appearance of the people.

For Ye Fan, it felt like a dream. He pulled out a chair and seated Ning Xi, then removed her mask to reveal her delicate beauty.

Ye Fan sat down beside her, so close that their arms touched.

Ning Xi's cheeks flushed, and she quietly said, "You, you should sit across from me. Why sit so close when the place is so big?"

"I refuse."

Ye Fan shook his head, grinning mischievously, "Sitting next to you makes me happy."

"..."

Faced with this reasoning, Ning Xi really didn't know how to respond, so she moved over to the side. But as soon as she did, Ye Fan moved closer as well. She angrily slapped him on the arm, "Can't you be normal?"

"Where am I not normal?"

Ye Fan asked with a smile.

Ning Xi didn't want to argue, resting her arm on the table and turning her head to the side, sulking.

"Little Xi."

"What?"

The scent of incense mixed with the subtle fragrance of the girl created a unique aroma that filled Ye Fan's nose, making his mood very calm and content. "Didn't you promise to take me around the capital this weekend?"

"Why not use today's opportunity to do that?"

"No way."

Upon hearing this, Ning Xi seemed to think of something, her cheeks slightly flushed. She softly refused, "After we finish eating, I'll go home to finish the last three pages of the test paper you gave me."

"The test paper?"

Ye Fan froze for a moment.

Ning Xi pouted and muttered, "It's all your fault. Setting such a high goal for the college entrance exam and pushing me to aim so high… I'm under so much pressure."

Ye Fan took Ning Xi's left hand and spoke gently, "Pressure is like a cup of water. The longer you hold it, the heavier it feels. You should put it down for a bit, so when it's time to pick it up again, you can do it more easily."

"You..."

Ning Xi tried to pull her hand back but couldn't. She murmured, "Hmph, you're only three months older than me, yet you talk so much like you're a professional. You really should consider selling real estate!"

"..."

"After eating, I want to go home to finish the test paper. We'll go out tomorrow."

Ye Fan grinned, "Little Xi, I want sweet and sour ribs. No sugar, no ribs."

Eating vinegar to the extreme, that's what he was doing—eating even the vinegar from a test paper.

Truly… insane!!!