My online dating circle has millions of followers, why would she put a collar on me?

"Dead?"

Jiang Yi's voice was dry and hoarse, carrying a kind of shock that he was unwilling to believe, almost pleading.

He sat on the bed, the blanket piled up at his waist, his gaze fixed on Su Xiaoyue's face, as if waiting for her to say, "I was just joking" or "Attorney Li made a mistake."

But Su Xiaoyue did not laugh.

Her eyes were red, and tiny, still-dry tears clung to her eyelashes. The morning light shone from behind her, enveloping her in a cold, white halo.

She looked down at her fingers gripping the phone tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force.

"The lawyer said that Jiang Miaomiao was discovered around 5 a.m. this morning."

Su Xiaoyue's voice was very soft, "The forensic doctor's preliminary judgment is that it was sudden cardiac arrest, but the specific cause will have to wait for further testing."

"Cardiac arrest?"

Jiang Yi repeated those four words.

I don't believe it.

Jiang Yi's voice suddenly became more steady, as if he had grasped some fulcrum he could rely on.

"She's always been in good health. She rarely even catches a cold, so how could she have suffered a sudden cardiac arrest?"

Su Xiaoyue looked up at him.

She could see the bloodshot eyes and the bluish discoloration under his eyes from not sleeping all night.

His lips were pressed into a thin line, and his jawline was taut, as if he was trying to suppress some emotion that was about to burst forth.

"I don't know either."

Su Xiaoyue's voice was hoarse. "Attorney Li said that the specific reason will only be known after the forensic test results come out."

She reached out and grasped Jiang Yi's fingers through the blanket.

His hands were cold, like a piece of ice just taken out of the freezer.

"Honey, let's go to the police station to check on things. Attorney Li is already there; he said he'll be waiting for us."

Jiang Yi was silent for a few seconds, then nodded somewhat mechanically: "Okay."

They got dressed quickly.

As she walked out of the residential compound, Su Xiaoyue used her phone to call a ride-hailing car.

The white sedan stopped on the side of the road, and the driver hurriedly switched off the video and opened the car door.

Jiang Yi sat in the back seat by the window, tilting his head to look at the street scene rushing past outside the window.

He couldn't understand how someone could die suddenly.

His first thought was about his experience at the police station. Could it be that Jiang Miaomiao had also suffered the same treatment, which is why she couldn't think straight?

Summer sleep.

Only Xia Anmian has this ability.

How could she do this?

Thinking of this, Jiang Yi clenched his fists and his breathing became heavier.

Su Xiaoyue sat next to him, feeling Jiang Yi's increasingly loud shouts, and her hand spontaneously tightened around Jiang Yi's hand.

When the car stopped in front of the Zhongshan branch, it was already past eight in the morning.

The morning light had changed from grayish-blue to a bright golden yellow, making the grayish-white four-story building somewhat dazzling.

Su Xiaoyue paid the fare, opened the car door, and got out first.

Jiang Yi followed him down, stood on the shoulder of the road, and looked up at the national emblem above the branch office gate, which gleamed with a dark golden luster in the morning light.

He remembered that the last time he stood here, he was escorted out of a police car.

At that time, he was covered in injuries and his mind was foggy; he thought his life was over.

Now, standing before the same door again, his heart is heavier than before.

Li Zhenghua was already waiting in the lobby.

He was wearing a dark blue suit today, his tie was tied perfectly, and he was carrying a black briefcase.

Seeing them come in, he quickly went to greet them, his gaze lingering on Jiang Yi's face for a moment.

"Mr. Jiang, Ms. Su."

His voice was more composed than it was on the phone, carrying a sense of composure unique to someone who had been working in the industry for many years.

"I've already spoken with the police officers handling the case. Jiang Miaomiao's body is currently at the forensic center, and the results should be available soon. Also—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two men, then lowered his voice.

"Director Zhao didn't come to work today. I heard he was in a car accident on his way home last night and is still in the hospital. The news is being suppressed, and I haven't been able to find out the specifics yet."

Jiang Yi was taken aback: "Director Zhao was in a car accident?"

"Yes." Li Zhenghua nodded. "I don't know the specifics, but I heard he's still in the intensive care unit."

Su Xiaoyue's fingers curled slightly in Jiang Yi's palm.

She looked up at Li Zhenghua and asked, "So who's in charge of this case today?"

"Deputy Director Song," Li Zhenghua tilted his head towards the corridor, "I haven't met him yet, he's just been transferred here."

Just as Su Xiaoyue was about to say something, a series of footsteps came from the end of the corridor. They were not in a hurry, and the soles of the shoes made a crisp and rhythmic sound on the light gray floor tiles.

A middle-aged man in a dark gray police uniform walked out from around the corner. He was not tall, rather thin, and wore thin-rimmed silver-rimmed glasses.

His hair was neatly combed, and his temples were already a little gray, but he stood very straight and walked steadily with every step.

His gaze swept over the three people in the hall, lingered on them for a moment, and then he gave them a perfectly timed, somewhat professional smile.

"Attorney Li."

He first nodded to Li Zhenghua, then shifted his gaze to Jiang Yi and Su Xiaoyue, speaking in a calm and unhurried tone.

"These two must be Mr. Jiang and Ms. Su, right? I'm Song Mingyuan, and I've taken over this case temporarily today."

Li Zhenghua stepped forward, slightly turning to block Jiang Yi and Su Xiaoyue, his tone polite but measured:

"Deputy Director Song, thank you for making this trip. We would like to know the latest developments in Jiang Miaomiao's case."

Song Mingyuan nodded, a gentle yet measured smile on his face:

"I understand, I completely understand how the family feels. However—"

He turned slightly to the side and gestured "please" towards the end of the corridor.

"According to procedure, you need to register before entering the case-handling area, and your personal belongings such as mobile phones will also need to be temporarily stored. This is the regulation, and we hope you understand."

When he said, "This is the rule," his tone remained gentle, but beneath that gentleness lay an unyielding certainty.

Su Xiaoyue glanced at Li Zhenghua.

Li Zhenghua nodded almost imperceptibly.

"it is good."

Su Xiaoyue spoke first, took her phone out of her pocket, pressed the power button, and placed it on the front desk.

Jiang Yi also took out his phone, turned it off, and placed it next to her.

Song Mingyuan took out two transparent sealed bags with serial numbers printed on them from under the table, put the two mobile phones into them respectively, sealed them, and then gestured to a young policeman standing next to him:

"Take the three of you to the second reception room."

The young police officer responded and turned to lead the way.

Song Mingyuan stood next to the front desk, watching their figures disappear around the corner of the corridor, his smile fading slightly.

He glanced down at the two cell phones sealed in the transparent bag in his hand.

The light gray one belongs to Jiang Yi, and the pink one belongs to Su Xiaoyue.

He placed the two bags side by side on the table and then strode towards the stairwell at the other end of the corridor.

The hallway was quiet. The motion-sensor lights turned on one by one as he walked, and then turned off one by one behind him.