A perfect crime? To me, it's full of flaws!

"squeak--!"

The screeching sound of tires shattered the tranquility of the parking lot of the First People's Hospital of H City.

An SUV with a provincial license plate swerved and precisely crashed into the front of the emergency building.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, the door was suddenly pushed open. Qi Feng jumped out in a flash.

"Hey! Comrade, you can't do this here..." A security guard had just stepped forward.

A dark shadow flew towards them, and the security guard instinctively caught it; it was a set of car keys.

Immediately afterwards, a dark blue certificate flashed in front of him.

"The provincial department is handling a case. Please keep an eye on the car for me. If it's blocking the way, please move it yourself."

As soon as the voice fell, Qi Feng's men rushed through the glass doors of the emergency building.

The operating room is on the third floor.

Qi Feng didn't wait for the elevator; he ran down the stairs at breakneck speed. He took three steps at a time, and the motion-sensor lights in the stairwell lit up with each step.

Rushing out of the stairwell, at the end of the corridor, the glaring red light above the operating room door was on.

Four or five men in plain clothes were standing on a bench outside the door.

They all looked solemn, and their bodies reeked of blood and gunpowder.

Some people were pacing back and forth anxiously, while others were squatting in the corner, clutching their hair tightly with both hands.

Qi Feng slowed his pace and walked up to an elderly police officer with graying temples who looked the oldest.

"Comrade," Qi Feng's voice was deep, "How is Haitang?"

The veteran police officer looked up, his bloodshot eyes scanning Qi Feng. Although Qi Feng wasn't wearing a police uniform, the aura of kinship was undeniable. He knew this must be Lin Haitang's colleague or friend from the provincial department.

"I don't know yet." The veteran police officer's voice was hoarse, filled with deep self-reproach. "It's been almost two hours since he was taken in, and the doctor hasn't come out yet."

Qi Feng's hands, hanging by his sides, clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.

He did not press for further details of the case. He understood the rules; when handling cases outside his jurisdiction, he had no right to inquire about the files in H City without formal instructions.

Qi Feng walked to the wall to the side, leaned against it, and remained silent.

The corridor was deathly silent, save for the occasional ticking of the machines in the operating room, each sound striking a nerve in everyone's mind.

After half an hour.

"Click".

The operating room door finally opened, and a doctor wearing a green surgical gown and a mask walked out. He took off his mask and let out a long sigh of relief.

Are Lin Haitang's family members present?

"Yes, yes, yes! I'm her husband!"

Qi Feng, like a cheetah guarding its prey, sprang up from the wall, grabbed the doctor's arm, and spoke at lightning speed.

The corridor fell silent instantly.

Several police officers from H City suddenly turned around and stared at Qi Feng with wide eyes.

The veteran police officer gaped, his face filled with astonishment.

Husband? Although Lin Haitang hadn't been in H City for long, everyone in the detachment knew about her aloof and cold personality. The young men pursuing her could line up from the detachment all the way to the city bureau's gate, but she hadn't even given them a second glance.

How did a husband suddenly appear out of nowhere?

The doctor was also taken aback by Qi Feng's sudden action, but quickly regained his professional composure: "The patient is out of danger. The blade avoided vital organs. The anesthesia hasn't worn off yet, and he should wake up in about two hours. After being transferred to a regular ward, keep a close eye on him."

"call--"

A unified exhalation echoed down the corridor.

The officers in H City, who had been tense, suddenly relaxed, and some even turned away with tears in their eyes, wiping their faces.

"Thank you, doctor, thank you!" Qi Feng released his grip and thanked him repeatedly.

A short while later, Lin Haitang was wheeled out by a nurse. Her face was as pale as paper, her lips were bloodless, and her eyes were tightly closed. Her usual spirited demeanor was completely gone, and she appeared unusually fragile.

Qi Feng followed the trolley all the way to the private ward.

The veteran police officer led his men to the ward door and watched as Qi Feng skillfully helped the nurse adjust the bed and pull up the blankets.

"Um... Comrade Qi, right?" The veteran officer coughed. "Since Haitang is alright, and you, her... husband, are with her, we'll be leaving now. There's still a mess to clean up at the branch office."

The veteran officer's eyes instantly turned icy, revealing a ruthless edge: "You hurt our people, this isn't over!"

Qi Feng turned his head, looked at the group of menacing men, and nodded: "Go. Capture them alive."

The veteran police officer left a female officer named Xiao Liu outside to guard the door, and then strode away with the others.

The ward fell silent. Only the steady beeping of the electrocardiogram monitor could be heard.

Qi Feng pulled up a chair and sat down in front of the hospital bed. He looked at Lin Haitang's bloodless face, his brows furrowed tightly.

"This woman, she was quite capable when she kicked me, how come she's turned into this mess after going down to the grassroots level?" Qi Feng cursed inwardly.

He pulled Lin Haitang's right hand, which wasn't receiving an IV drip, and gently placed it under the blanket.

The ward was too quiet, a quiet that made one uneasy. Qi Feng hated this kind of atmosphere the most. He took a deep breath and began to mutter to the unconscious Lin Haitang.

"Haitang, you'd better wake up soon. If you wake up now, the first thing you'll see is my incredibly handsome face. Isn't that a great deal?"

"But you can sleep a little longer. After all, your unreliable old man might already be on his way."

Qi Feng curled his lip, getting more and more excited as he spoke: "How unreliable is he? His own daughter is so badly injured, her life hanging in the balance in the operating room, and he, a deputy director-general, hasn't come to see you for half a day. He's simply cold-blooded and heartless!"

"Isn't it me, right? The moment I got Qin An's WeChat message, I floored the gas and sped over. You have no idea, I was holding my temporary transfer letter to the police academy, personally approved by Director Gong! For you, I threw the letter in someone else's face. What do you call that? That's called acting impulsively for a woman!"

"So, forget about who my real father is; when it really matters, you still have to rely on me. You'd better treat me well from now on, and don't keep stepping on my feet like that..."

Qi Fengzheng was speaking with great enthusiasm, spitting as he spoke, and was extremely self-satisfied.

"You threw away the secondment letter?"

A deep, authoritative voice, suppressing extreme anger, suddenly rang out behind Qi Feng.

"You've got some nerve! Do you think the provincial government is your family's property?!"

Qi Feng's hair stood on end instantly. That voice was all too familiar.

He turned his head abruptly and jumped up from the chair like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

A man stood at the door of the ward, seemingly out of nowhere. He was in his fifties, with slightly graying temples, wearing a dark jacket, his chest heaving violently. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Qi Feng.

Gong Jianping.

Deputy Director of the Provincial Public Security Department, Lin Haitang's biological father.

Qi Feng's brain went blank for a moment. Was this old man a cat? How come he walks without making a sound! How much of what he just said did he hear? "Cold-blooded," "heartless," "unreliable"...

We're doomed.

"Director...Director," Qi Feng swallowed hard, standing ramrod straight, and stammered, "I...I'll go to the school to register right now! Immediately!"

Behind closed doors, Qi Feng would dare to cause a huge uproar. But in front of this tough-as-nails deputy director, he wouldn't dare to act recklessly even if he had ten times the courage.

Gong Jianping ignored Qi Feng. He strode to the bedside, looked at his unconscious daughter, and his eyes instantly reddened.

He reached out his trembling hand, wanting to touch his daughter's face, but was afraid of hurting her, so he simply gently tidied the messy hair on her forehead.

A tough guy with a tender heart – that's what it means.

Qi Feng stood aside, not daring to breathe.

Five minutes passed before Gong Jianping straightened up, took a deep breath, concealed the vulnerability in his eyes, and regained his dignified demeanor as the deputy director.

He turned his head, his gaze sweeping across Qi Feng's face like a knife.

"You said before that you were her husband?" Gong Jianping's voice was extremely cold.

Qi Feng broke out in a cold sweat: "A temporary measure! Director, absolutely a temporary measure! I was just trying to understand the patient's condition as quickly as possible..."

Gong Jianping snorted coldly and did not dwell on the matter any further.

He glanced at his watch, his tone leaving no room for argument: "Alright, don't go to the police academy."

Qi Feng was stunned. Before he could even feel happy, Gong Jianping's next words came crashing down on him.

"Come with me. The H City Bureau will convene a case analysis meeting immediately. As the forensic consultant sent by the Provincial Department, you will attend the meeting."

Qi Feng's playful smile vanished instantly. He keenly sensed the murderous intent in Gong Jianping's tone.

"Yes." Qi Feng stood at attention.