Zhou Huai'an reacted instantly. Before Lin Xiaoxiao had even finished speaking, he was already sprinting after the man.

The tall, lean man panicked when he realized he was being chased and broke into a run—further proof that Lin Xiaoxiao hadn't been mistaken. He didn't make it two hundred meters before Zhou Huai'an tackled him to the ground.

Lin Xiaoxiao, leading Little Zhu by the hand, caught up. Seeing the man wore a high-necked undershirt, she reached down and yanked the collar aside. Clearly visible on the side of his neck were several fresh scratch marks.

Zhou Huai'an saw the scratches too and pressed harder on the man's back. "Did you start the fire?"

Lin Xiaoxiao was suspicious. Why would the culprit be hanging around the hospital? Surely not to get his wounds checked? Shouldn't he be lying low after a failed murder attempt?

Zhou Huai'an obviously had the same thought. With Lü Zhigang's help, who had just arrived, they hauled the man to the security office. Lin Xiaoxiao asked Third Grandpa to take Little Zhu back to the ward first.

She quickly followed the men.

Thankfully, she had preserved the evidence from her attacker. A simple blood test would confirm if this was the right man.

Zhou Huai'an had Lü Zhigang fetch Lu Yunda to draw the man's blood for testing. The result was Type B blood, and the DNA didn't match at all.

So, this couldn't be the culprit.

Lü Zhigang was confused. "If it's not him, why did he run? And how is it such a coincidence that he has fresh wounds on his neck too?"

Zhou Huai'an glanced at Lin Xiaoxiao. "The real attacker would never have imagined that XiaoXiao preserved tissue evidence and already had it tested."

Lü Zhigang thought about it; he was right. Most people wouldn't think of that. To stay calm enough under pressure to secure evidence—that was something only Lin Xiaoxiao would do.

Lu Yunda looked at Zhou Huai'an. "What now?"

Lin Xiaoxiao raised her hand with an idea. "I think there must be a reason he did this. We should hand him over to the Public Security Bureau as soon as possible and let them handle the interrogation. If anything happens to him here in the security office, we'll be blamed for it later."

Zhou Huai'an looked at her, surprised. Her suggestion aligned perfectly with his own thoughts.

He hadn't expected her to be so quick-witted.

They had security transfer the man to the PSB, informing them he was a suspect in the guesthouse arson case.

This way, if anything happened to him at the PSB, it would have nothing to do with them.

After the delay, the group finally went to the cafeteria. Third Grandpa, having witnessed Zhou Huai'an arresting the man, couldn't hide his worry. "Changsuo, who was that you caught?"

Not wanting to worry him further, Zhou Huai'an replied, "Just a petty thief. It's fine, he's been handed over to the authorities."

Third Grandpa nodded repeatedly. "Good, that's good."

Lin Xiaoxiao prepared a bowl of milk formula for Little Zhu, soaking pieces of steamed bun in it to make them soft and easy to swallow.

Lü Zhigang couldn't stop watching Lin Xiaoxiao. The more he saw, the more he felt there was much more to her. She seemed to know a lot—was it because she'd been raised by Elder Cheng?

It looked like Zhou Huai'an had found himself a rare treasure.

Lin Xiaoxiao finally noticed his stare. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Lü Zhigang decided to voice his curiosity. "How do you know so much? Did Elder Cheng teach you?"

Lin Xiaoxiao thought, You have no idea how much I know. She smiled. "No, I just enjoy reading detective novels. It made me more observant."

Lü Zhigang knew that wasn't the whole truth. Staying calm enough in an emergency to preserve evidence—was that a normal reaction?

Zhou Huai'an shot Lü Zhigang a look. "Finish your meal."

That evening, Third Grandpa stayed with Little Zhu in the ward. Zhou Huai'an and the others returned to the guesthouse to get new rooms.

Hesitating slightly, perhaps recalling Lin Xiaoxiao's earlier words, Zhou Huai'an paused at the front desk. Lin Xiaoxiao immediately leaned in. "We're married, can't we get one room? That fire today scared me to death. I don't dare sleep alone tonight."

The clerk looked uncomfortable. "You'll need your marriage certificate. Or a letter from your work unit."

Lin Xiaoxiao grumbled, "Your rules are so rigid. Who would dare shamelessly just ask to stay together? I'm still in shock. If I can't stay with him, I'll just have to sleep behind your counter then."

Ultimately, worn down by Lin Xiaoxiao's audacity, the clerk reluctantly gave them a single room.

Lü Zhigang got his own.

Lin Xiaoxiao thought these people were far too uptight. They could have just switched rooms quietly later without telling the front desk.

She had thought something might finally happen that night. But after her shower, Zhou Huai'an met her with serious news: the man had hanged himself at the PSB.

Lin Xiaoxiao was so shocked she nearly dropped her basin. "Dead? How could he commit suicide?"

The man hadn't struck her as the type who would take his own life.

Zhou Huai'an shook his head. "Lü Zhigang is already on his way over. Do you want to go see?"

Knowing Lin Xiaoxiao loved excitement, he had waited for her.

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded immediately. "Yes, yes! Let's go now."

She threw on her padded coat and scarf and followed Zhou Huai'an to the PSB.

Lü Zhigang was already there. Seeing them arrive, he sighed in frustration. "We didn't get anything out of him. They left him alone in a room to 'think it over,' and he used his belt to hang himself from the bars."

Lin Xiaoxiao was astonished. "Wasn't he handcuffed? How could he kill himself?"

Lü Zhigang explained: "He was cuffed with one hand to a bar. It's meant to make it impossible to stand straight or squat down comfortably—makes people talk when they can't take it anymore.

Who would have thought he'd kill himself?"

Lin Xiaoxiao still refused to believe it. "Have you seen the body?"

Lü Zhigang shook his head. "The case isn't closed yet. We can't see the body."

She turned to Zhou Huai'an. "I don't believe he killed himself. We need to see the body."

Zhou Huai'an didn't believe it either. This man's death was just the real culprit's way of covering his tracks, making it look like a suicide out of guilt for the arson and attempted murder.

Lin Xiaoxiao sighed. "If only we could see the body."

Zhou Huai'an looked at her. "Could you determine the cause and time of death?"

Lin Xiaoxiao wasn't overly confident. "I'd need to see it to be sure. Otherwise, the real killer gets away scot-free."

Lü Zhigang felt the same. But the PSB's procedures would never allow them to see the body officially.

If the front door was closed, they'd have to try the back.

"I'll figure something out. We'll sneak into the morgue tonight."

Zhou Huai'an had no objections. The morgue was unlikely to be guarded—who would dare break into a PSB morgue to steal a body?

He looked at Lin Xiaoxiao's eager expression, unsure if she could handle it. "Are you sure you're up for this?"

Lin Xiaoxiao looked confident. "Of course I am. You're injured; you keep watch outside. Lü Zhigang and I will go in."

Lü Zhigang was once again struck by Lin Xiaoxiao's astonishing boldness. This was a morgue—a place most people found deeply unsettling.

The three waited outside the PSB compound until the dead of night. Then, Lü Zhigang and Lin Xiaoxiao scaled the rear wall.

Watching Lin Xiaoxiao climb the wall with practiced ease, Lü Zhigang was once again left speechless.