53. A torrential rainstorm hits the village on night.

The case of Shen Jun's murder has come to an end.

The police released details of the case the following day, omitting specifics, but major news outlets reported on it extensively, keeping the story trending for a month. Meanwhile, Zhou Yun, under Fang Chengjin's guidance, spent two peaceful months studying for her master's degree on campus.

However, unexpectedly, at the end of the third month, this gossip about socialites gained another surge in popularity.

......

In the Yau Ma Tei Police Station's media monitoring room, Lam Long stared at the various news reports on the ultra-wide screen, his hands spread apart on the table, veins bulging, his expression serious.

Da Huang reported: "At 1:00 AM last Friday, a user with the username 'Reveal the Truth' and an IP address from Haishi, mainland China, posted a lengthy article titled 'Hong Kong Island's crime-solving relies on olfactory experts, which is truly cowardly and incompetent!' It garnered over ten million views. Given that Hong Kong Island's local population is only thirty million, more than half of the users viewed this article, causing a public relations crisis for the police. The deputy director has instructed us to hold a press conference tomorrow to clarify the police's impartial investigation procedures and give the public an explanation."

On the screen, a full-body photo of Fang Chengjin wearing a mask was prominently displayed as the header image on a certain microblogging homepage.

Lin Long clenched his fists.

Who deliberately stirred up this huge uproar?

This public opinion, seemingly directed at the police station, is actually aimed at Lao Fang.

Fang Chengjin was only brought into the police station six months ago to handle difficult cases. Before that, unless the police department couldn't handle the situation internally, they wouldn't directly involve Fang Chengjin in cases. Fang Chengjin, in the end, is just a professor at the Police Academy; both his academic background and personal resume are outstanding.

Lin Long turned off the screen, turned around and said seriously, "Contact Hai City and have them find out who posted these comments online."

Da Huang nodded and immediately turned around to make a phone call.

**

The following morning at 8:30, the Yau Ma Tei Police Station held a public relations meeting in the public hall.

More than half of the reporters from Hong Kong Island gathered at the press conference, their cameras pointed at the stage, while whispers circulated among them, discussing how to find the most sensational angles to write articles about.

After a moment, the sound of orderly footsteps came from the side of the stage, and two rows of police officers in uniforms emerged and stood on either side of the stage. The entire venue immediately fell silent, and all the reporters raised their cameras.

Suddenly someone shouted, "They're out!"

Then, Lin Long slowly walked out of the queue. He was wearing formal leather shoes, and each step he took on the clean floor made a crisp, resonant sound.

Lin Long stood up straight and walked to the podium.

There were no seats on the stage, only microphone stands that required people to stand.

Lin Long raised the police badge in his hand and spoke solemnly.

"Today, I will only say three sentences."

The room fell even quieter; in the hall with over a hundred people, you could even hear breathing.

“In 2024, we transferred 12,347 people for prosecution, with zero instances of torture, zero illegal evidence collection, and zero wrongful convictions. Professor Fang, on the other hand, only joined our team this year as a consultant, which means he can only advise us, not order us around.”

After Lin Long finished speaking, he paused for a few seconds, his gaze sharp.

"Its sense of smell can only detect the smell of blood, not the smell of the law 'presumption of innocence'."

Lin Long placed the police badge on the microphone stand and looked up at the people below.

"Today, I place the police badge on the table. It doesn't need perfume; it only needs the light of the law."

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

Then, applause erupted from somewhere...

**

Villa area on Hong Kong Island.

Fang Cheng stared intently at Lin Long on the TV screen for a while, and after hearing what he said, he turned off the TV.

He picked up the black jacket from the sofa, put on a mask, and walked down from the second floor to the front door. He went to the umbrella stand, took out a dark blue umbrella, and turned the doorknob.

He looked up; outside the door, a light drizzle continued to fall, and the sky was gloomy, seemingly foreshadowing an impending storm.

Fang Cheng hailed a taxi and drove from the villa area to the school.

The driver's radio was playing a replay of the police press conference. The driver, with a toothpick in his mouth, casually glanced at the masked man in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

Fang Cheng sat quietly in the back seat, his hands in his pockets, without making a sound.

The driver looked away, reached out and changed the radio channel, and then DJ music started playing in the car.

"This news is ridiculous. What 'solving cases with a sense of smell'? If they're that good, what murderer can't they catch? What's the point of having police then... These reporters are so boring..." the driver muttered indifferently.

Indeed, what significance does this little incident have for ordinary people? As long as they don't commit any crimes, who would want to get involved with the police?

Those who pay attention to the police's ability to solve cases are probably more likely to be potential criminals.

The journey was short; a quarter of an hour later, Fang Chengjin arrived at the school gate.

After getting off the car, Fang Chengjin went to the school board office with an umbrella.

The office door was open, and only the school board member was inside, walking back with his back to the door.

"Secretary Chen." Fang Chengjin placed the umbrella at the door and knocked twice on the wooden door.

Secretary Chen immediately turned around and clapped his hands. "Oh, Professor Fang, you're here so quickly! The person in charge of the travel agency just left, otherwise I would have introduced you to each other!"

Secretary Chen turned around, picked up a drawing from the table, and handed it to Fang Chengjin.

"Professor Fang, our school recently received a donation from a travel agency to support outstanding but impoverished students. This agency is also offering a study tour opportunity for our staff, and they specifically requested your participation, given your prestige as a professor at our school. Here's their introduction to the homestay tour; do you have time to go?"

Fang Cheng took the drawings and glanced at them. "Could you bring my student with you?"

Secretary Chen smiled and said, "Of course, the travel agency will cover all the expenses this time."

**

Emerging from the board of directors' office, Fang Chengjin opened his umbrella and headed to find Zhou Yun. It had been a month since he last saw her. Back then, he'd invited her to have a simple meal in the cafeteria, and then told her she needed to submit a paper next month as part of her quarterly academic KPI; otherwise, her graduation would be delayed.

I wonder how Zhou Yun's thesis preparation is going this month. He sent her a message today, asking her to meet him at the library.

The sky was still overcast, and the light drizzle was barely perceptible; you wouldn't get wet even without an umbrella.

Fang Cheng walked cautiously along the avenue leading to the library. There weren't many students on this avenue; it was Saturday, so it was safe to say that no students were out this early.

Gradually, a black Buick approached from the front at a very slow speed. As it passed Fang Chengjin's side, the rear window slid down slightly, and the person and the car brushed past each other.

Suddenly, a familiar scent of photinia flowers wafted through the air as the car passed by, a scent with a hint of burning. Fang Chengjin immediately stopped and turned to look at the passing vehicle.

The car suddenly sped up.

How could this be? He would never forget this smell. It was the same smell when the fire broke out in his house, a mixture of burnt and indescribable photinia flower scent.

Fang Chengjin wanted to chase after it, but the smell seemed to trigger his olfactory protection mechanism. A feeling of suffocation surged over him, and Fang Chengjin staggered. His umbrella slipped to the ground, and he knelt on one knee. He suddenly ripped off his mask, his forehead veins bulging, his eyes reddening, and he gasped for breath.

He felt suffocated and couldn't even smell anything else; all he could smell was the scent of heather and burning.

He took deep breaths, inhaling the smells of rain, trees, and stone slabs outside... wanting to get rid of this unpleasant odor as soon as possible.

But the more he tried to shake it off, the more he couldn't. He felt surrounded by the smell of burning, a smell that seemed to be filling him up. He clutched his shirt to his chest, trembling all over. Raindrops fell on his face, revealing his clear outline.

He desperately needed an outlet, an outlet that would make his nose feel better…

The next second, a faint scent of lily perfume pierced through the thin mist, dispelling the burnt smell in his nose. A refreshing sensation cleansed his nasal cavity, and his fingers unconsciously loosened their grip on his shirt.

Zhou Yun helped him up, remembering that she had just seen Fang Chengjin kneeling on the ground, and asked with concern, "Are you... feeling unwell?"

Fang Chengjin took a deep breath, his nose now filled with the fresh scent of lilies.

Strange, why is Zhou Yun's scent so effective, it's making him a little fascinated?

Fang Cheng turned his face away from the rain and mist, his voice broken by the raindrops: "Just now... the smell of burning... made my nose feel terrible."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yun didn't immediately speak, but instead went over the information in her mind. A fire... She had received information before that Professor Fang's house had caught fire years ago, resulting in the death of both his parents.

But the smell of burning... Zhou Yun secretly sniffed. She couldn't smell anything, and it was raining, with no signs of fire nearby. Where was this fire smell coming from...?

Professor Fang suffered such a terrible thing at such a young age; it must have left a shadow in his heart. Thinking of this, Zhou Yun unconsciously felt a little more pity for Fang Chengjin.

Zhou Yun's tone softened considerably: "Then... how can we alleviate this symptom?"

Fang Cheng paused for a moment, his ears turning red, then turned his face away and forcefully made an unreasonable request, "...a hug would make me feel better."

Zhou Yun was taken aback.

hug?

He really is just a little kid. Hearing this, Zhou Yun felt a surge of affection for him.

Zhou Yun shoved the book into Fang Chengjin's arms, then hugged him tightly. "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, there's no fire here, only water."

Fang Cheng felt much more comfortable as he smelled the wafting scent.

The two remained in an embracing position.

Fang Chengjin: "Can I ask you a question?"

Zhou Yun paused for three seconds: "I won't finish my thesis until next week."

Fang Chengjin: "What brand of perfume are you wearing?"

Zhou Yun was taken aback, puzzled, and mumbled, "I don't have the habit of wearing perfume, and the laundry detergent and shower gel I use are the cheapest kind from the supermarket."

There's no way around it, things in Hong Kong are just too damn expensive, more than twice as expensive as on the mainland.

Fang Cheng carefully distanced himself from the two, no longer wanting to take advantage of them.

"Given your help today, I'll extend your paper's deadline to the end of next month."

Zhou Yun was delighted, but then she felt something was wrong. Why delay after just one hug? Could this be considered a power-for-sex transaction?

Noticing Zhou Yun's embarrassed expression, Fang Cheng turned his face away and explained, "I don't know why either, but your scent affects my sense of smell. I noticed it the first time I saw you during the interview. Although I can't explain this phenomenon, I'll tell you anyway."

So that's how it is.

Zhou Yun's expression returned to normal.

The drizzle continued to fall on their faces, becoming even clearer in the rain and mist.

Fang Cheng picked up a large umbrella from the side and held it over their heads.

"By the way, I'll take you out to relax next Monday, as a team-building activity for our research team."

Zhou Yun: "A research team of two?"

Fang Chengjin nodded and added, "We went with a tour group, not just the two of us. It was a school-sponsored activity."

Zhou Yun smiled and nodded in agreement.