What? You're a notorious bandit? What a coincidence, me too!

Lin Chang'an gently placed Fang Qingzhu on the bed and was about to unbuckle his belt when Fang Qingzhu pushed him away and scolded, "Don't be silly, have you forgotten I'm pregnant?"

"Pregnant?"

Lin Chang'an was shocked. He suddenly remembered that Fang Qingzhu was already pregnant at this time.

Memories of her past life flooded back like a tide. On her deathbed, Qian Qingzhu told her that her son had died, but in this life, the child was still in her womb.

He stared at Fang Qingzhu's slightly protruding belly, his Adam's apple bobbing, and gently placed his palm on it. "How could I have almost forgotten?"

"You spend all your time hanging out with your shady friends, what can you possibly remember?"

Fang Qingzhu rolled her eyes at him, her fingertips fiddling with the collar of his shirt: "My mom already disliked you because you had no parents and didn't have much money. If you weren't pregnant, she wouldn't have agreed to let us get married."

Lin Chang'an held her hand and pressed it against his face.

He was a bastard in his past life, making her pregnant and living in fear with him, ultimately leading to the destruction of her family and death.

And in this life...

Lin Chang'an's eyes were unusually firm: "Don't worry, I will make sure you live a good life. After the child is born, I will protect you both, and no one will be able to bully you."

Fang Qingzhu snuggled closer to him, sniffing the cigarette smoke on his body: "It's a shame I didn't get to see the wedding dresses today. I finally got a day off."

Lin Chang'an stroked her hair: "Then take another day off tomorrow, and we'll go see it. This time, we definitely won't be late."

Fang Qingzhu snorted and punched him in the chest: "Do you think this shop is my family's property? You only treated him for one day today. If you treat him again tomorrow, the boss will be unhappy."

She paused, then looked up and said, "But it's not impossible. I'll talk to Sister Liu and ask her to cover for me for half a day. We'll go this afternoon."

"Okay!" Lin Chang'an patted his chest and assured him.

Fang Qingzhu chuckled to herself, then suddenly whispered in Lin Chang'an's ear, "Have you been feeling really stifled lately?"

Lin Chang'an was taken aback, and then he saw the woman...

%…&*()**&…&&…￥…~！ @%&*

Half an hour later, the two rested against the headboard for a while. The sky outside the window was completely dark, and a few barks could be heard in the distance.

Fang Qingzhu sat up and straightened her wrinkled floral dress: "I have to go back. My mom won't let me stay overnight at your place."

Lin Chang'an immediately stood up: "I'll take you back."

"Need not."

Fang Qingzhu put on her shoes, tied her hair up, and hummed, "I've been walking this road for years. It's just a few steps. You just did *that* a few times... take a break."

She tiptoed and pecked Lin Chang'an on the cheek: "Come earlier tomorrow, or I'll have to wait for you again..."

The woman clenched her fist, pouted, and snorted.

Lin Chang'an watched her ride away on her bicycle until her figure disappeared outside the courtyard gate. He felt a sweet warmth in his heart, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit one.

He now needs to figure out how to make money!

..............................

The conference room of the Municipal Public Security Bureau was filled with smoke, and the long table in the center was crowded with people.

Many young police officers stood against the wall, their notebooks turned to blank pages, pens hovering over the edge.

Zhao Weidong stood in front of the projector, on which was a map.

"Comrades! Urgent notification—The Ministry of Public Security has just confirmed that a notorious serial killer from four provinces has fled to our city!"

"The last time he was spotted was yesterday afternoon on a red motorcycle near the national highway at the border of Xianghe and Xianghe, fleeing towards our city!"

He pointed to the intersection on the map.

"He's already entered our territory, and every hour of delay could mean the destruction of a family!"

"I now clearly define the division of responsibilities. All police forces in the city are immediately placed on Level 1 alert and will operate according to the following instructions!"

"First, the area bordering the city will be under 24-hour lockdown to prevent suspects from moving to other cities. Police stations will set up roadblocks, conduct searches in border villages, and then search cheap hotels and short-stay rentals in the city."

"..."

After completing the deployment, Zhao Weidong lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, waved to the person opposite him, and the slideshow changed to show a blurry image of a person, whose outline indicated that he was male.

"Remember the suspect's physical characteristics. Male, 25 to 40 years old, with a Yuzhou accent."

"Between 1.6 and 1.67 meters tall, medium to thin build, medium build with a pigeon-toed gait, walks with a slight sway from side to side, introverted and withdrawn personality."

"The suspect has 57 lives on his hands, specifically targeting remote rural households. He is nocturnal, preferring to follow women walking alone late at night, either breaking into their homes through doors or windows, raping and murdering them without leaving a trace. He is extremely adept at counter-surveillance!"

Zhao Weidong glanced at the time and continued:

"It's 7 PM now. From this moment on, all police officers in the city are canceling all leave. All investigation teams must be in place within one hour, and a situation report must be submitted every two hours. Any movement must be reported immediately!"

"Comrades!"

Zhao Weidong stubbed out his cigarette, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "We're facing a ruthless bandit who kills without blinking an eye, but no matter how cunning he is, he can't escape the long arm of the law. Now, all groups, move out!"

"Yes, sir!" The entire room stood up, the sounds of tables and chairs being moved and footsteps clashing together, and the wailing of police sirens quickly pierced the night sky.

........................

In the suburbs, the stairwells of the low-rent housing buildings smelled musty.

The innermost room on the third floor.

"One hundred dollars, pay first."

A glamorous woman in a cropped tank top leaned against the headboard, painting her nails red. Her eyes swept over the man's mud-splattered trousers, and her tone was utterly unfriendly.

She'd seen plenty of these cheapskates; if they didn't ask for money first, they'd probably deny everything after they'd done their bidding.

The man had his head down, his shoulders slumped, and his hands clenched in his pockets. His voice was hoarse: "Do it first, then pay."

"Dream on!"

The woman scoffed, got up, pushed him aside, and headed out the door. "You're just wasting my time if you have no money. Get lost!"

These words struck a nerve that was most sensitive and vulnerable to men.

He suddenly looked up, his evasive gaze instantly turning sinister and ruthless. He grabbed the woman's hair from behind and slammed her head against the wall.

With a muffled thud, the woman whimpered in pain, her cries escaping her throat.

The man pulled an octagonal hammer from his lower back and smashed it into the back of the woman's head without hesitation.

Blood splattered on his face, but he remained expressionless. He flicked his wrist, wiped the blood from his face, and then brought the hammer down again and again.

He only stopped when the woman collapsed to the ground, her eyes wide open, then dragged her onto the bed and pulled her away.

After he finished doing everything, he covered the woman with the blanket and washed his face.

He rummaged around the house aimlessly, finding only about three hundred yuan and half a pack of cigarettes. He stuffed them into his pocket, closed the door behind him, and slipped downstairs like a ghost.

The streets in the suburbs are sparsely populated.

The man hung his head, the evening breeze washing away the smell of blood from his body, leaving only the smell of sweat and mildew.

His cloudy eyes swept haphazardly across the roadside, then suddenly stopped—

A hundred meters ahead, a slender woman in a floral dress was walking briskly, her skirt swaying gently with her steps.

The man's throat bobbed, his desire stirring.

In the dim light, they followed silently.