Chapter 1: Suspension

The interrogation room’s lights were blinding. This was Jiang Xiaoyu’s first time sitting on the side being interrogated.

The tall, burly young officer crossed his fingers on the table, his gaze sharp as a blade stabbing at Jiang Xiaoyu’s face. “What’s your relationship with the suspect?”

Jiang Xiaoyu didn’t answer. He just lowered his eyes to look at his hands. The thick blood had dried and crusted over his knuckles, making his fingers stiff when he curled them.

Seeing Jiang Xiaoyu’s uncooperative attitude, the young officer clearly wanted to lash out, but the female officer beside him quickly stopped him from standing up. “Brother Lu, calm down!”

The officer called Brother Lu was pressed back into his seat. His voice was low and laced with suppressed anger as a barrage of questions came smashing down: “You were pursuing the criminal! Why didn’t you shoot?”

“Do you know how many people he killed!”

“Where did he escape to?”

“Did you participate in his criminal plans?”

“Jiang Xiaoyu, you’re refusing to cooperate. What do you want?” He enunciated each word: “As a police officer, what are you after?”

The dry blood cracked into fine lines on Jiang Xiaoyu’s hands as he moved. Finally, he straightened his curled fingers.

“What do I want?”

The black-haired, snow-skinned youth looked up, green eyes burning with wild fire as he said:

“I want the truth of the world, I want heavenly justice, I want criminals exposed under the blazing sun, and the wrongfully accused cleared of injustice!

“I want the deceased to rest in peace!”

—

One year ago

—

Jiang Xiaoyu was a bit heat-averse. Once the weather got hot, he lost his appetite, let alone for the bland boiled pork he was eating on stream.

【Why does Baby seem to have no appetite?】

【Is it too hot?】

【Why is it the same stuff again today?】

Jiang Xiaoyu didn’t pay attention to the barrage. He just listlessly pecked at a piece of chicken breast—tough and chewy, really not tasty.

【It’s so hot, does the streamer not have AC on?】

【Seems like no AC, just a little fan!】

【Can’t you see the cat is too hot to eat?】

【Tipped so much money, but won’t turn on AC for the cat?】

Seeing the barrage explode, Jiang Xiaoyu hurriedly explained, “It’s not like that…” He let out a meow before remembering humans couldn’t understand, so he sat up straight, widened his eyes, and drew out a long meow to comfort the viewers.

Who would’ve thought this not only failed to calm things down but made them even rowdier.

【Ah! You heartless streamer! My treasure is so cute and you’re letting it suffer!】

【Turn on AC for Little Clip Cat!】

Turn on AC? Where would the AC come from? Jiang Xiaoyu flopped over.

This was a rundown flat he’d rented in the suburbs—old environment, tiny room, the only perks being cheap rent and a big yard to house his Little Strays.

No renovations, let alone something like AC. But right now he was in cat form; even if he explained, no one would understand. With emotions running high, he had no choice but to end the stream.

Jiang Xiaoyu sighed, thinking it really was too hot. The cats and dogs at home had been listless lately too. He took off the phone with his paw, patted the screen a bunch, and checked his balance.

The daily expenses for this yard full of little ones weren’t small. He’d just sent the two newest ones for neutering a few days ago, and his wallet was scraping bottom.

To make matters worse, he’d been suspended, and his job might be gone too. Thinking of this, Jiang Xiaoyu irritably stomped a foot on the table.

The reason for his suspension was that at the Pine City Public Security Bureau’s celebratory banquet, he’d punched Lu Wanhui from the Criminal Investigation Detachment.

The Criminal Investigation Division was based in Pine City but directly under the National Public Security Organs—a trump card unit in the public security system. Lu Wanhui wasn’t just a rising star in the Criminal Investigation Detachment; he was also from a prominent police family second-gen, and one of the stars of this banquet, stealing the show.

That scene at the banquet, right in front of city leaders and crowds of media—almost everyone thought Jiang Xiaoyu was done for this time, from Jiang Xiaoyu straight to Dead Xiaoyu.

But to be fair, Lu Wanhui was still Jiang Xiaoyu’s dear junior brother. Not only had they gone to the same school and year, but they shared the same master.

As for why he and Lu Wanhui had fallen out like this, Jiang Xiaoyu touched his conscience and figured it was the other’s fault. After all, it was laughable—the root of their grudge was actually two men.

The first man was their master, the former star of the Criminal Investigation team and current slacker bigshot of the Case Handling Office, Jin Ge.

Lu Wanhui had met Jin Ge earlier, but they’d formalized as master-disciple later than Jiang Xiaoyu had. Lu Wanhui excelled at everything, clearly different from the bottom-feeder Jiang Xiaoyu, but they’d gotten along decently.

The rift happened right before graduation. Lu Wanhui excitedly told Jin Ge he’d be transferred to the Criminal Investigation Detachment to work under him. But Jin Ge said he was going to set up the Case Handling Office and taking only Jiang Xiaoyu.

Lu Wanhui felt abandoned and from then on eyed Jiang Xiaoyu with suspicion everywhere. Meanwhile, the baffled and ultra-innocent Jiang Xiaoyu got slapped with the label of a seductive vixen luring the king from diligent rule into indolence.

The second man, and the trigger for this incident, was the suspect in a murder case: Ye Lian.

It had started as a simple drowning suicide, until the victim’s family crashed through the doors of the Case Handling Office, drawing high-level attention.

The victim was a university student moonlighting as a waiter at a club. The night before his disappearance, he’d been photographed in a car. Days later, his body was found in the reservoir by some anglers.

Upon review, the case was riddled with doubts, yet hastily closed as suicide.

Normally, this wouldn’t fall under Jiang Xiaoyu’s team. Their corner unit mostly handled cat-chasing, dog-nabbing, and helping grannies—fancy name Case Handling Office, but really just neighborhood committee stuff. They’d been mocked plenty by proper departments (especially next door, the Criminal Investigation Division, salty over losing their boss and hating for love).

But the higher-ups specially ordered Jin Ge to take the case.

Lu Wanhui had been thrilled at first, thinking he’d return to the Criminal Investigation Division to collaborate. Who knew Jin Ge would tap ash from his cigarette, accept the case into the Case Handling Office, and toss it to Jiang Xiaoyu.

Lu Wanhui: Shameless vixen, stealing my man again! (Master & suspect)

Jiang Xiaoyu: ⊙.⊙?

Totally innocent.

Old grudge plus new hate, so at the city-hosted celebratory banquet, whether drunk or stuffed, Lu Wanhui came over with a glass of wine, smirking insincerely at Jiang Xiaoyu: “Here, a toast to Officer Jiang.”

Jiang Xiaoyu was obviously perfunctory with social stuff, sitting silently at the table in a dazed, soul-out-of-body state. Prodded by a colleague’s elbow, he snapped back, raising his juice glass: “Oh.”

Lu Wanhui’s face turned green with anger. He shook his half-full wine glass toward Jiang Xiaoyu, apologizing falsely: “Sorry, Officer Jiang, my hand slipped.”

The deep red liquid dripped along the jet-black hair, trailing faint wine stains down his neck against already fair skin, dazzling to the eye.

Lu Wanhui sneered sarcastically: “Our Senior Brother Jiang sure cuts a fine figure—looks seductive even as a drowned rat.”

The Case Handling Office colleagues all looked pissed. Jiang Xiaoyu stopped them, wiped with a napkin, and not knowing what to say, just went: “Mm.”

Lu Wanhui’s punch landed on cotton; his rage had nowhere to go, bloating him like a pufferfish. Then he exploded in curses, calling him a bottom-feeder, a scheming case-snatcher, a faux-innocent white lotus.

Jiang Xiaoyu stuck to his low-key, no-trouble policy. Facing the accusations and abuse, he kept a straight face the whole time, letting it roll off.

He knew Lu Wanhui was pissed. The case-snatching was fake; feeling unloved by Master was real. Jiang Xiaoyu thought he was pretty childish, like a yappy dog barking mad for owner’s attention but getting none.

He had no intention of meddling in their relationship, but this was drawing too much attention. He calmly said, “The case assignment was the leaders’ decision. If you object, take it up with them, not pick on me like this.”

Lu Wanhui had cursed this far already, but Jiang Xiaoyu’s attitude only choked him more. He snorted coldly, pointing at Jiang Xiaoyu’s nose: “Senior Brother Jiang, if I were you, I’d do more actual work instead of relying on a pretty face to chase things you’re not capable of. After all, with your family’s mess—who doesn’t know? Thief dad, abusive mom—with that background, how do you expect to pass the review—”

Before Lu Wanhui finished, the words ripped open the scar in Jiang Xiaoyu’s heart. He swung his fist without hesitation.

The fist colliding with face made a dull thud. Lu Wanhui’s tall frame swayed, stunned for a full minute that he’d dare hit back, then kicked back in fury.

But who knew, for all his belief he outclassed this bottom-feeder in every way, he couldn’t even touch him. By the end, it was pure one-sided beating from Jiang Xiaoyu.

Colleagues from both departments jumped in to break it up, inevitably trading punches and kicks in the chaos. Solo fight turned group brawl, total mess.

By the time Jin Ge came over with leaders and media to interview the new police star, they found the star pinned and pummeled by the bottom-feeder. That scene… Master Jin’s face was green, the leaders’ purple, the media’s excitedly flushed—rainbow riot, utterly spectacular.

A light nudge brought Jiang Xiaoyu back. The one-eared calico cat eyed his dejected look, hopped onto the table, and meowed: “Boss, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? Are you getting fired?!”

Jiang Xiaoyu felt a bellyful of grievances with nowhere to vent. Gazing at the cluster of worried eyes under the desk, he forced up his spirits and replied: “It’s nothing.”

The fluffballs had no clue what was going on. Seeing him say it was nothing meant it really was nothing to them. They immediately started meowing away about how many rats they’d caught and sparrows they’d snagged today.

Watching them, Jiang Xiaoyu’s mood lightened quite a bit. He stretched his front paw forward and kicked back with his hind legs, letting out a massive yawn. Then he shook his head and rallied his spirits. He was the hope of these little guys—he couldn’t let himself get knocked down.

Just as he was hyping himself up, the phone rang. It was Jin Ge. He’d gotten Jin Ge in trouble and hadn’t had the face to reach out for days. Now he felt a bit cowardly. After a good while, he swiped a paw pad across the screen and meowed into the mouthpiece: “Shifu…”

Jin Ge had still been harboring some anger, grumbling inwardly about how these two little beasts were nothing but trouble, one more headache than the last. But hearing the cat meow, his ire scattered. He laughed and cursed: “Stupid mutt, get your furry ass over to the Criminal Investigation Division. Good news.”