Chapter 26: Departure

Jiang Xiaoyu had just brought Ye Lan through the doors of the government building when Lu Wanhui blocked their path.

“Officer Jiang, leave the rest to the Criminal Investigation Division.” He bared his big white teeth in a grin. Jiang Xiaoyu pursed his lips and stepped aside, preparing to head back to the Case Handling Office.

“Don’t go.” Ye Lan grabbed Jiang Xiaoyu’s arm. Under his somewhat surprised gaze, she said, “If Officer Jiang isn’t here, I won’t say a word.”

The woman’s emotions were stable at the moment, nothing like the agitation she’d shown at the hospital. She’d tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear, and even at her age, she remained elegant, with a magnolia flower brooch pinned to her chest.

“Ye—” He hesitated over how to address her. Given her age, he should call her Grandma, but she looked like an ordinary middle-aged woman. After a pause, he continued, “Ms. Ye, my colleagues will handle the case.”

“I don’t care.” Her phoenix eyes lifted with a hint of dominance. “I won’t say anything without you.”

Lu Wanhui’s face stiffened beside them, his gaze toward Jiang Xiaoyu carrying a familiar resignation. Just as expected from a vixen—seducing not just men, but women too.

Jiang Xiaoyu: o-O?

He didn’t understand her attitude. This was clearly their first meeting, yet she acted like she couldn’t do without him… He said softly, “Ms. Ye, the case is no longer under my jurisdiction. I can’t continue following up.”

“Then I’ll go home.” There was a threatening edge to her tone.

“The police station isn’t a place you can come and go as you please.” Lu Wanhui’s expression darkened.

Ye Lan released Jiang Xiaoyu’s wrist at that moment and smoothed the delicate flower hairpin in her bun. “I can try. You can try too.”

She was clearly a woman in her sixties, but her calm gaze inexplicably gave Lu Wanhui a sense of pressure. As they stood in stalemate, Jin Ge’s voice came through: “Then let’s do it together.”

In fact, what Ye Lan knew didn’t differ much from the facts they had on hand; it just filled in some details.

“Wangan was very panicked at the time, crying that he’d killed someone…” Ye Lan hesitated. “Officer Jiang, Wangan didn’t kill anyone, did he? He just didn’t stop it.”

There were three police officers in the Interrogation Room total, and Jiang Xiaoyu had been shoved in as the recorder. Yet she ignored the other two interrogators and asked only him? Jiang Xiaoyu glanced at Jin Ge and, seeing no objection, softly reassured her, “The law is fair and just. It won’t convict the innocent or let the guilty go free.”

Lu Wanhui chuckled mockingly and shrugged. “He didn’t kill anyone, but he did harbor a criminal. Of course, Ms. Ye, you can try getting him the best lawyer.”

Ye Lan gave him a faint glance and shot back without missing a beat, “No need for your concern.”

Jin Ge rapped on the table, giving Lu Wanhui a subtle warning look, then smiled and asked Ye Lan some more details about the case that she knew.

Once everything was recorded, Jin Ge stood and opened the Interrogation Room door. “Please continue cooperating with the police in the future.”

Ye Lan rose from her chair. She wore a pair of thin-heeled stilettos—not high, but very slender—and staggered slightly as she stood. Jiang Xiaoyu steadied her.

Without warning, she chimed in, “Officer Jiang, could you escort this old lady home?”

Jiang Xiaoyu wanted to refuse, but seeing her face, which bore some resemblance to Ye Lian’s, he inexplicably couldn’t say no. Instead, he said, “I don’t drive.”

Ye Lan smiled lightly. “It’s not far anyway. Let’s walk.”

It was peak summer heat; even after six o’clock, the sunlight was blinding. Walking beside Ye Lan, Jiang Xiaoyu realized she was quite tall.

“What’s Officer Jiang’s name?” She’d heard Ye Lian call him Officer Jiang but still didn’t know his full name.

“Jiang Xiaoyu. The ‘xiao’ from small, and the ‘yu’ from fish.”

Ye Lan laughed. “Such a cute name. Did your mom pick it?”

Jiang Xiaoyu’s lips twitched slightly. “I picked it myself.” After the Li couple lost custody, he’d changed his name himself. He hung his head, a bit annoyed, not understanding why he was telling her this.

Fortunately, though surprise flickered in Ye Lan’s eyes, she tactfully didn’t pry further. Instead, she said, “What does Officer Jiang think of Ye Lian?”

Jiang Xiaoyu blanked for a moment, then answered, “He’s good.” He paused for over ten seconds before adding, “He’s great.”

“Then I’m relieved.” Ye Lan’s laugh deepened the wrinkles at her eye corners. “I’ll leave him in your hands from now on. I’m home—thanks for today.”

“No trouble.” Jiang Xiaoyu stared blankly as she entered the Ji Residence, utterly baffled by her disjointed words.

—

Despite Jin Ge saying Jiang Xiaoyu could sneak away anytime, he felt guilty about freeloading at the Ye Residence for so long. He should buy some gifts. Plus, in a way, he was taking Ye Lian’s cat with him.

In low spirits, he carefully picked out some presents anyway, then returned to the mountain, shifting back to cat form at the usual spot.

Chen Yiqu stood at the courtyard entrance, gesturing with a construction worker about something. As Jiang Xiaoyu approached, he overheard, “Don’t make it too nice.” If it got too fancy, what if this cat got ideas and moved down the mountain? With Little Slob’s brain, who knew what could happen.

The construction worker scratched his head in bewilderment and left, thinking this family was odd. Fencing off a thousand square meters in this prime land to build a flat house—foundation and floors done, but no renovations allowed, just tidy it up quick.

Jiang Xiaoyu rubbed against Chen Yiqu’s leg and let out a rare soft meow toward him.

Chen Yiqu twitched his mustache and feigned sternness. “Where’d you wander off to this time? Next time you come back this late, no dinner for you!”

There won’t be a next time, Jiang Xiaoyu thought, tail drooping.

The night before leaving, the breeze was clear, and the faint lotus scent from the courtyard wafted into the room. Jiang Xiaoyu sniffed it, resting his head on Ye Lian’s hand.

“What’s up?” The man chuckled softly. “This is rare. Coming to Uncle for pets on your own? Hm? Where do you want Uncle to pet?”

His husky voice sounded odd to Jiang Xiaoyu, who couldn’t help turning to nip him. “Why do you talk so weird?”

Ye Lian’s long, beautiful eyes narrowed slightly. Following Jiang Xiaoyu’s motion, he pinched his teeth. “These two little fangs actually hurt quite a bit.”

Jiang Xiaoyu hadn’t expected that move and blanked out for a moment. Before he recovered, Ye Lian pinned him down and gave his butt a good rub.

He was stunned. Overcoming his embarrassment, anger surged, and he pounced into Ye Lian’s arms to scratch.

“Asshole!” He didn’t know many curses, just cycling through asshole, jerk, bastard. Ye Lian laughed deeply, covering the little cat’s face with his big hand. “Little guy, come home early when you’re out playing.”

Jiang Xiaoyu huffed without responding, a sudden emptiness stirring in his heart.

Late at night, Jiang Xiaoyu returned for his things. The neighboring Husky’s snores shook the heavens. He quietly placed a dog toy beside it. For the old butler, a tin of colorful throat lozenges; for Yan Feilang, a lighter. As for Ye Lian, a copy of Crime and Punishment.

The original had been stolen away to give to Ji Wangan, so this new one didn’t have the creepy red cover. This edition looked steady and serene, with Sonia’s handwritten line on the flyleaf, though the handwriting was much daintier.

He placed the book on Ye Lian’s desk. As he left the courtyard, he glanced back from afar. Not sure if it was his imagination, but a faint golden light seemed to flash from Ye Lian’s window.

Jiang Xiaoyu shook his head, shaking off the stuffy feeling, and walked down the mountain head lowered. He just kept walking, all the way to the suburbs on the other side, until dawn broke. A ray of light fell on his face; half-squinting, he thought hazily that by now, that chicken would be crowing.

—

A few days after getting home, it rained, and Jiang Xiaoyu discovered the roof was leaking somehow. As he planned to call someone to fix it, the landlord showed up.

“How much did you say?” He stared wide-eyed at the rent on the contract—tripled! “How can you do this?”

Facing Jiang Xiaoyu’s shock and protests, the landlord feigned indifference. “Market rates. Rent it or don’t.” Damn, he thought it was outrageous too! Who’d pay top dollar for this rundown suburban shack just to make him put on this show? He might be a heartless slumlord, but even he knew this price was insane!

Unaware of the landlord’s thoughts, Jiang Xiaoyu just saw a greedy bastard channeling the old butler, his handsome face set hard. “Then I won’t rent.”

“Fine. Pick a move-out date.” That’s what I wanted! If you actually rented… well, no one in their right mind would.

They settled on a handover date. After the landlord left, the fluffballs erupted.

“Humans are such jerks!” the little calico cat meowed furiously.

“Yeah! Why jack it up so much!” They’d been taught by Jiang Xiaoyu to recognize money and sometimes scavenged coins on street trips. It took forever to save enough for a day’s food, so they knew their boss had it tough.

“Pissing off the cat! Cat’s gonna dump rats in his house!”

“Idiot! Rats are for eating! Can’t waste ’em on him!”

The dog nearby couldn’t understand cat-speak but was plotting to poop at the guy’s doorstep.

Jiang Xiaoyu listened to the cat and dog yowls, amused yet helpless. “Alright, no revenge. It’s a fair deal—he raised the price, and if we can’t swing it, we find somewhere else.”

He acted like it was no big deal, and with no reason to doubt, the cats and dog bought it. But the moment he turned, Jiang Xiaoyu’s face fell. Where was he supposed to find another big plot like this? The place was crappy, far from work, and now leaking—but it had been dirt cheap before…

Without the Ye Residence’s outdoor air conditioning, the heat today was so intense that Jiang Xiaoyu couldn’t eat even a single bite. He sat in the Archive Room slacking off while searching for housing info when his phone suddenly received a text message: “I have a thousand-square-meter venue for rent, located in XX District XX Road, price 2000, one month deposit one month pay upfront.”

Jiang Xiaoyu immediately pegged it as a scam text—no other reason needed. This location was right at the foot of the ultra-expensive Ink Orchid Mansion, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. 2000 a month for a thousand square meters?

Jiang Xiaoyu sneered coldly: “You’re done for. You dare send scam messages to a cop’s phone? Just you wait—the police are coming to grab you right now.”