Chapter 14: The Kennel

Around six on Saturday afternoon, employees from various units in the city bureau began trickling out after work. A few who cut through the backyard toward the west gate were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of the Divine Bird Tangyuan’s training session.

A neat row of blue sealed boxes lined the concrete ground. A little white fluffball hopped around them, pecking and sniffing here and there, before finally leaping onto the lid of one. It cheeped twice, flapping its wings with a touch of smug pride.

Yan Tuo, the deputy detachment captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment, strode forward on his long legs. In two or three steps, he scooped up the box with the bird on top. The little white fluffball seized the moment to flutter onto his shoulder and settle there.

Captain Yan’s fingers danced nimbly as he flipped open the lid. He paused for a beat but didn’t show the contents to the onlookers. Instead, a huge grin bloomed across his face, wordlessly proclaiming success.

Surprisingly, the usually stoic tough guy tilted his head down slightly toward his right shoulder. With a playful “smack,” he planted an air kiss on his beloved pet’s round head, beaming as he praised it: “Good job.”

Qian Jin of the Police Dog Squadron stood off to the side, Whirlwind’s leash in hand. His jaw hung slack in dumbfounded awe. Ambling closer out of curiosity, he asked, “What the hell’s going on?”

“Tang… Tangyuan’s incredible. It can sniff out drugs.”

“That’s not so weird. Didn’t this bird uncover the poisoned drinking fountain this morning? Some animals have senses of smell dozens or even hundreds of times sharper than ours.”

Qian Jin managed a strained smile at the naive remark. Picking up on an anomaly wasn’t the real marvel—animals did outdo humans in raw senses. The key was that this pet bird went further: it understood commands from humans and carried them out with pinpoint accuracy.

In the half hour or so Qian Jin had been watching, every instruction Captain Yan gave the little bird hit near-perfect completion. It was total discipline in action, something even Whirlwind—two years into training—couldn’t quite match.

Before Qian Jin could fully process his amazement, the boss with the bird perched on his shoulder approached. A radiant smile still lit his face, lending him an air of vitality and striking handsomeness that made even Qian Jin, another man, avert his eyes for a second.

The captain, normally all stern glares and clipped words, was actually greeting him with a smile—courtesy of Tangyuan?

Handing over the box, he instructed Qian Jin: “We’re done here. Take the prop back to the evidence room. Whirlwind can hang out—let it play with Tangyuan while you’re gone.”

Qian Jin nodded as he accepted it. The colleague who’d been chatting with him ribbed Yan Tuo: “Captain Yan, you training birds now? Time for the city bureau to launch a Police Bird Squadron?”

Yan Tuo chuckled. “Just curious, fooling around. The little guy’s sharp as hell. Wanted to test its limits.”

“Hey, with a nose like that, who knows? Might come in handy someday. So tiny and it flies—beats a police dog for certain ops.”

Emboldened by their familiarity, the man reached toward Yan Tuo’s shoulder to tease the bird. But with a sharp cheep, the little white fluffball launched itself down onto Whirlwind’s head.

The three men watched as the burly German Shepherd straightened its neck, holding its head steady to bear the passenger. It broke into a gentle trot around the training ground.

“Have a good weekend,” Yan Tuo said, parting ways with the man. He kept a lazy eye on the pair from afar, ensuring the little ones didn’t bolt too far in their play.

Perched atop Whirlwind’s head, Bai Yiyi took his time recovering from that kiss his owner had planted on his own head earlier. The surprise had nearly jolted his little heart right out of his chest.

So the moment he settled on Whirlwind, he urged it to pick up the pace. The ride was a tad bumpy, but it delivered the pure joy of mounting up—and helped vent the shy thrill bubbling inside him.

Whirlwind looped around twice, veering this way and that until it reached the kennel area in the corner of the training ground. Two police dogs were chowing down on kibble from their bowls, watched over by their handler. They lifted their heads in unison, eyeing the bizarre dog-and-bird combo with curiosity.

“Woof woof woof!”

“Woof woof.”

What were they saying?

Bai Yiyi couldn’t parse dog-speak on his own, but his system provided translation. The two Kunming dogs across from him were East Wind and Black Wind. Their chat went roughly like this:

“White bird? The one that busted the poisoning this morning?”

“Yeah.”

“Eatable?”

“No. East Wind, Black Wind—this is Tangyuan. My friend.”

“Alright then. Your friend is our friend.”

The whole Police Dog Squadron must be “Wind” generation. East Wind meant there had to be a West Wind out there. Or maybe North and South Wind to round out a mahjong table?

Bai Yiyi chuckled inwardly, rising to flap his wings twice. He tried for a smile, but his stiff beak wouldn’t cooperate, so he nodded instead. His eyes crinkled in a gesture of goodwill to his new pals.

Small animals of different species mostly connected through vibes and instincts. That half-smile earned Bai Yiyi two slobbery greetings.

The Kunming dogs flanked him, one on each side, extending their tongues to lap at his wings. The licks left his feathers standing every which way.

…

You were eating a second ago—and no mouthwash?

Bai Yiyi hadn’t dodged fast enough and took the doggy smooches straight to the wings. He felt a pang of disgust.

Their enthusiasm was overwhelming. These purebred Chinese dogs—where’d they learn French kissing? First meet and they’re going in for lip-locks?

Bai Yiyi preened his ruffled feathers, his social anxiety kicking in anew. Desperate, he burned some energy having the system tell Whirlwind to beat it from there.

Whirlwind let out a single “woof” and carried him back to its kennel.

Red-brick construction housed six rooms in one long building, each fronted by a wire-fenced yard.

Bai Yiyi glanced around. Plenty of space, sure—but utterly barren. Nothing but walls. Compared to his own cage, festooned with swings, bells, perches, and toys, this was a hovel next to a mansion.

Whirlwind had already curled up quietly. Bai Yiyi patted its head, filled with admiration and sympathy for these monkish police dogs, their lives a cycle of eat, sleep, train.

After a full day on duty and more laps under the sun, the cool shade of the kennel had Whirlwind snoring softly within minutes.

Bai Yiyi had napped away most of the day and felt wide awake—or so he’d thought. But the vibe was contagious. Drowsiness crept in. He went from squat to sprawl, rolling onto his back atop Whirlwind’s head, limbs akimbo. Before he knew it, sleep claimed him again.

Yan Tuo ambled up to find this idyllic scene.

At the door to Kennel No. 3, his pet lay splayed like a sunny-side-up egg across Whirlwind’s head, white belly vulnerably exposed, beak parted in blissful slumber. The German Shepherd beneath puffed gentle snores, equally conked out.

These two rascals had been tearing up the field moments ago, and now—lights out?

A smile tugging at his lips, Yan Tuo fished out his phone and snapped a pic. Uncharacteristically, he posted it to his Moments.

【Picture】Nap-Time Buddies

Likes and comments flooded in at once: “A bird crashing with a dog? True cross-species love.”

It was Hua Hongqing.

Yan Tuo blew off his sleep-obsessed childhood buddy, pocketed the phone, and crouched down. Gently, he transferred the white fluffball to his palm.

Whirlwind stirred at the motion, slitting one eye to ID the intruder before relaxing back into snoozeland.

The little fluffball, uprooted mid-dream, stayed oblivious. It curled tighter into the hand’s curve for max comfort and dreamed on.

Bai Yiyi had zero recollection of getting home that night. All he knew was the next day, his owner took a proper full weekend off.

No job hassles—just unfettered ease. Bai Yiyi breathed a sigh of relief for his crush; at last, a chance to loosen up.

No business intruded, but personal drama did.

As owner and pet surfed the web in carefree bliss, the phone rang. Bai Yiyi watched his owner’s face twist into sheepish guilt as he picked up.

“Sis, happy weekend. You eaten?”

A rapid-fire woman’s voice crackled from the other end. Perched by the laptop, Bai Yiyi caught only snippets: Miss Li, blind date, something-something.

His owner replied: “Been slammed with a serial case lately—media frenzy, brass breathing down my neck. Couldn’t break free. This week, though… I’ll swing a day off to meet her. Friday work?”

Another blind date for his idol? Bai Yiyi’s heart lurched, curiosity warring with a hollow ache, adrift in limbo.

He couldn’t hold back. Flapping onto his owner’s shoulder, he pressed close to the phone to eavesdrop on the rest.

“Friday? Too late this time—even if you wanted to, no dice. The girl’s inbox pinged me yesterday; she’s already clicked with someone. What was I supposed to do? You ghosted; I can’t sweet-talk a wife outta thin air.

Listen, the dating scene’s a warzone. Prime catches? Horde of suitors. You keep half-assing it, and even if I’m Yue Lao reborn, you’re sunk.”

Yan Tuo’s face relaxed a fraction. “Yeah, I’m all on you, sis. My fault this round. Next time—promise—I’ll follow your lead.”

“You said it, not me! No flaking. Etched in stone! …I’ll nose around some more for you.”

Yan Tuo agreed to the request. After some back-and-forth on the phone, he finally hung up and turned to the little guy perched on his shoulder. “Yo, you’ve learned to eavesdrop now, huh? Looks like I’m not even as good as a bird like you. We’re supposed to be brothers in misfortune, but at least you got to play the groom once. Me? I didn’t even get a chance to show my face before they passed on me.”

That’s just them being blind!

Besides, when did I ever play the groom? The cops framing a bird… that’s slander too, and they should be held accountable!

Blushing with a mix of shame and anger, Bai Yiyi flew back to the table. Yet the heart that had been fluttering anxiously in midair suddenly settled into place.

Curious, Yan Tuo added, “Hey, I wonder if Manyu got pregnant. Tangyuan, don’t tell me you’re about to become a dad?”

He thought for a moment. Pet birds usually laid eggs about a week after mating. If there was good news, his childhood friend would have let him know right away. The current situation clearly meant it hadn’t worked out.

So he continued, “If it didn’t take, Hongqing will probably bring it back over. When that happens, you’d better step up your game.”

“Cheep cheep cheep cheep!”

Something about those words must have rubbed the little white dumpling the wrong way. On the table, it flapped its wings furiously, hopping up and down as it let out a long string of chirps. In the end, it simply retreated to its nest and ignored him for the rest of the evening.

On Monday morning, the Criminal Investigation Detachment’s monthly meeting took place. With Detachment Captain Li Zhong away at a training session, the team leaders gathered once more in the Deputy Detachment Captain’s office, where Yan Tuo presided over the proceedings.

It was Bai Yiyi’s first time getting a full look at the heads of the three major teams under the Criminal Investigation Detachment, along with the key figures from every department.