Chapter 40

Zhang Pangpang was the kind of person who turned super chill once his belly was full—after all, his cat form was an orange cat. This was the first time Jiang Xiaoyu had seen him this furious after knowing him for so long.

Jiang Xiaoyu recalled what he had said last time and asked, “Did he take it out on the Ragdoll Cat again?”

“Nah, he streams live often and has to bring the Ragdoll Cat along, so he doesn’t dare go too far with it. But he’s abused a lot more little strays.” Zhang Pangpang shuddered as he remembered sneaking into his house, led by the Ragdoll Cat into a basement, and the horrifying scene he saw there.

“There were several dead stray cats in that basement.” The scene was too bloody, and Zhang Pangpang couldn’t bear to go on. “A guy who treats animals so cruelly—how could he be anything good? I say he’s the killer!”

Hearing the scene Zhang Pangpang described lit a fire in Jiang Xiaoyu’s heart too. Seeing these two cat-form humans getting all emotional, Jin Ge stubbed out his cigarette and said, “Alright, calm down. We’re cops—we need evidence for what we do. Don’t let personal feelings lead to wild guesses.”

“But what about him hurting animals? We just ignore that?” Jiang Xiaoyu shot back.

“Handle it how? Does animal cruelty get you jail time or compensation? Even if he’s willing to pay, these are stray cats! Who do you compensate?” Jin Ge looked a bit irritated. “That’s not the main point right now. Focus on Jiang Fei’s death.”

Zhang Pangpang cooled down too, pursing his lips. “I’ll record a video and expose him online.”

Jin Ge glared at him. “And then what? You just vent by exposing him, and he sues for defamation demanding your real info. Once they trace you, what do you say? ‘I turned into a cat and found out’? Use your brain, okay?”

Jiang Xiaoyu knew he had a point, but his heart still felt ice-cold. He remembered what the little calico cat had asked that day: Why aren’t cats and dogs protected animals?

He seemed to be asking himself, “Why?”

“Because there’s no law saying so!” Jin Ge’s expression turned cold. “Even protected animals get abused by bastards, let alone these helpless strays with nothing but their lives.”

He sighed. “If you wanna change things, climb to a position where you can. Otherwise, catching this one Yang Guo leaves thousands more. What’s the point of rash actions?”

“Now, get out there and investigate Jiang Fei’s case. If Yang Guo really is the killer, then he can speak up for them too.”

—

Jiang Xiaoyu tracked down the driver who had clashed with Jiang Fei based on the case files. He knocked on the door, and soon he heard it opening.

“Who are you?” a middle-aged woman asked.

Jiang Xiaoyu flashed his badge. “Hello, I’m Jiang Xiaoyu from the Pine City Case Handling Office. Are you Driver Zhang’s family? I’d like to ask about the Jiang Fei case. Is now a good time?”

The woman was all too familiar with the name Jiang Fei—the scumbag who blinded her husband and cost him his job! She gritted her teeth. “Sure! What about that bastard?”

“He’s dead.”

The woman froze at the news, her anger vanishing in an instant, replaced by bewilderment and fear. “Huh? Then why are you here? It really has nothing to do with us! I just heard about it.”

Jiang Xiaoyu gestured for her to let him in and said softly, “Don’t worry, I’m just here to gather info.”

“Oh… okay, come in, come in.”

Once inside, Jiang Xiaoyu spotted Driver Zhang on the balcony, leaning back on the sofa, staring blankly at the TV. Hearing the noise, he asked, “Wifey, who’s there?”

“It’s the police. Something to ask.” The woman cautiously showed Jiang Xiaoyu to a seat, then headed to the kitchen.

Jiang Xiaoyu briefly explained the situation to Driver Zhang and started questioning him. “Can you restate the cause of your conflict with Jiang Fei?”

Unlike the panic or relief Jiang Xiaoyu imagined, Driver Zhang fell silent at the news of Jiang Fei’s death before saying, “That day I was working as usual. When I stopped at a station, a young guy with a dog got on. I… I didn’t let him.”

Jiang Xiaoyu frowned. “Guide dogs are allowed on public transport by regulation. Why’d you do that?”

“Who knows?” He gave a bitter laugh. “Lost my mind, I guess…” He couldn’t say if it was the rain that day making him irritable or life’s petty annoyances—he took it out on a disabled person.

He remembered the young man was quite handsome. Facing his unreasonableness—even malicious eviction—his expression stayed calm, like he was used to it. But the dog looked aggrieved, whining and looking at the other passengers on the bus, as if hoping someone would help its owner. It even made a begging gesture with its paws.

But the rain that day was heavy, water dripping nonstop from the dog’s raincoat, making it all wet and annoying. People behind wanted to board, and the pair blocked the door. Not only was he irritated; passengers inside urged him to drive ’cause they were late, and those outside pushed to get in.

The youth, white as a camellia flower, patted the Labrador’s head and softly comforted it. “Abu, let’s get off.”

Seeing them leave, vanishing miserably in the rain, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

Then retribution came.

He was attacked at the stairwell. A bright flash caused severe photic injury, permanently damaging his retinas—he went blind.

“Only after going blind did I realize how tough life is for the blind.” He smiled bitterly. “But that guy paid a lot in compensation. With medical insurance and relief funds, I won’t starve. It was karma. I accept it.”

The man’s face showed some enlightenment—resignation or acceptance, Jiang Xiaoyu couldn’t tell. He politely declined the tea the woman offered and headed back to the Case Handling Office to sort through the info.

The police had pinned Jiang Fei as the assailant on the driver with two key pieces of evidence: Jiang Fei’s ID left at the scene, and his romantic relationship with Luo Xi. At first, Jiang Fei denied it, but faced with ironclad proof, he confessed and offered to settle with compensation.

Flipping through the files, Jiang Xiaoyu felt something off. From Jiang Fei’s background and the evidence, he didn’t seem the type to lose his head over emotions. Would he really do something like that just because Luo Xi faced injustice? Especially since he was a cheating scumbag with two boats…

Lost in thought about the case, Jiang Xiaoyu nearly bumped into someone standing at his door as he neared home.

“Mr. Ye?” Jiang Xiaoyu looked at the man in surprise.

Ye Qingxu smiled apologetically. “I finished my business and happened to pass by, so I thought I’d check out the layout.” It wasn’t a lie, but he’d already had his assistant measure everything—no need for him to come personally, especially this late. Yet for some reason, despite not planning to interact with extras, he still came.

“Ah… okay, come on in.” Jiang Xiaoyu didn’t think much of it and opened the door. As soon as he did, a cat pounced on him. He rubbed it and stepped aside for Ye Qingxu.

“You sure attract little animals.” Ye Qingxu glanced at the yard full of cats and dogs enthusiastically greeting their owner, then turned to the youth beside him.

“They’re mine, after all.” Talking about animals brought a smile to Jiang Xiaoyu’s face. He set the cat down, hesitated a few seconds, and asked, “Mr. Ye, have you eaten?”

Ye Qingxu quickly said, “No need to trouble yourself. I’ll grab something outside later.”

Jiang Xiaoyu wasn’t the outgoing type, especially with strangers. But maybe their similar looks made him feel a bit of closeness. He smiled shyly. “It’s fine. I’m making food anyway.”

Seeing this, Ye Qingxu didn’t refuse, a gentle smile lighting his face. “Then let me help out.”

Jiang Xiaoyu’s cooking was basic. He found fancy seasonings too pricey and stuck to simple salt and soy sauce. The food wasn’t gourmet, but it filled you up.

That’s when he remembered what Ye Lian said: Make something tasty for my little one.

What tasty stuff?! Jiang Xiaoyu grumbled inwardly. As long as it fills the belly! But his ears had already turned red.

“Where’s the serving spoon?” Ye Qingxu asked.

“I’ll serve. You sit.” Jiang Xiaoyu snapped back, brought two dishes to the table, handed Ye Qingxu a bowl, and said, “Just something simple. I’m not great at cooking.”

“This is already good.” Ye Qingxu smiled politely. “I can’t even make this.”

Jiang Xiaoyu smiled back shyly. Ye Qingxu clearly looked like the scholarly type who never touched housework.

Neither was much of a talker, so the table fell quiet, only the clink of bowls and chopsticks breaking the silence. After a while, Ye Qingxu asked, “Has Mr. Jiang thought about any designs he likes?”

Jiang Xiaoyu took a bite of rice and shook his head. “Anything works, as long as there’s space for the cats and dogs to play.”

Ye Qingxu asked, “Is that ‘anything’ or do you not know what you like?”

The question left Jiang Xiaoyu puzzled. Was there a difference? As long as it’s livable? He was about to reply when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.”

Jiang Xiaoyu headed to the yard gate, thinking that since moving here, people kept coming over. Mostly from the Ye Residence, of course. He figured it was Yan Feilang or Liu Qingqing this time. But opening the door, he saw the strikingly handsome Ye Lian.

“I smelled the delicious bread on the roadside and brought some for you.” Ye Lian held up the cake, his upturned eye corners breathtakingly beautiful.

This summer night, the chirping of insects accompanied by the heartbeat was clearly very noisy, yet beat by beat, the entire world quieted down in Ye Lian’s amber-like pupils.

He took the cake from Ye Lian’s hand, his fingertips accidentally brushing against the other’s warm skin. A jolt of electricity surged through his body, making him tremble lightly without meaning to.

“Thank you, Mr. Ye…” His voice trembled a little.

Ye Lian curved his eyes, his tone light and casual. “Where’s my Little Black Cat? Has he gone out to play again and not come back yet?”

Jiang Xiaoyu snapped back to his senses and scratched his temple awkwardly. “Um… he just finished eating and went out.”

“My mother bought him a GPS watch before. I’ll bring it over next time—best to have him wear it, just in case he gets lost.”

This feeling of them discussing him like he was an object was strange. Jiang Xiaoyu agreed awkwardly, then asked, “Um, do you want to come in and sit for a bit?”

“Sure.” Ye Lian replied.

Jiang Xiaoyu led him into the house, only then remembering there was another guest at home. He hurriedly introduced them: “This is Ye Qingxu, Mr. Ye. This is Ye Lian—the ‘ye’ from night, the ‘lian’ from lotus flower.”

When introducing Ye Qingxu, he hadn’t explained the specific characters, but he’d solemnly spelled out the components of Ye Lian’s name. Jiang Xiaoyu himself hadn’t noticed this subtle difference, but it made Ye Lian quietly curve the corner of his eye. “Hello. I’ve heard Yan Feilang mention you before.”

Yan Feilang had only said the two of them looked alike, but hadn’t conveyed just how similar they were. Ye Lian quietly planted a seed of suspicion in his heart, though his expression remained elegantly composed. “Thank you for looking after Little Yu’s home, Mr. Ye.”

Jiang Xiaoyu’s face flushed red. He felt like the man’s words made him want to scratch like a cat!