The rain grew heavier and heavier, pouring down like beans. The smarter folks had brought umbrellas and rushed into the curtain of rain early.
Meanwhile, the cat cub who never checked the weather forecast could only huddle under the eaves, waiting for his parents—stuck on the road by the flooded streets—to come pick him up.
“Is your hand okay?” the black cat cub asked the orange cat cub beside him.
Zhang Pangpang waved his hand like he couldn’t stand Jiang Xiaoyu’s nagging. “No problem. Damn, Fat Lord is totally convinced. How many times have you asked already? Even getting rained on is fine.”
Jiang Xiaoyu pursed his lips and said nothing, but he was still worried the bandages would get wet and pushed him further inward.
A car pulled up at the bottom of the steps. Zhang Pangpang let out an exaggerated “Whoa!” “Another tycoon! That’s an Extended Phantom!”
There was one just like it in the underground garage at Ye Lian’s house, so Jiang Xiaoyu couldn’t help taking an extra look. He saw someone dressed like an attendant dash out from Wan Universe, holding an umbrella and bowing at the car door.
As the door slid open backward, a middle-aged man stepped out slowly.
A black umbrella shrouded his tall frame, and the man’s face was handsome and stern. It was Wan Keyao.
Zhang Pangpang let out another “Wow!” “That aura of a successful person, that air of someone at the top. So pretentious.”
The man seemed to sense their gazes. He slowly turned his head and looked toward Jiang Xiaoyu. Those hawk-like, sharp eyes met Jiang Xiaoyu’s in a piercing stare. In that instant, Jiang Xiaoyu felt a chilling dread surge up. But before he could freeze for too long, he heard someone calling him from the rain: “Little Yu, stay right there. I’ll come with an umbrella to get you.”
In that split second, the cold expression on Wan Keyao’s face faltered, like ice melting away. He looked behind him—Ye Qingxu was holding an umbrella and running up the stairs.
One coming up, one waiting below.
The moment their gazes intertwined, time stood still.
“Mr. Ye?” Jiang Xiaoyu called out strangely when he saw Ye Qingxu stop in his tracks.
Ye Qingxu snapped back to his senses, lowered his head, brushed past Wan Keyao, and only lifted it again when he reached Jiang Xiaoyu’s side. He gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry, traffic was bad. I got here late. Is this your coworker? Here, take this umbrella.”
With that, he handed the umbrella to Zhang Pangpang and pulled Jiang Xiaoyu under his own. The two stood side by side, walking through the rain toward the car parked at the base of the stairs.
Jiang Xiaoyu wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt like Ye Qingxu was deliberately keeping him on the inner side. When they passed Wan Keyao, he thought he heard the man call out to Ye Qingxu, but the rain was so loud—maybe his ears were playing tricks.
A short few steps, and they were mostly soaked.
Once in the car, Ye Qingxu pulled out towels and handed them to the two. “Wipe off first.”
Zhang Pangpang took the towel and scrubbed his hair, looking a bit excited. “Uncle—no, wait, are you Little Yu’s brother or dad?”
Ye Qingxu smiled faintly at Zhang Pangpang, then rolled up Jiang Xiaoyu’s wet sleeve for him. “You can just treat me as Little Yu’s uncle.”
Zhang Pangpang found that odd. Uncle was uncle—what did “just treat me as” mean?
But Jiang Xiaoyu wasn’t in a state to ponder the deeper meaning in Ye Qingxu’s words, because the man’s motions as he wiped him down left him flustered and at a loss. “Mr. Ye, I can do it myself.”
Ye Qingxu paused his actions and watched Jiang Xiaoyu haphazardly wipe his face with gentle, affectionate eyes. After a moment, he turned back to Zhang Pangpang. “Little comrade, where do you live?”
Zhang Pangpang gave an address, but it wasn’t the police bureau dormitory. That surprised Jiang Xiaoyu. Though the Case Handling Office was based in Pine City, it was directly under national agency jurisdiction, and its members came from all over. Aside from Jiang Xiaoyu and Jin Ge, the other shapeshifters were mostly from out of town and usually lived in the police bureau dormitory.
“Did you rent a place outside?” Jiang Xiaoyu asked.
Zhang Pangpang flexed his arm—the sleeve was wet, but the gauze on his hand was still dry. Hearing the question, he replied, “Nah, my parents bought it for me.”
Jiang Xiaoyu was baffled. “You’re from the north, right? Why buy a place so far away?”
Zhang Pangpang grinned. “I work here. Mom was worried I’d hate the dorms, so she just bought a house. It wasn’t expensive anyway. If there’s a change later, I’ll sell it.”
Jiang Xiaoyu’s pupils shook. What did he mean “not expensive”? Housing prices in Pine City had been skyrocketing lately, closing in on the neighboring directly-administered Paulownia City! Even the rent for that rundown shack Jiang Xiaoyu used to rent—which had nothing going for it—had doubled several times! Of course, the place at Ye Lian’s house didn’t count; that was charity…
Jiang Xiaoyu was shocked. Turns out Zhang Pangpang was from a wealthy family!
Ye Qingxu listened to their chat, silently tightening his grip on the steering wheel. It had been years since he’d returned home, and only now did he remember that in China, parents often prepared independent housing for their kids.
Glancing at the yard full of cats and dogs at Jiang Xiaoyu’s place, he made a decision in his heart.
After dropping Zhang Pangpang off, the two headed home. The rain had stopped, leaving the air with a damp coolness. Jiang Xiaoyu rolled down the window and rested his face on the sill, taking a deep breath. “Feels so nice.”
Ye Qingxu’s peripheral vision had been on Jiang Xiaoyu the whole time. Seeing this childlike gesture warmed something in his heart. “Hungry? What do you want for dinner?” He was tempted to cook something himself, but his skills were awful—even making a sandwich turned the kitchen into a warzone. So he mentally planned to find some good takeout spots.
Jiang Xiaoyu pulled out his phone, replying distractedly. “We still have stuff from yesterday. I’ll just whip up a couple dishes when we get back. Mr. Ye, could you turn around and head to the pet hospital? They messaged that the dog’s doing much better.”
Ye Qingxu quickly said, “Of course. No need to be so polite—just tell me what you need.”
Jiang Xiaoyu scratched his head, still not used to this accommodating attitude. He dazedly replied, “Oh…”
When they entered the pet hospital, the doctor was eating and hurriedly stood up. “Officer Jiang, you’re here.”
“Hello. Can the dog be discharged?”
“Yes, its condition has stabilized. Just take good care of it at home and come back on time for injections and meds.”
Jiang Xiaoyu followed him into the care room. The dog was lying in its cage, still hooked to an IV in its foreleg. Hearing voices, it nervously twitched its leg, trying to shrink into the corner. Jiang Xiaoyu crouched down and cooed through the gap. “Hey, you doing okay? Remember me?”
The little dog sniffed twice, seeming to catch a familiar, comforting scent from Jiang Xiaoyu. Its tense body gradually relaxed. Its damp eyes looked toward Jiang Xiaoyu, tail wagging gently as it let out a few soft whines.
Seeing this, Jiang Xiaoyu’s lips curved into a gentle smile. He slowly extended a finger through the bars, lightly stroking the dog’s head. The little dog seemed to love the affection, squinting its eyes and nuzzling back against his finger.
Ye Qingxu watched the scene, feeling his heart melt. “It really likes you.”
Jiang Xiaoyu shyly withdrew his hand, his eyes as damp and bright as the dog’s. “I really like it too.”
Ye Qingxu’s heart turned to mush. He suppressed the sour ache inside and turned to the doctor. “Can it be discharged after the IV? How much for the fees? I’ll settle it.”
Jiang Xiaoyu quickly tugged at him. “No, how can I trouble you? I’ll pay.”
Ye Qingxu patted his hand reassuringly. “This dog has some of my rescue credit too. We’ll split it half and half.”
Ye Qingxu was firm, and the doctor chimed in, “Count me in. For rescuing strays, meds are at cost.”
There were plenty of awful people in the world, but also many beautiful ones. Jiang Xiaoyu’s tourmaline-like eyes sparkled as he softly murmured, “Mm.”
When they’d fished the little dog out, it had been caked in mud, impossible to make out. Now, emerging from the cage, Jiang Xiaoyu finally saw it clearly.
Creamy white base with large and small yellowish-brown and black patches all over, white muzzle and around the eyes, butterfly-shaped yellowish-brown fur completely covering its large floppy ears, small build, gentle eyes.
“What kind of dog is this?” Jiang Xiaoyu had never seen one like it—totally different from the mutts he’d picked up before. Not a typical mongrel.
The doctor soothed the dog while doing pre-discharge checks. “It’s a beagle.”
Ye Qingxu frowned slightly. “I recall beagles are used for lab experiments?”
Jiang Xiaoyu fell silent. “The kind for drug testing? Like lab rats?”
The doctor nodded. “Yeah, and the checks confirm it’s a lab dog. They’re usually properly handled and rehomed. No idea how it ended up in a stinking ditch.”
Jiang Xiaoyu tamped down his inner alarm and discomfort, scooping the little dog into his arms. It whined twice and stuck out its tongue to lick his nose, making him laugh and dodge. “That tickles.”
Ye Qingxu’s expression softened. “Let’s go. Time to head home for dinner.”
—
The new little dog had been there two days and quickly blended in with the original little strays. Its wounds weren’t fully healed yet, and everyone took good care of it.
“Yellow-White Patch, come take your medicine.” Jiang Xiaoyu’s naming was simple and brutal—based on color and features. With so many cats and dogs, who had time for proper names?
Yellow-White Patch was a girl with a gentle temper and strong endurance. Except for the day it was picked up when it whimpered in pain, Jiang Xiaoyu had never heard it cry out in pain afterward, not even when changing dressings and wiping with alcohol.
“Why are you so obedient? It’s fine to tell me if you’re hurting,” Jiang Xiaoyu muttered as he wrapped the gauze around it.
Yellow-White Patch gave a soft little woof: “Boss, the dog isn’t hurting.”
In just two days, it had started calling him boss along with the other dogs.
Jiang Xiaoyu smiled and rubbed its head. He saw Ye Qingxu carrying a food basin as he said, “I’ve fed all the cats and dogs in the yard. Let’s go walk around the Building Materials Market again, buy the rest of the stuff, then hurry and call over the construction team. We can’t have them staying cooped up in the house forever.”
It had rained the past couple days, turning the yard into a muddy mess. Dozens of cats and dogs had all obediently stayed inside without running around, afraid they’d get dirty and cause trouble for the boss.
“Alright, let’s head out after breakfast then.” Jiang Xiaoyu stood and took the things from Ye Qingxu’s hands. “Thanks for the trouble, Mr. Ye. I can handle the feeding next time.”
“I told you not to stand on ceremony with me. They’re adorable, and I actually enjoy doing it.”
After eating, the two prepared to head out. While locking the yard gate, Jiang Xiaoyu heard a dog bark from behind: “Cat Officer!”
A clear and pleasant voice followed: “Abu, quiet down a bit. You’ll disturb others.”
Jiang Xiaoyu was a little surprised and turned around to ask, “Luo Xi? What are you doing here?”
