After September passed, the days were still hot, but the nights had already turned cool.
Even so, that night Jiang Xiaoyu felt unbearably hot. He didn’t know if it was because he’d overheard Abu talking about mating during the day or something else, but in his dream, all he saw was a expanse of pale, glistening muscle.
He trampled over the neatly arranged abs like steamed buns, then stomped on the chest muscles like big buns, and finally bit into the red bean paste on top. He was busy flailing his limbs, stepping around joyfully and sweating profusely from the heat.
Tired from all the stomping, he happily sprawled out on the slippery muscles, resting against the belly—when suddenly the muscles moved. The Little Black Cat blankly lifted his head and saw the muscles sprout a human face that said, “Does Uncle’s meat feel good to step on?”
!
He jolted awake in an instant.
Jiang Xiaoyu kicked off the small towel with one foot and sat up from the pillow, his fur disheveled and expression dazed. It wasn’t until he felt something sticky beneath him that he looked down, stared blankly for several seconds, then bolted into the bathroom like he’d been chased by a dog, plunging both paws into the bathtub with force.
By the time Ye Qingxu returned from walking the dog and buying breakfast, he saw Jiang Xiaoyu floating on the water like a flattened cat pancake, belly exposed and face full of despair. Smiling, he asked, “How come you’re soaking in the bath again? Didn’t Daddy just wash your fur last night?”
Jiang Xiaoyu startled and flipped over, leaving only half his head above the water. His green eyes fixed on Ye Qingxu as bubbles gurgled from his mouth: “Let the cat die! Too embarrassing!”
He’d lived twenty-two years, and yet he’d gotten aroused over a piece of meat! Though he’d never been in a relationship and wasn’t all that savvy about emotions, he did feel affection for Ye Lian. But! How could he be so filthy! To actually…
Embarrassed, Jiang Xiaoyu ducked his head underwater, floating like a clump of black waterweed.
Ye Qingxu didn’t understand, but he enjoyed seeing the child’s childish side. He reached in and scooped him out: “If you like playing in water, Daddy will give you a bath salt soak tonight. Right now, if you don’t blow-dry, you’ll be late for your morning shift.”
Jiang Xiaoyu hung his head dejectedly as Ye Qingxu placed him in the dryer, sprawling inside with his belly up, thinking he might as well die.
Once dry, he shifted back to human form, dressed in the new clothes Ye Qingxu had bought him, and was escorted by Ye Qingxu to the gates of the government office.
“Daddy has to go to the client’s home today, so I might be off work late. Wait inside for Daddy.”
Ye Qingxu handed the bento bag to Jiang Xiaoyu, watching the kid obediently nod and enter.
Neither noticed someone trailing them from a distance.
“Boss, Jiang Xiaoyu’s entered the government building. Can’t follow anymore.” The private detective reported to his client.
Wan Keyao had started with thick cigarette smoke and whiskey early in the morning. He took a swig, half-squinting as he asked, “Were they together the whole time?”
The detective replied, “Yes, their daily life is pretty routine. Daddy picks the kid up and drops him off from work, then they go home. Aside from walking the dog or buying food, they don’t go out much. But the day before yesterday, Ye Qingxu carried a cat to Ink Orchid Mansion, and yesterday he went alone to Ye Corporation. Security there is tight; I couldn’t get in.”
“A cat? What cat?”
“Jiang Xiaoyu has a bunch of stray cats and dogs at home—dozens of them.”
Hearing that, Wan Keyao lost interest. He swirled the ice in his glass, staring at the swirling liquor for a while before saying, “Got it. Keep tailing Jiang Xiaoyu.”
He downed the rest in one go, the spicy liquor burning fiercely in his stomach. These past few days, he’d had people investigate the background of that little cop named Jiang Xiaoyu, trying to figure out what Ye Qingxu meant by that statement.
But according to the records, Jiang Xiaoyu had been raised by Li Shouping and Jia Muqin until he was over nine, then taken into the Welfare Institute due to family abuse, and only left after growing up. No connection to Ye Qingxu whatsoever. What had bewitched Ye Qingxu during his time back in the country to insist this kid was his son?
Was Jiang Xiaoyu really Ye Qingxu’s kid? Wan Keyao frowned, unconvinced. He figured Ye Qingxu, with his book-fried brains, had been scammed.
Jiang Xiaoyu entered the Case Handling Office and asked Zhang Pangpang, who was slurping noodles: “Any results from the forensics yet?”
Zhang Pangpang was sweating from the spice, blowing his nose on a tissue as he said, “DNA’s still analyzing, but fingerprints are in. The sample was a bit damaged, but we extracted some usable prints.”
Seeing Jiang Xiaoyu’s wide-eyed anticipation, he didn’t tease and grinned: “Fingerprint match—identical to Yang Guo’s.”
Jiang Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief: “Progress on fingerprints. Next up, DNA. If it matches Jiang Fei’s wound marks and blood too, our chain of evidence is complete.”
Zhang Pangpang grinned too, slurping up the last of the noodles and draining the broth before exhaling in satisfaction: “That dog bastard—finally nab him.”
After sitting down and arranging his things, Jiang Xiaoyu asked, “Can Tangyuan be discharged yet?” Tangyuan was the Ragdoll Cat Yang Guo had owned; after rescue, it had been recovering at the Pet Hospital due to severe internal injuries.
“Planning to pick it up in a couple days.” Zhang Pangpang hesitated: “But I probably can’t keep it. My mom’s here taking care of me, and she’s allergic to cat hair—except mine.”
Seeing Jiang Xiaoyu’s pleading look, it wasn’t a big deal to him. Without thinking, he said, “Then I’ll take it. We’ve got plenty of fur kids at home anyway.”
Zhang Pangpang clasped his hands like praying to Buddha: “I’ll bring it straight to you after pickup.”
As they chatted, Jin Ge emerged, file board in hand and beard scruffy. Spotting Jiang Xiaoyu, he sidled over for food: “Exhausted. Things are wrapping up here; I’m off for some sleep.”
Jiang Xiaoyu grabbed snacks from his bag and handed them over, his little expression turning serious: “You can’t keep doing this. Sleeping overnight at the office all the time—what’s that gonna do to you? You’ll wreck your health.”
Jin Ge swallowed a small bread, gesturing for water, and brushed it off: “You think I’m you? Allergic to taro milk tea?”
Jiang Xiaoyu flushed red and slapped the water bottle into his chest: “You! Smoking, drinking, staying up all night—you’re gonna— ” He clamped his mouth shut, afraid to jinx it, and said annoyedly: “You really need to rest properly.”
Jin Ge absentmindedly hummed agreement, inwardly surprised at Jiang Xiaoyu’s directness now. In past years, even if worried, he’d never say it outright. Family ties were wondrous; in such a short time, a crack had formed in this stone-hard kid’s heart from all the care.
“Don’t worry, Master knows his limits.” Jin Ge smiled, ruffling Jiang Xiaoyu’s hair, and handed over the file folder: “Follow up on the Labrador today. Wait for higher-ups’ instructions later. Those two are under supervision now—no big issues.”
Jiang Xiaoyu took it eagerly, nodding yes.
Downstairs at Luo Xi Home, he ran into that helpful Little Teddy again. Jiang Xiaoyu crouched to pet its enthusiastically wagging body.
Online, this breed had a bad rep, but this one was smart. It looked free-range but was clean—shows it depends on the owner.
“Good boy, go play.” He patted its head and headed into the building.
Even after everything, Abu flung the door open enthusiastically upon hearing Jiang Xiaoyu’s knock.
Jiang Xiaoyu awkwardly petted the Labrador’s big head draped over his waist: “Hi.”
Abu barked happily. Luo Xi emerged hugging a cardboard box: “He really likes you.”
Jiang Xiaoyu let Abu tug him by the hem to the sofa and sat: “You moving?”
Luo Xi wiped sweat from his pale neck, smiling brightly: “Yeah, thanks to you. I got a formal job at Wan Universe. With some spare cash, I’m moving Abu somewhere nicer.”
The wording was odd; Jiang Xiaoyu said straight: “Not thanks to me. If you mean the Yang Guo case, I’m a cop—investigating is my job. If you capitalized on his arrest for gain, that’s your skill, as long as it’s not illegal. Got nothing to do with me.”
Luo Xi stood there, pure and handsome like a camellia. He paused, then smiled: “Fair enough, but thanks anyway. Because of you, Abu finally has an official identity.” Foreseeing Jiang Xiaoyu’s denial, Luo Xi cut in with a smile: “Play with Abu; I’ll keep packing.” As he turned, genuine amusement lit his eyes. No wonder Abu liked playing with him—these two were straightforward and unpretentious, not annoying at all.
Jiang Xiaoyu patted the sofa beside him, inviting Abu up.
The Labrador jumped on, tongue lolling excitedly: “Cat Officer, they made me an ID!”
“Yeah, I saw.” Jiang Xiaoyu asked: “Why Luo Abu? You could’ve picked something more formal for yourself.” Jiang Xiaoyu had named himself after his abuse case.
Abu barked: “Dog thinks Luo Abu is plenty formal! Dog likes it. Shares the owner’s surname!”
Jiang Xiaoyu opened his mouth, glanced at Luo Xi standing tall and straight like a green pine beside him, and couldn’t help but think he was some weirdo who trafficked puppies. After all, Abu was only nineteen, and he hadn’t even gone to school for a few years…
“Abu, you have to go accept adult education later.”
The Labrador looked confused: “What’s that?”
“It’s going to school. You have to learn to read, learn knowledge. Now that you have a human identity, you need to learn to do human things.” After saying this, Jiang Xiaoyu suddenly froze. In that instant, he suddenly understood and felt the words Jin Ge had once said to him.
“Even if you’re afraid and repulsed by human society, you have to accept it. Because you’re a person after all. You can’t really become a cat and huddle with a bunch of little strays to escape the real world. Besides, you have things you want to do. You want to protect them, feed them—that means you have to grow up. Jiang Xiaoyu, I know you’re in pain, I know what you’ve been through, but the meaning of your life is more than that. You can’t live forever in avoidance. I won’t side with you in your fights with Lu Wanhui because I don’t have his tough background, so you just have to endure. This ugly world is that cruel; that’s how it works. Unless you have the power to change it.”
Abu’s words pulled Jiang Xiaoyu back to reality: “But dogs don’t need to learn that stuff. Dogs just need to stay with their owner.”
Jiang Xiaoyu pursed his lips and said solemnly in a low voice to the bewildered Labrador: “But you’re not just a dog—you’re a person with an independent personality. Promise me you’ll go to school, even if Luo Xi doesn’t let you.”
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