When Wan Universe issued a statement announcing that the highly anticipated IP adaptation drama would be halting production due to certain reasons, the internet erupted in shock, with everyone speculating if something had gone wrong.
Yang Guo clutched his chest, curled up on the sofa, and bit his fingers neurotically as he said to Zhao Peng, “Did they find out? If they did, why haven’t they come to arrest me yet?”
Zhao Peng’s face was equally grim. Though his character wasn’t great, he truly liked Yang Guo. He forced himself to stay calm and replied, “No way, it’s been so long already. If they were going to arrest us, they would’ve done it by now.”
Yang Guo’s delicate face was deathly pale as he lifted his eyes, bloodshot with red veins, and asked, “Then why did the company call off the adaptation drama? All the investments from every side were already in place!”
Zhao Peng had no confidence either and could only pull Yang Guo into his arms for a couple of sloppy kisses. “You know President Wan’s temper. When he’s in a bad mood, everyone under him has to tremble in fear. I heard President Wan’s been in an even worse mood lately, probably your drama just hit the barrel of his gun. Don’t overthink it and get yourself into such a state. If filming really starts, you’ll have to adjust all over again. How about this—I’ll go catch a few cats for you later, you…”
Meanwhile, the Wan Keyao they were talking about, whose temper was supposedly awful, was furiously dealing with a call from his mother.
He was severely inflamed—head aching, eyes aching, throat aching. The moment he opened his mouth, it was like he’d swallowed a firecracker. “Not coming back. You and the old man celebrate it yourselves.”
Wan Keyao’s mother, Jiang Fenghua, came from the wealthy Jiang Family. For generations, the family had been full of sons, and it wasn’t until Jiang Fenghua’s generation that they finally got a daughter—and the youngest at that—who was doted on endlessly by her father and brothers. Growing up under the old societal system, she wasn’t one to be trifled with. These years, she’d felt she owed her son and had tolerated a lot, but hearing this wretched son say he wasn’t even coming home for Mid-Autumn, she immediately cursed, “Are you dead? It’s family reunion day— you have a home but won’t come back? Do you have to wait until your dad and I rot away at home before you come back to collect our corpses?”
Wan Keyao sneered coldly. “That won’t fall to me. Don’t worry, with all those guards and servants, even before we stink, someone will put up the obituary right away.”
Jiang Fenghua was so furious she clutched her chest and cried out in pain. Only after the servants comforted her did she grit out hatefully, “You’re really going to cut ties with me over a man! Ever since I broke you two up, you haven’t given me a single good look! Fine, go ahead, chase him if you dare. If you can win him back, I swear I won’t interfere anymore. I’ll let you walk around with a donkey face for Ye Qingxu to see every day—let’s see if he likes looking at your stinky mug!”
The bloodshot veins in Wan Keyao’s eyes were so intense even his special assistant was scared. He didn’t dare interrupt the mother-son call and could only stand there holding a glass of water and the medicine, hoping the old madam would finish her tirade soon so Wan Keyao would take the meds.
Jiang Fenghua took a breath, hugged the dazed old cat on her lap, and continued cursing, “Your dad has been hoping all these years for you to have a child. Even if you don’t get married, you could find someone to have a kid with and leave a bloodline for the Wan Family! Are you really set on letting the Wan Family die out?”
Wan Keyao waved his hand, signaling his assistant to take the medicine away. In a hoarse voice, he mocked, “The old man has more than just me as a son—two ex-wives, four kids. How could the Wan Family possibly die out? The one who’s anxious seems to be you.”
Jiang Fenghua was Wan Qianli’s third wife. Though they met late in life, their bond was deep. Wan Qianli had Wan Keyao in his old age and spoiled him rotten; needless to say, Jiang Fenghua had only this one son, whom she cherished like the apple of her eye. Even as her temples grayed, she still hadn’t seen a grandchild, and now she had to endure this brat’s cold words. For a moment, she lost her spirit, softened, and said, “Back then, Mom was wrong to stop you two, but… but, Little Ye is great in every way, but he’s a man! Even if he could—”
The detective sent more photos. Wan Keyao flipped through them listlessly and asked, “He could what?”
Jiang Fenghua hesitated, remembering her promise to Ye Qingxu, and in the end, couldn’t spit it out. Seeing this, Wan Keyao moved to hang up, but she hurriedly stopped him. “Don’t hang up! Mom still says the same—if you and Ye Qingxu can get back together, I absolutely won’t interfere this time.”
Wan Keyao laughed, a hint of desolation in his voice. “Get back together? How? He’s got his eyes full of that son who popped out of nowhere. Where’s the time to bother with me?”
Jiang Fenghua froze, holding up her phone. “Son? What son?”
“Ye Qingxu has a twenty-two-year-old son who looks like he was carved from the same mold as him. Isn’t it ridiculous? We broke up just twenty-two years ago, and he’s got a kid that old. He won’t even let me call the kid a bastard, but if not a bas— ” Before he finished, Jiang Fenghua cut him off anxiously. “Shut your mouth! Tell me, what does that child look like?”
“What does he look like? I said, just like Ye Qingxu.”
“What about the child’s mom? Can you track her down?”
“No idea. I’m just baffled— the kid grew up with his parents, so how did he suddenly become Ye Qingxu’s son?” Wan Keyao’s head throbbed painfully; he didn’t notice the phone had gone silent for a long time.
Jiang Fenghua hung up, at a loss as she stroked the old cat on her lap. To the elderly servant nearby, she said, “A-Cui, did you hear? Ye Qingxu has a child. Could it be the one he was pregnant with back then? Didn’t die? Born?”
A-Cui also harbored suspicions, mainly because the timing was too coincidental. “How about sending someone to check it out?”
“Yes! Yes! Send someone—A-Gui! A-Gui! Quick, find A-Da and have him head to Pine City to check the situation right away!”
—
Jiang Xiaoyu was dragged out for lunch break by Zhang Pangpang. The two sat in a dessert shop, ordering things. Zhang Pangpang hooked the menu toward Jiang Xiaoyu. “You’re not allergic to this, right?”
Jiang Xiaoyu leaned over to look and shook his head. “The allergy test says I’m only severely allergic to Araceae, so not much to watch out for in daily food.”
“Good then. We’ll have these.” Zhang Pangpang handed the menu to the server. The flesh where his pinky had been severed had grown back—a red patch, clearly different from natural growth.
Seeing Jiang Xiaoyu staring silently at his hand again, Zhang Pangpang sighed. “It really doesn’t hurt anymore. Why are you acting like my mom, wailing every day like my hand got completely chopped off? It’s just one pinky joint.”
He said it lightly and magnanimously, but Jiang Xiaoyu knew how painful it was—he’d had a certain part broken too. He lowered his eyelids halfway. “I’ll treat this meal.”
Zhang Pangpang’s eyes went wide, like glass beads stuck on a steamed bun. “For real?”
Jiang Xiaoyu nodded, a bit embarrassed. “It’s not much anyway.” Why was he staring like he was a monster?
Zhang Pangpang found it even stranger, shocked to hear such words from him—back then, this guy could make a steamed bun last two meals. But he didn’t say it, slurped some juice, and said, “Time flies. Mid-Autumn’s almost here before you know it.”
Jiang Xiaoyu paused at that. He used to have no real sense of holidays—always just with the cats and dogs. But now it was different; he had a dad. His ear tips reddened as he said softly, “My dad said he’d take me picnicking for Mid-Autumn.” He’d never experienced it and couldn’t imagine the scene.
“Whoa, that’s great. Pine City’s perfect this season—picnicking sounds awesome. My mom’s dragging me back to our hometown, but it’s too far; I kinda don’t wanna go. Round trip by plane takes a whole day, and with only three days off, poof—it’s gone.” He waved his hand. “I wanna have my dad come here instead. Mid-Autumn’s about family together, right?”
Jiang Xiaoyu scooped at his cake and nodded, agreeing.
Zhang Pangpang scooped too, mumbling around his food, “Right, you’ve talked about your dad—has uncle said anything about your mom?”
Jiang Xiaoyu fell silent, just poking his cake with the spoon. Zhang Pangpang realized his question was rude— if there wasn’t a real reason, why wouldn’t she show up after so long? He coughed. “Uh, I didn’t mean to pry, just casual talk…”
“I know.” Jiang Xiaoyu said softly, “I haven’t asked… My dad hasn’t brought it up either.” There was something off about that wording—in a sense, Ye Qingxu counted as his mother, so the unclear one was actually the father.
Zhang Pangpang didn’t know what to say, but his personality was always straightforward. Seeing Jiang Xiaoyu a bit down, he said bluntly, “If you really wanna know, just ask straight up. Figuring it out beats being in the dark.”
Jiang Xiaoyu pushed the little cherry on his cake around, nodding after a long while. Muffled, he said, “I know.”
Their lunch break didn’t last long before Jin Ge’s call came in. Jiang Xiaoyu held his phone; the moment he picked up, Jin Ge said, “Where are you? Get back quick! DNA results are out—matches Jiang Fei’s DNA. Criminal Investigation’s issued the arrest warrant. Time to move!”
The two cat cubs exchanged a glance, too rushed to clean up their leftovers, and bolted for the Case Handling Office.
In case handling, the Case Handling Office mostly assisted the Criminal Investigation Division—using specialties to find evidence. Actual arrests and interrogations were Criminal Investigation’s job. Only when it involved shapeshifters did the Case Handling Office take full control.
