Chapter 89: The Choice of Life

The air conditioning vent hummed noisily. Jiang Xiaoyu lowered his long, curled eyelashes and asked, “You’ve been asking me questions all along. Can I ask you one?”

“Of course.” Huang Li picked up the hot water bottle on her lap and shifted it to warm another spot.

“You must know about Ding Zhiman’s case.” Huang Li’s expression didn’t change at Jiang Xiaoyu’s words, and he continued, “Since the police came to question you. So you must also know there was a ‘D’ symbol carved on his body. What do you think that symbol represents?”

Huang Li leaned back, crossing her arms, and pondered briefly. “Maybe it’s a surname or something like that?”

“Mm, a lot of officers guessed the same.”

“So what does Officer Jiang think it is?” Huang Li asked in return.

“I think it might represent the thing the killer originally wanted to hold onto.” Jiang Xiaoyu stood up, moving his chair back to its original position, then turned to face Huang Li, looking at her high ponytail tied with a red hair tie. “Can I ask you one last question?”

Huang Li shrugged. “Go ahead.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

Huang Li raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by the question. “I thought the police had my family background all figured out? My mother never remarried after the divorce. As for Ding Zhiman, whether he has any illegitimate children, I wouldn’t know.”

Jiang Xiaoyu nodded. “Thanks for your cooperation.” He got up to leave, and Huang Li smiled behind him. “Officer Jiang, I really like your name. Jiang Xiaoyu—a Little Yu swimming freely in the vast river. Sounds pretty free-spirited. I picked my own name too. What do you think?”

Jiang Xiaoyu stared at her seriously. “A beautiful name. A bird with wings.”

Huang Li laughed. “Yeah, ‘Two orioles singing amid the green willows, a flock of egrets ascending into the blue sky.’ So beautiful.”

After leaving the Funeral Home, Jiang Xiaoyu was still mulling over Huang Li’s behavior just now. When she answered his questions, her body language showed clear defensive posture. It was so obvious that he couldn’t ignore it.

“No one knows I picked my own name except for the police files.” Jiang Xiaoyu pulled open the car door, feeling like Huang Li’s suspicions were piling up more and more.

He started the engine, and just before getting on the bridge, he spotted Yang Guo’s photo on a billboard. He was smiling brightly, and Jiang Xiaoyu suddenly remembered Yang Guo’s body double who looked so much like him it could fool anyone.

“‘Two orioles singing amid the green willows, a flock of egrets ascending into the blue sky.’ Two orioles… two…” He quickly pulled over and called Jin Ge. “I suspect there are two Huang Lis.”

It was noisy on Jin Ge’s end as he covered the phone and asked, “What do you mean?”

Jiang Xiaoyu said, “I suspect she might have a twin, someone who looks just like her. Every time I’ve seen her, there’s always this off feeling—one with a daily low blue ponytail, one with a daily high red ponytail…”

He didn’t have any concrete evidence, but that’s just how he felt.

Jin Ge said, “Got it.”

“I want to go to her house in cat form.”

“That requires a search warrant,” Jin Ge said sternly. “Don’t act rashly. Come back to the Case Handling Office and we’ll discuss it.”

Jiang Xiaoyu promised repeatedly that he wouldn’t do anything impulsive, then restarted the engine and headed to the Case Handling Office.

—

It was a breezy, sunny morning when they moved into the new house again. Jiang Xiaoyu got Cat Grandpa down from Wan Keyao’s car. As they neared the house, he spotted a tall, burly stranger holding a bag at the door. When Jiang Xiaoyu approached, the man raised his hand. “Happy moving! This is a gift.”

Liu Qingqing was also carrying a bunch of food. She greeted Wan Qianli first, then smiled at Jiang Xiaoyu. “This is Liu Xishui, my son. He’s a brown bear too.”

Liu Xishui had given Jiang Xiaoyu an allergy shot before, but Jiang Xiaoyu had been unconscious at the time, so he had no impression of him.

“Hello. I’ll take Grandpa inside first.” Jiang Xiaoyu nodded to the mother and son, then hurried into the house with the old cat. From childhood to now, he’d never had so many shapeshifters gathered around him like this—no need to hide anything. It felt so comfortable to be around them.

A foldable round table was set up in the yard, covered with all sorts of snacks. Wan Keyao had quite the air of the man of the house. Unusually, he didn’t give Ye Lian a hard look and poured him a glass of wine. “These days, my Little Yu has been troubling you.”

Ye Lian raised his glass, all magnanimous and refined. “How could it be trouble? I’m more than happy to do it.”

Jiang Xiaoyu overheard. Once everyone had put down their glasses, he went over with his ear tips red and clasped Ye Lian’s broad palm. Ye Lian curved his eyes, smiling smugly at Wan Keyao with a hint of infuriating pride in his gaze.

Wan Keyao’s brows furrowed tightly as he slammed the sobriety pitcher onto the table with a clack.

Ye Qingxu asked him, “What’s with the temper?” His deer-like eyes widened round, looking ready to make trouble if he dared say anything out of line.

Wan Keyao couldn’t even remember being mad at Ye Lian anymore, nor keep up any pretense. Seeing Yan Feilang toasting Ye Qingxu, he quickly blocked it. “He can’t drink. I’ll take it for him.”

Both Jiang Xiaoyu and Ye Qingxu—the father and son—couldn’t touch alcohol. Just the smell made their cheeks flush red. Ye Lian and Wan Keyao coaxed them to go eat with Cat Grandpa.

The yard was filled with laughter and chatter. In a nanny van not far away, Jiang Fenghua watched silently, unable to eat the pastries in her hand.

A-Cui didn’t know what to do. No amount of comforting helped, so she handed Jiang Fenghua a handkerchief. “Shall I have A-Yao take this box of pastries inside?”

Jiang Fenghua wiped the tears from her eye corners. “Go ahead. Don’t say I’m here.”

“Got it.” A-Cui agreed, had A-Da open the car door, and jogged into the yard herself.

Jiang Fenghua wallowed in melancholy for a bit, then took a deep breath and said calmly, “How’s A-Yao doing with the company liaising with the guide dog organization? A-Yao said Little Yu has always wanted to train the puppies at home and send them to people in need. Have you found a reliable organization?”

She went on for several sentences but got no reply. Puzzled, she looked up. “A-Da?”

The old man in front was alert, pressing a finger to his lips to shush Jiang Fenghua.

Having lived through turbulent times, Jiang Fenghua recognized that look immediately. She tensed and leaned down, whispering, “What’s the situation?”

After a long moment, A-Da’s furrowed brows relaxed. “She spotted me.”

“Who?”

“A fairly tall girl. She seemed to be watching the young master’s house.”

“Is she a colleague or someone? She’s not here to harm our kid, is she? Is she from Qianli’s ex-wife’s family? Did they hear A-Yao found the kid and send someone to scout?” Jiang Fenghua asked hurriedly.

A-Da, battle-hardened, knew it wasn’t that simple. The woman had sharp instincts—a single eye contact told him she was no ordinary person. But until things were certain, he couldn’t worry Jiang Fenghua unnecessarily. He softened his tone to reassure her. “Probably not. Likely just curious about the lively scene in the yard.”

“Really?” Jiang Fenghua was doubtful but looked around and saw no one. Just then, A-Cui returned after delivering the pastries, so they left.

The next day, the more Jiang Fenghua thought about it, the more off it felt. She was just about to ask A-Da to watch over the kid when she realized A-Da was gone. Her heart tightened. Without even greeting A-Cui who was making lunch, she grabbed her handbag and rushed out the door.

—

Zhang Pangpang said there was a new place nearby at work with amazing winter melon cups, so Jiang Xiaoyu didn’t bring lunch. At noon, he went out to eat with Zhang Pangpang.

After eating, Jiang Xiaoyu went to pay. Zhang Pangpang suddenly clutched his stomach. “I gotta hit the bathroom. Wait for me outside.”

Jiang Xiaoyu paid and waited by the door. The roadside breeze was chilly, so he buried half his face in his plaid scarf. He vaguely heard a cat meowing.

He looked up and breathed out; the white mist scattered in the wind. Listening closely, it wasn’t his imagination—there really was a cat meowing. He glanced back inside; Zhang Pangpang wouldn’t be out for a while. So he followed the sound.

At the alley entrance, he noticed the figure and muttered, “What an ugly cat… Why does it look so much like Huang Li’s one?”

The cat seemed injured, with a bright red patch on its chest. Jiang Xiaoyu’s heart clenched. Ignoring how it could be here, he ran over.

The cat, as if chased and terrified before, bolted deeper into the alley when Jiang Xiaoyu approached. It only stopped at the end, meowing thinly at him.

“Injured? Don’t be scared. Let me take a look.” Jiang Xiaoyu approached slowly, crouching to signal the kitty not to run.

The clown cat that looked like Colonel Sanders obediently squatted there. Jiang Xiaoyu smiled at it, crouched down, and picked it up. “Let me see… You’re not injured. Is this paint from somewhere?”

The little cat stared blankly, as if scared silly. While Jiang Xiaoyu puzzled over its reaction, he saw a reflection in its copper-yellow pupils.

Before Jiang Xiaoyu could react, his occiput took a heavy blow. Intense pain exploded through his brain. His vision blurred, the world spinning.

The clown cat panicked out of his arms. Jiang Xiaoyu felt his consciousness fading fast, his body growing impossibly heavy. He staggered two steps before collapsing to his knees on the cold ground.

In the last moment before darkness claimed him, he twisted his head with his final strength, trying to see his assailant’s face. What entered his eyes was a familiar face with a ponytail.

A whooshing wind sound came through. Jiang Xiaoyu opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar environment.

Bare concrete and exposed rebar everywhere, dust and cobwebs all around. The air was thick with the stench of mold and rust—this had to be an unfinished or abandoned building.

He tried to sit up, only to find himself tightly bound to a chair, unable to move a muscle. His head throbbed with sharp pain, and the flickering overhead light pulsed in a rhythm that made Jiang Xiaoyu want to vomit.

“You’ve woken up.” With that voice, the light overhead suddenly blazed bright.

Jiang Xiaoyu instinctively squinted. His eyes stung with tears, and his mind buzzed loudly. It took half a minute for him to recover. Tears streaked his face as he looked ahead.

The Rabbit Head Man sat on a rock. The familiar female voice laughed. “The protagonist is awake. Our live broadcast officially begins. Now, let’s meet the participants in this broadcast. On the left, Wei Qian, Section Chief Wei—one of the culprits who took bribes and harmed the experimental dogs.”

As she spoke, the camera focused on Wei Qian. Layers of gauze wrapped around his neck, his hands and feet bound tight. Tape sealed his mouth as he whimpered pathetically.

“On the right… Hmm, I don’t even know her name. She’s just an innocent passerby. Eh, doesn’t matter anyway. She’s just a person.”

Jiang Xiaoyu peered through his blurry, teary eyes. In the cage sat an elegantly dressed old lady, bound just like the rest. Once he made out the woman’s face, his pupils contracted sharply. His body began to tremble violently.

It was Jiang Fenghua!

Jiang Xiaoyu struggled desperately, trying to break free of his bonds. But the ropes held him fast to the chair—he couldn’t budge.

“Huang Li! Are you trying to harm an innocent person?!”

Anger blazed in his eyes like wildfire. His emerald-green gaze was so bright it hurt to look at.

The woman wearing the rabbit-head hood giggled. “I’m not Huang Li. I’m Huang Lu.” As she laughed, the sound of a wheelchair rolling came from the side. Huang Li held the Clown Cat and tittered. “Officer Jiang, your vigilance is kinda lacking.”

The cat trembled on Huang Li’s lap. Smiling, she stroked its fur stroke by stroke, admiring her handiwork. “Remember that choice question I asked you before? What was it you said? You said you wouldn’t let the choice happen. Well, now it’s your turn to choose.”

“These two cages will be pushed off the high-rise in five minutes. Here’s a key. Turn left to open this heinous dog-killer’s cage. Turn right to open that innocent old lady’s cage. Unlike that car that manufactured death, I’m giving you the choice of life. Choose left, and the cage on the right plummets to the bottom. Choose right, and the one on the left does the same.”

“One choice. Save one life. So, who will you choose to save?”