Su Zhisheng’s expression nearly cracked.
Unlike the young officer who had reacted so strongly, Xing Tianwei remained calmly seated. His expression was cool, his clear voice as steady as ever. “I’ll call Officer Yang to bring the police dog.”
“Later, we’ll run some verification tests on your ability…”
Hearing this, the young officer’s expression grew even more strained.
The pitiful rich kid he’d sympathized with might be on drugs.
And his brilliant, mighty superior was actually buying into this nonsense, calling in backup—both human and canine—to run some kind of “ability test.”
For a moment, the young officer couldn’t tell which was more absurd.
He slowly sank back into his chair, his eyes glazing over slightly, muttering, “I must still be asleep…”
He raised his hand, intending to pinch a coworker to see if this was a dream.
But the moment he met his captain’s icy stare, he immediately chickened out. He pivoted his fingers and pinched his own arm.
“Ow!”
“Pfft…” Su Zhisheng couldn’t help but laugh.
He had thought he’d just have to wait around bored for the dog to arrive. He hadn’t expected to get a show first.
That young officer was so young—probably a rookie. Even in uniform, he still carried that novice’s unique energy and… naivety.
Just look—the aloof officer’s face had darkened even more. Maybe he thought his subordinate’s foolishness, on display in front of a member of the public, was embarrassing.
With nothing better to do, Su Zhisheng amused himself with such idle speculation.
“Woof woof!” Before long, a German Shepherd appeared at the doorway.
The dog, which had been walking normally, suddenly quickened its pace and ran straight toward Su Zhisheng.
Though the young officer found the idea of superpowers absurd, deep down he still hoped Su Zhisheng wasn’t on anything bad.
But then the police dog grew visibly excited over Su Zhisheng, lunging at him and clamping its jaws onto his black messenger bag.
The young officer’s heart sank!
As for Su Zhisheng himself, his ears were already flooded with the word “rabbit leg” on repeat.
Only when the bag was in the dog’s mouth did the excited barking finally stop.
“Okay, okay, don’t worry. I’ll give you the rabbit leg right now.”
With that, he unzipped his bag and pulled out a vacuum-sealed rabbit leg.
Seeing this, the handler’s face turned bright red.
“No, don’t give it to him. Our ‘Gale’ is a police dog—we don’t take so much as a needle or thread from the public.”
“I brought this specifically for him. Call it my payment for the petting service.” Su Zhisheng tore open the package and fed the rabbit leg to the dog.
“The last time I came in for a statement, he kept going on about rabbit legs. After I left, I bought some, thinking maybe I’d run into him again sometime. I didn’t expect it to be so soon…”
The German Shepherd’s coat was sleek and shiny—clearly well cared for.
Su Zhisheng petted the dog, his mood growing brighter by the second. His fur felt just as good as he remembered.
The handler recalled why Captain Xing Tianwei had called him over, and his expression toward Su Zhisheng shifted.
“I thought I was coming to help expose a fraud. I didn’t expect you to actually have a special ability. Gale loves rabbit meat. This is only your second time at the station, and suddenly you have an uncommon rabbit meat snack in your bag—Gale must have told you.”
Xing Tianwei lightly tapped his fingers on the table.
“Rabbit meat, while not a standout among pet treats, does have its place. But our report needs more rigorous evidence. The tests still need to be conducted.”
Su Zhisheng nodded. “Okay.”
He knew the captain wasn’t targeting him—he was just meticulous in his work. After all, Xing Tianwei was the first person to believe him and the one who had proactively proposed the testing and reporting.
Xing Tianwei turned to the German Shepherd’s handler. “Pick an old case with distinctive details that are easy to remember. Have him ask Gale about it.”
For a dog to remember something, it needed to be distinctive.
“Got it.” The handler thought for a moment. “Where did Gale earn his first commendation, and what kind of case was it related to?”
Su Zhisheng took out a rabbit leg as payment.
But since Gale was a police dog, his phrasing naturally had to be different.
“Gale, can you tell me? Answer correctly, and we might get to work cases together in the future. Then I’ll bring you a rabbit leg every single day.”
“Woof woof! My first commendation was in a forest, hunting down a hidden drug den. They had a whole box of powder. My handler privately rewarded me with a whole box of duck legs.”
“Good boy, Gale. Help me vouch for this. Once I successfully land a public sector job, I’ll get you a box of duck legs too.”
As Su Zhisheng petted the dog, he relayed the answers to the officers.
Three questions in a row, and Su Zhisheng answered each one perfectly.
By then, all the duck legs in his backpack were gone.
After all, his bag had to carry treats for all kinds of different animals—lots of variety, but naturally not large quantities.
Su Zhisheng spread his hands. “Duck legs are all gone. I’ll bring more next time.”
The handler’s face flushed slightly. “Don’t spoil him too much. He’s just being greedy. We feed him plenty.”
With that, he walked over, pressed his large palm firmly on the dog’s head, and rubbed it.
He was annoyed and wanted to punish the dog, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
In the end, the only thing that suffered was the dog’s hairstyle.
“Arf—my hairdo! I don’t look handsome anymore…”
Su Zhisheng was amused. He reached out and smoothed the dog’s fur. “There. Now you’re a dashingly handsome little dog again.”
The handler looked at Su Zhisheng with eager anticipation.
“You like Gale so much—why don’t you come work at our station? Once the higher-ups finish their review, I’m sure you’ll be hired as a special police consultant.”
The warm, cheerful young officer also got up from his seat and walked over to chat.
“Right. If you come work at our station, I’ll treat you like my own little brother. Our unit is a very warm, big family…”
As he said this, following Su Zhisheng’s gaze, he slowly turned his head.
And then he saw his boss’s icy face.
Suddenly, his “warm family” pitch sounded like he was lying through his teeth!
The young officer cleared his throat. “Don’t let our captain’s serious face fool you—he’s actually a really nice guy. Plus, he’s from a wealthy family and often treats everyone to meals…”
Su Zhisheng chuckled.
Throughout his subordinate’s praise, Xing Tianwei remained seated upright, his voice as cool and steady as ever.
Even in the presence of a unique consultant who would surely be highly sought after, he didn’t lose his composure.
“Your ability is one of a kind. Many departments will extend you offers. Whether you choose to develop your career on a bigger stage in the capital or stay in Yuntian City with your family—that’s a decision you’ll have to make for yourself.”
Su Zhisheng paused.
He knew it would be better for Xing Tianwei’s unit if he stayed in Yuntian City.
But the captain still laid out the pros and cons for him, letting him make his own choice instead of trying to recruit him outright.
An officer who considered his future like this made Su Zhisheng’s heart feel warm.
“I’m still in university. I won’t be leaving Yuntian City anytime soon.”
“Besides, I’ve lived in Yuntian City with my adoptive mother since I was young. This is my hometown. It may not be as prosperous as the capital, but I’ll do my best to help solve cases faster and make our public security better.”
If Su Zhisheng were the type to be corrupted by greed, he would never have left the Su family in the first place. He could have just obediently waited to marry some rich playboy.
Su Zhisheng looked at the adorable big dog in his hands, then at the beaming young officer.
“Captain Xing, you’re professional and reliable. And this young officer is warm, funny, and easy to get along with. I’m really looking forward to working with all of you.”
Xing Tianwei’s gaze slid sideways to the young officer beside him.
It was true. Su Zhisheng hadn’t been to the station many times, but the rookie had made him laugh quite a bit.
Xing Tianwei looked at Su Zhisheng before him and extended his hand.
“Consider this an early welcome. Welcome to the Yuntian City Police Bureau unit.”
“Thank you, Captain Xing.” Su Zhisheng spoke formally. He reached out, shook the captain’s hand briefly, then let go.
It was a very businesslike exchange. Even though he hadn’t officially joined yet, Su Zhisheng already felt a strong sense of being at work.
“Woof woof! I want to shake paws too. Gale welcomes you!”
Su Zhisheng looked down, smiled, and took the dog’s paw, giving it a gentle shake.
“Thank you for the welcome, Gale.”
That said, Gale’s main job was drug detection, so they wouldn’t have many opportunities to work together directly. But there would be plenty of chances to pet a furry dog on the clock—that was still pretty great, hehe.
Seeing this, the young officer started clamoring. “Me too, me too!”
He grabbed Su Zhisheng’s hand and shook it excitedly. “Welcome, welcome! Once you start working here, I’ll share all the gossip I know with you.”
“Sure thing.” Su Zhisheng smiled brightly, without a trace of awkwardness.
Xing Tianwei remained expressionless.
He withdrew his gaze and scrolled through the messages on his phone.
“The patient’s resuscitation failed. He’s dead. The victim’s family is on their way to the station. Xiao Zhang, get ready to mediate and offer support.”
“Got it.” The young officer’s heart sank.
Su Zhisheng sighed softly.
Having seen the victim’s terrible condition at the scene, he had known the odds of survival were slim. Liposuction was a procedure with small external incisions but extensive internal trauma. That was why most plastic surgery deaths that trended online were linked to liposuction.
In the police station lobby, Hu Xiuchun sat in a chair, having just given her statement, waiting in agony.
She was still dressed glamorously, but her face couldn’t hide its haggardness.
The rest of the Su family was nowhere to be seen—because she simply didn’t dare tell them.
After all, she couldn’t let it be known that she had been using the Su family name to line her own pockets behind her husband’s back.
She hoped that paying some compensation would make this go away without her family finding out.
Hu Xiuchun looked at the officer before her, her eyes welling up with tears. “I’m truly wronged! I’m not a doctor—how am I supposed to distinguish between different qualifications? He was a doctor from a regular hospital. When he said he could perform the surgery, of course I believed him.”
“He did the procedure, left, and before he went, I even saw him instructing our salon’s assistant on post-op care. Naturally, I thought everything was fine…”
Because she was tight on money and trying to cut costs, Hu Xiuchun had fired the salon’s full-time doctor. When a client came in, she would hire a freelance doctor instead.
Who knew…
“It’s all that doctor’s fault!”
The surgeon, though in the wrong, also tried to shift the blame.
“It’s true I don’t have the qualifications to perform the surgery—that’s my mistake. But I was only paid for one day’s work, so I left. How was I supposed to know her beauty salon had no other doctors…”
Seeing them turn on each other like dogs fighting over a bone, the officer felt nothing but contempt.
“The victim’s family is on their way. You’d better spend your energy thinking about what you’re going to say to them.”
Just then, Su Zhisheng walked out of the statement room alongside the officers.
Hu Xiuchun caught sight of him and took a step back in shock.
“Wh-why are you here?”
The police hadn’t revealed who had filed the report. Hu Xiuchun hadn’t connected it to the beauty salon at all.
A dozen thoughts raced through her mind, but only one remained.
Could it be that there was a new lead in the old nanny child-switching case?
No—if that were the case, she wouldn’t be sitting comfortably in the police station lobby. She’d be in a detention cell.
Su Zhisheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
He felt his stepmother’s reaction was a bit odd.
Before he could speak, a shrike outside the door called out.
“Wow, what a sharp hairpin. It’d be perfect for skewering meat.”
“Ah—why did she stick it in her hair? She already has other pins holding her bun in place…”