At the Yuntian City Police Station, Su Zhisheng completed his onboarding paperwork and was led by HR to Xing Tianwei.
“I’m the captain of the Criminal Investigation Unit, and also your direct supervisor. If you run into any problems in the future, come to me.”
Several other colleagues also took the initiative to greet him. The first to speak was the sunny, cheerful young officer Su Zhisheng already knew.
“I’m Zhang Zhengyang. Call me Brother Zhang or Brother Yang—whatever works. The captain is pretty serious, so if you’re afraid to ask him too many questions, come to me instead.”
An older officer overheard and couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re still a rookie yourself—focus on your own work first. You haven’t even been here a full year, and you want to mentor a newbie? Aren’t you afraid of leading him astray?”
“Don’t throw me under the bus.” Zhang Zhengyang opened his drawer. “Zhisheng, I got you a little welcome gift. These candies are sweet—they’ll spike your dopamine and lift your mood instantly. Plus, if we suddenly get a case and have to work overtime, candy gives us an emergency energy boost.”
“I didn’t prepare anything special, but I have some tangerines. Here’s one for you—may everything go smoothly in your new job…”
“Thank you.”
Su Zhisheng followed behind Xing Tianwei, walking around the station to meet his new colleagues.
“This is the Drug Enforcement Unit…”
“Woof woof…”
Before anyone else could say anything, the German Shepherd bounded out and leaped straight into Su Zhisheng’s arms.
“Gale, such a good boy.” Su Zhisheng happily petted the dog while greeting everyone.
The colleagues at the station had already been following the Su family drama closely because of the previous child-switching case and the Zhou Jiale disappearance case.
They felt quite sympathetic toward Su Zhisheng, and since he was still an undergraduate student, the seasoned veterans were extra kind to him.
Moreover, Su Zhisheng was a special consultant who could understand animal speech. Colleagues from other units might also work with him on cases in the future, so naturally, they wanted to build good relationships with him.
After making a full round, Su Zhisheng’s pockets were stuffed with all sorts of odds and ends.
Xing Tianwei led Su Zhisheng into his office and began explaining various work-related matters.
“You’re still a university student. Your studies should come first.”
There was no reason for Su Zhisheng to drop out just because he had become a special consultant. Besides, Su Zhisheng needed to communicate with animals to find clues for solving cases. The veterinary knowledge he was studying would also help him better understand animals.
Su Zhisheng nodded. “My semester starts in early September. Since it’s still the end of August and I’m only interning at the pet hospital right now, feel free to assign me any important tasks.”
“No rush. Take a look at this first.” Xing Tianwei took a folder from his desk and handed it over.
Inside were the documents for the beauty salon case.
The beauty salon medical malpractice case had been preliminarily closed. The surgeon bore primary responsibility. Though he had paid compensation and received the family’s forgiveness, he would still face prison time in the end.
Hu Xiuchun, the salon owner, and Zhou Jiale’s mother had reached a mutual understanding, so neither would go to jail. However, to prevent Hu Xiuchun’s scandal from spreading and damaging the Su family’s reputation, the Su family had paid the Zhou family considerable compensation.
Su Zhisheng raised an eyebrow.
His stepmother was probably having a rough time.
Although the Su family was well-known for their wealth, the entertainment company’s projects required investments often in the hundreds of millions, leaving limited liquid capital on hand. As a result, the Su family’s monthly allowance was the same as his salary—just 30,000 yuan—far less than outsiders imagined.
That said, the Su family needed to maintain appearances, so there were additional perks like clothing and jewelry allowances.
His stepmother’s standard of living was quite high, but she didn’t have much liquid cash. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have needed to slash expenses drastically when the Zhang family pulled their investment from the beauty salon.
She had hoped to make money and increase her cash flow through the new beauty salon, but instead ended up losing everything. She probably hated him to the core now.
Not that it mattered. They were already enemies—a little more bad blood didn’t change anything.
Su Zhisheng flipped to the last page of the document, which listed the specific tasks handled by the officers involved in the case. Naturally, this included the contribution Su Zhisheng had made at the police station entrance.
Xing Tianwei’s cool features carried a rare trace of amusement.
“They all said you haven’t even officially started working yet, and you’ve already made a contribution that makes them, the old-timers, feel like they’re being run ragged.”
Su Zhisheng’s face flushed slightly.
Xing Tianwei wasn’t usually one for jokes, but seeing Su Zhisheng’s handsome face, he inexplicably found himself relaying his colleagues’ teasing remarks.
Seeing that the young university student was thin-skinned and couldn’t handle the teasing, Xing Tianwei stopped joking and turned serious. “This 1,000 yuan bonus will be paid out next month.”
“Okay.”
At the mention of money, Su Zhisheng remembered the 10,000 yuan Xing Tianwei had transferred to him earlier.
“Captain Xing, my adoptive mother is still in the hospital recovering from surgery. If you want her help going back to her hometown to ask about the nanny from back then, it probably won’t be happening anytime soon…”
Xing Tianwei’s expression remained calm and steady. “No rush. If there’s one thing we police officers have in abundance, it’s patience.”
He reached out and took another folder from his desk.
When Su Zhisheng opened it, he saw it was about the Zhou Jiale disappearance case.
“Zhou Jiale came from a poor background. For him to have gotten in contact with Zhang Weilong, someone must have made the introduction. The second phone he used to communicate with Zhang Weilong has already been destroyed.”
“But after we arrested Zhang Weilong, we examined his phone. Their relationship was legally defined as a normal boyfriend-boyfriend relationship. However, Zhou Jiale’s second phone likely contained other things that couldn’t see the light of day.”
Legally defined… Su Zhisheng savored the phrasing and already had a sense of the situation.
“Moreover, Zhou Jiale deliberately avoided detection by being picked up in a private car from the urban village. We suspect there’s a major organized prostitution ring behind him.”
Xing Tianwei had the mobile carrier cooperate in tracing the origin of Zhou Jiale’s second phone number. After layers of investigation, the police finally zeroed in on one person.
Su Zhisheng looked at the last page of the document and unconsciously read aloud.
“Wang Hao, bronze-tier agent at Su Family Film & Television Company, actual sales consultant for Ronghua Beauty Salon…”
A nighttime scene surfaced in Su Zhisheng’s mind. “It’s him—the interviewer who tried to sell my roommate Gao Lijian on cosmetic surgery.”
There was no doubt that all of this was connected to his stepmother.
“We investigated Wang Hao’s residential complex, but he’s nowhere to be found. According to the security guard, like many other residents, he likes to hang out and play with the stray orange tabby in the neighborhood.”
Xing Tianwei was a man of action. He stood up as he spoke and took his casual clothes from the cabinet.
“This is your first task since joining the force. I’ll personally accompany you.”
“…Okay.” Su Zhisheng steeled himself and agreed.
Although he knew the police wouldn’t send him alone to handle a case, and he knew the station wouldn’t assign someone with less than a year of experience like Zhang Zhengyang to mentor a newcomer, and he knew Captain Xing Tianwei wasn’t a bad person…
Still… he really would have preferred to go on this mission with the cheerful, young officer.
Su Zhisheng took a deep breath and quickly steadied his thoughts.
After all, he had internship experience. If he encountered a little mental block, he could adjust quickly.
On the lawn of the residential complex, a round, plump orange tabby lay sunbathing.
“They say orange cats are heavy, but this one is seriously overweight,” Su Zhisheng muttered after just one glance from afar.
“Meow! Human, this one heard you calling me fat. You’re not allowed to pet this cat!” The large orange tabby let out an angry meow.
No matter how fat its body, its ears were still sharp.
Xing Tianwei frowned at the sight.
“This orange cat doesn’t seem very friendly toward you. Be careful.”
New recruits often had an overflowing sense of justice and were willing to take all kinds of risks for the sake of solving a case.
To be cautious, Xing Tianwei offered some words of reassurance.
“Other colleagues at the station are continuing to investigate Wang Hao’s whereabouts. Those lying low will eventually become active again and slip up. This case will be solved. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
Su Zhisheng felt a warmth in his heart.
No wonder Zhang Zhengyang always sang Captain Xing’s praises. He was truly reliable, considering every detail for the newcomer’s well-being. He didn’t even neglect mental health guidance.
“Don’t worry. I’ve always been popular with animals. This orange cat is just throwing a little tantrum because it heard me teasing it. It doesn’t dislike me enough to actually claw me.”
“Who said this one isn’t angry? This one won’t forgive you.” The large orange tabby turned around and pointed its round, fluffy backside at Su Zhisheng.
Su Zhisheng pulled a delicious dried fish from his backpack. The moment he tore open the package, an irresistible, savory aroma wafted through the air.
The orange cat’s ears twitched, and its round face quickly pivoted back.
“Meow, is this a peace offering? This one isn’t that petty of a cat. I suppose I’ll generously forgive you!”
“Meow~ It’s delicious. This one wants more…”
Just a moment ago, it was too angry to let him pet it. But after two dried fish, the big fat orange cat was already rolling over, belly exposed, asking for more.
With such an unprincipled little cat, it was no wonder it had managed to mooch food from the entire neighborhood and turn itself into a giant furball.
However, Su Zhisheng, who had handed over a generous amount of dried fish, wanted more than just a belly rub.
He held up his phone, showing Wang Hao’s photo to the large orange tabby.
“Little cat, do you remember him?”
To be honest, Su Zhisheng wasn’t very confident in this fickle cat. After all, this residential complex had several buildings and over a thousand tenants. Could this big orange cat really remember that many people who fed it?
“Meow, I remember! That human said a few days ago that he was leaving and wouldn’t be bringing this one dried fish anymore.” The large orange cat swished its tail angrily. “He stopped feeding this one. So angry!”
Su Zhisheng: “…”
So that’s why it remembered?
You fickle, heartless little cat!
Su Zhisheng grumbled inwardly but didn’t say it aloud.
Then, the orange cat’s tone suddenly shifted. For once, it sounded serious.
“Meow, even though the one who feeds me gets my favor… this one noticed he’s not a good person. A few days ago, he got into an argument with a pretty young woman. She said she was about to be crushed by loan payments.”
“That same night, after the argument, he packed his things and said goodbye to this one. He said he was going to Purple Jade Island to lay low for a while. If things got dicey, he’d go straight to Southeast Asia and never come back.”
“Thank you, little cat.” Su Zhisheng reached out and rubbed the big fat orange tabby. “You’ve provided a very important lead.”
Su Zhisheng stood up and turned around, only to realize Xing Tianwei was still standing in the distance.
“Captain Xing, why are you standing so far away? It’s not like there’s anything dangerous over here.”
Xing Tianwei, the “dangerous thing” in question, replied, “I didn’t want to come closer in case I scared the cat away.”
Su Zhisheng: “…”
This was a cat that ate from a hundred different households. Captain, just how unpopular are you with small animals?
Well, actually, it wasn’t that hard to understand.
Even though Captain Xing was a good person, his presence was incredibly intense. Even Su Zhisheng, working alongside him, felt a little psychological pressure.
Pushing that feeling aside, Su Zhisheng walked over to Xing Tianwei and reported what he had learned.
The search and arrest operation for Wang Hao could now move forward…
Saturday arrived—sunny and bright, perfect for going out, perfect for feasting.
The operation to arrest Wang Hao was quietly underway. As for Su Zhisheng, he neither had to intern at the pet hospital nor go to work at the police station today.
With the start of the new semester approaching, Xing Tianwei had specially given him time off to prepare.
For many students, today was a miserable day of scrambling to finish homework.
But for Su Mingjie’s fans, today was the joyous occasion of their idol’s engagement to the Wei family heir.
Most fans don’t like it when their idols fall in love or get married. However, Su Mingjie’s boyfriend was the heir of the top-tier Wei family—a fact that made fans proud, making them much more accepting of the relationship.
To boost his fame, Su Mingjie announced that he would release some photos from the engagement banquet online. Since all the guests were aristocrats and celebrities, a live stream was out of the question—only a small batch of pre-approved photos would be posted. Fans didn’t press the issue; they were content to witness a luxurious lawn engagement banquet.
The engagement banquet was anticipated not only by Su Mingjie’s fans but also by netizens curious about the lives of the wealthy… and by Su Zhisheng, who had long been planning something.
Near the hotel where the engagement banquet was being held, there was a small river.
Su Zhisheng carried a bucket of small fish to the riverbank, as he often did.
Here were his “soldiers,” the ones he had trained.
Soon, night herons flew over one by one, landing at his feet.
“Remember our agreement? Today’s the day for the big mission.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll make sure they enjoy a spectacular aerial display,” one night heron said.
Night herons were plump-bodied birds with gray-blue wings. The two long feathers trailing from their heads looked like antennae, which had earned them the nickname “cockroach birds.”
Though, their looks were far superior to actual cockroaches.
And their droppings certainly weren’t as small.
Hearing the night herons’ assurances, Su Zhisheng nodded in satisfaction and began feeding them fish.
“Delicious. Give us another one. The more we eat, the more we… produce.”
“Right. You can rest assured. Even if that body in the cleaning cart is discovered and the police come to seal off the scene, we’ll still fly in and help you bomb Su Mingjie.”
Su Zhisheng: “…”
Wait, what?
There’s a body hidden in the cleaning cart?