Chapter 69: Emotional Entanglements

“Go ahead, explain why you hit him.”

“What couldn’t be resolved through words? Did you really have to resort to violence?”

“For no reason. I hit him, and you can do whatever you want with me.”

Unlike the male homeowner from the neighboring room who wouldn’t stop talking, Zhou Yan was proving much harder to communicate with.

The two officers had prepared themselves for a long-winded explanation, but to their surprise, this stubborn woman didn’t even try to defend herself. Instead, she bluntly threw out that line to shut them up.

Her refusal to cooperate infuriated the officers. Slamming the mediation form on the table, one of them barked, “What’s your attitude? Do you really think we can’t do anything about you? Assaulting someone, damaging property, refusing to cooperate, and rejecting negotiations for compensation—these are all grounds for detention!”

“Then detain me,” Zhou Yan said coldly, her face as hard as stone.

“Tsk, you’re ungrateful, aren’t you?”

The younger officer quickly lost his temper, but the older, more experienced one intervened. He gently stopped his colleague from leaning forward and focused on Zhou Yan’s fingers nervously fidgeting in her palm. After flipping through the tenant list provided by the property management and waiting a few minutes, he finally asked, “Zhou Yan? Is the dog involved in today’s conflict yours?”

Before being taken away by the police, Zhou Yan had instructed Grandma Qi and Jingang to keep the dog at home no matter what. Unless it was Cheng Simin or Shi Ying at the door, they were not to open it for anyone, ensuring Beibei wouldn’t be seized.

But such measures could only hold for so long. If someone maliciously kept reporting them, creating an uproar, Cheng Simin’s dog would never be safe outside again. This thought weighed heavily on Zhou Yan.

At the mention of the dog, Zhou Yan immediately tensed up. Her eyes locked onto the officer’s face, her voice sharp with suspicion. “Why are you asking about this? Are the police now handling dog matters?”

Seeing her sit upright and willing to talk, the younger officer quickly chimed in, playing good cop-bad cop with his partner. “Of course we handle it. The authorities have the right to confiscate unlicensed dogs and fine their owners. What breed is the dog? Is it unlicensed?”

Rules were rigid, but people weren’t.

In reality, their police station juggled countless tasks daily—burglaries, domestic violence, fraud, pyramid schemes—not to mention nighttime raids and household visits. For private pets kept indoors, they generally preferred resolving issues quietly unless it was a dangerous dog roaming freely.

But Zhou Yan didn’t know this. At the word “confiscation,” her nails dug deep into her palms, almost drawing blood. Her heart raced, and her lips turned pale. When she spoke, her voice trembled with tears.

“You can’t take the dog—it hasn’t done anything wrong. That man lied; the dog didn’t bite him. He’s bullying both humans and animals! It’s my fault—I shouldn’t have fought him in anger. Fine me, arrest me if you must. I admit I hit him and broke his phone. Put me in jail, make me pay damages—but please, leave the dog alone!”

By the end, tears streamed down Zhou Yan’s cheeks, and she covered her face, sobbing uncontrollably.

The once defiant woman was now a weeping mess.

The younger officer clicked his tongue, baffled by how a mere dog could evoke such intense emotion. Frowning, he said, “According to property management, the dog belongs to a female tenant named Cheng Simin in Room 1203. Why are you getting so worked up over someone else’s dog?”

“Or is there something special between you and this tenant?”

At those words, Zhou Yan abruptly looked up, her tear-filled, red-rimmed eyes startling. The younger officer shuddered under her gaze, ready to reprimand her further, but Zhou Yan lowered her head again like a condemned sinner.

Wiping her nose with the back of her hand, she choked out, “No relationship. We’re just neighbors.”

Seeing her state, the older officer knew pressing further would be futile. He stood up, poured her a glass of water, and handed it to her. “Enough crying. Let’s focus on resolving this. Since you’ve admitted your mistakes, the best course is to reach an understanding with the other party.”

“Calm down, apologize when you go over, and we’ll mediate a specific compensation amount. That’ll settle things.”

“Let’s stop stirring trouble. You’re neighbors—unity and harmony should prevail.”

Zhou Yan nodded, agreeing to the settlement.

Busy responding to calls since noon, the two officers hadn’t eaten yet. By the time they left the interrogation room, it was nearly two o’clock, and the cafeteria leftovers were gone. They decided on a hearty plate of chicken stew for 78 yuan at a noodle shop across from the station.

As the complimentary plain noodles arrived, the younger officer immediately scooped the chicken, potatoes, and red oil from his side of the plate into his bowl, mixing it well. Taking a big slurp, he peeled some garlic cloves and casually chatted with the older officer. “Master, you know, that woman actually seems pretty chivalrous.”

“Nowadays, everyone minds their own business. Few stand up for others’ injustices. Seems like they get along well with their neighbors.”

“I’ve owned my new apartment for three years, and neither my wife nor I know our next-door neighbors. All we know is there’s a couple who ‘get busy’ every night.”

The older officer chuckled silently, focusing on eating his noodles and sucking on chicken bones. After finishing, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, “You think she’s acting out of chivalry?”

“To me, it looks more like emotional entanglement. There’s definitely something deeper going on here.”

Good neighborly relations aside, would she risk detention for a dog? He’d checked the system—Zhou Yan had no criminal record and didn’t seem like a hot-headed person.

But that wasn’t their concern. Once the mediation agreement was signed and the parties sent off, their job was done.

“Heh.” Seeing his mentor satisfied, the younger officer dumped the remaining noodles into the shared plate, stirred it twice with his chopsticks, and lifted it to his mouth. “Master, you’re just suffering from occupational disease. Used to working homicide cases, now everything looks like a mystery.”

“I’d say you look pretty mysterious yourself.”

“Enough stuffing your face. Someone’s here to report another case.”

“No call?”

The older officer gestured behind him. The younger one followed his gaze.

The gray sun vanished behind clouds, and freezing rain suddenly poured down.

Outside the noodle shop’s glass door, a thin woman in a shiny cotton coat braved the storm, dashing toward the office building.

Meanwhile, heavy rain and strong winds had closed highways back to the city. Cheng Simin and Shi Ying took a detour returning from the desert, arriving two hours later. Lao Zhao, having learned about Zhou Yan’s situation, had already reached the police station and waited in the lobby to pay compensation on her behalf.

As soon as Shi Ying parked, Cheng Simin rushed inside to meet Lao Zhao.

Pushing open the glass doors, she saw Zhou Yan slowly descending the stairs after being released from the second-floor interrogation room. Chen Xiaofen stood near the lobby office entrance, arguing with an officer.

At 2:20 PM, the preparatory bell rang at Banshan Elementary School, signaling students to return to class. Children scattered across the playground and bathrooms scrambled back, but Cheng Jiabao’s seat remained empty, save for her backpack stuffed in the desk drawer.

By 2:30 PM, official classes began, and she was still absent. The homeroom teacher searched the first-floor bathroom and playground but found no trace of Cheng Jiabao. She immediately called the parents to report the absence.

Chen Xiaofen had been preparing ingredients for oden at the cold noodle shop.

Upon receiving the teacher’s call, she dropped everything and rushed out to search nearby streets on her electric scooter. Despite circling two blocks, she found no sign of Cheng Jiabao.

Not only did she fail to locate her daughter, but distracted by the pouring rain, she crashed her tricycle into a flower bed. With the handlebars shattered and wheels bent, she had no choice but to walk to the nearest police station for help.

However, the officer informed her that to file a missing child report, she needed identification and proof of parentage.

Moreover, elementary schoolers like Cheng Jiabao often simply played hooky. The police advised patience, suggesting she check places the child frequented. Chances were high the child would return home by dismissal time.

Already distraught, Chen Xiaofen felt the weight of despair press harder. Without police assistance, she wandered out in a daze, replaying her youngest daughter’s parting words—”Goodbye, Mom”—before entering school earlier that day. A chilling sense of foreboding gripped her heart.

Cheng Jiabao hadn’t skipped class out of playfulness. She was determined never to see her again—just like her eldest daughter, Cheng Simin.

Losing one daughter was agony enough to make her weep bitterly at night. Losing her husband earlier this year shattered half her soul. This past year, she existed like a walking corpse, surviving only because of her responsibility to raise Cheng Jiabao. Otherwise, she’d have given up living long ago.

“Go home, get my ID, find the household registration book.”

Chen Xiaofen mumbled mechanically, her limbs moving like an automaton.

Before leaving the lobby, her vision blurred, and her legs buckled beneath her. She collapsed onto the floor.

Several arms reached out to help her up. Gasping for breath, she raised her head. Whether due to dizziness or disbelief, the first face she saw was unmistakably Cheng Simin’s.