Chapter 81: Steady Under Pressure

“Come here.”

Just as Aofeng was hesitating, Song’s mother called out without even looking up. Aofeng sheepishly made his way down the stairs. She glanced at him, then got up and headed toward the kitchen.

A moment later, she came out carrying a basin of food.

It had been over ten hours since last night, and Aofeng was far too hungry to care about appearances. The moment the basin was set down, he buried his head in it and started wolfing down the food. Only after devouring most of it did the rumbling in his stomach finally subside. He slowly finished the rest, then let out a couple of low barks toward Song’s mother to show his gratitude.

Hearing the sounds, Song’s mother assumed he wanted water, so she got up again and brought him some. And truth be told, now that he was full, he really was a bit thirsty. Aofeng lapped up the small basin of water without hesitation.

Once he’d eaten and drunk his fill, Aofeng stretched out his limbs on the spot. Just as he was about to get up and move around, his expression suddenly changed, and he flopped back down. Uh-oh. He’d eaten too much. His stomach felt like it was about to burst, and even the slightest movement made it feel like the food might come right back up.

Only now did Aofeng understand why the training base always insisted they eat only until they were seventy or eighty percent full.

As he lay there regretting his gluttony, he suddenly heard a quiet sigh escape from Song’s mother. He turned his head and saw her still staring at something on the coffee table, her face clouded with worry and a hint of sorrow.

Aofeng didn’t need to think hard to figure it out. She was probably worried about their family business. After all, a criminal case had just occurred here. Even though the perpetrator had been caught and the place wasn’t sealed off, once word got out, business was bound to suffer for a while. Who knew what kind of grudge Chen Wenli had against the victim?

Aofeng let out a sigh. He hadn’t expected something like this to happen when he followed Song Changfeng home. Still, it was a good thing they’d come back when they did, or the culprit might not have been caught so quickly. He craned his neck to look at the coffee table, expecting to see some kind of case file, but to his surprise, it was just a thin sheet of paper.

Curious, Aofeng wondered what could be on that paper to make Song’s mother sigh like that. He got up and pretended to pace around to help digestion. As he passed the coffee table, he stole a glance at it as if by accident.

That one glance left Aofeng stunned. The paper bore bold characters: “Transfer Application Form.” It was even stamped with the official seal of the Police Dog Training Base. That meant the person requesting the transfer was none other than Song Changfeng. But hadn’t he said before that his mother would never allow him to serve on the front lines? Was he trying to test whether her attitude had changed?

No wonder Song Changfeng had seemed so downcast ever since he went to pack Aofeng’s things the day before yesterday. He’d clearly had something weighing on his mind. And no wonder – his lifelong dream had always been to be a good cop like his father, someone who protected the people and brought criminals to justice. Now that he finally had a chance to transfer, of course he wanted to seize it.

But why would he suddenly want to transfer after raising police dogs for years? Aofeng thought about it for a moment and figured it probably had something to do with the events of the past six months.

Over that time, they’d encountered several cases. In each one, Song Changfeng had demonstrated a level of professionalism far beyond that of an ordinary Police Dog Instructor. That showed he hadn’t forgotten his training over the years. In fact, he might have continued studying criminal investigation on his own, even if he wasn’t sure he’d ever get to use it.

Aofeng sighed again. How could anyone have it both ways in life? How could Song Changfeng honor what he’d learned without going against his mother’s wishes? Right now, it seemed like he hadn’t found a way to do both.

But Song’s mother had been staring at that application for a long, long time. Could it be that she was starting to waver?

Just then, footsteps echoed from upstairs. As Aofeng turned to look, Song’s mother quickly stuffed the application into the drawer beneath the coffee table. She’d found it while packing Song Changfeng’s bag. He had folded it neatly and tucked it deep into the innermost pocket. When she saw it, she’d been furious and had planned to confront him about it today. But after what happened last night, she wasn’t so sure anymore. She couldn’t help but wonder: was what she thought was best for him really what he wanted?

When Song Changfeng came downstairs, the first thing he saw was the food bowl in front of Aofeng. It had been licked completely clean, looking almost untouched at first glance. But a few crumbs on the side betrayed the fact that it had indeed held food.

“Mom,” Song Changfeng called softly, striding over in just a few steps.

Mother and son sat down and exchanged a few words. When he learned that she hadn’t rested since the night before, he immediately urged her to go lie down. She didn’t object. After reminding him to reheat the food in the kitchen, she left the living room.

Aofeng felt the atmosphere relax considerably. It wasn’t as tense as it had been during their earlier conversation. There wasn’t any real rift between them, yet their interactions still felt stiff and awkward. Aofeng hadn’t understood why before, but now he did. There was an invisible wall between them. On the surface, there was no conflict, but deep down, both harbored unspoken concerns.

Aofeng had thought about pulling out the transfer application while Song’s mother was upstairs, so Song Changfeng would know she’d already discovered his intentions. But in the end, he decided against it.

The way she had hidden the paper made her feelings clear. At least for now, she didn’t want to talk about it. And Song Changfeng hadn’t brought it up either, probably because he hadn’t made up his mind yet. Fine, this was their family matter. They could work it out themselves. He was just a police dog with a bit of cultivation. No need to overthink it.

…

Chen Wenli, now in police custody, still refused to reveal her motive. This was causing a lot of trouble for the officers. If she would just confess, the case could be wrapped up quickly. Otherwise, the police would have to interrogate her while simultaneously investigating her and the victim’s social circles, looking for any possible connection between them. Only then could they begin to infer a motive and use various clues to pry open her lips.

Because of Chen Wenli’s refusal to cooperate, the police returned to Hot Spring Villa on the morning of the third day. They retrieved all surveillance footage of Chen Wenli at the villa, hoping to see if she had acted suspiciously, contacted anyone, or possibly had an accomplice.

At first, Aofeng was quite invested in the case, but before long, his attention shifted—Pingcheng’s New Year celebrations had begun.

Though Pingcheng’s festive atmosphere wasn’t as intense as in other cities, it had its own unique charm. Some of the local folk traditions were especially eye-opening for Aofeng.

Still, no matter how different the customs were, the heart of the holiday remained the same: food! During these few days of celebration, Song Changfeng lifted all dietary restrictions on Aofeng. As long as it didn’t have a major impact on his health, Aofeng could indulge his cravings. While he was thrilled, he also felt a twinge of concern—he could already feel changes in his body. But he quickly pushed those worries aside. It was the New Year, after all—why stress about that now? With Song Changfeng’s ruthless training methods, once they were back at the Training Base, it wouldn’t take more than three days for his body to bounce back under the grueling regimen.

Of course, Aofeng wasn’t thinking only about food. Between meals and festivities, two things remained on his mind. One, naturally, was the murder case at Hot Spring Villa. On the fourth day of the New Year, when her grief-stricken parents came to visit—hair noticeably grayer—Chen Wenli finally opened up.

The motive behind the murder turned out to be love.

Three years ago, Chen Wenli had been in a relationship with the victim, Liu Fei. Though Liu Fei wasn’t exactly handsome or dashing, he wasn’t unattractive either. He was witty, generous, and quickly won Chen Wenli’s heart.

After dating for over half a year, Chen Wenli had fallen deeply in love and began dreaming of building a warm home with Liu Fei. But Liu Fei, who had always been gentle and attentive, kept dodging the topic. He either changed the subject or claimed the timing wasn’t right.

This left Chen Wenli heartbroken and suspicious. She began to think Liu Fei was just toying with her. So she hired a private investigator to look into him. The results shattered her. Liu Fei already had a family. Without realizing it, she had become the despised “other woman.” Overwhelmed with emotion, Chen Wenli was suddenly wracked with abdominal pain. At the hospital, the doctor regretfully informed her that she had lost the fetus—barely two months along.

The blow was too much. Chen Wenli broke down completely, her mental state deteriorating. When Liu Fei found out, he quietly transferred a sum of money into her account and vanished without a trace, never showing up again.

Then, last year, by sheer coincidence, Chen Wenli ran into Liu Fei while he was vacationing with his family. That picture of warmth and happiness stabbed her in the heart. How could he live so blissfully after deceiving her?

She began plotting revenge. That night, she climbed out the window and cut the power to the villa. Then, posing as room service, she knocked on Liu Fei’s door. The moment he saw her, Liu Fei looked uneasy, but it didn’t last. He quickly fell into the trap of her beauty, letting his guard down. That’s when Chen Wenli pulled out a knife and, with all her strength, plunged it into his chest…

After learning the full story, Aofeng didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t judge it. But he did understand one thing: a world without order is a terrifying place.

Aside from the case, the other matter occupying Aofeng’s thoughts was Song Changfeng’s job transfer. Even up to the afternoon before their flight back to the Training Base, he hadn’t seen the two of them discuss it at all.

Those two… they really knew how to keep their cool.