Chapter 169: Little One

Perhaps Katerina genuinely did not expect Chang Yu to bring up Hao Qifu, so her expression carried a hint of surprise.

"They will probably send him to prison to serve time. Although he had his reasons, he really did come very close to killing his two classmates," Katerina thought for a moment before replying.

"You can't let him go to prison! He is innocent!" Chang Yu immediately grew anxious. "Those classmates constantly bullied him, pushing him to the absolute limit before he even thought about taking revenge."

"I saw all of Hao Qifu's bullying experiences in my dream; they were truly horrific. If you had seen his suffering with your own eyes, it would be very easy to understand his entire descent into darkness."

Recalling what he had witnessed in the dream, Chang Yu felt an immense wave of sympathy for Hao Qifu.

When he watched Hao Qifu being relentlessly tormented by his peers, he had flown into a rage, wishing he could tie those tormentors up and sink them into a great river just to find some relief.

Putting himself in Hao Qifu's shoes, if he had suffered that level of bullying, he surely would have taken the exact same retaliatory actions.

Hao Qifu was originally a harmless little lamb; it was that group of classmates who had forcefully driven him to become a wolf.

The grave mistake he ended up making today was entirely caused by that gang of classmates.

A flicker of sorrow crossed the depths of Katerina's eyes, and her spirit dimmed as she grew terribly unhappy.

How could she not know that Hao Qifu had been bullied by his classmates to the verge of a complete psychological breakdown?

She had read through the case file transferred to her by Zhen Youcai earnestly and repeatedly, and her sympathy for Hao Qifu was no less than Chang Yu's.

"How can you think I don't know what you're talking about?" Katerina spoke as if her vitality had been drained in an instant, looking utterly exhausted.

"But the law is the law. No matter how much helplessness and anguish he endured, no matter how many circumstances beyond his control he faced, he must still submit to the judgment of the law."

"He broke the law and nearly killed two classmates. Regardless of the reason, he must bear the consequences of violating the law."

There was one thing Katerina did not tell Chang Yu.

If everyone simply acted according to their own subjective sense of justice, the world would have descended into complete chaos long ago.

If everyone believed they were righteous, what then would true justice be?

"No!"

Chang Yu felt a sudden wave of dizziness wash over him, his heart freezing cold from head to toe.

"This kind of outcome completely lacks any human warmth. I cannot accept him facing such a judgment; it's simply too unfair to him."

"Chang Yu, the law has never been something warm or sentimental," Katerina took a deep breath and said slowly.

"If the law were sentimental, it would lose its impartiality, and those who broke the law would simply walk free."

"I really can't reason with you," Chang Yu looked numbly at the unimaginably beautiful girl before him, suddenly feeling as though he were getting to know her for the very first time.

In his impression, Katerina should have been a person with a strong sense of justice and mission.

Yet the words she had just spoken sounded so cold and merciless, entirely unlike something that such a kind-hearted person would say.

Chang Yu felt a sudden crack split open in his heart, with freezing winds relentlessly pouring through the fissure, chilling him to the bone.

At this moment, Katerina felt equally stifled, truly burdened with grievances she could not easily express.

She did not know how to explain this matter to Chang Yu, because no matter how she explained it, every interpretation seemed wrong.

Chang Yu's persistence was correct, but upholding the majesty of the law was also correct.

Neither of them was in the wrong; so what on earth was wrong?

Yes... what on earth was wrong?

The look Chang Yu directed at her made Katerina feel deeply uncomfortable—it was a gaze filled with sorrow and forlorn detachment, as if he were looking at a complete stranger rather than a companion who walked by his side day and night.

Just as the conversation between the two fell into a stalemate, a sudden phone ring broke the delicate and awkward atmosphere.

"Hello, Katerina..." a heavy male voice came through the phone. "Was Hao Qifu's case originally handled by your team?"

"That's right, we handled it," Katerina sighed and said.

"Come to the headquarters to make a statement. Something has happened to Hao Qifu." The male voice continued.

"What happened?"

"Hao Qifu... he's dead!"

What? Hao Qifu was dead!

Hearing the news over the phone, Chang Yu felt as though he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. He stood frozen in place, utterly dazed like a soul detached from its body.

Katerina's expression did not look good either; from the moment she hung up the phone, dark clouds perpetually hung over her face.

"Such a healthy person... how could he just die?" Chang Yu suddenly felt a profound, overwhelming sadness, like an abandoned ghost wandering the world.

How did Hao Qifu die?

This question became the greatest mystery in the minds of both Chang Yu and Katerina.

Chang Yu had originally intended to intercede on Hao Qifu's behalf, hoping to see if the headquarters could release him without charges.

Perhaps out of pity, he did not want this young boy to spend the most youthful and beautiful years of his life locked away in a gloomy, desolate prison.

Yet before he could even make his plea, the young boy had lost his life ahead of time. Tell me, how could things coincide so coincidentally?

"He must have been murdered!" Chang Yu said, burning with rage. "It must have been those people behind the scenes!"

"Those people were afraid that Hao Qifu would implicate them, so they acted with ruthless cruelty and killed him."

"We cannot jump to such conclusions just yet," Katerina held a completely different perspective.

"Hao Qifu was locked up in the headquarters, and the security forces at headquarters are extremely formidable. Even an A-tier expert who broke in would never make it back alive."

"I don't believe anyone possesses the capability to break into headquarters, kill Hao Qifu, and then retreat unscathed."

"Besides, the coordinates of the headquarters have always been a mystery. Outsiders don't know them apart from our own people."

"Of course, it's meaningless for the two of us to argue about this here. Once I go to headquarters, I will know the exact situation."

"I'm going too," Chang Yu cared deeply about Hao Qifu's situation and intended to get involved.

"That won't do," Katerina refused almost without hesitation. "Your clearance level isn't high enough right now. You cannot go to headquarters."

"What if I insist on going?" Chang Yu stubborn streak flared up, and he even considered defying Katerina's orders.

"According to the bureau's regulations, a situation like yours would be treated as treason," Katerina's expression was solemn as never before. "I advise you not to do this. This is all for your own good."

Could a D-tier investigator heading to headquarters without authorization really carry a charge that severe?

Chang Yu drew in a sharp breath, his expression shifting uncertainly.

......

Not long after Katerina left, Comrade Li arrived.

The timing of his arrival was very opportune and subtle, almost as if it had been deliberately arranged.

As soon as he stepped into the room, the first things he noticed were the four silk banners hanging in Chang Yu's living room, and he burst out laughing on the spot.

"Saint of Andrology, Saving the World; Miraculous Hands Reviving the Spring, Reborn Parents."

"Hair Loss Nemesis, Voice of Men; Reborn Parents, Full Head of Flowing Locks."

Comrade Li could guarantee that these four silk banners would provide him with enough material for a whole year of laughter.

Especially that "Saint of Andrology"... it was simply too incredible.

Hanging banners like these on one's own wall to show off—didn't he feel any shame at all?

Just how much did someone have to love showing off?

"Why are you here?" Chang Yu asked, looking at Comrade Li's expression of wanting to laugh yet holding it back.

"Chief Katerina said you weren't in a very good mood today, so she asked me to come keep you company," Comrade Li said with a cheerful smile.

"Then how do you plan to cheer me up?" Chang Yu asked again.

"How about... I help you drop Yangyang off at school?" Comrade Li glanced cautiously at Chang Yu, giving him a look that said 'I understand you'.

How do you quickly bring happiness back to a man who already has a family and a child?

Regarding this, Comrade Li understood best.

Take himself for example.

If someone were willing to help him pick up and drop off his kids, allowing him a whole leisurely day free from the chore of child-ferrying, he would definitely be smiling from ear to ear all day long.

Look, sometimes a man's happiness is just that simple.

As long as he could restore his free, unburdened bachelor status, he would undoubtedly be overjoyed.

"Alright!" As expected, Chang Yu was as happy as a child.

The joy of not having to drive kids to school is something only fellow parents could truly understand.

That kind of happiness is truly... indescribable!

And so, Comrade Li set off on the road to take Yangyang to school.

"Has your dad been in a bad mood these past couple of days?" Comrade Li asked, holding Yangyang's small schoolbag in one hand and the child's little hand in the other.

"Probably," Yangyang didn't know yet that Chang Yu and Katerina had gotten into a small argument, simply assuming his dad was acting up intermittently.

"If you ask me, Chang Yu is great in every way, but his heart is too fragile; he always gets discouraged easily."

"Maybe it was because a few days ago, our teacher said she needed a parent-teacher meeting on Sunday, which hurt his feelings a bit."

"Then why does your teacher want to talk to your dad? Did you cause some kind of trouble?" Comrade Li secretly delighted in the gossip, feeling he finally had some juicy news to digest.

"Hah, it's no big deal. To put it bluntly, it's just that our teacher fancies my dad," Yangyang dropped a massive bombshell right out of the gate.

"Isn't it just that she can use any random excuse to call my dad in for a chat so she can rightfully be alone in a room with him?"

"As long as she can be alone in a room with my dad, won't the opportunity present itself?"

Comrade Li: "Hiss~"

Hearing Yangyang's words, he was completely dumbfounded on the spot.

The head teacher of Yangyang's class had her eyes on Chief Chang Yu's body?

This was explosive headline news!

"Is this for real?" Comrade Li instinctively felt he had uncovered something extraordinary.

"For real, absolutely for real!" Yangyang smiled mischievously. "I heard that our teacher is already twenty-six and still single since birth. Do you think she's in a rush?"

"Ever since the very first day Chang Yu dropped me off at school, our female teacher has had her eyes on him. Her little glances have been darting all over him every single day."

"Don't look at how well she disguises it; actually, none of this escapes my fiery eyes of truth!"

"Then what about Chief Katerina? I remember Chief Chang Yu likes Chief Katerina, right?" Comrade Li suddenly felt that Chief Chang Yu's family affairs... seemed a bit chaotic.

"Tch, you mean that woman~" Yangyang tucked his hands behind his back and curled his lips in disdain.

For someone like Katerina, who existed almost like a natural enemy to Yangyang, it was hard for him to harbor favorable feelings toward her, even though she treated him quite well.

"That's simple," he said righteously. "Just let her be Chang Yu's concubine."

"Huh?"

"A concubine... a secondary one?"

Comrade Li got so distracted he nearly tripped over his own feet: "Chief Chang Yu's style... is it really that wild?"

You must know that Katerina was the absolute flower of the Disaster Investigation Bureau!

The male investigators who dreamed of marrying her could form an entire reinforced company.

Yet a top-tier woman like that... deserved only to be a secondary concubine to Chief Chang Yu?

Awesome, truly awesome!

Chief Chang Yu was simply too incredible!

As expected of a leader, he certainly had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Chang Yu, hiding at home: Now I really can't wash myself clean even if I jump into the Yellow River!