Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 457 The Unreliable Nie Guoqiang

Gu Peiyao's words made Old Man Jiang, Lin Ge, and Li Siyu feel even heavier.

Li Siyu had lost all interest in retrieving fish from the bucket; she didn't even bother with a fish that fell to the ground and was secretly snatched away by a cat. A few cats nearby were making an increasingly boisterous racket, which only added to the heavy atmosphere.

"How could it be...like this!"

Li Siyu suddenly took a deep breath.

How much she admired these students taking the college entrance exam, and how much she envied these outstanding classmates who were able to study at Longquan High School! Missing the college entrance exam herself was already a lifelong regret for her, how could she accept that the same regret appearing before her eyes a second time? Gu Peiyao deserved a happy and bright future, not to have everything in her life completely destroyed like a shattered mirror at this most crucial moment.

Outsiders have no right to interfere in Gu Peiyao's family affairs, but the girl herself is innocent! No matter how incompetent her parents are, they should not implicate their child. What kind of behavior is it to leave a girl all alone in a convenience store until midnight?

"Can I call you Yao Yao? Yao Yao, why don't you come and stay with me for the next few days? I rented a place nearby, it's quite spacious. Plus, I'm a police officer, and a woman, so I should be able to gain your trust, right?"

Li Siyu patted her chest and offered her suggestion without hesitation.

"Or, you could come to my place. I only have one daughter, and she's already married. It's just my husband and me at home, and her room is empty. Besides, I'm your teacher, and I'm quite old, so I should be able to gain your trust, right?"

Old Jiang smiled and spoke up.

However, Gu Peiyao first stared at the two people in astonishment, then looked at Li Siyu and then at Old Man Jiang, and finally slowly shook her head, rejecting all of their goodwill.

It's clear that she doesn't want her own issues to affect anyone else.

This left Li Siyu and Old Man Jiang feeling quite helpless.

After all, it's not good to force anything, and this child is at a vulnerable and sensitive age right now. But how can her parents really be so carefree? Don't they realize that their daughter is coming home so late every day while they're arguing? Do they think Longquan Middle School doesn't let students out until 11 or 12 at night every day? Putting aside the fact that such a thing is impossible, the fact that her parents don't even know her schedule or the school's regulations means they're destined to be unable to provide Gu Peiyao with anything she needs before the college entrance exam.

Li Siyu couldn't even imagine what she would do or who she would turn to for help if Gu Peiyao were to feel unwell in this environment.

"Let's go eat first! The food at school is just so-so, and eating convenience store food every night isn't very nutritious. Come on! Let's go to the cafeteria and see if the food at the police station is any better than what we get at school."

Old Jiang didn't continue to persuade him, but instead took the lead and walked towards the police station's canteen.

Li Siyu generously took Gu Peiyao's hand, and seeing the girl's puzzled and somewhat hesitant gaze, she gave her a warm and encouraging smile.

Gu Peiyao ultimately gave up and obediently followed Li Siyu away.

Lin Ge thought for a moment, then turned and headed towards the office building instead of following them to the cafeteria. Nie Guoqiang was going to work the night shift again today, but he wouldn't even see his father-in-law when he came, which was really quite outrageous.

"What's the matter?"

Nie Guoqiang, who was reading documents in his office, saw the door open and, without even looking up, immediately guessed that it was that troublesome cat coming in again.

"What are you looking at?"

Lin Ge was a little curious, so he leaned closer to Nie Guoqiang for a peek.

Lin Ge paused for a moment upon seeing the document titled "The 7th Chu Province Police Dog Skills Competition," which was quite eye-catching. He had initially wondered what this had to do with Nie Guoqiang, but then he remembered that the Zhanghe Police Station had a police dog named Beibei.

It wasn't that Lin Ge had neglected Bei Bei, but rather that the police station's dog had mostly been used as a mount by Lin Ge, causing him to forget its abilities and identity as a police dog. When Lin Ge thought of Bei Bei, the first things that came to mind were its broad back and its gait, which had learned to make him more comfortable. In this context, it was indeed a bit difficult for Lin Ge to associate the words 'police dog technology' with Bei Bei.

"Beibei! Won't participating in a provincial-level police dog competition be humiliating for you?"

Lin Ge squatted on the armrest of Nie Guoqiang's chair and read the competition document with him.

In short, it's all the best police dogs in the province, going through a series of elimination rounds before a public showdown! The document lists six subjects: drug detection, explosive detection, evidence search, bloodstain tracking, mountain tracking, and public security and riot control. Judging from Lin Ge's impression of Bei Bei, this guy is only confident in three or four of them. Especially explosive detection and bloodstain tracking—can a police station really train these? Where is the police station going to get some bombs for Bei Bei's training? Even Lin Ge himself hasn't seen many explosives! But if you add training in riding and carrying, Bei Bei would definitely be the best.

Lin Getian thought shamelessly that watching Bei Bei make a fool of herself was actually quite interesting.

Since the document has been sent to the police station, it means Beibei is definitely going to compete. This means Sun Chang, Beibei's trainer, will also have to participate. Hmm… if Beibei loses, won't she, as the trainer, be even more embarrassed? After all, if a dog loses a competition, you can't just blame the dog. The trainer's skills and coordination with the police dog are also very important, and Sun Chang has only been at the Zhanghe Police Station for a few months?
Lin Ge had already forgotten why he came to Nie Guoqiang's office; at this moment, he was only concerned about Sun Chang.

"What's wrong? You're interested in this too?"

Nie Guoqiang turned his head and glanced at Lin Ge, then casually placed his left hand on Lin Ge's body and slowly stroked it.

"Don't touch me!"

Lin Ge sullenly dodged away, then expressed his contempt for Nie Guoqiang's malicious mockery. He was just a cat; why should he participate in this kind of dog competition? And what good would participating do him? Would he get an extra salary?

Nie Guoqiang wasn't angry. He simply put down the documents and looked at Lin Ge seriously, saying, "You little rascal with no ambition! But whatever, it's really not appropriate for you to go. But since you know Beibei is going to participate in the competition, then spend your free time these next few days training it. Especially its sense of smell and tracking skills, you can teach it those things properly. Even if Beibei doesn't win any prizes in the competition, at least it shouldn't come in last and embarrass the police station, right? Besides, Sun Chang's main job is a police dog trainer. If she wants to make a contribution or get an award, she'll need Beibei's help. She's always been so good to you, can you bear to see her being ridiculed by her colleagues? Winning an award this time will also benefit her future career."

Lin Ge nodded; he really couldn't refuse in this regard. Regardless of whether it was Sun Chang or not, if anyone in the institute needed help, could he possibly turn a blind eye?
Wait a minute! What did I come here for today?
Suddenly realizing what he was about to do, Lin Ge glared at Nie Guoqiang. Then he jumped off the chair and walked towards the door, turning back to signal Nie Guoqiang to follow him quickly.

"You really have something up your sleeve to mess with me!"

Nie Guoqiang couldn't help but smile. He knew all along that this cat wouldn't come without a reason, and since it had come, it was definitely going to cause him trouble.

Fortunately, this cat never caused trouble without reason; since it had come over, it must have something important that needed help. Therefore, Nie Guoqiang put down his documents, stood up, and slowly followed Lin Ge outside.

As they walked to the cafeteria, Nie Guoqiang lifted the curtain and saw Li Siyu sitting inside, along with his father-in-law and a female student he hadn't seen before. The student was still wearing her Longquan High School uniform and was eating with her head down. Li Siyu and her father-in-law greeted her with smiles and then added food to her bowl. The student's bowl was piled high with food, and she was wiping away tears as she ate, forcing Li Siyu to pull out a tissue to help her.

Seeing Mimi walk over first and squat down on the chair opposite the female student, Nie Guoqiang followed with a smile.

"Guoqiang, are you on duty today?"

Old Jiang looked up and saw Nie Guoqiang, gave him a perfunctory greeting, and then ignored him, continuing to take care of Gu Peiyao with great enthusiasm. "Well, I have another night shift tonight. Dad, why didn't you tell me you were coming? People might think you have a problem with me."

Nie Guoqiang smiled and waved to Li Siyu, signaling her not to be shy. He then pulled Lin Ge off his seat and sat down himself, saying, "What's going on today? Why did you bring your student here for dinner?"

"It's none of your business, don't worry about it."

Old Jiang didn't even look up, and put another piece of chicken into Gu Peiyao's bowl: "Yaoyao, eat some meat. Look how thin you are. How can you have the energy and strength to get through the next few months if you don't get good nutrition? Eat more, and I'll order more for you if you're still hungry."

"That's enough! That's enough, we can't finish it all."

Gu Peiyao whispered something, then looked up at Nie Guoqiang, whose expression was serious, and quickly lowered her head, feeling a little timid.

She didn't know why, but she felt a little guilty whenever she saw Nie Guoqiang. It was as if this policeman's eyes could see right through her; she had a feeling he had discovered the bad thing she had done that morning.

"Siyu, don't stay silent! If we can't handle this child's problem, we should just dump the trouble on that guy surnamed Nie!"

Lin Ge shook his fur on the ground and glared fiercely at Nie Guoqiang. Seeing that the two of them had stopped mentioning arranging accommodation for Gu Peiyao, he hurriedly nudged Li Siyu's legs anxiously to remind her.

Nie Guoqiang glanced at Lin Ge without leaving a trace, knowing that this bastard had called him over for no good reason.

"Yaoyao, please think about it again. I really do have room available, and it's quiet enough for you to study and rest properly. Plus, my neighbor is a policewoman from our station, so safety is definitely top-notch. She's also a graduate of a prestigious university, so you can ask her if you have any questions. We usually work overtime a lot, so our place is basically just a sleeping area and won't bother you."

As soon as Li Siyu saw Nie Guoqiang approaching, she understood Lin Ge's meaning and quickly tried to persuade him again.

Old Jiang chuckled and added, "If you ask me, you should stay at my place. It's closer to the school. Besides, I live on the first floor, and I keep rabbits and pheasants in my little yard, plus a cage of squirrels. If you get tired of studying, let me feed the rabbits and chickens to help you relax. Of course, most importantly, my wife stays home all day with nothing to do. She has plenty of time to take care of you, and you can keep her company a little..."

"..."

Gu Peiyao kept her head down and shook her head without saying a word, showing that she didn't want to trouble anyone with her affairs.

Nie Guoqiang, sitting to the side, had a general idea of ​​the situation. Although he didn't know how the female student had ended up homeless, since her father-in-law and Li Siyu had both said so, it proved that the girl really needed help. And that bastard Mimi's purpose in tricking him here was either to help persuade her or to find her a more suitable place. Hmm… to stay in the police station?
"Yes, that's what I meant!"

Lin Ge guessed what Nie Guoqiang was thinking and quickly nodded vigorously beside him.

"There are two rest areas upstairs in the cat shelter, so it's not too quiet. Besides, the police station is a branch of the government's public security system, and serving the people is our duty. Any troubles can be left to us, including but not limited to daily life issues."

Nie Guoqiang's sudden words startled Gu Peiyao. She looked up at Nie Guoqiang, not understanding why this policeman wanted to get involved, and even less why he would say something as outrageous as living in the police station.

Most importantly, why did I suddenly become so popular? Teacher Jiang, Sister Li Siyu, and even this policeman are all vying to let me stay at their places. Am I dreaming?

"But I have to say, Zhanghe Police Station is still a bit far from Longquan Middle School. After all, it's in a different jurisdiction, so it's not very convenient for students to go to and from school. It's the same for you, Li Siyu. You have to wait for the bus or be picked up and dropped off to go to and from school, which is too troublesome. Dad, it's the same for you. Mom's health isn't very good, is it? You usually don't care about the family, and it's too hard on Mom to take care of people. It's already not easy for her to take care of all the little things you keep."

Nie Guoqiang's next words startled both Gu Peiyao and Li Siyu. Old Man Jiang glared angrily at this unreliable and useless son-in-law, and Gu Peiyao's expression visibly darkened.

Being rejected to your face feels very embarrassing and unpleasant.

As expected... I was just overthinking it.
Gu Peiyao choked up, telling herself she absolutely couldn't cry, but she couldn't help feeling a lump in her throat.

"Ah woo~"

Lin Ge yawned. He believed that Nie Guoqiang definitely had more to say. This guy was never such an unreliable person.

Sure enough, Nie Guoqiang's tone quickly changed as he said, "I know someone who runs an after-school care center near Longquan Middle School. She used to be a notorious female hoodlum in Zhangzhou, taking advantage of her pregnancy to extort money from people on the street. After doing this several times, she became infertile and I arrested her a few times before she finally reformed. She doesn't have any children of her own, so she's become very fond of and caring towards children, and her after-school care center has a pretty good reputation in Zhangzhou. So I suggest that you should find someone to help with this kind of thing. Oh, by the way, all the rooms there are private, so there's no problem with privacy. Dad, if you don't have any objections, I'll give her a call. She provides room and board, so you don't need to worry about anything..."

"Tutoring? Right! How could I forget about the tutoring center! I remember the person you're talking about. I also heard that several high school seniors from Longquan Middle School stayed at her place, and some parents even booked two rooms there to accompany them."

Old Jiang slapped his thigh and suddenly realized that there were still things like tutoring centers and childcare centers these days!

Nie Guoqiang had also heard of the after-school care center near Longquan Middle School that he mentioned, and the exceptionally kind and warm-hearted female owner. Although he didn't know her past, he was certain that she was a reliable person.

Gu Peiyao's eyes lit up when she heard this.

She didn't want to trouble others or cause them worry about her. It's impolite to bother others, but for a professional organization like a childcare center, it's not a problem; that's their business.

And since the police officer said that the childcare center was reliable, there's even less to worry about. After all, I'm not a little kid anymore; I can definitely take care of myself!
Seeing that Li Siyu was still somewhat reluctant, Gu Peiyao quickly stood up and said, "I'll listen to the police officer and go to that after-school care place later! I still have some money on hand, enough to take care of myself! Teacher Jiang, this sister, and the police officer, please don't trouble yourselves any further with my matter. You are all very busy, and I shouldn't bother you. Um, Teacher Jiang... it's getting late, I'll go to school first, please sit here a little longer."

As she spoke, Gu Peiyao couldn't wait to stand up and go out. Old Man Jiang couldn't stop her, and the girl ran out in a flash, looking shy.

Li Siyu apologized to the two men and quickly followed after them, leaving Old Man Jiang sitting there glaring at Nie Guoqiang.

"Why are you here? Even the best after-school care center can't compare to the comfort of home. And who said your mom is unwell? She goes out to dance in the square every day and is having a blast! It would be so much better if she stayed with me; I could take care of her without worry."

Nie Guoqiang chuckled and said, "Dad, this child seems to have a stubborn personality. Or perhaps she's feeling insecure because of what happened at home, and your excessive kindness might overwhelm her. This isn't something that can be resolved in a day or two; over time, she'll inevitably overthink things and feel pressured. So, we should maintain a certain distance. If all else fails, you could secretly pay for her childcare to ease her financial burden."

"That's unreliable!"

Old Jiang still disliked Nie Guoqiang, who dared to go against him.

Why is this guy so foul-mouthed?

So, what exactly made my daughter fall for him in the first place? As for me... ugh! I think I was just confused and agreed to be with him after he got me drunk?

(End of this chapter)