Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 567 The Glass Man (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
As expected, Chen Dan locked the door.

Chen Dan's father tried to turn the lock hard but couldn't open it, and the banging noises inside the room made him even more bewildered.

"Step aside!"

Zheng Mingxing disregarded manners, hastily shoved Chen Dan's father aside, and then slammed his shoulder hard against the door, making a louder 'bang' than the one inside.

They seemed startled inside, and the banging stopped.

But no one could guarantee that Chen Dan wouldn't do anything foolish again. Zheng Mingxing turned sharply to the side and slammed his shoulder into the door once more.

The wooden door shook violently from the impact, but it just wouldn't open for the time being.

Zheng Mingxing took a breath and examined the door crack, only then realizing that the door was equipped with a security lock, the kind with several latches from top to bottom. Looking around, he guessed the reason: the living room and the makeshift shed outside formed the premises of the steamed bun shop. Although customers mostly grabbed their food and left, his daughter, being a young woman, naturally needed to be careful about her safety. Therefore, Chen Dan's father had installed a wooden security door, the kind made of very sturdy material.

It's not that this kind of door is impossible to open, but after a moment of silence inside, there's another loud clanging sound, and the person outside knows that there's no time to slowly unlock it.
"Do you have a hammer?"

Zheng Mingxing handed over the task of ramming the door to Zhang Ke, his eyes bloodshot as he turned around and roared.

He absolutely would not allow anyone to harm him in front of him. If a police officer had to stand by and watch a victim get hurt, he would be unable to uphold his pride as a police officer.

“Yes…yes!”

Chen Dan's father, who was still banging on the door, realized what was happening and hurriedly turned around to look for a hammer.

Chen Dan's mother was almost paralyzed with fear, kneeling on the ground, covering her mouth, completely at a loss, and only able to keep crying. Sun Chang and Yuan Meijuan joined in knocking on the door, not even having time to comfort her.

"Was that sound from broken glass or a mirror?"

A sense of foreboding washed over Lin Ge. Broken glass was always associated with murder and violence. And with the girl inside possibly on the verge of a breakdown after being betrayed by her parents, who knew what terrible things she might do?

Without wasting any more time, Lin Ge turned and rushed out of the living room, breaking through the whispering crowd of onlookers outside the door.

"oops!"

The group was already shocked by the unexpected incident at the Chen family's house, and now they were frightened by a cat and hurriedly hid. Then, a policeman strode in from behind, which immediately threw everyone into chaos.

Ignoring them, Lin Ge quickly followed the wall to Chen Dan's room window.

The window was covered by curtains, obscuring the view inside, but the security bars on the window couldn't stop Lin Ge. After jumping up and crawling inside, Lin Ge delivered a clean and swift kick with his back leg, shattering a large section of the glass on his side.

A loud crash as the glass shattered caused Chen Dan's mother inside to let out an even more heartbreaking cry. She assumed the sound was coming from the room and immediately thought Chen Dan was doing something foolish, so she could only scream her daughter's name.

Meanwhile, Lin Ge had already crawled into the room through the broken glass, jumped down through the curtains, and only then realized that he had landed on the bed.

The bed was covered in shards of glass, and the blankets were crumpled up and piled at the head of the bed. Lin Ge looked up and saw a girl with bruises and bloodstains on her forehead, holding a shard of mirror to her left wrist, staring in astonishment at the cat that had barged in.

"Ugh! Idiot! You really want to commit suicide?"

Lin Ge was furious and charged at Chen Dan with a fierce roar.

"Ah! Don't come here!"

Chen Dan had no idea what the cat was going to do. Seeing that it looked like it was going to eat her, she screamed and quickly backed away.

She was so terrified that she forgot she wanted to commit suicide.

Or rather, from the moment the mirror was broken until now, she hasn't dared to actually harm herself, which shows that the girl doesn't yet have the courage to cut her wrists.

But who can guarantee that you'll actually make that tough decision?

Lin Ge, annoyed, ignored Chen Dan's attempts to dodge and rushed over to slap her across the face. He didn't hold back much force in the slap; Chen Dan's neck twisted, her right foot slipped, and she fell to the ground with a thud.

Even so, she gripped the glass shard knife tightly in her right hand, despite the blood already seeping from its blade.

This time, of course, the glass cutter is being used as a self-defense weapon, not a suicide tool.

"It's such a trivial matter, why are you always thinking about dying! I never thought about ending my life when I turned from a human into a cat, and you're living a perfectly good life and you're so desperate? It's just a rumor, I get photographed every day and I don't say anything!"

Lin Ge glared angrily at Chen Dan, roaring incessantly, which only terrified the tearful girl even more.

She didn't know what was going on with the cat in front of her, only that its eager, almost predatory appearance was terrifying. Why was it that the cat Lin Jia knew would protect her, while this one in front of her...?

"The hammer is here!"

Chen Dan's father rummaged through drawers and cabinets until he finally found a hammer. Without saying a word, he smashed it hard into the keyhole.

The door frame shook violently, and the lock and the door frame were visibly deformed, but this damned door stubbornly refused to open.

"No need to bang on the door anymore, Mimi has the situation under control."

Reaching her hand through the jagged slit in the glass and pulling back the curtains, Sun Chang had a clear view of the room. Worried that the banging on the door might frighten the girl, she quickly called out to the girl inside to calm down.

"Huh...it's okay."

Zheng Mingxing raised his hand to stop Chen Dan's father from panicking, and he also heard the shrill meows of a cat coming from inside the room.

"Don't worry, our police cat has already gone inside. With it there, your daughter will be fine. Now, you two should calm down and think about how to comfort your daughter later. After all... what you said just now was too hurtful."

Yuan Meijuan finally managed to help Chen Dan's mother up.

"..."

The couple, who had just been criticizing their daughter for being immature, were now speechless. They never imagined that their impulsive words would nearly drive their daughter to her death.

but……

That child did something wrong! Why didn't she listen and insisted on getting into a conflict with others?

"These parents also have problems with their personalities or their way of thinking! The fact that this matter has escalated to this point is indeed due to the responsibility of various parties."

Zheng Mingxing sighed, took out a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, frowned helplessly, pulled out a bent cigarette and put it in his mouth, then gave one to Chen Dan's father so that he could calm down and ease his extremely tense mood.

"This...cat...is it okay? Thank...thank you..."

Chen Dan's father's legs were trembling, but Zheng Mingxing's calm attitude eventually eased his mind. He couldn't distrust the police or that police cat anymore; he took the cigarette, awkwardly thanked them, and then took out his lighter and started clicking away.

The damn lighter wouldn't light for ages, and even when it finally did, the cigarette butt wouldn't come to a light. The twisted cigarette hanging from his lips seemed to tremble, making Chen Dan's father increasingly panicked.

"Don't panic, calm down. There's no sound coming from inside, things can't get any worse."

Seeing that Chen Dan's father was trembling and unable to light his cigarette, Zhang Ke took out his lighter and went over to help him light it.

"Phew... thank you."

The smoke from the cigarette filled his nostrils, and the heat flowed through his body, gradually calming Chen Dan's father down.

Of course, he was still anxious and uneasy, but he could barely control his body for the moment. He took a few deep breaths, smoked half a cigarette, threw it on the ground and stomped it out, then stood there blankly, waiting quietly.

Zheng Mingxing turned to look outside the door, where a growing crowd had gathered. However, apart from a small number who were still whispering, the vast majority of people remained silent, watching the situation inside with expressions of worry and tension on their faces.

After all, no matter how much gossip spreads, no one wants to see someone die because of it.

Humans are, after all, compassionate.

After waiting for several minutes, there was still no sound from inside. Zheng Mingxing couldn't help but step forward and gently knock on the door.

"Mimi, how's it going inside?"

"Ouch! What are you yelling for!"

Lin Ge whistled impatiently, flicked his tail, and continued to glare fiercely at Chen Dan. This girl is stubborn; she won't compromise even now. Wouldn't it be better to just open the door and seek protection from the police?
"You...you're called Mimi?"

Chen Dan blinked suddenly as her legs went numb from squatting.

She recognized the name; her best friend often mentioned a cat named Mimi. And this cat had come with the police. Could this seemingly fierce cat be the gentle and magical police cat Mimi that her neighbor had talked about?
"what's the situation?"

Lin Ge's ears twitched; he suddenly noticed that Chen Dan's wariness was rapidly fading. It seemed the name 'Mimi' held a magical power over her, making Chen Dan inexplicably trust her. Lin Ge, of course, didn't know that Lin Jia had been praising 'Police Cat Mimi' to Chen Dan. A frequent visitor to the police station, she knew a great deal about Mimi's past deeds, recounting them fluently and vividly as if she were there herself, which also earned Chen Dan's trust.

Seeing that the cat was just staring at her without making a move, Chen Dan boldly moved her body slightly and found that it did not arouse the cat's suspicion.

So, while keeping a close eye on the cat that had suddenly barged in, she carefully got up. Looking down at the shards of glass on the ground beside her, a flicker of fear and grievance flashed in Chen Dan's eyes, but these emotions quickly vanished.

Turning her head to look at the door, she felt a little reluctant to go out.

Chen Dan was terrified by both her parents' gazes and the whispers of those around her. Even the sight of her classmates pointing and whispering as she left school made her too afraid to return.

"Ah woo~"

Seeing Chen Dan's conflicted expression, Lin Ge wasn't in a hurry to urge her. As long as she didn't continue her foolish attempts at suicide, he'd leave the rest of the mess to Zheng Mingxing.

So he turned around and jumped back onto the bed. Lin Ge pushed aside the glass shards around him and slowly lay down.

"..."

The cat's attitude, as if it were back in its own home, made Chen Dan both curious and surprised.

But with the cat there, with this incredibly magical cat that Lin Jia had described watching over her, Chen Dan's fear lessened considerably. She tentatively walked towards the desk, and finding that Mimi wasn't moving, she quickly pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Ouch... my head hurts so much!"

Only then did she realize how badly her head was hurting. When she touched it, she even felt blood. Chen Dan grimaced in grievance.

When she smashed the mirror, she didn't even have time to check how badly she hit her head. Chen Dan was worried that she might have disfigured herself or that a corner of her forehead might have been protruding. That would be a double whammy and she would look terribly ugly.

No one can guess what a young girl is thinking. One second she was acting like she was dying, and the next she's worrying about whether she's still pretty.

Looking up at Lin Ge again, Chen Dan couldn't help but want to know the extent of the injury on her forehead. She couldn't even remember how she had the courage to bang her head against the wall. At the time, she was just too dizzy to think about anything else.

Seeing Mimi staring at her, Chen Dan bent down to pick up the broken mirror pieces on the ground.

"Ouch!"

Lin Ge quickly stood up and glared fiercely at Chen Dan.

This ignorant fool actually dares to try to kill himself?
"I...I...I want to look in the mirror!"

Chen Dan was startled and quickly waved her hands to explain. Seeing that Lin Ge was still staring at her intently, she simply gave up picking up the glass shards and went to the broken mirror across the street, finding a corner that was still somewhat usable.

"Looking in the mirror... You actually have time to admire yourself at a time like this?"

Lin Ge was stunned for a moment, not understanding what was going through this girl's mind. Had she been knocked silly by the collision?

"call……"

Upon closer inspection after parting her bangs, Chen Dan discovered only abrasions and a small bump on her forehead, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Looking back at Lin Ge, she gave an awkward smile.

Seeing Lin Ge staring at her with a speechless, almost inhuman look, Chen Dan thought for a moment and said, "Mimi, what should I do? After something like this happened, can I still go to school? Do you think I should just give up on school, or go back to my hometown to study?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? What can you do if you don't study? Go out and work at such a young age?"

Lin Ge glanced at Chen Dan.

However, it's clear that she didn't fall into despair at the beginning. At least in the two or three hours between the incident and her running home, and then her attempt to kill herself by banging her head against the wall, Chen Dan had a lot to think about.

Unfortunately, no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't bear her parents' hurtful words, so she impulsively chose to crack open her skull.

As for what Chen Dan is worried about, well... it does need to be considered.

Adults will quickly forget about this boring unboxing information, especially after the police clarify the situation and the incident loses its appeal, and will soon be forgotten.

However, for children, especially their classmates who see Chen Dan frequently, the box-opening incident might be a rare and unexpected occurrence in their school life. This kind of 'interesting' event is worth discussing for a long time, and they might recall it every time they see Chen Dan.

Therefore, the best solution is indeed to transfer schools, and it would be even better if the name could be changed. Then, one can embrace life with a completely new outlook, and over time, the news surrounding Chen Dan's box opening will naturally fade away.

It's easier said than done...

It seems pretty simple.

Changing one's name can be handled by the household registration office at Zhanghe Police Station. Transferring schools isn't difficult either; getting into the best junior high schools in Zhangzhou is hard, but getting into ordinary public junior high schools is quite easy.

Just like Wei Li transferring to Youcheng Elementary School, this kind of thing can be done by simply talking to the principal.

What would be a very complicated matter for an ordinary person, one that would even require finding someone to pull strings, could seemingly be easily accomplished by Ling Ge with his current network of connections, provided there was a legitimate reason.

It's a pity that Lin Jia's hard-won good friend is about to be separated from her again, and for some kind of silly reason.

Thinking of Lin Jia jumping into the Zhang River, Lin Ge glared at Chen Dan fiercely again.

Ignoring the bewildered girl, Lin Ge jumped out of bed and went to the door. He jumped up and pulled the doorknob down, but found that he couldn't open it no matter how hard he pulled. Looking down, he saw that the security latches were still fastened.

"..."

Lin Ge's actions made Chen Dan's breath catch in her throat; she seemed unprepared to face outsiders.

But seeing Lin Ge stubbornly struggling with the door lock, and the people outside helping to push the door open, she quietly stood up, walked to the door, glanced at Lin Ge, and then unscrewed the small bolt.

But... the door still couldn't be opened.

It seemed that because of Zheng Mingxing and Chen Dan's father's violent ramming of the door, the door and frame were warped and jammed. So Lin Ge could only lead Chen Dan back into the room and watch as the people outside tried to push and kick the door to get her out.

The 'bang bang bang' sounds were a bit noisy, but after a while, they returned to the lively atmosphere of the marketplace.

As the sounds grew louder and the efforts of those outside helped, Chen Dan gradually calmed down. She took a deep breath, seemingly preparing herself to interact with her parents and the others.

'Bang!'

The door was violently kicked open by Zhang Ke, bounced off the wall, and was kicked again.

By this time, a large section of the door frame had been smashed, especially around the lock bolts, where large gaps and splinters had been smashed open. But Chen Dan's father, who had finally managed to open the door, didn't care about that and rushed in to find his daughter.

Seeing Chen Dan sitting at her desk, seeing her forehead flushed red with blood and even congealed droplets, and seeing shards of glass scattered on the floor and bed, Chen Dan's father's eyes immediately reddened.

He clenched his right fist and strode towards Chen Dan.

"what!"

Chen Dan closed her eyes in fear.

The large, fan-like hand ultimately failed to slap Chen Dan's face.

Chen Dan's father's hand was only a hair's breadth away from his daughter's face, but he ultimately didn't slap her. He just quietly watched his daughter's disheveled appearance, and his eyes welled up with tears.

"How could you be so stupid?"

"I……"

Her lips twitched, and Chen Dan opened her eyes. It was the first time she had ever seen her father with such a tearful expression, and she was momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond.

“Dandan!”

At this moment, Chen Dan's mother stumbled in, hugged Chen Dan tightly, and wailed, "How could you be so foolish! You almost scared your mother to death! How could you do something so stupid? What would your mother do if something happened to you?"

"I...I'm fine..."

Chen Dan gently hugged her mother's back, thought for a moment, and then patted her softly.

(End of this chapter)