I became the police station's darling after I could understand what the furry creature was sayi

Chapter 246 A joke? Pride? Riverside Village? Resentment?
Ever since he stole the USB drive, Cao Zhang had been having nightmares for a week straight.

Because it was the second time he had been caught, and because he voluntarily handed over the USB drive, which was considered an act of redemption, Cao Zhang was released after spending two days at the police station.

With the shadow of the USB drive incident looming over him, and given that he was now a high-profile target for investigation and surveillance, it was impossible for him to return to his old ways.

So he turned over a new leaf, joined forces with Li Wei, and the two of them opened a small shop together.

Although I don't earn much, it's still better than living in constant fear.

So when he was suddenly summoned to the branch office, Cao Zhang knew he hadn't done anything wrong, but he was still extremely flustered.

"Don't be nervous. I called you over because I wanted to ask you something. Do you remember Wang Wei?"

Nan Punian reassured her.

"Wang Wei?"

Hearing this, Cao Zhang breathed a slight sigh of relief and thought for a moment before saying, "I have a vague recollection of it."

“It’s like this…” Nan Punian briefly recounted the events, then looked at Cao Zhang, “So, do you remember which friend it was?”

"I don't remember very clearly... Officer Nan, isn't this just a joke?"

Cao Zhang gave a dry laugh.

When they're drunk, they'll say anything, from murder and arson to robbery... they'll exaggerate the seriousness of things.

Cao Zhang himself, when he brags, likes to boast about what valuable things he stole right under the noses of the police, but the truth is, when he sees the police, he's like a mouse seeing a cat.

Some thugs like to brag about how many people they killed or what crimes they committed when they were young.

Cao Zhang remembered the joke Nan Punian told about killing someone.

Everyone was drunk and caught up in the boasting. One of the friends slammed his hand on the table and said that he had killed someone and hidden the body. The police and police dogs were all mobilized, but they still couldn't find the person.

When the others at the table heard this, they knew that the man was just bragging, and Cao Zhang didn't take it to heart.

After Cao Zhang finished laughing, he met Nan Punian's cold and stern face. His smile vanished instantly, his face paled, and he belatedly realized, "It really is true?!"

"Uncertain, currently under investigation."

Nan Punian did not provide a definitive answer.

Cao Zhang was a seasoned veteran, and he had heard his seniors talk about the rules of the police station. If they could summon him like this, it meant that it was most likely true, and he immediately gasped.

"I... let me think... his surname is quite unique. Oh right, I remember now, Officer Nan, that person's name is Fu Fang, the Fu as in 'ghostly scribbling,' and the Fang as in 'square.'"

Upon hearing this, Nan Punian looked at Li Feng beside him. Li Feng immediately understood, and soon, Fu Fang's household registration information appeared on the screen.

Fu Fang, a native of Hebei Province, came to Hangzhou to work more than ten years ago. He is currently married to Kong Lan.

The wife also had an ex-husband named Yuan Pengren, who died in a car accident ten years ago. This Yuan Pengren was Yuan Aili's uncle.

Riverside Village, Yuan Family.

Right!
Nan Punian narrowed his dark eyes and looked at Cao Zhang, "Okay, thank you for your cooperation, you've worked hard." He turned to Liu Congxin, "Xiao Liu, see him off."

"Okay, South Team."

"No, you're welcome."

Cao Zhang breathed a heavy sigh of relief when he realized that he was really not involved.

Simultaneously.

Seeing that the information he provided seemed helpful, Cao Zhang felt an inexplicable surge of pride and self-satisfaction. He suddenly understood why Brother Li had reformed in the first place.

……

Riverside Village gets its name from the small river it is located next to.

In the past, it was a poor village. In recent years, with policy subsidies, the muddy roads have been transformed into one-lane cement roads, a main road leading to every household, and cement has been laid on them.

Nan Shu sat in the passenger seat and watched the surveillance video, which was less than a minute long, several times.

Back then, there was a small white dog that followed behind the missing woman, Wu Meigui.

But when Yuan Aili went to look for her, she saw the puppy playing with the village's stray dogs, but she didn't see her mother, Wu Meigui.

"Is that dog still at Yuan Aili's house?"

Nan Shu paused the video and zoomed in. "Yuan Aili has been studying these past few years, and this dog... I heard it was given to a neighbor to raise."

Nan Punian glanced at the screen while driving.

In rural areas, most dogs are free-roaming. Three years have passed, and Nan Punian is really not sure if the dog is still alive, or if it is, whether it can be found.

The two cars parted ways at a fork in the road. Li Feng led three people to Fu Fang's house, while Nan Punian's car stopped in front of a two-story self-built house.

The house is surrounded by a fence, and behind it is a rice paddy.

The car stopped, and the yard was quiet.

Nan Shu pushed open the door and got out of the car.

Standing outside the fence and looking up at the yard, the furnishings were almost exactly the same as they were three years ago. The gate was tightly closed, and it looked like no one had lived there for a long time.

"I'll go ask next door."

Nan Punian glanced at the house and turned to leave.

With a creaking sound.

The security door was opened from the inside.

"Officer Nan?"

Immediately afterwards, a surprised female voice rang out.

Nan Punian paused, turned around, and saw a girl wearing a khaki casual sportswear set walk out from inside.

"Miss Yuan."

Nan Punian looked at Yuan Aili. Compared to three years ago, the young girl had become much more mature and composed.

After learning about the Yuan family's situation, Nan Punian contacted the village chief of Hebian Village and provided Yuan Aili with some financial assistance. Now it seems that the young girl has lived up to expectations.

"It really is Officer Nan!"

Yuan Aili walked quickly to the door, opened it, and when she saw Nan Shu, she paused for a moment, her smile faltered, and she smiled politely at Nan Shu before approaching Nan Punian.

Nan Shu stood to the side, looked at Yuan Aili, and then at Nan Punian. She seemed to have discovered something.

"Hmm... if I remember correctly, you graduated from university? Did you pursue a master's degree or start working?"

Nan Punian wasn't used to getting too close to people, so he subconsciously took two steps back to maintain a safe distance, gave a gentle smile, and asked.

"I got a job at a tech company in Hangzhou as a front-end engineer."

Yuan Aili looked at Nan Punian with sparkling eyes.

"pretty good."

Nan Punian paused for a moment, then said, "By the way, I remember you used to have a dog. Do you know how it is now?"

Nan Punian wasn't good at reminiscing, and...

Meeting Yuan Aili's eyes, he keenly sensed something and quickly changed the subject.

"noob?"

Yuan Aili was taken aback, not understanding why Nan Punian would suddenly mention it, but still said, "It should be at my aunt's house, but I'm not really sure."

Three years later, Yuan Aili still couldn't get over the shadow of her mother's disappearance, but life had to go on.

For the past three years, she has been interning outside during winter and summer vacations and rarely comes back, for fear of being reminded of him by seeing familiar things.

As for the dog, Yuan Aili actually harbored resentment towards it.

Xiao Bai went out with her mother, but her mother disappeared, while Xiao Bai was playing with stray dogs.

Yuan Aili also knew that she shouldn't blame a beast. Xiaobai was only one year old at the time, which is the age when people are playful, so it's normal for him to be playful.

But when her mother went missing, she was anxious and naturally took her anger out on Xiaobai. Thinking that out of sight, out of mind, and since her aunt also wanted a guard dog, she gave Xiaobai to her aunt.

Upon hearing this, Nan Punian immediately frowned.

(End of this chapter)