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Qiao Chusheng, Inspector of the Concession Police, was attempting to beat his personal record of completing a 100-meter sprint under 9.78 seconds when he nearly collided with a cat that suddenly appeared in the middle of his sprinting lane, seemingly from nowhere.
To be fair, he did see the cat padding over - rather gracefully in fact - into his line of sight before it decided, for reasons unknown, to simply lie down in the middle of his path.
Being a person who had filed more than his fair share of cases involving animal cruelty, Qiao Chusheng was determined not to add himself to the statistics.
Admittedly, the young Inspector also did not relish the idea of his lieutenants Adou and Salim laughing their heads off when the cat’s owner - it definitely belonged to someone, someone very rich in fact, judging by the sparkling diamond hanging on the cat’s collar - stomp through the precinct to file a report against animal cruelty, and naming the inspector himself as the culprit.
And thus, to avoid having such a shameful incident take place, in the nano-second that Qiao Chusheng had spied the near milky-white cat in his path, he had twisted the balls of his feet just that 12 degrees to the right, angling his body just that wee bit lower to the ground, and let gravity do the rest.
He most definitely skinned his knee as he fell, barely five centimetres away from the mewling cat. Its bright blue eyes staring rather intelligently at him before a pink tongue flicked out to lap at his elbow.
Qiao Chusheng let out an involuntary hum of surprise upon realising that the cat’s tongue was rather coarse on the underside, despite its softer-than-silk looking fur.
The young Inspector turned his head to the side to stare back at the cat, chest heaving, as he attempted to regulate his breathing. The cat mewled again, a burry undertone as if praising the Inspector for not squashing it.
After several minutes of the staring match - in which Qiao Chusheng had to admit the cat won by a long margin - the Inspector finally he sat up on his elbows while chiding gently. “Little Furball, that was rather dangerous.”
The cat hissed loudly, the oriental eyes blinking into half-slits.
Qiao Chusheng tilted his head to the side, one hand reaching carefully towards the cat’s collar to read the tag resting next to the expensive rock.
“Santu.” He mused aloud. Turning the tag around, he was surprised to find no further details craved into the fine silver. Because of course, the tag had to be made from real silver. Qiao Chusheng thumbed the leather strap, feeling around the neck in case there might be another tag. Coming up empty-handed, he repeated the name, wondering if it belonged to the cat or the cat’s rather negligent owner - because anyone who misplaces such a prized possession was either addled-brained or well, careless to a fault.
The cat purred, before pressing its head forward into Qiao Chusheng’s palm, inviting the man to continue petting it.
The young Inspector found himself rather liking the feel of the cat’s fine, silking coat, and took note of the three small tan spots on the cat’s forehead - no doubt the rationale behind the cat’s namesake.
Finally, Qiao Chusheng stood up, grimacing ever so slightly at the blotches of dark purple on his knee, and the small beaded trail of blood. He would definitely have to get that cleaned. He looked around the track field; it was noticeably absent of anyone. After a pause, he looked down at the cat again, who was now looking upwards, the pair of blue eyes fixed expectedly at him.
Qiao Chusheng huffed softly. “I suppose you’re coming with me then?”
The cat mewl, apparently pleased, as it bumped its small head against the Inspector’s calf.
-x-
“Good morni- Oh! Chusheng-ge! Is that a cat sitting on your table?”
Qiao Chusheng didn’t even raise his eyes from the document he was perusing as he waved his visitor into the chair. “Good morning Youning, and yes, that is a cat sitting on my desk.”
The young Inspector’s head jerked up when the cat abruptly hissed angrily, hackles raised, as it swatted a soft paw to ward against Bai Youning’s attempt to pet it.
The young woman pulled back her hand in surprise, before crying out in frustration. “What on earth are you doing with a stray? It’s near damn feral.”
Qiao Chusheng eyed the Balinese curiously; until Youning, it has not displayed any aggressive tendencies. Xiao Yu who was a cat aficionado had been the one responsible for identifying the species and had offered, rather enthusiastically, to watch the purebred until the owner came to claim it back. Unfortunately, Santu had no mind to go with anyone but Qiao Chusheng, and had jumped up rather nimbly to rest on the top of Qiao Chusheng’s large mahogany table.
“It’s definitely not a stray. You can see that he’s wearing a rather expensive collar.”
Bai Youning took the chair furthest away from the cat. Seemingly appeased by the distance, the cat then settled down into a small curl, though its bright blue eyes continued staring at Bai Youning, as if warning her not to attempt touching it again.
“Must be a rather busy day, if the great Inspector Qiao has to personally look into missing animal cases.”
The older man smiled generously. “On the contrary, Santu is the one unwilling to leave my side. He seems to prefer my company over all my other men. Even broke Xiao Yu’s heart when he refused to partake in the treats offered.”
Bai Youning looked suspiciously at the diamond glittering underneath the cat’s jaw. “If the cat’s so precious, why hasn’t anyone come forward to claim it yet?”
Qiao Chusheng shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not sure of that myself. There haven’t been any reports of a missing cat, let alone a missing purebred Balinese. Given its rarity, I much rather wait for the owner to come forth than to put out a notice in the papers.”
“Ah, well, that makes sense.” Bai Youning nodded before bolting upright in her chair. “Wait a minute, if I’m not here to help you report on the cat, what am I here for?”
Qiao Chusheng slid a file towards the young woman. “What do you know about this Lu Yao person?”
The cat abruptly sat up at the question, though it stayed rooted in its spot.
Bai Youning responded with genuine surprise. “Oh, are you in charge of investigating the attempted murder on the young master? I’d have thought it’d be personally looked into by the British police themselves, seeing how he’s a graduate from Cambridge University.”
Qiao Chusheng gave her an annoyed look before responding. “He’s still a Chinese citizen, regardless of where he graduated from. In any case, the attempt on his life took place in Shanghai, so that puts him under my jurisdiction.”
The reporter sat back into her chair and pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Well, there’s little to tell that hasn’t already been reported in the papers. He’s the youngest child of Lu Zifu, the shipping tycoon. It is widely rumoured that the family is distantly related to one of the Chinese emperors, hence their immense wealth and the strong network to the European powers. As you’re probably already aware, he recently returned to Shanghai to help out in the family business, after completing two degrees from Cambridge University.”
Qiao Chusheng tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “Yes, but what can you tell me of his personal acquaintances? After all, you do run in similar circles, no? What do his posse think really happened to him?”
Bai Youning fingered the unopened file on the table carefully. “Going by your question, I take it that the rumour is true, the ex-boyfriend’s alibi is rock solid?”
Qiao Chusheng’s face remained impassive, neither denying nor confirming his sister’s statement. As much as he loathed involving Bai Youning in any active investigations, he couldn’t help but be somewhat impressed by her ability to dig dirt and uncover secrets. He had a feeling Bai Qili’s men were probably behind much of the exposition, but well, if the outcome was the same, Qiao Chusheng had no reason to question the process.
He nudged the file closer towards Bai Youning before responding. “We have numerous eyewitness accounts of their rather public fall-out at the club, but the ex was long gone from the premise when Lu Yao sustained his near fatal-stab on the side of his ribs. Security cameras confirmed that the ex never returned to the club, and there are at least five people willing to swear that the ex was with them the entire time when the attack on Lu Yao took place.”
“Couldn’t the friends be lying?”
The Inspector shrugged his shoulders. “While I wouldn’t deny that the morality of the ex’s friends is rather questionable, there is no proof that the security cameras in the club were tampered with.”
Seeing Qiao Chusheng eyeing the file on the table meaningfully, Bai Youning finally opened the document. Flipping through the notes, she asked. “Alright, so what do you want to know? We do have some mutual friends, but I’m not personally acquainted with the man himself. I heard his family, especially his elder sister, is quite hands-on in vetting through the company he mixes with.”
“If the attack wasn’t done by the ex, who else might want to hurt him?”
Bai Youning snorted rather rudely as she laid out three still photos. “Looks like you’ve already got your suspects. Why bother asking me to come here?”
“Unfortunately, our interrogations have all drawn dead ends. I was hoping you could tell me more, maybe something personal tying these three people to Lu Yao.”
At that point, the cat abruptly stood up, before padding over to the table to nose at the photographs. It mewed lightly while pawing over the picture in the middle.
Bai Youning giggled loudly. “Looks like your cat thinks Li Jie was the one who did it.”
Qiao Chusheng sighed loudly as he stood up to picked up the cat. “Santu, you’re disturbing the investigation.”
Santu immediately crawled backwards, escaping Qiao Chusheng’s grip as it gave a loud mewl of protest.
The Inspector raised a warning finger. “Santu. Behave.”
The cat mewled even louder, and then one paw suddenly reached out to scratch at the profile picture of Li Jie.
By the time Qiao Chusheng was able to retrieve the photo from the cat’s paws, the photo was already ruined. He glowered at the cat as he held up the half-torn photo. “Now look what you’ve done!”
The cat mewled loudly before licking its paw - the same paw that had clawed through the photo.
Bai Youning giggled again. “I don’t think the cat is the least bit bothered by your bluster.” Turning serious, the young reporter then added. “In any case, the cat’s not wrong. Personally, I agree with it. Li Jie is perhaps the most suspicious of all three suspects.”
Qiao Chusheng sat back down on his seat before crossing his arms. “Explain yourself.”
Pulling out her notebook, Bai Youning flipped through the pages before finally stopping somewhere in the middle. “Li Jie’s parents and Lu Yao’s parents are business acquaintances. The family often get together during festive seasons and they mingle regularly at key events. Li Jie is a few years older than Lu Yao, and was widely rumoured to have applied to Cambridge to pursue his Masters so that he could be with Lu Yao while the younger man did his degree. However, his grades weren’t good enough to make the final cut.”
The Inspector tapped his finger impatiently. “Bai Youning, is there a point to this little tale of yours?”
The young reporter grinned widely. “Did you know, if you offer a large enough donation, Cambridge may just be willing to extend you an acceptance letter?”
Qiao Chusheng raised a brow. “Oh? Are you’re saying the Li family’s offer wasn’t generous enough?”
Bai Youning leaned forward before whispering conspiratorially. “My sources tell me that the Lu family offered an even larger donation to Cambridge to ensure Li Jie’s rejection letter.”
The cat abruptly mewled loudly, before leaping into Qiao Chusheng’s lap and began pawing at the Inspector’s chest.
“What the-”
Bai Youning gave Qiao Chusheng a look, before turning her gaze towards the cat. “I really do think the cat understands what we’re saying.”
The Inspector grumbled as he attempted to manoeuvre the cat on his lap. “Bai Youning, what exactly did you have for breakfast? You seriously can’t be saying that Santu’s some kind of cat sleuth?”
Bai Youning shrugged her shoulders lightly. “Well, compared to the other two, Li Jie has the strongest motive for wanting to harm Lu Yao. I mean, when you think about it, not only did Lu Yao refused Li Jie’s advances and went on to date his ex, who as we all know now, is quite the abusive dick, but the Lu family even blocked Li Jie’s attempts to study overseas. I mean, if I was Li Jie, I’d be plenty pissed too.”
-x-
“Inspector Qiao!”
Qiao Chusheng nodded at the salute, pausing at the doorway before questioning. “Any changes to the patient?”
Adou shook his head, as he answered rather despondently. “Unfortunately not. He’s still in a coma. I heard from the doctors that the chances of him waking up are pretty slim. I mean, whoever cut him was pretty brutal.”
A soft mewl from within the overnight bag caught the officer’s attention. Almost immediately, Adou’s voice dropped to an agitated whisper as he looked around in a panic. “Inspector! Don’t tell me you brought the cat to the hospital!”
Qiao Chusheng gave his lieutenant a soft pat on the shoulder. “Alright, I won’t. Anyway, I just need five minutes with the patient.”
Without waiting for Adou to recover from his shock state, Qiao Chusheng turned the doorknob and entered the room.
A small bedside lamp was the only source of light and Qiao Chusheng allowed himself a few moments to adjust to the dimness. The curtains had been pulled tight as per the wishes of the family, who wanted to avoid any possibility of irresponsible journalists attempting to steal a photo of their young son lying unconscious, tubes running through his breathing organs.
Qiao Chusheng took a careful step forward as he observed the young man on the bed. He had seen Lu Yao’s face splashed across newspaper tabloids and gossip magazines, but this was his first time seeing the man in person since he was given charge of the case. If not for the medical equipment plugged in, Lu Yao in his soft blue silk pyjamas looked almost angelic. Cute even.
And he was exactly Qiao Chusheng’s type.
The cat mewled again, breaking through the Inspector’s inner reverie. He shook his head, feeling rather repulsed by his own line of thought. Carefully, Qiao Chusheng opened the bag and carried the cat out, before placing the feline at the foot of the bed. The cat mewled softly and began crawling forward, finally stopping at the middle of the bed to lick at Lu Yao’s fingers.
“Santu, is Lu Yao your master?”
The cat purred quietly, before nosing at the immobile digits. Lying down, it twisted until it was on its back, holding up its two front paws before clawing at the air.
Qiao Chusheng watched the cat’s movements, unsure of the significance. A sudden knock broke through the silence as Adou poked his head in before whispering nervously. “Inspector, the nurse says she needs to take the patient’s vitals.”
Qiao Chusheng immediately cradled the cat and slipped it back into the bag before turning towards the door. “Alright, you can let her in now.”
Adou threw open the door, and a rather large woman stepped in. She looked visibly surprised to see Qiao Chusheng, but quickly composed herself before grumbling loudly. “Sir, the family has explicitly requested no visitors. Please leave before I call security.”
Feeling somewhat abashed by the scolding, Qiao Chusheng unconsciously took several steps away from the bed. He was nearly halfway out of the room when the cat suddenly sprang out from the bag and yowled loudly, as it launched itself onto the nurse’s shoulder.
The woman screamed when the sharp claws ripped into her uniform. The medical tray clatter noisily to the ground, followed closely by a large brown wig. Qiao Chusheng reacted on instinct as he tackled the nurse onto the floor, pulling back the arms to prevent them from swinging against him.
Hearing the commotion, Adou threw open the door and turned on the lights. He gasped loudly upon seeing the Inspector on the floor, attempting rather valiantly to wrestle a scalpel from the nurse’s strong grip.
Adou shook his head as he corrected himself inwardly. No, not the nurse’s hand, Li Jie’s hand.
“Adou, a little bit of help here?” Gritted the Inspector as the man underneath him kneed him squarely against his ribs.
The cat, which had taken to plant itself over Lu Yao’s chest, abruptly jumped down from the bed and began clawing at Li Jie’s face. The scalpel fell from the man’s fingers as he attempted to hold up his hands against having his eyeballs scratched out by the vicious cat.
A loud click of the cuffs against Li Jie’s wrists and Adou beamed proudly at the Inspector, who merely glared back furiously at him. “Seriously, you mean you tell me you didn’t recognise Li Jie under the disguise?”
Adou stifled slightly. “Nurses, they all look the same to me in uniform.”
Qiao Chusheng glowered at his officer, before turning over to snap at the offender. “Li Jie, you’re hereby under arrest for two counts of attempted murder on Lu Yao."
The young man bowed his head sullenly. “I want my lawyer.”
Qiao Chusheng pulled himself upright. “Sure, you’ll have your phone call once we get back to the precinct.”
-x-
“What do you mean you lost the cat?”
Qiao Chusheng glared at the accusing tone in his sister’s voice before returning his attention to the paperwork in front of him. “I didn’t lose the cat. He ran away from the hospital when I wasn’t looking.”
Bai Youning dropped noisily into the chair opposite as she rolled her eyes. “Same thing. And here I was thinking what an interesting front-page story it’d make. My editor was quite intrigued by the idea of a cat sleuth.”
Qiao Chusheng looked guardedly at the journalist. “Did you actually tell your editor about the cat’s role in this?”
Bai Youning sighed listlessly. “You must admit ‘Cat Sleuth Solves Crime’ is far more interesting than ‘Rich Boy Wakes from Coma’. But since you’ve lost the cat, I guess we’d be going with the latter headline instead.”
The Inspector was about to offer a scathing rebuke when Salim suddenly appeared at his door, before calling out rather stiffly. “Inspector! You have a guest!”
Qiao Chusheng stood up and hurried over to his door when he noticed the pale-faced young man standing next to his officer, impeccably dressed in a grey suit over a light blue shirt.
“Lu Yao! What a surprise! Come in, please, do take a seat.”
Bai Youning didn’t bother masking her curiosity as she took the seat next to Qiao Chusheng opposite the young master. Deliberately ignoring the Inspector’s pointed glare for her to make herself scarce, the journalist asked bluntly. “Lu Yao, didn’t you just wake up yesterday? Are you sure you’re allowed to be out and about?”
Lu Yao pulled at his sleeves and Qiao Chusheng noticed just a hint of the white hospital band, sitting right next to a silver bracelet, a small diamond pendant hanging off the chain. He gave a wan smile; in all likelihood, the young master had run away from the medical centre just to come and see him. The Inspector raised a hand towards his officer who was still standing to attention at the door. “Salim, would you please get us some tea?”
A curt nod was the only answer. Qiao Chusheng then turned his attention back towards the young man in front of him. Once again, he was struck by how young and innocent the man looked. The Inspector was vaguely familiar with the Lu family’s reputation as ruthless entrepreneurs; it would appear, at least from appearances, that Lu Yao carried none of that characteristic.
In fact, Qiao Chusheng had to lean slightly forward in his seat to catch the young man’s soft musical voice.
“I wanted to come to thank you personally, Inspector Qiao, for saving my life.”
Bai Youning interrupted gleefully. “Don’t thank the Inspector. It’s because of the cat that you’re still alive today.”
Lu Yao looked blankly at Bai Youning as he echoed. “Cat?”
Qiao Chusheng glared at the journalist before responding. “What Youning means is, there is no need to thank me. I was merely doing my job.”
Lu Yao smiled. “I understand the Inspector may not be allowed to accept gifts for fear of being accused of bribery, but I wonder what the Inspector feels about having dinner with me.”
Qiao Chusheng swallowed, before rasping. “Dinner? With you?”
The young man’s smile widen. “If the Inspector prefers something other than dinner…”
The Inspector felt his heart thundering against his chest; the way Lu Yao was staring at him reminded him of the way the cat had stared at him out in the track field.
Lu Yao’s smile wavered at the long pause. “Was that, perhaps, a bit too forward?”
Qiao Chusheng immediately shook his head. “No, dinner sounds great! When would be a good time?”
The young man fingered his sleeves again. “Two nights from now would suit. I dare say it would be enough time for the hospital to run whatever tests they need to approve my discharge.”
Qiao Chusheng wet his suddenly dry lips. “Thursday then. Where should we meet?”
“I’ll come to pick you up from the station. Say, about 6.30pm?”
The Inspector mentally went through his schedule before finally responding. “Thursday 6.30pm sounds great.”
Lu Yao glanced briefly at his watch before standing up. “I think, I had better head back before they notice I’m gone.”
Qiao Chusheng flashed the young man a bright smile. “Sounds like you’re quite the escape artist.”
The younger man raised a brow. “I’m not sure what you mean by that, Inspector Qiao.”
Flushing slightly, Qiao Chusheng coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment. “Don’t mind me. Well, Lu Yao, do be careful on your way back. I look forward to seeing you again soon for our dinner.”
The young man paused in his step, a small smile spreading across his plush lips as he answered softly. “Please, Inspector, call me Santu.”
FIN?