Honestly speaking, the cat had originally thought to leave after it’d delivered the flowers, but never thought that it would uncover a little secret.
Faced with the option of homosexuality or being a man of honour, he thought over these two symbolic choices in his mind. Then, he discarded the latter with practically no hesitation. Naturally, he seemed deadly earnest on the outside. To pretend that he didn’t understand, he tilted his head and added some confused meowing for good measure.
Shen Zhifan regarded him with a little bit of embarrassment, his elegant features pinching together happily but also as if he felt it was laughable. He was at a loss at what to do with the cat.
If it weren’t for the cat being so human-like, he may not have minded it so much, but after feeling its eyes on him, he felt that something was a little different.
“Do you really want to stay?” He crouched down, his handsome features reflected in the cat’s penetrating eyes that were like a dark blue, starry sky. He laughed gently, trying to persuade it, “If it’s like this, I’ll be rather embarrassed.”
Turning a deaf ear, it lowered its head to lick its paw. At this suitable moment, it had successfully pretended that it was a normal cat, unable to understand human words.
Shen Zhifan sighed, really not having the heart to get the cat off his bed. The time now wasn’t early, and although this would inconvenience the esteemed General a little, sending it back would be the best choice.
But the impression that he’d given the esteemed General today was already not too good. To presumptuously go and bother him again would probably be even worse?
However, as Shen Zhirou previously said, he truly didn’t want Yan Shuo to think that he’d stolen his wife (?) and his cat.
The male god’s misunderstanding towards him was probably already quite large.
Yet tonight wasn’t destined to be a peaceful night. He was still caught up in whether or not he should send the cat back home when he had more uninvited guests drop in.
When Shen Zhifan went to open the door with the cat in his arms, his heart was tight.
In fact, he’d actually seen the appearance of the visitors on his intercom, but in the face of a group of such severe-looking officers, his mind would inevitably grow apprehensive.
But he knew that the twenty-three-year-old Shen Zhifan would be able to handle these matters properly. So with great effort, he made himself seem calm and unperturbed, and truly succeeded. He was originally full of coldness and indifference, when he stiffened his face, he seemed very convincing.
The kitty raised its head to look at him, it could feel that the arms encircling it were steadily getting tighter.
The person that headed the officers looked quite familiar. Shen Zhifan stared blankly for a few seconds before he reacted and realised that the other’s looks resembled Yan Shuo to some degree.
Moreover, they both had an iceberg face traceable to the same origins. Wearing a neat military uniform with not a hint of a crease, with haughty, cold eyes that made people unable to breathe, it seemed like he could breathe out cold frost in the blink of an eye.
If it weren’t for his face being a little younger, he seemed to be a carbon copy of Yan Shuo.
“Are you Shen Zhifan?”
The man’s gaze was locked on his body, his voice cold and formal, creating a sort of intangible pressure. Without waiting for Shen Zhifan to reply, he continued to speak.
“You are currently suspected of involvement in the case of Princess Olivia’s disappearance. The situation is urgent, please come with us.”
The other’s manner of speaking made Shen Zhifan a little uneasy, not mentioning when and where. It was more of an order than a request, the other had many men behind him and, moreover, Shen Zhifan had been involved with the royal family. Naturally, there was no room for him to protest.
Shen Zhifan nodded, then paused.
“Wait a moment, I need to tell my sister.”
Yan Jinxing seemed to be dissatisfied, scowling. Just as it seemed he was going to refuse, he suddenly glimpsed the cat that Shen Zhifan held in his arms.
Since the cat had been silent the whole time and he’d been in too much of a hurry to notice it, after catching sight of it he seemed to suddenly become aware of something inconceivable, his eyes widening slightly. As he was a person with appropriate self-control, this kind of change already betrayed his emotional unrest.
He looked down, glancing at the cat, then raised his head to look at Shen Zhifan.
It seemed that he didn’t dare to believe something as he looked down at the cat again, and then looked up to Shen Zhifan one more time.
Shen Zhifan met his eyes, bewildered.
Yan Jinxing seemed to realise his own loss of control and coughed lowly to cover it up. He swallowed the refusal on his tongue, with an expression of being unable to say something odd, “Hurry up.”
Shen Zhifan had thought something was strange from the beginning, but after explaining to Shen Zhirou and getting on the road he was able to react. Since this person resembled Yan Shuo so much and was in a high position at such a young age, they were most likely blood-related.
It was probably because he recognised the cat, and thought that the male god’s cat being at his house was a little strange.
But…he still wasn’t quite able to understand, although that person looked young, he was experienced enough to remain stoic and steady. Was there a need to be so surprised over something this small?
This was a question that he couldn’t figure out the answer to. When it came to things that he couldn’t understand, he didn’t plan on thinking too hard about it. Before he left, he’d placed the kitty at the doorway and pet its head to appease it. Fortunately, even though there was a lot of people that’d come, the cat seemed used to it.
The male god’s cat was indeed a cat that had seen the world.
In Shen Zhifan’s eyes, he naturally considered everything of the General’s to be good, and this included his cat.
…
Shen Zhifan had originally thought that he was going to cooperate with the investigation, but it was much more troublesome than he’d thought. The one thing that comforted him was that he was treated pretty well. At least it wasn’t prison or some hidden chamber, only an interrogation room.
It was Yan Jinxing that’d brought him there, but he wasn’t the interrogator. Yan Jinxing merely sat to the side, and his replacement at the front was a very violent-looking, middle-aged police officer.
He had deep dark circles around his eyes, and resembled a bulb of garlic. Evidently, he’d been hard-pressed from the case of Princess Olivia’s disappearance. His manner of speaking was also very disappointing, tactfully speaking, it was probably about the same as a high school teaching director.
Shen Zhifan believed that his own temper couldn’t be counted as too bad, but being asked similar questions again and again in quite a poor tone, he couldn’t stop himself from wrinkling his brows.
“Mister, I really don’t know anything about Princess Olivia,” Shen Zhifan added an extra sentence internally, I only just became aware that she was a princess, “I will cooperate with your investigation as much as possible, but please show me some respect.”
Yan Jinxing, who’d originally been sitting silently on the side with his hands folded together, heard this and couldn’t help but raise his head to glance at him.
Shen Zhifan sighed. It had already been late at night when he’d been called out, and his biological clock was functioning normally. If it weren’t for the loud voice opposite him, he was already so sleepy, tottering around on the verge of collapse.
He was very unused to sleeping outside and had difficulties sleeping in a bed that wasn’t his own. On top of that, he also liked to…sleep naked. Even if he fell asleep, it would be very easy for him to be woken up, and so there was no way for him to enter deep sleep. However, it looked like he wasn’t going to be returning home today.
After the other man started another wave of sputtering and shouting himself hoarse, helpless, he ran out temporarily for his toilet break. At least they could guarantee him these human rights.
When Shen Zhifan released a breath and walked out to the lavatory, Yan Jinxing suddenly gave the interrogating officer a meaningful glance.
Being an interrogator wasn’t a very respectful job, in fact, it was often looked down upon. His rank and salary weren’t high, but he had many things to manage, moreover, in the age of transparency, his job was particularly tiring and unfulfilling. Being in this job at his age, it was obvious he didn’t have a good life.
Being stared at by the Yan’s family young master, whose life was good, he was slightly apprehensive.
“Does Lieutenant Colonel Yan have any instruction?” Trembling with trepidation, he wiped his sweat, then turned to him and smiled modestly, ready to curry favour, “I’ve always been rather harsh on suspects. You’ve laughed at my performance, but this is the integrity of my profession, hehe.”
“You need not be nervous,” Yan Jinxing’s eyelid twitched at the greasy-sounding ‘hehe’, then he smiled faintly, raising his eyebrows as he regarded his own folded hands. “Your efforts are very appreciated, though from a certain perspective, I suggest the attitude that you treat Mr Shen Zhifan with could possibly be just a bit more amiable, there’s no harm.”
The interrogator knew some things. For example, that Princess Olivia had only wreaked such absurd havoc because of the pretty boy from just then, who truly had a rather outstanding appearance. He also knew that Olivia’s fiance was General Yan, who was Yan Jinxing’s brother, and so he had intentionally channeled all his energy into interrogating Shen Zhifan.
Yet Yan Jinxing suddenly said this, and he abruptly felt that he wasn’t too clever. It seemed that his ‘sensible act’ wasn’t that sensible after all.
“This…I don’t know what you mean by that?”
Yan Jinxing shook his head, sighing, “To tell the truth, I’ve also just become aware.”
In his heart, the interrogator cursed this foxy bastard a hundred times. He didn’t know whether this flaw of saying half and hiding half was passed down from their family’s ancestors, but on the surface, he still had to put on an amiable expression.
“How about Lieutenant Colonel Yan just say it directly? I’m getting old, it’s hard to avoid being confused.”
Yan Jinxing didn’t dare to say it too loudly, so he motioned for him to bend an ear to listen.
Their heads bent towards each other as if they were whispering, half a minute later, his eyes widened.
“You-you’re serious?”
He stumbled over his words. Evidently, he was horrified, becoming a big garlic head whose appearance wasn’t too good.
“This, as far as I know, this…his relationship with General Yan seems like – it seems like it should not be too harmonious, right?”
“I estimate that after half an hour, my brother will rush over here,” Yan Jinxing interrupted him, looking down and checking his watch. Right at that moment, his communications device began to ring, “That’s right, brother, he’s at my place, it’s fine.”
The interrogator was still in the same rigid position as before. Not until Yan Jinxing hung up the communications device, just as he expected, did he sluggishly close his mouth that had dropped wide open a moment ago.
Yan Jinxing gave the interrogator an encouraging smile. The general idea could be explained; you seem to be out of luck.
The interrogator had originally been pandering to Yan Jinxing, trying to court his favour. After listening to this news, his worldviews crumbled a little. He thought of his attitude towards that pretty boy just then, and like a thunderbolt out of the blue, he almost couldn’t gasp for breath.
Shen Zhifan had also become aware. He found that after he returned from the toilet, his world had changed rather quickly.
For instance, Yan Jinxing left, and the interrogator that’d just been forceful and overbearing became as mild as a drizzle and as gentle as a breeze.
The questions he asked had also become a little strange.
“Oh, you have a younger sister too, tsk tsk, she must be a beauty as well, indeed it’s the youth that are talented, haha.”
Shen Zhifan paused, thinking of Shen Zhirou’s face, and forced himself to nod.
The interrogator used up all of his forced smiles in order to redeem his official career. “Ai, honestly, I’ve always thought that you didn’t have anything to do with the case of the Princess’s disappearance, we’ve already clarified that enough. I’ll also report it to the higher-ups this way. Since we’re brought together by fate, might as well chat casually, hahaha, just now maybe you were too nervous, take it easy, take it easy.”
Shen Zhifan glanced at the big garlic head whose sweat was pouring like rain, and hesitantly nodded, “Actually, I’m not nervous right now.”
“Well, that really couldn’t be better,” The interrogator continued his forced laughs, “How about we chat a bit more; do you have any hobbies?”
Shen Zhifan couldn’t help but let out a complaint, “Usually, I quite like going to sleep on time.”
The interrogator smiled, “Then today has really been unfortunate, ah, since it’s quite late, how about hurrying home, what do you think?”
Shen Zhifan paused, looking at him slightly hesitantly, “But ten minutes ago…I don’t think that’s what you said.”
“Oh, really?” The interrogator strived to use an amiable smile to brainwash Shen Zhifan.
It was a pity, then, that Shen Zhifan was brutally honest, “En, ten minutes ago you said, ‘Don’t think that you can hide, you won’t be able to run for more than a few days’.”
After a pause, he followed on with an imitation of the other’s cold laugh, “Hehe.”
“En, it’s a little too late now though,” The embarrassed interrogator voluntarily bypassed the subject. He firmly believed that he was unable to redeem the past, so he would redouble his efforts for making up his deficiencies in the future. “Or you just stay and sleep here, it just so happens that I have a suite over there. How about you sleep there first?”
Shen Zhifan sunk into contemplation.
How come, with just the effort of going to the toilet, the front and back of this plotline didn’t seem to match up?
Did he…lose his memories again?
Shen Zhifan even wanted to ask the interrogator what year it was today, when suddenly, they heard a knock on the door.
Yan Shuo’s handsome appearance then ran into his line of sight.
The interrogator’s throat bobbed slightly. With a nice, steady smile, he regarded the esteemed General that’d suddenly arrived.
Yan Shuo handed him a new application form, “This is the application form for the suspect’s transfer, I will personally interrogate him.”
“Ah alright, General Yan.” The interrogator couldn’t be happier at the sudden change of events. Yan Shuo didn’t even blame him for one word, this simply moved him so much that his eyes were brimming with hot tears.
Shen Zhifan was originally tired, but had now been roused again.
In-interrogate, the male god was going to personally interrogate him?
…if it was going to be the male god, unexpectedly, he felt himself almost looking forward to it.
In his heart, Shen Zhifan silently scorned himself for a moment. On the other hand, he couldn’t help the curve on the corner of his lips as he followed Yan Shuo out of the interrogation room.
—
The author has something to say:
#Theory on how♂to♂personally♂interrogate#
T/N: I fucking love SZF ok, he’s honestly hilarious
also…can the author pick a less shameless title…please!!! That being said, I was so prepared for a fluffy ‘seduction’, I forgot this story has a plot……
*squinting* plot what plot, all I see is misunderstandings and gays…and a lovely kitty ofc…