Having spent years steeped in medicinal jars, Geng Jing carried a distinctive scent about him that could be recognized with just a slight sniff. Whenever Guangbai had nothing to do, he loved nothing more than to curl up and sleep in Geng Jing's arms.
Yet this had also caused the little fellow to develop a habit of staying up late. Geng Jing had tried making some incense that resembled his own scent, but feeling it was a bit strange, he had burned the whole batch all at once, leaving the ash and remnants he hadn't yet managed to clean up this morning.
"We know you once studied criminal psychology. We were wondering if you could help us solve this puzzle."
The Public Security officers left one speechless. Having been forcibly dragged here, could one even refuse? Had Japan truly run out of talent? Did they just grab whoever was closest? They must have been certain he would be able to crack it.
"After all, that little fellow is still within the blast zone, and we are currently lacking critical information."
Taking the photographs handed over by the Japanese Public Security, Geng Jing fell silent. In the pictures, Guangbai was trapped inside a Ferris wheel, the little creature lowering its head with a wronged expression, its tiny paws constantly scratching at the door but unable to get out, holding the chain he had put on it with his own hands clamped firmly in its teeth.
"Tell me the puzzle."
Hiding in the crowd, the man tightened his grip on the remote control in dissatisfaction as he watched Jinpei Matsuda carry the little fox down from the Ferris wheel. It seemed the fellow was still a coward clinging to life.
"This fox seems to have an owner. Look at the silver tag on its neck—it's tied so loosely that it would fall off with just a gentle tug."
Around the little fox's neck hung a silver chain that would come off with the slightest pull. The item was made of pure silver, and it appeared its owner had no wish to bind it.
The tag bore a contact number and promised a heavy reward. If this little fox wished to leave, it could bite through the chain itself and keep it as a keepsake.
"It seems the owner is quite open-minded."
Kenji Hagiwara stroked the little fox absentmindedly. After practicing asceticism for so many days, he needed to make up for it somehow, especially since a little cutie was finally willing to get close to him.
"Hagi, put that fox down right now. Its dad is about to arrive."
Kenji Hagiwara: ?
Kenji Hagiwara was extremely reluctant. He hadn't even finished warming the fox in his arms, and yet its dad was already on the way?
Before Kenji Hagiwara could let go, the little fox immediately bolted. The door swung open, and a man dressed in a long white robe walked in, reaching out to catch the ball of fur hurtling toward him.
"Awooo!"
Guangbai rubbed ceaselessly against him, and seeing that he was unharmed, climbed up onto his shoulder and narrowed its eyes, moving with a practiced familiarity that tugged at the heartstrings.
"I'm fine."
Seeing the newcomer, Jinpei Matsuda stood up abruptly. He walked over to the man, a trace of reverence in his tone.
"Doctor Geng Jing, it's been a long time."
Hearing the other man call his name, Geng Jing finally diverted his attention to look at him. His heterochromatic eyes lowered slightly, his fingers gently stroking the fox on his shoulder. Seemingly remembering something, he formally raised his gaze to meet Jinpei Matsuda's, his brows relaxing as he gave a nod of acknowledgment.
"You jest, sir. Running into a doctor when everything is fine is hardly a good choice. Right now, I am merely a father."
He neither denied his profession as a doctor nor acknowledged the fact that he had resigned. Jinpei Matsuda had once taken Kenji Hagiwara back to the hospital to visit this heterochromatic doctor.
Yet in the end, all they received was the grim news that the doctor had resigned and vanished into the crowd. It was their habit to thank those who had once helped them, but what Jinpei Matsuda had never expected was that Geng Jing had been forced to leave his post because he had offended the powerful by secretly helping them.
The best warning had been the loss of life for a patient whose treatment had been delayed, while the brilliant, genius doctor was thrown into prison, forever losing his qualifications to practice medicine.
"Is this your child?"
"Yes. My oversight has caused you trouble."
A smile touched Geng Jing's brows and eyes as he readily nodded. After resigning from medicine, other emotions had returned to his face; Jinpei Matsuda had originally detested how he always wore a cold expression and handled everything by the book.
Yet now, looking at the adorable little fox on his shoulder, Matsuda thought that if he were in the same position, he would probably be a lot gentler too.
"Not at all. Your child is very sensible and hardly caused any trouble. Everyone at the precinct is quite fond of it."
After all, it had been adopted through proper channels, and since very few people kept foxes, everyone maintained a certain level of curiosity and delight.
"However, there is something I would like to ask the doctor. Why hasn't my friend's injuries healed after three months? According to what you said back then, a single month should have been enough."
With that, Jinpei Matsuda looked suspiciously at his childhood friend. The most critical reason Kenji Hagiwara had been sent to the hospital in the first place was extensive burns and severe blood loss; his bones and tendons had not been damaged.
"Ah, if my medical instructions had been strictly followed, that indeed wouldn't have been the case. Would you mind holding out your hand?"
Kenji Hagiwara figured that just holding out a hand shouldn't be a big deal. With a fluttering heart, he extended his arm.
Geng Jing took off his gloves and sat down in a chair, his cool fingers reaching out to check the man's pulse. Kenji Hagiwara shivered slightly from the chill, inwardly muttering that this person's hands were impossibly cold.
Besides, could you really tell anything just by putting a hand on someone's pulse like that? Yet to his surprise, Geng Jing looked at him with a complex expression, opening his mouth as if to speak before swallowing the words back, apparently struggling to form them.
"How many... bottles of alcohol do you drink every night?"
As soon as these words fell, the surroundings instantly went dead silent. Kenji Hagiwara stared at him in shock, disbelief written all over his eyes as a flood of questions spilled out.
"How did you figure that out? I clearly hid it so..."
A round of coughing came from behind him. Kenji Hagiwara instantly felt a chill run down his spine, and upon seeing his childhood friend standing there with folded arms and a gloomy expression, his smile froze on his face and he dared not speak another word.
"What time do you go to sleep at night?"
"Ten o'clock."
Geng Jing fell silent for a long moment, seemingly reaching a certain decision. Listening to the remarks that followed, Kenji Hagiwara broke out in a cold sweat of sheer terror, while Jinpei Matsuda's expression grew even darker.
"You went to sleep at ten in the morning. Two days ago, you ate a strawberry-flavored ice pop. When you're eating, sit up straight and don't put your feet on the chair; it's bad for your digestion."
"Smoke less."
"I don't smoke."
Kenji Hagiwara lacked confidence, but his mouth remained stubbornly defiant. Geng Jing looked at him with an indifferent expression, showing no mercy as he pierced right through the lie.
"You haven't been smoking less. You smoke either Mevius or Marlboro."
"..."
The only person who knew what brand of cigarettes Kenji Hagiwara smoked was Jinpei Matsuda—even Wataru Date didn't know. Yet Geng Jing had hit the nail almost entirely on the head.
JR, let me explain!!!"
"You bastard, shut your mouth!"
Geng Jing hugged his "son" and quietly walked toward the door, slipping out with light steps and remembering to pull the door shut behind him.
Even the officers passing by outside could hear the fierce argument raging within, faintly accompanied by the sounds of things being smashed and scuffling.
"Kenji Hagiwara, you've really grown bold! You actually dared to smoke behind my back! Smoking behind my back is one thing, but you even ate ice cream behind my back!"
"Staying up late into the night without sleeping and drinking over there! To think I kept you company eating plain vegetarian food for three months, only for you to touch both alcohol and cigarettes while secretly recovering!"
"If the doctor hadn't come to pick up his child today, I'd still be completely in the dark! You bastard, how can you sleep at night? To think I worried about you for so long—doesn't your conscience hurt? Just how many things are you still keeping from me?!"
Jinpei Matsuda was so furious he was gasping for breath, while Kenji Hagiwara stood obediently to the side, listening to his childhood friend's scolding—to the point where he remained exceptionally well-behaved for quite some time afterward.
During a five-person gathering, the other three were shocked to discover that today's Kenji Hagiwara neither flirted nor provoked trouble, obediently spooning food onto Jinpei Matsuda's plate, and even rushing to pay the bill at the end.
Hiromitsu Morofushi asked in disbelief, "Am I dreaming?"
Rei Furuya tugged at the squad leader's sleeve and asked in a low voice, while Wataru Date laughed and explained that a few days prior, Kenji Hagiwara's attending physician had come to the police station to pick up his child and given Hagiwara a checkup along the way.
In the end, it was discovered that during his recovery, Kenji Hagiwara had not only stayed up late but had also secretly drunk alcohol and smoked, while Jinpei Matsuda had genuinely and honestly accompanied him in eating bland vegetarian food for nearly three months.
Though it sounded utterly absurd, every single word was the truth. Rei Furuya increasingly felt that this doctor had an extraordinary background, yet aside from installing surveillance cameras or witnessing it with one's own eyes, he genuinely couldn't think of any other way anyone could have known what Hagi had been up to these past few days.
After all, even Matsuda, who had spent three months living with him, hadn't known. So how on earth had Geng Jing figured it out? If he had simply seen it, that seemed unlikely.
During this period, Geng Jing's life consisted of a strict two-point line between home and the pharmacy, his schedule kept with such precision that his seniors didn't even need to look at their watches.
Installing surveillance cameras was even more out of the question. Putting aside Hagiwara's own vigilance, for an ordinary person to do something like that for this specific matter yielded zero benefit.
Following this incident, Geng Jing basically buried himself inside the pharmacy and refused to come out. Still, looking at how his mood seemed quite good, his daily life was remarkably comfortable; one day it was beef noodles, the next it was sparerib soup.
Compared to a certain someone whose meals were bland and watery every single day, his life was incomparably better. Yet living like that every day, he still never knew what he'd be eating for his next meal, leaving one momentarily unsure of who to sympathize with.
"Sir, are you really not planning to practice medicine anymore?"