Chapter 79: Mom~I Miss You So Much
The nationwide-shocking “1·16 Island Body-Hiding Case” was officially closed on the fifth day after it was discovered.
The speed was so fast it startled a lot of netizens—some even suspected the Yue City police were chasing “case-closure efficiency” and had forced an innocent person to confess.
Of course not.
Director Zhou publicly responded by laying out the full investigative process. And honestly, the hardest part wasn’t collecting evidence—it was finding where the bodies had been hidden.
The ones who buried the corpses were a cult. They wanted to use Zhang Wei’an to swallow up Qinghu Group, so they naturally weren’t going to painstakingly help him cover every trace.
But being able to bury that many bodies beneath an island—if Zhang Wei’an hadn’t suddenly decided to renovate the island and invite a production crew up there, Lin Jiangye and the others never would have found the Yuan couple’s bodies, much less uncovered the existence of the other victims.
Give it another year or two… actually, not even two—at most one more year, and most of those bodies would’ve turned into bones. By then, trying to track them by the stench of decay would be far, far harder.
If Zhang Wei’an and the people behind him had been just a bit smarter, they could’ve waited until then, dug up the skeletons, ground them into powder, dumped it into the sea, and renovated again. At that point, it basically wouldn’t be the police’s business anymore.
If even the ashes were gone, what could the police do? Even if they found the murder weapons, it still wouldn’t be enough.
From the sheer fact that so many brutally tortured bodies were found on an island under his name, plus that blood-soaked room… along with police interrogations of island staff, investigations into the renovation crew, and—most crucially—the fact that they finally pried open a witness’s mouth and obtained video footage of those people being taken away…
While Lin Jiangye was sweating it out digging up bodies, the other officers weren’t standing around. Especially with the criminal investigation units from two districts working together—every detective was running themselves ragged for this case.
“It is precisely because every comrade gave everything that we were able, in such a short time, to obtain conclusive evidence, break through the killer’s psychological defenses, and restore the full truth of the case. This is the result of 115 police officers working as one.”
Director Zhou, serious and composed, debunked the online rumors and laid out, point by point, everything the police had done.
Five days sounds short—but in hours, that’s a full 120 hours. In those 120 hours, aside from the bare minimum sleep, basically no one was idle.
Many people went one or two days straight without real rest—just to dig out the evidence and drag that demon into the light.
So Director Zhou didn’t want to see anyone questioning her officers.
Lin Jiangye watched her statement from the hospital, then looked at the squad’s group chat—where coworkers were wailing dramatically about “loving Director Zhou for a lifetime”—and couldn’t help laughing.
“Woof?” [Human, what are you happy about? Is Mom about to wake up?]
As he laughed, Lin Jiangye suddenly felt something warm and wet on the back of his hand. He looked down—the Labrador was gently licking him.
“Yes,” Lin Jiangye said, rubbing the dog’s head as he smiled. “Your mom’s going to wake up soon.”
It wasn’t even just comforting words. Maybe the dog really did bring some kind of powerful force—because when the Labrador got to Miss Yuan Xueling’s bedside and cried and cried, both Lin Jiangye and the butler saw the ECG react abnormally.
A reaction was a good sign.
So they kept it up for a week. Then more good news came—Yuan Xueling’s fingers began to move.
After the doctors examined her, they found her brain activity really was increasing. She was still unconscious, yes, but she truly had the possibility of waking up.
“If that’s the case…” the doctor muttered quietly, “then she shouldn’t have been a vegetative patient in the first place. It’s more like some factor kept her in a prolonged coma…”
Then the doctor suddenly remembered the department head who’d been taken away for investigation—the one who had previously been in charge of this patient.
Eh… the more you think, the scarier it gets.
Lin Jiangye and the butler both heard it. Pain rose in the butler’s face—if it weren’t for Zhang Wei’an, their young miss might have woken up long ago, and the master and madam wouldn’t have died because of all this.
Damn that Zhang Wei’an!
And then, after waiting an entire month—on the very day Zhang Wei’an was sentenced to death—Yuan Xueling’s eyelids trembled. At last, she opened her eyes.
“Uncle Feng…”
The butler froze all over. He slowly turned around. Seeing his young miss awake, weakly speaking, he immediately burst into tears.
“Woof woof woof!!!” [Mom—Mom—Mom—Mom—you finally woke up!]
The Labrador was about to launch itself onto the bed, and the butler hurriedly grabbed the dog—terrified that this heavy dog would knock the newly-awakened woman right back into unconsciousness.
Yuan Xueling was excited too—but she knew clearly: if she let herself get too worked up, she might faint again.
She took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down.
After a long while, she slowly reached out toward the Labrador and said softly, “Maomao, come to Mama.”
Hearing that call, the Labrador couldn’t hold back anymore. It shook off the butler and dashed straight to the bedside.
But this time, it moved extremely carefully.
It first nudged Yuan Xueling’s fingers gently with its nose. Then it lowered its big head into her palm, letting out a small, wronged whimper: [Mama… I missed you so much.]
Yuan Xueling didn’t need translation to understand what her dog was saying.
“Good Maomao,” she murmured. “Mama missed you too.”
It felt like she’d been trapped in a long nightmare—lost from her family, betrayed by someone closest to her, almost never waking again.
But just as she was about to give up, a familiar voice appeared in that empty, dark world, guiding her little by little back out.
It was Maomao—calling her consciousness awake.
—
After Zhang Wei’an’s case ended, Lin Jiangye checked the time. One week before the Spring Festival, he brought Yuheng, Kaiyang, Tianji, Tianquan—and Bixi—down to the foot of Taibai Mountain.
When Tian Shu and Tian Xuan learned Lin Jiangye was going to look for a wild Siberian tiger to spend New Year with, they were curious—but sadly, they were simply too big and impossible to disguise, so they couldn’t leave Yue City recklessly.
The two tigers felt extremely wronged. Lin Jiangye had to coax them for a long time before they stopped sniffling and pouting.
Bai Zhengwen followed too. Lin Jiangye had no choice—one of Bai Zhengwen’s duties was protecting him. If he didn’t go, Lin Jiangye couldn’t explain it to the capital.
But… Lin Jiangye sincerely hoped that once they reached Taibai Mountain, Bai Zhengwen’s heart could handle everything he’d see.
While the rest of the squad was happily dreaming about post-holiday promotions and pay raises, Lin Jiangye was already driving up to the police station at the foot of Taibai Mountain.
He went to greet the station chief first, then returned to the same small courtyard as before.
While Bai Zhengwen unpacked, Lin Jiangye chatted with the chief in the yard about recent happenings on Taibai Mountain.
“That Siberian tiger we rescued before is living up here now—its territory is right next to the Mountain God’s. Sometimes it even wanders over, gets slapped a few times, then slinks away like a guilty kid.” The chief couldn’t help laughing as he spoke.
To be honest, when they saw that subadult tiger enter the Mountain God’s territory on surveillance, they thought it was coming for revenge. Even the forestry bureau mobilized, terrified the two tigers would fight and leave one dead and one injured.
But yes, they fought—only it looked more like roughhousing than anything.
To Lin Jiangye, though, those words had a different meaning.
A subadult tiger barging into an adult female’s territory, and the female only driving it off with a few slaps…
Isn’t that exactly the vibe of a naughty brat with itchy skin coming to ask for a beating?
Could that subadult tiger actually be related to Tiger Mom by blood?
No way. Tiger Mom can only have one kid—him.
The chief had no idea what storm had just gone through Lin Jiangye’s head. Lin Jiangye’s calm expression slowly twisted into indignation—and not long after, he strode up the mountain in a huff.
As for Bai Zhengwen, he finished packing, came out, and the person was already gone.
“…Where’d he go?”
This time, Lin Jiangye didn’t bring the two wolves up the mountain. Bringing four fierce predators up suddenly would put local animals on edge—especially Tiger Mom.
As for why he didn’t bring Bixi…
Ah. That was because he’d been so mad at his own speculation he marched up without thinking—only to realize halfway up that he was alone.
Forget it. Not important.
“Tiiiger Moooom—” Lin Jiangye deliberately softened his voice, calling out bright and loud.
Tourists in the scenic area heard it first, turning their heads in curiosity.
And… who was “Tiger Mom,” anyway?
But soon they realized the voice was moving farther away—deeper into the mountains.
Tiger Mom lived in a cave halfway up the mountain. But what noticed Lin Jiangye’s return even earlier was the nearby wild sika deer herd.
[Human! You’re back!]
A familiar voice—yet no longer babyish. The little white deer’s voice had grown clearer, lighter, almost ethereal.
The moment it spoke, a white, joyful, agile figure appeared in Lin Jiangye’s view.
Lin Jiangye always kept up with Taibai Mountain news. One of the most frequent topics was Taibai’s “white spirit”—a leucistic wild sika deer.
People already loved deer. A white one? Even more.
Someone had filmed the deer leaping and sprinting through snow—and running alongside it were a lynx and a snowy owl.
No one knew how three completely different species ended up playing together, but the scene looked unbelievably beautiful.
And now, that “snowfield spirit” was charging straight into Lin Jiangye’s arms.
Thump. The little white deer slammed into him.
“Ow! You’re heavy as heck! Good thing your antlers haven’t grown in yet, or you’d have stabbed me!” He said that—but he was smiling so hard his eyes curved into crescents.
The deer hummed and nuzzled all over him. [I missed you to death!]
“I missed you to death too!”
[Then why didn’t you call me?]
“…”
Lin Jiangye choked for a second, not knowing how to explain.
Staring into those clear, innocent eyes, his brain spun quickly, and he came up with an excuse: “If I yelled ‘Little Deer,’ would you even know I meant you?”
“Tiger Mom” was a title only between Lin Jiangye and the Mountain God. Even if someone else used that nickname, Tiger Mom wouldn’t respond.
But between Lin Jiangye and the little white deer—did they have a special nickname? No.
The deer remembered that tourists also called it “little white deer,” and instantly drooped. [Wuwu… I don’t have one… I wouldn’t know it was you.]
True. If it hadn’t heard someone shouting “Tiger Mom,” it wouldn’t have come over, and it wouldn’t have known Lin Jiangye was back.
Lin Jiangye silently let out a guilty breath. Then he patted the deer’s head and soothed it: “After I see Tiger Mom, I’ll think of a name for you, okay?”
He loved the Taibai Mountain kids. Even though the deer was wild and would never go with him or live in the zoo, that didn’t mean he couldn’t come back.
Coming once a year—seeing the deer king, the little white deer, the chubby little birds—was still wonderful.
After giving the deer a good head-rub, Lin Jiangye continued uphill.
About ten minutes later, nearing the cave, he turned a bend—and the moment he looked up, he saw a majestic, powerful adult tiger lying on a rock outside the cave, calmly looking down at him.
“TIGER MOM!!!”
He hadn’t expected her to be waiting outside. The instant he met those gentle yet commanding eyes, he couldn’t hold it in—he dashed forward and threw himself onto her.
“Tiger Mom, Tiger Mom, I missed you so much! You don’t even know what I’ve been through lately, wuwuwu! I even had a nightmare a few days ago—dreamed a bunch of corpses came after me—wuwuwu, it was Tiger Mom who saved me—”
The moment he had “Mom,” he shed all the forced maturity he wore in the human world. Hugging that huge tiger head, he just kept kissing and petting and clinging.
Tiger Mom let the human cub cling and babble—she didn’t understand the words, but it didn’t matter. She thought: what this cub needs isn’t “comfort.” As long as she’s here, it’s enough.
Mm. It’s just that hearing “Mom, Mom, Mom” over and over… for some reason, it made her want to raise a paw and smack him.
After being clingy for a while, Lin Jiangye beamed and asked, “I’ll stay with you for a bit. Want to come down with me now? Same little courtyard as before!”
Tiger Mom silently stood up, then shook her head hard.
If a cat shaking its head is a helicopter, then a tiger shaking its head is a fighter jet.
After shaking off the “Mom-mom-mom” noise from her ears, she lazily stretched and rumbled: [Let’s go.]
“Hehe!”
As Lin Jiangye led Tiger Mom down the mountain, he told her everything he’d been through—his trip to the capital, then south to the South Sea, then the island where they found so many human bodies.
Tiger Mom didn’t understand the rules of the human world, but she understood one thing: humans… weren’t exactly living in peace either.
“There are too many humans. And humans have heavy selfish desires—so of course there’ll be all kinds of conflict. Remember that human I brought before? He’s one of the people responsible for protecting human lives and maintaining order. I gave him that wrist cord—I hope he stays safe when he’s out doing his job.”
At the mention of the cord, Tiger Mom immediately remembered that human coming nervously to her cave. She remembered clearly: he was tense and scared, but when he realized she recognized the cord, his emotions flipped instantly into shock and joy.
But she knew perfectly well that his joy wasn’t directed at her.
[Where’s the other human?]
“Captain Shang? Poor Captain Shang is still working! I don’t even know if he can make it over later. If he can’t, whatever—let’s celebrate the New Year together!”
This time, what mattered most to him was Tiger Mom. Whether anyone else was around didn’t really matter.
Thankfully, Shang Fuyan didn’t hear that—otherwise he’d be crushed on the spot.
Lin Jiangye happily led Tiger Mom down the mountain. The moment he returned to the courtyard, he saw Bai Zhengwen staring at him, panting hard.
And when Bai Zhengwen spotted the Siberian tiger behind him, his pupils shrank sharply, his breathing stalled, and his hand shot toward his lower back.
“Wait, wait, wait! This is my Tiger Mom!” Lin Jiangye saw the movement and instantly realized what he was about to do. He hurriedly stepped in front of Tiger Mom and stopped him.
Bai Zhengwen felt cold sweat break out all over. His mind was a mess—like it had been filled with glue.
Only after he heard Lin Jiangye introduce Tiger Mom did he regain a little clarity. “Wait… you call a tiger ‘Mom’?”
Lin Jiangye looked utterly justified. “What’s wrong with that?”
Bai Zhengwen looked at the tiger sitting calmly to the side, then at Lin Jiangye’s expression. His lips twitched, but in the end he just shook his head.
“The chief will help us buy some ingredients later—Tiger Mom’s rations are included. I’m going to brush her fur first. Tonight I’m sleeping with her!”
The more Lin Jiangye spoke, the more excited he got. He looked like he wanted to pick the tiger up and go to bed right now.
Bai Zhengwen’s mouth twitched. He felt like he needed to call Jiang Xin and ask how they’d ended up living with a tiger in the first place.
But Jiang Xin said he didn’t know—and told him to contact Shang Fuyan instead.
“Shang Fuyan?” Isn’t that the Wen’an District squad captain?
“Yeah. When Jiangye went to Taibai Mountain, he went with him. They found the Mountain God together. Last time, he personally invited the Mountain God over to keep Jiangye in check. If anyone knows, it’s him.”
After hanging up, Bai Zhengwen scratched his head in frustration. Why did Jiang Xin’s tone sound a little… pointed?
Eh—must be his imagination.
He actually did call Shang Fuyan. Shang Fuyan told him everything that happened back then, then offered what was less a suggestion and more a warning:
“Jiangye genuinely treats the Mountain God as his mom. Don’t argue with him, don’t stop him, don’t use human standards to restrain how he acts. And ‘Tiger Mom’ is a name that belongs only to Jiangye—if you call her ‘Tiger Mom,’ she won’t respond to you.”
“As for what you should call her, just use ‘Mountain God,’ or ‘Miracle.’ That’s what everyone down the mountain calls her.”
Bai Zhengwen still didn’t get it. “But why would Lin Jiangye recognize a tiger as his mom?”
When the capital investigated the young man’s background, they’d learned he was an orphan, raised in a welfare home. If he craved parental love, they could help—
“Don’t do anything extra.” Shang Fuyan cut him off immediately.
“Don’t do anything extra.” The second time, his tone turned far heavier.
“This isn’t advice. It’s a warning. If you don’t want to make Lin Jiangye angry, don’t do that. Let him do what he wants—as long as it’s not illegal, just go along with it. I’m sure my brother told you the same thing.”
Bai Zhengwen narrowed his eyes slightly. “Your brother? Oh right—you’re a Shang…”
Shang Fuyan, Shang Yongyi—yeah, they did sound like brothers.
“Alright. I understand.” If he was bringing up Shang Yongyi, that meant he truly didn’t want Bai Zhengwen doing anything reckless.
Bai Zhengwen took a slow breath. Lin Jiangye’s behavior was outside his worldview—but the man was right.
Is calling a tiger “Mom” illegal? No.
Does it harm anyone? No.
Is it immoral? Even less.
So what’s the problem?
“I was being arrogant.” Hearing that, Shang Fuyan sounded relieved.
He really was afraid Bai Zhengwen would provoke Lin Jiangye, who would then take it out on Shang Yongyi—and then, by extension, on him.
After ending the call, Bai Zhengwen glanced toward the bedroom. Lin Jiangye was sprawled across the Siberian tiger, chatting as he brushed her fur—pouting and acting cute in a way Bai Zhengwen had never seen from him.
But it really did look like a kid cuddling up and whining to his mother.
And thinking about Lin Jiangye being an orphan… Bai Zhengwen suddenly felt maybe this was fine.
Compared to humans, animals’ affection really was purer.
Meanwhile, what Lin Jiangye was actually doing was interrogating the subadult tiger’s intentions.
“It’s not… related to you, is it? Like, blood-related—and trying to rely on you?” No!!! Absolutely not!!!
Tiger Mom let out a sigh. Why had this human cub gotten noisier and noisier after leaving for a while?
Worse, Bixi caught Tiger Mom’s scent and immediately flew from the guest room into the master bedroom. When it heard that the same subadult tiger was still clinging to Tiger Mom, the crow was aghast.
[Beat it up!]
And unbelievably, Lin Jiangye nodded. “Makes sense… that brat probably has itchy skin. It needs a good beating.”
Tiger Mom gave him a helpless look, then glared at the little crow stirring the pot.
Bixi let out a tiny ga-ga, then flopped on top of Tiger Mom’s head and wheedled: [Crow missed you too!]
Tiger Mom was truly out of options. One by one, these little brats—troublemakers, and yet so good at acting cute.
“Hehe!” While the human and crow were cuddling the tiger, a tiger roar rolled down from the mountain.
[Who stole Tiger’s neighbor?!]
Oh—brat’s furious.
