Chapter 81: Taking Tiger Mom Home!
“What did you just say?”
On the second day after the New Year, just as Shang Fuyan and the others were getting ready to buy tickets and head back, they suddenly heard that Lin Jiangye was planning to leave—bringing Tiger Mom with him.
That one sentence stunned not only Shang Fuyan and Bai Zhengwen, but also the Forestry Bureau staff on the other end of the call, and even the subadult tiger lying by Lin Jiangye’s feet.
Of course, each of them was shocked for a different reason.
Shang Fuyan and the local Forestry Bureau had long known Lin Jiangye had already reserved a retirement “territory” for Tiger Mom—once the renovations and equipment were finished on his end, he could bring her back.
But right now… the work on the back hill had only just started, hadn’t it?
“I can’t help it either… Tiger Mom said herself she wants to come back with me. You all know I wouldn’t lie to you about something like this, right?”
The moment he finished speaking, everyone—both the people on the phone and Shang Fuyan—fell silent.
“Hey, hey, hey—what’s that supposed to mean?!” Lin Jiangye laughed in disbelief, half amused and half annoyed.
Shang Fuyan looked left, looked right, and simply refused to meet his eyes. It was obvious: he didn’t believe that line at all.
Someone from the Forestry Bureau choked up and said tearfully, “Anything else you say, I’ll believe. But anything involving the Mountain God? Not a word.”
Lin Jiangye: ???
“So you’ve been wanting to take the Mountain God away this whole time, haven’t you!”
That accusation wasn’t exactly wrong—but this time, he really hadn’t been the one to bring it up.
“Absolutely not. I swear on Tiger Mom’s reputation.” Only then did the person on the phone finally calm down.
Still, they didn’t understand. “Why? Didn’t we agree you’d wait until everything was built before taking her back? She can hold out for another year or so.”
Lin Jiangye scratched his nose awkwardly and told them the truth: he’d somehow ended up with an extra Amur tiger at home.
“…Alright. I get it now…” The Forestry Bureau staff sounded dazed. They genuinely hadn’t expected even the Mountain God could get jealous.
But then again, thinking about how spirited and intelligent Tiger Mom was… maybe it wasn’t that surprising after all.
In the end, they held an emergency meeting. The result: Lin Jiangye had to send them a video of his home environment.
“Fine. Give me a minute.”
He called Jiang Xin and told him to film the house right away and send over a video.
“What’s going on?” Jiang Xin found the request a little weird.
Then he received what could only be described as great news:
“Tiger Mom’s coming back with me early—as long as the Forestry Bureau approves it, we’re good, hehe! Go clean out a room for her. A separate one. Whether she sleeps with me or not, it needs to be ready. From now on, that’s her bedroom.”
Last time, when Shang Fuyan had invited Tiger Mom over, Jiang Xin, Yu Anhe, and the others had all seen her. They knew perfectly well what kind of relationship Lin Jiangye had with Tiger Mom.
Before long, the video arrived. Lin Jiangye checked it, confirmed everything looked fine, and forwarded it to the Forestry Bureau.
Then came the waiting.
“Not sure if they’ll agree…” Lin Jiangye felt a little heavy-hearted.
Meanwhile, the subadult tiger was clinging to Tiger Mom and making a fuss. It couldn’t understand why its “neighbor” wouldn’t stay properly in the mountains and insisted on following that human.
[He is my cub.]
[Impossible! Tigers can’t give birth to humans!] The subadult was convinced its neighbor was tricking it!
But Tiger Mom stubbornly stuck to her story. After a long silence, the subadult finally asked hesitantly:
[…Can tigers really give birth to humans?]
It didn’t feel right… and besides, even if that were possible, that human smelled fully grown—why would an adult still cling to their mom?
[When a tiger can hunt on its own, the mother kicks it out… So is it because that human can’t hunt that you have to keep following him?] The subadult felt like it had reached enlightenment!
The next second, it got a solid whack on the head from Lin Jiangye.
“Who can’t hunt?!”
“Ao-woo-woo!” [You, that’s who! If you could hunt, why would your mom still have to follow you when you’re already grown?!]
“None of your business! I like it!” Lin Jiangye huffed, then hugged Tiger Mom tightly right in front of the subadult and refused to let go.
That shamelessly clingy display left the subadult completely dumbfounded.
[D-Damn human…!]
At this point, Shang Fuyan was explaining the earlier agreement between Lin Jiangye and Tiger Mom. Hearing the commotion outside, he didn’t even need to look—he already knew those two had started fighting again.
A while later, Lin Jiangye came shivering back inside to warm up.
His clothes were a mess, so everyone assumed he’d lost.
But then the subadult walked in behind him… and that was when they realized who’d really taken the beating.
Its fur was in chaos, one eye looked a little bruised, and it limped in unsteadily—no clue which leg was injured.
It looked like mutual damage, though nothing too serious. Shang Fuyan and Bai Zhengwen could only sigh as they treated one human and one tiger.
The Forestry Bureau soon reached a conclusion. Over a video call, they asked Tiger Mom directly:
If you’re going willingly, roar twice.
If not, roar once.
And throughout the entire process, Lin Jiangye had to be blindfolded and keep his mouth shut—absolutely no sounds allowed.
Tiger Mom roared twice, then—right in front of everyone—went out of her way to rub against Lin Jiangye.
The “willingness” couldn’t have been more obvious.
Since she was willing, the Forestry Bureau had no choice. One by one, they bade Tiger Mom farewell with teary eyes.
Because honestly, even if they refused, they were afraid Tiger Mom would just run off to find Lin Jiangye on her own.
It wasn’t impossible at all. Last time, hadn’t the little white deer and the snowy owl managed to feel their way all the way to Yue City? What if Tiger Mom had the snowy owl guide her, too?
And just like that, it was settled.
But once the subadult tiger realized Tiger Mom really was leaving, it looked utterly deflated—like its whole tiger body had gone limp.
Lin Jiangye bent down and gave it a hug. “I’ll come back here from time to time. And when I do, I’ll bring Tiger Mom with me.”
The subadult nudged its head against the human in front of it… then went right back to looking sulky and listless.
Since they were bringing Tiger Mom, their vehicle probably wouldn’t be enough.
In the end, when they left, they flew back on Shang Fuyan’s private plane. The car was shipped back to Yue City separately.
Before leaving, Lin Jiangye notified the station chief down the mountain and had him come up to meet the subadult—so it could get familiar with his scent.
“This human is a good human. If you run into trouble, go down the mountain and find him, okay? But you are not allowed to hurt people—unless a human attacks you first.”
Poaching in Taibai Mountain had never truly stopped, and wild Amur tigers were on the poachers’ list too.
Lin Jiangye was only worried some people might accidentally wander into the subadult’s territory, causing unnecessary casualties and panic—but that didn’t mean he wanted the tiger to just surrender and let itself be beaten to death by humans (:???)
The station chief took a deep breath, walked up on trembling legs, and forced himself to stay calm.
“If you notice anything, you can also come down and find me. I can call Consultant Lin and have him translate.”
The subadult glanced at him, still gloomy and unhappy.
Lin Jiangye waved goodbye. The subadult and the other animals all stood there, watching them leave.
Only after those figures disappeared from view did Lin Jiangye silently sigh.
If he could, he really would like to live here—spending long stretches of time with these wild animals.
“When you’re older and retired, you can come back, can’t you?” Shang Fuyan comforted him patiently. “By then you can rent a homestead here and build your own house again.”
True. When he got older, he’d retire anyway. And once retired, he could settle wherever he wanted.
The moment they arrived back in Yue City, right as they landed, both Lin Jiangye’s and Shang Fuyan’s phones rang at the same time.
They exchanged a glance and checked.
Well, well—calls from headquarters.
Lin Jiangye still looked confused, but Shang Fuyan’s expression turned complicated.
The call was from Director Zhou. She told them both to come to headquarters—there was a task that required the two of them to complete together.
Lin Jiangye glanced at the cubs behind him, worried about how to bring them back, but Jiang Xin was reliable as always. He’d already arranged a cargo truck to be waiting.
When Jiang Xin saw Tiger Mom, he enthusiastically leaned in. “Mountain God—long time no see.”
Tiger Mom looked a little puzzled at first. She didn’t have much impression of this human.
But then she leaned in to sniff him—catching the same scent he carried, similar to Lin Jiangye’s—and immediately understood: family.
“Tiger Mom, you go back with Jiang Xin first. I already had him prepare your room. You can sleep in your own room, or you can sleep with me—either is fine! As soon as I’m done here, I’ll come straight home!”
Tiger Mom nodded and obediently followed Jiang Xin onto the truck.
The other cubs did the same, hopping up into the cargo compartment and sitting nicely.
When Lin Jiangye and Shang Fuyan took a taxi over to headquarters, they were surprised to find those international police officers were still there.
Wait… was Director Zhou about to say those guys had taken the cultists away?
Fortunately, no.
But once they heard the mission Director Zhou assigned, neither of them looked much happier.
“In a few days, you’ll go to the northwest Qiang region. There’s a hidden Holy Spirit Cult stronghold there.” The largest one in the country—one that wouldn’t let anyone sleep easy unless it was uprooted completely.
At first, nobody took the cult seriously. Especially not in the Qiang region—religiously speaking, it was sacred ground. With Buddhism there to hold the line, small cults shouldn’t have been able to stir up much trouble.
But after the Zhang Weian incident, following the trail from the arrested members made one thing clear:
They had already been planted inside the country for a long time.
And people like Zhang Weian weren’t rare.
“So you’re saying… they’ve actually already controlled quite a few groups, and they’re holding a lot of assets?” Shang Fuyan’s brow furrowed deeper the more he listened.
Director Zhou nodded. The moment she learned this, she reported it upward immediately, and the central authorities issued instructions on what to do next.
Lin Jiangye didn’t quite get it. “If they have a hidden base in the Qiang region, how are they hiding themselves among so many Buddhists?”
Judging from the church setup on that island, the Holy Spirit Cult was extremely Western in style—completely different from local Buddhist traditions. In theory, it should’ve been easy to expose.
That question was answered by the international police officers:
“After we destroyed their main headquarters, their domestic sites in your country started transforming into Buddhist ‘propaganda points.’ Only the ones with sufficiently firm belief are led to the truth about what the site really is.”
So basically, the Holy Spirit Cult had wrapped itself in a Buddhist skin. They’d brainwash people first—only after they were deep enough would they reveal what the real church was.
“Then if we go investigate, won’t it be hard to find anything?” Lin Jiangye frowned. “If it’s all disguised, and we’re not locals, how are we supposed to spot it?”
Director Zhou nodded, then glanced at Shang Fuyan.
Shang Fuyan froze for a moment, then his expression shifted—understanding dawning.
“Director Zhou…”
Seeing he’d gotten the hint, Director Zhou smiled faintly.
“You’re qualified. And you’ve been in that unit position for a while now.”
Lin Jiangye was still in a daze, but Director Zhou didn’t give him any chance to ask questions. After handing them the relevant files, she shooed both of them out.
“What does this even mean?”
Seeing how utterly lost the young man looked, Shang Fuyan glanced around first, then leaned in and muttered by his ear, “It’s them sending us over there to ‘get gilded.’ Come back and it’ll be easy to get promoted.”
Huh?
With one arm draped over Lin Jiangye’s shoulder, Shang Fuyan guided him outside while calmly breaking down Director Zhou’s intentions.
“Normally, this has nothing to do with us. Not just because of the region—this is happening in Western Qiang. If something goes wrong there, the central authorities would send investigators directly. And if it really blew up, the military would just suppress it.”
So letting them go was basically acknowledging that they discovered it first and contributed the most. They’d be included in the operation, and afterward, promotions would follow naturally.
“Wait!” Lin Jiangye suddenly realized something was off. A promotion made sense for Shang Fuyan, but Lin Jiangye was only an external consultant—what was there for him to be promoted into?
At that, Shang Fuyan’s brows softened.
“Even as an outside consultant, you can move from a branch bureau team to the national bureau, can’t you?” And once that happened, Lin Jiangye’s bonus would only get bigger!
Oh… fair enough.
“Western Qiang, huh… that’s a great place.” Lin Jiangye narrowed his eyes, thinking.
If a normal person said Western Qiang was a great place, Shang Fuyan would immediately think of the scenery along the road.
But if it was Lin Jiangye saying it? Then he was definitely talking about the wild animals living up on that plateau.
Tibetan antelope. Snow leopards. For Lin Jiangye, it was another animal paradise—no less than Taibai Mountain.
“But if it’s a city, fine. If we’re going to the grasslands or rural areas, you’ll need some special training.”
Lin Jiangye didn’t get it. Shang Fuyan tapped him on the head, then patted his own lower back.
What was that supposed to mean—hinting he had broad shoulders and a slim waist?
When Shang Fuyan saw the blank look in his eyes, he was so exasperated he laughed. “A gun. A gun!”
There were plenty of fierce beasts on the plateau—Tibetan brown bears were one of them. They still didn’t know when they’d depart; if it was March or April, they’d have to watch out for bears waking up from hibernation.
“And if we go to the plateau, you probably can’t bring your cubs with you.”
As Shang Fuyan spoke, Lin Jiangye’s expression gradually turned serious. None of the “kids” at home had lived on the plateau before; adapting would likely be difficult.
If they were talking combat power, the strongest at home was Tiger Mom—but as an Amur tiger, she couldn’t live above three thousand meters.
The only two he could bring might be Chang Geng and Qi Ming.
“Or what about Yuheng and the others?” Wolves adapted well. One subspecies—the Siberian steppe wolf—lived on the plateau. So could “the wolves” manage?
Lin Jiangye fell silent. He couldn’t answer with theory—because theory and reality were never the same.
Altitude sickness could kill. He didn’t know whether it would endanger Yuheng and Kaiyang, and he refused to gamble with their lives.
Especially since they were captive-raised grey wolves, not wild ones. Their adaptability might be far weaker.
Shang Fuyan patted his shoulder, and the two of them went back to the Lin house.
Watching Shang Fuyan move around as naturally as if it were his own home—and Lin Jiangye not questioning it at all—Jiang Xin could only rub his forehead in helplessness.
They went into the courtyard. Tiger Mom quietly emerged from her room and lay down against Lin Jiangye’s legs.
They opened Director Zhou’s file and read through it carefully. Both of them sucked in a cold breath.
“Twenty years… illegal fundraising over ten billion… figures worthy of a cult,” Lin Jiangye muttered. It almost rivaled what he’d managed after messing around in that other world for so many years.
Shang Fuyan felt a headache coming on. Unlike Lin Jiangye, who was fixated on the amount of money, he cared more about the network of connections these cultists had built.
Local police. Religious figures. Business circles. And even foreign forces.
If they weren’t careful and those people slipped overseas, all their effort would be wasted.
As for when they’d move… it was tentatively set for mid-March. That meant they had about a month to prepare.
“Perfect. We’ll train you,” Shang Fuyan declared—straight-up deciding Lin Jiangye’s next month of schedule.
Lin Jiangye propped his chin in his hands. Recently he’d been eating well, sleeping well, living comfortably—he’d gained a full ten pounds compared to when he first came back.
Even so, he still looked tall and slim. It was just that his cheeks had a bit more flesh; he didn’t look so painfully thin anymore.
Tiger Mom tilted her head, curious. [Do you need me to help?]
Lin Jiangye’s face immediately fell. “Where we’re going, you can’t go. And the cubs at home probably can’t go either—except Chang Geng and Qi Ming.”
Chang Geng was a white-tailed sea eagle; it was supposed to live above two thousand meters anyway, so it was the most suited to Western Qiang.
As for the rest… he couldn’t be sure.
Hearing it was a three-thousand-meter plateau, Tiger Mom leaned her head back, then flopped down again. [Oh. Then go early and come back early.]
Lin Jiangye pounced onto her and wailed, “Tiger Mom, wuu wuu wuu, I can’t leave you!”
[Then don’t go?]
“…That won’t work.”
[So what are you crying for?]
Shang Fuyan couldn’t understand Tiger Mom’s words, but he could tell from Lin Jiangye’s face that Tiger Mom had just choked him speechless.
“Ahem… what about Yuheng and the others—should we try?” Shang Fuyan asked.
“Huh?”
Shang Fuyan explained that he could apply for an air route right now, take the two wolves to a plateau area for a trial run, and if it didn’t work, bring them right back.
If everything went smoothly, it’d be a same-day round trip.
Lin Jiangye thought seriously and felt it really was a good method.
If possible, of course he wanted to bring Yuheng and Kaiyang—on the surface they could pass as big dogs, and if needed, they could fight.
Even if they were “domesticated” wolves, their base instincts were still there. They were fiercer than ordinary police dogs by far.
Once decided, Shang Fuyan immediately went to apply for the air route. To ensure Yuheng and Kaiyang’s condition, Lin Jiangye also brought a veterinarian onto the plane.
Yuheng and Kaiyang were a little dazed, not sure what was going on—only that they were going somewhere to test whether they could operate there.
Chang Geng and Qi Ming were also brought along.
Some of the other cubs got curious and tried to tag along, but Lin Jiangye pushed them down with one hand.
The Tibetan mastiff wanted to go the most. It whined and acted cute, rubbing and kissing, but no matter how it tried to cling, Lin Jiangye refused.
But when Bixi asked whether it could go, Lin Jiangye hesitated.
Ravens did have subspecies that lived on plateaus—but like grey wolves, not every subspecies could adapt.
“We can try. But if you feel unwell, you must tell me. Understand?”
Bixi’s tiny eyes lit up. It flew onto Lin Jiangye and rubbed against him nonstop.
Which only made the Tibetan mastiff even more depressed.
[Mi wants to go too… Mi wants to help too…] Its tail drooped, looking pitiful.
Lin Jiangye thought for a moment, then actually assigned it a task. “There’s something I think only you can do.”
[!!!] The little cat’s tail immediately shot straight up!
Lin Jiangye squatted down, leaned to its ear, and whispered something. No one else could hear—only that the mastiff’s eyes turned sparkly-bright.
[Okay! Mi will help you!] In an instant it was lively again, all the earlier gloom gone.
Lin Jiangye smiled and patted its head. “Then I’m counting on you. You’re the boss of all the cubs at home.”
That’s right! Mi is the boss!
The little cat puffed out its chest proudly, tail practically pointing at the sky.
That night, after Lin Jiangye left Yue City, Tiger Mom was sleeping in her own bedroom when her ears caught a set of light footsteps.
When she opened her eyes, it was the small tabby kitten that had been meowing at noon.
The “mastiff” had seen tigers at the zoo before and had also spent time with Tiger Mom, so it acted familiar right away, rubbing up against her.
It trotted over like a tiny pony, curled itself into a ball beside Tiger Mom, yawned, and announced: [Mi will sleep with tiger!]
Tiger Mom stared at the small cub, thinking for a moment before realizing: [That human cub told you to come?]
The tabby scooted closer. Tiger Mom’s slightly higher body temperature made the kitten warm and cozy; its eyes nearly squinted shut from comfort.
[Human said you are his mama. Mi is human’s cub. Human is not here now, so Mi as a cub should help take care of you!]
Human also said that taking care of elders was what the boss of the family should do!
Mi is the boss, so this task should be Mi’s!
Tiger Mom didn’t understand human family rules, but she felt this silly kitten had probably been fooled silly by that human cub.
She wanted to refuse, but remembering the kitten’s teary, sniffling look at noon, she softened.
Sigh. Fine, fine. She’d treat it as helping look after her human cub’s cat cub.
Jiang Xin peeked in, only to see the big and small felines sleeping soundly—purring so loudly it felt like there was a tractor running inside.
No—two tractors.
Thinking about their “family relationship” made him want to laugh.
By human family terms, those two would count as grandma and granddaughter… well, not blood-related, and not even the same species, but technically the “mastiff” really could call the Mountain God “grandma.”
Hm. When Lin Jiangye came back, he should teach the kitten to actually call the Mountain God “Grandma” and see what happened.
Lin Jiangye had left in the afternoon, and returned around five in the morning the next day.
The moment Jiang Xin and the others saw the smile on his face, they already guessed the result.
“They can all adapt?”
Lin Jiangye nodded happily. Chang Geng and Qi Ming adapting was expected. Bixi adapting was a pleasant surprise. But what made him most relieved were Yuheng and Kaiyang.
“They felt a bit uncomfortable at first, but after moving around on open ground for a while, they gradually adapted.” Truly worthy of grey wolves—one of the most adaptable mammals.
Once he confirmed they could operate on the plateau, Lin Jiangye arranged a task for them.
But before assigning anything, he rushed to Tiger Mom first. “Mama mama mama! Please help me with something!”
The Tibetan mastiff, who’d been sleeping on Tiger Mom’s belly with loud purrs, was startled awake. Before it could even open its eyes, Lin Jiangye pinned it down and started “sniffing” it from head to belly.
“Meow meow meow!” [Help! Save the cat!]
After he finished “sniffing” the tabby and tried to move on to Tiger Mom, she pressed his head down with one paw.
Tiger Mom refused!
“Hehe~ Tiger Mom~ I want to beg you for a favor~” Lin Jiangye simply flopped down beside her, one hand stroking from the tabby’s head all the way down its spine to the base of its tail—so good the kitten stuck its butt up high.
It stopped screaming for help and purred blissfully instead.
Jiang Xin had just stepped in to ask if they wanted breakfast and nearly got jump-scared by Lin Jiangye’s sudden syrupy baby voice.
Tiger Mom rolled her eyes. [What is it?]
Lin Jiangye scooted closer, rubbing his head against hers, then finally got down to business. “So, here’s the thing…”
About ten minutes later, Jiang Xin saw Lin Jiangye come out of the room.
“Breakfast?”
“Eat!”
After eating, he could rest a bit—then in the afternoon, head to the bureau’s training range to practice shooting.
According to the file, the cultists’ hiding places could be not only the most luxurious residences in the city, but also vast grasslands.
And since they had ties with foreign forces, no one could guarantee they weren’t hiding firearms.
If they did have weapons, Lin Jiangye couldn’t exactly go barehanded and wrestle them, right?
Besides shooting, Shang Fuyan had originally wanted to schedule horseback training too, but both of them claimed their riding skills were excellent, so they didn’t add that.
Once Lin Jiangye arrived at the station, Shang Fuyan threw on his coat and took him straight to the range.
“Oh right—there’s news.” Shang Fuyan said. “Director Zhou said once you become the national bureau’s special consultant, they’ll arrange a shooting assessment. If you pass, they’ll issue you a gun.” He’d only gotten that update this morning.
Lin Jiangye blinked. “But I’m not official staff. I still get issued a gun?”
Honestly, even Shang Fuyan had been surprised.
But Director Zhou’s reasoning convinced him, and he relayed it now: “You can’t explain this with ‘internal’ or ‘external’ anymore. A lot of people know you now—and among them, plenty mean you harm.”
Some thought Lin Jiangye was an eyesore. Some felt he’d already gotten in their way. Some were simply afraid of his ability. Any of them might attack him.
“If you become a consultant at headquarters, the cases you touch will only get bigger and nastier. Even if we solve a case, we might not catch every mastermind behind it.” At that point, even police could face retaliation—let alone an off-the-books consultant.
Lin Jiangye still looked calm. He didn’t really care about revenge… no, wait—he couldn’t not care anymore.
When he first returned, maybe it didn’t matter. But now he had a whole household to feed. If something happened to him, what about the zoo? What about all those cubs at home that couldn’t be released into the wild?
Handing them to someone else—could he feel at ease? Of course not.
“I understand! I’ll protect myself properly!” Lin Jiangye’s eyes suddenly turned resolute.
Seeing that, Shang Fuyan finally relaxed a little.
As long as Lin Jiangye took it seriously and stayed cautious, unless someone showed up with a rocket launcher and sprayed wildly, he shouldn’t be in mortal danger.
…Probably.
They reached the range. It was empty—besides the two of them, everyone else was still working.
“Here. Try this one first.” Shang Fuyan handed him a pistol.
It was an older model they used to carry often, now gradually being phased out.
Lin Jiangye studied it. It felt a little different from the criminal’s handgun he’d used before.
He held it with both hands, lined up his sights by instinct—three points in a line—aiming at the target.
Shang Fuyan saw his grip and stance looked decent, so he corrected a few small details to prevent the muzzle from drifting on recoil.
Then he pressed a hand against Lin Jiangye’s back and suddenly shouted, “Fire!”
Lin Jiangye’s attention had been tugged by that hand behind him. When the shout came into his ear, he flicked his gaze forward by reflex and pulled the trigger fast.
Bang. The bullet landed between the 7 and 8 rings.
“Tsk…” Lin Jiangye was dissatisfied. It instantly reminded him of the time he’d aimed a gun at Liu Ningxin.
Shang Fuyan rubbed his head and comforted him. “For your first time shooting, that’s already very good.”
But Lin Jiangye sniffed and mumbled, “Not my first time…”
Shang Fuyan chuckled softly, stepped half a pace forward, and pressed his broad, warm chest against Lin Jiangye’s back. His larger hand covered both of Lin Jiangye’s hands. “Don’t grip so tight when you shoot.”
He pried Lin Jiangye’s fingers apart one by one and reset them into the proper position.
Lin Jiangye’s fingers felt hot—his fingers, the back of his hand, even his back… every place Shang Fuyan touched seemed to burn faintly.
Was Shang Fuyan’s body temperature just too high?
He tried to step forward, but the next second Shang Fuyan pressed him back again. “Don’t move.”
Shang Fuyan’s voice was a little hoarse. It made Lin Jiangye’s ear itch; he wanted to scratch it, but his body was pinned in place.
“Don’t be nervous. Treat the bullseye like a poacher’s heart, and then…” The second gunshot rang out.
This time, the bullet hit the bullseye.
Right after the second shot, Lin Jiangye sprang out of Shang Fuyan’s arms like a monkey. “I can practice myself! Don’t get that close!”
Shang Fuyan’s face stayed calm, as if he saw nothing wrong with what he’d done.
“Oh? Then keep going—shoot a few more yourself.”
Lin Jiangye tried again, but the results still weren’t great.
Seeing Lin Jiangye’s ears red as fire, Shang Fuyan didn’t tease him further. After correcting his posture again, he stood aside and checked the results.
Maybe after a few more shots, he finally found the feel. After his arms were nearly numbed by recoil, Lin Jiangye’s aim finally began hovering near the center.
“That’s enough for today. Tomorrow we’ll try other models.”
Shang Fuyan laid out all the models currently in police service. He didn’t know what type the Western Qiang police used, so he planned to let Lin Jiangye try them all.
If time allowed, they could even borrow special forces models to practice.
Lin Jiangye didn’t know what kind of brutal training plan Shang Fuyan had designed for him, but seeing Shang Fuyan’s smooth, fluent shooting form, a thought flashed through his mind.
“Oh right—since you’re teaching me, how about I repay you by training you in hand-to-hand combat?”
Shang Fuyan’s last shot went straight into the neighboring lane.
He stared at Lin Jiangye, his expression the most animated it had been all day—are you really repaying kindness with betrayal?
“Not okay?” Lin Jiangye sincerely thought it was a great idea. In close combat, he was confident he could beat everyone in the entire branch bureau!
Shang Fuyan fell silent, images of Lin Jiangye fighting flashing rapidly through his mind…
In the end, he hesitated, then proposed a different requirement: “How about this—fun is better shared. I’ll have my squad and the Major Crimes team join in too.”
Major Crimes and the direct squad handled the biggest, nastiest cases. The criminals they met were brutal; as police, they needed skills to protect themselves.
Of course, that was the official explanation.
What Shang Fuyan was really thinking… only he knew. 🙂
Sure enough, when everyone heard Lin Jiangye was going to “train combat skills” with them, every single person—including the Major Crimes leader—went pale.
This is training… or are we signing up to get beaten up?
Captain Shang! What are you even thinking?!
Faced with subordinates glaring at him with grievance, anger, and confusion, Shang Fuyan looked up at the evening sky.
Ah. What a sky-like sky.
