The feeling of turning into a werewolf

The suspect

Yan Feng opened the door to find his landlady, Aunt Cui, standing with two young individuals—a man and a woman—by her side.

The woman was tall, dressed in a sleek black denim outfit, her hair tied into a neat ponytail. Her gaze was sharp, exuding a commanding presence. The man, clearly from a younger generation, had fair skin, a delicate side-part hairstyle, and eyed Yan Feng with a scrutinizing look.

"Xiao Yan, we still haven’t found Youfu. I reported it to the police. These two are officers, and they just want to ask you a few questions. No other intentions," Aunt Cui hurried to explain, noticing his confused expression, eager to prevent any misunderstandings.

"Hello, Mr. Yan," the sharp-eyed woman took out her badge and introduced herself. "I'm Li Yanqiu, a detective from the Xiufeng Criminal Investigation Unit. I need to ask you a few things."

A female detective? And so striking, at that?

Though Yan Feng was fond of Youfu, it was still just a mixed-breed Labrador. Even if it were stolen, it would at most be a minor security matter. Why involve detectives?

He had overheard Aunt Cui and her husband discussing a series of pet thefts in Mucu last night, but in his state of mind at the time, he hadn't paid it much attention. Initially, the case was handled by the local community police, but as more pets went missing and the culprit remained at large, the case had been transferred to the Xiufeng Criminal Investigation Unit.

Yan Feng hadn’t expected things to escalate this far, and he couldn’t help but feel uneasy—unsure whether anyone had witnessed him bringing Youfu into his apartment that night.

His apprehension wasn’t about being held accountable for Youfu’s death, but rather about damaging his good relationship with Aunt Cui, disappointing her.

"Hello, Officer Li. What do you need to ask me?"

Li Yanqiu wasted no time, her piercing gaze meeting his as she went straight to the point. "When was the last time you saw Youfu, and approximately what time?"

Yan Feng bowed his head, feigning contemplation, though his mind was racing.

"Uh... I think it was the evening of the 11th. I can't remember the exact time."

"Hmm," Li Yanqiu nodded and continued, "Where did you see Youfu, and what were you doing at the time?"

Her eyes, intense and unwavering, fixed on Yan Feng, making his already guilty conscience stir with unease.

Fortunately, Yan Feng was no stranger to such situations and managed to maintain a composed exterior. "I had just returned with some takeout. I ran into Youfu downstairs."

"And then? Did it follow you upstairs?"

"I usually share my food with Youfu, but it's gotten quite chubby lately. Aunt Cui mentioned it needed to lose weight, so I didn’t give it any and went straight up."

Yan Feng was unsure how to answer. He couldn’t be certain if anyone had seen him, as there were three other tenants on the second floor. So, he dodged the question.

"Did it follow you up?" Li Yanqiu pressed on.

"I was really hungry at the time and just focused on getting back to my room. I didn’t pay much attention to whether it followed."

At this, Li Yanqiu's brows furrowed slightly. "Think carefully. Did it follow you or not?"

"I really don’t remember. I was too hungry to notice." Yan Feng knew that confirming or denying it outright carried risks, so he decided to keep his response vague.

"One of the tenants on the second floor said they saw Youfu follow you upstairs."

Yan Feng’s heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t help but glance at Aunt Cui. "Really? I didn’t notice."

"Did it enter your apartment? Perhaps to eat with you?"

"No. It’s too fat. I wouldn’t just give it food when it's supposed to be on a diet."

Li Yanqiu studied Yan Feng intently for a moment, as if trying to discern something. Then, she asked, "Is there anything else you’d like to add, Mr. Yan? Any clues about Youfu?"

"Uh, no, I haven’t seen it since that evening."

"Alright. Thank you for your cooperation," Li Yanqiu concluded the conversation without any delay.

"You're welcome. Glad to help."

She nodded and turned to Aunt Cui. "Auntie, I’m going to check the surrounding area again."

"Alright," Aunt Cui responded, then addressed Yan Feng. "Thank you, Xiao Yan. Are you not working today?"

"No, I’m on vacation."

"Okay then, you go ahead and rest. We'll be on our way."

"Sure."

With that, Aunt Cui followed Li Yanqiu and the young officer down the stairs.

Yan Feng closed the door and heightened his senses, focusing his hearing. The conversation downstairs soon drifted up to his ears.

"Yanqiu, do you think we’ll ever find Youfu? Could it have been taken by dog traffickers, or worse, killed?"

"Auntie, please don’t worry. If it was taken by traffickers, they would have left some clues behind. I’ll keep looking and asking around for leads."

"Oh, Yanqiu, your cousin Lan Chun says you're an excellent detective. Please help me find Youfu."

"Don't worry, Auntie. I’ll do everything I can."

"Yanqiu, do you have a boyfriend yet?"

"Auntie, why are you asking about that?"

"Your mother is constantly looking for a match for you. She's really worried about you."

"..."

So, this beautiful detective was Aunt Cui’s niece!

Leaning against the doorframe, Yan Feng recalled the sharp look in Li Yanqiu’s eyes earlier, and couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.

He hadn’t meant to kill Youfu, and while he had disposed of the remains, if the detective really dug into the case, traces would certainly be uncovered.

This wasn’t a serious crime. Even if found out, he would likely only have to compensate for the loss. But facing Aunt Cui afterward—that was what he dreaded most.

"Hopefully, that detective doesn’t find anything," he sighed. He shook off the lingering worries, shut down his computer, and decided to go to another hospital for a physical check-up.

Although he felt fine, a thorough check-up would give him more peace of mind.

...

"Qiu-jie, how did it go? Any discoveries?" the young officer asked after parting ways with Aunt Cui.

Li Yanqiu, lost in thought, responded, "Did you notice anything unusual about Mr. Yan’s behavior just now?"

"Yeah, he doesn’t seem like a bad guy, but something about the way he talked felt... off."

"When I mentioned someone saw Youfu follow him upstairs, he subconsciously glanced at my aunt. Also, regarding whether Youfu followed him up, he kept saying he didn’t notice—neither confirming nor denying it. It felt like he was deliberately hiding something."

The young officer suddenly understood, his eyes instinctively drifting to Li Yanqiu’s elegant figure. "Impressive as always, Qiu-jie. I didn’t even catch that. No wonder Captain Wang sent me to learn from you—what a wise decision."

Li Yanqiu ignored his flattery, continuing her analysis of the case. "This case still has many puzzling aspects. Since I took over, Youfu is the second pet to go missing. The previous missing pets were of various breeds, but they all had one thing in common—they didn’t weigh more than fifteen kilograms. Youfu weighs over thirty, making it noticeably different from the others."

"So, you're saying Youfu’s disappearance might not be connected to the same culprit?"

"It’s too soon to say. Let’s check the surveillance at Mucu’s main exits. Youfu is large enough that it couldn’t have just vanished into thin air!"

"..."