Chapter 55: Nine and a Half Months

That's it?

Great, so you don't know much more than I do… Yu Dazhang had been listening with great interest, only to find that the beginning was the end.

"Then when did I come back?" Yu Dazhang pressed.

"This year's February fifteenth." Li Xuehe thought for a moment, then added:

"The second day after the Lantern Festival."

In other words, the day after Valentine's Day… Yu Dazhang counted the days in his head.

It was exactly the first day of his rebirth into this life.

So the time he had been missing was nine and a half months, not quite a full year.

Next came the internship at the Public Security Brigade, and only after that did he go to the Criminal Investigation Unit.

That was only because he'd attended the police academy for three years—otherwise, with his weight, there was no way he could've gotten into the police force.

Some things you can't think about too carefully; the more you look back, the more problems you find.

No wonder the Public Security Brigade captain pushed so hard to recommend me to the Criminal Investigation Unit—so it was to make me give up in the face of difficulty.

His intentions deserve death… Just thinking about it made Yu Dazhang's teeth itch with hatred.

He'd even treated the man to a meal~

That son of a bitch.

"Then why did you hide it from me?" This was another thing Yu Dazhang couldn't figure out.

"Because your dad and I noticed you didn't remember what happened before." Li Xuehe looked at her son with heartache:

"You must have gone through something terrible. Forgetting is probably for the best—we were afraid that if you remembered, you'd leave us again."

So that's how it was… Yu Dazhang quickly sorted it through in his mind.

He'd gone missing at the end of April last year—he'd left on his own.

Then he came back right after this year's Lantern Festival, which was also the first day he had memories after his rebirth.

Everything that happened after that, he remembered perfectly clearly.

In other words, the problem lay in the period he was missing.

The effects on him were:

One, he'd lost nine and a half months of memory.

Two, he'd turned into a three-hundred-plus-jin fatty.

How magical~

Did he go out to gain weight?

Then how did the memory disappear—did he brainwash himself?

Last year's April thirtieth… From the moment he left home, the gears of fate began to smoke.

Wait~

The effects weren't just those two!

His senses had grown sharper, his intelligence had clearly improved—those were also related to his disappearance.

He'd always assumed this was a rebirth gift package, but now it seemed it wasn't that simple…

He suddenly thought again of the hit-and-run case that had just wrapped up.

When that case happened in his previous life, he'd already been following his master for over half a year.

Also, Zhao Hang hadn't come in the same batch as him—he'd joined the Criminal Investigation Unit more than half a year later.

All the signs pointed to one thing: compared to his previous life, this reborn life had been delayed by more than half a year.

To be precise, nine and a half months.

What on earth had happened during that time—why couldn't he remember a single thing!

Yu Dazhang irritably grabbed at his hair, trying to keep himself calm.

He knew far too little to make any deductions.

"Stop thinking about it." Li Xuehe, seeing her son like this, soothed him with heartache:

"No matter what happened, it's all in the past now, isn't it? Just eat when it's time to eat, drink when it's time to drink."

Don't take things to heart… Yu Dazhang finished the saying in his head.

Just then, the sound of a door opening came from the entrance, and Yu Guangyuan walked in.

Yu Dazhang repeated the same trick, using the exact same routine on his father.

In the end, he finally confirmed that both old folks were telling the truth.

"Mom, start cooking."

Since he couldn't figure it out, he'd stop trying—abandoning all treatment, Yu Dazhang leaned back against the sofa:

"I'm starving to death."

Using your brain burns calories too, you know~.

Qu Tuotuo was in a terrible mood.

Ten days had already passed, and that disgustingly fat guy still hadn't contacted her.

At this rate, in a few more days they'd be complete strangers.

He must have planned it that way.

Yesterday, that young master from the Bai Group came by again.

Using the excuse of visiting his elders, he conveniently dropped by to chat her up.

That self-satisfied, suave-and-elegant face of his was absolutely sickening.

But no matter what, the man was a guest and hadn't done anything out of line—she couldn't exactly chase him away.

Moreover, judging from his parents' attitude, they had tacitly given him permission to come pursue her.

"So annoying!"

Qu Tuotuo irritably ruffled her hair, turned around, and saw the Peppa piggy plushie on the bedside.

She snatched it over and punched it twice, both blows landing on its belly. "It's all your fault, all your fault!"

Then two knife-hand strikes came down on its neck.

Another day passed, and Yu Dazhang and Lu Zhongxin returned to the First Brigade.

Before that, detachment leader Li Jun had asked to speak with Yu Dazhang alone.

"Have you ever thought about staying on at the detachment?"

"Never."

"You should know, there's no such precedent for a trainee during their internship period."

"Thank you for the favor, Captain Li. I'd still rather stick with my master and learn a bit more."

"How about... you think it over a little more?"

"No need. Thank you again, Captain Li."

One could say this was a thoroughly satisfying refusal.

Please... bookmark... 6... 9... book.... bar....!

Get made permanent first, then we'll talk... Yu Dazhang was very clear about where he stood.

A lot of things weren't just a matter of the leadership valuing you.

Ability came first; seniority came second.

Constable, Sergeant, Inspector...

Those ranks had to be worked up to step by step.

Of course there were exceptional promotions, but you could only say they were very rare.

Yu Dazhang's refusal to stay at the detachment had his own calculations behind it.

There were a few things he needed his master to help him handle.

If he stayed at the detachment, his and his master's schedules would be hard to sync, and being in a new environment meant he'd inevitably be managed by strangers.

So, for now, Yu Dazhang didn't want to — and couldn't — leave his master's side.

Any little thing inside the system spread fast, and inevitably got embellished along the way.

With the task force disbanded, the case's confidentiality level instantly dropped to the lowest.

Especially those former team members.

After returning to their respective departments, they told the case's whole story to their colleagues like a serialized tale, vivid and lively.

They even added a few dramatic flourishes of their own.

On top of that, this substitution case really was complicated, and cracking it in such a short time inevitably made people curious about the one who had led the investigation.

Do we even have someone that badass in our bureau?

Never heard of them.

Whenever anyone asked who exactly had led the investigation, those task force members would play it mysteriously, keeping you in suspense, and in the end flash that "you-know-what-I-mean" look.

Where are the shrewd ones most plentiful?

Definitely inside the system.

They didn't even need to say much — just one look, and they could grasp the gist.

If it had been the deputy team leader leading the investigation, they could have just said so straight out; no need to play coy.

So everyone just guessed toward the least likely person.

And so, Yu Dazhang experienced a remarkable day.

Leaders from various departments came one after another to talk with him, all under the pretext of work. Though the content of each conversation differed, the meaning was much the same.

"Comrade Xiao Yu, come join us. Just nod, and I'll talk to your captain for you. I guarantee we'll make you permanent on the spot."

Two bureau leaders from other districts even came, putting their offer bluntly and simply.

"Transfer your file to us. State your conditions — as long as they're not excessive, we can meet them."

Yu Dazhang spent nearly the whole day with a smile on his face, politely refusing each one in turn, then seeing every one of them to the front gate.

By the end of the day his face had gone stiff from smiling.

He figured it out: someone had been cooking up stories about him behind the scenes, and had definitely added plenty of embellishment.

It was precisely because he was still a probationary officer, not yet made permanent, that other departments dared to come poach him in broad daylight.

Once he was made a full officer, without his direct superior's approval, even if he wanted to transfer, it would be impossible.

When he got off work, he specifically found Lu Zhongxin and asked him to drive him out of the compound.

Safety first, after all.

Yu Dazhang had just arrived downstairs at his building when his phone rang.

It's her?

"Hello, what's up?"

"Where are you? Let's talk in person."

"Saying it over the phone works just as well."

On the other end, Qu Tuotuo's volume suddenly rose, clearly displeased:

"Yu Dazhang! Have you forgotten your own words?!"

(End of chapter)