Chapter 398: Osmanthus!

The girl in front of the crowd, pale and pink-skinned, was the first to sense the puppy's movement; she clutched its head and looked toward Jiang Yuan.

The girl's skin was flawless; though young, her gaze was sharp.

Jiang Yuan merely smiled, offered no explanation, and turned away.

As the wealthiest among Tahe's second-generation demolition heirs, Jiang Yuan's first move was to send a group message to all members of the Jiang Yuan Case Special Team, attaching his location.

After all, the girl across from him looked sweet and delicate, but the men behind her in suits clearly had the look of seasoned operators.

Though Jiang Yuan had learned some wrestling from Uncle Qiang, it only made him more aware of the gap between himself and true experts—Uncle Qiang, retired and long out of practice, could still easily beat him; these men before him, who clearly lived by brute strength, could dismember him in the kitchen in under twenty minutes if they wanted to.

If they knew even a little basic knowledge, they could grind him into meat paste.

The group stared at Jiang Yuan, then slowly moved into the reserved private room area.

Jiang Yuan made no further move; after everyone left, he sent messages to Detective Captain Xu Xuewu of the Criminal Investigation Unit, as well as to Cai Yuan, Guihua 's owner, and her aunt, asking them to come over.

Having done that, Jiang Yuan waved over a server and asked: "Who was the little girl who came in holding the dog?"

The server gave Jiang Yuan a lewd, knowing look and said: "You're interested in her?"

Jiang Yuan understood the service standards of the county's best restaurant well; he didn't explain, simply handed over a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, and said calmly: "If you know, tell me."

"That's too much," the server glanced around, then accepted the hard currency, and added: "Where to start? I'll tell you what I know—this girl's name is Feng Yutong. She's the daughter of a shareholder of Fengyuan Mining, recently visiting our area and often comes here to eat."

"Fengyuan Mining?" Jiang Yuan casually searched it—found a marble mining company—and felt slightly relieved.

After asking a few more questions, as the server was leaving, Jiang Yuan gave him another pack of Zhonghua, effectively spending the two packs the bureau chief had given him.

The server hadn't expected another tip upon leaving; embarrassed, he said: "You're truly considerate—I'll think… Oh! She loves shrimp and fish; our manager even specially ordered the 'Unforgettable Fish,' over a thousand yuan per jin. Maybe you should take note—or order two to try?"

"Thank you. Not yet." Jiang Yuan couldn't say his target was the dog—doing so would either make the server disbelieve him, or worse, think he was an even bigger pervert.

The server left smiling; soon after, servers kept appearing alternately in the lobby, clearly eager to watch the spectacle.

Jiang Yuan remained motionless for a long time, leaving everyone disappointed.

At this moment, Mu Zhiyang arrived on his motorcycle, first reaching the Lion Pavilion.

Entering, he saw Jiang Yuan sitting calmly; his hand still rested on his waist as he circled the area, found no obvious difference, then hesitantly approached.

"I'm fine," Jiang Yuan chuckled. "I thought I saw osmanthus."

"Osmanthus is inside? Where?" Mu Zhiyang exclaimed.

"In a private room. Did you bring a gun?"

"Yeah, I was afraid I couldn't handle it alone." After two "firefights," Mu Zhiyang's fear of firearms had greatly lessened; within the special team, firearms were always prioritized for him—many officers refused to carry them, let alone use them.

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"Probably won't need it. Still, good you brought it—stand behind me, and try not to use the gun at all. Only if lives are threatened." Jiang Yuan couldn't let Guihua leave; he feared this group might ignore warnings and flee, but gun use still had to be strictly controlled.

"I know." Mu Zhiyang had no intention of using the gun—he feared unexpected situations. To anyone else, this would be called needless worry, but Mu Zhiyang had real reason.

Jiang Yuan waved over another server, ordered more dishes, and said: "Open another private room—what's the largest one you have?"

The server replied: "We have a 20-person room, but it's booked today. Is a 12-person room acceptable?"

"Fine, open it."

"Yes."

"Go with the server, check it out. When Wang Chuanxing and the others arrive, lead them there, and have more people sit in the lobby. Also, count the exits and control them." Jiang Yuan spoke to Mu Zhiyang in front of the server: "Show your credentials. The manager knows the girl—warn him."

"Got it." Mu Zhiyang was already very familiar with arrest procedures; he didn't ask why, took the confused server into the room, flashed his police ID, had him summon the manager on the spot, and had him draw a map of the restaurant's entrances, exits, and room layout.

By the time they finished, Wang Chuanxing and the others arrived.

By the time Detective Captain Xu Xuewu of Miaohé County's Criminal Investigation Unit arrived, Jiang Yuan's Case Special Team had already sealed off the Lion Pavilion according to standard procedures for major case apprehensions.

Some officers wore uniforms, others didn't, but with the manager's full cooperation, not a single incident occurred. Once fully deployed, they all retreated into the private rooms.

When Xu Xuewu entered, he saw only Mu Zhiyang and a few others, and assumed Jiang Yuan wanted to discuss Case 503; he smiled cheerfully: "Captain Jiang, I'm just a lowly officer now—your superiors tell me where to go, I go. You don't need to worry about me."

Jiang Yuan waved his hand. "I just thought I saw Guihua."

Xu Xuewu's cheerful expression instantly turned serious and focused; the waiting server even looked frightened.

Subconsciously, Xu Xuewu felt something was off—just a dog, why did it feel more important than leaders from Beijing? But after so many days of work, hearing the name Guihua, he could no longer treat it lightly.

Is this a dog? This is a bug dog!

"Where?" Xu Xuewu asked.

"A girl was holding it just now. She had bodyguards—I didn't approach, to avoid trouble." Jiang Yuan added: "The girl seems to be the daughter of a Fengyuan Mining shareholder. You check that."

The last sentence was directed at the server.

The server now sensed something was wrong and quickly spilled everything he knew.

"Fengyuan Mining…" Xu Xuewu murmured twice, then dismissed the server and said: "I know this company—it's new, but the actual controller, the shareholder you mentioned, should be Feng Yungui. He's from Changyang, has wide-ranging business, a well-known entrepreneur in the province… Hmm, his daughter probably wouldn't steal a dog."

"Maybe she found it," Jiang Yuan said. "Can you ask Feng Yungui to come?"

"For a dog?" Xu Xuewu felt this reason was inadequate.

Jiang Yuan sighed. "To avoid conflict. Ask him to come, talk it over calmly. If the dog she's holding really is Guihua, then discuss with Cai Yuan what to do. If not, I'll apologize to him."

"This…" Xu Xuewu paused, thought it over, and found it feasible; he stepped out and began making calls.

Who he reported to or contacted to reach Feng Yungui, Jiang Yuan didn't care. While waiting, Cai Yuan arrived with his aunt, Cai Mian.

"Tang Jia," Jiang Yuan called her over. "Take Cai Yuan to that private room, find an excuse, and confirm whether the dog she's holding is Guihua."

Then Jiang Yuan used childlike communication techniques to calmly explain to Cai Yuan.

Cai Yuan, who had been distressed, immediately calmed down.

Just as everything proceeded smoothly, the situation suddenly changed.

Feng Yutong's group finished dining and exited their private room.

As usual, she held the dog, head high, stepping rhythmically toward the exit.

The Lion Pavilion was Miaohé County's largest restaurant—which meant it wasn't large at all. Before Jiang Yuan could give an order, Feng Yutong had already reached the lobby and neared the main exit.

Officers accustomed to major case controls didn't need orders or reminders; they naturally gathered and swiftly blocked every possible escape route.

Feng Yutong, still unaware, was surrounded by her bodyguards, who formed a protective circle around her; outside, over a dozen police officers encircled the bodyguards, Feng Yutong, and the dog in her arms.

" Guihua?"

" Guihua!"

" Guihua? Bark. Woof?"

After days of searching, tracking, distributing flyers, investigating, and reinforcing control zones, everyone was thoroughly familiar with—and curious about— Guihua.

Some even hoped eagerly that Jiang Yuan might pull a ruby or sapphire from Guihua 's mouth.