Yanyan had had enough of his parents’ constant trips. The moment he heard his Daddy was heading to the Hunter Association, he threw a rare tantrum—refusing to let him go without taking him along.
With no room for negotiation, Bai Tingfeng gave in and brought Yanyan, taking full responsibility for him once the need arose.
So, when the Bai family arrived at the Hunter Association, agents were greeted by the sight of a mini-Shen Yuan swinging between the hands of two S-class awakeners.
"While I did encourage your attendance here, I was surprised you guys came here as family. What is this? Is this your way to prove that the family that investigates together, stays together?" Chairman Mao welcomed them with an askew smile.
Shen Yuan sassily fixed his bangs. "Nah. We slay together, Chairman Mao. Slay!"
The old chairman was left speechless.
Unable to think of a more creative reply, he simply focused on Yanyan.
The five-year-old looks dashing today. He is wearing a little pair of plaid trousers that match a green long-sleeved shirt.
In it was a chibi-style print of his favourite cartoon character, Huhu the Fox.
Got to hand it to the boy’s former model dad for dressing Yanyan in a way that is stylish and personable yet keeps the childish charm.
It makes any adult want to baby Yanyan the moment they see him.
"Wow! Yanyan is super handsome today! It’s been a long time since we last hung out. Did you miss Grandpa Mao?"
Yanyan smiled cutely with a little bit of mischief. "Yes, Grandpa Mao. I missed you! But not so much! Just this bit." The little boy signed "tiny bit" using his fingers.
Chairman Mao was amused beyond belief.
"Bwahahaha," He laughed, holding his belly. "Fine! I am happy that your parents brought you here. I would love to play with you now, but let us leave that for later. It is time for work."
Chairman Mao turned to the boy’s parents. "Are you going to ask your agents to look after him? Call them now so we can start checking the CCTV footage."
Shen Yuan was about to give a reply to Chairman Mao when he noticed his son’s firm grip on the hem of his shirt.
"Daddy, I want to stay with you." The little boy pleaded, looking like a miserable puppy. "I don’t want to be left out anymore..."
The three adults felt a pang in their chest. Little Yanyan’s appeal hit them straight in the heart.
Well, it is not as if he didn’t see this coming. Shen Yuan thought. He already foresaw his little boy clinging to him like a koala wherever he goes. Hence, he had already made up his mind to bring Yanyan in to watch the CCTV.
He is confident that there would be no sensitive scenes that are not meant for a child’s eyes, so he reckons that it would be okay.
Of course, it is a different matter once he starts interrogating. The little boy has to go with his Papa by that time.
"Fine. This clingy phase will only last while you are this small. Once you start making friends at school, you would no longer stick with me like this." Shen Yuan said.
Yanyan pouted his lips, looking at his Papa and Daddy. "No! I will stick with Daddy forever!"
Seeing that Shen Yuan and Bai Tingfeng let Yanyan come with them, Chairman Mao felt a little envious. He wanted to have a sweet child like Yanyan! Is it too late to try to conceive one?
Chairman Mao brought the family to Hunter Association’s security and surveillance room.
There, huge walls filled with screens welcomed them. It plays the feed from all the CCTVs in the building.
Under Chairman Mao’s order, a big screen was made vacant and the copy of CCTV from the Great Hall started playing.
Chairman Mao chose the cameras where Shen Yuan was clearly visible, from the moment he entered the banquet hall until he was taken to the private room.
"Wow! This party is so pretty!" Yanyan exclaimed, eyes glued to the screen. His short attention span missed anything suspicious in the videos—he only noticed the lavish banquet hall and the guests’ beautiful clothes.
"I want to go to beautiful parties like this, Papa!"
Bai Tingfeng smilingly touched his son’s head. "Of course, you will. Once you grow bigger." Suddenly, his sharp eyes caught something suspicious.
"That tea!" Bai Tingfeng unwittingly raised his voice, causing Shen Yuan, Chairman Mao and even Yanyan to jump on their respective seats. "Yuan started feeling weird after he drank that tea."
Shen Yuan scrunched his forehead, trying to recall that specific moment. "If I remember correctly, my throat was already dry and hoarse before that tea—" His eyes widened. "—no! My throat became dry because I was talking a lot while the air conditioning was pumping cold air. Tingfeng is right. I started feeling feverish after I downed that tea! I even remember drinking more to cool down the heat I was feeling."
A sharp glint flashed in Chairman Mao’s eyes. "Guess we finally have a person of interest."
From there, Chairman Mao’s response was swift. He summoned the waitress who served Shen Yuan the drink for questioning.
It was a budding female beta who was working part-time in the catering restaurant. She literally looks like a college student when she awkwardly walks into the halls of Hunter Association.
"Hmmmp!" Suddenly, she heard a childish snort on the side. There, she saw a handsome little boy with platinum blonde hair.
"Bullying my Daddy..." The boy whispered indignantly. A big hand touched the child’s silvery hair, and only then did she notice the famous Bai Tingfeng.
The waitress instinctively flinched at the domineering spirit of the father and son. A strong sense of crisis bloomed inside her, and it made her want to back out.
"Hi! Your name is Dai Li, right? I am Shen Yuan. I have been wanting to talk to you." Her desire to escape was interrupted by a warm, friendly voice. "Why don’t you come in? We have a few questions for you."
Shen Yuan came out of a closed conference room, wearing his warmest, kindest and most misleading smile. When his beautiful face is open like this, no human on earth could turn him down.
Dai Li, the waitress, obediently followed Shen Yuan’s lead and entered the conference room.
"The two of you," Shen Yuan faced the "bad cops" and gave them "the look."
"Behave." That is the only word he left before he closed the door.
Usually, this conference room was capable of holding at least 20 people and now that there are only two of them, the conference room feels too spacious.
Dai Li shivered. For some reason, the air feels colder here than outside.
"Please, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable." Shen Yuan said, pointing at the empty swivel chairs around them.
Dai Li noiselessly followed Shen Yuan’s instruction like a wind-up toy.
Shen Yuan smiled warmly and explained the nature of questioning. There were cameras around this conference room, and all their actions and expressions were recorded from different angles.
Dai Li shifted on her seat uncomfortably.
"Please don’t be nervous. That will beat the whole point of my choosing this place instead of the interrogation room. I want the two of us to be comfortable. We’re here just to find out the truth. Please remember that." Shen Yuan told Dai Li in a reassuring voice. He really put himself out as the friendly interrogator. The good cop.
"If you haven’t done anything wrong, there’s no reason to panic. I’m not the kind of person to persecute the innocent."
Finally, Dai Li relaxed. This is the part where she made a mistake.
The celestial fox’s kindness was a sweet trap.
"Master Shen. Please believe me. I did not do anything bad at the banquet! I consider it a sweet gig, so I swear that I did nothing to cause trouble!" She appealed to Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan nodded, smiling but non-committal. "We will see about that."
He powered on the massive screen, and a series of surveillance clips flickered to life. All cameras were on Dai Li—her every move tracked with chilling precision; from the moment she served the tea to the instant she took it from the shadows of the kitchen.
"You see, Dai Li," Shen Yuan began, his voice calm but laced with cold indifference. "The teapot you were holding that day was tested by the forensic lab—and the results just came in."
Feigning fairness, he handed her the printed report, the paper crackling like a quiet warning between them. Whether or not she could understand the contents, he made sure to highlight the damning parts.
"Traces of heat-inducing chemicals were found— the very same substances detected in my blood... when I was forced into heat."
Dai Li’s face turned white. "Master Shen! I have nothing to do with it!"
"That is a little hard for me to believe. I reviewed the CCTV in the kitchen, and I watched you prepare the tea yourself." Shen Yuan replied. He leisurely leaned back and crossed his legs. "I only showed you kindness thus far, but I don’t think I can keep doing it without getting anything substantial from you. This will be your last chance. Tell me everything you know about the incident."
Shen Yuan’s overwhelming mana leaked, and his vicious, electrifying blue eyes pinned Dai Li. "Tell me the truth. Do it while I am still asking you nicely."