It had only been a few hours from the time Jia arrived here till Dai Fengge left, but she already felt sapped of all her energy. All of that contributed to Mingshen's presence and interference with the case.
Is this how I will have to live my life?
"You look tired, Spicy," Mingshen looked thoughtful. "Didn't you have a proper breakfast? Where is that energy and spark in you?"
"It was lost the moment I learned that I have to breathe the same air as you from now on."
"And very few people have that honor so rejoice my dear~"
"I would rather rejoice a bullet through my head," Jia smiled without a hint of any light in it.
"Preposterous," he waved his hand in dismissal. "I think you are not able to openly express your joyous feelings because of Bojing," he touched his chin in deep thought. "Is he putting a wall between us? Then I guess he doesn't need to accompany me anymore."
"No, Bojing is the reason why I have any semblance left within me today. Instead of sending him away, you take your leave first and let him stay back from next time. That will be great for my sanity."
"But I want to snatch your sanity away from you, dear," his black orbs glowed with a sense of mystery.
"Just because you are insane doesn't mean you get to bring the world down to your level."
Mingshen laughed as if he heard a joke. "The world is already insane, my dear. The world is run by insanity. Sanity is just a loose illusion to restrict yourself within a boundary. The madness lies within all of us, and it's that very madness that makes us feel alive."
His eyes twinkled. "Insanity is the norm, Spicy. It's when people coerce themselves to act sane that things go wrong."
They kept their gazes fixed at each other as if letting that sink in the air. Jia broke eye contact first and looked at Ma Zhilan, who had been listening to them in silence.
"My apologies for that. The investigation here is done for now. Like I promised before, I will drop you back home."
She kindly smiled. "Thank you dear."
Jia helped her stand and started walking towards the police car.
Mingshen watched her back with an unfathomable light flashing past his eyes. He rested his head on the back of the couch and stared above.
"When will you show me your insanity, Jia?"
—
Stopping her car in front of an apartment complex, Jia stepped down and walked over to the other side to help Ma Zhilan out of her seat.
"I wonder how people live in such tiny places?" Mingshen asked aloud as he looked at the building. "I would hardly be able to stretch my legs in that space- Ow!"
He looked back and saw Jia alarmingly smiling at him, holding Ma Zhilan's walking stick in her hand. Clearly, it was the weapon behind that smack.
"That's a dangerous thing you are holding Spicy," Mingshen seriously pointed out.
"It's the perfect thing to reset your garbage brain."
"My brain doesn't need any resetting. I was born with a perfectly adjusted one, fine tuned to achieve greatness~"
"That's exactly why it needs a reset."
She apologized to Ma Zhilan. "I am sorry for using your stick like that."
Ma Zhilan chuckled. "It's alright. I like seeing you two banter."
It's not banter. It's all out war between us…
She threw a glare at Mingshen and cursed his company.
He won't leave me alone even for just dropping her home! I didn't expect he would follow me all the way here too!
Jia and Ma Zhilan walked forward while Mingshen lazily followed them with his hands in his pockets.
*Arf! Arf!*
Suddenly, two stray dogs came hopping to her side from an alley, happily wagging their tails. Ma Zhilan brightened and bent to ruffle their heads. "Haha, you never forget to greet me, don't you?"
*Arf!*
They circled her, sniffing and playfully biting her dress and hand. They acted slightly wary of Mingshen and Jia at first, growling with hostility.
Jia noticed a band-aid on her left palm as she was ruffling them and smiled. "Guess the dogs can get really excited."
"Oh this? Yes," she shook her head, "They sometimes bite when they are very excited, but it's not that bad."
*Arf! Arf!*
Ma Zhilan gave them a stern look. "No barking at them. They are good people."
They tamed down at that and backed off.
Jia asked, "Are you their caretaker?"
"Kind of. They have been around for a while. I love animals so I naturally started to look after them," she ruffled the other dog's head and smiled. "They are so adorable. They always come to meet me whenever I leave or return."
Mingshen asked, "Did you ever take them to a vet? Are they vaccinated?"
"They are. At first, they were very malnourished. The vet treated them to regain their normal health."
"It's not advisable for you to continue taking care of them like this. Stray dogs are quick to reproduce. Before you know it, the entire colony will be filled with stray puppies. It's also dangerous to come into contact and mate with other stray dogs who might carry diseases in them. Take them to an animal shelter where they can live in a safe environment."
"But…"
Ma Zhilan seemed hesitant. Jia could understand her predicament since she was emotionally attached to the dogs.
"For once, I agree with Mingshen. It's safer for everybody if they live in a proper animal shelter."
She looked disheartened, but she also knew it was for the best. "I will do that. I always knew that it was the right thing to do, but I kept delaying…"
"It's alright, Mam. I understand the attachment. Rest assured. They will be safe there. I can help you find a good shelter near your colony so that you can meet them whenever you want."
She beamed. "Is that possible? I will be truly grateful then."
*Arf! Arf!*
"Yes, yes I know you are hungry," Ma Zhilan laughed and rubbed the dog's head. "Oof, is it already time for your brushing? Look, you are shedding fur all over," she sighed and dusted the fur off her hands and dress.
Jia stared at her unblinkingly for several seconds.
"Um...did you touch the dogs this morning too before leaving for the theater?"