MMJWQC Chapter 32

Translator: Moonlit

Editor: kiki

---

Ever since they encountered Chu Ruochun, the crime-solving rate of the Sub-Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division has been steadily rising.

However, this hasn’t made Zhang Dongliang happier because encountering Chu Ruochun signifies the complexity and strangeness of cases.

This time, it all began with a medical dispute.

The members of the Criminal Investigation Division brought the two human traffickers in for questioning. Initially, they had planned to take the thin, emaciated child back to the police station as well. But when the child woke up and saw Chu Ruochun, whose demeanor was incredibly gentle, he clung to Chu Ruochun’s hand and refused to leave him, clearly traumatized. He couldn’t even speak; it seemed the traffickers had mistreated him. There were visible bruises on the child’s body.

Earlier, in their rush to treat the child’s illness, both Old Qi and Little Qi hadn’t carefully examined him. Now, seeing the bruises on the child’s back, they quickly understood the situation. In the hands of the traffickers, the child had undoubtedly suffered unimaginably. These heartless individuals had treated a child so cruelly!

The child felt exceptionally safe at Chu Ruochun’s side. He wouldn’t let the officers sent by the police take him away. Whenever they tried, he would cry while looking at Chu Ruochun, breaking everyone’s hearts.

In the end, Chu Ruochun discussed it with the police. Until they found the child’s parents, he would temporarily take care of the child. Though the child was a bit younger than Chu Ruolin, they were both kids and perhaps Chu Ruolin could provide some comfort.

So, with that, Chu Ruochun and Chu Ruolin went out for a trip and returned with an additional child.

Chu Ruochun introduced himself to the child, and they didn’t use the name the couple had given him—Zhao Xiaoke. It clearly wasn’t the child’s real name.

The production team hadn’t expected that a family-oriented program would have the impact of a legal-themed show. This episode had to be preserved, and those human traffickers had to be severely punished!

However, should the process of Chu Ruochun treating the child’s illness be edited out?

They could present it as solving a challenging medical case—perfect, just explain it like that. It was still traditional Chinese medicine, no big issue.

Before leaving, Chu Ruochun asked Old Qi to prepare a prescription for calming the child’s nerves and gave them some medicine.

Little Qi efficiently collected the medicine for him, and he had complete trust in Chu Ruochun now.

Old Qi also examined the child’s pulse and said to Chu Ruochun, “After he takes the calming medicine, prescribe some tonics. It can help restore his health since he’s still young.”

Chu Ruochun nodded, saying, “I’ll keep an eye on the child during these days.”

Chu Ruolin, who had been with Little Qi’s family all along, didn’t know what had happened earlier. When he came out, his brother suddenly had a little companion, but he looked teary-eyed as if he had been mistreated.

Chu Ruolin asked, “Brother, who is he?”

Chu Ruochun was pleased that his younger brother was asking questions on his own. He introduced the child, saying, “This is your little brother. He’ll be staying with us for a few days.”

Suddenly having a little brother made Chu Ruolin a bit happy. This wasn’t like his cousin, that little rascal who always bullied him. This child looked so pitiful, awakening his protective and compassionate instincts.

“Little brother, what’s your name?”

The little brother couldn’t speak. He looked at Chu Ruochun, who crouched down in front of him and opened his right palm, asking, “Can you write your name?”

The child nodded; he could write his own name. With difficulty, he wrote his name on Chu Ruochun’s hand.

“Ming Ziheng, that’s a good name. We’ll call you Ziheng.”

This information was crucial, and Chu Ruochun quickly provided the name to the police, hoping that it would help them locate the child’s family swiftly.

After the incident, Old Qi was getting tired due to his age and needed to rest at home. Meanwhile, Chu Ruochun was still recording the program, so they each went their separate ways.

Originally, he had promised Chu Ruolin to go out for a beef hotpot. After finishing these tasks, their stomachs were all empty.

Chu Ruochun took the two kids to the beef hotpot restaurant, ensuring that Ming Ziheng didn’t eat too much meat. Instead, he ordered a plate of nicely blanched noodles for him.

With Chu Ruolin’s presence, Ming Ziheng relaxed a bit, held his chopsticks properly, and behaved well. It was evident that he was a very well-mannered young boy.

After dinner, the three of them returned home.

The two foxes were lying on the couch, asleep. When they heard someone coming back, they jumped down and stretched lazily.

They had brought home one more child.

“Big Fox, Fox Two, we’re back!”

The name amused the crew. The two foxes, with their ethereal names, were given names similar to Big Bear and Bear Two.

Big Fox was the Red Fox, and Fox Two was the White Fox. White Fox really didn’t want to acknowledge this as his name as a fox fairy, just because he arrived a bit later and became Fox Two. Who wants to be “Two”!

Chu Ruolin, feeling a sense of responsibility to take care of his little brother, introduced Ming Ziheng to Big Fox and Fox Two as soon as they entered the house.

“They’re touchable, do you want to give it a try?”

When Chu Ruochun went to the restroom, Bai Yichen followed him. Chu Ruochun briefly explained Ming Ziheng’s situation to him.

“Can you take care of him a bit more tonight?”

“Sure, poor kid.”

Ming Ziheng timidly touched the soft fur of the two foxes, and his courage gradually grew.

Chu Ruochun once again entered the kitchen and prepared a soothing herbal remedy. When it was ready, Chu Ruolin thought it was for himself and wrinkled his face upon smelling it.

“It’s not for you; it’s for Ziheng.” Chu Ruochun teased him.

Chu Ruolin patted his chest and personally handed the remedy to Ming Ziheng. “Little brother, here, drink this. Big brother often gives it to me, and after drinking it, I feel better.”

Ming Ziheng hesitated when he smelled the dark herbal remedy, but with Chu Ruolin by his side, offering words of encouragement, he obediently finished it.

Chu Ruochun then bathed both of them and put them to bed.

The two foxes continued their moonlight cultivation at night, and Chu Ruochun went back to his study to write a few talismans before resting.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Chu Ruochun, accompanied by Ming Ziheng, took Chu Ruolin to school.

Once Chu Ruolin entered the school gate, Chu Ruochun received a call from Zhang Dongliang. They had established contact with Ming Ziheng’s family, who was currently on a flight to Jingzhou. The filming for the TV show was also ending.

The production team had initially considered shooting follow-up content but decided against it, given Ming Ziheng’s difficult circumstances. They understood the sensitivity of the situation and agreed to wrap up the episode after learning the final outcome.

At first, they thought Chu Ruochun and Chu Ruolin’s 48-hour video session would be somewhat uneventful, but now they realized it wasn’t enough. In fact, they wished they could extend it to a 72-hour live broadcast!

They also assumed it might take some time for the police to locate Ming Ziheng’s family, but to their surprise, it only took one night. It was a testament to the efficiency of modern technology; most missing children were registered, and a simple search could locate them.

Chu Ruochun took Ming Ziheng to the police station.

Since he didn’t have a car, the director of the TV show personally drove them there. They had witnessed the entire process of rescuing the child and were eager to hear the final outcome. When they arrived at the police station, they were greeted by Xiao Li, a familiar face.

Officer Xiao Li informed Chu Ruochun that they had interrogated the two human traffickers overnight. Three months ago, in another city, they had kidnapped Ming Ziheng from a crowded amusement park. The traffickers had disguised themselves as mascots, and when people weren’t paying attention, they had abducted the child. They had found a buyer and were preparing to transport the child when he suddenly fell ill. Afraid to take him to a large hospital, they had opted to buy medicine from an inconspicuous pharmacy, which is where they had the unexpected encounter with Chu Ruochun.

Chu Ruochun: “I see. You probably can’t disclose the details of the case to the public, right?”

Xiao Li: “Mr. Chu, you are not just anyone; you are also one of the involved parties. You can know these details as well.”

Chu Ruochun: “So, are you taking me to meet the child’s family now?”

Xiao Li: “How is the child doing?”

Chu Ruochun replied, “He’s doing quite well. We got some sedatives from Old Qi last night, and he slept fine.”

Ming Ziheng, still holding Chu Ruochun’s hand, looked around at the many police officers and strangers in the room.

They were led to a mediation room with chairs and a table.

As soon as they sat down, a handsome man in a suit burst into the room!

Xiao Li introduced the newcomer to Chu Ruochun: “This is Mr. Ming, Ming Ziheng’s uncle, Ming Yuxian. After the child’s parents passed away, he became the child’s legal guardian.”

Ming Yuxian extended his hand to Chu Ruochun: “Thank you, Mr. Chu!”

Chu Ruochun shook his hand briefly, and Ming Yuxian’s gaze remained on the child. He didn’t want to delay their reunion.

Ming Yuxian squatted in front of Ming Ziheng: “Ziheng, I’m your uncle.”

Ming Ziheng, seeing his uncle and recognizing him as family, hesitated for a moment. His lips trembled, and he reached out to Ming Yuxian, hugging him tightly and sobbing.

Ming Ziheng was doing much better than yesterday. Yesterday, he couldn’t even cry, but today, he was able to shed tears.

“It’s all because of Uncle’s negligence. I didn’t accompany you properly, and you suffered. In the future, Uncle will make sure that Ziheng won’t be taken away by bad people again!”

The process of recognizing each other didn’t pose any difficulties. However, Ming Ziheng had been missing for almost three months and had experienced threats and physical abuse from the human traffickers, which had left him unwilling to speak.

After thanking Chu Ruochun, Ming Yuxian took Ming Ziheng to the hospital for a thorough examination. Apart from the external injuries, they didn’t find any other major injuries.

Ming Yuxian lived in City S, and naturally, he had to return home after receiving the child. However, Ming Ziheng didn’t want to go with his uncle; he wanted to stay with his brother.

Ming Yuxian was in a dilemma. He already knew that Chu Ruochun was a celebrity and didn’t spend much time at home. It seemed like Chu Ruochun had other professions too. He was worried about causing inconvenience to someone else, but he was also afraid after getting the child back.

As a result, Ming Yuxian brought the child back to Chu Ruochun’s house.

A day went by, and Chu Ruolin had finished school. Ming Ziheng felt relaxed being back here. As soon as he returned, he went to pick up Fox Two, gently massaging its ears, finding the fluffy fur amusing.

Fox Two: “…”

Chu Ruochun prepared tea for Ming Yuxian. “Mr. Ming, would you like some tea?”

Ming Yuxian, an attractive man in his early thirties, conducted himself with grace and courtesy.

The Ming family had strong roots in City S and was among the top wealthy families. However, they couldn’t understand how their child had been easily abducted under such tight security. They hadn’t figured it out yet. The traffickers’ words did correspond to the video surveillance records, but Ming Ziheng had been kidnapped too cleverly that day.

“Thank you for your understanding,” he gave Chu Ruochun a card with a substantial amount of money.

“It was a small effort,” Chu Ruochun replied.

Ming Yuxian had only met Chu Ruochun today, so he didn’t want to exchange too many pleasantries. For the sake of his nephew, he got straight to the point. “Here’s the situation: the child is currently unwilling to return to City S with me. I could insist on taking him home, but he’s experiencing some psychological issues right now. I can see that he trusts you quite a bit, so I’m hoping we can discuss whether it’s possible for Ziheng to stay with you for a while. He seems very at ease here, and he was quite anxious during the hospital examination.”

He feels sorry for the child. The more he looks at the child, like a frightened bird, the more he feels sorry and regrets it.

Chu Ruochun glanced at his own home. In the past month, he had taken in two foxes and a child. His house was almost too crowded.

“Mr. Ming, you’ve seen the situation at my home. My younger brother goes to school during the day, we have two foxes at home, and sometimes I may be working outside. Would you be okay with this?”

“These days, I’ll arrange my work in S City and try to move here. Do you think that would work? On weekdays, I will personally take care of the child, hoping he can stay in a comfortable environment for a while. When he gets better, I’ll take him back to S City.”

Chu Ruochun could tell that Mr. Ming was making this decision out of genuine concern for Ming Ziheng.

He smiled, “I don’t mind at all. Meeting him was fate, and I’m happy to have him stay with Ruolin. However, Mr. Ming, do you know why Ziheng had gu worms in his body?”

“Gu worms? What are Gu worms?” Ming Yuxian seemed genuinely shocked and unaware of this situation.

Chu Ruochun guessed that perhaps there was a miscommunication with the police. They mentioned that the child had been taken to a traditional Chinese medicine shop, but they didn’t provide details about his illness. Since Old Qi didn’t mention it and the police didn’t ask, he decided not to bring it up.

“It’s an ancient form of witchcraft,” Chu Ruochun explained. “These gu worms were the cause of his abdominal pain and vomiting. Of course, they have been removed now. But the person behind this might give you a lead.”

Ming Yuxian shook his head, but he was a quick thinker. Connecting this with Chu Ruochun’s clandestine second profession, he said, “I know Ziheng’s kidnapping was likely planned, but I don’t know who did it. Can you help me find out?”

Chu Ruochun neither refused nor agreed, “That might require you to personally investigate, Mr. Ming, but I can give you a direction. The person behind this is connected to you within the third degree of separation.”

Ming Yuxian immediately had a direction in mind, and his expression changed subtly. “I will find out. Thank you for the reminder.”

However, they didn’t mention this matter again in front of the children.

Ming Yuxian left his assistant and bodyguards to take care of Ming Ziheng and hurried back to S City overnight to handle these matters. He didn’t consider how to deal with Chu Ruochun at this point.

Now, Chu Ruochun was looking at the card Ming Yuxian had left, and after checking the substantial amount on it, he decided to donate half of it and use the rest as Ming Ziheng’s living expenses.

And so, Ming Ziheng stayed with them. The house felt a bit smaller, but it also felt warmer.

Chu Ruochun didn’t have too much work to do at the moment. After all, variety shows weren’t as demanding as advertisements, one shoot followed another.

㇐

After Ming Ziheng’s situation was resolved, the filming for the second season of the program was about to start.

Chu Ruochun received a message from Xu Mengying asking if he had decided to attend the metaphysical conference.

The invitation letter was still on his desktop, indicating the organizing unit and the location of the conference.

The conference would last for three days, from Friday to Sunday, which coincided with the filming schedule of the program.

He was in a bit of a dilemma, so he asked if the program could change the shooting location to allow him to attend the metaphysical conference.

The program shooting also needed the consent of others.

Considering the incident with the parasite, the program director immediately contacted the organizing unit. After some negotiation, they allowed the program to track Chu Ruochun during the conference. They would delete the parts that were not allowed to be filmed, as it was just a conference and an event.

The most significant point was that the organizing unit happened to be located within a tourist area. The program crew’s presence there could help with promotion. It was free publicity, so why not take advantage of it?

On Thursday, Chu Ruochun went up the mountain ahead of time. The two kids and the two foxes would depart the next day. As for the two foxes, Bai Yichen had work to do elsewhere, and only Red Fox remained at home.

The program crew was somewhat disappointed because they wouldn’t have interactions between the kids and the little foxes, which would have added cute moments to the show. However, a portion of their expenses was covered by the Ming family. Ming Yuxian was taking care of some matters in S City and decided to accompany Ming Ziheng on this trip, so their team was gradually expanding.

Ming Yuxian would bring the child and the program crew up the mountain on Friday.

Everything was arranged properly.

Chu Ruochun, holding the invitation letter, headed to the hotel where the conference was being held.

In a tourist area, there was certainly no shortage of hotels.

After Chu Ruochun completed the check-in process, he turned around and saw a tall man wearing a mask being effortlessly pulled into the hotel by a woman. It was quite a scene.

He was momentarily stunned and almost burst into laughter. He hadn’t expected to run into Feng Qi here.

He called out, “Feng ge?”

Feng Qi and the woman turned to look at him together.

---