Chapter 55: Nine and a Half Months

Gone already?

Well, you really don't know much more than I do... Yu Dachang was getting engrossed in the story, only to find the beginning was already the end.

"Then when did I come back?" Yu Dachang pressed on.

"February fifteenth of this year," Li Xuehe thought for a moment, then added, "The second day after the Lantern Festival."

Which meant the day after Valentine's Day... Yu Dachang calculated the dates in his mind.

It was precisely the first day of his rebirth into this lifetime.

That meant the duration of his disappearance was nine and a half months, not quite a full year.

After that came his internship at the Public Security Brigade, and only then did he enter the Criminal Investigation Detachment.

That required three years of police academy; otherwise, given his weight at the time, getting into the police force would have been utterly impossible.

Some things bear no deep scrutiny. The further back one looked, the more problems were brought to light.

No wonder the captain of the Public Security Brigade strongly recommended the Criminal Investigation Detachment to me. He was actually trying to make me retreat in the face of difficulty.

Such a malicious heart... Whenever Yu Dachang thought of this, it filled him with bitter resentment.

He had even treated that man to dinner!

What a son of a bitch.

"Then why did you keep it from me?" This was also something Yu Dachang could not figure out.

"Because your father and I discovered you didn't remember what happened before," Li Xuehe looked at her son with a heart full of pain. "You must have gone through something terrible. It's better that you forgot. We were afraid that if you remembered, you would leave us again."

So that was how it was... Yu Dachang quickly sorted it through in his mind.

He disappeared at the end of April last year, and it was his own choice to leave.

Then he returned just after the Lantern Festival this year, which coincided exactly with the day he regained his memories after his rebirth.

Everything that happened subsequently was remembered with absolute clarity.

In other words, the problem lay entirely within that period of his disappearance.

The impact on him was:
1. The loss of nine and a half months of memories.
2. Turning into a heavy guy weighing over three hundred catties.

How magical...

Did he go out just to fatten himself up?

And how did his memories vanish? Did he somehow brainwash himself?

April 30th of last year... From the very moment he left home, the gears of fate began to smoke.

Wait~

The impact wasn't limited to just those two items!

His senses had become acute, and his intelligence had noticeably improved—both of which were also connected to his disappearance.

Previously, he had always assumed this was a rebirth starter pack, but now it seemed things weren't that simple...

He suddenly recalled the scapegoat case that had just concluded.

In his past life, when this case occurred, he had already been following his master for more than half a year.

Furthermore, Zhao Hang wasn't in the same cohort as him; he had arrived at the Criminal Investigation Detachment more than half a year later than Yu Dachang did.

All signs indicated that compared to his previous life, this reborn lifetime was delayed by more than half a year.

To be precise, nine and a half months.

What on earth happened during this period? Why couldn't he remember a single thing about it?

Yu Dachang irritably grabbed his hair, trying to keep himself calm through the physical sensation.

Information was far too scarce, making any deduction impossible.

"Stop thinking about it." Seeing her son in this state, Li Xuehe comforted him with a distressed tone. "No matter what happened, isn't it all in the past now? Just eat well and drink well."

Don't take anything to heart... Yu Dachang mentally added the rest of the sentence.

At that moment, the sound of the front door opening rang out, and Yu Guangyuan walked in.

Yu Dachang repeated his performance, using the exact same interrogation routine on his old man.

Finally, he was certain that both of his parents were telling the truth.

"Mom, let's make dinner."

Since he couldn't figure it out, he decided to stop trying. Abandoning the puzzle entirely, Yu Dachang slumped back against the sofa. "I'm starving to death."

Using one's brain consumed a lot of physical energy, after all.

Qu Tuotuo was in a terrible mood.

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

At this rate, in just a few more days, they would become complete strangers to each other.

He must have planned it this way.

Yesterday, the crown prince of the Bai Group came again.

Under the pretext of visiting elders, he conveniently came to chat with her.

That face, which fancied itself debonair and eloquently spoken, was simply sickening to the extreme.

No matter what, the other party was a guest after all, and hadn't done anything out of line; she couldn't just kick him out.

Besides, judging by her parents' attitude, they seemed to tacitly approve of his pursuit of her.

"So annoying!"

Qu Tuotuo irritably ruffled her hair, and upon turning around, she caught sight of the Peppa Pig doll on her bedside table.

She grabbed it and delivered two punches straight to its belly.

"It's all your fault, all your fault!"

Followed by two karate chops to its neck.

Another day passed, and Yu Dachang, along with Lü Zhongxin, returned to the First Brigade.

Prior to this, Detachment Captain Li Jun had called Yu Dachang in for a private conversation.

"Have you ever thought about staying in the detachment?"

"Never thought about it."

"You should know there's no precedent for this during a newcomer's internship."

"Thank you for the high regard, Captain Li, but I still want to follow my master and learn more things."

"How about... you reconsider?"

"No, thank you again, Captain Li."

It could be said that this was a hearty and thorough polite refusal.

Better get officially confirmed first... Yu Dachang was very clear about his own position.

Many things couldn't be achieved simply because a leader valued you.

Capability came first, followed by seniority.

Police officer, inspector, superintendent...

These were ranks that had to be earned step by step.

Naturally, there were exceptional promotions, but one could only say they were exceedingly rare.

Yu Dachang's refusal to stay in the detachment also stemmed from his own calculations.

There were certain matters he needed his master's help to handle.

If he stayed in the detachment, synchronizing his schedule with his master's would be difficult, and entering a brand-new environment would inevitably subject him to the management of strangers.

Therefore, for the time being, Yu Dachang neither wanted nor could afford to leave his master.

Inside the system, news traveled fast, and it was bound to be embellished.

With the disbandment of the special task force, the confidentiality level of the case instantly plummeted to the lowest tier.

Especially among the task force members.

Upon returning to their respective departments, they recounted the course of this case just like professional storytellers, vividly describing every detail to their colleagues.

They even added a few layers of narrative flair.

Coupled with the genuine complexity of this scapegoat case and its resolution in such a short span of time, people couldn't help but feel curious about the person who orchestrated the investigation.

Does our bureau really have such an awesome figure?

Never heard of it.

Whenever someone asked who specifically led the investigation, those task force members would act all mysterious and play the suspense card, finally flashing a "you know what I mean" kind of look.

Where were the sharpest operators found?

Undoubtedly within the system.

No extra words were needed; a single look allowed them to grasp the gist of it.

If the deputy team leader had led the investigation, they would have said so directly with no need for suspense.

So they had to guess the person least likely to be responsible.

Consequently, Yu Dachang experienced a magical day.

Leaders from various departments came by one after another to talk to him, and all under the guise of official business. Although the contents of the conversations varied, the underlying meaning was remarkably similar.

"Comrade Dachang, come over to our side. As long as you nod, I'll speak with your captain myself, and I guarantee your immediate official confirmation."

Two other district branch leaders even showed up, expressing their intent in a simple and crude manner.

"Transfer your personnel file to our branch, and you can name your conditions. We'll satisfy any reasonable demand."

Yu Dachang kept a smiling face almost the entire day, politely declining each one, and then escorting every visitor out to the main gate.

By the end of the day, his face was stiff from smiling.

He finally saw through it: someone must have been gossiping about him behind the scenes, and undoubtedly added plenty of dramatic flair.

It was precisely because he was still a probationary officer awaiting official confirmation that other departments dared to openly poach him.

Once confirmed as a regular officer, without the direct approval of his superiors, transferring out would be impossible even if he wanted to.

When off work, he specifically sought out Lü Zhongxin and asked him to drive him out of the courtyard compound.

Safety first, after all.

Just as Yu Dachang arrived downstairs at his apartment building, his phone rang.

It's her?

"Hello, something the matter?"

"Where are you? Let's meet and talk."

"We can talk just as well over the phone."

Qu Tuotuo's voice on the other end of the line suddenly pitched higher, sounding rather displeased.

"Yu Dachang! Have you forgotten what you said yourself?!"