Upside Down Grocery Shop - Chapter 5

What’s the point of going on a date now? Xiao Ling could only grumble at this point. Su Ran had definitely given her those circus tickets on purpose; he must have known something, which was why he led her there in the first place.

Right then, Xiao Liu called to report that everything seemed normal at the circus. Aside from that one little black bear, there really wasn’t another bear in sight. And with a huge bear, which is a live animal, hiding it without any trace would be almost impossible.

Xiao Ling sighed and looked at the tightly closed shop door. She even peeked through the crack but found nothing, so she left.

—

Xinhua Bookstore.

Fang Yuan was surprised when Su Ran called him. After all, he’d upset Su Ran last time and had been wondering how to make amends. And now, Su Ran had actually reached out to him.

Su Ran stood by a bookshelf, holding a book and tapping his leg absentmindedly, lost in thought.

Fang Yuan approached. “Boss Su, anything I can help with?”

Su Ran handed the book to Fang Yuan. “Buy it.”

Fang Yuan blinked, a bit confused, but chuckled and nodded. “Alright.”

As Su Ran walked ahead, he picked up another book and handed it to Fang Yuan. “Fang Yuan, have you ever heard of the ‘bear-taming clan’?”

“Raccoons?” Fang Yuan looked puzzled. “I know about raccoons. They’re mammals from North America.”

Su Ran shot him a look. “I’m talking about taming bears, not raccoons.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that.”

Su Ran pointed to the book in Fang Yuan’s hands. “There are clues in there. Aren’t you investigating the missing candles? Don’t say I didn’t help you out.”

“Thanks!” Fang Yuan beamed.

“And one more thing—I need you to look into someone.” Su Ran handed him a photo. “I want to know everything that happened to this guy in the past year.”

Fang Yuan took the photo, looking a bit troubled. “Boss Su, this is kind of against the rules. Upside Down Grocery Shop isn’t supposed to investigate customer info.”

“Cut the crap. Do you want to complete the task or not?” Su Ran replied. “If you keep quiet and I keep quiet, who’s going to know?”

Fang Yuan hesitated, stammering his refusal. “Boss Su, please let me off the hook. If my boss finds out I helped you with something like this, I’m done for.”

Seeing how genuinely troubled Fang Yuan was, Su Ran had no choice but to drop the request.

“Talk about being ungrateful,” Su Ran muttered as he walked away, frustrated. This was a miscalculation—he had given Fang Yuan a lead, hoping it would help him find this guy, but it turns out he’s just a scaredy-cat.

He really didn’t want to deal with that person any more than necessary.

—

Xiao Ling listened as Xiao Liu and his team reported back, connecting every possible clue and association, but it seemed useless. She felt disappointed—Su Ran had led her to the circus, and she’d seen the only black bear there, but she’d found nothing else.

“Captain, analysis on the fur at the scene says it was a grizzly bear. And the circus has a black bear, which is much smaller. There’s no way it could have killed an adult without resistance.”

“And I checked the timeline too. The circus only arrived in town after the incident, so it doesn’t match up.”

“Plus, no matter which route the circus took, it couldn’t have avoided all the cameras. A huge grizzly bear running around would’ve been spotted. It’s just impossible.”

Xiao Ling took a deep breath. If she hadn’t seen that giant black bear herself, she wouldn’t have suspected it. She’d considered the points Xiao Liu raised, but the circus was still the only place in the area with a bear, be it a black bear or a grizzly, and it had to be watched closely.

Her phone rang—a strange number. Xiao Ling glanced at it and picked up.

“Officer Xiao Ling, it’s me, Su Ran.”

Xiao Ling perked up, quickly stepping away from Xiao Liu and the others. “Where are you? I want to see you!”

“Hehe, you miss me that much?”

“Cut the crap. Time and place—now!”

“Nine o’clock tonight, outside KFC on West Street.”

“Why not now?”

“Because I need to eat.”

“Hello? Hello?”

Xiao Ling felt a surge of irritation. That guy actually dared to hang up on her. Hung up on a cop? He’s got a death wish.

“Alright, the circus is still our top priority,” Xiao Ling told Xiao Liu and his team. “But don’t let your guard down in other areas. Stay vigilant—no more victims allowed.”

“Yes!”

Xiao Ling looked at her phone, at that unfamiliar number. She wanted to call back but feared Su Ran might get annoyed and shut her out. Losing such a crucial lead out of impatience would be a big mistake.

Looks like she could only wait.

—

But before Xiao Ling even saw Su Ran, she received another earth-shattering piece of news.

Another woman’s body had been found!

Hearing the news, Xiao Ling nearly crushed her phone in frustration. She forgot all about the appointment and immediately called Su Ran, but couldn’t reach him no matter how many times she dialled.

At the crime scene, the body had been discarded in the mountains, found by a couple hiking who immediately reported it. The woman’s face was pale, her eyes wide open in terror, as if she’d seen something horrifying before she died. Her hands and feet had no sign of being bound, but there was a fatal claw mark on her neck, slicing through her artery. She bled out.

After examining her, Dr. Zhang concluded, “It’s a bear, and the same type as last time. The claw marks, the force—it’s all exactly the same.”

Xiao Ling felt a heavy weight settle on her heart. Just a few days, and there’s already a second victim.

“Take the body back for a thorough examination and keep a tight lid on the information.”

“Yes.”

The police acted quickly, and the news was contained promptly. But somehow…

The story still got out, leaving Xiao Ling and her team reprimanded and given a month to solve the case. If there was another victim, they’d all be fired on the spot.

There was no way Xiao Ling could wait until nine. By seven, she was already speeding over to the KFC on West Street. When she arrived, she found Su Ran already there.

She’d been planning to give Su Ran a hard time, but the first thing she said was, “Why are you here so early?”

“I’ve been waiting here all day; you’re the one who’s late,” Su Ran got in her car without hesitation. “Drive.”

Waited all day?

Could it be that after calling her, Su Ran had been waiting for her there the whole time?

“Where to?”

“Anywhere, as long as we don’t stop the car.”

So mysterious. Xiao Ling was beginning to wonder if Su Ran was some foreign spy. Should she just arrest him right now? Or knock him out and take him back for questioning?

“Stop overthinking it. If you don’t move now, you’ll get stuck in traffic,” Su Ran said nonchalantly, looking out the window.