Chapter 17 SJC

 The little cub clutched his milk bottle tightly, his big, clear eyes anxiously watching the scenery blur past the car window. His chubby hands grasped Shen Jinnian’s shirt like a frightened kitten, small and helpless.  

Shen Jinnian released a soothing pheromone to calm him down.  

But the child remained uneasy. It was as if he had already sensed what was coming. He huddled silently in Shen Jinnian’s arms, voice soft as he called out, “PaPa…”  

“…Mm, I’m here.” A strange sense of guilt stirred in Shen Jinnian’s chest, making his tone unconsciously gentler. “Don’t worry. I’m just taking you out to have some fun.”  

It was unclear whether the cub truly understood, but the trust in his expression was absolute.  

Shen Jinnian's conscience was hurt again.

The driver soon pulled up at the police station.  

The moment Shen Jinnian stepped out, child in arms, a familiar face greeted him.  

It was the officer he had met at the hospital. The man, just returning from duty, lowered his car window and waved. “You’re back again?”  

Shen Jinnian held the paternity test in his arms and spoke in a tough tone: "I came to post a missing person notice for the baby I found."

The officer was momentarily stunned—then let out a chuckle, shaking his head as he stepped out of the car to walk alongside him. “Still as stubborn as ever, huh? Have you and your wife made up yet?”  

Shen Jinnian’s mouth twitched. “Making up would require having a wife in the first place.” 

He pulled out his student ID and flashed it. “I haven’t even graduated yet. Let alone gotten married.”  

The other party smiled at the corner of his lips and didn't say anything, and took Shen Jinnian to the reception area.

Shen Jinnian placed the sealed courier package on the table and slid it toward the officer. “This time, I brought proof. A freshly done paternity test. I haven’t even opened it—there’s zero chance of it being fake.”  

The officer hesitated, picking up the package to examine the sender’s address. It was indeed from a DNA testing center.  

His movements paused. He glanced up at Shen Jinnian.  

“You can open it and check,” Shen Jinnian said, brimming with confidence. He refused to believe they could still doubt him with ironclad proof in their hands.  

But instead of tearing it open immediately, the officer called over a few colleagues as witnesses.  

One of them was an omega officer with delicate features. The moment he saw Shen Jinnian, his gaze burned with intensity. He didn’t just glance—he outright stared, unwavering, for a full three minutes, making Shen Jinnian squirm with discomfort.  

Then, as if struck by sudden realization, the omega officer’s eyes widened in shock.  

“I remember you!” he exclaimed.  

“…Huh?” Shen Jinnian blinked.  

“A few days ago, during the heavy rain—I saw you on my way back to the station.” The officer pulled out his phone to find a video. “You and your partner had just left a mother-and-baby store.”  

Shen Jinnian’s heart skipped a beat.  

He quickly leaned in to check the screen.  

Sure enough, it was a video from that stormy day. He and Gu Yan were dashing through the rain, shielding themselves with a cardboard box. It wasn’t the same one that had gone viral online, but this footage was much clearer.  

“…There’s no face in the video. How can you be sure it’s me?” Shen Jinnian tried to play dumb.  

The omega police smiled and glanced at him up and down: “You’re wearing the exact same outfit today. And your body shape doesn’t lie.”  

A wave of pressure crashed down on Shen Jinnian.  

He and Gu Yan had nothing going on. Not even remotely. But now, with a police officer having personally witnessed them leaving a baby store together, while he himself stood here holding a child in his arms—there was no talking his way out of this.  

And as expected—  

The omega officer finally noticed the toddler in his arms. His expression turned bewildered.  

“Wait a second,” he frowned. “Then why did you report this child as abandoned?”  

The baby was a little timid when he was looked at, and turned back to get into Shen Jinnian's arms. His voice trembled slightly as he murmured, “Papa…”

Shen Jinnian was completely caught off guard. For a moment, he had no idea where to even begin explaining.

His brain short-circuited. It took him a full ten seconds to reboot before he finally took a breath and said, “Okay, yes, that’s me in the video. But the person with me is not my boyfriend. We just happened to run into each other. And this child—he’s not ours.”

The omega officer didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he scrolled through his phone, searching for something. After a while, he finally found the viral video from a few days ago.

Then, he pulled up the top comment and showed it to Shen Jinnian.

“I hereby declare: this is a real CP… A married couple in the middle of a lovers’ quarrel… Wishing them a long and happy life together.”

Shen Jinnian: “…”

Brother, do you have to be this ruthless?

“I’m telling the truth,” Shen Jinnian decided to skip proving his innocence altogether and steered the conversation back to the paternity test. “Here—this is the DNA test I just did. I even have the order confirmation on my phone. This kid really isn’t mine. The sooner we find his real parents, the better.”

As his words fell, everyone’s gaze shifted back to the sealed report.

The lead officer picked it up, examined the seal carefully, and asked, “Can we open it?”

“Yes,” Shen Jinnian replied.

And so, right in front of him, the officers carefully unsealed the courier package. They removed the inner document pouch, checked it for any signs of tampering, and only then did they solemnly cut the final seal.

Everyone held their breath.

All eyes were fixed on the test results as the pages were slowly drawn from the envelope.

Even though Shen Jinnian knew what the report should say, he couldn’t help feeling nervous. As the document emerged, it felt like time had slowed to a crawl.

Still, he maintained his composure—sitting back with the child in his arms and pretended to gaze out the window indifferently.

But his ears were perked up and he was always paying attention to the movements on the opposite side.

The officers flipped through the pages one by one, their expressions growing increasingly serious. The entire reception area was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Then, they reached the final result.

Their gazes instantly became… complicated.

The eyes of several people became extremely complicated at the same time, and their sights jumped back and forth between Shen Jinnian and the child for a long time.

“I wasn’t lying. I really did find him on the street. Even if he looks like me, he’s not my kid,” Shen Jinnian repeated—for the third time.

The officers silently passed the document around, each taking a careful look. Then, they neatly put the report back together and handed it back to Shen Jinnian.

The man patted his shoulder, and his tone was much softer:  “Taking a child out for the day must be exhausting. We won’t invite you to lunch—just take the kid home early and get some rest.”

…?

Shen Jinnian’s instincts flared. Something was definitely wrong.

He quickly pulled the report toward himself and flipped to the last page.

[Final Conclusion]
 Based on the submitted materials and DNA analysis, the results support Shen Jinnian as the biological father of the tested individual.

Shen Jinnian: “…”

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T/N: GUYSSSSS I only have $2 on Patreon right now (ง ื▿ ื)ง BUT if I reach $10 by the end of April, I’ll release 3 extra chapters both here and on Patreon!! ✨

If it somehow hits $15, I’ll drop 5 chapters, anddd maybe even more if we go beyond that~ ₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎♡  (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧