The Reincarnated OP Protagonist Is Now A 3rd Grade Student (Patreon)

Chapter 13: The Nonexistent Father?

Things were getting a bit tricky...

Tan Jing took a deep breath as she looked at the report in her hand.

At first, she thought the explosion at the Hua Long Cram School was probably caused by some rival trying to play dirty, using things like gas canisters. However, with the help of the psychic elementary school student, she found new explosives near another cram school. They turned out to be the same batch of explosives that went missing during a bank robbery.

Now the nature of the case has completely changed. It seemed that a specialized task force would need to be established to investigate. But before that...

Tan Jing withdrew her gaze from the report, looking at the slightly shabby "self-built" apartment building in front of her. After confirming the address, she approached the door and knocked. The door was quickly opened.

Beautiful... really beautiful...

Tan Jing stared at the woman inside, wearing a light yellow apron. For a moment, she was speechless. The woman wasn't a stunning beauty, but every feature seemed to be in the perfect place, forming an overall harmonious and attractive appearance.

This kind of beauty shouldn't be in this small apartment but on the red carpet in Hollywood!

"Miss Officer?"

Chen Xuemei looked at the policewoman in confusion.

Tan Jing closed the door silently, quickly adjusting her attire that was a bit disheveled, and then opened the door again.

"Are you... Chen An's sister?"

Looking at the dignified police officer before her, Chen Xuemei hesitated for a moment before her eyes lit up. "Chen An's sister? So, you're here for my precious one? Has my precious one caused trouble? And to the extent that a police officer had to come knocking on our door?!"

"Uh..."

Tan Jing tilted her head slightly. Why did it seem like this beautiful lady was actually quite pleased? Was it an illusion?

Probably an illusion. Although she looked harmless, the presence conveyed by her uniform was enough to make even a burly man feel a shiver down his spine. Anyone who was spoken to by her immediately entered a sage-like mode, instinctively recalling whether they had committed any wrongdoing. Even if this lady was carefree, she couldn't possibly be so pleased.

"Please come in, please come in!"

Chen Xuemei excitedly grabbed Tan Jing's hand, leading her to the couch and said enthusiastically, "What trouble has my precious one caused?"

"Mom..."

Hearing the commotion, Chen An came downstairs and looked at his enthusiastic mother with an embarrassed expression. "Don’t be  so friendly, it might scare the guests."

"Why do you still act like everything's fine?"

Chen Xuemei looked at Chen An dissatisfiedly. "The police officer has come to our door, and you're not being honest about your crimes! Speak up! Did you bully the sixth-grade student? Or did you make the teacher cry? Or maybe you used a school broom as a weapon to attack pedestrians?"

"No, no, no, ma'am. Your son hasn't done any of those things."

Tan Jing was utterly confused. "I just want to talk to your son about the details of the explosion at the cram school that day."

"Only... only that?"

Chen Xuemei looked puzzled for a while and then her tone turned melancholic. "Then I'll go prepare some fruit for you."

Watching Chen Xuemei's desolate figure, Tan Jing was puzzled. Her emotions changed so quickly. What was going on with this lady? Why did she seem so eager for her child to get into trouble?

"Auntie, don't mind. My mom is just worried about me. Although I don't really see any reason for her to worry."

Chen An shrugged and motioned for Tan Jing to come upstairs to talk.

"Call me 'Sister,' kid... Also, I don't really understand."

Tan Jing was still puzzled. "Your mother seems to be quite eager for you to get into trouble. Is there a reason behind it?"

"It's my family matter, Auntie."

Seeing the kid's reluctance to elaborate, Tan Jing was taken aback for a moment before shaking her head helplessly.

Unexpectedly, he was reminded by a child that he had been too nosy.

Tan Jing sighed with a touch of emotion in her tone. "But on another note, with such a beautiful wife and such a clever child, your father must be the happiest man in the world. Where is he? I just observed that there don't seem to be any adult male items here. Did he go out to work?"

"Good question, I want to know where my father is too."

Chen An glanced at the system beside him, and the mischievous spirit immediately whistled guiltily.

"Do... Do you not have a father?"

Tan Jing asked in astonishment.

"At least 'temporarily' not. I've been with my mom since I can remember."

Chen An sighed. "I've asked her too about how I came into this world. Guess what she said?"

"She found you in a dumpster? Or maybe you were a bonus for topping up a phone card?"

Tan Jing guessed with a hint of inexplicable anticipation.

"More outrageous than that! At least the phone card theory and dumpster idea make some sense logically."

Chen An covered his face. "But she actually talked to me about the connection between heaven and earth, and the story of women giving birth. The last person to be born this way was named Jesus, and people keep crucifixes from his execution as souvenirs. The one before that was Fuxi, who practiced orthopedics with his sister. Come on, it's the modern age, at least make the lie more believable."

It’s a  single-parent household?

Watching the kid talk nonstop about how important science was, Tan Jing's expression grew heavier.

She hadn't known this elementary school student for very long, but in that short time, she had fully realized how much of an anomaly he was among his peers.

Compared to other children, he was too mature for his age. His tone of speech and his mannerisms resembled those of a little adult who had been fed poison by a secret organization. After all, not every child who had experienced an explosion would calmly continue going to school.

Furthermore, most children would feel a shiver down their spines at the sight of a police officer, as their parents often scared them by saying they would call the police if they misbehaved. Yet he not only approached Chen Kui, who was often misunderstood as a criminal by the general public, but also provided clues about the case to her and others.

At first, she had been curious about what kind of upbringing could produce such an extraordinary child. Now, she understood... there was no specific upbringing. Children growing up in single-parent households tend to be more mature and sensible due to their unique circumstances.

"Auntie, you're being quite informal in various ways."

Chen An looked at the police officer crouching down and unconsciously patting his head.

"I think I understand that lady's thoughts a bit better now."

Tan Jing bit her lip, feeling her nose growing a bit sour. What kind of hardships must she have gone through to raise such a sensible child?