Chapter 264: Mediating a Dispute

As Lin Dongxue approached the bus stop, she said, “You can drop me off here. Thank you.”

“I have a small favor to ask… If it’s too much, just forget it,” Luo Haifeng said.

“What is it?”

“I just got a call about a dispute I need to mediate. It’s a tricky situation. A guy doesn’t want to break up with his girlfriend, so he’s taken over her house and is threatening to kill her cat if she doesn’t contact him by midnight. The girl is scared to go home and called the police. Have you seen this on Weibo?”

Luo Haifeng handed her his phone. On Weibo, a man was holding a cat and a knife, his face twisted with rage. He said if his girlfriend didn’t contact him by midnight, he’d kill the cat.

“That girl is crying at the station, begging us to save her cat,” Luo Haifeng sighed.

Lin Dongxue was shocked. She had never seen such an obsessive man. “Isn’t this illegal?”

“China has animal protection organizations but no specific animal protection law. Unless there’s violence between the couple, like him hitting her, it’s not considered a crime. So far, nothing like that has happened.”

“This is disgusting!” Lin Dongxue was getting angrier as she looked at the man’s face on Weibo.

“Yeah, ”

“You think he’d listen to me because I’m a woman?”

“There’s that, and I thought we could work together. Maybe I’ll go in and calm him down while you get the cat, or you calm him down, and I’ll get the cat.”

“Alright, I’ll help you.”

“Thank you.”

Maybe it was because she was furious, but Lin Dongxue really hated obsessive men who hurt others in the name of love. To her, it was the most despicable thing.

On the way to the scene, the man updated his Weibo again, posting pictures of himself with his girlfriend, the gifts he had given her, and saying how much he loved her. He accused her of cheating on him.

The comment section, initially filled with criticism, was now divided. Some said the man was wrong, emphasizing that they were not married, and she had the freedom to love anyone. Others blamed the woman for cheating, saying such issues didn’t arise overnight and both must have done something wrong.

Then, another debate started: whether killing the cat was justified. Some argued it was wrong no matter what, while others said those who were angry about the cat were just “cat lovers” who overreacted.

Amidst this, Luo Haifeng received a radio call from the station asking if he had reached the scene. He replied, “We’re stuck in traffic, almost there.”

“The girl and her family have gone to the scene. Hurry up to avoid any incidents.”

“Five minutes away.”

Five minutes later, they arrived at the apartment complex. A stylishly dressed woman was crying near the flower bed, with what seemed to be her parents comforting her.

Luo Haifeng approached, “Miss Dong? Why did you come here?”

Miss Dong wiped her tears, “I’m so worried about my MIMI… If he hurts her, I’ll fight him!”

“Don’t say things like that in front of the police!” her mother scolded. “It’s just a cat. What’s more important, the cat or you? You’ve been together for three years. Couples fight. I saw the Weibo post, and you’re in the wrong. Just apologize, and it’ll be over.”

“What do you mean ‘just a cat’!” Miss Dong retorted angrily. “MIMI is like family to me, even more precious. This beast is threatening me with her! You only care about his job and background, but you don’t know how he treats me.”

“How does he treat you? Does he hit you?”

“No, but he’s very controlling. Every time I come home late from work, he questions me. He checks my phone, my chat records, my ride history, and even my male colleagues. He gets jealous over a like on my Weibo post. Once, I had a nightmare and cried. Instead of comforting me, he asked if I dreamt about my ex. I was so angry, and he didn’t talk to me for three days until I apologized! Mom, I don’t want to spend my life with such a man. I have no privacy with him.”

Her mother sighed, “You’re just mad at him, so you only see his bad side. Remember how he courted you with a big bouquet at your office? How he skipped work to take care of you when you were sick? He really cares for you.”

“I don’t want that kind of care!” Miss Dong screamed. “I feel like an animal, a pet, in front of him!”

Her mother tried to soothe her, “Calm down, calm down.”

Her father, who had been silent, said, “Stop talking, old lady!”

Her mother couldn’t help but mutter, “Nobody’s perfect. With his background, where will you find another like him? Couples need to work things out… And just to be clear, this all started because you…”

“I did not cheat!” Miss Dong screamed, losing her composure.

Luo Haifeng tried to calm her, “Miss Dong, please calm down. Let me go talk to him.”

“Please, save my MIMI. He will do it!” Miss Dong pleaded, tears streaming down her face.

“We’ll do our best.”

Luo Haifeng and Lin Dongxue approached the apartment and knocked. The man inside looked through the peephole and coldly said, “It’s useless. She has to come herself.”

Luo Haifeng responded, “Mr. Ma, your breakup is between you two. But threatening an innocent animal isn’t right. We’re all adults. Can’t we handle this maturely?”

“Am I breaking the law? Just tell me, am I breaking the law?”

“Maybe not with the cat, but you can’t just occupy her house.”

“I’m occupying her house? That’s a joke. I paid half the down payment and the mortgage all these years. I’m just staying home. She doesn’t want to come back… Who knows what she’s doing with other men? The thought of it…”

There was a thud as if he punched the wall.

Lin Dongxue couldn’t listen anymore and banged on the door, “You scumbag, get out here! You think dating Miss Dong means you own her? You’re a big man, and you’re threatening to hurt a cat? Why don’t you go to the zoo and fight a tiger? Do you think this will win her back?”