"SQEEAAAK!"
Hua Lang let out a loud, desperate squeal and used every ounce of strength his tiny piglet body could muster to launch himself out of the angel's embrace. The moment his hooves touched the floor, he darted towards the familiar figure standing nearby.
'Jun Ming! You're here! My best friend! I knew you wouldn't let me down!'
Well, he couldn't exactly say those words aloud anymore, but the series of frantic oinks that exploded from his mouth carried the same emotional weight.
He charged toward Jun Ming with tears practically streaming from his eyes and threw his little forelegs around his friend's shin, hugging it as tightly as his tiny body allowed.
'Oh, how I missed you!'
He then rubbed his snout against Jun Ming's trouser leg.
Unfortunately, Jun Ming did not share the sentiment.
Not even remotely.
A second later, a tremendous force sent Hua Lang rolling across the floor.
"WHAT IS THAT?!"
Jun Ming practically teleported backward, nearly tripping over himself as he scrambled behind the nearest police officer and grabbed onto the man's arm for protection.
Hua Lang lay sprawled on the floor, completely stunned. He slowly lifted his head and stared up at his trembling best friend.
Huh?
For several seconds, he simply stared.
Then his little piggy face twisted in disbelief.
What the hell?
He scrambled back onto his feet and charged toward Jun Ming again, stopping only a few inches away from him.
Why are you reacting like this?! I sent you an entire email explaining my situation! You should be hugging me! You should be crying! You should be saying something inspirational like, "Hua Lang, I knew you would survive!"
Instead, Jun Ming looked as though he had just pooped his pants.
"What the fuck is that?! Someone get it away from me!"
Jun Ming darted around the police officer like a frightened rabbit, nearly knocking the poor man over in the process.
Hua Lang froze.
His best friend—the person he had trusted for years, the person he had expected to recognize him immediately—was running away from him as though he carried some sort of contagious disease.
This is how you treat your best friend?
Ears drooping, he lowered himself onto the floor.
He had been betrayed by the entire world, turned into a pig, kidnapped by fate, forced to live under the ridiculous name Bacon, and now, when he had finally found the one person who could potentially save him, that person was hiding behind a police officer.
His life had officially become a joke.
"Um…" Jun Ming cautiously peeked over the officer's shoulder. "Could someone please tie that creature up?"
Hua Lang's ears twitched.
"I have an irrational fear of animals."
Jun Ming adjusted his crooked glasses with a trembling hand, attempting to restore some dignity to himself. Unfortunately, the effort was ruined by his wildly disheveled hair and stained pajamas.
Hua Lang stared at him without blinking.
Since when?!
His thoughts raced.
Since when are you afraid of animals?
He had known Jun Ming for years. He had seen the man sleep through meetings, survive on instant noodles for three days, and once spend half an hour arguing with a vending machine because it had eaten his money.
But he had never once heard about an irrational fear of animals.
Jun Ming, meanwhile, was still watching him suspiciously.
Hua Lang took one slow step forward.
Jun Ming immediately took one step backward.
Hua Lang took another.
Jun Ming hid behind the officer again.
Hua Lang's eye twitched.
Jun Ming, you better remember this when I become human again.
Before he could attempt another desperate approach, a pair of soft hands suddenly wrapped around him from behind.
"There, there," Tian said soothingly, lifting the piglet back into his arms. "Bacon is a little naughty sometimes. Sorry about that."
Hua Lang stiffened.
Once again, he found himself trapped in that familiar embrace.
The angel's arms were warm, gentle, and strangely comforting. His soft voice brushed against Hua Lang's ears, and for a brief moment, the frantic pounding in his little chest slowed.
Hua Lang looked up at Tian's apologetic face.
Something unfamiliar fluttered inside him.
His tiny heart, already wounded by Jun Ming's brutal rejection, suddenly began beating even faster beneath the angel's warm embrace.
No.
Hua Lang immediately rejected the thought.
Absolutely not.
He shook his head furiously.
I am not going to start liking this.
He glanced at Tian's face again.
The angel smiled at him.
Hua Lang's heart skipped.
NO!
He immediately turned toward Jun Ming and stretched his tiny forelegs toward him.
Jun Ming! Take me away! Take me away from this crazy angel! I'm your CEO! Your boss! Your best friend! I can give you a raise!
All that came out was a series of increasingly desperate squeals.
"Eeeeeee! Oink! Oink!"
Tian blinked before smiling brightly.
"I think he really likes you."
Jun Ming stared at the piglet in horror.
"Well, I don't like him. So please refrain from releasing that animal anywhere near me."
Hua Lang's soul nearly left his body.
Animal?!
If pigs could develop high blood pressure, Hua Lang was certain he would have died on the spot.
Jun Ming finally turned his sharp gaze toward the police officers.
"Have you found my friend yet?"
The officers exchanged glances.
One of them shook his head.
"This house is clean. There is no sign of your friend. Can you tell us who gave you this address in the first place?"
Jun Ming immediately pulled out his phone.
"He personally sent me an email. Here, look."
He held up the message.
"This is definitely Hua Lang. I'm sure of it. He told me to come here."
The officer examined the email, then looked toward the two young men.
Hua Lang puffed out his chest proudly.
See?! Tell him! Tell him I'm right here!
He eagerly pointed his snout toward himself.
"What's a rig?" the officer whispered softly.
"I'm not sure, but I think he meant an oil rig? Is there an oil rig nearby?" Jun Ming started to analyse with the cop.
Hua Lang froze up.
'What rig? It's me! I'm a pig! I'm a pig, guys!'
The officer continued.
"I'm not sure if there are any close by. Do you think he made a typo?"
"No, I'm sure he won't. My boss will never type anything by mistake," Jun Ming assured him.
Hearing this, Hua Lang felt his whole soul fly out of his body.
'A typo? I made a typo!!! Oh my God. It's a pig. I meant pig. Jun, look at me. I'm the pig.'
He cried and wailed, but it was all useless. They all came out as squeals.
Finally, the officer sighed.
"We need all of you to come to the station for questioning. We'll also be temporarily confiscating your phones and electronic devices while we investigate."
Two officers stepped forward.
Lu Chen immediately began to panic.
"Sir, we have absolutely nothing to do with Hua Lang's disappearance. He's an acquaintance of mine. We went to the same school together. Why would we hurt him?"
"Sir, we're not accusing you of anything," the officer assured him. "We simply need you to answer a few questions."
"A few questions?" Lu Chen repeated nervously.
"Yes."
"How many is a few?"
The officer paused.
"Enough."
Lu Chen's face fell.
"That doesn't sound reassuring at all."
Before he could argue further, one of the officers gently guided him toward the door.
Tian followed without complaint, still holding Hua Lang securely in his arms.
Hua Lang, meanwhile, twisted around to look at Jun Ming.
'Jun Ming! Help me!'
Hua Lang stretched one tiny hoof toward him.
Jun Ming immediately flinched and kept a safe distance from the piglet.
Hua Lang's expression became one of profound betrayal.
I'll remember this.
The angel adjusted his hold on him as they stepped outside.
"Don't worry, Bacon," Tian whispered. "I'll take care of you."
A few minutes later, the group found themselves squeezed into a police car, being driven toward the station.
Well, that wasn't the worst part. They were sent to separate rooms for questioning. Tian, who had come to the police station for the first time in his life, was kind of nervous, to say the least. He hugged the piglet a little tighter as he entered the interrogation room.
The cold chair made his butt slightly numb, but he wiggled a bit and peered at the officer in front of him, who was fiddling with his phone.
Feeling his gaze, the man looked up and gave him a comforting smile.
"It's nothing to be afraid of. Just common questions. Let's start with your name. I'm Samuel, and you are?"
"Tian. Tian Shi," Tian said with a soft smile.
"Mr. Tian. It's late, and I don't want to go the roundabout way of questioning you. Just tell me… why can't we find you anywhere on the system?"
Tian looked relieved at the easy question.
"That's because I'm not from here."
"So you're a foreigner?"
"You can say that."
He gazed down at Bacon happily.
"Okay…"
The officer paused before sliding the phone he had been fiddling with across the table.
"Do you know anything about this?"
Tian frowned as he read the message on it.
I Hua
Alive
You dog bite on butt
Address: ...
I m a rig
Tian stared at the screen for several seconds, his brows slowly knitting together.
"Why would someone send a weird message like that?"
He hated these kinds of pranks. Sure, he hated Hua Lang, but people couldn't play with others' feelings like this. The prankster was the worst. He had even gotten Lu Chen involved in this mess.
Enraged, Tian's cheeks puffed up slightly.
"Yeah. Why did you send a message like this?" the officer asked all of a sudden.
Tian, taken aback, looked at him confusedly.
"What?"
"I asked why you would send a message like that."
"I didn't send anything. You think it was me? Why would I send something like that? I hate pranks like this."
He was low-key offended by now.
The officer sighed softly.
"Did anyone other than you use your phone in the last twenty-four hours?"
"No. I didn't use it either. You're saying that's my phone? The message came from my phone?"
Tian was shell-shocked by this new tidbit of information.
On the other hand, Hua Lang was racked with guilt. He gazed up at the panicking angel, and he started to panic as well.
He had only wanted to go home, not cause trouble for anyone. Not this angel, for sure. This guy had been anything but kind to him from day one.
He let out a few nervous oinks.
"You were the one who sent the message at 1:30 a.m. tonight. You can't deny that."
"But I didn't."
Tian started to tremble ever so slightly. He had seen human cop shows before. He had seen how they tortured the guys who had sinned.
"I never did that…"
Involuntarily, his eyes started to tear up.
"I wouldn't ever do that. Why would I kidnap that guy…?"
Fat tears began to roll down his face, splattering onto Hua Lang.
Stunned, Hua Lang let out a squeak and tried his best to console him.
But the angel started to sob.
"I don't know anything. I didn't send that. I didn't—"