NOVEL WEB Chapter 7: The bombshell evidence
A sleek black Porsche sped down the brightly lit avenue, weaving between traffic like a predator in the night.
On its rear deck lid, two glinting golden cat-eyes blinked ever so faintly, watching as the neon world blurred past.
This was Butchi's ability—Shadow Assimilation.
A skill that allowed him to vanish into any black-colored surface—be it the shadow under a bench, a dark backpack, or even a drop of ink.No size restrictions. No mass constraints.
A dream skill for thieves... or assassins.
"It's been half an hour already. Still not there?" Butchi muttered, his voice nearly drowned by the engine's purr.
Suddenly, the Porsche slowed at an intersection, then took a right turn and rolled to a stop in front of a high-end villa.
Butchi instantly snapped a picture of the residence with the small camera strapped around his neck.
Then, just as quickly, he noticed a skewer of grilled fish glistening in the window of a nearby BBQ shop.
Click. Another picture.
Mission comes first—but food is sacred.
Chen Wanyu stepped out of the car and pressed the "visitor" button on the front gate intercom.
A man's voice crackled through: "Who is it?"
"It's me, darling."
"Oh baby, you're finally here. Hold on—I'm coming."
Moments later, the gate swung open. A broad-shouldered man in a designer suit greeted her with a warm smile.
She responded with a sultry grin and stepped into his arms.
Click!
A nearly inaudible sound.
"Huh?" Lin Chuan frowned and glanced toward the gate. "Did you hear that?"
"What?" Chen Wanyu tilted her head, confused.
"I thought I heard a noise just now."
"I didn't hear anything."
He scanned the area suspiciously but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"Must've been my imagination," he said with a laugh.
"Darling, you've just been working too hard. Come, let's go inside and relax."
"Yeah… sounds good."
The couple walked into the villa, unaware of the feline spy slinking through the shadows behind them.
Butchi squeezed through the doorframe's edge, blending seamlessly with the darkness, heart pounding.
Holy crap, that was close.
Why the hell couldn't Shen Mo get a silent camera?
He briefly considered renegotiating his fee.
A single order of sweet-and-sour carp wasn't gonna cut it for a job like this.
On the living room couch, the couple nestled together, chatting and giggling like newlyweds.
Eventually, Lin Chuan asked, "So, honey... how's your daughter's marriage plan going?"
Chen Wanyu's expression shifted instantly into one of theatrical sorrow.
"Your daughter? Excuse me, she's got nothing to do with me anymore. Watch your mouth."
Lin Chuan chuckled and apologized quickly, "Haha, my bad. What I meant was—how's that girl's wedding going?"
She smiled approvingly, "Everything's on track. By September, we should have that one million yuan dowry in the bag."
Lin Chuan nodded, "Now the question is—how much should we leave for Jiang Yi?"
"Wasn't it five grand?" She continued. "Just enough to pay off his debt."
Lin Chuan burst into laughter,
"Brilliant move, babe! That leaves us with 950K. We use 700K to cover the fake accounting from work, and we still get 250K left for ourselves!"
Their eyes sparkled with excitement, their laughter echoing through the room.
In the shadows, Butchi nodded to himself.
So that's the game.
Falsified company accounts—and they're using the dowry to patch the holes.
Before long, the couple's flirtation escalated—kissing, groping, whispering sweet nothings.
"Come, darling," Lin Chuan whispered, lifting Chen Wanyu in his arms."Let's make this a night to remember."
"Mm-hmm. Lead the way, my love~"
They disappeared into the bedroom.
The living room fell quiet.
Butchi emerged from the shadows and hopped onto the coffee table, camera at the ready.
Click. Click. Click.
He captured shots of several documents strewn across the table—bank ledgers, fake financial statements.
Got 'em. Solid evidence.
Then he tiptoed to the bedroom door. Behind it, rhythmic sounds of passion filled the air.
Was it unethical to take photos now?
Moral dilemma detected.
Butchi thought for a moment… and shrugged.
Morality is an important pillar of human society, sure.
But he was a cat.
Plus, he reasoned, any virgin who saw this kind of photo would be ecstatic.
In his mind, he pictured Shen Mo flipping through the pics in bed that night, pretending to look disgusted… while secretly savoring every pixel.Of course, he'd also reward Butchi with an extra big dinner—maybe even several fish.
Decision made.
The bedroom door wasn't fully shut—just enough for the lens to peek in. The moaning masked the shutter's clicks.
Butchi snapped shot after shot.
Fifteen minutes later, the action ended. The two lay exhausted in bed.
Click.
One final shot. A post-coital couple's photo to wrap things up.
Butchi retreated back to the front door, merged with the shadows, and slipped out into the night.
*****
9:00 PM. Building 12, Unit 308, Jinghui Garden.
Shen Mo lounged on his couch, casually scrolling through his phone.
That vow about never using the sofa? Tossed straight out of his mind.
Knock knock knock.
He glanced toward the balcony. A black cat sat perched outside, staring at him.
"Can you not use the front door like a normal guest?" Shen Mo muttered as he opened the window.
Butchi strutted in, panting, then flopped onto the couch and inhaled the AC like it was ambrosia.
"Well?" Shen Mo asked in a hushed tone. "You get the shots?"
Butchi nodded, pointing a paw at the camera strapped around his neck.
"All there. Take a look."
Shen Mo plugged the camera into his laptop.
The screen flickered, then displayed a gallery of images.
"So they faked company accounts," he muttered. "And now they're using the marriage dowry to cover it up..."
How vile.
Finding someone new after divorce? Fine. But screwing over your own family? That's just despicable.
"Wait for it," Butchi said. "There's more. The spicy kind."
"…What kind of spicy?"
"You'll see."
Shen Mo clicked forward—then immediately froze.
The screen filled with NSFW photos. A little too high-res for comfort.
"…"
"See? I told you it was spicy," Butchi said proudly, swishing his tail. "Aren't I helpful? Don't I deserve another fish?"
I fucking wanna punch your lights out!
That's my friend's mom, you perv!
Don't make me look like some kinda psycho!
Shen Mo quickly closed the folder, face dark.
"Aw, you're done already? But there's more!"
"Your sweet-and-sour carp is over there," Shen Mo growled, pointing to the kitchen.
"Oh heck yeah!" Butchi trotted off happily.
With the cat finally distracted, Shen Mo picked up his phone.
He scrolled through his contacts, stopping at one name:
Xia Ying.