Chapter 57: Bailing Someone Out

He Jueyun had deliberately chosen his most expensive car and spruced up his appearance. Dressed in a sharp suit with meticulously styled hair, he made sure he was fully armed before heading out to pick her up.

Thus, when the aristocratic-looking He Jueyun stepped into the police station’s dilapidated, long-neglected room in his polished leather shoes, the disheveled, sleep-deprived people inside felt as if they were about to be blinded by his sheer radiance.

Qiong Cang, looking disheveled in her casual clothes, reached up to run a hand through her hair. The young police officer couldn’t help but wipe the sleep from the corners of his eyes. Everyone looked up, watching him approach step by step.

He Jueyun leaned one hand on the desk and bent down, studying her condition from less than ten centimeters away.

A faint scent wafted from him, giving Qiong Cang absolute reason to suspect that he had taken a shower right before leaving. After all, the scent of his body wash had a strangely soothing effect on her.

He Jueyun asked, “Are you okay?”

Qiong Cang shook her head.

He Jueyun asked, “Where are the people who hit you?”

The young officer shuddered. There are four massive human beings standing right over there, he thought. Are you blind, Mr. CEO?

Qiong Cang raised her hand to point them out.

He Jueyun turned to look, raising an eyebrow. A very timely look of disgust appeared on his handsome face.

All four of them were stained with red paint, making them look at first glance as if they were covered in blood. The young man in particular had a bright red face; he had wiped some of it off, but it wouldn’t come clean. Even He Jueyun was startled by his grotesque appearance.

“Are you sure you’re the one who beat them up?” He Jueyun asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. “They aren’t trying to scam you, are they?”

Unable to tolerate such a humiliating insult, the four opposite them began to shout and clamor. Judging by their loud, energetic voices, they were perfectly fine.

They cursed in a local dialect that He Jueyun couldn’t understand. The young officer slammed his hand on the desk, telling them to calm down.

Once they quieted down again, Qiong Cang added, “With a little help from some helpful neighbors.” And it really was just a little.

He Jueyun smiled. “It seems the residents in your neighborhood are very civic-minded and eager to help.”

The young officer: “??” Could you stop fanning the flames, man?

He Jueyun leisurely sat down beside Qiong Cang.

The young officer jerked his chin toward Qiong Cang and asked, “Is he your boyfriend?”

Qiong Cang was at a loss for words. How was she supposed to answer that? If she said no now, would he even believe her?

Qiong Cang: “No.”

He Jueyun said, “Just a friend.”

The young officer looked down and toyed with his pen, drawing out his words. “Oh… I don’t know what you young people are thinking these days. Your relationships are so complicated.”

The two of them: “…”

They had no idea what police officers were imagining these days, especially since this one was quite young himself.

The officer pointed with his pen, gesturing for Qiong Cang to discuss a solution with her friend first.

Qiong Cang shifted slightly to adjust her posture, repeatedly stealing glances at He Jueyun out of the corner of her eye. She was somewhat touched that he had dressed up so neatly in the middle of the night just to come to the police station and back her up.

But it really wasn’t necessary.

As long as he showed up, whether he put thought into it didn’t really matter.

He Jueyun felt very gratified, even flattered, that Qiong Cang had thought of asking him for help first when trouble arose. If it weren’t too late to disturb the lawyers, he would have brought the core members of his company’s legal department to support her.

Just as He Jueyun was about to offer Qiong Cang a few words of comfort, a cold sensation brushed the back of his hand, and a pair of slender, delicate hands grabbed him.

Then he heard Qiong Cang say, “It’s him.”

Qiong Cang raised his hand by the wrist and turned to the injured group. “Look, he’s a staff member from Sanyao. They made the Instance, and they designed the clues. Every debt has its debtor. I’ve brought the man responsible to you, so don’t come looking for me in the future.”

He Jueyun: “??”

Perhaps because his look of condemnation was too intense, Qiong Cang explained, “They are Ning Tingting’s in-laws. After I cleared the game, they felt I insulted their deceased son’s soul, so they came to my door in the middle of the night to splash paint. Don’t you think that’s out of line?”

He Jueyun said angrily, “And you aren’t out of line?”

Qiong Cang thought about it and didn’t argue. “Both can be true, I suppose. If you insist.”

He Jueyun coldly pulled his hand back.

Incredulous, he said, “You can still joke at a time like this?”

Qiong Cang shrugged. “They’re the ones who keep joking with me.”

He Jueyun: “So you think you got the short end of the stick?”

Qiong Cang: “I just think it’s boring.”

“Stop chatting!”

The young officer composed his expression and advised He Jueyun, “Look, brother, we asked you to come mainly so you could persuade your friend. If both sides negotiate and sign the agreement, you can leave. If neither side backs down, this will turn into a real hassle. Everyone’s time is valuable, right? You’re all respectable people. It’s a shame to waste time on this.”

He Jueyun tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, silently asking Qiong Cang what she wanted.

Qiong Cang said, “Illegal entry. Depending on the severity, it’s punishable by up to three years in prison.”

The young man yelled, “But you hit me!”

“The injuries I caused you don’t even qualify as minor. If you don’t believe me, you can go to the hospital for an evaluation. I didn’t break the criminal law; at most, it would be administrative detention, and the outcome depends on the officer’s discretion,” Qiong Cang said. “This matter is clearly your fault to begin with. Besides, you have a history of exploiting public sympathy to scam people out of donations. My hitting you is, by any definition, a concerned citizen exercising reasonable self-defense against violent lawbreakers. I shouldn’t face any administrative penalties, right?”

The young officer let out a long sigh and covered his face.

The man pointed to his swollen face and roared, “Look at my face! And look at my wife’s face! You even dared to hit my aunt! Do you know how old she is? Can you guarantee nothing will happen to her? And after all that, you want to walk away scot-free? Officer, we’re not negotiating anymore. Arrest her!”

The old woman leaned against her husband and groaned a couple of times.

Qiong Cang sighed and said, “Negotiation means both sides state their respective views. I’ve finished speaking, and now you can speak. Since you haven’t said anything of substance, the negotiation hasn’t even begun.”

“My demands?” the man said. “My demand is fairness! This isn’t a lawless society. How could you just lay hands on someone like that?”

Qiong Cang picked up her cup to take a sip of water, almost wondering if she was hallucinating.

He Jueyun scoffed. “So you want compensation?”

“Is this about money?!” the man roared.

“Oh, that’s great,” He Jueyun replied instantly. “I wasn’t planning on settling this with money anyway.”

The man choked on his words, unable to find a comeback.

“Actually, money is the simplest way to resolve this,” the young police officer said, trying to smooth things over.

He Jueyun clicked his tongue and shook his head. “But for people with plenty of money and time, it’s not the most satisfying solution. When I deal with things, I prefer a clean break. Most importantly, I refuse to swallow my pride.”

Qiong Cang slowly turned her head to look at him. Their eyes met, and they both nodded in mutual satisfaction.

Kindred spirits.

The young officer was filled with deep regret.

He had invited a total menace!

The four men opposite them grew highly agitated, shouting and demanding justice.

The young officer slammed his hand on the table and roared in a hoarse voice, “Listen to me first, alright? Let’s cut the games and be honest here! Do you actually want to resolve this or not?”

Qiong Cang naturally didn’t want a lawsuit. She hated trouble, tedious procedures, and being asked the same questions over and over.

And the men opposite were clearly even more terrified of it.

After some negotiation, both sides agreed to take responsibility for their own actions.

Qiong Cang had beaten them, so she would cover their medical expenses.

They had vandalized Qiong Cang’s front door and walls, so the four of them had to clean it up, repair the plaster, and repaint it.

A single bottle of safflower oil^[1] would be more than enough to treat their minor injuries. If they wanted to go to the hospital, they would have to hurry before their bruises faded, or the doctor wouldn’t even be able to write a prescription. Paint and plastering work, however, was a different story; there was no getting around the cost of materials and labor.

When the four men did the math, they realized they had not only lost two cans of paint and a day of labor, but they had also taken a beating for absolutely nothing.

It was a massive, humiliating loss.

Qiong Cang said generously, “If you ever need this kind of service again, feel free to drop by.”

The four men gnashed their teeth in frustration and threw a brief tantrum, but there was nothing they could do to her.

Most people would have hesitated out of fear of the consequences, but the two characters standing before them seemed to have no such reservations. When bullies run into people who simply do not care, they have no choice but to back down.

Seeing that the matter was finally settled, the young officer felt as if he had been granted a reprieve. He held out a pen and urged He Jueyun, “Guardian, sign here quickly, and please take her away.”

He Jueyun was momentarily taken aback by the word “guardian.” Savoring the title in his mind, he rolled up his sleeves and signed his name with a flourish at the bottom of the page.

He signed all the required documents and successfully got Qiong Cang released.

The young officer waved them off and pulled a cup of instant noodles from under his desk. He didn’t even want to look at them anymore, telling them they were free to go.

Sensing that the poor officer was at his wit’s end, He Jueyun suppressed a smile and said, “I’ll go get the car. Wait for me at the entrance.”

Qiong Cang nodded.

By the time He Jueyun drove out of the parking lot and pulled up to the curb with his headlights on, Qiong Cang was limping out of the side door.

He Jueyun stared through the window for a long moment before realizing something was wrong. His expression darkened instantly, and he got out of the car, striding over to her. “Are you hurt?”

Qiong Cang looked up and replied flatly, “An accident.”

“What do you mean, ‘an accident’? Go back inside! Just because you paid their medical bills doesn’t mean they don’t have to pay yours!” He Jueyun was furious. His tone was harsh, but his grip on her arm remained gentle. “Why didn’t you say anything just now? I thought you gave them a one-sided beating, but it was actually a two-way fight? They dared to break into your home and hurt you, and they think they can get off that easily? In their dreams!”

Qiong Cang stopped him politely. “Forget it.”

Seeing her swaying slightly, He Jueyun frowned deeply. “What do you mean, ‘forget it’? You’re just going to swallow your pride? Are you just trying to avoid trouble? I’ll handle this. They only targeted you because of the Sanyao Instance in the first place. I didn’t come here today to watch you compromise.”

Qiong Cang’s expression grew complicated.

He Jueyun supported her while reaching for his phone with his free hand. “Go rest in the car. I’m calling a lawyer right now.”

Qiong Cang sighed, forced to confess. “I wanted to kick him in the face, but he was too short, my legs are short, I hadn’t stretched, and I slipped. I ended up banging my knee right against the paint bucket.”

The path of justice was always fraught with obstacles.

Perhaps this was fate’s way of testing her physical fitness.

He Jueyun froze mid-motion, completely petrified. Only his eyes moved, shifting from her face down to her knee, and then back to her face, which was desperately trying to look nonchalant.

This was…

The mental image was just too vivid.

He Jueyun pictured it. Given Qiong Cang’s outwardly aloof but secretly quirky personality, that accidental slip-up would have looked incredibly ridiculous, whether played out in dead silence or with dramatic background music.

He pressed his lips together, trying to hold it in. Ultimately, he couldn’t contain it and burst into a fit of muffled laughter.

Qiong Cang: “…”

She knew it. The man didn’t have a sympathetic bone in his body.

Her face blank, Qiong Cang limped past him toward the car, not forgetting to urge him, “Let’s go home. Hurry up.”

By the time they finished all the paperwork, it was nearly five in the morning. The sky overhead had faded to a murky gray-blue, and the streetlights were about to turn off.

He Jueyun got into the driver’s seat and made sure Qiong Cang had buckled her seatbelt.

Once the car started, he suddenly remembered something. “Your place isn’t livable right now, is it?”

Qiong Cang’s address and identity had both been leaked. Even if no one came to splash paint on her door again, there was no guaranteeing that obsessive fans wouldn’t show up to corner her. In some ways, fanatical fans were even more terrifying than enemies. This was especially true given the lax security in her apartment complex.

Qiong Cang considered this for a moment, then said quietly, “I’ll look for a new apartment. For today, could you please just take me back?”

“What if someone else shows up?” He Jueyun said. “Fans might start coming by during the day just to take photos. Your picture was leaked last night, and you gained millions of followers overnight. You’re a single woman with very little ability to defend yourself. It’s not safe for you to keep living there.”

Qiong Cang fell silent for a moment, then said wearily, “I’m going to go back and pack my things, then stay at a hotel for a few days.”

Without thinking, He Jueyun blurted out, “In that case, why don’t you just stay at my place?”