He thought to himself, "No matter what, I'm here. I'll make sure you have a smooth life."
Zhang Chaohe smiled and said, "Thank you for your kind words."
The on-duty police officer had just handed them water when Assistant Chen arrived in a flurry with his lawyer! The lawyer was used to this, but this time it wasn't a minor incident. He calmly consulted with Mr. Zhang first—should they pursue the matter further or settle it peacefully?
Zhang Chaohe did not hesitate to pursue the matter further. Although he was lucky this time no one was hurt, the act of throwing sulfuric acid was far too vicious. The victims would suffer burns at best, disfigurement at worst, and would most likely have complications. It was so insidious that it could not be more so, and it had to be investigated thoroughly.
The lawyer nodded and immediately began working, while Assistant Chen was terrified. He hadn't even had time to put on a suit, just threw on a T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers before rushing to the police station. Seeing Zhang Chaohe still sitting in the waiting room, looking at his palm, Assistant Chen felt a great sense of relief: "Are you really alright?"
Zhang Chaohe sighed: "I'm fine, it's just that my car might be in bad shape."
In his panic, Zhang Chaohe used his car as a door to forcefully block people, not only smashing the headlights but also scratching the paint. This guy is even worse; in his haste, he poured half a bottle of sulfuric acid all over the hood, making his Cayenne look like a little cat covered in graffiti.
Assistant Chen couldn't even imagine what would have happened if the two of them hadn't been quick-witted. He gritted his teeth and said, "Make him pay! Mr. Zhang, you can drive your McLaren today!"
Make that bastard pay more compensation!
Zhang Chaohe shook his head repeatedly upon hearing this: "That won't do. That robin's egg blue is a limited edition, I can't bear to part with it."
The dog and the goose were cursing the criminal when the police came out of the interrogation room—this guy was caught red-handed and didn't even have the right to enter the interrogation room; he was handcuffed and briefly questioned.
According to him, he was a huge fan of Bai Chen. Some time ago, there were rumors circulating in Bai Chen's fan group that Cheng Jixue had a powerful background and wanted to rise to the top, so she "sabotaged" him and sidelined Bai Chen. Hearing this, he held a grudge and bribed someone on the periphery of the production crew to get the information. He arrived at Cheng Jixue's building early tonight to wait for her.
He stole the sulfuric acid from the school laboratory. He insisted that he had no intention of hurting anyone, but only wanted to give the sulfuric acid as a gift to Cheng Jixue. However, Cheng Jixue reacted strongly, so he lost control in self-defense in a panic.
Zhang Chaohe almost laughed in anger: "So he threw the remaining half bottle at me because he was too nervous and wanted to defend himself?"
The police officer looked serious, but his expression was utterly speechless: "According to him, yes."
Zhang Chaohe thought to himself, "What an idiot! At a time like this, he's still being stubborn and trying to escape legal punishment. He's not only a bad person, but he's also wicked." When the police asked him, as per procedure, if he was willing to sign a letter of understanding and settle the matter, Zhang Chaohe sneered on the spot: "No, have you notified his parents? I want to see his parents."
Since he was a university student, Zhang Chaohe wanted to consider his parents' attitude before deciding how far to pursue the case. The police officer said that although they had been notified, his parents were not locals, and even if they took the earliest flight, they wouldn't arrive until tomorrow. They suggested that Zhang Chaohe and his group go home and rest first, and come to the station tomorrow to complete the other procedures.
Zhang Chaohe glanced at his watch and saw that it was indeed past midnight. Although the police officer was polite and attentive, he looked tired. Zhang Chaohe agreed to his suggestion, planning to go home and rest tonight and come back tomorrow to continue handling the follow-up matters.
Assistant Chen arrived in his own car. Zhang Chaohe's Cayenne had to go through insurance procedures after collecting the evidence, so he didn't drive it. However, the lawyer said he still had some things to finish and asked them to leave first. So Assistant Chen drove his Volvo to take Cheng Jixue home first, and then took Zhang Chaohe home.
The police car had been gone for half a day, and Cheng Jixue's neighborhood had returned to calm. Because of such a serious incident, the property management had to replace the broken light bulb in Cheng Jixue's building overnight. The bulb wasn't of high quality, but it was a temporary replacement, so they couldn't expect too much.
Zhang Chaohe helped him carry the damaged suitcase down. The half-bottle of sulfuric acid had corroded a layer of the protective film on the surface of the suitcase, and the damaged area even looked a bit green.
Cheng Jixue wanted to take the box, but Zhang Chaohe wouldn't let her. He carried the box with one hand and climbed the stairs—the old building's stair railings were rusty, clearly indicating that no one had maintained it for many years. A sense of decay and decay permeated the place, as if an old man on his deathbed was walking alone, gradually moving away from the city's bustling pace.
"I've arrived." Cheng Jixue smiled gently. The dim light made his face look like gold paper, and the light in his eyes was suppressed by his long, curled eyelashes, making him look like a dull, dusty, cheap doll eye. "I'm sorry to have troubled you tonight, Mr. Zhang."
Zhang Chaohe shook his head slightly—how could the victim be blamed for such a thing? Although the police had already pursued the accomplices in the film crew based on the perpetrator's confession, he was still very angry.
It turns out that Director Chen and his colleagues' talk of feng shui and observing people's hearts has some merit. Good things may not arrive as expected, but misfortune will definitely come as expected.
After saying goodnight to him, Zhang Chaohe turned and went down the stairs... When he reached the landing, he looked up and saw Cheng Jixue staring blankly at the key. His head was down, and his bangs obscured his expression. Zhang Chaohe could only see that his hand was trembling slightly, and he couldn't get the key into the lock after several attempts.
Cheng Jixue stood at the dividing line of the dim stairwell light, silent as a shadow.
Zhang Chaohe steeled himself and quickly left—then went up two floors, but didn't hear the door close, so he couldn't rest easy and quietly went back. Zhang Chaohe groped his way up in the dark, and suddenly saw what looked like a dark shadow in front of Cheng Jixue's door.
Zhang Chaohe coughed... The shadow trembled slightly, timidly raising its head from the crook of his arm to look at the man in front of him—Cheng Jixue's long eyelashes fluttered slightly in the shadow cast by her brow bone, like a pitiful, wounded butterfly.
Vulnerable, desperate, and fearful.
He seemed to see a glimmer of light in the corner of Cheng Jixue's eyes... Cheng Jixue looked at him with those dark eyes, like a stray cat sitting alone in a puddle on a rainy day.
The world in the puddle was shimmering and colorful, but there wasn't a single roof that belonged to the cat, one that could shelter it from the wind and rain.
"Get up and pack your things," Zhang Chaohe snatched the key from his tightly clenched fingers and deftly unlocked the door. "Stay at my place for the next few days."
Zhang Chaohe's heart skipped a beat... In that instant, he didn't know what kind of chaotic thoughts flashed through his mind, but now he only had one urgent thought.
He has to take this stray cat home.
A note from the author:
Xiao Cheng: Successfully infiltrated Diandian's home!
Our cohabitation life has officially begun!! [Sprinkling flowers]
There should be another 3k+ chapter tomorrow at noon! Making up for today's 6k! Kiss you all! The guest appearances were arranged according to the order of registration in Chapter 48! I tried my best to include everyone, haha;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 64
Assistant Chen couldn't understand why things had turned out this way—he had only said he was taking the person upstairs... how did he end up taking them back to his own home?
Your direction in development is truly incompetent!
Assistant Chen tried to speak kindly: "President Zhang..."
However, Mr. Zhang coldly replied, "I won't listen!"
Assistant Chen: Cat's Fury •jpg;
While the demon concubine was still chatting and asking questions she already knew the answer to, he said with concern, "How about I just find a hotel to stay at tonight, so I won't trouble you, Mr. Zhang?"
“Tomorrow…” He lowered his eyes dejectedly, “I’ll go back tomorrow… During the day, I’m not that afraid.”
“It’s alright, you can stay at my place.” Zhang Chaohe stopped him: “My guest room is always empty.”
After Zhang Chaohe finished speaking, he opened his phone and started searching for "how many years can an attempted sulfuric acid attack be punished with?" However, the search results greatly disappointed him.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Cheng Jixue gave Assistant Chen a sly smile, her arrogance driving Assistant Chen crazy!
Can't anyone do something about this?! Canines are just naturally annoying to us felines, aren't they?!
Zhang Chaohe in the back seat was still muttering, "Ah, it seems like they can't sentence him to death."
Assistant Chen was dumbfounded: Attempted to throw sulfuric acid—and it was an attempted attack—how could he be sentenced to death?!
Wake up, Mr. Zhang! We live in a society governed by the rule of law, and we can't apply double standards like this!
Assistant Chen unloaded the goods for the two of them, then sped away in his Volvo. He was terrified that if he delayed any longer, he would be driven mad by his strange boss and his tea-scented male concubine—he had to report this to Chairman Zhang!
If you don't uphold martial ethics, then I have no choice but to tell the teacher?
Assistant Chen's successful defection directly led to Ms. Zhao arriving at the door the next day while Zhang Chaohe was still sleeping in. She hurriedly entered the password, and when the door opened... sure enough, she saw Xiao Cheng wearing an apron and holding a silicone spatula, looking at her innocently. He seemed surprised and took a quick step forward to greet her politely: "Good morning, Auntie. What brings you here?"
Ms. Zhao was teetering on the brink of a heart attack: If I don't come soon, the world will turn upside down!
According to Assistant Chen, last night Dian Dian was overcome with lust and took someone back to his home... Now it seems that what he said is true. Not only is Dian Dian still not getting up even though the sun is high in the sky, but he is also leaving his wife to work alone in the kitchen.
Although it's unknown whether Dian Dian was truly "overcome with lust" and anything happened last night, Ms. Zhao put it another way: if Chairman Zhang were still lying in bed the next morning, leaving her to get up alone to make breakfast—
"Zhang Chaohe!" Ms. Zhao roared, intending to force open the lock of Zhang Chaohe's bedroom door, but considering she had to save face for her daughter-in-law, she opted to be more considerate and yell, "Get up!"
Zhang Chaohe was reading a novel in his dream—a really good novel. Not only did it claim him as the protagonist, but it also portrayed Ji Er as a villainous supporting character. The ending was him embracing the petite Cheng Jixue, laughing as Ji Er was blown away by a truck, and then a line of large characters appeared: Happy Ending.
The pleasure lasted only a couple of seconds before Ms. Zhao's furious roar suddenly echoed from the horizon… Zhang Chaohe jolted out of bed, rushed to open the door, and witnessed a scene that could rank among the most fantastical in history—
Cheng Jixue, holding the spatula, stood there meekly. Ms. Zhao, while affectionately pulling him along, stood with her hands on her hips and angrily scolded, "Zhang Chaohe, are you even a man?!"
Zhang Chaohe: Huh?
No, why is Ms. Zhao here?
Zhang Chaohe tried to explain: "I was very tired after fighting with the criminals last night..."
Although Cheng Jixue subdued him and the police arrested him, he also paid a heavy price!
For example, his Cayenne's paint job, and his precious sleep time!
Mentioning last night made Ms. Zhao even angrier: "Why didn't you tell me that such a big thing happened last night?"
Zhang Chaohe tried to argue again: "It's quite late, let's talk about it tomorrow."
Ms. Zhao smiled slightly: "Are you going to the police station to see his parents later?"
Zhang Chaohe nodded blankly.
"Okay, hurry up and eat. I'll go with you after we finish." Ms. Zhao was dressed extravagantly today, looking cool and capable, and she even had her precious hair up in a bun. "I want to see what kind of parents could raise such a morally corrupt and vicious shameless person!"
Zhang Chaohe wanted to refute Ms. Zhao, saying that it wasn't necessarily related to the parents—a child's future depends on their upbringing and the influence of their surrounding environment, which is a multifaceted factor, blah blah blah.
When he met him, he realized it was all bullshit.
Like father, like son; the ancients were right.
The other party appeared to be a respectable figure; their clothing, while not extravagant, at least featured prominent luxury brand logos. Both men seemed calm and sophisticated, and their first words to Cheng Jixue were nothing more than empty platitudes: "How much money would it take to sign a letter of understanding?"
Clearly, they came prepared, knowing to target the poor, unknown celebrities first.
Cheng Jixue smiled slightly: "I won't sign."
The perpetrator's parents frowned slightly, but they also realized that their son was now in jail for committing a crime and was facing expulsion from school, a criminal record, or even imprisonment.
Therefore, the two men were quite reasonable, appealing to their emotions and reason: "Xiao Zhe was instigated by others and almost made an irreparable mistake in a moment of impulsiveness. We apologize to you both on his behalf. Although the harm caused to you cannot be measured in money, we are willing to provide all financial compensation. We hope that you two will be magnanimous and willing to sign a letter of understanding."
In general, the central idea is this: I'll pay you money, and once I get the money, I'll immediately sign a letter of understanding to release my son.
Attempted injury combined with a victim's letter of understanding can indeed get the person out of jail quickly without a criminal record. This was the best solution the lawyer suggested before the two of them came yesterday.
“Mr. Zhang’s attitude is only of some reference value and is not particularly important. The most important thing is to get a letter of understanding from the target victim,” the lawyer advised. “If you can pay an extra 20,000 yuan, pay an extra 20,000 yuan. Don’t worry about the money. Once you have a criminal record, it’s not easy to get rid of it even if you spend ten times more money.”
Ms. Zhao couldn't listen any longer. Her beautiful eyes widened, and she asked incredulously, "Did your son intentionally cause harm—and in a particularly cruel way? How can you have the nerve to ask the victim to sign a letter of forgiveness?"
This woman seemed cultured and wealthy; she was probably a member of the Zhang family's elite socialite. The two men, not daring to confront her directly, forced a smile and said, "Yes, we know this request is excessive, but Xiao Zhe is our only son. He's still in school, and if he really has a criminal record, he'll definitely be expelled. What will he do then? Please have some understanding and let him off this time. We promise to educate him properly so he'll never dare to do it again!"
He seemed to be speaking human language, yet it was all nonsense—Zhang Chaohe sneered: "Which family doesn't only have one son? Oh, so your son is so precious that he doesn't have to be punished even if he does something wrong... Does your family have a throne to inherit?"
“It’s just illegal possession of a Class III controlled item and attempted intentional injury,” Zhang Chaohe said sarcastically, “You’ll only be in there for a year and then you can come out. You can even learn life skills like operating a sewing machine. Consider it a paid, closed-door training program. It’s not a bad deal.”
The perpetrator's parents were furious—this man looked aloof and profound, how could he be so mean and insidious? Didn't he have any empathy? If he were the one being forced to drop out of university and go to jail, wouldn't he also beg and plead to get out?
That's what they thought, and that's what they asked. Zhang Chaohe couldn't understand either: "Why would I go to jail for going to university? I'm not going to block someone's door and throw sulfuric acid at them... You don't think everyone takes a course on the construction of sulfuric acid parabolas in their required university courses, do you?"
Cheng Jixue couldn't help but chuckle softly—how come he hadn't noticed before that the goose had such an infuriating mouth? Even Ms. Zhao, who was about to unleash her full power, was dumbfounded, staring blankly as Zhang Chaohe engaged in a verbal battle with the rogue, his lips firing off like a machine gun until the other party was speechless.
The thugs' parents had their dignity utterly humiliated, trampled upon by Zhang Chaohe. When bribery failed, he turned to intimidation: "Mr. Zhang, your family is a respectable one. Surely you understand the saying, 'There's no such thing as a thousand days' worth of protection against thieves,' right?"
"If my son goes to jail, nobody will have a good time. I'll have people harass you every day—"
Even the police officer standing nearby couldn't stand it anymore. He slammed his hand on the table and said, "What are you saying? The entire conversation in the mediation room is being recorded, you know that?"
This is outrageous! The police are still here, and they're already openly threatening the victims?
But he didn't expect the victim's side to be so opportunistic—Ms. Zhao smiled sinisterly: "Great... I happen to have a cousin who works in the judicial system. Since everyone is breaking the law, I'll use my connections to get your son a few more years in prison."