Six or seven people stood in a line by the wall, each one more obedient than the last. The arrogant thugs from before were now incredibly docile and submissive.
The middle-aged policeman sternly reprimanded, "I can't be bothered with your affairs. Can't you talk things out instead of resorting to violence?"
Su Jinning rolled his eyes. If these beasts could understand human language, he would have been eating and drinking his fill and playing video games at home long ago.
This was noticed by a sharp-eyed middle-aged policeman, who slammed his pen down and said, "What, you're not happy about what I'm saying? And you're rolling your eyes?"
Su Jinning was startled and quickly waved her hands with an awkward laugh: "No, no, absolutely not, I'm all ears!"
The middle-aged policeman looked away at his unreliable behavior, then glanced at the other thugs who were beaten black and blue and unrecognizable, and turned to ask the two unscathed men, "Are you two in cahoots?"
Su Jinning blinked twice, glanced at Shen Moyu beside her, and coughed lightly: "I guess... I guess so."
"What do you mean, 'whatever'? He's quite handsome, but he's not on the right path." The middle-aged policeman frowned, exasperated. Suddenly remembering how it all started, he pointed to the blond-haired guy next to him, who was grimacing in pain, and asked Shen Moyu, "Did you start the fight with him?"
Shen Moyu pointed innocently at Su Jinning: "It's him."
Su Jinning's face darkened.
The middle-aged policeman breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the clean-cut, well-behaved high school boy in front of him, he said, "You don't look like someone who would fight."
"Bullshit! He kicked me in the groin! And he even stomped on my foot..."
A mournful wail came from the corner of the wall.
"..."
The scene fell silent instantly.
The middle-aged policeman looked in surprise at the large, obese man who was crying and wailing after being beaten, then glanced at the extremely thin Shen Moyu, and asked indistinctly, "You... beat him up?"
"Hmm," Shen Moyu calmly admitted. The fine wounds on her fair, rosy face contrasted sharply with the painted faces of the other thugs.
"And..." The policeman's expression turned somewhat grim: "You stepped on it?"
Shen Moyu recalled carefully: "The crowd was in chaos at the time, and it was an accident."
He spoke seriously, and he really looked like he had made an innocent mistake.
The fat man wiped his nose: "Accidentally? Accidentally? You fucking kicked me to death! If I become infertile, I'll make sure it's all your fault!"
Someone in the police station burst out laughing first, and even the middle-aged policeman couldn't hold it in any longer.
He quickly pointed to a few thugs in the corner: "What are you making such a racket for? It's not your turn to give a statement yet. Just stay put."
Su Jinning bit her lip, trying her best not to laugh too loudly.
The middle-aged policeman coughed lightly and glanced at the fat man's crotch: "Do you know how serious the consequences would be if something happened here?"
Shen Moyu's expression remained calm: "He grabbed my throat first, so I kicked him in the groin."
"..." The middle-aged policeman.
After tidying everyone up, he turned to look at Shen Moyu's expressionless face and suddenly felt a headache coming on. He then waved his hand and said, "You guys go wait over there."
Finally, the other thugs also listened intently to the middle-aged policeman's lecture, heads drooping. After giving their statements, they all paid the shop owner for the damages before being allowed to leave.
Pushing open the police station door, a cool breeze swept in. Shen Moyu looked up at the sky, which was covered with dark clouds and drizzling, just like his mood.
Su Jinning followed closely behind, and for a moment the two of them didn't know what to say.
The proprietress had been waiting at the door for a long time. When she saw Shen Moyu walking over, she sighed slightly.
Shen Moyu seemed to have anticipated something, and instead smiled calmly: "Auntie."
Hearing him obediently call her "Auntie," the landlady couldn't bear it and turned her head away. "I'll transfer your wages to you. Considering your family situation, I won't ask you for compensation," she said after a moment.
Although Shen Moyu had worked diligently here for two years, she knew that if Shen Moyu wasn't allowed to leave, it would not only damage her family's reputation, but these thugs wouldn't let it go and would naturally come looking for trouble again. That was all she could compromise on.
Upon hearing this, Shen Moyu only paused slightly, but Su Jinning's eyes widened as if searching for evidence: "Auntie, you might not understand the situation. It was those thugs who started the trouble first..."
The proprietress looked up and glared at him: "What's it to you?"
Su Jinning narrowed her phoenix eyes: "We were wrong to smash your shop, but we have already provided appropriate compensation. Why are you blaming him for the mistake?"
Shen Moyu pulled Su Jinning back a little and took a step forward: "It was my fault for not controlling my emotions. I'm sorry."
He looked up at the proprietress's face and felt ashamed.
Su Jinning was extremely puzzled: "What exactly are you doing? This is not fair at all."
"Stop talking." Seeing the slight hesitation in Su Jinning's eyes, he closed them briefly. The landlady had already put things so bluntly; there was no need for him to try and appease her. He was right, that was for sure. But faced with these losses, he didn't need anyone's pity either. He understood the landlady's intention in firing him; he understood. "I'm very sorry for causing you such a great loss, so I will still compensate you as appropriate." He sighed, finally summarizing his words into a single sentence: "Thank you."
The proprietress turned to look at him, waved gently, and then disappeared from sight with her umbrella.
Shen Moyu put her hat back on, pulling the brim low to block out the light and conceal her emotions. She turned and left.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Su Jinning jumped down the steps and caught up with him.
Seeing that Shen Moyu showed no sign of stopping, he scratched his head to bolster his courage and shouted, "That fish!"
Hearing his absurd way of addressing her, Shen Moyu turned around and asked somewhat impatiently, "Is there something you need?"
Su Jinning seemed taken aback by his question, and it took her a while to react before she said, "Is your hand alright?"
Shen Moyu then raised his arm. He hadn't noticed before, but the wound was too deep and the area around it was already swollen. The bright red bloodstains hadn't dried yet, and it looked rather gruesome.
Su Jinning grew anxious and grabbed his sickly pale arm, saying, "Go get it bandaged. Your wound is really deep. It's raining outside; what if it gets infected if it gets wet?"
Shen Moyu sighed as she looked at his exaggerated expression: "I told you it's not necessary. It's just a small wound, nothing to be so delicate about."
“There’s a clinic nearby. After all, this injury is because of me. I can’t just watch you go back like this, can I?” Su Jinning’s face lost its coldness and was now tinged with a hint of teasing.
Shen Moyu couldn't refuse him, and since the pain in his arm was indeed unbearable, he followed Su Jinning to the clinic.