Just as she took two steps, Xu Qing's large, plump figure emerged from the Honda beside her. "Qiqi, over here!" Xiao Qiqi frowned. When did they become so familiar that they called each other by name?
Xu Qing approached in a few steps, frowning as he looked Xiao Qiqi up and down. "Whose clothes are you wearing?" he asked, reaching out to take off Chen Yuanxing's down jacket that Xiao Qiqi was wearing. Xiao Qiqi dodged, but Xu Qing, who was fat, was surprisingly agile at this moment, grabbing Xiao Qiqi's exposed hand with one hand. "Qiqi, don't dodge."
Chen Yuanxing was just stepping out of the taxi when he saw Xu Qing's grotesque hand grabbing Xiao Qiqi. He leaped over and punched Xu Qing in the groveling fat face. "Let go of your grotesque hand! What are you doing?"
Caught off guard by a punch, Xu Qing winced in pain, released his grip, and covered his face. Chen Yuanxing, still not satisfied, followed up with a kick to Xu Qing's chubby backside. Chen Yuanxing was always a troublemaker; fighting and causing trouble were commonplace at school and in Beijing. He had also practiced judo for self-defense since childhood, so his punches and kicks were no joke. Xu Qing's muscular body couldn't withstand the blow and he collapsed to the ground in a forward squat.
Xiao Qiqi was stunned by the scene before her, forgetting even to scream. She just stared blankly at Xu Qing, who was sprawled on the ground, and then at the nonchalant Chen Yuanxing, muttering, "Chen Yuanxing, I didn't realize you were so violent!" Only after saying that did she realize something was wrong. "Oh my god, who did you hit? He's our manager! We're finished now." Xiao Qiqi's eyes widened in horror. Forget about her bonus, she'd lose her job too.
The commotion had already alerted the hotel security guards, who rushed over. Chen Yuanxing pulled Xiao Qiqi away, but Xu Qing kept grumbling and cursing, "Call the police! Call the police and catch this bastard who deliberately hurt people!" The security guards saw that Xu Qing was covering his nose and his fingers were covered in blood, so they assumed he was seriously injured. Someone had already reported it to the hotel, and someone else had called the police.
Chen Yuanxing pulled Xiao Qiqi away, turning back to look at Xu Qing and cursing with disgust, "Get lost, you pighead!" Xiao Qiqi refused to go with him. "You, you hit our manager, do you know that?" Chen Yuanxing impatiently pulled her, "I don't know, but he's a pighead. Are you coming or not? If you don't come, the police will be here." Although Chen Yuanxing wasn't afraid of trouble, he was afraid of his mother. He didn't know how many times his mother had scolded him for fighting since he was a child.
Seeing Xu Qing being helped by the security guard to wipe his nosebleed, his face covered in blood and looking terrifying, Xiao Qiqi was also frightened. Would they really be sent to the police station? She quickly followed Chen Yuanxing's hand and ran away, saying, "I'll settle the score with you later, let's get out of here now."
A security guard blocked their way, saying, "Sir, madam, you can't leave. That gentleman is badly injured."
Chen Yuanxing frowned and said coldly, "Get out of the way!" Actually, he was a little anxious. Who would have thought that this place was so close to the police station? They could already hear the sirens. Could he be so unlucky as to end up in the police station with just a punch and a kick?
The security guard, intimidated by his cold demeanor, immediately felt discouraged. Meanwhile, Xu Qing, seeing the growing crowd, covered his nose and grumbled, "Stop that bastard who's hitting people! Is there no law anymore? Beating people in broad daylight!"
Xiao Qiqi panicked and tugged at Chen Yuanxing, "What do we do? The police are here."
Seeing that he couldn't leave and had no other choice, Chen Yuanxing simply said, "Whatever." After saying that, he hugged his shoulders and laughed exaggeratedly, "Wow, it's so cold. Let's hurry to the police station; there's heating there."
Xiao Qiqi was angry, scared, and amused at the same time. "Are you kidding me? Xu Qing is rich and powerful. He won't sue you for intentional assault, will he?"
Chen Yuanxing pondered seriously, troubled: "Maybe! But I will definitely implicate you as an accomplice."
"You..." Before Xiao Qiqi could finish speaking, the police had already gotten out of the police car and were walking towards them.
One policeman accompanied Xu Qingxian to a nearby hospital for a medical examination and to stop the bleeding, while Xiao Qiqi and Chen Yuanxing were politely led into a police car by another officer.
Once inside the police station, the officers took statements from both of them. Xiao Qiqi asked nervously, "Officer, will we be sentenced?"
Chen Yuanxing chuckled, and Xiao Qiqi glared at him fiercely. He lowered his head, but his shoulders kept shaking. The policeman's face crumpled helplessly. "But if someone gets into a fight, they should just find a guarantor." After saying that, he went to take a statement from Xu Qing, who had just come in.
"You're still laughing!" Xiao Qiqi punched Chen Yuanxing. "It's all your fault! What's it to you? Why did you hit me?"
Chen Yuanxing looked up, still unable to suppress his laughter, and said in a low voice, "Sister, didn't you notice that the young policeman's nose was crooked from anger because of you?"
"Huh?" Xiao Qiqi followed his gaze to the policeman, her face flushing red. He was clearly only about their age, yet she had called him "Uncle Policeman." Xiao Qiqi twitched her lips, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
The policeman came over again a moment later, and Xiao Qiqi blurted out, "Uncle Policeman..." but stopped herself abruptly, "Brother, can we leave now?"
"That gentleman is adamant that you intentionally caused harm and he's going to sue you."
"He only had two drops of blood from his nose, yet he deliberately hurt someone!" Chen Yuanxing snorted through his nostrils.
The young policeman shook his head. "It seems you'll have to stay here for two days, sir... In short, I'm afraid you'll have to stay here for two days."
"What do you mean by staying for two days?" Xiao Qiqi exclaimed in surprise.
"It means detention." Chen Yuanxing touched his nose, looked at the pig's head in the distance, its nose covered with gauze, looking at them defiantly.
"Shut up!" Xiao Qiqi said anxiously, slapping Chen Yuanxing's head and looking pitifully at the young policeman.
The young policeman was clearly moved by her words and gave a wry smile: "He's right, it's detention. To be honest, if, well, if you're willing to settle things privately with that gentleman, and he's willing to forgive you, then he won't have to detain you. Of course, miss, you can leave no matter what."
"Settle it privately?" Xiao Qiqi pondered, looking at Xu Qing. Xu Qing gave him a meaningful smile, and Xiao Qiqi suddenly realized, what's the big deal about a couple of punches? How could he be detained? It must be Xu Qing's doing! So the young policeman was implying that he should apologize to him? Xiao Qiqi thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll give it a try." He stood up.
Chen Yuanxing pulled her back to sit down, "What are you doing? Go begging that idiot?"
Xiao Qiqi pinched him again, "It's all your fault. In my opinion, it would be better to detain you for two more days."
Chen Yuanxing, still grinning nonchalantly, asked, "Sister, do you mean you're worried about me?"
"Who's worried about you? I don't care about you at all! But for the sake of... I owe you money!" Xiao Qiqi retorted stubbornly. Of course, she couldn't just watch Chen Yuanxing spend two days in jail. Everyone knew what a hellish place prison was! Look at his delicate skin, he couldn't possibly endure that kind of hardship. Although she was furious with Chen Yuanxing's impulsiveness, Xu Qing had only held her hand; it wouldn't kill him. Why did he have to rush over and punch her? He made her lose face, money, and even her job! Xiao Qiqi slapped Chen Yuanxing's hand away, signaling him to shut up, and walked towards Xu Qing.
Chen Yuanxing wanted to call out to her, but then he thought better of it and remained calm. That damned Xiao Qiqi, she wouldn't know how treacherous the world was until she learned her lesson! Xu Qing's eyes alone told him he was no good, and she'd been under his nose for months! Even if he hadn't unintentionally gotten involved with that idiot today, he'd find a way to get Xiao Qiqi away from that lustful bastard! Thinking this, Chen Yuanxing crossed his legs. The young policeman immediately objected, "Chen Yuanxing, behave yourself! This is a police station, not your home."
Chen Yuanxing squinted: "What are you yelling about?" His brows furrowed and his eyes turned cold. The young policeman was indeed intimidated by his imposing manner and fell silent.
Xiao Qiqi walked to Xu Qing's side with a forced smile and asked cautiously, "Mr. Xu, are you alright?"
"Nothing wrong? Do I look like nothing wrong?" Xu Qing turned his face away disdainfully, covering his nose. "Who is he to you? Your boyfriend? You're so young, so impulsive. Xiao, let me tell you, today I'm going to get the police to teach this ill-mannered brat a lesson!"
"No, no," Xiao Qiqi hurriedly waved her hands in protest. "He didn't mean to hurt you. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against us, okay?"
Xu Qing sized Xiao Qiqi up and down. "Qiqi, you make it sound so easy. Me, a magnanimous person? Well, that depends on the situation. Of course, it depends on what you want, Qiqi, isn't it?" The blatant transaction in his words was obvious. Xiao Qiqi's smile vanished. "Mr. Xu, what do you suggest I do?"
Xu Qing beckoned to Xiao Qiqi, who took a step closer. Xu Qing leaned in and whispered something. Xiao Qiqi's expression changed drastically; she took a step back and looked at Xu Qing with an inscrutable expression. Xu Qing was smug, having been worried that this little fox, Xiao Qiqi, wouldn't take the bait. Now he had his chance. "Qiqi, don't blame me for not being blunt. With my injury, your boyfriend can just wait. He'll have a court summons in a couple of days. Of course, before that, he'll have to stay at the police station for two days of 'education.' Qiqi, I'm only giving you two days to think it over. If you've made up your mind, come find me." Xu Qing stood up triumphantly and started dressing.
"I can tell you right now, no way!" Chen Yuanxing's cold voice came from behind Xiao Qiqi. "You pighead, get the hell out of here." Chen Yuanxing got angry when he saw Xu Qing's face, and his foot kicked out again as if he couldn't control himself.
"Ah!" Xu Qing cried out, clutching his chest. "You, you son of a bitch, you dare to hit someone at the police station?" The young policeman pounced over and snapped the handcuffs onto Chen Yuanxing. "Chen Yuanxing, you better behave yourself! What do you think this place is?"
Chen Yuanxing was dragged away by the young policeman, still grinning, "Anyway, it's not my house." The young policeman was stunned by his outburst and was about to hit him when a hand blocked his way—it was Captain Zhu. Captain Zhu had been watching this area for a while. It was rare to see someone as arrogant as Chen Yuanxing; he was either a simpleton or had too much influence. Clearly, this sharp-eyed young man was no simpleton. "Take him over there."
Xiao Qiqi was so angry she was dizzy. Why was Chen Yuanxing such a stubborn kid? Even now that they were at the police station, he still wouldn't say a few kind words? He usually seemed to have a good temper, so why was he being so obstinate now?
In truth, Chen Yuanxing himself couldn't understand his own behavior. Although he usually got into fights and caused trouble, when things really escalated, he was always an honest, kind-hearted boy who would admit his mistakes and correct them. If his mother heard even the slightest hint of these things, he would not only be scolded, but he wouldn't be able to leave the house for the entire holiday. But as if he couldn't control himself, when he saw Xu Qing looking at Xiao Qiqi with a gaze that seemed to want to strip her naked, his head started to throb.
Xu Qing cursed a few times, then picked up the phone and made a call. This time, he didn't try to hide it and openly shouted, "I want that kid to get a few years in prison. You decide what to do!" Xiao Qiqi's face turned even paler as she listened to the call.
She walked blankly to Chen Yuanxing's side, and tears welled up in her eyes when she saw the handcuffs on his hands. Chen Yuanxing felt sorry for her and lowered his voice to comfort her, "Oh, sister, it's okay. It's just a couple of punches and kicks, nothing serious. He can't do anything to me." Xiao Qiqi retorted, "You say it's okay? In this city... there's all kinds of people and things!" She didn't say it aloud, but power and money make many impossible things possible.
Seeing that Xiao Qiqi was truly anxious, Chen Yuanxing panicked as well. He reached out a hand to pull her, saying, "Really, really, nothing will happen. Don't worry. Ah, please don't cry. Your crying is giving me a headache. I hate it when women cry." He then took back his phone and called Zhou Zijian.
Team Leader Zhu went inside to answer the phone again. When he came out, he saw Chen Yuanxing making a call, so he came over and said, "Young man, do you have a guarantor?" Actually, he had just received a call from his superiors, who told him to teach Chen Yuanxing a lesson for a few days.
Chen Yuanxing looked at Captain Zhu, a middle-aged man in his forties, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness and competence. He forced a smile and said, "Brother Zhu, I won't make things difficult for you. Could you get that fat guy out? His howling is driving me crazy." Captain Zhu was clearly taken aback; this kid was arrogant enough to be so cocky even at a time like this. The young policeman, however, grew impatient and pulled Captain Zhu aside. "Boss, shouldn't we lock him up as usual?" Captain Zhu shook his head: "Let's see." Having dealt with all sorts of people for over twenty years, he had a good eye for them. Sure enough, someone inside called him to say there was a phone call.
When Captain Zhu came out, his eyes held a strange look. He quickly had Chen Yuanxing's handcuffs removed and said with a forced smile, "Mr. Chen, would you like to leave now or wait for your friend to pick you up?"
Chen Yuanxing rubbed his wrist, but his eyes were on Xiao Qiqi. "Sister, I said it's nothing. Should we leave now or wait for Lao Zhou to pick us up?"
Xiao Qiqi had stopped crying. Hearing him casually mention Lao Zhou, she understood that Zhou Zijian must have smoothed things over for them. In her anxiety, she had forgotten that Chen Yuanxing had a very wealthy and supposedly influential friend named Zhou Zijian. No wonder he had been so confident and arrogant earlier. Xiao Qiqi felt like she had been fooled. She wiped her face and turned to leave. Seeing this, Chen Yuanxing quickly followed her out, "Hey, sister, wait for Lao Zhou to come pick you up."
The young policeman, holding a notebook, called out, "Chen Yuanxing, you haven't signed it yet!" But Captain Zhu stopped him from continuing to call out. There weren't many people who could get Zhou Zijian to come and pick them up in person, and even fewer people who could get the head of the department to call them.
"Hey, what kind of work are you doing? How could you let them go?" Xu Qinggang came out of another room and, seeing Chen Yuanxing and Xiao Qiqi leave like that, stormed over to demand an explanation. Captain Zhu knew that although this person wasn't a big shot, he was troublesome and had slipped away like an eel, leaving the young policeman with the words, "You're in charge." Leaving the "police uncle" speechless with pain.
18. Itai-itai (Pain)
"Hey, Xiao Qiqi, don't run away!" Chen Yuanxing grabbed Xiao Qiqi at the entrance of the police station in a few steps. "Look, isn't Old Zhou here over there?"
Xiao Qiqi shook off his hand, "Go sit down yourself."
Chen Yuanxing realized: "You're not afraid to see Lao Zhou, are you? Don't worry, I'll help you get revenge later."
Zhou Zijian had already gotten out of the car and was walking over. He called out from afar, "Young Master, what are you doing at the police station?"
As Zhou Zijian approached, Chen Yuanxing suddenly smiled. Zhou Zijian, sensing the ominous smile, tried to dodge, but Chen Yuanxing was too quick. He grabbed Zhou Zijian's arm, twisted it behind his back, and pinned him to the stomach with his leg, grinning maliciously, "Old Zhou, did you bully Xiao Qiqi?" He winked at Zhou Zijian with his back to Xiao Qiqi. Zhou Zijian, hunched over and groaning, had no choice but to comply, "Oh dear, it was my rudeness. I apologize to Miss Xiao."
Seeing that Chen Yuanxing had acted without warning, and noticing that people were already looking out at the police station, Xiao Qiqi, fearing that Chen Yuanxing would cause trouble again, quickly went over and said, "Chen Yuanxing, stop it."
The tall, beautiful woman who had come with Zhou Zijian quickly grabbed Chen Yuanxing's arm and said with a smile, "Young Master, please don't be angry if Zijian has offended us in any way."
Chen Yuanxing immediately released Zhou Zijian, then jumped behind Xiao Qiqi and said with a grin, "I said I'd avenge you, but you wouldn't let me, so you're not angry with Lao Zhou, right?"
Although Xiao Qiqi knew he was covering for Zhou Zijian, she had no choice but to bite her lip and remain silent.
Zhou Zijian rubbed his arm and secretly made a hand gesture to Chen Yuanxing. Chen Yuanxing glared at him from behind Xiao Qiqi. Seeing that Xiao Qiqi was full of anger and didn't look at him, and looking at Chen Yuanxing's posture, Zhou Zijian knew that his previous behavior was really boring. So he smiled ingratiatingly at Xiao Qiqi and said, "Miss Xiao, I have indeed offended you a lot in the past. How about I treat you tonight to make amends?"
Xiao Qiqi knew that he must have taken care of her and Chen Yuanxing's trip to the police station tonight. Moreover, he had picked her up in his car and apologized, so she couldn't keep a long face. Her expression softened a bit. "Mr. Zhou, you don't need to be so polite." After all, she still owed him the house. He hadn't gotten any advantage when he tried to please her before and had even been kicked in the process. So they were even.
Chen Yuanxing then grabbed Xiao Qiqi's hand, "Let's go, let's go, I'm freezing."
Xiao Qiqi then noticed that he was still wearing a thin sweater, while he was still wearing his down jacket. The beautiful woman who came with Zhou Zijian also came over to Xiao Qiqi and said, "Are you Sister Qiqi? I am Wan Ying. If Zijian has offended anyone, may I apologize on his behalf?" Seeing Wan Ying's sincere attitude, Xiao Qiqi didn't know what to say and could only get into Zhou Zijian's car with everyone. However, she kept a blank expression the whole way.
Chen Yuanxing assumed she still couldn't let go of Zhou Zijian's past, so he kept teasing her, but Xiao Qiqi ignored him, exchanging a few words with Zhou Zijian's new girlfriend, Wan Ying. At the restaurant, Xiao Qiqi became even quieter. Zhou Zijian poured her some red wine, saying, "Red wine is good for your complexion, Miss Xiao, it won't hurt you. I'm here to apologize for what happened before, okay?" He used to call her Qiqi so familiarly, but now he addressed her politely as Miss Xiao, clearly trying to distance himself from their past. Xiao Qiqi understood this and readily drank the wine. However, throughout the meal, she only exchanged a few words with Wan Ying, completely ignoring Zhou Zijian and Chen Yuanxing.
Zhou Zijian kicked Chen Yuanxing, blinked, and Chen Yuanxing kicked him back. Then the two fought with their eyes.
After finishing their meal, Xiao Qiqi was about to go back, so Zhou Zijian naturally drove her home. When they arrived downstairs, Xiao Qiqi didn't want Chen Yuanxing to come in with her, but Zhou Zijian pushed Chen Yuanxing out and then abruptly turned the car around and drove away.
Chen Yuanxing squeezed into the room with a cheerful smile. Xiao Qiqi's face became even more serious. She completely ignored Chen Yuanxing and went about her own business, sitting on the sofa with her legs drawn up, watching "Miss Mermaid" with a fierce expression. No matter how Chen Yuanxing tried to tease her, she simply ignored him.
"Ugh, this is so boring. Xiao Qiqi, do you watch this stuff every day after get off work?" Chen Yuanxing yawned, asking Xiao Qiqi for the hundredth time.
Xiao Qiqi was furious beyond words. Chen Yuanxing had inexplicably squeezed into her perfectly good life, and now she wouldn't even have a job, let alone a bonus. With the New Year approaching, where was she supposed to find a job? If she went home now, her parents would definitely know she was unemployed and worry themselves sick.
Xiao Qiqi finally looked Chen Yuanxing in the eye, giving him a cold, thorough once-over. Chen Yuanxing flinched, moving away from her. "What are you doing? You're not going to hit me, are you?"
"The bonus and salary combined total 6,000 yuan, which will be deducted from the money I owe you." Xiao Qiqi finally squeezed out the words through gritted teeth, "The remaining money I owe you is for my emotional distress and opportunity cost, that's it."
When Chen Yuanxing saw that Xiao Qiqi was finally willing to talk to him, he couldn't help but smile broadly and nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay."
"Give me the IOU, and we'll be even from now on. From now on, we'll be worlds apart, and go our separate ways."
"Huh?" Chen Yuanxing was surprised. "What do you mean by 'every man for himself'? We're still friends."
"I have no friends, and I don't need any." Xiao Qiqi felt a sharp pain in her abdomen, which made her feel even worse. She turned around, grabbed a cushion, and threw it at Chen Yuanxing. "Get out! I don't owe you any money anymore. Don't bother me again. Go hang out with your rich friends and shady characters!"
Chen Yuanxing dodged, picked up the cushion, and smiled apologetically, knowing she would definitely be angry tonight, but he would only scold her a few times, after all, he had caused her to lose her job.
Xiao Qiqi felt the abdominal cramps getting worse and worse. She couldn't care less about arguing with Chen Yuanxing anymore. She secretly grabbed her essentials from the room and went to the bathroom. When she came out, her face was terribly pale. It was always like this. Xiao Qiqi clutched her stomach and went into the room. Chen Yuanxing followed her in again, as if haunting her. He asked with concern, "Qiqi, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Xiao Qiqi was too tired to pay attention to him. She lay down on the bed and said irritably, "Aren't you going home?"
Chen Yuanxing looked at her face and asked, "What's wrong? You were fine just now. Could it be because of the red wine? It's all that bastard Lao Zhou's fault. Why did he have to drink wine to apologize?" Chen Yuanxing stamped his foot and said, "I'll go buy you some medicine."
"No need," Xiao Qiqi called out softly. "I'm fine, I'll be alright in a couple of days. You should go back now, and remember to bring the IOU over in a couple of days."
"You said you were fine, but your face is all pale." Chen Yuanxing reached out and touched her forehead. "Huh, you don't have a fever."
"I'm not sick!" Xiao Qiqi shouted, gathering her strength. "You're the one who's sick!" Why are you always bothering her? Didn't he leave in the summer? "Don't come looking for me again."
"Why are you so angry? It's just a job. That idiot doesn't look like a good person. It's a shame you stayed there happily and let him bully you." Chen Yuanxing thought she was still angry about work and muttered.
Xiao Qiqi sat up abruptly. "None of your business! Who I like to be with, or who bullies me, is none of your concern!"
"It's none of my business," Chen Yuanxing nodded. "But I'm just worried you might get hurt, so I'm giving you a heads-up."
"I'm not a child. I know what I'm doing and what I'm thinking. I don't need your reminders, OK? Please, young master, go do what you need to do and stop bothering me, OK?" Xiao Qiqi said loudly, clutching his cramping stomach.
"Incomprehensible." Chen Yuanxing was already confused, and he found it strange that he was following this woman for no reason. When Xiao Qiqi interrupted him like this, he touched his head and shook his head, "Then I don't care about you anymore, I'm leaving."
"Get out!" Xiao Qiqi's face was covered in a layer of fine sweat, and her voice had softened, lacking any strength in her insults.
Chen Yuanxing thought for a moment, then bent down to look at her face. "Are you really not sick?"
"No," Xiao Qiqi replied weakly. "Don't worry about me, let's go." Frowning impatiently, she thought back to that year when someone cared about her like that, even buying her medicine despite being shy. But those days were long gone. Xiao Qiqi felt her internal organs begin to ache. She pushed Chen Yuanxing away, saying, "I just have a stomachache, it'll be fine in a bit."