He reeked of alcohol and had a lewd smile.
Jian Changnian was filled with fear and her face turned red. She instinctively dodged backward and slapped his hand away.
"Sir, please have some self-respect! The wine has been delivered, and I should go back to work now; there are other guests waiting!"
"Oh, you've got quite a temper—" The man leaned back on the sofa and looked up at her supervisor.
"I want her to drink with me today, is that alright?"
"Young Master Qin..." The head waiter looked at Jian Changnian, then at him, and could only force a smile.
"Please understand, we're really busy today. Another day, another day, we'll have a good drink with you."
The young master Qin he was referring to waved his hand, indicating that he could get lost: "Go do your thing, she can stay. Don't forget, with just one word from me, it's not certain whether your KTV can stay open or not."
Although this young master Qin is a local ruffian, he is very domineering because his family is rich and powerful and his father is an official. Offending him will probably not end well, so it's not worth getting yourself into trouble for a newcomer.
“Foreman…” Jian Changnian grabbed his clothes and pleaded with her eyes.
She knew that those who could afford to spend money here were either rich or powerful, but she was currently isolated and helpless. Who knew what would happen if she stayed here any longer? So she had no choice but to ask the supervisor, who seemed to treat her quite well, for help.
The foreman considered it for a moment, then pushed Jian Changnian's hand away and continued to smile apologetically.
"Alright, alright, then I hope you have a good time, Young Master Qin. I won't disturb your enjoyment any longer."
As soon as they stepped out of the private room, a girl screamed, followed by the sound of glass shattering.
The foreman felt a pang of anxiety, paced back and forth a couple of times, and gritted his teeth before making a call to the manager.
"Hey, manager, something terrible has happened..."
When the manager arrived, the private room was a mess. Jian Changnian was holding a broken beer bottle, trembling all over, and her eyes were red.
In contrast, Young Master Qin's clothes were mostly soaked, and there was a wound on his forehead from which blood was seeping out.
The people in the room surrounded Jian Changnian, while Young Master Qin licked the wine stains from the corner of his lips and stared at her menacingly.
"Manager, she assaulted a customer, what should we do?"
Jian Changnian's hands trembled so much she could barely hold the beer bottle, and her voice trembled with a sob as she said, "No, he... he touched me..."
Yuanyuan immediately retorted loudly, "Who saw it? Who saw it? I didn't see anything, I only saw you hitting someone with a beer bottle."
Jian Changnian's other roommates were also at the gathering, and they all chimed in.
"That's right. A waiter's job is to serve tea and water. If you hit someone just because you're asked to pour them a drink, what kind of waiter are you?"
"Manager, your men hit me today, this isn't over yet," Young Master Qin said sarcastically, patting his shoulder.
If the foreman is a shrewd shrew, then the manager is a cunning old fox. Looking at this scene, he easily realized that if he couldn't satisfy this young master Qin today, he would be the one in trouble. As I said before, it's not worth it for a newcomer.
"Yes, yes, this is someone who just started today, a part-time worker. He doesn't know the rules, but I'll fire him..."
As he spoke, he offered to light a cigarette for Young Master Qin.
"But this is a business establishment, with lots of people and eyes around. I'm just running a small business, so you see..."
Young Master Qin took the cigarette and took a few puffs.
"Got it, guys. Let's grab some guys and go have some fun somewhere else."
Jian Changnian struggled fiercely, but was still held up by several tall and strong men on either side of her arms. Yuanyuan stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face.
"You bitch, you're still so arrogant. Look at how you pushed me back then."
Jian Changnian's head was turned to the side by the slap. The slap made her eardrums ring, and the right side of her face immediately swelled up.
She was momentarily dazed, and then she was dragged out.
No matter how much she cried and struggled, not a single person in the crowd came forward to help her. The supervisor silently turned his back.
She was dragged out of the house and thrown onto the sidewalk.
"You bitch, go ahead and hit me, go ahead and hit me! It's just a touch, what's the big deal? Huh?"
Once outside the KTV, the streets were deserted in the early morning, and Qin Gongzi became even more unrestrained, punching and kicking her relentlessly.
Jian Changnian could only cover her head with her hands, trying her best not to make any sobbing sounds.
Yuanyuan was taking pictures with her phone and occasionally fanning the flames: "Wow, look at her, she's crying! Brother, you have to teach her a lesson for me. She doesn't respect any of us in the dorm, she often hits me and bullies me!"
"You dare touch my people!" Young Master Qin delivered another flying kick, sending Jian Changnian tumbling off the sidewalk and crashing his head heavily to the ground.
"I heard you play badminton? What a coincidence! I played professionally for a few years too. You're such a loser, and you think you can be a professional player... "
Young Master Qin stepped on her hand and ground it hard with the tip of his leather shoe.
Jian Changnian could no longer bear it and finally let out her first painful wail.
A bicycle across the street stopped; the two people who had just finished their gathering were heading home.
Qiao Yuchu braced herself on one leg and looked through the green belt. She saw seven or eight men and women kicking and punching a [something].
The person who was hit looked like a girl.
Xie Shi'an, who was in the back seat, also jumped down.
"What's wrong?"
"There's a fight going on, let's go take a look."
Qiao Yuchu was a little anxious. She stopped the car and wanted to cross the road. She could clearly see that the person who had been beaten no longer had the strength to get up.
Xie Shi'an grabbed her arm: "Hey, no, there are too many of them, let's call the police."
That's true. There are only two girls among them, and Xie Shi'an had been drinking today. For their own safety, it would be safer to call the police.
Qiao Yuchu thought for a moment, took out her phone from her pocket, dialed 110, and waited until she heard police sirens in the distance before the two of them left.
"Police! What are you doing! Get up, don't run!" The police car from the police station arrived and arrested several young people who tried to run away when they heard the siren.
The lead officer helped Jian Changnian up from the ground: "Are you alright?"
Although Jian Changnian's face was bruised and swollen, she was still conscious and gently shook her head.
"Captain Chen, we've caught the leader, it's him."
Officer Chen looked up and made eye contact with someone.
Young Master Qin grinned: "Officer Chen, it's been a long time."
"It's you again!" Officer Chen cursed under his breath. There were too many people around, so he waved his hand.
"Take them all back to the station for processing."
***
The small interrogation room contained only her and Officer Chen, separated by a table, and the light was blindingly white.
This was the first time Jian Changnian had ever been to a police station. She was a little scared, and her head was throbbing, so she kept her head down and didn't say a word, silently picking at the hangnails under her fingernails.
Officer Chen, who was in charge of questioning her, was very patient.
"You're still a student, right? Why are you going to a place like that in the middle of the night?"
Seeing that she still didn't speak, Officer Chen softened his tone and pushed a glass of warm water towards her.
"Don't worry, no one in the police station will beat you up anymore. You are safe now."
Jian Changnian then cautiously raised her head to look at him, stammering, "I...I wasn't going out to play...I'm working part-time at a karaoke bar..."
Officer Chen said "Oh," and his pen scribbled on the paper: "Part-time job, huh... How old are you? What's your name? Where do you live? Please give me your parents' contact number."
“I…” Jian Changnian choked for a moment. She wanted to say seventeen, but under the sharp gaze of the police, she honestly said it.
"Fifteen, my name is... Jian Changnian."
Officer Chen quickly wrote a few more strokes.
"Home address, parents' contact number".
Upon hearing this, Jian Changnian burst into tears.
"Please...please...don't call my family."
Officer Chen put down his pen and spoke with righteous indignation.
"That won't do. You're still a minor. If you get involved in a fight, even if there's a need for mediation, your guardian has to be present."
With tears still streaming down her face, Jian Changnian widened her eyes and argued.
"No... they bullied me..."
Officer Chen showed the round cell phone.
“There is video footage showing that you hit someone on the head with a beer bottle first. Since both of you used force, it’s mutual fighting. If you don’t agree to mediation, then you’ll both have to be detained.”
Upon hearing this, Jian Changnian tore off a piece of skin from the thorn on her hand, and her tears fell even more fiercely, almost as if she were sobbing.
Officer Chen stood up and handed over a piece of paper, appealing to his emotions and reasoning with him.
"Look, you're still in school. It's not honorable to have a criminal record. It will affect your job search in the future. And since you're a girl, it might be harder for you to find a husband later."
"Today's incident was just a case of drinking too much and getting confused. We'll have them apologize to you in a bit, and that'll be over. Or if you have any other requests, we can offer some compensation. It's not worth getting a criminal record and being detained for a few days over something so trivial."
Jian Changnian couldn't understand why she, as the victim, was expected to be magnanimous and forgive those who hurt her.
But she didn't know whether what Officer Chen said was true or false. Faced with the complexities of society, she was just an inexperienced minor.
The night was so long and so cold. Jian Changnian felt as if she were trapped in an ice cellar. She trembled as she said, "Officer, I... I agree to mediation, but... could you please not notify my family?"
Officer Chen shook his head: "That won't do. It's procedure. We can't let you go without your parents coming to pick you up."
Jian Changnian was at her wit's end. She thought for a long time, tears dripping onto her knees, before finally raising her head and saying with teary eyes.
"Um... officer, may I borrow your phone?"
Officer Chen handed over his phone.
Jian Changnian dialed the number she remembered, and the call was quickly answered. Her voice trembled with a hint of a sob as she said, "Hello..."
Chapter 10 Decision
When Yan Xinyuan arrived at the police station, it was almost dawn.