The older woman was also there, creating a buzz.
“That’s right, we’re not going to bother with this bastard. He has no shame to come to the police station with us. Officer, I have to pick up my son later. If you want to teach these two traitorous little beasts a lesson, you can take them with you, but we’re not going. My husband has been beaten like this and needs to go to the hospital!”
The woman's insults, calling him a bastard and a beast, even made the police officer frown.
"Are you the official guardians of these two children? Is this how guardians should act? I do need to investigate this matter. I suggest you come with us to the police station so we can apply for enforcement," the police officer said firmly.
The couple, who were not very knowledgeable about such things, were so frightened that they immediately fell silent.
The police arrived in two patrol cars, but that was clearly not enough to seat the entire family. Fortunately, Wen Qi drove over.
When Wen Qi started his Maybach, the man and the crowd of onlookers stared wide-eyed; they had never seen such an expensive car in their lives.
The aunt knew Wen Cheng was rich, but she didn't expect her to be this rich. The key point was that this time Wen Cheng was willing to stand up for her niece whom she had only met once. Wasn't she courting death?
She's now kicking herself for it.
Everyone was quiet on the way to the police station.
The only sound in the car was Nian Nian's barely suppressed sobs.
Yan Luan didn't utter a sound. Wen Cheng looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Yan Luan was clenching his hands tightly, trying desperately to suppress something.
"Chengcheng, there's a small first-aid kit in the cabinet in front," Wen Qi said.
Wen Cheng quickly bent down to get it, forgetting to ask Wen Qi why he kept a first-aid kit in a car that wasn't driven often.
Since Wen Cheng was sitting in the passenger seat and it wasn't convenient for her to treat Yan Luan's wounds, she could only open the box and teach Niannian how to apply iodine to her brother.
Niannian took the medicine and carefully applied it to her brother. Yan Luan tried several times to take it and do it himself, but Niannian refused. If he said it a few more times, the little girl would cry, so Yan Luan immediately shut his mouth.
Wen Cheng snorted, feeling both angry and frustrated.
Yan Luan was taken aback for a moment. "Brother Cheng, I'm sorry to trouble you."
"Are you doing this to me? You're doing this to yourself! You're just making trouble for yourself. If you can't stand your uncle, why didn't you send me a message or call me? We would have handled it much more quickly than you!" Wen Cheng scolded angrily.
Yan Luan lowered his head again.
Looking at Wen Cheng's puffed-up face and the tears she was trying to hold back, Wen Qi felt a pang of unease. Taking advantage of the red light, Wen Qi reached out and gently pressed Wen Cheng's little finger. This seemed to be an unspoken understanding between the two of them.
Wen Cheng sniffed, but finally calmed down a bit.
Immediately afterwards, Wen Qi looked at the brother and sister who relied on each other in the rearview mirror, his heart filled with complex emotions.
He didn't have much of an impression of Yan Luan before, but he doted on his younger brother. Perhaps it was because they had both lived in darkness that he could better understand the pain of his kind. This matter had to be dealt with today, otherwise Yan Luan would continue to suffer in the future.
After considering several solutions, Wen Qi slowly spoke.
“What happened today? Although I don’t like reopening old wounds, I suggest you tell me now, otherwise you’ll have to argue with the police for ages when you get to the station. You can handle it, but your sister can’t.”
Yan Luan reacted upon hearing this and slowly said, "After my parents died in a car accident, we went to live with my maternal grandmother. However, my grandmother is old and lives in the countryside. In order to provide a better educational environment for my younger sister, my grandmother asked my aunt to send money to their account every month. But my aunt still thinks the money is not enough. My sister has excellent grades. Rather than the two of us suffering at home, it would be better for me to go out and work to pay for our accommodation and my sister's tuition and tutoring fees."
"How much do they want from you each month?" Wen Qi asked.
"It costs eight thousand each month." Yan Luan had no concept of tutoring classes and assumed it was that much.
“What seven or eight-year-old child needs that much every month? They’re just messing with you and trying to scam you!” Wen Cheng couldn’t stay quiet for a minute before she exploded again upon hearing this.
Yan Luan gave a bitter laugh. "So I think I'm really stupid. I got home early tonight and that's when I found out what those two had done. They embezzled the money I give my sister every month, and all the tutoring was paid for by their idiot son. My sister is actually going out with her to sell jianbing guozi every day!"
Yan Luan was so angry that she couldn't even breathe properly.
Niannian looked at her brother with fear, but Yan Luan quickly took care of his sister's feelings and held back again. "Brother doesn't mean to blame you. I was just too stupid. Let's move out today and never put up with their bullying again!"
"Damn it, those two bitches! How much money did they swindle from you? Yan Luan, you tell me everything right now, I'm going to make them cough it all up!" Thinking about how Nian Nian was still being forced to work by that old woman outside past 11 PM, and how all the money Yan Luan worked so hard to earn was being used to invest in their son, Wen Cheng was furious.
Yan Luan was taken aback. He thought Wen Cheng would blame him for his negligence, but he didn't expect that all Wen Cheng was thinking about was how to get justice for him.
"Brother Cheng, thank you," Yan Luan said, his voice trembling. "From now on, no matter what it is, just say the word."
"Hey, hey, don't do that! This is a society governed by the rule of law!" Wen Cheng quickly interrupted.
"Hmph, you know this is a society governed by law? Some of the things you just said, I've only ever seen in movies," Wen Qi said with a sharp and sarcastic remark.
Wen Cheng: ...Thinking back, it seems like I was somewhat involved in society.
Wen Cheng awkwardly turned to look at the scenery outside the window, pretending that nothing had happened!
Author's Note:
Goodnight, my little cuties, thank you all for your continued support~
Chapter 74 Stamp
The group followed the police car to the police station, and then went into the mediation room together.
The two groups sat on opposite sides, with a police officer in the middle, one taking notes.
The woman and the man had never seen anything like this in their lives, and their imposing manner diminished by half once they entered the police station.
In contrast, Wen Cheng and her group were much calmer, since Wen Qi was sitting next to them.
“Officer, here’s what happened. Yan Luan and Niannian are being fostered by their aunt and uncle, the two sitting across from them. Their guardian is their maternal grandmother, who sends them a certain amount of money every month to support Niannian’s education. Yan Luan was also in school before, but they felt it wasn’t worth raising two children, so they’re using Niannian’s studies to threaten Yan Luan.”
"You, you're talking nonsense! Yan Luan agreed to it himself! Besides, Yan Luan is already eighteen years old, and we have no obligation to pay his tuition!" The man, his face flushed, tried to defend himself after the truth was revealed.
The police officer gave them a warning look, "Be quiet, wait until they finish speaking before it's your turn!"
In fact, the police officers had already begun to side with Wen Qi, since he seemed more reasonable.
Yan Luan gave the man a cold look. "Yes, you have no obligation to support me, but you have an obligation to use the money I worked so hard to earn to tutor your son? What about my sister's share? Did you eat it?"
The man was startled by Yan Luan's gaze. He was used to Yan Luan's quiet demeanor, and his sudden ruthlessness was truly a shock.
“Officer, that’s not true. We treat both children equally. It’s just that Niannian is a sensible child. She doesn’t want her brother to work so hard every day, so she voluntarily didn’t go to tutoring classes. We’ve saved the money for her. There’s absolutely nothing like what Yan Luan said!” The aunt immediately became unhappy upon hearing this, again using the child’s sensibility as a shield.
Niannian got angry again upon hearing this but didn't know how to refute it, and couldn't help but cry again.
"Oh dear, Auntie is praising you. Why are you crying again, child?" The aunt revealed a seemingly kind but ugly face.
Wen Cheng felt like throwing up just looking at it.
"Don't talk nonsense. My brother and I went to your stall before. You even had your kids make us jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes) after 11 p.m., while you were falsely inflating prices. Wait, do you have a business license for making jianbing guozi? Do you have a food business license?"
The older woman was rendered speechless by Wen Cheng's barrage of questions, because she genuinely didn't have those things.
The police have also gathered a fairly complete understanding of the situation.
"Please explain this to me again later," the police officer said, glancing at the woman. "Since there wasn't a major accident this time, it's just a matter of the amount involved. Do you want to settle this privately, or..." The officer's gaze was fixed on Wen Qi as he spoke, his presence alone making him impossible to ignore. He trusted Wen Qi to give a satisfactory answer to this decision.
After all, such a couple is truly hateful.
“Eight thousand a month, Yan Luan has been sending it for about five months now,”
“Yes,” Yan Luan nodded.
"Alright, let's say we include their food here for four months, that's 32,000 yuan, which must be compensated to Yan Luan. Since you said you'd save it all for Yan Luan, you should be able to come up with that amount now, right? Otherwise, there's no point in continuing this mediation; we can just go to court. I can still afford this money." Wen Qi spoke decisively. Seeing the couple's faces gradually turn pale, Wen Cheng wanted to give Wen Qi a big thumbs up right then and there. That was so satisfying!
"Thirty thousand is no small sum after all,"
“Then tomorrow, you can go back and do your calculations. If you don’t comply, you’ll be waiting for a court summons,” Wen Qi said, leaving no room for argument. “As for the foster care issue, I believe it doesn’t need to be explicitly stated. I have serious doubts about leaving the child in your home. We will discuss this matter with Nian Nian’s real guardian. Yan Luan, have both of them taken action?”
"Hmm," Yan Luan was alright in the early stages, but later on he ran out of stamina and was basically being beaten up, although there weren't many visible wounds on his face.
"I can let go of the medical expenses, but you two are truly unfit to be proper elders. How could you two be so cruel to such a young child? Tomorrow, 32,000 yuan, or less, and I'll take you to court." Wen Qi issued his final statement.
"You, you're threatening us! Officer, he's threatening us!" the woman screamed. Thirty-two thousand! How are their sons supposed to go to tutoring classes if they don't pay this?!
"He's trying to reason with you. This money shouldn't have been yours to begin with. You're just returning it, and the matter is resolved. Is there anything you're unhappy about? Or did you really pocket the money?" The police officer cast a stern glance at you.
"No, no, how could we do that?" The man's smile was more like a grimace than a cry.
The group, who thought they would spend half a day at the police station, were released in just half an hour, but now Yan Luan's accommodation has become a problem.
"Chengcheng, you don't need to go back tonight. I told Auntie and Grandpa when I was giving my statement that we're going to their place near the company tonight to settle them in." Buckling his seatbelt, Wen Qi could now call Wen Cheng by her nickname without hesitation.
Wen Cheng obediently hummed in agreement. Thanks to Brother Qi, things had gone so smoothly today, and Wen Cheng was extremely well-behaved to repay Brother Qi.
Yan Luan sat in the back comforting his sister, thanking them repeatedly, which made Wen Cheng nag him again before he finally stopped.
Wen Qi's house is also a detached villa. You can see the largest lake in the city from the window. The people living there are all rich and noble. Compared with their main house, the location is even better. Moreover, the decoration is more modern. The color scheme is the cool style that Wen Qi always likes. The furniture is also equipped with smart technology.
"A cleaning lady comes to clean here every day. For the time being, Yan Luan, you and your sister can stay here." Wen Qi helped Wen Cheng walk ahead and showed Yan Luan the rooms.
"I can't accept that! I still have some money on hand; I can rent a place first,"
"What about Niannian while you're at work during the day?" Wen Cheng asked the most crucial question.
Yan Luan fell silent.
“I have someone here to look after Niannian and take her to and from school, so you don’t need to feel too guilty. We’re not here for you to eat and drink for free,” Wen Qi said, changing the subject.
Instantly, everyone in the room except him tensed up.
"Is 5,000 a month plus a nanny, and with tutoring classes still in place, acceptable?"
Yan Luan nodded quickly, but he also knew that the conditions here were far beyond what five thousand yuan could provide, not to mention the nanny. Yan Luan's eyes welled up with tears, and he told himself from the bottom of his heart that as long as the two of them needed his help, he would go through fire and water for them.
After settling Yan Luan and Niannian,
Wen Cheng changed into Wen Qi's pajamas and stood on the balcony, gazing blankly at the lake in the distance, her injured foot dangling gently in the air.
When she heard a noise behind her, Wen Cheng turned around and saw Wen Qi, with wet hair, carrying two steaming cups of coffee.
"Why don't you blow-dry your hair?" Wen Cheng was thinking too much and hadn't recovered yet; her voice carried a hint of melancholy.
Wen Qi frowned slightly, unable to bear it any longer, and handed the coffee to Wen Cheng. "It'll dry in the wind. Why don't you go to sleep? Aren't you tired today?"
"Tired, mentally exhausted," Wen Cheng honestly said, taking a sip of coffee. It was slightly bitter, followed by a rich, sweet aftertaste. In his original world, Wen Cheng was almost inseparable from coffee because countless overtime hours awaited him; he really couldn't get through without it. However, Wen Cheng himself didn't actually like drinking it.
But Wen Cheng didn't dislike this coffee tonight.
"Are you helping him so much because you think he's a lot like you?" Wen Qi tilted his head and looked at Wen Cheng seriously.
"Hmm," Wen Cheng said, increasingly willing to confide in Wen Qi, "There's a large part of the reason, but Yan Luan is even stronger than me. I never had this kind of family love in the first place, so I didn't have to experience the pain of loss. I still have to work so hard to support a broken family, working until midnight and then going home alone, repeating the same numb life every day. But I don't dare to stop, because if I stop, I can't go on living..."
Wen Cheng was talking about Yan Luan, but it was a true reflection of her own life before.
Wen Qi frowned, his eyes filled with unbearable heartache. "Now you have me, Chengcheng, you don't have to be afraid anymore."
Wen Cheng lowered her head, her voice becoming very nasal, "Brother Qi, put down the cup, I want to hug you."
"Um."