The man who was about to strike looked up and saw that it was a woman. His expression darkened. He secretly exerted force, trying to break free, but found that her grip was like handcuffs, tightly locking his wrist in place.
A chill ran through his heart as he stared at Song Jinyue. “Who are you?”
“Why are you stopping me? Why won’t you let me beat this foreigner? Why won’t you let me beat this spy?”
The surrounding crowd immediately turned their gaze toward Song Jinyue. Their expressions became wary, mixed with a trace of curiosity.
Song Jinyue took in the changes in the man’s expression, then released his hand and said calmly, “What evidence do you have that he’s a spy?”
The man pointed at the foreigner behind her. “A foreigner showing up here is already suspicious. There’s definitely something wrong.”
Someone else chimed in, “Exactly! If he’s not a spy, why would he be here?”
“And the gibberish he was speaking just now—he was clearly insulting us!”
Song Jinyue glanced at each of them. “He wasn’t insulting you. He was frightened by you.”
“He’s here to help us, not to cause trouble.”
The crowd froze, exchanging looks. They all saw the same confusion and disbelief in each other’s eyes.
How did this young woman know the foreigner wasn’t a spy? That he wasn’t here to sabotage anything?
Meeting their scrutinizing gazes, Song Jinyue raised her voice slightly.
“I can understand what this comrade is saying. He said he was invited here to help us.”
A flicker of darkness flashed quickly through the man’s eyes when he heard her words.
He opened his mouth as if to speak, but Song Jinyue spoke first.
“Comrades, it’s right for us to stay vigilant, but not every foreigner is a bad person. When we fought against the Japanese, weren’t there also foreigners who came to help our country?”
“If we suspect him of being a spy, we can report it to the police. We can surround him and not let him leave while we wait for the police to investigate. But we cannot resort to violence. Once we do, the nature of things changes.”
“If someone came to help us and ended up being beaten, they might simply refuse to help next time—or worse, it could escalate into a diplomatic incident.”
“Someone must have already reported to the police. Let’s wait for them to handle it. We just need to make sure he doesn’t leave.”
“We should show foreigners the dignity of our great nation—modest, gentle, and guided by reason. If reason fails, then we use force.”
Song Jinyue raised her voice. “Comrades, don’t you agree?”
The crowd instinctively responded, “Yes!”
An older man glanced at Song Jinyue, then turned to those beside him. “The young lady is right. Let the police handle it. What if it’s just a misunderstanding?”
Most of the people present nodded in agreement.
The man saw that the tense atmosphere had been calmed by just a few words from Song Jinyue. His hands clenched into fists inside his sleeves as he glared at her.
“Where did you come from? Just because you say he’s not a spy means he isn’t?”
“If he’s not a spy, then why is a foreigner here?”
The crowd was once again swayed by his words, their emotions beginning to fluctuate.
“Don’t rush. Let me ask him.”
Song Jinyue glanced at the man, lowered her eyes, and a trace of coldness flashed through them before disappearing.
The man felt a jolt in his heart. What did she mean? Could this woman understand foreign languages?
Before his thought could fully form, Song Jinyue spoke.
“Hello, is there anything I can do for you? Hello, how can I help you?”
A bad feeling surged in the man’s chest.
The crowd stared at Song Jinyue in astonishment.
The foreigner’s eyes lit up the moment he heard her. Excited, he began speaking with her, explaining everything that had happened.
The onlookers watched as the two conversed rapidly. Not a single word made sense to them, but they could gradually sense the foreigner becoming happier, even smiling at them.
They were both confused and curious about what Song Jinyue had said.
Through their conversation, Song Jinyue learned that the foreigner’s name was Charles. He had been invited by higher authorities to inspect machinery equipment, and he originally had a translator with him.
However, for some reason, they got separated when they arrived. Unable to find his translator, he tried to ask for directions, only to suddenly be surrounded by a large group of people.
Sensing Charles’s nervousness, Song Jinyue reassured him, explaining that the crowd meant no harm and, in fact, welcomed his arrival.
She even explained the earlier aggressive gesture as a demonstration of traditional martial arts.
The misunderstanding had likely been caused by the language barrier.
After hearing her explanation, Charles beamed with delight. He hadn’t expected the people here to be so warm and welcoming.
After finishing her conversation with Charles, Song Jinyue turned back to the crowd.
“Comrades, I’ve clarified everything. This foreign comrade is named Charles. He was invited here to inspect steel production. He originally had a translator, but they got separated when they arrived.”
“He tried to ask for directions, but due to the language barrier, no one understood him, which led to this misunderstanding.”
Invited? To inspect steel production?
This…
The man from earlier suddenly jumped out again, pointing at Song Jinyue.
“You’re in cahoots with him! No wonder you’re defending him!”
“You’re a spy too! A female spy! I’ll beat you to death!”
He rushed straight toward Song Jinyue.
She stood calmly, watching him approach. Just as he was about to reach her, a loud shout suddenly rang out—
“What are all of you doing gathered here?!”
The man halted, and the crowd turned to look.
The police had arrived.
Five officers hurried over. “Who reported this? Who said there’s a spy here?”
“Where is the spy? Where is the person?”
Seeing the police, the man’s face changed. Taking advantage of everyone’s attention being on the officers, he quietly stepped backward.
But as soon as he took a step, he was grabbed.
Looking up, he met Song Jinyue’s half-smiling gaze. A chill crept up his spine. Then he saw the approaching officers.
His eyes hardened, and he threw a punch at Song Jinyue.