The service station clerks all gathered around. “Comrade, what you’re doing is wrong. We advise you to be reasonable.”
Outnumbered, Qin Qing knew she had gone too far.
She let go.
As soon as Zhao Xiaolin was free, she plopped down on the ground, wailing and crying for her parents.
Qin Qing wanted to leave.
“You think you can just hit someone and walk away? Is there no law anymore? Let’s take this to the patrol team!” One of the women who had been gossiping with Zhao Xiaolin earlier blocked her path.
“She insulted me first,” Qin Qing weakly defended herself.
But more people only saw her as the aggressor who had attacked someone.
Soon, the patrol team arrived and took away Qin Qing and Zhao Xiaolin, along with a few enthusiastic witnesses.
…
It was the same interrogation room as that night.
After explaining twice that she had been insulted first and admitting that she was wrong for resorting to violence, Qin Qing gave up all defense.
“Do whatever you want,” she said, sitting in the interrogation chair, resigned to her fate.
They could say whatever they wanted about her, but they couldn’t drive a wedge between her and Zhou Yansheng!
She had never treated Zhou Yansheng as a backup option.
The patrol team was momentarily unsure how to handle the situation.
Usually, when women quarreled or fought, an apology and making amends would settle the matter.
But this time, the one who was hit refused to let it go, while the one who did the hitting remained silent.
To make matters worse, one was the daughter of a recently returned high-ranking officer in the compound, and the other was the wife of the youngest leader.
Being the mediator was no easy task!
The patrol team leader was at his wit’s end and quickly sent someone to call for backup.
On the other side, Chief Zhao, upon hearing that his precious daughter had been beaten, was furious but couldn’t bring himself to confront a woman directly. Instead, he sent his guard to handle it.
The guard insinuated that Qin Qing had provoked the incident and should be sent to the police station for detention.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yansheng was still away on a mission, and Zhang Qi was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
He had no choice but to seek help from Deputy Captain Xu Jun.
Xu Jun, on one hand, didn’t dare offend Chief Zhao, but on the other, he couldn’t let someone actually send the captain’s young wife to the local police station.
He could only ask his own wife to mediate.
Li Qin, a village woman from the countryside, felt her legs go weak at the sight of the patrol team.
Although her status had risen considerably since moving to the family compound two years ago, she was still deeply intimidated by those wearing red armbands.
She couldn’t even mediate, let alone speak up boldly.
Only Zhang Qi was sweating profusely, apologizing repeatedly: “Our sister-in-law has a straightforward temper, but she’s absolutely reasonable! She must have been pushed to the limit to resort to violence!”
“When our captain returns, we’ll handle this properly—compensation, apologies, whatever it takes! Can we please let sister-in-law go home for now?”
Although Zhao Xiaolin was the daughter of a high-ranking family, when it came to making a scene, she was even more outrageous than the troublemakers Qin Qing had encountered in her previous life.
At that moment, she was sitting cross-legged on the concrete floor.
Slapping her thighs and wailing loudly:
“Is there no law anymore? Beating someone in broad daylight… City folks bullying us country bumpkins… The leaders must stand up for me… I don’t want to live anymore!”
Her voice was so loud that it attracted a crowd of onlookers.
Two young patrol team members felt their scalps tingle and stepped forward to pull her up. “Comrade Zhao Xiaolin! Get up now! What kind of behavior is this?”
“I’ve been beaten like this, and you’re still yelling at me!”
Zhao Xiaolin raised her voice even higher, pointing at the nonexistent “injuries” on her face. “I want to see my dad! Let’s see if there’s any justice left!”
“Xiao Li! Are you a block of wood?” Seeing that her tantrum was useless, Zhao Xiaolin vented her anger on Chief Zhao’s bodyguard. “I’ve been beaten like this! Why aren’t you helping me get revenge?”
Xiao Li was also helpless. “Comrade Xiao Zhao, I’ve already strongly demanded that the perpetrator be sent to the police station.”
What more do you want? Should I sit on the ground with you?!
Xiao Li almost rolled his eyes.
But given that his superior doted excessively on his only precious daughter, Xiao Li once again pressured the patrol team.
“Captain, rather than letting this stalemate continue, it would be better to handle this officially and hand it over to the police.”
“Yes! Arrest her!” Zhao Xiaolin immediately followed up with loud shouting.
Qin Qing watched coldly.
Her mind went blank.
Whatever happens, happens!
The crowd of onlookers grew larger.
Qin Qing had indeed hit someone.
The patrol captain couldn’t withstand the pressure any longer and gritted his teeth:
“Send her to the police station!”
As soon as he spoke, two patrol team members moved to escort Qin Qing away according to procedure.
Qin Qing stood up first. “I’ll walk myself.”
Her voice was so calm that even Zhao Xiaolin, still sitting on the ground, was startled.
Wasn’t this woman afraid?
She was going to the police station, not being let go—did she not understand?!
The onlookers parted to make a path.
Qin Qing had already started walking out.
The patrol team members hurried to follow her.
However, just as Qin Qing reached outside the door.
At the end of the automatically parting crowd, a familiar figure came running over.
Zhou Yansheng’s steps were somewhat hurried, and his expression was even more frighteningly dark.
Qin Qing couldn’t help but be intimidated by Zhou Yansheng’s imposing presence.
She paused in her steps.
The two comrades from the patrol team behind her also stopped.
One of them, rather woodenly, called out, “Hello, Captain Zhou.”
Zhou Yansheng merely nodded. Ignoring the whispers around him, he grabbed Qin Qing’s wrist and, without another word, began pulling her back inside.
His grip was extremely forceful; Qin Qing stumbled and was forced to keep up with the man’s pace.
“What are you doing?!”
A sharp pain shot through her wrist.
It hurt so much that tears welled up in her eyes from the physical pain.
But at that moment, she stubbornly held them back.
That damn man!
Couldn’t he be a little gentler…
Hearing this, Zhou Yansheng slightly loosened his grip, but still did not let go, maintaining his forceful hold.
Looking at her wrist held in the man’s hand, Qin Qing inexplicably felt a sense of relief—he had come.
Biting her lip, she followed Zhou Yansheng back into the interrogation room.
Inside the interrogation room, Zhao Xiaolin had just gotten up from the floor, heedless of her appearance as she brushed the dust off her buttocks.
“Bang—” A fierce slam of the door startled her so much she nearly fell back to the ground.
Fortunately, the bodyguard Xiao Li beside her steadied her, allowing her to barely remain standing.
The door had been kicked shut by Zhou Yansheng.
It cut off all the curious prying eyes from outside.
Zhang Qi, who had been following behind, almost got hit in the forehead by the door but managed to dodge it just in time.
The captain was truly furious this time!
Having followed the captain for so long, he had never seen him this angry!
Little sister-in-law, you’re on your own…
Inside the room, with Zhou Yansheng’s fierce slam of the door.
A deathly silence immediately fell.
Besides Zhao Xiaolin and Xiao Li, only the patrol captain and the two patrol team members who had followed them in remained in the room.
Zhou Yansheng finally released his large hand from the girl’s wrist.
“Qin Qing, why did you hit someone again?” His voice was icy.
Qin Qing rubbed her reddened wrist, lowered her head, and said nothing.
“Again”?
Indeed, in Zhou Yansheng’s memory, she was a troublemaker not to be trifled with.
But this time, she truly couldn’t hold back.
Because she felt so wronged, as soon as she looked up, large teardrops began to fall.
Looking at Zhou Yansheng’s cold, rigid profile, she steeled her heart.
Since things had already come to this point, since he was asking her why…
Then he couldn’t blame her for throwing caution to the wind.
“Zhou Yansheng,” Qin Qing said with a sob, pointing tearfully at Zhao Xiaolin, “She said I was just keeping you as a backup…”
She sniffled and continued, “I came here wholeheartedly to build a life with you. You’re my man, never a backup…”
“Isn’t she just trying to drive a wedge between us as husband and wife…”
Heartbroken, tears fell, she bit her lip, restrained herself—all in one seamless motion.