Chapter Forty-Four: A Gathering of Beauties and Beasts

Bang! Director Wang Ergou was so infuriated that his legs nearly gave way, almost sending him crashing to the floor. It turned out the threats weren’t aimed at him at all, and what was worse, the implication was clear: the other party had no intention of letting matters rest. Wang, the portly director, felt unable to maintain his dignity. He was, after all, a director—surely some respect should be shown, even if only for the sake of courtesy. Yet this young man was simply too unruly. Still, these complaints he only dared to voice in his heart.

He understood well enough the wisdom of adapting one's words to suit the audience. Casting a resentful glare at Captain Yang, who was regretting his actions so much his insides were twisted with remorse, Wang composed himself and put on a sycophantic smile. Ready to shower the room with spittle and plead for his troublesome brother-in-law, Wang knew that if he didn’t speak up, he couldn’t guarantee the boy would survive the next few days. He was all too aware of Tiger’s ruthlessness.

“Brother Yang, brother Yang, damn it, who’s the fool—who’s so blind that he dares to drag my Brother Yang into the station?”

A voice riddled with gangster bravado echoed from the corridor, accompanied by hurried footsteps. The room’s door was kicked open again, leaving a deep dent after two heavy blows. In strode Su Xiaodong, his face oily and well-groomed. He swept his gaze around the room, fixing on Lin Yang, quickly approaching and examining him up and down. Satisfied Lin Yang was unharmed, he then turned to Tiger and greeted him, “Brother Tiger.”

“Oh, Xiaodong’s here too, and fast at that,” Tiger praised, finding that thanks to Lin Yang, even the previously annoying Su Xiaodong felt more agreeable.

Flushed with pride at Tiger’s compliment, Su Xiaodong exchanged a few words before turning to Director Wang Ergou.

“Uncle Ergou, you’re unlucky today. Of all people, why provoke my Brother Yang? You’d better brace yourself—some big shots might come looking for answers soon.” Su Xiaodong walked over, slapped Wang’s shoulder without any regard for decorum, leaned in, and muttered in his ear. Though his voice was low, it was loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Unexpectedly, Tiger cast Wang Ergou a sympathetic glance, clearly agreeing with Su Xiaodong’s words.

Just then, as the saying goes, speak of the devil and he appears. The sharp clack of high heels echoed from the corridor, quickly approaching the interrogation room. Wang Ergou’s heart spasmed with a mixture of curiosity and dread—was this the arrival of that big shot?

The door swung open, revealing a stunning long leg clad in sheer nude thermal tights, topped with dazzling blue crystal heels—a deadly allure, especially in late autumn.

Everyone’s eyes were instantly drawn to the entrance, where Zhu Yunyu appeared, her snow-white coat and black skirt creating a striking visual effect. Anyone who saw her once would surely want to linger for another look.

Compared to the boisterous Tiger and Su Xiaodong, Zhu Yunyu was far more polite. She gently pushed the door open, and upon seeing the crowd packed into the small interrogation room, her already gloomy face darkened further.

“Zhu Xiao... Miss Yunyu, you’re here too?” Wang Ergou blurted out instinctively, immediately regretting it. Even a fool could see she was here to settle accounts—why question her, wasn’t that just asking for trouble?

“Hmph, why do you think I’m here?” Zhu Yunyu was clearly irritated. She had been dreaming sweetly when her phone rang incessantly, Tiger calling. She’d meant to scold him, but upon hearing the situation, her anger flared, though not at Tiger.

Tiger’s dominance in Jinhai City wasn’t just due to his connections with the powerful; his knack for gathering intelligence was formidable. It was said his eyes and ears were everywhere in Jinhai, and as soon as Lin Yang was detained, his men reported it. Without hesitation, Tiger sprang from a beautiful woman’s side and rushed to Tianchen Branch.

Su Xiaodong’s arrival was pure coincidence. No one had notified him—he was simply lucky, hanging out at Tiger’s place and overhearing the news from Tiger’s men. Upon discovering his Brother Yang had been detained, he cast aside the two scantily clad women in his arms and stormed to Tianchen Branch to demand his release.

Wang Ergou and Su Tianyang were of equal rank, and personally, they were close. Consequently, Su Xiaodong was also familiar with Wang, often visiting Tianchen Branch to “strengthen ties.” On hearing Lin Yang had been detained, Su Xiaodong entered Tianchen Branch as if it were his father’s territory in East District, ready to confront them. He knew Lin Yang couldn’t have been arrested by Wang Ergou.

“Someone’s abusing their position, turning black to white, and even resorting to torture for a confession. Director Wang, it seems you don’t want your job anymore. Should I have my father approve your retirement?” Zhu Yunyu, usually not a forceful figure, transformed into a different person when Lin Yang was involved. She had gotten up in the dead of night and driven alone, nonstop, to the station.

“I... I...” Wang Ergou was on the verge of tears. Who had he offended? He’d simply spent the evening away from home, enjoying some illicit pleasures with his mistress. Even if he’d sinned morally, he hadn’t broken the law! Why was fate playing such a cruel trick on him?

He glanced bitterly at his brother-in-law, already dumbfounded. At this moment, he wished he had a gun to finish him off—the man was utterly useless and only brought trouble.

But the most aggrieved was surely Captain Yang. He had only acted as usual, looking after his troublesome nephew, but had ended up poking a hornet’s nest and brought disaster upon himself. With things as they were, he’d be lucky to escape without severe punishment—never mind anyone else, even his brother-in-law Wang Ergou would make things hard for him.

Smack! Sensing the tension rising and knowing he was in serious trouble, Captain Yang understood the need to atone. Crawling before Lin Yang, he slapped himself hard across the face, repeating the act with increasing force. His already bleeding mouth soon became unsightly.

To his credit, Captain Yang was merciless to himself in a crisis; every slap was forceful. If Lin Yang didn’t tell him to stop, he wouldn’t. But inside, he was surely wailing in despair.

The scene in the interrogation room was absurd: five or six people stood around idly, watching a fool on his knees deliver a slapstick performance.

“Enough, stop! Any more and you’ll be disfigured—your wife might divorce you, and I couldn’t bear that,” Lin Yang finally intervened, his tone still cold.

But for Director Wang Ergou and Captain Yang, this was an enormous relief. At least he’d relented, which made things easier.

“Brother Yang, if you have any more complaints, just say the word—I’ll make sure they’re addressed.” Having rescued his brother-in-law from the brink, Wang felt he could finally face his dutiful wife at home. He didn’t miss the chance to curry favor; he wasn’t stupid. With so many big shots standing up for Lin Yang, the young man’s status was clearly extraordinary—he’d better ingratiate himself now, or risk losing everything.

Before Lin Yang could speak, several angry voices echoed from the corridor. Wang, who had hoped to draw closer, tensed again.

The voices were loud, clear, and distinctly female, sparking curiosity in everyone except Lin Yang, who recognized them instantly. He hadn’t expected them to arrive so quickly.

Bang! Compared to Zhu Yunyu’s refined entrance, the women arriving now were far more aggressive, inheriting the styles of Tiger and Su Xiaodong. Three pairs of feet kicked the door in unison. Though not especially forceful, they were enough to finish off the battered interrogation room door.

Thud! A basin-sized hole appeared as a large chunk of wood fell to the floor. A red high heel, a white sports shoe, and a black flat shoe made a dramatic entrance.

Pfft! The absurdity of the scene broke the silence in the interrogation room, eliciting laughter. The first to laugh was Zhu Yunyu, the only woman present until now, her laughter graceful and muffled, hand over her mouth. The men who followed were far less restrained—their voices varied wildly: raspy, rough, exuberant, even a shriek from someone leering at the beauties.

Yet two people dared not laugh, nor could they.

Captain Yang, his lips grotesquely swollen, had no interest in admiring beauty, let alone laughing. All he wanted was to find a hole to hide in and escape disaster.

Director Wang Ergou’s mind went blank as he recognized the three women. Each of them could easily ruin him; now, three had arrived at once—how could he possibly endure? He hated his brother-in-law even more. The fool had poked not just a hornet’s nest, but the entire hive. Already hypertensive, Wang’s blood pressure soared past previous records. If not for the medication he carried and took in time, he might have collapsed into the hospital.

Tang Yixue, dressed in black with red high heels: a classic queenly beauty.

Bai Jing, in a white jacket, tight denim shorts, and black flats: the archetype of a career woman.

Guo Xiaoxiao, in a pink crop top, short skirt, black thermal tights, and white sports shoes.

Guo Xiaoxiao had come alone, speeding in. Tang Yixue and Bai Jing had arrived together, and the three happened to meet at the police station’s entrance. Knowing each other, they entered together.

They stepped into the room in perfect sync, and the once spacious interrogation room suddenly felt cramped.

Seeing the three beauties arrive, Lin Yang smiled awkwardly and spoke, “You’re here too.” He glanced at Zhu Yunyu, Su Xiaodong, and Tiger, then added wryly, “Sorry for waking so many of you—my apologies.”

“Are you alright, Yang?” Tang Yixue, whose relationship with Lin Yang was intimate—only one step short of sharing a bed—moved straight to his side, unabashedly checking him for injuries, touching and prodding anxiously.

“Sister Yixue, I’m fine—others, not so much,” Lin Yang replied mischievously, his eyes flicking to Captain Yang, whose face was now swollen like a pig.

Bai Jing, the more composed of the trio, simply walked over and patted Lin Yang’s shoulder lightly, saying nothing more.

Guo Xiaoxiao, ever brash and outspoken, demanded, “Who was it? Who dared to detain my Brother Yang—must have nerves of steel!”