Chapter Forty-Five: Undress, Dry

What does it mean to speak with words so sharp they startle, to strike directly at the heart of the matter? Unfortunately, the stunning beauty Guo Xiaoxiao demonstrated both at that very moment. No sooner had her words left her lips than the atmosphere in the interrogation room, which had only just begun to ease, grew tense and silent once more.

The hush was eerie, almost terrifying.

As if by some unspoken agreement, every pair of eyes turned toward the corner, where Captain Yang sat slumped on the floor in utter disarray.

There was the son of Su Tianyang, director of the Eastern District Public Security Bureau; the beloved daughter of Zhu Chaoping, the municipal party secretary; the daughter of Deputy Mayor Guo Mingda; the kingpin of Jinhai’s underworld; the young heiress of the Tang family, one of Yinchuan’s three great clans; and the second-in-command of the Bai family, whose wealth in Jinhai was counted in the billions—a woman known as the Bai family’s genius.

A gathering of such distinguished figures at Tianchen Police Station in the dead of night should have been a grand event, a moment to bring glory to the humble precinct. Instead, it only brought a crushing pressure, so heavy that Director Wang Ergou felt utterly overwhelmed.

“Him? And who is he?” As all eyes landed on the battered man in police uniform huddled in the corner, Guo Xiaoxiao pointed at Captain Yang with imperious disdain, her voice sharp.

“He… he’s my brother-in-law. Team captain. Hu Dongyang,” Wang Ergou forced himself to step forward and spat out the words, his mouth still oily from fear. He wished he could kick the man a few more times himself, just to appease the anger of those present.

“Your brother-in-law? So that’s why he dares to throw his weight around—because he has you backing him up! I’ve already heard the bare facts of what happened, and it’s clear you can’t distinguish right from wrong. Instead of punishing the attackers, you arrest the victims. And what’s this? Are you planning to mete out some private justice as well?” Guo Xiaoxiao showed Wang Ergou no respect, her bright eyes snapping to the black leather whip discarded in the corner. Her voice rose even higher.

Lin Yang was the one who gave her a second chance at life—after all, beauty is a second life for any woman. In her heart, she harbored feelings for him, though she’d never dared confess, out of pride. Otherwise, she wouldn’t whisper his name to her father every day, nor would she have recommended Lin Yang for the position of director at Aihua Plastic Surgery Hospital.

To offend Lin Yang was as good as offending her directly. Guo Xiaoxiao, always headstrong and domineering, now showed everyone just what it meant to be unreasonable and wild. She strode over, picked up the whip, and brandished it with a cold laugh. “If you’ve done wrong, you should have the courage to face the consequences. You enjoy whipping others? Well, today you can taste what it feels like. Otherwise, I fear someone won’t learn their lesson.”

With that, she raised her small hand high, the whip poised to fall. For Hu Dongyang, seeing the familiar instrument of punishment about to strike him was a bitter dose of fate. He had always bullied others with impunity, and now, having made such a monumental mistake, he was lucky if he could keep his life, let alone his job.

The crack of the whip split the air, but as Hu Dongyang waited with clenched eyes, the blow never fell. When he finally dared to look, he saw that the young man he’d helped arrest now stood between him and the whip.

“Brother Yang, you…” Guo Xiaoxiao, who had been seeking justice for Lin Yang, was clearly displeased, her lips pursed in a pout.

Taking the whip from her, Lin Yang smiled gently. “Letting a girl like you dirty your hands on his account isn’t right. Besides, he’s not worth it.”

One had to admit, Lin Yang had a way with words. With just a few sentences, he soothed Guo Xiaoxiao’s anger and left her flustered and blushing, her heart fluttering in confusion.

“A taste of the whip is hardly excessive. If Brother Meng hadn’t arrived in time, that blow would have landed on me instead. I’m not one to forgive easily, so you won’t escape this,” Lin Yang said coldly, and before his words had faded, the whip lashed out.

With a resounding crack, Hu Dongyang took the blow full force. Lin Yang did not hold back—Hu Dongyang’s face twisted in pain, tears streaming down his cheeks. Had he been a woman, he would have burst into sobs.

Lin Yang did not press his advantage. Whip delivered, he tossed it aside, his voice turning frosty. “Where’s the one-eyed thug?”

Hu Dongyang’s body jerked in pain at the question. He tried to force a smile but failed, his face contorted with fear. “He… he was released,” he mumbled, head bowed low.

He knew full well what had happened—he’d acted for the sake of a certain nephew, abusing his power, and now he was left to take the fall. The real culprit was gone; he would have to bear all the consequences himself.

“Released? Are you a pig? You didn’t even investigate and just let him go?” Wang Ergou could no longer contain his fury. With a kick to his brother-in-law’s face, he cursed him silently for dragging him into this disaster.

Still, Wang Ergou had some sense. He hurried out to issue orders to his subordinates, then rushed back in, hoping to make amends. As bureau chief, he couldn’t escape responsibility. The only way out was to quickly apprehend the real perpetrator.

Lin Yang’s expression was dark as thunder, the tension in the interrogation room thick enough to cut. Everyone’s breathing and pounding hearts were painfully audible.

Returning, Wang Ergou surveyed the deathly silence. “This… this…” He wanted to explain but the words wouldn’t come, and he scratched his head in frustration.

“Uncle Ergou, you’re in trouble now,” Su Xiaodong remarked coldly, his tone one of schadenfreude. He’d heard the whole story from the officers—if things had come to this, it was only because Wang had always indulged his brother-in-law, despite past warnings.

“Xiaodong, please, help me say a few words. Otherwise, I’m finished,” Wang Ergou pleaded, clutching at the hope like a drowning man.

But Su Xiaodong was unmoved. Whoever stuck their neck out now would be the one in trouble; he wasn’t about to risk his father’s position, either. He simply shrugged and replied, “There’s nothing I can do.”

Zhu Yunyun and the others, not skilled in confrontations like these, wisely let Guo Xiaoxiao play the bad cop and kept their distance.

But Menghu, hot-tempered as ever, couldn’t restrain himself. Marching over to Captain Yang, he landed a few kicks, then strode over to Wang Ergou, grabbed him by the collar, and with a single heave lifted the 180-pound man off the ground. After letting him dangle, face purple from lack of air, Menghu finally flung him aside with a furious roar: “If your men don’t bring that thug back in ten minutes, you’re finished!”

Gasping for air on the floor, Wang Ergou listened to Menghu’s threat in terror, praying his subordinates would capture the real culprit before his luck ran out.

“We got him! We got him!” As every second stretched into eternity, a frantic shout finally shattered the oppressive silence. Two officers burst in, dragging the one-eyed thug, hands cuffed and still struggling wildly.

With a heavy thud, they tossed him to the floor and pinned him down, awaiting orders.

One might say the one-eyed thug deserved every bit of misfortune that befell him. Having committed such an outrage, he had the gall to swagger through the streets, bullying men and women alike.

No sooner had he been released from the station than he set out to claim his reward, his employer that day having been especially generous—ten thousand as a down payment, with twenty thousand more promised upon completion. For men like him who thrived in the shadows, such a profit was no small sum.

But passing a barbecue stall, lust got the better of him. He set his sights on a beautiful young wife, earning her living by the grill.

Her unadorned beauty needed no cosmetics, her simple clothes could not conceal her alluring curves. Her long wine-red hair was tied up, her delicate face exposed. Despite the biting wind, her skin was smooth and radiant—a temptation the thug found impossible to resist.

His evil intent sparked, he motioned his men to the stall. They ordered a heap of barbecue, using it as a pretext for trouble. As expected, less than five minutes after placing their order, he started harassing the woman, and when her husband tried to intervene, the thugs set upon him, beating him mercilessly. The owner, though strong, was outnumbered and soon lay defeated on the ground, eventually losing consciousness as terrified customers fled in panic.

With her husband unconscious, the young woman was left defenseless. Her cries for help echoed through the street, but the cowardly bystanders kept their distance, no one daring to intervene.

Emboldened, the one-eyed thug became even more brazen. He seized the helpless woman, tearing off her apron and shoving his grubby hands beneath her clothes.

“Strip her! Strip her!”

“Do it! Do it!”

“Take her! Take her!”

With the barbecue owner down, the thugs egged each other on, eager for their chance with the trembling young wife. After all, following this boss, they’d committed countless such vile acts before.