Volume One, Chapter 21: Let's Settle This Privately

Once I step into the police station, I might never come out.

Zheng Juan’s demeanor was clearly aimed at framing me completely.

With Director Qin at the station, egged on by his son Qin Shaohu, how could they possibly let me off easily?

If I couldn’t withstand the pressure and ended up confessing under duress, I might really end up in prison.

By then, not only would my reputation be utterly destroyed,

but the plan I promised Fu Xiaoya to help her retake the year would fall apart too!

Why am I so unlucky?

I’ve always lived cautiously, yet I was still schemed against by these two wicked women working together.

Angry and depressed, I didn’t know how to resist.

I completely lost my nerve, repeatedly bowing to the two women on the sofa, begging bitterly.

“I beg you, please don’t report this. I’m sorry, just let me off this once. I’ll do anything.”

“Get down on your knees and beg Aunt Juan to forgive you,” Xu Li instructed, a slight sneer of contempt curling her lips.

Besides weakness, what choice did I have?

I bent my knees and knelt at Zheng Juan’s feet, knocking my head twice on the floor, choking on my words as I pleaded.

“Please let me go. I’m sorry, truly sorry.”

Zheng Juan still covered her face, crying silently without uttering a word.

Xu Li leaned close to her ear, whispering something unknown.

After a long pause, Zheng Juan nodded, then grabbed a tissue from the coffee table to wipe away her tear stains.

“Xiaoyan, you’re still young. Let’s settle this privately. Zheng Juan’s been wronged a bit, and you’ll compensate her with five thousand yuan for emotional damages,” Xu Li calmly proposed a solution.

Five thousand yuan as compensation?

I was just a poor recent graduate, having lost my family’s financial support. They really dared to ask for an outrageous sum.

“But I don’t have the money!” I said bitterly, shaking my head. I barely had a thousand yuan on me.

“Ask your father,” Xu Li sneered.

If I asked my father for money, he would definitely scold me badly and might not even give me any.

Most likely, he’d lash out in shame and tell me to reflect on myself in prison.

What should I do?

I thought about borrowing money. The first person who came to mind was Fu Xiaoya.

No, Fu Xiaoya working at the karaoke bar likely didn’t have much saved.

The second person I thought of was Han Feng.

I had just helped him collect ten thousand yuan; he must still have some money. He didn’t spend anything on last night’s karaoke spree.

I really didn’t want to ask him, it was too embarrassing.

Fu Xiaoya also warned me not to get too involved with him and to gradually distance myself.

“If you don’t call your father, then go to the police station!” Xu Li urged impatiently.

She wouldn’t give me money, and she was probably colluding with Zheng Juan to squeeze money out of me.

“I’ll go borrow the money,” I said slowly, standing up, with no other choice.

“Look at you, grown up and able to borrow money? Then go ahead!” Xu Li snickered.

I went into the bathroom and closed the door, turned the faucet to full blast, letting the water wash away the tears threatening to spill.

Taking out my phone, hesitating repeatedly, I finally mustered the courage to call Han Feng.

“Hey, brother!”

Hearing Han Feng’s friendly greeting, I choked up and couldn’t speak.

“Brother, what’s wrong?” Han Feng’s tone grew more concerned.

“Brother Feng, I…I want to borrow some money from you. I promise I’ll pay it back.”

I struggled to say the words, feeling utterly dejected and ashamed.

“How much?”

“Five thousand.”

Han Feng was silent. He had just given me two thousand and treated me to karaoke. He must think I’m greedy and clueless about limits.

“Four… four thousand is okay too,” I bargained.

“You don’t have to worry about food and lodging. Why do you need so much?” Han Feng was suspicious.

“Brother Feng, I don’t want to borrow money from you, but if I don’t get this money, I’ll end up in prison, and maybe my life is over.” I finally broke down, crying, feeling wronged and hurt.

“Tell me exactly what happened. Money’s not the issue.”

Han Feng’s softened tone relaxed me somewhat.

I told him the whole story.

I was being falsely accused of molesting a woman.

But I didn’t remember doing anything like that.

Right now, I could only settle privately, and I needed five thousand yuan.

I heard Han Feng sigh, then ask, “How old is the woman? What does she look like?”

I roughly described Zheng Juan’s age, height, and appearance.

“What’s your stepmother’s name?”

“Xu Li.”

“Oh. And the woman?”

“Zheng Juan.”

Suddenly, Han Feng laughed loudly on the other end of the line and said boldly, “Brother, don’t panic. Listen to me—put your phone on speaker and place it in front of her. I’ll handle her.”

Choosing to trust Han Feng, I left the bathroom and placed the phone on the coffee table in front of Zheng Juan.

She looked at me puzzled, her eyes red and rubbed raw.

“What do you mean?” Zheng Juan asked.

My heart pounded wildly as I tried to imitate Han Feng’s tone.

“Someone wants to talk to you.”

“I don’t want to listen.”

Zheng Juan immediately refused.

“Zheng Juan, dare you not listen to my call? I’m Han Feng. You bitch, have you forgotten me?” came Han Feng’s voice, cursing right away.

Zheng Juan was stunned, eyes wide in shock. Xu Li’s expression changed too—it turned out she knew who Han Feng was.

“Zheng Juan, are you crazy or just out of your mind? Trying to mess with my brother? Your damn wrinkles won’t even smooth out. Why would Zhou Yan be interested in you? Picking on the weak, and now trying to scam his money? Believe me, I’ll kill you and expose all your dirty past!” Han Feng continued to curse.

“Brother Feng, it’s not like that,” Zheng Juan panicked. As she stood, her knee hit the edge of the coffee table, making her gasp in pain.

She grabbed my phone in a fluster, turned off the speaker, and ran off to a corner.

My heart finally sank back down as I coldly looked at Xu Li on the sofa.

Our eyes met, and she quickly looked away, trying to hide her inner panic.

Soon, Zheng Juan returned.

She handed the phone back to me, crying and apologizing.

“Xiaoyan, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made things up to frame you. I…I’m a shameless bitch.”

I remained silent, my heart filled with mixed emotions.

Once again, disaster was narrowly avoided, thanks to Han Feng, a stranger who selflessly helped me.

Zheng Juan took five hundred yuan from her bag and forced it into my hand, her face flushed as she headed toward the door.

At the doorway, she glanced back at Xu Li, her eyes full of grievance. “It’s all your fault!”

“Explain clearly—what did I do?” Xu Li shouted nervously.

Bang!

Zheng Juan slammed the door and left my home.

The living room was left with just me and Xu Li, and for a moment, neither of us spoke.

I turned and walked upstairs. Finally, Xu Li spoke.

“Xiaoyan, this was a misunderstanding. I didn’t expect Zheng Juan to be such a shameless woman.”

“She really is,” I said, cursing for the first time in front of Xu Li, leaving her stunned.

Back in my room, seeing Zheng Juan’s bra made me angry. I grabbed it and threw it out.

At that moment, I longed to leave this house, to escape from Xu Li, the cruel stepmother.

But I had no courage to leave home.

Nor did I know how to survive in society.

I called Han Feng again, sincerely thanking him.

I owed him a debt of gratitude that I must repay.

I even thought that maybe I could be brothers with Han Feng for life.

Han Feng shrugged it off, saying it was a small matter, then told me about Zheng Juan’s background, which was quite surprising.