Chapter 5: Confrontation—Good and Evil!
Sui Yi’s mind raced—should she lay everything out and say it? Wouldn’t that terrify everyone? It might even provoke the man with the dark skin into something more drastic.
But if she didn’t say anything... how could she explain herself? The shard of mirror was right there in her palm! What unsettled her even more was that the fragment seemed to be moving...
The atmosphere grew tense and strange; the man with the dark skin stared at Sui Yi, his right hand sliding to his waist. His black short-sleeved shirt lifted, and perhaps inside his jacket, at his waistband, there was a knife—or a gun...
Even though this was a restaurant, crowded with people, someone as ruthless as him might not hesitate to hurt her...
This was the most urgent situation Sui Yi had ever faced in her life.
Suddenly—
A knock sounded at the door of the private room.
“Little girl, open the door for a moment...”
The voice of the proprietress was gentle, as was common for women of the water towns of Jiangnan, but there was a faint tremor mixed with that softness.
Sui Yi and the dark-skinned man exchanged glances; his eyes flashed with menace! He lifted his shirt directly, and a small, gleaming knife appeared before Sui Yi’s eyes.
It wasn’t long, but its sharp edge was exposed, and Sui Yi had no desire to test its lethality.
Her heart tightened. She said nothing, only quietly pressed her palm against the window, pushing it open just a crack, silently pointing to the river outside.
Her face was calm and unperturbed.
The dark-skinned man paused, then said nothing. He pulled the chains of the two large bags, hauled them to the window, and both he and Sui Yi climbed out with the bags... With a splash, the sound of water echoed in Sui Yi’s ears.
Luckily, this place faced an alley with a river, not the main street, so no one saw them jump into the river.
But just then—
Bang!
The door was violently kicked open!
“Police!”
The people who rushed in wore expressions of hostility, clearly displeased with the proprietress’s earlier “odd” behavior.
But when they saw only Sui Yi inside the private room, the police who poured in cursed in anger.
“Where are they? Not here?”
“Damn, they ran!”
Page 1/3
“Someone’s still here!”
Across from Sui Yi was a bowl of noodles, now empty except for the greasy, red broth.
“The window!” Lin Quan, captain of the Nanxun Ancient Town police squad, glared, his long legs carrying him to the window. He arrived just in time to see the water still churning, ripples spreading across the Nanxun river...
His face darkened and Lin Quan said coldly, “They got away, jumped into the Nanxun river. Wang Leng, you and a few others give chase, and notify headquarters to seal off the area...”
“Yes, sir!”
Seven or eight police officers immediately rushed out, leaving the proprietress trembling, while outside came a chorus of startled cries.
It was chaos...
But Lin Quan knew that men like the dark-skinned criminal, accustomed to fire and water, could easily hold their breath underwater for a long time. Catching him would not be easy. However, according to the informant’s report, he still had goods on him, which meant that after jumping into the river, he wouldn’t swim fast and likely wouldn’t get far...
It all depended on how heavy those goods were!
“Tell me, where is the dark-skinned man headed?”
A sudden slap on the table snapped Lin Quan back to his senses; he turned and saw Sui Yi sitting quietly in her chair, as the newly arrived Xiao Zhang glared angrily and shouted, “So young and already breaking the law! Speak up—what are you really up to...”
Before he finished, Lin Quan stepped in to stop him, glanced at Sui Yi’s calm face.
“Captain Lin Quan, without concrete evidence, accusing a minor in front of so many people is enough to cause psychological trauma, isn’t it...? Tell me, should I file a complaint with the police bureau?”
Sui Yi cast a sidelong glance at the young officer, whose face changed color instantly, flushed with indignation, as if he wanted to lash out at Sui Yi. But Lin Quan quietly barked, “Zhang Xiao!”
Zhang Xiao, being newly graduated and just appointed, was inevitably brash and arrogant. Because of this, he was all the more wary of someone like Lin Quan, whose cold authority commanded respect. He promptly changed his tone, muttering discontentedly, “Captain...”
Lin Quan ignored him, instead standing firmly in front of Sui Yi, his expression icy. “Eating?”
“Obviously.”
“With the dark-skinned man?”
“Who?”
“The man eating with you. He’s the grave robber we’re after... a criminal. Are you aware you’re involved in illegal dealings with a criminal?”
“That uncle? The dark-skinned man? He’s aptly named... But Officer Lin Quan, if someone happens to sit at the same table as a terrifying murderer, does that make them a criminal?”
Sui Yi smiled lightly, her brows arched, her gaze shimmering like the ripples on the river outside.
Lin Quan frowned, “Of course that’s not a crime. But are you sure it was accidental? I have clear evidence that Yan Tang Zhai was to conduct an illegal transaction with the grave robber, the dark-skinned man, at Hao Wei Dao today... And you’ve been assisting Yan Tang Zhai!”
He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.
On it was a line of writing.
Sui Yi glanced at it, her expression unchanged, “The handwriting is quite good...”
“It is, but you—”
“So what?” Sui Yi interrupted Lin Quan, speaking softly to herself, “Are the police planning to explain to my lawyer this recipe for braised pig’s trotters? Does it contain clues that helped you catch me and bring me to justice?”
Lawyer?
Page 2/3
In less than a minute, Zhang Xiao and the others witnessed the seemingly frail, easily bullied girl’s calm and unassailable composure.
And the hidden sharpness in her previous words.
“Indeed, this paper doesn’t prove much. But the police have enough reason to take you back to the station for criminal detention and interrogation... I recall you’ve just started school, right? If you’re brought to the station...”
For a minor girl, what could be more terrifying?
The proprietress at the door turned pale.
Outside, people craned their necks curiously...
Sui Yi leaned back slightly in her chair, facing Lin Quan and his squad.
Justice only stands against evil.
So, did she represent evil?
In the solemn silence, Lin Quan watched as Sui Yi casually spread her hands, smiled, “Then take me away... at least I’ll save a few days’ meal expenses...”
How long could they detain her?
Twenty-four hours—a single day. That was the legal limit they could use. She was still a minor, a student. If they wanted to hold her longer... they’d have to risk breaking the law themselves.
Most importantly, could they find evidence of her crime?
Was she a criminal?
The veteran officers all glared at Sui Yi, clearly frustrated... Lin Quan was silent for a moment, then broke the quiet.
“Sui Yi, this is the thirty-fifth time we’ve caught you...”
Sui Yi looked up, swept her gaze over him, and smiled gently. The expression was tender, highlighting her youthful face—so vibrant, though a bit pale and frail, inviting pity.
But Zhang Xiao and the others didn’t miss Lin Quan’s words—thirty-five times? Caught?
Meanwhile, Sui Yi replied in a soft voice, “Yes... I’ve always considered it an honor to provide the government with effective intelligence thirty-five times.”
It sounded pleasant.
Lin Quan and the veteran officers’ faces darkened.
It was a disgrace!
Thirty-five times caught, each time only taking a statement.
It wasn’t that they didn’t know the girl’s background was not clean, nor that they didn’t want to arrest her.
But... they couldn’t.
—Insufficient evidence.
(P.S.: By the way, I’ve always felt that good and evil in this world are never absolute; someone who isn’t upright isn’t necessarily wicked, and someone who isn’t evil isn’t necessarily good. Well, that’s just idle talk. The new book has reached ten thousand words and made it onto the new releases list, although I haven’t written much yet, so its popularity can’t compare to other authors. Once again, Cang Lan wants to dig up manure and smear it on the wall, so please cheer me on~~ Everything is lacking, everything is needed... Also, I just learned today that “favorites” count when added to your bookshelf, not just the favorites page... So, if you haven’t added it yet, please take a moment and help Sui Yi out~~·)
Page 3/3