Zhang Xiaotao also saw the contents of the letter. For a moment, her already pale face lost all color. Besides fear, she was also annoyed that she had brought trouble here.
“Miss Shen, I’m sorry. I thought he wouldn’t find this place. I didn’t expect him to still follow me. I’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning and absolutely won’t let him find you again.”
Her eyes were red, and she held back her tears, filled with guilt and regret. She even wanted to pack her bags and leave immediately, but she couldn’t leave yet. She had to clean up the mess on the floor.
Before she could move, a hand landed on her shoulder.
Shen Qingqing’s voice rang out, “You can leave, but before you go, we must find out who did this.”
“Miss Shen…”
Shen Qingqing sent people to investigate the surveillance. Soon, they spotted a suspicious figure on the monitor. It was Yu Fei, who had been thrown out by security and then, after being ignored, had sneaked back in.
At first, Zhang Xiaotao had only suspected. After all, she hadn’t offended anyone in this villa. But when she truly saw the person on the screen, she felt a wave of shame and self-reproach.
“I’m sorry, Miss Shen, I’m truly sorry. I shouldn’t have come to live in your house and caused you so much trouble. I’m really embarrassed.”
She bowed deeply.
Shen Qingqing smiled lightly, “No one blames you. It’s the other person’s fault for coming to cause trouble, and it has nothing to do with you. The best way to deal with such people is to teach them a lesson.”
Zhang Xiaotao didn’t expect her to be so generous. Thinking about how she always caused trouble, she felt even more ashamed, wishing she could bury her head in the ground.
“Alright, no one blames you. But Xiaotao, this person must be dealt with. He’s a troublemaker.”
Zhang Xiaotao said bitterly, “But I don’t have the ability, nor do I have any way to deal with him. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let him chase me here like a stray dog…”
“That’s not a good description.” Shen Qingqing disliked the words but didn’t say much. She only said, “Since you don’t know how to deal with him, then watch how I handle it. Learn from me.”
Zhang Xiaotao looked up, her gaze filled with admiration. However, thinking of Shen Qingqing’s past methods, she stammered, “But I can’t beat him…”
Shen Qingqing found it both funny and exasperating. “I never taught you to solve problems with violence.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Of course, use this.” Shen Qingqing tapped her head, a rare hint of playfulness on her face. “Sometimes, using your brain is faster and simpler.”
Zhang Xiaotao had thought that with Miss Shen’s capabilities, she might make it impossible for Yu Fei to find a job, or force him to leave the city, or even send someone to warn him…
But she never imagined that Shen Qingqing would call the police.
Yes, calling the police was an option.
But she had too many worries and never even considered calling the police, exposing family matters.
Shen Qingqing took her to the police station. Yu Fei had already been arrested. Yet, even in this situation, upon seeing Zhang Xiaotao, he showed no signs of remorse and remained defiant.
“I was just joking with my sister. Do you have to be so serious about it?”
“Joking?”
Shen Qingqing repeated softly and walked towards him. The nearby police officer was about to intervene, but he saw the team leader behind Shen Qingqing shake his head.
So, he didn’t move.
With a “slap!”
Shen Qingqing reached Yu Fei and slapped him across his face, which showed no remorse and was dismissive.
Her strength was considerable, directly causing the man’s face to turn askew.
He saw stars, his ears buzzed, and he was unable to speak for a moment.
Everyone was stunned.
Zhang Xiaotao’s eyes were filled with longing. This was Miss Shen!
As they were talking, a woman suddenly rushed in. Seeing the redness and swelling on Yu Fei’s face, she burst into tears, “My son! This is a society governed by law now. How could you hit him in the police station?!”
Her cries were heart-wrenching, tears smearing her face. She paid no attention to her appearance and even cursed with a sharp voice, making everyone’s ears ring.
“I’m going to find a reporter and expose you! You’re police officers, how can you treat my son like this? Even if he made a mistake, he should be punished by the law, not by you taking matters into your own hands!”
The police officers fiddled with their ears. They disliked dealing with such ignorant women because it was like a scholar arguing with a soldier – reason was useless.
Zhang Xiaotao’s face turned pale, her expression complex.
The woman, Wu Cuihua, then turned her attention to Zhang Xiaotao, her words sharp and malicious, “You are Yu Fei’s sister, how can you watch others treat him like this? You are an ungrateful wretch, showing no regard for kindness! Now I demand compensation for my child’s emotional distress!”
She said it as if it were perfectly reasonable, without even asking what Yu Fei had actually done wrong.
Shen Qingqing smiled, “Emotional distress fee? Are there any other fees?”
Wu Cuihua didn’t expect her to be so accommodating and immediately became greedy, listing a long string of demands. “Besides the emotional distress fee, all her future wages belong to me. Yu Fei was frightened and needs to be properly compensated. And she needs to be filial and visit me often, buying me gifts and tonics!”
Zhang Xiaotao said painfully, “Haven’t you squeezed me enough? What do you want from me now? Do you want to see my life ruined before you’re happy?”
Wu Cuihua didn’t like hearing this. “What do you mean by that? If you don’t want to be filial to me, just say it directly. Don’t make it sound like I’m forcing you! Isn’t it only natural for children to be filial to their parents?!”
Yu Fei finally recovered. He didn’t dare to confront Shen Qingqing, who had hit him. He chimed in from the side, adding fuel to the fire with a sarcastic tone, “You already know what my sister is like. She’s always been headstrong, and no one can control her.”
“If you don’t take care of me and aren’t filial to me, then I’ll sue you!”
Wu Cuihua began to stir up trouble.
Shen Qingqing, too tired to listen to her disruptions, directly summoned a man – her lawyer. The man looked to be around 30 years old, not particularly tall, with an elite demeanor.
His eyes sparkled, making it hard for anyone to meet his gaze directly.
“Don’t think you can scare me by finding a man!”
Wu Cuihua was not afraid at all. She didn’t understand what a lawyer was. People from their small circle had never encountered anyone more formidable than a community director.
However, Yu Fei, who often hung out outside, knew many people and naturally knew that lawyers were the most terrifying profession because they had sharp tongues and could twist black into white and right into wrong.
“Mom, stop talking!”
Wu Cuihua didn’t understand. What was wrong with her son? She was standing up for him!
While she was still wondering, the lawyer had already started playing the video evidence he had on the screen. It clearly recorded how Yu Fei had sneaked into the villa and thrown things into the bedroom.
The lawyer pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a perfect smile playing on his lips. “The evidence is conclusive, and my client is suing you for trespassing and intentional intimidation. According to Article 245 of the Criminal Law: [Crime of Illegal Intrusion into a Residence], anyone who illegally searches another person’s body or residence, or illegally intrudes into another person’s residence, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years or criminal detention.”
The words stunned Yu Fei and Wu Cuihua.
Less than three years?
Seeing the mother and son’s dumbfounded expressions, trembling with fear, they couldn’t utter a single word. The lawyer then adjusted his glasses again. “However, considering your kinship with Zhang Xiaotao, my client has decided to mitigate your punishment to one month of detention.”