"The police are here, stop fighting, the police are coming."
The three paid no attention, their hands and feet still moving. After a few more blows, Jian Fei finally heard a man's angry roar.
"Stop it, what are you doing?!"
The punches and kicks finally stopped hitting her. A strong pair of arms grabbed her hand and gently pulled her up from the ground.
"How are you, are you alright?"
Her hair was disheveled, smearing across her bloody nose. Jian Fei's vision was blurry.
But she quickly made out the face of the man in front of her.
At this moment, she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. She would rather be beaten to death than see him.
The one who came to her rescue was none other than her classmate from junior and senior high school, the boy in white she had once had a crush on, Jiang Chuan.
It was clear that Jiang Chuan had recognized her at a glance as well.
After a slight surprise, he wiped the blood from her chin, then turned and helped her father up.
What followed was a formal questioning and processing of the incident.
Perhaps because they had been beaten, or perhaps because Jiang Chuan was an old classmate, Jian Fei ended up not having to pay for the Porsche. Instead, she received 10,000 yuan in medical expenses from them.
Lunch was ruined. Jian Fei, bruised and swollen, and her father, who couldn't stand up, were taken to the county People's Hospital by Jiang Chuan.
Wearing a uniform made things easier, and they didn't have to wait in line for examinations.
Her father had two broken ribs in his chest and needed to be hospitalized.
Jian Fei only had minor superficial injuries.
Jiang Chuan apologized to her with some regret.
"Honestly, it shouldn't have ended so quickly. You were treated so unfairly, they should have been made to bleed profusely."
"But the other party is the son of a famous entrepreneur in our county. I received a call from above, so it's not easy for me to handle. I'm sorry you were wronged."
Although she had been beaten, she had still managed to keep 100,000 yuan, which Jian Fei considered a great stroke of luck.
How could she complain about being wronged in front of him?
"You said when you were in school that you wanted to do this job after graduation. I thought you were joking, but I didn't expect you to actually do it. How many years have you been working?"
Jiang Chuan was tall and had long legs, his body straight. Wearing his uniform, he looked imposing.
He looked at Jian Fei and smiled sheepishly.
"I started after graduating from university. This is my sixth year. I heard you pursued a master's and then a doctorate. Have you started working?"
Heard?
Although Jian Fei had a crush on him in school, they hadn't interacted much, and they hadn't exchanged contact information.
How had he heard about her situation?
Seeing the person she had a crush on in the past standing in front of her, still so handsome, it was impossible not to feel something.
With his words, Jian Fei felt a little sweetness in her heart.
"I've started working, and I just began recently. At the Third Municipal Public Hospital."
"That's very good. Are you back for a holiday?"
"Yes."
"Perfect. Our class monitor from the third year of senior high school is getting married this month and wants to organize a reunion of old classmates before the wedding. Would you like to come?"
It was good to be back in a familiar place.
No matter how many years had passed without contact, meeting old classmates always brought back many shared memories and made it easy to reconnect.
Jian Fei didn't know what she looked like now, but she certainly wasn't looking her best.
Jiang Chuan not only showed no disdain for her but also invited her to the class reunion, so she couldn't find a reason to refuse.
"Sure. When is it? Please let me know then."
They took the opportunity to exchange contact information.
Her grandmother called, asking what was going on and why they hadn't come back yet to eat.
Jian Fei knew she couldn't hide it and briefly explained the situation to her.
Her grandmother was worried and wanted to bring her sister over.
Jian Fei said it wasn't necessary, "You won't be able to help much if you come, and it's inconvenient to travel back and forth."
Jiang Chuan, watching her from the side, interjected.
"Why don't I go back with you to pick them up? I have my car."
It seemed a bit improper to pick someone up in an official car, and he had already been delayed for a long time.
Jian Fei was about to refuse, but Jiang Chuan didn't give her the chance.
He familiarly pushed her from behind, and they walked out.
Picking someone up in a small county town was easy, and soon the group arrived at the hospital.
Jiang Chuan led them with a hurried pace. He stopped when he saw a middle-aged woman in a white coat.
"Mom."
Jian Fei followed his gaze and saw the woman with finely permed hair, dyed a light brown, and wearing light makeup.
Her features were clean, and she looked well-maintained.
She first looked at Jiang Chuan, then at them.
"You are..."
"Handling a case, and ran into a friend. We're taking them to find someone."
"Oh. Then you go ahead."
Just as they thought they would pass by, Jiang Chuan reached out and held his mother's arm.
"This is my classmate, Jian Fei. The one who always got first place in class."
Mother Jiang sized Jian Fei up with a probing gaze, then a look of realization dawned on her face, and she smiled.
"Oh, it's Jiang Chuan's old classmate, hello."
Jian Fei quickly stepped forward. "Hello, Auntie."
Mother Jiang smiled, "I work in orthopedics. If you need anything, feel free to come to me."
"Thank you, Auntie. Don't trouble yourself, you go ahead."
Mother Jiang didn't linger, nodded at them, and walked away elegantly.
Jiang Chuan accompanied them to the ward, explained the situation to Grandma, comforted her, and then took her back.
He also picked up some clean clothes and toiletries for Jian Fei's father.
With a house full of elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, Jian Fei was the only one who could manage at this critical moment.
She would be staying overnight at the hospital.
After tidying things up and preparing to get hot water to wash up, she asked Jiang Chuan to sit down and rest as well.
Just then, he received a phone call.
"Don't bother yourself, sit down and rest for a bit. I'll take this call and be right back."
Jian Fei nodded, her gaze following his retreating back to the door. Thinking about all he had done for her that afternoon, she felt a slight blush.
Her father noticed her subtle expression and quietly asked after Jiang Chuan had completely gone outside.
"Feifei. What's your relationship with Officer Jiang?"
Jian Fei understood his implication, and her face turned even redder.
"No particular relationship, just old classmates. We haven't been in touch for many years. We just happened to meet today."
"The young man is quite good, upright and capable. Does he have a girlfriend?"
She chided him playfully, "I already told you, we just met today, how would I know?"
Her father chuckled, "Alright. Then, when Dad gets out of the hospital, I'll ask someone to inquire about him."
Jian Fei's eyelids twitched at his words, and she quickly stopped him.
"What are you doing! Their family has such good conditions, and we're like this... You're not allowed to talk nonsense!"
Even though her family's conditions weren't good, Jian Fei had always excelled in her studies from childhood to adulthood. In her father's eyes, she was more than a match for a young officer.
"You're a girl, when it comes to marriage, it's not about family conditions, but your own merits."
"You're beautiful, have a good personality, are pure-hearted, highly educated, and have a good job. Whoever marries you is lucky. Why be self-conscious?"