Chapter 58

Ma Guoqing's heart was in turmoil. This Liu Handong was truly a man of great fortune, able to get into three fights in a week and actually turn it into a promising future by connecting with the head of the Public Security Bureau. For a grassroots police officer, the bureau chief was like a god. A casual word from him could benefit someone for life.

Liu Handong was a veteran, not lacking in qualifications, tall and strong, skilled in shooting and martial arts, making him a qualified police officer. However, Ma Guoqing, who had been a police officer all his life, knew the hardships of grassroots police work and genuinely did not want his daughter to marry a police officer.

Sigh, let it be. His daughter had a fiery temper and could not be controlled.

...

Some were happy, some were worried. Ma Guoqing's concerns were a mix of pain and joy, but the Xia family was truly facing a major crisis.

Originally, everything was going smoothly. They had altered their son's age to 17, downplaying the incident, suppressing all public opinion, and after a few months, no one would remember it. However, the situation changed overnight. Newspapers, television, and the internet were flooded with reports of "Xia Mou" driving under the influence and causing a death, as well as the revelation that the police station had altered the household registration to escape punishment.

Xia Zhou, who had been released on bail, was enjoying himself at an entertainment club when the police burst in, handcuffed him, and placed him under criminal detention. Television reporters were also present, filming the entire scene.

Upon receiving the news, Xia Baishi urgently called all his acquaintances for help, but no one was willing to step in. They all made excuses and tried to distance themselves. Xia Baishi sent Sun Zhonghai to gather information and finally obtained useful intelligence: the sudden change was due to the highest level of the provincial Public Security Bureau demanding a thorough investigation.

"When did I offend Song Jianfeng?" Xia Baishi was puzzled.

More bad news followed. The leadership of the Wenquan Town Police Station was completely dismantled, with the chief and political instructor both placed under criminal detention. Of course, it was not just because of the age alteration; there were other criminal acts involved. This was a critical moment, and no one dared to take the risk.

Xia Zhou was sent to the detention center, facing various unknown and dark prospects. Xia Baishi's wife cried and begged her husband to find a way to save their son, but Xia Baishi's resources were limited, and his drinking buddies were unwilling to help. After much thought, he finally picked up the phone and dialed a number he was reluctant to call...

After receiving the promise of help, Xia Baishi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xia Zhou's days in the detention center were not as bitter as before. No one beat him, and no one violated him.

...

These were the most comfortable days for Liu Handong. He had secured a job, just waiting for the notification. Once this was confirmed, all other issues would be resolved. During this time, he still drove a black car at the entrance of the Traffic Technology College, not for money but to pass the time.

Kan Wanlin and others fully accepted Liu Handong, treating him as a brother and helping each other with business. These black car drivers were from the rural areas of Jiangbei, forming gangs to compete with regular taxis and playing guerrilla warfare with the transportation authorities. Their wives lived in rental houses on the outskirts of the city, engaging in various jobs, while their children were mostly left in their hometowns to be cared for by grandparents, returning only during the Spring Festival.

Ling Zijie continued his daily investigations on Tiesha Street. He not only recorded the stories of Sister Mei and Lan Huanxi but also interviewed other workers in the hair salons, gathering a large amount of firsthand information.

As for Hua Deyi and Hua Bao, they had not been seen since Zhao Yufeng's arrest, reportedly fleeing to avoid trouble. Sister Mei was relieved and continued her business, strangely, the police did not come to cause trouble as often.

In Sister Mei's hair salon, Ling Zijie took several close-up photos of Huanxi with his DSLR camera. He was a photography expert, skillfully using light to create a simple and rustic atmosphere. Huanxi, sitting on a stool, looked lost, like a white lotus in a desolate pond in autumn.

Just as he finished taking the photos, Song Shuang and Zhu Pengpeng arrived. They had established a new association at Jiang University to support and protect sex workers, raising some funds and buying several boxes of condoms. However, they were too embarrassed to distribute them themselves, so they asked Sister Mei to do it. They also distributed a large number of brochures on how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.

"I represent them in thanking the students of Jiang University for their help," Ling Zijie said sincerely.

"This is also our social practice. Helping the disadvantaged is the responsibility of every member of society," Song Shuang said confidently.

Ling Zijie sighed, "These things are not easy for girls to do, especially with your good family backgrounds, yet you are willing to help these people. You have earned my respect."

Pengpeng said, "We are also inspired by you. By the way, when are you going back to Beijing? We can send you off."

Ling Zijie said, "I am in my senior year, and I have plenty of time. This project will take three months, but I won't be in Jinjiang the whole time. Next, I plan to go to Dongguan for further investigation."

"May you succeed," Song Shuang extended her hand.

"Thank you." Ling Zijie shook hands with Song Shuang and then with Pengpeng.

Suddenly, Song Shuang's phone rang. It was a message from the Small Animal Association, asking her to come.

"Oh, the association has something, I'll go first." Song Shuang left, and Ling Zijie, seeing that it was almost time, also took a ride with Zhu Pengpeng back to the city's youth hostel to organize his materials.

Song Shuang took a taxi to Grandma Sun's house, which was an important base for the Small Animal Protection Association. Many abandoned cats and dogs were housed there, with over 200 animals, mostly cats, making it difficult to walk.

When she arrived at the building, the girls from the association rushed over, telling her that Grandma Sun's grandson had brought a group of people to forcibly take over the house, evicting the stray cats and dogs and trying to drive Grandma Sun out.

"How can this be!" Song Shuang was furious. She knew the basic situation: Grandma Sun was a widow who, at the age of fifty, had adopted an abandoned baby boy, registered him as her grandson, and named him Sun Xiaoyang. She had raised him with great hardship, but he turned out to be a good-for-nothing, idle, and even had designs on the old lady's only property.

Song Shuang went straight into the house, where a group of men were moving broken tables and chairs out, kicking any cats that got in their way. Grandma Sun was heartbroken. A thin man sat on the sofa, smoking and playing with his phone, ignoring everything.

"Xiaoyang, please, just give me a few more days," Grandma Sun pleaded.

"Grandma, raising these cats and dogs is not good for your health. Clearing the house will make it cleaner and better for your health," Sun Xiaoyang said, his head down, playing a game on his phone.

"Xiaoyang, I have no other joy, just these little animals. They are my companions. You only come back a few times a year..."

Sun Xiaoyang, impatient, said, "You have so many stray cats, the house smells terrible. The neighbors can't stand it. I can't even come back to live. Do you want me to share a bed with stray cats?"

Song Shuang stepped forward and asked sternly, "What are you doing? What right do you have to drive Grandma Sun out? This is her house!"

Sun Xiaoyang looked at Song Shuang without surprise, took out a large red property deed from his bag, and said, "Little girl, look carefully. Whose house is this?"

The property deed clearly showed Sun Xiaoyang's name, registered just last week.

"Xiaoyang, what's this property deed?" Grandma Sun was stunned.

"It's just a property deed," Sun Xiaoyang put the deed back in his bag.

Grandma Sun turned around, trembling, opened the cabinet, and searched for her property deed, but of course, she could not find it. The old deed had been taken away.

"You... you..." Grandma Sun, both angry and anxious, clutched her chest and sat on the ground.

Song Shuang quickly helped the old lady, took out a box of heart-saving pills from the bedside, and gave them to Grandma Sun. Sun Xiaoyang continued smoking, looking up at the ceiling, and ignored everything.

"Sun Xiaoyang, you are defrauding Grandma Sun's property. This is a crime!" Song Shuang shouted.

Sun Xiaoyang flicked the ash off his cigarette, "Say whatever you want. I have a power of attorney, and the property deed is issued by the housing bureau, completely legal. This house is mine now. I can make anyone leave!"

Song Shuang immediately took out her phone and called 110, reporting a fraud.

Sun Xiaoyang was not afraid. He had already consulted a lawyer and knew that the other party had no chance of winning.

Within five minutes, the police from the local station arrived. Upon hearing it was a property dispute, they understood the situation. After seeing the property deed presented by Sun Xiaoyang, they said the police had no authority to intervene. They suggested either filing a lawsuit or seeking mediation from community officials.

Sun Xiaoyang, smug, said, "What can you do? I am a law-abiding citizen. This is my house. I can ask you to leave, or I can report you for breaking and entering."

Song Shuang and the others left the house in anger, and Grandma Sun was also forced out. The neighbors gathered outside, watching the commotion, but no one spoke up for Grandma Sun. In fact, the old lady's many cats and dogs had caused significant inconvenience to the neighbors, with the smell of animal waste and constant noise making life unbearable.

Grandma Sun sat on a broken sofa outside, tears welling up, watching her beloved animals being driven out, her heart breaking.

Song Shuang was at a loss, her mind in chaos. She understood the police's dilemma. Although Sun Xiaoyang was despicable, he had exploited a legal loophole, and no one could do anything about it.

Right, if the law cannot punish the wicked, let a more wicked person do it! Song Shuang took out her phone and dialed Liu Handong's number.