Chapter 1355
took out a thick stack of...
She vaguely sensed that an invisible net had been cast over the area, and that the law here seemed to be controlled by some force!
She didn't give up. Clinging to her last glimmer of hope, she ran into the police station building and went through several reception windows and departments on the first floor, telling everyone she met that Luo Fei had acted bravely and had been wronged.
However, the replies she received were almost always the same.
"This is not our responsibility. Go find the person in charge."
"The case is still under investigation, and we cannot disclose any specific details."
"Little girl, stop making a scene here, it's no use, go back."
"Reporting won't help; facts and evidence speak for themselves."
Every indifferent response felt like a bucket of cold water poured over her heart.
She was extremely anxious, yet felt a deep sense of powerlessness.
In the unfamiliar city of Dongguan, she had no relatives or friends. Apart from Uncle Zhang and Sister Na, she didn't know anyone.
At this moment, Zhang Shuna is in dire straits herself. Who can she turn to for help? Who can stand against the Xue family, who can even influence the police station?
A sense of utter despair, as if she had cried out to heaven and earth in vain, enveloped her tightly.
……
On the other hand, after compromising, Uncle Zhang and Sister Na first went home and rummaged through their belongings to scrape together some money. Then they went to the fruit shop to buy the most expensive fruit basket and to the flower shop to buy a bouquet of flowers.
Carrying this "apology" gift, they drove to Songhu Hospital in Dongguan City, located in the western part of the city, following the address they had found out.
This hospital is renowned for its beautiful environment and high-end facilities, especially its VIP ward, which is comparable to a five-star hotel. The couple asked for directions along the way and finally found the separate VIP building where Xue Shihao was located.
Standing before the heavy, unlocked hospital room door, the two men exchanged a glance, both seeing tension, humiliation, and a hint of fear in each other's eyes. Uncle Zhang took a deep breath, as if heading to his execution, and gently pushed open the door.
Inside the door was an extremely spacious and luxuriously decorated living room, with soft wool carpets, expensive mahogany furniture, and a huge LCD TV. It was more like the living room of a luxury apartment than a hospital room.
As soon as they entered the living room, they heard a series of suppressed, strange breathing sounds coming from the direction of the bedroom.
Immediately afterwards, a young nurse wearing a white uniform, but with heavy makeup and slightly disheveled hair, walked quickly out of the room with her head down and her cheeks flushed. She brushed past Mr. and Mrs. Zhang and hurriedly left the ward.
This scene made Uncle Zhang and his wife even more embarrassed and uncomfortable.
The two steeled themselves and walked to the door of the inner bedroom. The bedroom door was ajar, and the sound of a cell phone playing loudly from inside was the kind of obscene intimate sounds between a man and a woman.
With trembling hands, Sister Na gently knocked on the door.
"Come in."
From inside came Xue Shihao's familiar yet repulsive voice, lazy and with a hint of mockery.
The couple pushed open the door and went inside.
Xue Shih-hao was lying on the large hospital bed, his right hand in a cast and sling across his chest, while his left hand held up a mobile phone, on which was playing obscene videos with the sound blasting out loud, without any attempt to conceal it.
He didn't even turn down the volume. His gaze swept over the landlady, Sister Na, who had just entered, with great interest before finally settling on Uncle Zhang, whose face was ashen.
He seemed completely unsurprised by their arrival, not even looking up, his eyes still glued to his phone screen, as he spoke slowly.
"Oh, you've arrived? I've been waiting for you for ages."
He paused, his tone carrying a sense of superiority that suggested he was in complete control, and gestured with his chin toward Sister Na.
"Boss lady, come in and have a seat. I knew you would come begging to me sooner or later, but I didn't expect... it to happen so soon."
Na forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace, carried the fruit basket and held the flowers, and carefully walked in, bending over as she spoke.
"Young Master Xue...we...we've come to see you..."
Uncle Zhang followed him in, but the expression on his face was extremely ugly. Especially when he saw Xue Shihao staring at that thing so brazenly in front of his wife, a strong sense of humiliation and anger rushed to his head, and his fists clenched involuntarily.
Sister Na keenly sensed her husband's emotions and, fearing that he might act impulsively and ruin things again, she quickly and quietly reached out and tugged at his clothes, reminding him in a pleading voice that could be heard only by the two of them.
"Old Zhang... watch your emotions... don't forget why we're here..."
Sister Na's pleading reminder was like a needle pricking Uncle Zhang's heart, instantly bringing him to his senses.
He clenched his teeth tightly, forcibly suppressing the anger that was about to burst forth, but his face was still so gloomy that it could drip water.
The atmosphere in the ward was unusually tense and oppressive due to Uncle Zhang's undisguised anger and Xue Shihao's unbridled attitude.
Na Jie tried her best to maintain a stiff smile and handed forward the carefully selected bouquet of flowers in her arms, attempting to break the suffocating silence.
"Young Master Xue, these flowers... I hope you recover soon..."
Xue Shih-hao didn't even lift his eyelids, still staring at his phone screen, as if the bouquet of flowers was air, and made no attempt to reach out and take it.
With her arm dangling in mid-air, Na Jie's smile vanished, replaced by utter embarrassment.
She awkwardly withdrew her hand and carefully placed the flowers on the bedside table next to her, which was filled with imported fruits.
Uncle Zhang silently placed the expensive fruit basket he was carrying heavily next to the flowers, making a muffled sound as a silent protest.
Xue Shihao finally looked away from his phone screen. He glanced at the couple standing in front of the bed, looking like they were being judged, and a mocking smile appeared on his lips. He got straight to the point and asked.
"Alright, enough with the formalities. Just tell me, what do you want?"
Sister Na took a deep breath, bent down, and spoke in the most humble tone possible.
"Young Master Xue, we...we've come here for two reasons. First, to apologize for the unpleasant incident at the shop this morning...second...second, to beg you to show mercy and give us ordinary folks a way to survive..."
Just then, the unbearable sounds coming from Xue Shihao's phone reached a climax. He cursed in frustration, then casually tossed the phone aside, letting it hit the soft blanket with a soft "plop".
He finally looked directly at the owners, his eyes filled with a playful, cat-and-mouse expression.
He didn't respond directly to Sister Na's pleas, but instead slowly took out several documents from behind his pillow.
When Uncle Zhang and Sister Na saw those documents clearly, their pupils suddenly contracted!
That was none other than the original interrogation record they made at the police station today, along with Ruan Jiaxin! It even had their red handprints on it!
"How...how could this be here with you?!"
Uncle Zhang could no longer contain himself and gasped in shock, his face filled with disbelief and astonishment.
"This is the original police report! How did you get it?!"
"hehe."
Xue Shih-hao smiled smugly, waving the notebook in his hand. His tone was nonchalant, yet it carried a chilling arrogance.
"In Dongguan, there's nothing I, Xue Shihao, can't get! Don't even mention a few statements; even your death certificates, if I want them, I can get them to you anytime!"
"Death...death certificate..."
Upon hearing those four words, Sister Na turned deathly pale, her body trembled uncontrollably, and she instinctively gripped her husband's arm. Xue Shihao was quite pleased with their fearful expressions. He casually tossed the transcript aside beside the bed and said leisurely.
"Apologize? Plead? Words alone won't do; you need to show some sincerity."
"Sincerity?"
Uncle Zhang and Sister Na were both stunned, not understanding what he meant.
Xue Shihao chuckled at their bewildered and fearful expressions, then reached into the bedside table drawer and pulled out a thick stack of hundred-yuan bills, sealed with a bank seal. Judging by the thickness, there were at least twenty or thirty thousand yuan.
He waved the stack of money in front of Uncle Zhang and Sister Na, and then, to their astonishment, he casually tossed it onto the clean floor of the ward!
The banknotes were scattered and spread all over the ground.
"Here, this money is for you to pay the fine, and also to buy some supplements to calm your nerves."
Xue Shih-hao said in a condescending tone that he deliberately threw the money on the ground to see if the couple would bend over backwards for the money.
Upon seeing the banknotes scattered on the ground, Sister Na's eyes widened instantly, and her breathing quickened.
That's a chance to get that 35,000 yuan fine!
She instinctively wanted to bend down and pick it up.
"do not move!"
Uncle Zhang suddenly grabbed her arm, his face ashen, and squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.
He felt this was a huge insult!
"What? You think it's too little? Or do you feel ashamed to pick up money?"
Xue Shihao leaned against the headboard and said lazily.
"Don't rush, this isn't over yet."
As he spoke, he pulled out another stack of papers from behind his pillow and casually tossed it next to the pile of banknotes.
"Sign that."
Xue Shih-hao pointed with his chin at the stack of papers.
"Once you sign, you can take the money on the ground. I can also consider...letting bygones be bygones regarding what happened before."
A strong sense of unease welled up in Uncle Zhang's heart. He stared intently at Xue Shihao, then slowly and with great difficulty bent down and picked up the stack of papers.
When he saw what was written on the paper, it felt as if all the blood in his body rushed to his head in an instant!
This is not their original statement at all!
This has been completely altered!
The above content distorts the truth, portraying Luo Fei's act of bravery as a conflict between him and Xue Shihao's suitors who were "competing for his affections"! It completely omits the crucial facts that Ruan Jiaxin slapped Xue Shihao and that Xue Shihao initiated the physical altercation!
Instead, they fabricated a story that Xue Shihao often went to the noodle shop to find Ruan Jiaxin, and that the two had a "pursuit and being pursued" relationship. The so-called "flirting" simply did not exist!
"you you……"
Uncle Zhang was so angry that he was trembling all over, his fingers gripping the thin pieces of paper tightly as if he wanted to crush them!
He raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, stared at Xue Shihao, and hissed.
"You're calling a deer a horse! You're turning black into white! You're clearly the perpetrators! Yet you're pretending to be the victims! And the good Samaritan who intervened is being portrayed as a thug?! Do you have any conscience at all?!"
"Snapped!"
Xue Shih-hao tossed a pen to Uncle Zhang's feet.
"Stop talking nonsense! Sign or not?"
Xue Shih-hao lost his patience, and his tone became cold and dangerous.
Uncle Zhang clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh, and he asked sternly.
"What if...we don't sign?"
"Not signing?"
Xue Shih-hao seemed to have heard something amusing, and he gave a sinister laugh.
"You'll have to bear the consequences yourself."
He sat up straight, his gaze fixed on Uncle Zhang like a venomous snake, his tone carrying an arrogant air of absolute control.
"Let me tell you, everything I'm doing right now is within the bounds of the law! Your noodle shop was fined for failing to meet hygiene standards; that's the result of an authoritative inspection by the health department!"
"Your run-down shop must cost over ten thousand a year in transfer fees and rent, right? Can you afford to close down for renovations?"
Seeing the sudden change in Uncle Zhang's expression, he continued to exert pressure, his words like heavy hammer blows striking the already fragile nerves of the couple.
"I can also tell you definitively that if you don't sign, I guarantee that even if your noodle shop is renovated into a Michelin-starred restaurant kitchen, it will absolutely not pass the hygiene inspection!"
"You'll never be able to open a business again in your lifetime!"
Uncle Zhang's expression changed completely. He knew that Xue Shihao definitely had the ability to do it!
Xue Shih-hao wasn't finished yet, and dropped another bombshell.
"Also, the kid who hit me has been criminally detained for intentional assault! My two brothers suffered severe brain damage and are still in the ICU. The doctor said that even if they wake up, they will most likely be in a vegetative state!"
This crime is enough to land him a lifetime in jail!
"Criminal detention...ICU...vegetative state..."
As Uncle Zhang and Sister Na listened to these words, they felt a chill creep up their spines from their heels to the top of their heads!
They had no doubt about the truthfulness of Xue Shih-hao's words.
They finally believed that there were indeed some people in this world whom ordinary people like them could absolutely not afford to offend!
The harsh reality, the pressure to survive, and the fear of the Xue family's power were like three mountains that completely crushed the last bit of perseverance and courage in Uncle Zhang's heart.
In the suffocating silence, under Xue Shiye's mocking and triumphant gaze, Uncle Zhang seemed to age ten years in an instant. He hunched over and, extremely slowly, bent over once again.
This time, with trembling hands, he picked up the banknotes scattered on the ground.
Xue Shihao's face revealed an undisguised victorious smile. He pointed to the pen and the forged record on the ground and urged them on.
"That's right! A wise person knows when to yield! Sign the papers quickly, take the money back, and earn tuition fees for the kids is the most important thing!"
Uncle Zhang didn't look at Xue Shihao again. He numbly picked up the pen and signed his name on the forged transcript that distorted the truth.
Each stroke felt like a knife carving into one's own heart.
……
Holding the stack of banknotes stained with humiliation, Uncle Zhang and Sister Na left the hospital like zombies.
Neither of them spoke until they were seated in the nearly ten-year-old Cheetah car. (End of Chapter)