Chapter 1373
The Beauty is Forced to Offer Herself!
Tell me first.
Xue Shih-hao stared at her face, which had instantly lost all color, his tone suddenly turning cold and carrying an interrogative tone.
"Who exactly is this Luo Fei to you? Is he your lover? Your mistress? Or some reckless, clueless bodyguard you found somewhere?"
"He...he's not..."
Ruan Jiaxin tried to explain, her voice trembling.
"He was just... just a kind person who couldn't stand you... you guys were bullying people, so he intervened. I didn't know him at all before."
"Don't you recognize me?"
Xue Shih-hao clearly didn't believe him, and he increased the pressure on his hand, making Ruan Jiaxin's wrist ache.
"You don't even know him, yet you beat me and my brothers to death for your sake? Ruan Jiaxin, are you treating me like a three-year-old? It seems you have no sincerity at all."
As he spoke, he made a gesture with his other hand as if to press the call button on the bedside table.
"Never mind then, you can go."
As for Luo Fei, the evidence of intentional injury causing serious harm is conclusive; he'll be spending the rest of his life in jail. Oh, maybe... if the circumstances are particularly serious and the impact particularly egregious, he might just get a piece of his mind.
"do not want!"
Ruan Jiaxin cried out, overwhelmed by immense fear.
She didn't know how much of Xue Shihao's words were threatening, but she dared not gamble. Luo Fei had been dragged into this undeserved disaster because of her, and she absolutely could not stand by and watch him head towards the worst possible outcome.
Her struggle weakened, and her voice broke into a desperate sob.
“I’m telling the truth… I really didn’t know him before… It was the day you stopped me at the entrance of ‘Jingyixuan’ that he first appeared… Young Master Xue, I beg you, please be magnanimous and don’t hold it against him… What will it take for you to let him go? I… I’m willing to do anything to make amends…”
"anything?"
Xue Shihao caught the word, and a lewd light shone brightly in his eyes. He released his hand from the call button and instead lightly ran his fingertips across Ruan Jiaxin's cold hand.
"You said it yourself. 'Anything'... including right now, right here, to 'serve' me well and satisfy me?"
The explicit and filthy words were like poisoned needles, piercing Ruan Jiaxin's ears, making her body stiffen and her blood seem to freeze.
She looked up and met Xue Shihao's eyes, which were filled with desire and a thirst for control. The meaning in those eyes was crystal clear. A sense of shame burned through her body like lava, and tears finally welled up uncontrollably, swirling in her eyes.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out; only endless sorrow and grief for her powerless fate remained.
Seeing tears streaming down Ruan Jiaxin's pale face, her pitiful appearance did not arouse Xue Shihao's pity at all; instead, it excited him even more.
He enjoys watching these pure and stubborn girls gradually break down and give in front of him.
"What? You don't want to?"
Xue Shih-hao deliberately put on a stern face.
"Then there's nothing to discuss."
The door's over there, go out yourself. But once you walk out that door, you'll never have another chance. Your 'kind person,' just wait for the verdict."
On one side is innocence and dignity, and on the other is the only chance to save Luo Fei.
Ruan Jiaxin's heart was in turmoil.
She remembered Luo Fei's back as he stood in front of her, his calm gaze as he was taken away, the noodle shop owner's timidity, the menacing presence of the high walls and electric fences of the detention center… All of this weighed heavily on the "saving Luo Fei" end. The debt of gratitude was as high as a mountain, the guilt as deep as the sea, and it seemed that all she had was this still-young body before her, a pitiful bargaining chip for exchange.
After a long, heartbreaking silence, Ruan Jiaxin seemed to have lost her soul, her eyes becoming empty and desperate.
She nodded very slightly, almost imperceptibly.
This seemingly small movement, however, exhausted all her strength and perseverance.
A triumphant and arrogant smile spread across Xue Shihao's face.
"That's right, those who know when to yield are the wise ones."
He released Ruan Jiaxin's wrist, leisurely adjusted his posture, patted his body covered by a thin blanket, and gave the order.
"Then what are we waiting for? Do it yourself."
Let me see just how 'sensible' our beautiful Ruan really is.
Ruan Jiaxin closed her eyes, and two lines of clear tears slid down her cheeks.
Her hand trembled as she reached for the first button of her blouse… Inside the ward, only suppressed sobs and Xue Shihao’s increasingly heavy breathing remained, while the bright sunlight outside the window could not penetrate the deliberately locked door, a symbol of depravity and transaction.
Just as Ruan Jiaxin was forced to take that step amidst humiliation and despair, dozens of kilometers away at the Xishan Detention Center, the world within its high walls continued to operate according to its strict rhythm. Inside cell 206, however, the atmosphere was somewhat unusual.
After recounting his unbelievable injustice to Luo Fei—how he went from being a driver for Education Bureau Director He Wenbin for several years to being framed for "choosing the wrong side" and discovering a secret he shouldn't have, with a "particularly large number" of replica guns found in his home, and ultimately sentenced to death—Zhou Shaokang, as if completely exhausted, leaned against the cold wall, only heavy breathing and tears of fear and anticipation remaining in his eyes.
His account was fragmented, and some details had become blurred due to the fear at the time and the despair that followed, but the core injustice and the key figure, He Wenbin, were clearly presented.
Luo Fei listened quietly, his face expressionless, only his unfathomable eyes occasionally flashing with a sharp light. Only after Zhou Shaokang finished speaking and fell silent, leaving only the suppressed breathing of the other inmates in the cell, did Luo Fei slowly speak. His voice was not loud, but it carried a strange penetrating power.
"So, it was because you saw things you shouldn't have seen and knew people you shouldn't have known that your former boss, Director He Wenbin, treated you as a hidden danger that had to be eliminated, and used this 'ironclad case' to completely shut you up."
Zhou Shaokang nodded vigorously, tears welling up in his eyes again.
“Yes… I never touched those guns. I had no idea how they ended up in the ceiling of my house… During the trial, all the evidence was against me, and my lawyer couldn’t do anything… I appealed, but… it was quickly dismissed…”
As he spoke, he became excited again.
"Officer Luo, I'm truly innocent! I don't care if I die, but what about my elderly mother and my daughter Niu Niu...? What will happen to them?! He Wenbin and his gang are trying to wipe us all out!"
Luo Fei didn't immediately comfort him, but instead fell into a brief moment of thought. The dim light in the cell illuminated his sharply defined profile, outlining a calm and composed silhouette.
After a while, he looked up at Zhou Shaokang and asked.
"You just said that those replica guns were assessed as 'capable of causing injury,' but strictly speaking, their power wasn't particularly great, right?"
"Yes...the lawyer tried to argue that it didn't meet the criteria of 'particularly serious circumstances,' but it was no use...the court didn't take his advice at all."
Zhou Shaokang wiped his face.
"This is getting interesting."
A faint, cold smile curved Luo Fei's lips.
"There is room for manipulation in the identification and sentencing standards for replica guns."
But to put a former driver who knew many of his secrets on the verge of immediate execution just for this reason—Director He's ruthlessness and determination are truly remarkable. Moreover, pushing this case to this point couldn't have been accomplished by the education bureau director alone. He must have bribed at least a few key figures in the courts, the procuratorate… or they must be on his side.”
He paused, as if talking to himself, or perhaps to Zhou Shaokang.
"It seems that the waters of Dongguan are deeper and more murky than I thought."
From the police station and detention center to the education bureau, and then to the court… the problems are truly interconnected and deeply entrenched.
Zhou Shaokang couldn't understand Luo Fei's later reflections on the "turbid waters"; he was only eager to know if he had any hope.
"Officer Luo, what... what should I do? Can... can you help me? You said you are..."
He didn't dare say what he was going to say next, but the expectation in his eyes was almost overflowing.
Luo Fei glanced at him, his gaze calm yet powerful, which calmed Zhou Shaokang's wildly beating heart a little.
"Helping you is also helping myself to understand the situation here."
Luo Fei said, his tone regaining its calm and logical quality.
"However, before taking any action, I need to meet with Director He Wenbin, who managed to get his former driver sentenced to death."
"To see He Wenbin?"
Zhou Shaokang was stunned, thinking he had misheard.
"Officer Luo, you... how can you see him from here? How... how could he possibly come to see you?"
He thought the idea was too far-fetched.
One is a suspect in custody, reportedly imprisoned for assault, and the other is the powerful director of the city's education bureau. Their statuses are worlds apart, and they are in completely unequal circumstances. How could they possibly meet so easily?
Luo Fei didn't explain, he just said it calmly.
"You don't need to worry about that. Give me his phone number."
Zhou Shaokang was even more confused, but he still subconsciously recited a string of numbers.
He knew this number all too well. As a former driver, he had to be available to respond to He Wenbin's calls at any time, and he had dialed this number countless times.
Now, when I read it aloud, it carries with it a deep-seated hatred and fear.
Luo Fei noted down the number and nodded. Just then, the small window on the cell door was pushed open, and a police officer on duty routinely peered inside. Luo Fei immediately stood up, walked to the door, and waved to the officer.
"Officer, could you please help me?"
The police officers recognized Luo Fei and knew that he was a "somewhat special" detainee. Even Director Wang seemed to be somewhat wary of him, so they stopped and asked him through the door.
"what's up?"
Luo Fei's tone was very ordinary, even a little polite, but what he said stunned the police officer, Zhou Shaokang, and everyone else in the cell who had been listening intently.
"I'd like to borrow your phone for a moment to make a call."
Borrow a phone? In the detention center? To the on-duty police officer? This request was unheard of, utterly absurd! Zhou Shaokang's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and the other detainees exchanged bewildered glances, thinking Luo Fei had gone mad.
The police officer was visibly taken aback, and his face immediately darkened.
"Nonsense!"
"Where is this place? Don't you know the rules? You can't just lend your phone anywhere!"
He felt offended and his tone became stern.
Luo Fei seemed to have anticipated his reaction and was not in a hurry. Instead, he moved closer and whispered a few words through the small window in the door, in a volume that only the two of them could hear.
As he spoke, he calmly looked into the eyes of the police officer.
Something magic happened.
The anger and sternness on the police officer's face faded rapidly upon hearing Luo Fei's whisper, replaced by disbelief and astonishment, followed by deep apprehension and hesitation.
He scrutinized Luo Fei closely, his gaze shifting as if weighing something extremely important. The cell was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; everyone held their breath, watching this eerie scene unfold.
A few seconds later, the police officer did something that made everyone's jaws drop.
He actually took out a cell phone from his uniform trouser pocket, unlocked it after a few taps, hesitated for a moment, and finally handed it in through the small window, his tone becoming unusually polite, even a little cautious.
"Then...then hurry up and use it. Call me when you're done."
After saying that, he actually took two steps back, with his back to the cell door, as if he were helping to keep watch.
This scene completely overturned Zhou Shaokang and others' understanding.
They glanced at the phone that had been handed to them, a symbol of connection to the outside world and a huge risk of violating regulations; then at Luo Fei, who calmly accepted the phone; and finally at the police officers outside the door with their backs to them. They felt as if their worldview had been completely shattered.
Who exactly is this Luo Fei? How could a few words make the on-duty police officer at the detention center risk so much to lend him his personal cell phone?
Ignoring the horrified stares behind him, Luo Fei took out his phone, skillfully entered the number provided by Zhou Shaokang, and then pressed the dial button.
The beeping sound of the waiting connection was particularly clear in the silent cell.
The phone rang seven or eight times, and just as it was about to hang up automatically, it was finally answered.
A middle-aged man's slightly deep voice, tinged with official jargon and impatience, came through.
"Hello, who is it?"
It was He Wenbin.
Luo Fei spoke, his voice steady and calm, yet carrying a sharp edge that pierced straight to the core.
"He Wenbin, Director He. The one from the Municipal Education Bureau, right?"
The person on the other end of the phone was clearly taken aback, seemingly not expecting the owner of this unfamiliar number to so directly state his identity and position, and their impatience grew even stronger.
"It's me. Who are you? What do you want?"
He probably thought it was some ignorant subordinate or someone asking for a favor.
Luo Fei didn't answer who he was, but instead dropped the first bombshell in a calm, factual tone.
"It's nothing serious."
I just wanted to talk to you about the relationship between you and Mayor Chen's wife, Li Wanru, that's not something Mayor Chen should know about. Oh, and by the way, there's Mayor Chen's youngest son who just started elementary school this year. I heard he doesn't look much like Mayor Chen, but his features do resemble Director He's somewhat. I wonder if Mayor Chen has carefully compared the paternity test report? (End of Chapter)