Su Yue

"Little Ma, someone is trafficking a young girl here, come over quickly. Mm, I'm at the scene."

"Okay, the location is……"

Lan Mu quickly stated the location and hung up the phone.

The middle-aged man stood up, covering his nose, which was still bleeding.

"You're calling for backup?"

Lan Mu spread his hands. "Call the police! It's best to let the police handle this!"

The middle-aged couple glanced at each other. The woman said, "This is our family matter, what do you want?"

"I'm her paternal aunt! I raised her for over ten years, and now I'm finding her a man to date…"

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't tell me that." Lan Mu directly interrupted her.

Then he said, "You say you're her aunt, so you are? Do you two look like relatives at all?"

"She's so young, and her eyesight isn't good. I don't know if you're setting her up on a date or forcing her into prostitution, but I know you're not her parents, so I have every reason to suspect you're trafficking her."

The middle-aged woman shouted, "Of course I'm her aunt, ask her yourself if you don't believe me!"

Lan Mu looked at Su Yue, who was hiding behind him at the moment.

"Are these two your relatives?"

Su Yue kept her eyes shut, lowered her head, and remained silent.

Lan Mu understood immediately. He guessed that these two were indeed her aunt and uncle, but they treated her poorly and forced her to go on dates, which was why she ran out to find her mother.

However, since the girl wouldn't speak, she clearly didn't want to go back. She was very shrewd and said nothing, neither confirming nor denying.

Lan Mu understood. "Well, she didn't say you were her relatives. Don't think about taking her away. Let's wait for the police!"

After that, no matter what the couple said, he ignored them.

Later, when they tried to resort to force and take Su Yue away, they couldn't get past Lan Mu, who stood in front of them like a mountain.

About five or six minutes later, Fatty Ma arrived at the scene in a police car.

He got out and saw Lan Mu confronting a couple. "This alley looks like a place for human trafficking."

Lan Mu chuckled and offered Ma Xiang a cigarette.

Ma Xiang took it but didn't smoke. The middle-aged man also took out a cigarette to offer, but Ma Xiang refused. "No! Don't try to bribe me!"

The middle-aged man choked and realized that this police officer was in cahoots with Lan Mu.

After listening to Lan Mu explain the situation, Ma Xiang didn't say much to the couple. He directly said, "Let's go, stop making a scene here. We'll talk about it properly at the station."

The middle-aged woman seemed a bit uneasy and said with a smile, "Officer, this is our family matter. This girl is my brother's child. I'm taking her home. The police can't interfere with that, right?"

Ma Xiang's face turned stern, and he had quite an imposing presence. "Whether the police can interfere or not isn't up to you. I responded to a report, so don't talk nonsense. Let's go to the station."

The couple had no choice but to get into the police car.

They sat in the back seat with Lan Mu, while Su Yue sat alone in the passenger seat.

Ma Xiang looked at Su Yue with curiosity, but with outsiders present, he didn't say much to Lan Mu.

Soon, they arrived at the Helou Police Station. Once inside, this place was quite useful for ordinary citizens. Before long, the situation was clarified.

After checking the records, Ma Xiang told Lan Mu, "They are indeed the girl's aunt and uncle, and they are her guardians. Su Yue's parents are both deceased, and her blindness is congenital."

"This girl finished her compulsory education at a school for the blind and then stopped attending school. She stayed at their house every day and couldn't find work. After all, no one wants to hire a blind employee."

"Today, she turned eighteen, almost nineteen. Without any income, she was just eating their food every day, so the couple decided to find her a man to marry."

"Brother Mu, we can't do anything about this. The law doesn't say you can't force a child into marriage. So many parents across the country force their children into arranged marriages, and no one calls the police for it. The police can at most offer a few words of advice."

Lan Mu frowned and asked, "Then what about the girl saying she was forced into prostitution? What's that about?"

Ma Xiang said, "The couple claims it's baseless slander. The child doesn't understand things and mistook dating for prostitution."

"Child? Stop always saying 'the couple claims.' Did you even ask the girl her own opinion? She's an adult now. Even if she's blind, she has basic judgment about things. Are you only listening to one side? I'm telling you, that couple isn't good people. I could tell at a glance." Lan Mu said sternly.

"Yes, yes, yes. I haven't asked yet, I just rushed to report to you, Brother Mu." Ma Xiang chuckled.

Lan Mu snorted. "Are you the police or am I? What are you reporting to me for? Handle your case."

Despite saying this, Lan Mu was still worried about Su Yue and followed Ma Xiang to where Su Yue was sitting.

Su Yue was holding a cup of water and sitting quietly on a chair. Her calm and gentle demeanor formed a stark contrast with the noisy police station, as if the clamor of the entire world had nothing to do with her. At this moment, she appeared so ethereal.

A female police officer was beside her, answering questions as they were asked.

Ma Xiang greeted the female officer and sat down, asking, "Tang Jing, how's the questioning going?"

The female officer, Tang Jing, said, "Her name is Su Yue. She dropped out of school at fifteen and has been doing housework for her aunt's family ever since. She does all the chores for their household, including laundry, cooking, cleaning, and even massages."

Ma Xiang exclaimed, "That harsh? She's been doing it all this time?"

Tang Jing glanced at him. "There's more. This family dislikes her very much. Although she's the child of that woman's younger brother, her uncle died long ago. Her aunt raised her until she was five and then entrusted her to this family."

"Why?" Ma Xiang asked.

"Because her mother…" Tang Jing glanced at Su Yue, drew a line on her notepad with her pen, referencing a piece of information she had just found.

Lan Mu leaned in to look and learned that her mother had died of cancer a long time ago.

Ma Xiang whispered, "She doesn't know yet?"

Tang Jing replied in an almost inaudible voice, "Her aunt has told her many times, but she just refuses to believe it."

Then Tang Jing spoke in a normal voice, "This family usually abuses her. They think she just eats for free and is useless. Since she's not their own child, they hit and scold her often. They don't act like relatives at all!"

"Su Yue grew up and became more and more beautiful by the time she was eighteen. This family then saw her as a cash cow. They figured since she couldn't find a job anyway, why not let her do..."

Lan Mu, who had been listening nearby, finally said angrily, "Let her sell herself?"

Tang Jing glanced at Lan Mu. Ma Xiang explained, "He's my buddy, it's fine."

Tang Jing continued, "This girl said her hearing is very sensitive. She overheard the couple secretly discussing in their room, using their own home as a discreet location, to find men under the guise of matchmaking. Then they'd have her entertain guests. The price for the first time was twenty thousand, and they said someone would like the 'blind girl' vibe."

"What the hell! And then?" Lan Mu growled.

Tang Jing sighed, "This girl is very stubborn. After hearing that, she naturally wouldn't let them control her. She waited until her uncle went to work and secretly ran out alone, wanting to find her mother by herself. It's a pity she's blind and rarely goes out. She didn't get far before the couple found her."

"Sigh..." Ma Xiang sighed. Even he felt sorry for the girl.

Lan Mu's anger flared even more. To have such relatives, they deserved to die.

"Ma Xiang, no matter what, you can't let this girl go back there. That couple has committed a crime. Are you police going to do anything?"

After hearing Lan Mu's words, Ma Xiang gave a wry smile. "There's no evidence. Let alone that this is just what the girl heard, even if she recorded it, it would be useless. The couple could completely say they were just joking. After all, this hasn't constituted any criminal act."

Lan Mu became even more enraged upon hearing this. His eyes widened, and just as he was about to speak, Tang Jing, who was beside him, suddenly slammed the table and said, "Fatty, do you have any sympathy at all? I really don't know how you got into the police force!"

Ma Xiang looked wronged and said, "Tang Jing, am I wrong? Are you going to detain that couple based solely on her one-sided account?"

Tang Jing, who looked like a lady, was terrifying when she got fierce. "Are you stupid! This family beat and scolded her. You can completely say they committed domestic violence. Su Yue is an adult, so all she needs to prove is her ability to live independently. No one can force her to go back to their home."

"She's blind, how can she live independently?" Ma Xiang was speechless. "Even if you get her an ID card, it won't help! That couple are her guardians, and the girl doesn't even have a job. Where do you expect her to move?"

Tang Jing was silenced. Although Su Yue was an adult, she was a blind girl. In such special circumstances, without a suitable and legitimate reason, the police couldn't force her guardians to take her home.

"It's just a job, I'll help her find one!" Lan Mu, who had understood everything, said directly from the side.

Tang Jing sized up Lan Mu. "You? What kind of job are you going to help her find?"

Now it was Lan Mu's turn to be dumbfounded. He was a warm-hearted person who wanted to help others to the end. Seeing how pitiful Su Yue was, he absolutely had to help her.

However, despite saying that, he really couldn't think of a proper way to arrange things for Su Yue. After all, there were few things a blind girl could do. Was he supposed to send her to blind massage? But where would he find such a young and beautiful girl? What if she was bullied? Then the police would have to check on her every few days, which would be too troublesome.

After much thought, Lan Mu simply said, "I plan to open a studio. If she's willing, she can be my employee! She can do some cleaning, cook some meals, and so on. I'll provide food and accommodation, and pay her three thousand a month. I definitely won't let her be wronged."

Ma Xiang clapped his hands and said, "Great! I trust what Brother Mu says. Once she has a job and a place to live, and has full legal capacity, even if she's blind, she can choose not to have guardians. Even her aunt won't be able to control her anymore."

Tang Jing knew Lan Mu and Ma Xiang were buddies. Although she didn't fully trust Lan Mu yet, she didn't have any other good ideas. So she said, "It's feasible, but you'll have to register her information at the station. We'll check in frequently in the future. If we find out you're bullying her, you'll be held legally responsible."

"Got it. I still don't know if she herself is willing!" Lan Mu said, looking at Su Yue. He felt a hidden sense of anticipation in his heart.

Su Yue, who had been listening to the three of them the entire time, smiled slightly and said.

"I can do housework. Leave the laundry and cooking to me... If I get tired, I can also give massages..."

"Thank you all so much for going to such lengths for me. Although I can't see, I've gotten used to doing these things over the years. I definitely won't cause any trouble for Mr. Lan."

Seeing that she agreed, Lan Mu was happy and quickly said, "No trouble, no trouble. No need for massages or anything. I'm not that delicate."

"Don't worry, the studio is very small, there won't be much for you to do. You'll still get your three thousand a month."

"From now on, you're an employee of Lan Cheng Studio!"

"I won't let anyone bully my employees!"