That Bastard's Son

Chapter 38: That Bastard

The Anju Hotel's sign shone with a white light in the silent night. An old Jetta drove slowly from afar and stopped at the entrance.

As soon as Cheng Yun opened the car door for Heroine Yin, she impatiently scrambled out and squatted by the roadside.

"Thanks, driver," Cheng Yun greeted the driver before closing the door. He walked to Heroine Yin's side, gently patted her back, and asked awkwardly, "How do you feel?"

"..." Heroine Yin glanced back at him, her face extremely pale. "Do you guys have to ride in boxes like this every day?"

"Pretty much."

"Then you're too pathetic..."

"Actually, most of us don't get carsick. At least, not carsick from riding in a sedan for a few minutes," Cheng Yun continued to pat her back. "Maybe your inner ear is too sensitive, or maybe you're just not used to it. You'll get better after a few more rides... probably."

Heroine Yin gave him a look that clearly said, Are you serious? She stared at him deeply, shook her head, and walked towards the hotel.

Cheng Yun quickly followed.

Cheng Yan sat alone at the front desk, flipping through a book filled with dense, headache-inducing English. Soft piano music, 'Falling Rain Sound,' played from the speakers. The scene was as tranquil as a painting, making one reluctant to disturb it.

Then, Heroine Yin, walking unsteadily and holding her forehead, pushed open the glass door and intruded upon this scene.

Cheng Yan looked up at the two of them and said calmly, "You're back?"

Heroine Yin nodded, covering her mouth.

Cheng Yan then looked at Cheng Yun and asked, "How did it go?"

"How did what go?"

"How did the showboating go?"

Cheng Yan's tone was light, but Cheng Yun felt a mocking undertone.

"How can you call it showboating! You and I live in this society. Isn't maintaining the stability and unity of our living environment also our duty? It was just a casual favor," Cheng Yun rolled his eyes helplessly. "Besides, it wasn't me showing off, it was Yin Dan. She single-handedly chased down the suspect and took him down with her bare hands!"

As he said this, Cheng Yun felt a hint of resentment. He had specifically told Heroine Yin not to reveal her combat prowess, but she had still performed an action that would shock most Earthlings.

When he questioned her in the car, she had even thrown out a line: "Who knew you Earthlings were so weak!"

Cheng Yan looked at Heroine Yin with some surprise, then quickly averted his gaze, indicating he wasn't interested in Heroine Yin's affairs. He continued to look at Cheng Yun with disdain. "You just saw everyone else stepping up and felt embarrassed to hang back, so you wanted to show off too! How laughable, acting like a middle schooler at your age! Aren't you afraid of danger!"

"..." Cheng Yun was speechless. He shook his head, sat by the front desk, changed the music to his preferred soothing tunes, and opened his laptop to watch a drama.

Seeing that he was ignoring her, Cheng Yan remained expressionless, picked up his book, and walked upstairs. "I'm going to sleep."

"Okay."

Heroine Yin poured a glass of water, gulped it down, and sat on the sofa, letting out a long sigh. She then got up and headed upstairs. "My head is so dizzy. I'm going upstairs to sleep too, Station Master."

"Okay."

Soon, Cheng Yun was alone at the front desk again.

The next morning at ten o'clock, Cheng Yun sat on the front desk sofa, gnawing on two cold steamed buns. In front of him was a laptop, with a Word document open on the screen, but it was completely blank.

He intended to write a soft article about 'how important a good night's sleep and a good resting place are to people' and post it on his currently empty WeChat official account. However, after sitting there for so long, he had no inspiration and couldn't write a single word.

"Sigh." He finished his buns and sighed.

"What's wrong? Boss Cheng," Yu Dian, the young girl, stood behind the counter, looking at him curiously. "Why are you sighing so much?"

"Didn't I apply for a WeChat account and an official account before? But I haven't posted anything on the WeChat account yet, and the official account is still empty. I want to write something to post first," Cheng Yun lay back on the sofa, tilting his head up. "But I haven't written any long articles since I went to college. I even had a friend help me with my graduation thesis. I have absolutely no idea where to start."

"Hmm." Yu Dian fell silent.

Cheng Yun sat on the sofa, completely stumped, while Yu Dian sat behind the counter, quietly watching him.

"I'll just force myself a bit longer!" Cheng Yun slammed the laptop screen shut. "I remember my college entrance exam Chinese score was quite high, and I even won an award for my high school essays."

"Um..." Yu Dian hesitated before saying uncertainly, "If you really can't write it, Boss, I... I could try helping."

"Huh?" Cheng Yun was taken aback.

"I was just saying it, you can just take it as a joke," Yu Dian quickly waved her hands, her face blushing.

Heaven knows how much courage and confidence it took for her to offer to help. If she hadn't felt that Cheng Yun was such an easygoing boss, and that he had been very good to her these past few days, she would never have dared to step forward.

"Can you help?" Cheng Yun asked, stunned.

"I... I..." Yu Dian spoke haltingly, seemingly debating whether to accept or refuse. In the end, she closed her eyes and nodded fiercely. "Yes! ...If you really have no other choice."

"How's your writing?"

"It's... it's okay," Yu Dian said softly. This was probably the most confident she had ever felt in her life, though it had never brought her any achievements.

"That's great!" Cheng Yun quickly walked into the front desk area. Seeing Yu Dian hastily closing her laptop, he didn't pay it any mind. "Then I'll tell you what to write and how to write it. Hmm, I'll list a few points you need to cover, and you just write about them. As a reward, I'll treat you to a big meal in a few days! Of course, you can have a bonus too!"

"No, no need," Yu Dian waved her hands, her face red. "It's just a small favor."

"Alright then, a big meal it is."

As they were talking, Cheng Yan's curious voice suddenly came from the hallway. "Are you two developing feelings for each other?"

Cheng Yun froze. "Huh?"

Yu Dian's face turned even redder, like a cherry.

Cheng Yan's hair was slightly damp, and she was drying it with a towel. She must have just showered. As she walked downstairs, she asked casually, "What big meal are we having?"

Cheng Yun thought for a moment and said, "Whatever. Do you have any recommendations?"

"You guys are having a big meal, and you're asking me for recommendations?"

"Let's go together!"

"Oh." Cheng Yan nodded. Although her expression hadn't changed, her demeanor had softened considerably. "Let me think."

Suddenly, she paused again and looked at Cheng Yun and Yu Dian. "Right, isn't today supposed to be your day off? It's Cheng Yun's turn to work the day shift, isn't it?"

"Huh!" Cheng Yun was taken aback.

"It's okay," Yu Dian said softly. "I woke up early and saw that the shop wasn't open yet and Boss Cheng hadn't come down either. I guessed he might have forgotten, so I took the initiative."

"Thanks to you, I really did forget!" Cheng Yun said with shame. "I slept too late last night."

"It's fine, it's fine. I don't have anything else to do anyway, and it's quite nice sitting here, much better than staying in my room all the time," Yu Dian said, lowering her head. Besides, the WiFi signal was good here, and she got breakfast for waking up early.

"Then let's switch shifts tomorrow," Cheng Yun said. "I have to take Yin Dan to the police station to give a statement today anyway."

"What? A statement?" Yu Dian blinked in surprise.

"You don't know yet! Something big happened near the hotel last night. Your Boss Cheng and Sister Yin Dan both became heroes for their bravery," Cheng Yan said with a hint of disdain. She then briefly recounted what happened last night to Yu Dian, causing the young girl to look amazed, almost clapping and exclaiming in admiration.

After lunch, Cheng Yun took Heroine Yin to the police station to give her statement, but he didn't dare to take her in a car.

A young female police officer took their statement. During the process, Cheng Yun also saw Zhou Jiaxing, Old Chen, and Captain Liang from the Criminal Investigation Squadron. However, they seemed quite busy and only greeted him before quickly coming and going.

Halfway through the statement, Liang Bo strode into the office in a rage and gulped down a cup of cold water. His eyes were dark with bloodshot rims, indicating he not only stayed up all night but was also furious. He even cursed loudly in the office, "That bastard! Ungrateful fool! He's already in the station and still arguing with me! Does he think he's so great just because he's covered in coal dust?"

"His visa is expired, he's an illegal immigrant! If it were up to me, I'd drag him to the outskirts and kill him, and no one would even know!"

"He won't cry until he sees the coffin!"

He yelled like a thug, but no one in the entire office dared to provoke him. Only Heroine Yin frowned slightly; everyone else seemed accustomed to it.

A short while later, Zhou Jiaxing came out from inside and said, "That guy is still making a fuss. What should we do?"

"What else can we do? No matter how much he makes a fuss, the result will be the same! Does he think he can get away with rape, murder, and drug trafficking in China? Does he think he's God here? Or are we all idiots?" Liang Bo slammed the table. "If necessary, find an opportunity to beat him up! Beat him to death! As long as he's not killed, no one will stand up for him! And no one higher up will care about this!"

"This..." Zhou Jiaxing looked troubled.

Liang Bo realized he had been a bit too impulsive and softened his tone slightly. "What else is he causing trouble about inside?"

"He says he wants to hire a defense lawyer. He also claims a plainclothes female police officer used violence against him, broke his ribs, and that we didn't send him to the hospital, so he's been demanding to go to the hospital!" Zhou Jiaxing paused. "He also said he had several thousand yuan in cash on him, but we police officers embezzled it, and he wants to sue us."

"What?" Liang Bo's eyes widened.

Hearing this, Heroine Yin, who was beside Cheng Yun, flinched and muttered, "Nonsense, it was only a little over eight hundred!"