Arrogance Turned to Deference

Xie Yongming had truly been slapped in the face, yet he had not the slightest thought of resisting. As for humiliation-well, there was none of that either.

Why?

He believed everyone would understand as soon as he mentioned one name: Xie Zhaolong, Brother Long!

Brother Long had once been kicked to the ground in public by the man standing before him. And what had happened in the end?

Hadn't he meekly bound his own hands and gone to the police station?

As a distant relative of Brother Long's, no one knew better than Xie Yongming how he had landed his position as captain of the Cultural Bureau Enforcement Brigade. Nor did anyone know better how he had thrown his weight around their circles by trading on their shared surname, Xie.

So what if the man had slapped his face a couple of times? So what?

"Captain Zhou, please let me explain. I've admired your reputation for ages, but I never had the chance to meet you in person. That's how this misunderstanding happened. It's entirely my fault. I-I'll drink three glasses as a penalty..." All smiles, nods, and bows, Xie Yongming vividly demonstrated exactly what it meant to go from arrogance to deference!

Zhou Yi turned to Jiang Xinting, who was still standing in a daze, and asked, "Sis, is he a friend of yours?"

Jiang Xinting hesitated, then gave a reluctant nod.

Since Xie had already turned into a groveling lackey, there was no need for her to deal him another blow.

"Then we'll let it go. But remember this: she's my sister." Zhou Yi turned back and fixed Xie Yongming with a cold stare.

"Understood, understood." Xie Yongming nodded repeatedly, thinking, Jiang Xinting, from now on, I'll treat you like royalty.

"Sis, weren't you going to offer a toast?"

Zhou Yi reminded Jiang Xinting, who was still a little dazed.

"Oh, right, right. Wait a moment, little brother." As though waking from a dream, Jiang Xinting hurried into the private room to fetch her glass, then followed Zhou Yi to the Gold No. 2 Private Room.

"Something's come up. I'm leaving first. What about you, Huang?" Xie Yongming breathed a sigh of relief, some of his usual imperiousness returning.

Big fish ate little fish, and little fish ate shrimp.

That was a law of nature, and a law of society too.

Sure, I just got slapped in the face, but-

Let's see which of you bastards dares laugh at me!

You little punks. I can't deal with Zhou Yi, but you think I can't deal with you?

Huang Guifa, the short man from earlier, gave a bitter smile and shook his head. "You go ahead, Yongming. I need to find a chance to offer Captain Zhou a toast. You didn't recognize him, so you could call it a misunderstanding. But I've met him before. I can't just leave like this."

He had done more than meet him. He had even brought him gifts!

It was just that Zhou Yi had refused them.

"All right, then." Xie Yongming nodded, went back into the private room for his bag, and swaggered off.

As he walked, recalling Huang Guifa's terrified expression made him feel much better.

Whatever else Huang might be, he was still the general manager of Golden Years and Sister Mei's top lackey.

Yet he was just as spineless in front of Zhou Yi.

So it wasn't that their side was incompetent. The enemy was simply too strong.

Once Xie Yongming left, everyone else naturally felt freer to speak.

Back in the private room, they immediately began talking over one another.

"Who exactly was that Captain Zhou?"

"You don't even know? Zhou Yi, captain of the County Public Security Bureau's Public Security Management Brigade!"

"Seriously, he's that powerful? That Xie Whats-his-name didn't even dare breathe too loudly."

"You haven't heard what happened the night before last, have you?"

"I know, I know! I didn't believe it at first, but after what I just saw, I do!"

"That's incredible. I wonder what kind of connections he has."

"You all heard him say Xin Ting was his sister, right?"

"With a brother like that, does Xin Ting need to be afraid of Xie Whats-his-name?"

"We have to grill her when she gets back."

Huang Guifa watched their chatter with a cool eye, filled with a deep sense of superiority.

How could ordinary people like you possibly guess Zhou Yi's background or connections?

He was different.

As Sister Mei's trusted subordinate, he had quickly learned inside information from his boss that ordinary people had no way of uncovering.

"Huang, don't you know Captain Zhou? Can you tell us about him?" A rather attractive young woman had an idea and asked sweetly, fluttering her eyes at Huang Guifa.

"Yes, exactly! Huang must be much better informed than we are!"

"Absolutely. Even if nobody else knows, Huang certainly does."

Huang Guifa accepted every word of flattery.

He swept his gaze over the eager eyes around him, revealed an inscrutable smile, and said, "All I can tell you is that Captain Zhou's connections are in Capital City. As for anything else, you'd better not ask. Even if you do, I won't tell you."

"Oh!"

Everyone gasped in unison.

What terrifying connections!

The door to the private room opened.

Jiang Xinting came in with Zhou Yi.

Jiang Xinting had just offered the bureau's leaders a toast, so naturally, they needed to send someone suitable back with her to give her face in front of her friends.

And from every perspective, Zhou Yi was the best choice.

"Let me introduce him. This is my younger brother, Zhou Yi, captain of our County Public Security Bureau's Public Security Management Brigade." Jiang Xinting could not hide the pride in her expression.

If Director Li had not told her personally, she would never have known or believed that the notoriously fearsome Xie Zhaolong had been put in the Detention Center by Zhou Yi.

No, to be precise, Xie Zhaolong had put on the handcuffs himself and willingly submitted to arrest.

No wonder Xie Yongming had groveled like that!

What delighted her even more was that, before she knew it, her relationship with Zhou Yi as sister and brother had become an established fact.

What did that mean?

It meant she would no longer have to tread carefully around certain people's moods.

It meant she would no longer have to feign politeness with men who coveted her body.

It meant she would have a strong arm to lean on whenever she encountered trouble or hardship.

"Hello, Captain Zhou. I'm XXX. I work at the Audit Bureau."

"Hello, Captain Zhou. I'm XX from the Urban Construction Bureau..."

"Hello, Captain Zhou. I'm..."

Sure enough, they all had credentials, and apart from Huang Guifa and another man who owned a bathhouse, everyone worked within the government system.

"Captain Zhou, I'm Huang Guifa. I visited you a few days ago." Huang Guifa bowed slightly, his manner as respectful as could be.

"Oh, Manager Huang. I remember you." Zhou Yi smiled and nodded.

Those simple words, "I remember you," left Huang Guifa feeling overwhelmed by the favor.

He had always said he had an excellent eye for people.

When he had visited with gifts, he had already seen Captain Zhou's exceptional bearing and known he would go far. The facts proved there was no need to wait for the future-he could already do as he pleased in Dongji County.

Zhou Yi did not linger in the private room.

After all, he had shared a drink and paid everyone due respect, and the bureau's leaders were still waiting for him.

Jiang Xinting walked Zhou Yi into the corridor and said with a shy expression, "Well, thank you so much for tonight!"

Now that they were alone, she felt too embarrassed to call him her little brother.

"Come on, sis. Why are you being so formal with your own brother?" Zhou Yi asked with a smile.

He called her "sis" so smoothly and naturally that she could not have backed out even if she wanted to.

For now, it looked as though Jiang Xinting was benefiting from their relationship. But in the long run, the day would come when he needed to lean on her influence.

"Isn't this my first time being an older sister? I'm still getting used to it."

Looking into his clear, sincere eyes, Jiang Xinting unwittingly relaxed and spoke with a radiant smile.

"What a coincidence. It's my first time being a younger brother too. I don't have much experience either." Zhou Yi joined in the joking.

"All right, then. We'll both work at it and keep in touch." Jiang Xinting held out her fair, delicate hands and clasped Zhou Yi's hand firmly.

After dinner, Song, Feng, Li, Luo, and Lu went to Golden Years Entertainment City, while Zhang Liping claimed he had drunk too much and had Zhou Yi take him straight home.

Zhou Yi could not have been happier.

He had no interest in going to an entertainment venue. Karaoke, dancing, foot baths, massages... he had already had his fill of all that in his previous life.

In this life, he intended to rise above such base pleasures.

"Zhou, tell me the truth. What exactly do you want to do?" After they got out of the taxi, just before entering the residential community, Zhang Liping suddenly asked.

Zhou Yi fell silent for a moment, then answered calmly, "I promised Shen Mo I would make sure the people who bullied him received the punishment they deserved."

"How do you intend to handle Tao Guozheng, Zhu Xiangmin, and Jin Min? You should know the furthest they'll go is an apology. They'll never let their daughters sit in the defendant's seat." Zhang Liping had to remind Zhou Yi that he would be facing joint pressure from three section-level officials.

"Director Zhang, you'll help me, won't you?" Zhou Yi looked at his old superior with eyes full of hope.

Zhang Liping froze for a moment, then laughed and scolded him. "Get lost."

Zhou Yi chuckled. "Don't worry, sir. Aren't you always saying that evil cannot defeat justice, and that the law stands above everything? Then let's wait and see whether these people really can put themselves above the law."

Zhang Liping studied Zhou Yi for a long moment, then said meaningfully, "All right. Then why don't you wait and see the result of the case filing review first?"

It was late at night.

Yet the study light was still on.

Tao Guozheng sat at his desk, carefully examining a personnel file.

He had already read it from beginning to end three full times.

Yet he had found no clues whatsoever.

Taking this file together with the information he had gathered through other channels...

If he had to describe Zhou Yi's personal history and family background in a single phrase, it could only be "utterly unremarkable."

So what exactly had enabled Zhou Yi to make Xie Zhaolong meekly surrender?

Until he figured that out, he could not bring himself to act.

Tonight, he had used Zhu Xiangmin and Jin Min's names to test the waters and probe Zhou Yi's attitude. As for the outcome, that would depend on Zhou Yi's specific response tomorrow.

But no matter what, he would not let his precious daughter suffer the slightest injustice.

That boy named Shen Mo had merely nearly lost his life. What his daughter had lost was her innocent smile!