Once they entered the police station, An Yubei, Lu Jinsheng, and the man were taken into the same mediation room.
The police officer sat at the head of the table, with An Yubei and Lu Jinsheng on one side and the man on the other.
The man held his head, groaning nonstop and pretending to be in terrible pain.
Seeing him like this, An Yubei immediately thought of a scammer.
The scammers who staged accidents in TV dramas had acting skills just this lousy.
The officer asked the man, "What exactly happened? Take your time."
The man's name was Wang Yu. He was a shameless rich second-generation heir whose family was prominent in the capital.
Wang Yu groaned. "Officer, you have to get justice for me!"
An Yubei gave a soft scoff, making his disdain clear.
That line is ancient. Do you think you're living in ancient times?
A society ruled by law goes by reason, not whoever speaks first.
The officer glanced at An Yubei and warned, "Watch your attitude."
An Yubei huffed softly and turned away rather than look at Wang Yu's ugly face.
Wang Yu started moaning again. "Officer, I was drinking at the bar and was about to go to the restroom when he suddenly threw himself into my arms. He hung all over me and wouldn't get off, like a drunken shrimp."
An Yubei protested, "I wasn't hanging all over you. You were the one who wouldn't let go of me."
"I haven't asked you to speak yet," the officer said coldly. "Watch your attitude."
Lu Jinsheng caught An Yubei's wrist, signaling for him to stay calm and hear them out.
An Yubei sat quietly and listened to Wang Yu spout nonsense.
Wang Yu continued, "He said he wanted me to take him to the restroom. Out of the goodness of my heart, I took him there."
"Once we got there, before I could leave, he shoved me into a stall and tried to force himself on me. He kissed me and felt me up."
"That scared the shit out of me, so I started yelling for help."
"Then this guy jumped out and beat me up. Look what he did to me, officer. Look how hard he hit me. My face is ruined."
"I want an injury assessment, and I want them to compensate me for emotional distress."
"Also, officer, I suspect they're working together. This was a honey trap."
Honey traps like this were common in bars.
Usually, a man and a woman worked together. The woman would pretend to be drunk and fall into a man's arms, then get intimate with him. Someone else would then come out and beat the man up, forcing him to pay to settle the matter.
This was common, and the police had handled many such cases.
After hearing the man out, the officer turned his gaze to An Yubei. He was a boy with feminine features, beautiful eyes, and white teeth, and was very good-looking.
His eyes in particular had a captivating magic when he looked at you.
Even now, when An Yubei was angry, there was still something kittenishly fierce about him.
"Let's hear your side."
When it was his turn to speak, An Yubei straightened up. "Everything he said was a lie. He's lying."
"I'd had a little to drink and was dizzy, so I bumped into someone. I apologized, but he still wouldn't let me go. He asked where I was going, and without thinking much of it, I said I wanted to go to the restroom."
"Then he pushed me into the restroom and tried to kiss me."
"If Lu Jinsheng hadn't shown up in time, I...!"
An Yubei could barely continue. Anyone who experienced something like this would find it hard to talk about.
Shame and anger welled up inside him. An Yubei glared at Wang Yu, tears pooling in his eyes.
"Anyway, he deserved to get hit."
"We weren't scamming anyone. We did nothing wrong. It was self-defense."
Wang Yu sprang to his feet, clutching his head as he cursed, "Bullshit! What do you mean, I deserved it? I'm telling you, this isn't over!"
The officer slapped the table. "What are you doing? Do you think this police station is a street market?"
Lu Jinsheng, who had remained silent all this time, spoke up. "Officer, how should we resolve this? Why don't we take it to court?"
The officer sounded impatient. "Aren't I trying to mediate for you?"
"All right, I've more or less got the picture. Wang Yu, go wait next door."
After Wang Yu left, the officer said earnestly, "You're both still in school, right?"
An Yubei nodded. "We'll be starting university when the new term begins."
"Look, you're both so young. It wouldn't be good to end up with criminal records," the officer said. "Why not ask your parents to pay some money and settle this?"
"You've met Wang Yu. His family isn't short of money. If this really goes to court, you'll be the ones who lose out."
"Things that happen in places like bars are hard to sort out anyway. There isn't even any surveillance footage. It's just one person's word against another's."
"Why don't you two think it over?"
Hearing the officer say this, An Yubei felt as though he had swallowed something bitter but couldn't voice his suffering.
He had always been an honest, well-behaved kid. He had even been afraid of his teachers at school, let alone had any dealings with the police.
He was frightened, and he even began to waver, thinking the officer had a point.
He himself would be fine in this matter. Lu Jinsheng was the one who had hit someone. What if Lu Jinsheng ended up with a criminal record?
He could suffer the injustice, then. Whatever happened, he couldn't let the person who had helped him suffer.
An Yubei was just about to speak when Lu Jinsheng pressed a hand down on him.
His lips curved in a smile. "Let's follow legal procedure. We won't settle."
An Yubei's eyes grew wet. He was afraid Lu Jinsheng would suffer for this.
Lu Jinsheng squeezed his palm. "It's all right. Leave it to me."
Seeing that they weren't easily fooled, the officer snorted. "Then contact your parents."
With that, the officer walked out.
Those words brought An Yubei fully to his senses. He still had his dad and his older brother. If something happened, he should let them know.
An Yubei called Ji Dongsheng first. He tried twice, but no one answered.
In the end, he called Ji Shang, who picked up quickly. "What is it, Xiao Bei?"
Ji Shang was still at a social engagement. Taking the call as an opportunity, he pushed open the reception's glass door and walked onto the terrace to answer.
A breeze swept past, carrying away the smell of alcohol clinging to him.
He had been thoroughly irritated by the socializing, but An Yubei's call smoothed away all his impatience, and he calmed down.
Soon, a sniffle came from the other end. An Yubei seemed to be crying.
Ji Shang grew anxious. "Xiao Bei, what's wrong? What happened?"
An Yubei couldn't hold back his tears. "Someone bullied me. Hurry and come save me."
At An Yubei's words, Ji Shang strode out, asking as he walked, "What happened?"
An Yubei told him what had happened at the bar, as well as how he had been falsely accused at the police station.
He poured out all the frustration bottled up inside him and felt much better.
Ji Shang was the person he was closest to and most liked to rely on.
"I'm scared. I'm scared they'll make things difficult for Lu Jinsheng. He only did it to save me."
Hearing his younger brother mention another man left Ji Shang with an unpleasant feeling, but he still comforted him. "Don't be afraid, Xiao Bei. I'll be right there."
"Don't say anything else for now. Just wait for me to handle it."
As he hung up, Ji Shang had just gotten into the car. "Drive."
Ji Shang clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing slightly. You dared to bully someone of mine. You really have a death wish.
After talking to Ji Shang, An Yubei wasn't afraid of anything anymore. It was as though he had taken a reassuring pill and forgotten his fear.
He sniffled and smiled. "Ji Shang will arrive on the battlefield in three seconds."
Lu Jinsheng: "...!"
Why wasn't he the one with the power?
He wanted to become someone An Yubei could rely on, too.