Chapter 52 The Story Behind Them

Su Xiaonuan smiled but didn't reply.

Qin Haoran remembered that she had just set up a stall here and casually asked, "By the way, what are you selling today? It smells so good, I could smell it from far away."

Su Xiaonuan looked completely at ease, as if to say, "Isn't this obvious? Durian pizza. Would you like one? It's best when it's fresh out of the oven." She pointed to her food cart.

Qin Haoran paused for a moment, then chuckled and rubbed his stomach: "I'm actually a little hungry. I haven't eaten anything all morning. Okay, one serving!"

Su Xiaonuan reopened the stall and quickly made a hot and fragrant durian pizza, which she then packed up and handed to Qin Haoran.

Qin Haoran took the pizza, its aroma filling the air. He couldn't help but take a deep breath and exclaimed, "Just by smelling it, I know it can't be bad!" He took out his phone to scan the code and pay.

Su Xiaonuan stopped him: "Forget it, just consider it a reward for the police."

Qin Haoran didn't stand on ceremony and smiled as he put away his phone: "Thanks!" He took a big bite, his breath coming in gasps from the heat, but he nodded repeatedly and gave a thumbs-up indistinctly.

Taking this opportunity, Su Xiaonuan lowered her voice and asked about another matter: "By the way, Officer Qin, is there any progress on the case of that SOS call yesterday?"

Mentioning this, Qin Haoran slowed his chewing, frowned slightly, shook his head, and his tone became more serious: "Old Zhao led the technical team and some people to investigate that abandoned chemical plant in the western suburbs. The area there is quite large and the structure is complex, so the investigation will take time. We'll have to wait for him to return to find out the specifics. I'll let you know in the group as soon as I have any news."

Su Xiaonuan pursed her lips and nodded in understanding.

These things can't be rushed; professional investigations allow no room for carelessness.

Qin Haoran reminded her to be careful a few more times, then took the pizza and, along with his other colleagues, escorted the prisoner back to the station.

Su Xiaonuan breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the police car leave; today was an unexpected bonus.

The system then displays a message indicating that the task is complete.

[Ding! Daily quest (sell 40 durian pizzas) has been completed! Reward of 450 merit points has been issued!]

[Ding! Successfully assisted in the capture of a high-level criminal (sin value 50), reward: 200 merit points!]

Current Merit Points: 4200

She returned to her stall, packed up the last of her things, started the vehicle, and prepared to go home.

However, just as her car slowly pulled out of the parking space, preparing to merge into the main road—

A white figure suddenly rushed out from the side, spread his arms, and blocked the front of her car!

"Screech—!" Su Xiaonuan was startled and quickly slammed on the brakes! The RV came to a sudden stop.

The person who stopped the car was none other than the girl in the white babydoll dress from earlier!

At this moment, the sweetness and panic on her face were gone, replaced by extreme anger and distortion!

Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared intently at Su Xiaonuan in the driver's seat, her chest heaving violently. She pointed at Su Xiaonuan and cried out, "I'm begging you!"

"Was it you?! Was it you, the pizza vendor, who called the police?! Did you ruin him?! What right did you have to call the police and have him arrested?! Do you know you've ruined him! Ruined us!"

Her voice was sharp and excited, attracting the attention of many passersby.

Su Xiaonuan's heart sank.

She initially thought the girl might also be a victim of deception, but now it seems... she might know the inside story? Or even be an insider or... an accomplice?

Su Xiaonuan patiently rolled down the car window, looked at the agitated girl outside, and spoke in a calm but undeniably authoritative tone: "Miss, please calm down. First of all, stopping the car like this is extremely dangerous. Secondly, the reason we called the police to arrest him is because he broke the law, committed online fraud, and swindled a lot of people out of their money, including students' tuition fees! That's a fact."

"I don't care who he lied to!" the girl interrupted her excitedly, tears welling up in her eyes, but mostly with anger. "Those people deserved it! Who told them to be so stupid and easy to fool! What does this have to do with him! He did it all for me!"

Su Xiaonuan frowned, trying to reason with her: "It's also illegal to harbor criminals. You're both adults and you have to be responsible for your actions. He chose to obtain it through illegal means, so he has to bear the consequences. Making a scene like this won't solve anything."

She paused, looking at the girl's stubborn and almost aggressive demeanor, her tone turning colder, carrying a clear warning: "Considering you might also be blinded by emotions, if you leave now, I can pretend you were never here and won't pursue the matter of stopping the car and trying to cause trouble. Let's each take a step back and leave some room for maneuver for ourselves. But if you insist on not listening, insist on making a scene here, or even try to cause me trouble..."

Su Xiaonuan's gaze sharpened, and she leaned forward slightly. Although she was sitting in the car, she exuded an aura that was not to be underestimated: "I'm not one to be trifled with either. You may not be able to bear the consequences."

Her words were clear and calm, carrying an invisible pressure.

However, the more intense arguments or resistance that were expected did not materialize.

After hearing Su Xiaonuan's words, the girl outside the car, whose original anger and aggressive aura had been filled with, deflated like a balloon punctured by a needle.

Large tears rolled down her red eyes without warning, like beads from a broken string.

She stopped screaming and blaming; she just stood there, her shoulders trembling violently, letting out suppressed, desperate sobs.

This sudden change caught Su Xiaonuan off guard, who had been prepared for conflict.

In the stagnant atmosphere, she heard the girl raise her tear-filled face, her voice choked with sobs, almost broken, filled with endless pain and despair, and murmur:

“You…you know nothing…he wasn’t a bad person…he really wasn’t a bad person…”

"He did it all for me... all for my medical treatment... my heart... needs so much money for surgery... we have no other choice... we really have no other choice..."

"He just... just wanted me to live..."

The girl outside the car was crying so hard she could barely breathe, her shoulders trembling violently as she poured out their story in broken, fragmented pieces.

It turns out that she and that boy were childhood sweethearts, having grown up together in the shantytown.

She suffers from chronic myeloid leukemia and needs to take an extremely expensive targeted drug for a long time to control her condition while waiting for a slim chance of transplantation.

The cost of that medicine is astronomical, and most of it needs to be paid out of pocket.