White Peony Root
“It’s not your fault.”
Officer Zhang's serious yet gentle voice echoed in Jiang Qing's ears, but Jiang Qing didn't say anything. She just stood there quietly holding the glass of water that was handed to her.
The tea was warm, and the warmth spread from her fingertips, and she unconsciously retracted her fingers.
At the other end of the conference room, Song Yao was standing there.
Her face was porcelain pale, her eyebrows were drooping, her side braid was touching one side of her neck, black was white, white was white, she looked like a trembling newly bloomed white peony, elegant, beautiful and shyly curling up her petals. Any gust of wind and rain could bring her a devastating blow.
Jiang Qing thought, she also hoped to be treated fairly, and hoped to be one of the very few and extremely lucky ones among the millions.
So, when getting off the bus, the girl did not leave alone, but followed him silently.
So, when she said those words, the girl did not stop her with any look or even a slight gesture of raising her hand.
Now, the girl is still standing there, choosing to believe her and the police. She suppresses her fear, dread, and panic, and looks forward to a result that is worthy of her trust.
But Officer Zhang said, "You have to be mentally prepared."
Jiang Qing didn't know what mental preparation they should make.
She could understand that what Officer Zhang meant was both the helplessness of having experienced many things and seen the reality, as well as a pale and powerless consolation.
Jiang Qing thought that white peony was delicate yet fragile.
If the law cannot punish criminals, if justice needs to be sought by oneself.
At least, when she still has the ability and courage to fight against evil, she can choose to do what she should do.
Jiang Qing returned the tea to its original place, and the temperature of the full liquid in the cup gradually decreased and became cold.
She smiled brightly and said to Officer Zhang, "Of course this is not my fault."
Under Officer Zhang's stunned gaze, she turned and walked over to Song Yao, took her hand, and as Song Yao's surprised gaze swung over, she said to the restless Pan Xinfa, "I advise you to confess."
Upon hearing this, Pan Xinfa stiffened his stance and sneered, "I also advise you to be honest and not slander others."
Chen Heng was playing with a long, thin rivet in his hand. The bottom of the rivet was sharp, and the top was inlaid with a blue crystal. It was luxurious yet cold, but it seemed particularly obedient in his hand.
Hearing this, he half-jokingly said, "Then I'll give you some advice too."
He looked up at the man, "You better speak properly."
Pan Xinfa looked at the sharp metal weapon in his hand. The broken nail was spinning in circles in his hand. The movements were very smooth, like a vague threat.
He moved the corners of his lips and wanted to say something but didn't dare. His face and arms were still hurting terribly. What if those two little brats started going crazy and beating people up in the police station again?
One of the two boys had a cold face, while the other had a smiling face. Originally, their expressions were completely different, but in his eyes, they were both equally painful.
He wouldn't resort to such a small argument and get beaten up.
At this moment, Police Officer Zhang calmed down and walked over, attracting everyone's attention.
"Have you thought it through? This is your last chance."
Pan Xinfa sat across from the police officer, looking into her determined gaze for a few seconds before gritting his teeth and saying, "If I didn't do it, then I didn't do it. The police can't just smear someone's innocence."
"Very good, we will continue to investigate."
Officer Zhang lowered his head to sort through the documents and said to the recorder beside him, "Send me a copy of the transcript later."
"Okay, Captain."
The man who was waiting for the final judgment, trembling with fear, guilty and short of breath but trying hard not to fail, was stunned. After coming to his senses, he suddenly relaxed his body and slumped down in the chair.
Sure enough, he made the right bet.
He doesn't need to be detained or have a criminal record, and his life will continue to be as peaceful as before.
The man had a triumphant smile on his face, as if mocking.
Jiang Qing could feel the hand she was holding trembling slightly. She held Song Yao's hand tightly and shook her head at her.
It doesn't matter, he won't be so proud for long.
Pan Xinfa excitedly and impatiently told the police: "Since everything is fine, I can leave now."
Officer Zhang: "Yes, but please cooperate with our follow-up investigation at any time."
He stood up, lifted his oil-stained jacket with both hands, and after straightening his clothes, he was just that ordinary passerby again.
Pan Xinfa is a mean man who becomes arrogant when he succeeds. He passes by Jiang Qing and Song Yao with contempt.
"I say, some people should just give up."
"Don't meddle in other people's business. What good will it do if you meddle? You'll be the one being taken advantage of. You won't even know if you get cheated to death in the future."
The man wanted to spit, but when he saw the boy standing next to the angry girl with a cold, dead face, staring at him like a corpse, he swallowed his saliva back immediately.
Forget it, forget it, it doesn’t matter whether you spit or not, just swallow it back.
Jiang Qing looked at the man's back as he walked away in a cool and cocky manner, and suddenly felt that detaining him was too easy for him. Why would such a person eat public food in prison? He should just eat shit!
Everyone watched as the man walked to the door of the conference room and kicked it twice, turning back and cursing pointedly, "What a waste of time! What bad luck!"
When Officer Zhang heard the sound of someone kicking the door, his brows furrowed. He was about to remind the man to be careful with his words and actions, saying that damaging public property would result in a fine, and serious offenders would also be detained.
Before she could say anything, she suddenly heard a faint voice.
"It's me."
The sound was very faint at first, then it grew louder and louder, until it almost sounded like a shout.
"He touched me, and he sexually harassed me!"
Officer Zhang turned around in surprise, only to see the girl, who had not said a word since she came in, raising her snow-white face stained with tears and staring at Pan Xinfa.
The man's foot did not touch the ground but stopped in mid-air. He looked back in disbelief at the person he had never taken seriously.
The girl was clearly shaking, but her words were firm, as if something gave her strength and supported her to move forward.
Pan Xinfa's gaze climbed up from the clasped hands and finally landed on two completely different faces.
It was the first time since the incident that he observed them so carefully, examining both girls from head to toe.
One was pale and tearful, the other was smiling in surprise. They were clearly two different people, but at this moment, in his eyes, the two faces gradually merged into one.
This magical vision made him dizzy for a moment.
In the frozen frame, the cold and stern voice of Officer Zhang reached his ears, and he was dragged back to the real world.
"It seems that you can't leave yet."
The recorder on the side was very perceptive. When he heard the captain's words, he immediately stepped forward to close the door of the conference room and pressed Pan Xinfa tightly opposite the captain. He sat back in his original seat and prepared to record a new round of questioning.
Officer Zhang glanced at the two boys who looked normal but with surprised eyes, and he knew what was going on. It seemed that both of them were unaware of the situation.
She turned her attention back to the two girls.
Rubbing her brows, she said helplessly, "I know you both mean well, but when facing police questioning, even the slightest mistake can lead to a huge error. Any lie could lead to a lack of evidence."
She walked out from behind the table, approached the two girls, bent down, and said sincerely, "If you want justice, if you want the bad guys to be punished, you must trust me and the police without reservation."
Song Yao looked at the person in front of her. She had been stunned since she shouted.
"Witnesses, testimonies, any clues could become key evidence."
Officer Zhang looked at the girl in front of her with tears on her face. She wanted to sigh but held it back. She had seen this situation countless times.
He was pushed by others to report the case, but when the time came, he backed off.
Many times she stood at the door of the police station, watching people come and go, unable to say anything.
Because she knows that if a person hasn't thought it through himself, then speaking it out loud will actually cause him more pain.
Because she couldn't bear the consequences, such as the failure to seek help, the strange looks, and the threats from bad people...
As a police officer, she can only try her best to help those she can, do what she should do, and put her energy back into the next new case.
Wherever she looked, she looked at this girl, the girl with the same shadow as she had seen countless times before.
Would she have made a different choice?
Jiang Qing saw Song Yao's hesitation, but she didn't say anything and didn't make any unnecessary movements.
Even though she knew that as long as she moved her fingers and pinched the girl's fingertips, the girl would muster up the courage to pour out her feelings without hesitation, but she did not move, as if she was playing a wooden man.
Whether a girl chooses to speak or not, it is her right. Her life should not be decided by others, even if it is in the name of doing good for her.
The person who endures the pain is not yourself, and the person who accepts the pain is not yourself either.
Jiang Qing couldn't just stand by and casually say, "Come on, you can do it."
She could have just walked away from the decision she made on a whim, but Song Yao couldn't, because that was the life she truly had.
Everything should be decided by girls from the heart, sincerely and voluntarily, and then they should bear the consequences calmly and without guilt, no matter whether the result is good or bad.
"he..."
Song Yao thought for a long time and opened her mouth to say something, but Jiang Qing suddenly stopped her.
"Think it over carefully before you speak. Even if he doesn't get the punishment he deserves, there are other ways to make him regret his actions. Speaking out isn't necessarily the best option."
Jiang Qing winked at Song Yao and smiled mischievously.
Song Yao was amused and burst out laughing. The sun outside the window, which was covered by clouds, now showed a smile. The tiny rays of light sprinkled into her eyes, and she suddenly felt much more relaxed.
She wants to try it.
Officer Zhang: ...
Is this something blatantly illegal being done right in front of me?
Do you have to be so confident?
"I've thought about it. I should be brave for once."
Jiang Qing turned her head. Perhaps, the beautiful white peony could also bloom alone in the wind and rain at night.
Song Yao looked at Jiang Qing, the girl whose whole body was shining in her eyes.
She envied her very much. She envied her for being able to openly express her grievances, and for being brave and fearless without being afraid of any gaze, and for living confidently and sunny, like a little sun.
Perhaps, anyone who is around her will be infected and hope to become a better person.
At least this time, let her be brave, no matter what the result is.
"There is a callus between the ring finger of his right hand. I felt it." Song Yao's voice was weak but firm.
Everyone's eyes fell on Pan Xinfa's right hand.
His gaze was burning as if it could penetrate his palm. The man immediately curled up his fingers and tried to hide. He stared at Song Yao fiercely, trying to scare the girl away with his eyes as usual.
But this time, his strategy of winning every battle failed.
Song Yao didn't even look at him. She was staring at Jiang Qing's face in a daze.
The recorder stepped forward and forcibly pulled out the man's right hand, prying open his fingers one by one. He quickly turned back to report to Officer Zhang, "Captain, it's indeed there."
"But they're not calluses, they're scars."
"So what? It's just a blind cat catching a dead mouse." Pan Xinfa struggled before his death.
Lin Nanyan stepped forward and stated the facts: "Workers' calluses are all on the base of their fingers and on their index and middle fingers. Their pinkies and ring fingers generally don't exert much force, so it's unlikely that they'll appear on their ring fingers at once."
"She vaguely felt calluses through touch, not scars that could be observed with the naked eye. This means she hasn't looked at the palm of your hand."
"Besides, you two had never met before. If you hadn't been touching for so long, I can't think of any reason why you could have guessed it right so quickly."
Jiang Qing's eyes lit up as she nodded continuously, "Wow, well said. That's right, that's it."
She cursed, "Damn scoundrel, let's see what you have to say."
Pan Xinfa's face turned pale, knowing that he was in trouble this time.
Officer Zhang and the recorder looked at each other, compared the surveillance locations, and quickly began the subsequent procedures.
When they finished the case successfully and went downstairs, they happened to meet the arrogant thief who had been handcuffed to a chair and was waiting for the verdict to come out and was running away very fast.
Perhaps because the dust had settled, he became unusually relaxed, poking at the artificial flowers and grass beside him from time to time, half paralyzed in boredom.
When he saw them coming down, he greeted them in a nonchalant manner with his eyes half-open.
"Hey, buddy hasn't left yet..."
He turned around mid-sentence and hid behind the potted plants downstairs.
Just by looking at the taut chain and the long chair being dragged away from its original position, one could imagine how painful it must have been for the boy's wrist, but this could not stop his lightning-fast determination to dodge.
Jiang Qing looked at the person who started playing The Shining in the middle of a sentence.
Jiang Qing: ???
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