Chapter 4 Call the Police! Call the Police! I'm going to call the police and have her arrested! You liar, give me back my blood...
"Stop shouting, they went to pick cotton in southern Xinjiang a few days ago..."
Hearing the commotion, an old woman from the neighboring courtyard came out and said to Chen Mian, "I'll be back when the harvest season in southern Xinjiang is over."
Upon hearing this, Wu Wei stepped forward, slipped two yuan into the old lady's hand, and wrote her a note.
Wu Wei: "Auntie, this is my name and phone number. If you see Chen Zhelan come back, please give me a call. We need to talk to her urgently..."
"Of course, of course," the old woman replied with a smile. "I live right next to them, so I'll know as soon as they come back."
"Let's go back first. Congcong is still waiting at home." Wu Wei turned to look at Chen Mian.
Now that we know Chen Zhelan has left, there's no point in lingering here any longer.
Chen Mian was filled with rage and had nowhere to vent it. Her almond-shaped eyes lost their usual gentleness and stared fiercely at the gate in the courtyard. She said unwillingly, "She cheated me and you out of your money. Are we just going to let it go like this?!"
"Will she come back on her own? How do I know if she really took other people to southern Xinjiang? What if she sold them too? My good friend is still inside."
"I don't care, I'm going to call the police and have her arrested!" Chen Mian shook off Wu Wei's arm that was blocking her, walked out of the yard, and headed towards the nearby bus stop.
She remembered that when she took the bus to the city, she passed a police station. She was sure the police would have a way to help her find Chen Zhelan and settle accounts with her.
Wu Wei followed her out, looking at Mu Mian's back. He seemed to want to say something, but after hesitating for a few moments, he swallowed his words.
The white Santana was started by the key, and it caught up with the angry little girl in front of it in a few steps. Wu Wei rolled down the window and smiled gently.
"Come on up, I'll take you there!"
Chen Mian didn't want to talk to Wu Wei, but she had already missed the last bus and was walking to the police station alone, not knowing how long it would take.
And she didn't know the way... Chen Mian's mind was racing, a jumbled mess of thoughts. After a long while, she chose to compromise, suppressing her anger as she opened the car door, sat in the passenger seat, and said fiercely, "Drive faster!"
All the way, Chen Mian kept thinking about what to do next. Most of the money she brought from home had been swindled away by Chen Zhelan, and she figured that she might not even have enough money left to pay for the trip home.
Moreover, she came to Xinjiang to work and make a lot of money so that her parents could come and enjoy a better life. If she were to go back now looking disheveled, wouldn't she be laughed at to death by the villagers? Aunt Li's spittle alone could drown her.
Besides, Cuiping is still missing, and she absolutely cannot abandon her and run back to desert alone...
Wu Wei drove in silence, wondering if he had said something wrong to Chen Zhelan that caused her to misunderstand him, which was why she had brought Chen Mian from her hometown.
He has been divorced for many years, and his ex-wife has long since remarried and had children. He is raising his son alone. It would be a lie to say that he has no intention of remarrying, but this matter depends on fate and cannot be forced.
7 PM, Jiangjin Road Police Station.
"Hey, Crucian Carp, I heard you're going on another blind date this weekend." A young man in a police uniform nudged the man next to him on the shoulder and teased, "You're quite the ladies' man, aren't you? How many is this already, and you still haven't found anyone you like..."
"Why does the leader only know how to introduce you, but doesn't even look at me?" he complained softly.
"Look at yourself, you'd never even get a look at someone like that," another said with a laugh. "Unlike our carp, tall and handsome, girls chase after him wherever he goes..."
The more she listened, the more absurd it became. What was all this nonsense? Ji Yu frowned slightly, raised her eyes, and retorted, "Shut up, all of you! Stop bringing up my painful memories!"
"How could a rough man like me dare to look down on them? It's them who look down on me..."
The police station at night was quieter than during the day; only the voices of a few young men could be heard.
The man at the center of the conversation was sitting upright behind the table. He was 1.85 meters tall, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and his body was muscular under his blue police uniform.
With shoulders and back straight, legs apart, and a firm gaze, this is the posture of a soldier.
Although Ji Yu has been retired from the military and settled in civilian life for some time, he still maintains some of his old habits and has not given up exercising.
As the group chatted and laughed, a man and a woman walked into the police station. The man was in his thirties and the woman looked to be in her early twenties. They were Wu Wei and Chen Mian.
Chen Mian: "Hello, officer, I'm here to report a crime!"
Ji Yu quickly stood up and asked, "What happened that you called the police?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Mian immediately recounted how she and Wu Wei had been deceived by Chen Zhelan on both sides, her words revealing her deep resentment.
Chen Mian: "Officer, you must help us catch the bad guy and send him to jail!"
Ji Yu couldn't help but frown. Was she really that old? But she corrected him, "Call me comrade, not uncle. I'm more like auntie."
"Also, even if you catch the person, they won't go to jail; they don't meet the sentencing criteria..."
Looking at Chen Mian's slightly bewildered eyes, Ji Yu patiently explained, "The law stipulates that fraud must be over three thousand yuan to constitute a criminal offense. The two of you together only have a little over two thousand yuan."
"Unless we uncover other crimes she's committed, she'll at most be detained in a detention center for ten days or so; she won't go to jail..."
What about the money I was scammed out of? Thinking about this, Chen Mian finally couldn't help but cry, and she couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
He left his hometown to work alone, and had only enjoyed a few good days before realizing it was all a dream. The man wasn't looking for a teacher at all; he was looking for a wife. And he foolishly thought Mr. Wu was a really good person and wanted to work for him forever.
Originally, being with her best friend meant they could look out for each other, but now, things have turned out differently. She's been tricked, and she doesn't even know where Cuiping has been taken...
“You…you don’t cry…” One of the police officers on duty saw Chen Mian’s pitiful appearance and quickly patted Ji Yu, who was stunned beside him.
"Carp, hurry up and try to appease him!"
Wu Wei reached out to comfort Chen Mian, but after a two-second pause, he lowered his hand.
He was indeed quite satisfied with Chen Mian and genuinely wanted to live a good life with her in the future, but that was based on mutual consent.
Now that things have escalated to this point, he has sensed Chen Mian's true intentions and therefore dares not get any closer.
Looking at Chen Mian, who was crying her eyes out, Ji Yu felt inexplicably irritated. He said in a deep voice, "What's the use of crying? Come over here and give a statement. Tell us the details of how you were scammed. Once we catch the culprit, we'll get our money back..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Mian raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed, and looked at the tall, handsome police officer. She slowly stopped sobbing and followed him to the next room to give her statement.
“Chen Zhelan and I are from the same village. She came back from Xinjiang to recruit workers, but she only hired young girls. My friend and I came here together…”
As Ji Yu listened to Chen Mian's story, she quickly organized and summarized her notes, occasionally asking questions. Wu Wei also added details about his past interactions with Chen Zhelan.
Wu Wei owns several clothing stores in Wumu City, selling trendy clothes he sourced from the south. He's quite well-known locally. Chen Zhelan loves beauty and spends most of her earnings on dressing herself up, making her a regular customer at his stores.
On one occasion, when Wu Wei came to the store to inspect the work, he happened to run into Chen Zhelan giving suggestions to the store staff, saying that the store could stock some more styles of clothing, which would definitely sell well.
Wu Wei found some merit in her words, so he followed Chen Zhelan's advice and went to the south to find a batch of goods, which were indeed in high demand upon their return. After that, Chen Zhelan frequently offered him advice, and over time, they became friends.
When Chen Zhelan heard that Wu Wei was raising his child alone and wanted to find a nanny, she took the initiative to mention that she had a niece back in her hometown who was all alone and wanted to bring them together.
This is why Wu Wei trusted Chen Mian so much after their first meeting. Having traveled extensively over the years, he had developed his own methods for judging people, and he could tell the young woman was innocent and kind.
On the other hand, it was also out of trust in Chen Zhelan. He knew that Chen Zhelan would regularly return to her hometown to recruit workers, and then take these people to Xinjiang to find jobs and earn the difference in price.
But he never expected that the person introduced to him this time would be a "fake niece".
It was already nine o'clock at night when Chen Mianmian and Wu Wei came out of the police station after giving their statements. Starlight twinkled on the mulberry tree branches outside the street, and all was quiet.
The night at the end of August was already chilly. Kapok looked at the night sky in confusion, not knowing where to go or what to do.
Wu Wei suddenly spoke up, "You can stay at my place for now. I really need someone to help take care of the child. You'll still get paid..."
Chen Mian hugged her knees and slowly squatted down, silently shaking her head to refuse Wu Wei's offer. She had been too naive before, and hadn't been wary of anyone, so she had just casually moved into the Wu family home.
Now that he knows the man is after him and wants to marry him, he doesn't dare stay in the Wu family any longer.
Chen Zhelan ran away, and Cuiping didn't know where she was taken. She wanted to find a new job in Wumu City and wait for Cuiping to return from southern Xinjiang.
Although the Wu family's job was good, it wasn't a long-term solution, and she had no intention of becoming a stepmother to the child. It was just a pity to give up this comfortable life. Oh well, she shouldn't dwell on things that weren't hers; it was better to leave as soon as possible.
But... what about her wages for these days? Will she even get them? She only has less than twenty yuan left...
While pondering, Wu Wei turned around and went back to the car. He took out a brand-new six hundred yuan from his wallet and handed it to Chen Mian, saying, "This is your wages for these days."
After saying that, he thought for a moment and took out two more hundred-yuan bills. "You probably won't get back the two hundred yuan that Chen Zhelan cheated you out of in a short time. I'll lend it to you first."
"It's not easy to find work outside. You're just a young girl. If you can't handle it, you should go home..."
Upon hearing this, Chen Mian looked up at Wu Wei and said earnestly, "Thank you, Brother Wu, but you don't need to give me so much..."
"I only take what I'm entitled to."
Seeing this, Wu Wei didn't try to persuade him further, and could only say, "Alright, then keep this six hundred for yourself. It's so late, it's not safe for you to stay out alone. Why don't you stay at my place tonight and move out after you find a job..."
Chen Mian couldn't think of a better solution for the time being, so she had no choice but to go back to the Wu family.
The next day, just as dawn broke, Chen Mian got up to pack her luggage. After washing up, she made a final breakfast for Wu Wei and his son Wu Cong, and then quietly left the Wu family villa.
After Wu Cong got up and went downstairs, the first thing he saw was a sumptuous breakfast on the table: soft and delicious chive and egg pancakes, millet porridge, and two side dishes. But as he approached, he saw a note left by Chen Mian, with neat handwriting that read:
Brother Wu, Congcong, I'm leaving now. Thank you for your company these past few days. We met by chance, may we meet again someday.
Little Wu Cong felt sad looking at the contents of the note. He ran to his father's room and secretly buried his head in the man's blanket, like a dejected little animal slowly processing his reluctance and sadness.
On the other side, Chen Mian stared blankly at the crowded recruitment site.
"Hey, hey, hey, I need two painters! First come, first served!" Chen Mian rushed to the left, carrying her luggage. "We're full. Please come early tomorrow..."
"They're hiring at a construction site in the suburbs. They need strong, hardworking people," she said, then rushed to the right. "We only need men; women aren't convenient..."
A note from the author:
----------------------
The fierce little cotton ball turned itself into a pufferfish in anger.
Hugs to every darling who came in!
Let me recommend some of my other works!
Silly and delightful cookies, let your personality shine!
After the female protagonist of the customized novel was bound to the check-in system
#The new employee and her stupid system#
#The all-powerful boss and his incompetent employees#
*
After Lin Muhe passed the entrance exam for the online bookstore, her work was not going well. In order to pass the probationary period assessment, she voluntarily chose a customized historical fiction world with an S-level difficulty level.
The task is to take care of the male protagonist's family in place of the female protagonist in the book, thus progressing through the storyline.
Lin Muhe: This shouldn't be too simple.
As soon as she arrived in the new world, the main system informed her that if she failed this mission again, she would be directly eliminated.
Looking at her "husband," a mama's boy, her mischievous stepson, and her sharp-tongued, stingy "evil mother-in-law," she was overwhelmed with grief.
Lin Muhe: I'm already lying down, can I just die now?
Penniless, she discovered she could exchange system items by clocking in, and the bookstore owner started receiving a ton of work reports every day:
The male protagonist in the book is doing farm work, and Lin Muhe finds an angle to take a picture and check in, then uses an acceleration coupon to fast forward to the scene of the evil mother-in-law cursing.
The wicked mother-in-law scolded Lin Muhe for not cooking with care. Lin Muhe went over to take a photo with her and then secretly kicked the wicked mother-in-law after exchanging her time-out coupon.
The male lead's son knocked out a tooth, and Lin Muhe took a commemorative photo to exchange for a universal spice to sell for money...
Boss: I wanted you to report on your work, but I didn't mean to be this annoying...
*
At first, Lin Muhe diligently learned farm work and cooked for the whole family. However, the male protagonist's family in the book was so awful that he finally couldn't take it anymore.
Unexpectedly, ever since she went on a rampage and started attacking people, the entire family of scoundrels has become well-behaved, readers love reading about it, and even the boss has come to watch the drama unfold.
She then started selling all-purpose spices by taking advantage of the system's loopholes.
He became the founder of a well-known spice company.
Until one day, she noticed that the male protagonist in the book was looking at her more and more strangely.
Like...her boss?
[Important Note] The female lead's love interest isn't the male lead from a period drama; he's the legendary owner of a book-transmigration agency!
Consumption Guide:
1. A lighthearted and silly story; don't get too hung up on the logic.
2. The initial interactions between the male and female leads are roughly equivalent to an online romance; later on, the male lead will be unable to resist and will disguise himself and come to the small world.
3. The female protagonist's system might have a slightly stronger presence; please refrain from criticism if you mind.
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