Chapter 31: A Law-Abiding Citizen (Completed)...
Alexei arrived quickly.
He did not come alone, but brought with him a group of burly and vicious henchmen.
A group of people rushed into the campus like wolves and tigers, broke several thugs blocking the dormitory entrance, and threw them on the roadside.
The sounds of fighting and screams came from downstairs. The international students, who were unaware of what was happening, were trembling with fear, and the meerkats huddled together.
He Changyi stood by the window and met the gaze of Alexei, who was looking up at her.
A faint smile suddenly appeared on his expressionless face.
It's mockery.
He Changyi cursed silently, and the next moment, there was an overly polite knock on the dormitory door.
She opened the door, and Alexei was standing outside, one hand raised as if to knock.
"I never expected you to cry for help."
He stood at the doorway, blocking most of the light, his gray eyes full of smiles, even a hint of smugness.
He Changyi meticulously corrected his choice of words.
"First of all, I did not shout for help."
Alexei raised an eyebrow, signaling her to continue.
"Secondly, I would call for help if I needed it—but I don't 'need' it now."
Alexei stared at her intently for a moment before speaking:
"Okay, then please pay for the 'package'."
He turned slightly to the side, allowing He Changyi to see the bears standing behind him, curiously peeking in their direction... and so on.
Upon seeing the Chinese woman in front of Alexei, the cold-faced Xiong N-class soldiers immediately fired Bagua lasers from their eyes.
"It's her, it's that woman from Zhongguo!"
"I can't believe it, I'm finally going to see her face in person!"
"So beautiful, she's dressed like an oriental crane, black and white, just like Jong-kook's panda."
The bears whispered amongst themselves with cold expressions when they suddenly saw the crane-like Eastern woman slap a thick stack of green banknotes onto Alexei.
"Take the money, then get out of here with your men."
He Changyi said this in Emei language.
After she put down the money, she casually touched Alexei's face with one hand.
It was like a caress, yet also like a punishment. She gave him a light slap, then slowly slid down his chin and neck, pressing lightly against his broad chest before finally withdrawing her hand, seemingly unsatisfied.
Alexei remained still, his gaze following her hand.
The next second, he grabbed He Changyi's wrist and forcefully pulled her toward him.
"hiss--"
Whether the sound came from the meerkats behind He Changyi or the bears behind Alexei, the loud gasps seemed to pour ice water on the tense atmosphere.
Alexei glanced at the crowd on both sides, then leaned down and whispered in He Changyi's ear:
“I look forward to the day you actually scream ‘help’.”
Then he let go, widening the distance between them again.
"well--"
Another sound rang out, and the onlookers, whether out of regret or disappointment, all sighed in unison.
The tense and solemn atmosphere eased after those two sounds. Even the international students who were most worried about their studies couldn't help but look back and forth between He Changyi and Alexei with gossip.
The round-faced little girl Yuan Yuanyuan and the little girl who threw the blanket were the most excited. The two girls grabbed each other's arms, their faces flushed with excitement.
The romantic scenes in TV dramas don't seem as exciting as what just happened.
They were evenly matched, much like the old American movie Bonnie and Clyde, a pair of outlaws on the run.
He Changyi turned to the international students as if nothing had happened and said:
"Alright, that's all. Now it's time to deal with your study abroad issues."
The meerkats seemed still reeling from what had just happened. Unable to contain his curiosity, Xiao Zhao tentatively asked:
“Sister He, this brother—” He pointed to Alexei.
"What should we call you?"
What he really wanted to ask was what the relationship was between Alexei and He Changyi.
Friends? That seems a bit too intimate.
Lover? That seems too tense.
Enemy? But he would bring his men to his rescue with just one phone call.
It's too complicated; it's a hundred times more difficult than the grammar of the Emei language.
He Changyi, however, said without changing his expression:
"No need for titles, he's a door-to-door service provider, and I've already paid him."
Xiao Zhao was a little confused:
"ah?"
Alexei glanced at He Changyi, and she gave him a fake smile.
He didn't say anything, turned around and left, taking with him the bears who didn't understand Chinese and didn't realize they were being referred to as "door-to-door service".
"Wait a moment."
He Changyi's voice came from behind.
Alexei didn't stop and continued walking downstairs at a leisurely pace until He Changyi caught up with him and grabbed his clothes in annoyance.
"I asked you to wait a moment."
Alexei looked up at He Changyi and retorted with the same words she had used.
"The service has already ended, hasn't it?"
He Changyi proudly raised her face, like a willful and incompetent queen.
"I said it would only end when it was over, and clearly it's not over yet."
The group had reached the stairwell, where a field of thugs lay sprawled on the ground, making Sherikovsky stand out conspicuously.
He was shocked and frightened to find that all the helpers he had found to look after the international students had been defeated in the short time he was away.
When he heard the sound of people coming downstairs from the dormitory, Sherikovsky looked over and saw the somewhat unfamiliar Chinese female student say something to the Eurasian man next to her, and then point to himself.
Selikovsky sensed something was wrong and instinctively turned to run.
At that moment, a woman's voice rang out.
"That's him! The service isn't over until we catch him!"
Sherikovsky had only taken two steps when he was tackled heavily to the ground from behind. His hands were tied behind his back.
The sound of crisp, clean footsteps approached, and someone crouched down beside him, uttering threatening words in a relaxed tone.
“Tell me everything you’ve done, or you can go and measure the depth of the Mosk River yourself.”
Sherikovsky belatedly realized what was happening.
"You're not a student from China!"
He Changyi said lazily:
“I never said I was. You’re not only bad, but also stupid. After all this time, you can’t even remember the faces of twenty or so people. Otherwise, how could you have gone through so much trouble to commit fraud and only managed to scam $20,000 a year, which you had to split between two people? Tsk, useless piece of trash.”
Sherikovsky was furious and struggled to get up from the ground, but the black-haired, gray-eyed man stepped on his back and forced him back down.
The man added coldly.
"A stupid idiot who could be buried in the Siberian permafrost and exhibited all over the world."
Serikovsky's face was forced to the ground, and he thought resentfully, "Who told all Chinese people to look so similar? It's normal to be face-blind. Why are you calling me stupid..."
After a powerful memory spell restored their memories, the students finally learned the whole story from Sherikovsky.
These days, there's a craze for going abroad. People in China are desperately trying to get overseas, regardless of whether they end up washing dishes or not. They just want to get out there first.
Taking advantage of this trend, Teacher Cai and Sherikovsky, one from the inside and one from the outside, joined forces to carry out a study abroad scam.
Teacher Cai recruits students in China, claiming that the branch campus of the National Language University is the headquarters, and exaggerating the academic system and dormitory environment, saying that after graduating in one year, students can enroll in major public universities in Moscow, specifically targeting parents who hope their children will become successful.
Sherikovsky, using his connections in Estonia, got the underfunded branch school to open a mid-term training course, with tuition set at 70,000 rubles per person. He didn't care about teaching quality at all; he just wanted to make a quick buck and run.
On one hand, tuition fees of one thousand US dollars plus three thousand RMB were charged in China, while on the other hand, tuition fees of seventy thousand rubles were actually paid in Ecuador. Teacher Cai and Sherikovsky pocketed the huge difference in the price and made a fortune.
They originally planned to run away with the money after the training course ended in March, but they were exposed beforehand.
If Xiao Zhao hadn't met He Changyi at the train station and taken a taxi with her to the actual National Language University, these international students probably wouldn't have known what happened until they were kicked out of the school.
Although they have now caught Sherikovsky, Teacher Cai has disappeared without a trace, and the huge sum of money that the two of them swindled has also vanished.
The international students were furious, but they didn't know what to do and were in a complete mess like headless flies.
Some wanted to beat up Sherikovsky to vent their anger, some wanted to go find Teacher Cai and not let him get away like that; others wanted to go to the school administration, they believed they should be held responsible. Still others kept blaming themselves, wondering how they could have been so easily deceived.
In the chaos, He Changyi became the backbone, and she did not refuse, immediately dividing the meerkats into two groups.
One group went to the Moscow police station to report Sherikovsky for suspected fraud; the other group went to the post office to make an international call to inform their parents to report the case in China.
If Professor Cai has already left Moscow, we need to catch him back in the country as soon as possible.
The parents were stunned when they received the call, and could hardly believe it.
But what's done is done, and even if it's unacceptable, the most important thing now is to make amends.
More than 20 families came to the police station to report the case. Due to the large number of victims, the amount involved exceeding 200,000 yuan, and the involvement of foreign elements, the police station took the case very seriously. On one hand, they searched for Teacher Cai in China, and on the other hand, they sent police officers to Moscow to handle the case.
At this point, ten days had passed since the scam was exposed.
During this time, He Changyi was busy with her business while also taking time to help the international students with this matter.
He Changyi has a chivalrous side to her personality. She is always the first to step forward in times of crisis, which is probably why she is respectfully called "Sister He".
After all, if you can't be relied upon in crucial moments, then don't expect others to have genuine respect for you.
No one likes a fake strongman who shrinks back when faced with trouble.
The matter progressed relatively smoothly. Due to the conclusive evidence, the Moscow police formally arrested Sherikovsky, and the Zhongguo police have also opened a case for investigation and arrested accomplices who assisted Teacher Cai in carrying out false enrollment publicity.
But now there are still two problems.
First, Teacher Cai has not been apprehended to this day, and no one knows whether he has returned to China or is still hiding in Russia.
Secondly, there are academic issues for international students.
As victims, the international students want to request leave to return to their home countries and cooperate with the South Korean police investigation.
However, the branch school stated that the training course was not yet over, and if they returned to their home countries, it would be considered as automatic withdrawal, and the tuition fees would not be refunded.
The international students and the school have been arguing about this for several days, and have yet to reach an agreement.
Although the branch campus won't issue graduation certificates to international students, it will at least provide a training certificate. For this certificate, worth 10,000 yuan, the international students can't just withdraw and leave without a clear explanation.
More importantly, the purpose of international students going abroad is to attend university in Moscow, a real university, so that they can return home with a recognized diploma.
Now, the money has been spent, and I've spent almost a year in Oros, but in the end, it all came to nothing.
Yuan Yuanyuan cried and said to He Changyi:
“Sister He, my dad says that Russian art is the greatest in the world, and he wants me to study oil painting at the Repin Academy of Fine Arts. Our family spent 10,000 yuan, but now I can’t even get a training certificate.”
The international students wondered if they could transfer to the National Language University and get a real diploma, even though they were currently attending a branch campus.
The branch school, however, refused to agree, insisting that they had only received 70,000 rubles and would not allow anyone to be placed at the main school.
Just as the two sides were at an impasse, He Changyi appeared.
She didn't come alone; she brought with her a key figure who could break the deadlock.
"This is Professor Iscola."
He Changyi introduced her to everyone: "She is a professor at Moscow University."
Professor Iscolla was one of Grandma Vitalie's old friends and also the first customer who bartered with He Changyi.
He Changyi told the highly respected professor about the predicament faced by the international students and asked for his help.
Professor Isco sighed, “I visited China thirty years ago as a technical expert providing support. Back then, our country was like a brother, and our people were like children born of the same mother. But now… Comrade, don’t worry, I will do my best to help these poor children.”
In the Ego language, "Iskra" means "a spark".
Like a spark that still burns brightly in its twilight years, Professor Iscolas actively lobbied among schools and finally persuaded the National Language University to accept these twenty Chinese students.
Although tuition fees still need to be paid, this is already the best possible outcome.
Upon hearing the news, the international students burst into tears of joy.
Even the oldest man, who had resigned to study abroad, turned his back and quietly wiped away tears.
Everyone was extremely grateful to He Changyi; if she hadn't intervened, they would have been forced to kowtow to her face.
That's terrifying! She wants to live to be a hundred years old. If she kowtows more than twenty times, won't she lose more than half of her lifespan?
The Chinese police officers who came to Moscow to investigate the case were also pleased to hear the news, as at least the victims could recover some of their losses.
Of course, it would be even better if we could catch Teacher Cai and make him return all the embezzled money.
He Changyi asked him, "Did you find anything during your time in Moscow?"
The policeman's name was Zhou Cheng, a capable and efficient young man.
Because there is no agreement on cross-border police cooperation between China and Emei, he can only conduct investigations in his personal capacity in Moscow and cannot seek cooperation from the Moscow police, which leads to a certain inefficiency in the investigation.
However, he still discovered some clues.
Zhou Cheng said to He Changyi:
“I found a notebook in Teacher Cai’s dormitory with the name of a hotel written on it, but I’ve inquired and found that the hotel has long been closed down.”
He Changyi took the notebook and turned to the page where Zhou Cheng had made the mark.
"The Baikal Hotel?"
She pondered for a moment, then looked up at Zhou Cheng.
“I know about that hotel. Teacher Cai is very likely hiding there. I’ll have to ask Officer Zhou to come with me.”
Zhou Cheng smiled and said:
"Why use the word 'please'? It should be me thanking you for cooperating with our work. To be honest, without your help, I might not have had such a smooth experience in Moscow."
That's true. He Changyi helped him find a hotel run by Chinese people that was affordable and safe, allowing him to make ends meet with his meager travel expenses for a longer period of time.
Moreover, He Changyi explained to Zhou Cheng in detail the reality that Mosk was rife with thieves, robbers, and randomly appearing skinhead gangs, enabling him to quickly adapt to the local environment instead of ending up in the police station's dark room for a day due to excessive self-defense.
After determining the possible hiding place of Teacher Cai, He Changyi brought Zhou Cheng to the Baikal Hotel.
The hotel had been closed for months, with the doors and windows boarded up, and the interior was dark when viewed through the gaps.
Returning to this familiar place, He Changyi felt a mix of emotions.
When she first arrived in Mosk, she was almost scammed by Stan, but after that, her business took off and the hotel corridors were filled with clients seeking cooperation.
It was here that she saved Zhang Jin, who had been stabbed several times by a van driver, and became known as "Sister He" in the black market trading circle.
Later, when the skinheads attacked the hotel, she narrowly escaped and rescued Chen Yue and Peshkov. Now, one of them is her capable assistant, and the other is her long-time client with whom she has cooperated many times.
Zhou Cheng's words interrupted He Changyi's thoughts.
"The windows and doors are all sealed off, how are we supposed to get in?"
He was still pondering the possibility of prying open the wooden plank and crawling inside when He Changyi beckoned to him and said mysteriously:
"Come with me."
He Changyi led Zhou Cheng to the back door, where there was a small door specifically for employees to enter and exit.
She stepped forward and turned the doorknob; sure enough, it could be opened.
The two entered the hotel one after the other. At Zhou Cheng's insistence, he walked in front of He Changyi and picked up a brick as a self-defense weapon.
The hotel was extremely quiet, almost deathly still.
The footsteps sounded like they were being amplified, becoming rather jarring as they walked up the stairs.
He Changyi walked behind Zhou Cheng. Through the limited sunlight streaming in through the window cracks, traces of the shooting were visible everywhere.
The bullet was deeply embedded in the wall, and there was a dark, almost black stain on the carpet.
The hotel still retained the chaotic scene from the day of the shooting: vases were broken on the floor, curtains were mostly torn down, chairs were overturned in the middle of the corridor, and the television screen was riddled with bullet holes.
In this terrifying and tense environment, He Changyi could clearly sense that Zhou Cheng in front of him was a little nervous, and his movements became more and more standard, like the standard movements of an army infiltrating.
She followed him silently, startling Zhou Cheng several times, making him turn around to confirm that it was her following him, and not some inhuman being.
To ease the tension, He Changyi took the initiative to speak:
"You know what? I was at the hotel the day the shooting happened."
Zhou Cheng didn't turn around, and his voice sounded somewhat tense.
"Really? This case has been reported in domestic newspapers, saying that skinheads attacked a Chinese businessman. It's outrageous, it's practically a racially motivated massacre."
He Changyi lowered his voice and said:
"Yes, it was indeed a massacre. Many people died, all in this hotel."
Her voice was thin and long, echoing softly in the hotel like the mournful cry of a ghost.
With a clang, a sudden sound came from somewhere.
Zhou Cheng was clearly startled, and the brick in his hand almost flew out of his hand.
He Changyi's eyes lit up, and she spoke even softer.
“I saw it with my own eyes. There were dead people in every room. They died horribly, their bodies riddled with bullet holes, and blood was everywhere.”
Do you know what the worst thing is?
"They didn't die immediately, but from excessive blood loss. Because the ambulance from Eka arrived very late, they could have been saved, but they were dragged to their deaths."
Zhou Cheng got goosebumps all over, wondering why He Changyi was saying all this.
In the darkness, her eyes seemed to glow, like those of a wild beast in a cave.
"Do you think these dead people have become earthbound spirits, staying here forever, resenting every living person who comes in?"
"I've heard that if you suddenly feel very cold, it means a ghost is passing by you."
Another sudden sound rang out, this time from a more obvious direction.
Zhou Cheng was wondering why He Changyi would say such frightening things in this environment. Could it be that she has a perverse sense of humor and likes to scare people?
But He Changyi shushed him, gesturing for him to look in the direction the sound came from.
Zhou Cheng was a beat slow to react, then suddenly realized something.
He Changyi nodded affirmatively at him.
Without further hesitation, Zhou Cheng quickly went downstairs and approached the source of the sound.
His footsteps probably broke the silence in the hotel, because at that moment, a figure rushed out of a room downstairs.
He fled aimlessly downhill, heading straight for the back door.
We can't let him get away!
In his haste, Zhou Cheng threw down the brick and used one hand to support himself on the railing as he stepped over the stairs, but he was still some distance away from the person.
Just as the other person was about to tear open the door and escape, a brick, spinning in the air, struck him precisely on the back of the head.
With a thud, the man fell face down to the ground.
At this moment, Zhou Cheng also caught up, turned around and looked, then turned back in surprise and shouted to He Changyi:
"It's that guy!"
He Changyi patted the dust off his hands from handling the bricks and slowly walked down the stairs.
"I knew it was him."
"This guy is such a coward. It's one thing to be afraid of me, but why is he afraid of ghosts too?"
Zhou Cheng silently grumbled to himself, "What do you mean by being afraid of ghosts? In this massacre scene, how many people have your composure to tell ghost stories without batting an eye?"
To be honest, when He Changyi said, "If you suddenly feel very cold, it means a ghost is passing by you," this seven-foot-tall man felt a chill rise from the soles of his feet, and the hairs on his body stood on end.
Teacher Cai struggled desperately, thinking he was being double-crossed, and kept begging for mercy with his eyes closed.
"I'll give you all the money, please let me go, I really didn't see anything!"
However, someone walked up to him and lifted his chin with the tip of their shoe.
"Open your eyes and see who I am?"
The female voice sounded strangely familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere before, and it had left a deep impression on him.
But Teacher Cai kept her eyes tightly closed and kept shaking her head from side to side.
He had heard rumors in the underworld that if you could see the face of a robber, it meant that the robber had no intention of leaving him alive.
"I didn't see anything! I didn't see anything!"
The woman clicked her tongue impatiently.
"Teacher Cai, that's enough."
Teacher Cai paused for a moment, wondering how the other party knew his surname was Cai.
He hesitated, opening his eyes a crack and squinting to look over. The next second, he stared in shock.
"It's you!!!"
He Changyi smiled and leaned closer.
"Long time no see, you've really made a fortune!"
Teacher Cai, seemingly lost in thought, became flustered and agitated, her lips trembling as she spoke:
"I'll give you half! No, I'll give you two-thirds! Just let me go, and I'll tell you where the money is right away!"
He Changyi pulled out his shoe and let Teacher Cai's forehead hit the ground.
Under Teacher Cai's suspicious gaze, she smiled and took a step back, revealing Zhou Cheng behind her.
“I am a law-abiding citizen. You can talk to this police officer about what you have to say.”
Zhou Cheng showed his police ID and said seriously to Teacher Cai:
"I am Cai Caishu, a criminal investigator from a certain public security bureau. You are suspected of a fraud case and are now formally arrested!"
Cai Caishu collapsed to the ground, glancing out of the corner of his eye at He Changyi watching the spectacle, and thought incredulously—
On what grounds? What kind of law-abiding citizen is she?!
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