Report to the police station
In the interrogation room of the police station, the incandescent light was dazzling. Several blue-haired thugs sat crookedly in chairs, with unextinguished cigarette butts scattered around their feet—cigarettes they had secretly hidden in their pockets before the police came in and took out to smoke when no one was looking.
The tall man leaned back in his chair, hands in his pockets, head tilted back almost the entire time, his gaze passing over the police officer's shoulder and landing on the clock on the wall, humming an off-key tune. The blond-haired guy and another skinny thug were even worse. As soon as the police officer asked, "Why did you beat up Xu Yanchi on the roadside this morning?" the two of them huddled together whispering, their shoulders shaking, laughing about something, occasionally pushing and shoving each other, completely disregarding the interrogation.
"Be serious!" The police officer slammed his notebook on the table with a loud "thud," making the pens on the table jump. The three thugs finally stopped, but still looked reluctant. The taller one curled his lip and rolled his eyes: "Officer, what's the big deal? It's just kids playing around."
"Are you kidding me?" The police officer frowned, his tone turning serious. "The victim has obvious bruises and shoe prints on his body. You call this kidding me? Explain clearly what exactly happened this morning!"
The tall man clicked his tongue, swayed slightly, and slowly began, "It wasn't that we wanted to hit her; that girl came to us herself." As he spoke, his eyes glanced towards the door of the interrogation room, as if searching for Xu Yanchi. "This morning on the roadside, she deliberately flirted with us, walking with a swaying, undulating gait, her waist moving like a water snake. She even turned to look at us. What else could it be but deliberately trying to seduce us? We were just joking with her; who knew she'd be so easily provoked? What else could it be but deliberately trying to seduce us?"
Huang Mao immediately chimed in, his voice laced with mockery: "Exactly! She can't even behave in her school uniform. We couldn't stand the way she acted, her uniform ripped open, deliberately getting close to us, so we said a few words to her. Then some bastard suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blocked our way. We were furious, so the next day we wanted to teach her a lesson, but then Wang Zhitao showed up, waving a mop handle around like a mad dog!" He paused, leaned forward, and grinned provocatively. "Later, we were smoking in the woods near the vocational high school, and we talked about how that girl seduced us—it was all true! That bastard overheard us, got furious on the spot, and started hitting us like a madman. He was clearly just angry and embarrassed, yet he dared to say we wanted revenge?"
After speaking, the blond-haired man turned to look at the interrogation room door, meeting Wang Zhitao's gaze. He winked and secretly raised an eyebrow, and the skinny thug grinned at Wang Zhitao as well, as if they had some unspoken understanding. But looking at Wang Zhitao, he stood ramrod straight, his back perfectly upright, his eyes clear, his face radiating an aura of righteous indignation, exuding an air of unapproachability. There was nothing amiss about him, as if the thugs' winks and smirks had been nothing but an illusion. But Wang Zhitao didn't respond, nor did he show any expression. He simply stood quietly in place, as if he hadn't noticed their little antics.
Listening to the thugs' distorted story and noticing the eye contact between Huang Mao and Wang Zhitao, the police officer felt a growing suspicion. Their story didn't match up with Xu Yanchi and Xiao Fuzhou's testimonies at all, and the thugs' underhanded tactics disgusted him. He sighed, his eyes filled with a hint of investigation.
"You'd better think carefully before you speak!" The police officer looked away, tapped the table, and said in a warning tone, "The victim has witnesses, and we're retrieving the surveillance footage. If you lie, the situation will be different! Don't think you can get away with making things up!"
The tall man scoffed nonchalantly, "Surveillance? So what if there is? What are we afraid of? That girl provoked us first, and that bastard attacked first. What are we afraid of?" The blond man nodded in agreement, muttering, "That's right, we didn't do anything wrong, why are you arresting us?" He laughed as he spoke, making lewd gestures towards Xu Yanchi outside the door, which made Xu Yanchi feel nauseous.
Seeing their arrogant attitude, the police officer suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Right now, the two sides have conflicting accounts, and it's unclear who is telling the truth. Until the surveillance footage is retrieved and the investigation is completed, the three of you must cooperate with the investigation and refrain from causing any more trouble! If you dare to speak rudely again or try to collude, don't blame me for handling you according to regulations!"
The tall man pursed his lips, said nothing more, but still turned his head to the side, looking defiant. The blond-haired and skinny thugs also toned down a bit, but still sat slouching, occasionally exchanging glances, blowing smoke rings, and spitting on the ground, the smell of smoke and betel nut mingling, making people fumes. They clearly didn't take the police officer's warning to heart. Seeing this, the police officer's anger was almost suffocating, and he could only slump into his chair, his face rough and pale.
Outside the interrogation room, Wang Zhitao took a deep breath, quietly clenched his fist, then quickly relaxed it. He turned to look at Xu Yanchi and Xiao Fuzhou beside him, his tone regaining its usual composure: "They're just talking nonsense, don't take it to heart." Xu Yanchi clutched the hem of her clothes, her face a little pale, but her eyes were red: "How could they slander someone like that..." Xiao Fuzhou patted her shoulder, his gaze cold as he looked at the interrogation room door, his voice as deep as a stone: "Don't worry, once the surveillance footage is pulled up, their lies won't hold water."
At this moment, the police officer in charge of the interrogation came out and nodded to the three men: "We will verify the information you provided with the surveillance footage. Don't worry, we won't let the victim be wronged. Those thugs were arrogant, but we will investigate them thoroughly and notify you of the results in a timely manner."
Outside the interrogation room, Wang Zhitao took a deep breath, quietly clenching his fist until his knuckles turned white, then quickly relaxing it, as if suppressing some emotion. He turned to look at Xu Yanchi and Xiao Fuzhou beside him, his tone returning to its usual calm, even with a hint of comfort: "They're just talking nonsense, trying to confuse the issue. Don't take it to heart, the police will definitely find out the truth." Xu Yanchi clutched the hem of her clothes, her fingers turning white, her face pale. She had tried her best to hold back her sobs, but hearing the thugs' stupid and despicable slander outside the door made her eyes redden, her voice choked with emotion: "How could they slander me like that... saying I seduced them... I didn't even see them..." Xiao Fuzhou patted her shoulder, his eyes coldly fixed on the interrogation room door, his voice as heavy as a stone: "Don't worry, once the surveillance footage is pulled up, their lies won't hold water. These kinds of people only think of others with filthy minds, don't pay them any attention."
Xu Yanchi nodded, sniffed, and whispered, "Thank you, officer." Xiao Fuzhou also thanked him and reached out to support Xu Yanchi's arm: "Let's go outside and wait; the air here isn't good." The three turned and walked towards the police station lobby. Wang Zhitao walked last. As he passed the interrogation room door, he paused, glanced back at the closed door, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and hurried after the two in front.
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