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As evening approached, Ding Fei and Duan Lixing returned to Shen Anxia's rented room first, where Yang Zheng was preparing dinner.
After answering the phone, Yang Zheng took a moment to open the door and welcome Ding Fei and Duan Lixing in before heading back into the kitchen.
Shen Anxia stood up from the sofa on one leg and greeted them with a smile: "Big brother, second brother, please sit down."
Ding Fei and Duan Lixing each moved a chair and sat down opposite each other at the coffee table.
Ding Fei: "An Xia, please sit down too."
Shen Anxia sat down, supporting herself on the back of the sofa. Duan Lixing asked, "How is your injury?"
"It's scabbed over." Shen Anxia raised her arm to look at it.
The two men looked at Shen Anxia and found her truly pitiful. Both her arms and legs were covered in abrasions, and two abrasions on her elbows were still oozing clear yellow fluid and had not yet scabbed over. There was a bruise on her forehead, but fortunately, the skin was not broken and she was not disfigured. The finger marks on her left cheek were clearly visible, but according to the third brother, the swelling should have gone down quite a bit. They didn't know if the swelling on her ankle had gone down, but it looked more swollen than a steamed bun.
Fortunately, she seemed to be in a good mood at the moment, and was not pessimistic or depressed.
“Your second sister-in-law fell while hiking before, and the wound was quite deep, but later she used a scar removal cream and it didn’t leave any scar at all—the wound is similar to your knee wound.” Duan Lixing’s tone carried a reassuring strength.
"Really? That's great!" Shen Anxia was worried about scarring, since she would still need to dance in the future.
"Really, I'll tell Lao San in a bit and have him go buy it for you." Duan Lixing's mood improved when he saw that Shen Anxia was in high spirits.
Yang Zheng happened to come out of the kitchen and asked, "What are you buying?"
"Scar removal cream," Ding Fei said.
Duan Lixing looked closely at Yang Zheng, who was wearing an apron, and felt that his condition was obviously different from that morning.
These two people gave Duan Lixing the feeling of having survived a calamity.
"What are we having for dinner?" Ding Fei patted his round belly, feeling a little hungry.
“Yang Zheng stewed pig’s trotters,” Shen Anxia said, her face ashen. “He kept telling me that eating certain foods can help you recover from certain conditions, but my feet aren’t shaped like that!”
“No problem, you get what you eat.” Ding Fei laughed heartily.
Shen Anxia tilted her head. She looked at Ding Fei and thought he looked just like Maitreya Buddha. Not only did he look like him, but his earlobes were also as thick and long as Maitreya Buddha's. In other words, it was as if Maitreya Buddha was wearing a wig.
And his big belly really is "big-bellied and tolerant," as if he doesn't care about anything.
Duan Lixing smiled slightly: "I don't know about foot repair, but you do need to supplement your collagen right now."
This explanation pleased Shen Anxia.
"I can't believe I'm still getting to eat the food cooked by the third brother," Ding Fei exclaimed.
"We're benefiting from Anxia's success," Duan Lixing chimed in from the side.
Yang Zheng asked, "Was today smooth?"
Ding Fei: "Well, the secretary didn't expect this to happen either. He said he asked around and these people had just come out, but he would have to wait for the fourth and fifth brothers to come back to ask them for details."
Duan Lixing: "When something like this happens in Xinfeng, the higher-ups are quite helpless. They definitely have to try to suppress it. If no real harm is caused, the chances of a settlement are high."
“Fortunately, we paved the way beforehand. Your second brother also pointed out to Secretary Liu that Xinfeng could actually improve public trust through this case and let the province see its achievements by appealing to the people. So, not only will the media not be suppressed, but the police will also invite the media to follow up. Anxia's revenge will definitely be achieved. Your second brother has mastered the art of media warfare.” Ding Fei rubbed his right thigh with a proud look on his face. “He actually managed to find a new way and revitalize what was originally a fixed situation. So this time, these people are doomed.”
Shen Anxia admired him sincerely.
It's not just that Duan Lixing can master high-level public opinion warfare; this second brother is the most meticulous strategist in this group, and moreover, he's the most adept at understanding people's hearts. Generally, such people give the impression of being worldly-wise and smooth-talking, but Duan Lixing is so calm and collected that you feel he's the most reliable person.
“Anxia has also done well,” Duan Lixing said, looking at Shen Anxia. “Secretary Liu knows you.”
"Huh?" Shen Anxia didn't recognize this secretary. This kind of leader usually appeared on the stage, and she never had the chance to meet him. Even if she occasionally sat in the audience, she was the one performing for him.
Ding Fei then said to Yang Zheng, "Once this matter is almost settled, Third Brother, you should take An Xia to pay a visit."
"Okay." Yang Zheng usually listened to Ding Fei and Duan Lixing without question.
"Why haven't the fourth and fifth brothers arrived yet?" Yang Zheng picked up his phone and called Xu Qingjing.
"Yes, I'm hungry too." Ding Fei is big and gets hungry easily.
The phone rang for two seconds before being answered. Xu Qingjing said, "Third Brother, we're on the second floor. Open the door for us."
Yang Zheng got up and opened the door. He wasn't in a hurry to ask about the progress at the police station. Instead, he went into the kitchen to prepare the meal.
Ding Fei and Duan Lixing also went to the kitchen to help.
Xu Qingjing and Jiang Fanxing, however, saw Shen Anxia sitting on the sofa and leaned closer to examine her.
“Brother Da Jing, Fifth Brother,” Shen Anxia said with a smile.
Jiang Fanxing's eyes were full of astonishment and even a hint of mockery. He pushed Shen Anxia's swollen ankle and said, "This injury, good heavens! I've never seen a woman in such a terrible state in my life. This foot, it's no different from a pig's trotter."
Shen Anxia gasped in pain: "Fifth Brother, you really messed with me! And you've really not seen much in this 'life'."
Seeing that Shen Anxia wasn't as miserable and terrified as Yang Zheng had described, Xu Qingjing chuckled and teased, "If you make one call to Rong Yi, your fifth brother will immediately back down."
“I think so too,” Shen Anxia looked at Xu Qingjing, “Brother Jing, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of my parents. Please don’t let them know.”
"Don't worry, Third Brother gave you instructions. Take good care of yourself and get well soon."
"Um."
"Fourth brother, move those two chairs over here. Fifth brother, there are two more chairs in Anxia's bedroom, bring them out." Yang Zheng placed the pig's trotters and garlic sprouts on the dining table.
Xu Qingjing and Jiang Fanxing moved chairs and set them aside, then went into the kitchen to help. Ding Fei and Duan Lixing brought out a large plate of grilled fish and a large bowl of cold salad.
Shen Anxia originally wanted to jump over, but Yang Zheng picked her up in a princess carry and put her directly on the chair.
Everyone sat down around the table. There were eight dishes but no soup, drinks but no wine. No one took care of anyone else, but they ate very casually.
Shen Anxia felt that these brothers had such a good relationship that they were like family.
Shen Anxia and Jiang Fanxing sat at opposite ends of the rectangular dining table. Yang Zheng helped Shen Anxia pick up dishes she couldn't reach, while Jiang Fanxing stood up to pick up dishes she couldn't reach.
“It’s been two years since I’ve had my third brother’s cooking,” Jiang Fanxing said, wolfing down her food. “It seems like it’s been since my fourth brother got married.”
“Yes,” Xu Qingjing also ate heartily. “Jingyi can’t eat any of the food I make. She stayed at her parents’ house every day when she was pregnant.”
"How's it going over there?" Duan Lixing asked.
"Holy crap, Third Brother is really awesome," Jiang Fanxing said excitedly to Ding Fei and Duan Lixing. "I originally thought I had to beat those guys up to avenge An Xia, but when I got there, damn it, those three guys were beaten up by Third Brother! I bet even their own mothers wouldn't recognize them."
Then he yelled at Yang Zheng, "I'm telling you, you cracked two people's skulls open, you know that! Another one has serious internal injuries, he's just barely breathing!"
"And I saw those two machetes," Jiang Fanxing said, gesturing as he described them. "They were so long, you know, Second Brother, I almost knelt down in shock!"
"Does this mean you didn't kneel?" Yang Zheng said, amused.
"The fifth brother figured if he beat him up again, it would become a criminal case on the spot, and he would have to kneel down," Xu Qingjing chimed in.
"I knew Third Brother was strong in combat, but I fucking didn't expect him to be this strong!!!! The point is! The way Third Brother fought, he precisely avoided all the fatal spots and still made these guys experience what fear is," Jiang Fanxing said, almost crying. He asked Yang Zheng in a reproachful tone, "Are you still the Third Brother I grew up with?"
Yang Zheng remained unmoved and reminded him, "Did you forget everything the coach taught you when you were a kid? We learned combat and Sanda together. What were the fatal points the coach taught us back then? Have you forgotten them?"
"I forget everything as soon as I start a real battle," Jiang Fanxing admitted.
"Let's get down to business, Fifth Brother," Ding Fei reminded him.
"Let me handle the important matters; Fifth Brother can't handle serious business," Xu Qingjing said, adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses.
“Yes, Fourth Brother said so,” Jiang Fanxing agreed.
Xu Qingjing recounted the events of the day, from the time the three were taken to the hospital last night to have their injuries treated until the police took their statements this morning. In fact, none of them were in a good condition to give statements, but the pressure from above was too great, so they had to be interrogated while their injuries were being treated.
“At first, someone was yelling that he wanted to get a medical examination and that the police should arrest the person who assaulted him. But when Lao Wu and I took out our phones to record the conversation and take photos, he backed down. But he still kept saying that we should deal with things separately.”
"Later, it was discovered that these individuals had a large sum of money deposited into their accounts half a month ago, but it wasn't a transfer, so the source was difficult to trace. There were also call records from the past few days, one of which was very suspicious, but the number was a recently purchased, unregistered number. In addition, these individuals had previously committed theft and other crimes, and had only recently been released. With criminal records, it would be very difficult for them to get out if they went back in, so they initially refused to confess properly."
"The fat guy whose head was cracked open by Third Brother admitted that a woman in the dance troupe called their boss half a month ago—the other fat guy whose head was cracked open—saying they should find a way to prevent An Xia from going on stage, whether it was kidnapping or a car accident, it didn't have to be too serious, as long as she couldn't go on stage. But they followed you two for half a month without finding an opportunity to make a move, and An Xia still went on stage to perform on Friday."
"The mission wasn't completed, and the other party refused to pay the final payment and even blocked the boss's contact information. Since the group couldn't get their money, and considering that they had been following An Xia for half a month and felt that they had never seen such a... beautiful girl in their lives, they figured that even if they couldn't get the money, they wouldn't lose out by getting the girl, so they decided to kidnap An Xia."
Xu Qingjing was afraid that Yang Zheng would not be able to accept the thug's original words, so he embellished the words so that they would not make him go berserk, and then continued to tell the story in a gentle manner: "Originally, I was planning to take An Xia to Zhangjiachang before making a move, but I did not expect that An Xia would smash people and jump off the car on the way—An Xia, you have quite a strong explosive force."
Even so, Yang Zheng's face turned ashen upon hearing this.
"You mean, we can't find this woman in the dance troupe through her funding sources and contact information?" Yang Zheng asked.
Xu Qingjing nodded: "Yes, it's difficult. This fat man said that the location where they received the down payment was in an unfinished building. When they got there, there was only a snakeskin bag on the ground, and no one was there. The used phone card was just thrown away, so it was even harder to find."
"Then let's check the nearby surveillance footage," Duan Lixing analyzed. "Anxia, who do you think wants to prevent you from participating in the performance?"
Shen Anxia wiped her mouth with a tissue: "I've thought about this problem. It's relatively easy to analyze. Although there are many people in the dance troupe, there are only a few principal and second principal dancers. They must be people with similar skills and ages to me. All things considered, there are no more than five people."
“This matter is not easy to handle,” Duan Lixing said solemnly. “Third brother, you need to plan the follow-up methods. Even if Secretary Liu has given instructions, it won’t work if the police don’t have a direction to handle the case.”
Yang Zheng hummed in agreement: "I've thought about it. I haven't taken my annual leave yet. I'll ask my supervisor for leave tomorrow afternoon so I can take care of An Xia at the same time and also handle this matter in Xinfeng."
"I'll also give a heads-up to your superiors, so you can focus on handling things here," Ding Fei said.
“I don’t need to be taken care of,” Shen Anxia refused. “I’ll go to the troupe on Monday. After all, I can observe these people up close if I go there.”
Brothers in arms: "..."
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