Chapter 134: Face Is More Precious than Life

Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Face Is More Precious than Life

"How much do you make a month?"

"Fifty-five after taxes, plus night shift pay, perfect attendance bonus..."

"All in, you’re barely making seventy-something a month, right? It’s tough."

The police officer cut in directly.

Ruan Yongxing’s lips moved. He held back for a long moment before nodding in resignation.

"Given the situation, thirty yuan in compensation from Mr. Shen is already very generous."

"After he beat me up like this?!"

Ruan Yongxing shot up, pointing a finger straight at his own face.

The second he finished shouting, he cried out and collapsed back into the chair, pressing his hands hard against his temples, his shoulders twitching uncontrollably.

"My head is ringing... I-I’m dizzy... My vision’s going black, and it feels like my ears are stuffed with cotton. Everything sounds muffled."

Yao Yuzhen immediately rushed over, holding Ruan Yongxing’s wrist with one hand while gently patting his back with the other.

"Yongxing, can you hang in there? Do you want some water? I can get you a damp towel for your head."

The police officer, at his wit’s end, pulled Yao Yuzhen to the doorway and tried to persuade her in a low voice.

"Miss Yao, you’re going to have to coax your friend a bit. This is such a trivial matter; it’s really not worth wasting time here. Why don’t you take your son, bring some fruit, and go over to apologize? It’s much better than digging your heels in here, don’t you think?"

"He was the one who hit him. He needs to be taught a lesson!"

Yao Yuzhen lifted her chin defiantly...

But the officer had no idea who she was; he just thought her tone was far too aggressive.

He gave up trying to persuade her and strode quickly toward the end of the hallway.

He told him about Ruan Yongxing demanding a thousand yuan, then asked.

"Where does your dad work? Should we call him to come down?"

"Maybe he can talk some sense into your mom..."

The officer waved his hand, swallowing the last part of his sentence.

Shen Rongdan felt like he’d been slapped silly by reality today.

The moment Yao Yuzhen was mentioned, his face went pale. It took him a long while to force out a sentence in a hoarse voice.

"My dad can’t get away. I’ll have my brother come over."

’Call his dad?’

’As if he could!’

’The moment his father showed up, this would go from a one-on-one fight to a father-and-son tag team assault.’

When the officer heard he was calling his older brother, he hesitated.

’This kid is so reckless. Can his brother keep things under control?’

’Will he just make things more complicated?’

Shen Rongdan saw the officer’s hesitation and quickly added,

"My brother’s with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

As soon as he said that, the officer immediately handed him the phone.

On the other end, Shen Rongjing listened, then leisurely adjusted his glasses.

"Alright, I’m on my way. Don’t panic."

"Okay."

Shen Rongdan really wasn’t panicking, so he didn’t say the words "I’m sorry."

Meanwhile, Yao Yuzhen was still at the doorway, cornering the officer and demanding,

"Are you going to handle this or not?"

"The man is lying right there. Whether his injuries are real or fake is another matter, but you can’t just pretend you don’t see him, can you?"

"Aunt Yao!"

Before her voice had even faded, a motorcycle came roaring up to the police station entrance. VROOM VROOM VROOM.

A young man in a leather jacket hopped off.

The moment he spoke, several officers inside froze.

"Captain Yi? What’s the special occasion that brought you here?"

Then they looked at Yao Yuzhen, and their heads swiveled back in unison.

"You two... know each other?"

Yi Haoran chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah, she’s an old friend of my parents."

He turned his head and asked,

"Aunt Yao, what are you doing here?"

"Ah Jing just called me. He said Xiao Dan got into a fight and was brought here."

"Did Xiao Dan call your house to let you know?"

"Don’t you worry, it’s just a couple of young guys who pushed each other around a bit. A minor thing."

"I’ll go in and check on the situation right now. I guarantee Xiao Dan will be home for dinner, safe and sound."

The police officers: "..."

’Well, well, the plot thickens.’

Yao Yuzhen stood there, her heels frozen to the ground.

Shen Jiajia and the others had judged her correctly. To Yao Yuzhen, her reputation was more precious than life itself.

If it had been the Shen family who showed up today, she wouldn’t have been the least bit intimidated.

Why?

Because she looked down on every single one of them and believed, in her bones, that she had done nothing wrong.

In her mind, it was the Shen family who should feel guilty when they saw her.

But since the person who rushed over wasn’t one of her own, she instantly deflated.

It wasn’t that she truly felt she’d done anything wrong, but she knew all too well how the Shen family put on a front for outsiders.

Now this was just great. Being seen standing with Ruan Yongxing, others would have already made up their minds about her.

’This woman has no sense of propriety. Her heart has strayed, and her family’s reputation can’t even keep her in line.’

That was why she felt so guilty, her palms sweating from shame.

"He hit someone, and now he’s playing the victim?!"

Her voice suddenly shot up an octave.

Yi Haoran just assumed she was worried Shen Rongdan was going down the wrong path, so he immediately put on a smile and tried to soothe her.

"Auntie, it’s probably just a misunderstanding! Xiao Dan isn’t a troublemaker. Out of all the kids in our group, he’s the one who causes the least worry. My dad’s always saying that if I were half as steady as him, he’d wake up laughing in his sleep."

The moment the words left his mouth, his eyelid twitched.

’Oh, crap.’

Yao Yuzhen’s expression didn’t soften; instead, she seemed to sway on her feet.

He immediately shut his mouth and gestured to the police officer at the door.

The two of them shuffled one after another to the corner of the hallway, talking while frequently glancing back inside the station.

Yao Yuzhen stood there for a moment, then turned and walked over to Shen Rongdan.

"Did you call Yi Haoran?"

Hearing the name Yi Haoran, Shen Rongdan’s brow furrowed as well.

He hadn’t called anyone. His brother must have tipped him off.

But...

’Was it really worth her getting this angry over?’

"I didn’t call him."

He answered crisply.

Yao Yuzhen shot back instantly.

"You’re just like your father. The moment you open your mouth, lies come tumbling out."

Shen Rongdan: "..."

He looked up at the woman who was his own mother, as if seeing her clearly for the very first time.

His lips moved, then pressed together tightly.

’Forget it.’

’There’s really nothing to argue about.’

His silence only made Yao Yuzhen angrier.

"You hit someone, and you think you can get away without apologizing or paying up, just by relying on the Shen family’s influence to bully people? You think just because some people are afraid to speak up, no one will dare to stand against you?"

"Have you ever thought about what would happen if they reported your father? They could complain to any number of authorities, and it would be more than enough to land your dad in hot water."

Shen Rongdan had been fired up before, but now he was frighteningly calm.

"Let them report it. If they can actually get him in trouble, then good for them. Say I’m throwing my weight around? Let them report me. I won’t stop them, and I’m not afraid."

"Apologize? Don’t even think about it."

"You...!"

Yao Yuzhen raised a hand and pointed at him.

"You think your wings have grown strong, is that it? You won’t even listen to your own mother anymore?"

Shen Rongdan turned his head away, the corners of his eyes quietly turning red.

"Mom, is he the reason you’re getting a divorce?"

SLAP!

A crisp sound echoed.

Yao Yuzhen had swung her hand and slapped him across the face, then turned, slammed the door, and left.

Shen Rongdan stood frozen in place as two clear streams of tears flowed down his cheeks.

Yi Haoran first found a police officer to get the full story.

When he heard that Ruan Yongxing was demanding a thousand yuan right off the bat, he didn’t even bat an eye. He turned and headed straight for Ruan Yongxing.

Shen Shuangshuang was sitting next to Ruan Yongxing, looking down and fiddling with her fingers.

The moment Yi Haoran walked in, she immediately wanted to shrink into a corner and hide.

But Yi Haoran had already called out to her with a smile.

"Shuangshuang? You’re here too?"

He gestured with his chin toward Ruan Yongxing, then winked at Shen Shuangshuang.

"Oh, a familiar face?"

Shen Shuangshuang waved her hands frantically.

"No, no, no... He’s just... an old colleague of my mom’s. They used to work together at the factory, but then they went their separate ways. They haven’t been in touch for a long time."

Yi Haoran gave her a slow, deliberate look, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards.

"I need to have a few words with Master Ruan. Shuangshuang, you..."

Before he could finish, Shen Shuangshuang shot to her feet.