Chapter 9: Hit Me If You Dare
He Youwen naturally had no idea about the family's outrageous antics in the hospital ward.
He opened his phone and sent a message in the group chat.
"The person at the Chengbei Police Station is indeed Suer, but he was definitely framed. I'll go find out more about the situation."
"Goddammit, could it be that son of a bitch Liu Tianchuan again?"
"It's not him. That family just wants to extort money. That part of the Wetland Park happens to be a surveillance blind spot, which is why that family dares to be so brazen."
"I'll go look for the other witness. Wenjun, cook a few dishes and bring them to Suer. I've already made the arrangements; just give my name when you get there." @Feng Wenjun
"Got it."
"Sheng Zi, buy some things and go to the hospital to feel out that family's intentions. They were quite reserved when I went there. Remember to record the conversation." @Ye Sheng
"Understood."
The roommates split up... South City Police Station.
Chen Su was wolfing down the food on the table.
"That family of rascals is extorting you now, and there's no surveillance in that area. Do you have any other effective evidence?"
Feng Wenjun was also at his wit's end.
Other than bringing food to Chen Su, he couldn't help with anything else.
"If I had known, I would have just let Old Man Wang drown yesterday."
Chen Su was also speechless.
"There was a middle-aged man nearby yesterday who even performed CPR on the drowning Old Man Wang. He can testify."
"Don't even mention him. Xiao Wenzi just sent a message. That man is now adamantly claiming that you were the one who pushed Old Man Wang into the water. He must have been bought off by that family."
"Birds of a feather, damn it."
Chen Su cursed out loud.
"If you're talking about evidence, there really might be some. Note down the address: Room 1205, Building 4, Tianjing Community. Zhong Zicheng, he's a senior underclassman from Feng University. He was sketching at the Wetland Park that day and might have a recording."
"Around 4:30 PM."
Chen Su then remembered the B-grade intelligence the intelligence system had given him at midnight.
He hadn't thought much of it at the time.
This really was life-saving information; no wonder it was B-grade.
Feng Wenjun noted down the address and left for Tianjing Community.
This residential area was truly massive.
He circled around for a long time before finally finding where Building 4 was.
He pressed the button for the 12th floor in the elevator.
Walking up to the door of Room 1205, Feng Wenjun rang the doorbell.
There was no response from the door.
He pressed it again.
With a creak, the door opened.
An elderly lady opened the door.
"Hello, is this the home of Zhong Zicheng?"
"Yes, yes it is. Do you have business with Xiao Cheng? He just stepped out."
"Ah, he's out. It's like this, Grandma: I'm his friend and I have an urgent matter to discuss with him. My name is Feng Wenjun, and this is my phone number."
After saying that, Feng Wenjun wrote a note and handed it to the elderly woman.
"Please have Zicheng call me as soon as he gets back."
"Alright, young man. Would you like to come in for some tea?"
"No, thank you. I have an urgent matter to attend to. I'll come visit you again when I'm free."
Feng Wenjun left after saying that... Inside the hospital ward.
"500,000 was the price this morning, but it's not enough now. My dad is frequently feeling dizzy. I suspect that murderer Chen Su slapped him so hard he got a concussion. It'll be at least 800,000."
Old Man Wang's son said smugly.
"Yes, at least 800,000. Not a penny less. That damned murderer—we're willing to settle, which is letting him off easy," Cui Jinhua added from the side.
The mercedes-benz keys clipped to Ye Sheng's waist caught their attention the moment he entered.
They had originally planned to settle for 500,000, but they hadn't expected Chen Su to have such a wealthy friend who drove a mercedes-benz.
This family was a bunch of veteran actors; with just a single look, they knew how to play out the next step.
Ye Sheng was infuriated by the way they kept calling Chen Su a murderer every other sentence.
The family's words became more and more unpleasant.
Ye Sheng finally couldn't take it anymore and grabbed Wang Dingshan by the collar.
To his surprise, Wang Dingshan wasn't afraid at all.
Instead, he leaned in with a punchable face.
"Hit me! If you've got the guts, then hit me hard! I'm just afraid you're a coward, ptooey—"
After saying that, he spat in Ye Sheng's face.
"You motherfucker, you don't know what's good for you. You really think I'm a pushover."
He slammed Wang Dingshan heavily onto the ground.
He raised his fist high and swung it toward Wang Dingshan's face.
Wang Dingshan, slammed to the ground, was truly panicked. He had been in this business for many years, but this was the first time he had encountered someone like Ye Sheng who actually dared to hit him.
With the unlucky victims he had met before, he had always calculated that they would have too many concerns to actually lay a hand on him.
Who would have thought that today, he would slip up.
He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, preparing to receive Ye Sheng's iron fist.
He kept comforting himself internally.
"Only by enduring the most bitter hardships can one extort people."
"I'm going all in."
Just as he was having an internal struggle, the expected punch did not land on his face.
Halfway through the swing, Ye Sheng's fist was caught by another hand.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't swing it down.
"Sheng Zi, don't be impulsive."
The newcomer was none other than He Youwen, who had failed to get any results from questioning the middle-aged accomplice.
"Let go! See if I don't beat him to death today."
"Oh, murder! Officer, how can our family be so miserable? My old man was just pushed into the lake, and now that murderer's accomplice has come to beat my son."
Cui Jinhua looked at the uniformed He Youwen as if he were a lifesaver.
"Officer, save me! This guy wants to kill me!" Wang Dingshan, lying on the ground, let out a scream like a slaughtered pig.
The family's acting was pushed to the extreme.
They took turns airing their "grievances."
"Everyone, shut up!" He Youwen shouted sternly.
He pulled Ye Sheng to the side.
Old Man Wang's family also fell silent collectively.
They didn't know about the relationship between He Youwen, Chen Su, and the others; they thought he was just there like he was at noon.
To conduct a routine questioning.
"Sheng Zi, you go first. What happened?"
"Officer, he—"
"Shut up, I wasn't asking you."
Cui Jinhua was cut off mid-sentence, her words choked back.
Ye Sheng played the recording of Wang Dingshan's family's provocations... "500,000 was the price this morning, but it's not enough now. My dad is frequently feeling dizzy. I suspect that murderer Chen Su slapped him so hard he got a concussion. It'll be at least 800,000."
... "Hit me! If you've got the guts, then hit me hard! I'm just afraid you're a coward, ptooey—"
... He Youwen's face darkened as he listened, and he turned to look at Old Man Wang's family.
"Does your family have anything else to add?"
"Officer, I admit I said some unpleasant things, but is he not at fault at all? If you hadn't arrived in time, I might have been beaten to death."
Wang Dingshan spoke without any shame.
"How do you want to resolve this?"
"I must be compensated for mental distress. 150,000—no, 200,000. Not a penny less."
"200,000? Isn't that a bit low?" He Youwen said, narrowing his eyes.
"Then... 300,000? Officer, what do you think?"
Cui Jinhua looked at He Youwen expectantly, her eyes lighting up.