CHAPTER 277: CHAPTER 277: GOING TO JAIL

"Don’t believe me? Don’t believe me, go out and ask around yourself. See what happened to the last guy who crossed my big brother. When he sees my big brother, his legs shake and he wets his pants. He’s even too scared to call him ’dad’ when asked to call ’grandpa’. If you don’t want to end up like him, you’d better let me go quickly. That way, I can still plead for you in front of my big brother and let you off. Otherwise, with your little body, my big brother will definitely play you to death."

"Who’s your big brother?"

The shop assistant’s mouth was dry, thinking he was out of luck, but unexpectedly Xu Ke spoke up, reviving his spirits instantly.

He was just an ordinary worker. What did he know about any big brother’s reputation? He just made it up on the spot. But seeing Xu Ke might buy it, he perked up and said, "On the streets, everyone respectfully calls my big brother Tiger Brother. You’re not worthy of knowing his real name."

"I also mix in street circles. I only know there’s a Knife Brother in Shangjing. Never heard of a Tiger Brother. Kid, even if you’re lying, you should choose the right person." Xu Ke said coldly, twisting the assistant’s arm harder, making him cry out in pain, his face turning flustered where Xu Ke couldn’t see.

Realizing Xu Ke had seen through another’s lie, the assistant, with a hand on his neck, stopped trying to threaten Xu Ke to let him go and instead took another approach. "Sir, what happened earlier was my fault. I got confused for a moment and did something wrong. But I had no choice. My family is from the countryside, so I married early. My wife got pregnant right after we married, and gave birth to a son within a year. I have the old to care for and the young to raise!"

The assistant wailed while explaining his family’s situation. Seeing Xu Ke didn’t shut him up, he continued bravely, "My family’s situation is not good. My parents are in poor health, and just visiting the hospital each month takes up half of my salary. The child is still young, and the elderly can’t handle the fuss, so the kid’s mom stays home with him. I’m the main support of our family. If something happens to me, our family is finished. Please, give me a break. It’s my first offense."

The assistant forced out a few tears. While his family did have some burdens, it wasn’t as bad as he made out.

The assistant who initially tried to intimidate Xu Ke found some inspiration from his own story and started pitying himself as well, crying even louder, his raspy voice making others wish to have their ears pierced.

"You can’t hand me over to the police. If you do, my life is ruined. My mom is still waiting for me to be filial to her at home. If she knows I’ve been taken to the police station, she’ll be so upset. She’s in bad health. What if something happens? My mom is disabled. If I’m not around, who will take care of her?"

"You have elders at home too. You must understand my feelings, right? Please don’t turn me in. If you let me go this once, I promise to work hard and never do this kind of thing again." The assistant said hopefully.

"I don’t have elders at home." Xu Ke’s cold words left the two assistants planning to keep lamenting in shock, unsure how to go on as things reached this point. "And I don’t have any children at home either, so I can’t relate at all to your feelings." Xu Ke continued grimly.

The two people who were chatting earlier had already stopped. Instead, they sat side by side behind the counter, listening to the conversation, and whispering occasionally. But now, both had put away their smiles. Lin Mengyao was looking worriedly at Xu Ke’s profile. She wanted to hug him but knew it wasn’t the right time, so she could only watch from afar.

Bai Ru noticed things were off as well but knew it wasn’t her place to intervene, so she remained quiet, like a background character, watching it all unfold.

Fortunately, the tense atmosphere didn’t last long. The police, who received a call, quickly arrived.

Seeing the police approaching from afar, Xu Ke released the three he had restrained, and his expression returned to its previous state, as if the earlier gloom was but an illusion.

"Who called the police?" The leading officer came in and looked at the mess. He immediately frowned.

"We called." Xu Ke said coldly.

The lead officer was stunned, as, despite the distance, he’d clearly seen this man single-handedly controlling three assistants. And since it was a woman who called, he’d assumed this man was the perpetrator. Turns out, he was the one who reported it?

The lead officer looked at Xu Ke with a suspicious gaze. At this moment, Lin Mengyao, who had been sitting with Bai Ru behind the counter, came out. "Yes, we called the police. These three tried to extort us using threats. They locked the door and wouldn’t let us go without money." Lin Mengyao said to the officer while standing next to Xu Ke.

Bai Ru also stepped forward, standing on Lin Mengyao’s other side, and said, "That’s right. If you don’t believe us, you can take the store’s surveillance footage. It details the whole incident."

"We’ll investigate this matter. Take them away." The lead officer instructed his fellow officers, pointing at the three just released.

Three officers stepped forward, each taking one person out.

The lead officer took another look at the surrounding store surveillance, then instructed another officer, "Copy the store’s surveillance footage."

Once the officer acknowledged the command, he turned his attention to Xu Ke and the others. "You three will also need to accompany us for a statement. Our officers will review the footage. If the situation is as you say, we will handle it seriously as per the regulations." The lead officer stated seriously.

The three went to the police station, and by the time they came out, night had already fallen. All three were so hungry their stomachs were sticking to their backs. Xu Ke seemed fine, but Lin Mengyao and Bai Ru were visibly wilting like beaten eggplants, devoid of life and energy.

"Let’s grab something to eat. I didn’t expect we would encounter so many things today. It’s really worn me out. I’m so hungry." Bai Ru maintained her composure while speaking softly. Her once bright almond eyes seemed dim, like a lamp without power.

Lin Mengyao, holding onto Bai Ru with one hand and Xu Ke with the other, walked between them. Hearing Bai Ru’s words, her stomach grumbled on cue, making her cheeks flush red in an instant and causing Xu Ke to chuckle involuntarily.

"I know a nice tea restaurant. I’ll take you there." Xu Ke said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

While the three enjoyed a harmonious and joyful meal at the restaurant, elsewhere, in his villa, Chairman Hu was still plotting how to bring down Xu Ke when he heard the news of Hu Jinzhi being sent to a mental institution.