Chapter Twenty-Five: Anxious as Burning

Song Yanni led Li Nan out of the school, and together they booked a private room at Island Café. Soon after, they stood at the entrance, waiting for Zhang Xingping and his wife. Song Yanni had never met the couple before, but Li Nan had dined at Zhang Wenhao’s home a few times and was familiar with his parents.

As soon as Zhang Wenhao’s parents stepped out of the taxi, Li Nan hurried over and said, “Uncle, Aunt, please don’t blame Wenhao. He’s been framed!”

Song Yanni approached as well. “Brother, Sister, this isn’t the place to talk. Let’s go inside and discuss things in detail.”

Zhang Xingping nodded, supporting Song Huafang as they walked into the café. Li Nan quickly moved to help, reassuring Song Huafang not to worry.

Once inside the private room, Song Yanni casually ordered a set meal and then said to them, “When the police took Wenhao away today, he briefly told Li Nan what happened. Li Nan, tell them what you know.”

After hearing Wenhao’s words, Li Nan quickly connected Wenhao’s previous inquiries about Fat Dragon, coupled with the fact that Chen Chong was notorious in school for pursuing Su Ruoran—the number one suitor—while Wenhao had recently been close to Su Ruoran. Putting these threads together, Li Nan pieced together the situation, and it was quite clear.

After explaining, Li Nan took out Wenhao’s phone and said to Zhang Xingping, “Uncle, there’s a recording on Wenhao’s phone that can prove his innocence.” He found the recording and pressed play.

Zhang Xingping listened with a furrowed brow. The quality was excellent since the field was quiet that night; every spoken word was clearly audible.

When the recording ended, Li Nan exclaimed, “Chen Chong’s father is the district chief of our Jiang New District. Wenhao was arrested because Chen Chong’s father instructed the police to do it!”

A stronger sense of worry surged in Zhang Xingping’s heart. If this was true, his son might be innocent, but he had offended the district chief’s son. Today’s events made it clear that Chen Chong’s family wanted his son to pay a price. As a commoner, how could he possibly rescue his son now?

Song Yanni spoke urgently, “I suspect the school administration has been influenced as well. Today, as soon as Wenhao was taken away by the police, the school, without understanding the full situation, began processing his expulsion. Wenhao’s grades have improved rapidly—he’s got a real shot at being the city’s top scorer in the college entrance exam. But now—”

Li Nan said, “Uncle, why not give this recording to the police and the school? The evidence is ironclad; surely they can’t ignore it?”

Song Yanni shook her head. “Li Nan, you’re too naive. The recording might convince us, but whether the court accepts it is uncertain. Even without hidden manipulators, courts are selective about evidence—especially recordings and videos obtained secretly. If they can sway the police, the court is an even easier target.”

Song Huafang blurted out, “I’ll go find Chen Chong’s parents and beg their forgiveness. I’ll let them beat me, insult me—whatever it takes. We’ll pay whatever they ask, sell the house if necessary, borrow from relatives and friends. Ten thousand, twenty thousand, even a hundred thousand—anything, as long as they release Wenhao and keep the school from expelling him!”

“It’s useless.” Zhang Xingping lit a cigarette and took a hard drag, his expression suddenly aged by years. “What are our assets compared to theirs? They don’t care about our little money. They’ve made all these moves to make our son pay, not for compensation. You’d only humiliate yourself—it won’t help at all.”

“So what do we do?” Song Huafang burst into tears. “We can’t let this ruin Wenhao’s life! If he’s expelled, it doesn’t matter if we lose everything—as long as he gets out of the detention center, he can go to another school. If all else fails, we’ll take him to my sister in Qilu Province—rent a place, let him take the college entrance exam there. As long as the three of us are whole, we’ll have a chance to rebuild. But if they really take him to court and he gets sentenced, his life will be destroyed!”

“I’ll think of something,” Zhang Xingping sighed deeply. “This can’t be solved in a rush. We can’t worry about the school expelling Wenhao right now; we need to get him out of the detention center first. I’ll go find my elder brother; he’s been in business for years and has far more connections than us. Maybe he can help, or find someone to mediate. We can pay compensation if necessary.”

Watching Wenhao’s parents in such anguish, Li Nan felt terrible as well. His own family was well-off, and he could convince them to help if Wenhao needed money. But Wenhao had offended the district chief’s family—his own family couldn’t help with that. All he could do was sit there, anxious and helpless.

Song Yanni tried to comfort them. “Brother, Sister, don’t worry too much. Focus on finding connections. I’ll try to stall the school, keep them from making a quick decision.”

From Li Nan’s account, Zhang Xingping realized his son’s innocence and the despicable nature of Chen Chong and his family. The soldier’s spirit in him was awakened. Though he showed nothing outwardly, he steeled himself inside: even if it cost him his life, he would save his son.

Immediately, Zhang Xingping and Song Huafang bid farewell to Song Yanni and Li Nan, and took a taxi straight to Zhang Xingyao’s company. In his eyes, Zhang Xingyao was the most capable member of the Zhang family, and now all hope rested on him.

Zhang Xingyao never expected his younger brother and sister-in-law to come to him at such a moment. After hearing the whole story, he was furious. Normally, he was proud and liked to feel superior to the rest of the family, but this time his nephew was in trouble, and his vanity was nowhere to be found. He spent the entire afternoon in his office, calling every leader he knew, every wealthy acquaintance and client.

Those who received his calls promised to help, to speak up and mediate. But this wasn’t something that could be resolved quickly. So Zhang Xingyao comforted Zhang Xingping and his wife, arranged for them to eat near his company, though they barely touched their food, weighed down by worry—which left Zhang Xingyao feeling helpless as well.

Meanwhile, Zhang Wenhao had been taken straight to the detention center’s cell. The room was simple—a square space of just over ten square meters, with six iron bunk beds, enough for twelve people, plus a small bathroom.

When Wenhao entered, there were nine others in the cell, the youngest around twenty-five or twenty-six, the oldest in his fifties. Wenhao, not yet eighteen, immediately attracted their curiosity.

The prison guard pointed to an empty upper bunk. “You’ll sleep here. Daily necessities aren’t available yet; we’ll contact your parents to set up a card for you. There’s a commissary—if you need anything, you can buy it with your card. The bedding on the bed is yours to use.”

With that, the guard left. As soon as he was gone, a young man from the neighboring upper bunk jumped down, sat on the lower bunk, and asked, legs crossed, “Kid, you look about seventeen or eighteen. What are you in for?”

“Fighting,” Wenhao replied calmly.

“Fighting?” The young man laughed. “A kid like you fighting is just child’s play. How did you end up here? Did you accidentally kill someone?”

“No,” Wenhao answered simply.

From a nearby lower bunk, a man in his thirties laughed. “Qinglong, you must be happy today, huh? You used to be the youngest—now you’re second youngest.”

“Yeah, Brother Meng.” The one called Qinglong grinned. “I’ll count on your guidance.”

Brother Meng smiled and looked at Wenhao. “New kid, if you’re in this cell, you follow its rules. You’re new and the youngest, so everyone here is your elder. Show respect, obey, do what you’re told, and you won’t bring trouble on yourself. Understood?”

Wenhao ignored him and went to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his face to clear his mind.

“Brother Meng, this kid’s got an attitude. Want me to teach him a lesson?” Qinglong called out, seeing Wenhao’s indifference.

Brother Meng nodded, “Good idea. Newcomers need to learn the rules. If words don’t work, actions will.”

Qinglong stood up, cracking his knuckles. “Brother Meng, just watch.” He strode into the bathroom.

“Kid,” Qinglong looked Wenhao up and down with contempt. “Today, your brother Qinglong will show you what rules mean!”

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