(2) Hiding

There are a few dead-end alleys near the school that are quite well-known.

These dead-end alleys not only lack a proper road, but they also don’t have decent housing. Almost no one goes into them.

People with no sense of public responsibility tend to throw trash into these alleys, and when they have a need, they come here as well. It has become synonymous with filth and disorder.

Shen Zhuo and a few of his classmates were pushed into one such alley.

Shen Zhuo didn’t like working, but he was a neat freak. As soon as he saw the trash scattered all over the ground, he couldn’t help but feel disgusted.

However, he didn’t dare show it. With the current situation, he would definitely get beaten if he did.

Shen Zhuo and his classmates had already been pushed to the wall.

He had never noticed before how the red brick wall was so broken and uneven, looking like it could collapse with a slight push.

Shen Zhuo’s classmate bowed and spoke humbly, “Brother Lang (Wolf), we’re all brothers. What’s going on? If there’s something, just tell us.”

Brother Lang had short hair styled in a 3:7 part, shiny with gel, and was dressed in a loose floral shirt with old, tattered suit pants—one leg rolled up while the other hung down straight.

He was a bit older than Shen Zhuo and his friends, but not by much—around 25 or 26—and was a local thug in the area.

Shen Zhuo and his friends were in an awkward position.

They wanted to make a name for themselves at school, but were too timid to do anything too extreme.

In simple terms, they often tried to act tough but were not respected by real thugs.

They took pride in knowing social youths within the school, but when faced with them outside, they had to bow and scrape, not even sure if they would be acknowledged.

Brother Lang’s features were sharp and didn’t blend well together, making him look like a minor character who would die off in the next scene of a TV drama.

He pushed one of Shen Zhuo’s classmates and said, “Brothers? What kind of brother are you? Don’t act like you’re all close with me. You guys, I asked you to do something, but you’re dragging your feet. If you don’t want to take their money, then you pay up yourselves. How much money do you have in your pockets? Hurry up and take it out.”

Shen Zhuo was too scared to speak.

The other classmates started searching their pockets. Shen Zhuo felt his pockets, but he didn’t have a single cent.

He felt somewhat relieved, knowing that without money, he didn’t have to pay.

Brother Lang collected money from each person. After taking money from three of them, it was Shen Zhuo’s turn.

Shen Zhuo forced a grimace and said, “Brother Lang, I don’t have any money on me.”

Brother Lang smiled at him. “No money?”

“Really don’t have any. If you don’t believe me, take a look for yourself.”

Shen Zhuo turned out all his pockets.

Brother Lang held a handful of loose change in his hand, with coins of one, five, and even a few one-cent bills. He smiled for a few seconds before slapping the money onto Shen Zhuo’s face, snarling, “If you don’t have money, go home and ask for it. If you can’t bring money today, none of you are leaving.”

Shen Zhuo’s face turned pale with fear.

He finally realized that these people were completely different from the small-scale troubles at school.

Shen Zhuo stammered, “Brother, my family has no money. If my parents find out, they’ll beat me… I…”

Brother Lang raised his hand and slapped him again, “You think they won’t find out? Stupid!”

The slap was hard, and the few high school students watching turned pale in shock, not daring to speak.

Shen Zhuo didn’t dare resist, he was so scared that he was almost about to wet himself.

Just as Shen Zhuo stood there, panicking and unsure of what to do, someone called out from the alley entrance, “Shen Zhuo? Why aren’t you going home after school, what are you doing here?”

It was Shen Wanwan walking over.

Brother Lang’s two lackeys happened to block her path, and she impatiently brushed them aside. Her face looked like she was about to devour someone, “Are you tired of living? Didn’t Mom tell you to come home early? Still hanging around here?”

Shen Zhuo was almost stunned by his sister.

Didn’t she understand what was going on right now? Well, this was just great—both siblings were going to get robbed.

But this wasn’t so bad. His sister had money, and if she paid, their parents wouldn’t find out.

Shen Zhuo tugged at his sister’s sleeve and whispered, “Do you have money? Give them some, and we can leave.”

Shen Wanwan shot him a mocking glance. “What happened to your usual skills at home?”

Shen Zhuo replied, “…Forget about that for now. Do you have money or not?”

Shen Wanwan didn’t want to answer him.

She glanced at Brother Lang, giving him a quick once-over.

Brother Lang saw the pretty girl walking toward him and assumed she was just another person with money. He didn’t think much of it, but the way she looked at him made him uncomfortable, as though she was provoking him. “You, either go home and get the money, or come with us. You choose.”

Shen Wanwan raised her lips into a smile, “I’m afraid if I go with you, you won’t even let me in the door.”

“Who’s this ignorant little girl,” Brother Lang cursed, “Don’t know what’s good for you…”

Before he could finish the word “good,” Shen Wanwan swiftly grabbed a handful of his hair with one hand, pulling his head down forcefully toward her. With a smile, she asked, “What will you do if I don’t show you respect?”

Shen Zhuo stood frozen, speechless. “We’re outnumbered, maybe we should—”

Before he could finish, Shen Wanwan slammed her knee into Brother Lang’s abdomen, pressing his head down with one hand.

Brother Lang cried out in pain, clutching his stomach and spinning around in agony.

Shen Zhuo: “…”

Did he forget his sister was a cop??

Shen Wanwan released her grip. “You guys are really something, asking for money from the police.”

The expressions of the men behind Brother Lang changed drastically.

Brother Lang didn’t want to lose face in front of his subordinates. He cursed, “If you’re a cop, then I’m the ancestor of cops!”

After Brother Lang finished venting, Lin Yuying and Zou Guodong arrived at the alley.

Lin Yuying screamed in fear and ran toward Shen Wanwan and Shen Zhuo. “Who are you people? Stay away from my children!”

Zou Guodong scratched his head and glanced at Brother Lang, annoyed. “You’re the one delaying my meal. A few days ago, I went to find you, and you ran on purpose, didn’t you? Well, now I’ve caught you. Come with me!”

Zou Guodong had been working for more than ten years, and there wasn’t a thug in Xuzhou City he didn’t know.

Guys like Brother Lang were at the bottom of the food chain, Zou Guodong usually couldn’t be bothered with them.

Zou Guodong typically only dealt with high-level thugs.

When Brother Lang saw Zou Guodong, he finally believed that Shen Wanwan was a cop, and he couldn’t care about his pain anymore. His knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground.

Brother Lang begged, “No, no, Brother Zou, spare me this time, I’ll never dare again!”

Zou Guodong ignored him and walked over to Shen Wanwan. “Wanwan, this is your brother? This little brat isn’t learning anything good and is trying to rob people? Robbery is a serious crime, you know?”

Shen Zhuo had never seen his sister so impressive before.

Not only did she beat up Brother Lang, but she was also chatting calmly with someone who made Brother Lang afraid. Shen Zhuo almost didn’t recognize his sister anymore.

Shen Zhuo stared in awe.

Since Brother Lang was involved in other cases, Zou Guodong directly took him back to the police station.

Shen Zhuo and his friends were also forced to cooperate with the investigation. Fortunately, while they had been trying to hang out with Brother Lang, they hadn’t dared to collect protection money from their classmates. Since they were victims in this case, they were just given a few words of advice and were picked up by their parents.

At this moment, the Shen family was quieter than ever before.

Although the whole family was present, no one spoke.

Shen Zhuo lowered his head, too afraid to say anything.

Shen Heping held a half-burned cigarette, silent.

As for Liu Cuixia and Lin Yuying, one was looking at Shen Wanwan’s face, and the other at Shen Heping’s face.

Only Shen Wanwan, who had just peeled an apple, was enjoying it leisurely.

Lin Yuying broke the silence first. “You must be hungry, right? I’ve stewed some chicken. It’s still warm, let me go bring it over.”

“Stop,” Shen Heping finally put down his cigarette. “Yuying, before, whenever you said something, I didn’t argue with you. But now look at what the kids have become. If we don’t properly educate them this time, is he going to start killing and setting fires?”

“Xiao Zhuo wouldn’t go that far…”

“He’s been learning bad habits step by step! If Wanwan weren’t a police officer and wasn’t here, who could guarantee what would happen next? This time, I absolutely must—” Shen Heping stood up to find a broom. “I must teach him a proper lesson!”

Liu Cuixia and Lin Yuying rushed over to stop him, while Shen Zhuo cried uncontrollably. Shen Wanwan, however, was still eating her apple.

Crisp and sweet, so delicious.

The four of them caused a commotion for a while, and Shen Zhuo’s buttocks were slapped a few times.

After Shen Wanwan finished eating, she planned to return to her room.

The day after Shen Zhuo was kicked out, Liu Cuixia, feeling sorry for her grandson, took him to stay in her room. After discussing with Lin Yuying, Shen Heping decided to partition off a small room in Liu Cuixia’s room, where Shen Zhuo would sleep and study in the future.

If Shen Zhuo was the problem, it would no longer be a problem.

Seeing that Shen Wanwan was about to leave, Lin Yuying became even more anxious. She didn’t know when it had happened, but she had already started to regard Shen Wanwan as the backbone of the family. “Wanwan, talk to your dad. Your brother’s just a little mischievous, he won’t cause any major trouble.”

“Yuying! This is serious. If his courage grows, he’ll start extorting his classmates!”

Liu Cuixia also placed her hope on Shen Wanwan. “Wanwan is a police officer, she understands this kind of thing the best. What she says is definitely right. Son, you need to listen to Wanwan.”

Shen Wanwan wanted to laugh.

When the original owner lived in the Shen family, good things never came her way, and bad things never affected her. She was just a person of no importance.

They would always pay attention to Shen Zhuo’s emotions but never care if their daughter was secretly hiding in her room wiping away tears.

But now, the way they spoke, it seemed like she was the head of the household.

It was a shame for the original owner, who had always regarded the Shen family as her closest people, sacrificing herself for Shen Zhuo. It was both ridiculous and sad.

Shen Wanwan supported Shen Heping in disciplining Shen Zhuo.

Although the 21st century advocates for so-called happy childhoods, Shen Wanwan firmly believed that children who turn out badly won’t learn properly if they aren’t disciplined.

However, people like Shen Heping, who only occasionally discipline their children, won’t achieve much.

Shen Wanwan looked at Shen Zhuo, who was still wiping his tears. “Do you know what you did wrong?”

Shen Zhuo, eyes full of tears, looked at his sister. “Sis, I was wrong…”

“What did you do wrong?”

“I… I shouldn’t have hung out with them. Sis, I really didn’t want to extort my classmates. I’ll never dare again. I… I’ll go home and study after school from now on.”

Shen Zhuo’s attitude of admitting his wrongs was stronger than most scumbags. At least he knew where he went wrong.

Only then did Shen Wanwan say to Shen Heping, “Dad, this is his first time. Give him another chance. If he makes the same mistake again, I won’t care if you beat him to death.”

Shen Heping’s face remained stern, but he put down the broom. “Shen Zhuo, this is the last time. Understand?”

The farce finally came to an end.

After dinner, Shen Wanwan returned to her room, while Liu Cuixia, feeling sorry for her grandson, busied herself with preparing to go out and buy medicine.

Only Shen Heping and Lin Yuying were left sighing deeply.

They couldn’t understand how Shen Zhuo had turned out this way.

The family had two children—one was outstanding, got into the police academy, while the other struggled to even pass his exams.

The difference was just too stark.

“Wanwan has been such a relief, that’s why Shen Zhuo seems more mischievous. But then again, Wanwan has changed a bit these past few days, have you noticed?”

Shen Heping stared at his daughter’s room door for quite a while before speaking with concern, “Do you think she’s facing some difficulty?”

Lin Yuying thought about Shen Wanwan’s behavior when facing Brother Lang.

Although Brother Lang was just a small-time thug, a middle-aged woman like her would be scared upon seeing him. But Shen Wanwan wasn’t afraid at all.

Not only was she unafraid, but she even dared to take action against Brother Lang. What was even more surprising was that Brother Lang actually knelt down and begged for mercy.

When had she ever seen her daughter act like this?

Lin Yuying said, “I actually think it’s good that she’s tough. At least she won’t be bullied. As for being gentle and virtuous, you men always pick on the gentle ones!”

—

In Xuzhou, Brother Lang was considered a bottom-tier thug, otherwise he wouldn’t have ended up collecting protection fees from high school students.

If he encountered a college student, he’d have to think twice, carefully weighing whether he could take them on.

Zou Guodong sought out Brother Lang more to get his cooperation in the investigation and to deal with the big-time thugs.

Not all big-time thugs needed to be arrested, every criminal investigator had their own informants, and as long as they didn’t cause trouble, they typically turned a blind eye.

Brother Lang had been at the station for two hours before his mother came to pick him up.

She was in her fifties when she had him, too old to work much anymore, and the family was very poor.

The protection fees Brother Lang collected were partially handed over to his family, but he never let his brothers know about his family’s situation.

He was afraid it would make it difficult to survive and was also embarrassed.

As soon as he left the police station, Brother Lang and his mother went their separate ways, not wanting to be seen by his bad friends.

He didn’t head straight home. He hadn’t received any money that day, and he was feeling frustrated. He thought about visiting his older brother to complain and see if his brother could take him to do some work to earn money.

Brother Lang hunched his body and made his way down a small alley.

There weren’t many tall buildings in Xuzhou, and the alley he entered was a gathering place for single-story homes.

The dark night sky was close, the stars twinkling, creating a serene beauty.

Brother Lang wasn’t in the mood to appreciate the night scenery, he just wanted to find a way to make money, even if it meant doing something… not ideal.

But before he even reached his older brother’s house, he heard the crackling sounds of something burning.

Curious, Brother Lang quickened his pace, and as he turned a corner in the alley, flames suddenly appeared.

The flames flickered, growing fiercer in the gentle breeze.

A dark figure stood motionless in the midst of the fire.

It was on fire.