Chapter 18: The Miserable Shen Family

“Where are the traffickers? Where? Catch the traffickers!”

Hearing those three words, some people seemed to have an instinctive reaction and ran over immediately.

Those nearby—curious onlookers and self-proclaimed righteous people—gathered around and saw Liu Xinghe weakly leaning against the wall, one hand pressed to her neck, the gauze faintly stained with blood.

Her face was full of fear as she watched two bizarrely moving figures approaching her, and she shuffled backward.

Trembling, she raised the banner in her hands and shouted in a quivering voice: “Don’t hit me! Don’t come near! Help…”

Beside her, a woman clutched her child and retreated in fear, her face ghostly pale.

Seeing this scene, the crowd instinctively assumed Liu Xinghe was being bullied.

It looked like two traffickers tried to snatch her and, failing that, hurt her.

“Traffickers! Beat those two disgusting traffickers to death!”

Everyone despised traffickers. A few people rushed forward and immediately started attacking the strange pair. Seeing this, others followed suit, not even paying attention to Liu Xinghe, forming a circle and beating the Shen mother and son, who curled up on the ground.

Sitting on the ground, Liu Xinghe saw openings in the chaos. She moved her legs to kick a few times and threw some punches with her hands.

She was skilled at fighting, carefully controlling her strength and aiming precisely, making the two hurt all over.

After hitting them, Liu Xinghe quietly slipped away to a farther corner of the wall.

She glanced at the other side: the Shen daughter-in-law and the little chubby boy were terrified, slumped on the ground, with a puddle of liquid nearby.

Liu Xinghe looked away in disgust.

At that moment, patrolling police officers arrived. Seeing the brawl, they shouted:

“What’s going on? Stop fighting immediately!”

The crowd paused and dispersed, though someone still shouted:

“Officer, we’re not attacking randomly! These are traffickers! Look at that child—scared out of their wits! Liu Xinghe’s wound was being reopened. Traffickers deserve death!”

The Shen mother and son lay on the ground, faces swollen, moaning in pain, unable to speak properly.

A few braver bystanders lifted the two and handed them over to the police.

Old Shen, rushing over, saw the officers taking out handcuffs. He ran forward, bending to smile and plead.

“Officer, it’s a misunderstanding! I’m Xinghe’s grandfather, this is my wife, her grandmother, this is my son, Xinghe’s eldest uncle, and over there are my eldest son’s son and daughter-in-law.”

Old Shen scolded his frightened grandson and daughter-in-law on the ground: “Why are you sitting there like fools? Come explain to the police!”

One day, always failing at everything.

“Ah? Oh, okay.” The eldest daughter-in-law snapped out of her daze, looked at Old Shen fearfully, grabbed the child, and crawled over.

Old Shen then turned to the officers:

“Hehe, officer, really, they’re all family, not traffickers. They didn’t kidnap anyone. It’s all a misunderstanding. Xinghe didn’t know us and mistook us for traffickers. It’s like the proverb—floodwaters wash away the Dragon King’s temple; family members don’t recognize each other.”

Feigning kindness, Old Shen looked at Liu Xinghe to reassure her:

“Xinghe, don’t be afraid. We’re all your close family, not bad people. We only came to check on you, worried that you weren’t eating or sleeping well, to cook for you and help you get healthy.”

Officer, I really don’t know them. They came up and tried to drag me, even tried to take my things. I was terrified! Thankfully, these two banners gave me a bit of a sense of security.”

Liu Xinghe looked at the officers, upset yet sincere. Her voice trembled as she spoke, and she fully unfurled the two banners in front of everyone.

She thought to herself that Old Shen was quite a performer—patient and very convincing.

“Wait, that’s Old Mrs. Shen and the eldest son? I didn’t recognize them at all—they look nothing like usual! That pale face is scary!”

The enthusiastic crowd, seeing the banners, fully sided with Liu Xinghe and eyed the beaten pair suspiciously.

Normally, the Shen family looked messy and unkempt, but today they had made an effort, wore decent clothes, and powdered their faces—a complete transformation. Previously, no one would have recognized them.

Of course, after being beaten, they were even harder to recognize.

“It’s true, absolutely true! Officer, I can vouch—I know my own family.”

Old Shen grumbled at his eldest daughter-in-law, thinking she had made the family look unrecognizable, only for them to be beaten and now needing to prove their innocence.

He completely forgot that it was his idea to dress up for a good impression.

Finally, the eldest daughter-in-law offered a handkerchief, helping Old Shen, Old Mrs. Shen, and the eldest son wipe their faces clean enough to be vaguely recognized.

“Officer, see, we really are Xinghe’s family. It was all a misunderstanding.” Old Shen breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled kindly at Liu Xinghe: “Xinghe, I truly am your biological grandfather. They are indeed your blood relatives. We are one family.”

“Ha! You dare come here! Your Shen family raised a murderous son, and you have the nerve to show up at the victim’s home? Get out! I have no relatives! Get out! I don’t want to see you! Grandpa, Mom, aaah—”

Liu Xinghe screamed in hysteria, grabbing the two rolled banners as sticks, wildly swinging them in a frenzy.

She didn’t care who she hit; anyone who came close was fair game.

Previously scarred by her, the Shen mother and son clutched their sore spots, limped, and fled, terrified for their lives.

The eldest daughter-in-law, holding her crying child, ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

Only Old Shen, who had approached Liu Xinghe, got hit twice by her frantic swings, screaming in pain.

The police quickly intervened, pulling the two away a bit.

“Shen Daqian, don’t think we don’t know what your family came for today. Always picking on a little girl!”

“I say, Old Shen, why provoke the Liu girl? Your Shen family has ruined theirs; this girl’s neck is still bleeding. Truly a wicked family.”

“Just came looking for a beating, deserved it.”

After Old Shen was hit, the crowd fully sided with Liu Xinghe.

He felt like vomiting, furious to the point of spitting blood.

Clutching his chest, hearing the crowd’s words, his face darkened. He hated this wild girl—he had underestimated her. She had grown strong and unpredictable.

It seemed he would need another plan.