Everyone turned toward the voice and saw that it was a nearby patrolling police officer. With the rapid development of society, government departments had gradually improved laws and regulations while promoting legal awareness. Unlike the 1960s and 70s, when the mention of law enforcement, police stations, or even Red Guards would scare people into submission, nowadays people were more inclined to seek help from these institutions when issues arose.

Meng Suihuan glanced at Lu Linshen. “Did you actually call the police?”

Her thoughts mirrored those of the red-haired man, assuming Lu Linshen had been bluffing. To her surprise…

To be honest, even Lu Linshen hadn’t expected this turn of events. He was visibly surprised. “It wasn’t me. I was just trying to scare him. I was about to call, but then… you took a different approach.”

He hesitated briefly before settling on the phrase “a different approach.”

So, who had reported it?

The two exchanged glances, curiosity evident in their eyes.

Meanwhile, outside the car, the red-haired man, emboldened as if he’d found a lifeline, began making accusations, his energy even more vigorous than before. “Officer, you’re just in time! They tried to run me over! You have to stand up for me!”

Meng Suihuan never imagined that her first trip to a police station since arriving in this world would be due to an unreasonable troublemaker. Worse still, this red-haired man was an incorrigible pest. When it seemed like he might just get off with a warning, he protested, flopping onto the ground and wailing dramatically.

“Officer, I feel weak all over, and my chest hurts. It must be from the fright they gave me. They should take responsibility! If you let them go, I’ll just lie down right here in front of the station…”

His intentions were clear: he wanted to extort money from them.

Under normal circumstances, Meng Suihuan might have considered paying him off just to resolve the issue quickly. But this time, she refused. This man was so shameless that she’d rather throw the money into a river than give it to him.

Her expression turned icy as she declared, “Since we can’t come to an agreement, let’s go through legal channels. Investigate everything thoroughly. If it turns out I really hit him, I’ll cover all his expenses during this time. But if the investigation shows he’s falsely accusing me…”

She raised her voice slightly. “Then let the law deal with him!”

Her final sentence was delivered with force, each word sharp and resolute. Having been a boss for so long, she carried a certain commanding aura that intimidated the red-haired man.

His bravado weakened considerably, but he stubbornly tried to hold his ground. “You think Ninth Lord is scared of you? I—”

Before he could finish his threat, a sharp cry escaped his lips.

Everyone turned to see a figure tugging at the red-haired man’s ear.

“Song Jiucheng, you’re always up to no good! Now you’ve gone so far as to cause trouble at the police station? Just wait until I teach you a lesson today—”

“Ah, ow, ow! Jie, let go! It’s not my fault! They tried to run me over!” Song Jiucheng covered his ear with one hand while pointing indignantly with the other.

“Jie, they almost killed me! You almost lost your precious little brother!”

When his sister finally let go of his ear, Song Jiucheng immediately began massaging it, trying to soothe the pain. Looking up at his sister, who seemed momentarily stunned, he added fuel to the fire.

“Jie, they even said they’d report me and have me locked up! You’ve got to help me!”

Before his sister could respond, a soft, gentle voice rang out.

“…Meng Meng-jie? Mr. Lu? What are you doing here?”

Song Mian’s face turned crimson. She wanted to disappear into the ground, embarrassed beyond words. Thinking back on her earlier dramatic behavior, knowing these two had witnessed everything, she wanted nothing more than to vanish.

This is so humiliating.

Song Jiucheng noticed the strange atmosphere and leaned closer to his sister, whispering, “Jie, do you know these two?”

“Even if you know them, it doesn’t matter—you have to take my side. I’m your real brother—”

Before Song Jiucheng could finish, he felt a sharp pain on the top of his foot. Hiss! His sister had just stomped on him, hard.

Song Mian regretted it the moment she did it, but the fluid and decisive motion had bypassed her rational thought entirely—it was instinctive, deeply ingrained. She shot him a glare and hissed, “Shut up.”

Song Jiucheng was so startled that his pupils practically trembled. He shut his mouth and didn’t dare say another word.

Ignoring him, Song Mian turned to Meng Suihuan with an embarrassed smile. “Meng Jie, this is my younger brother, Song Jiucheng. He’s a troublemaker who’s always causing a ruckus… Since he offended you, feel free to punish him however you see fit. Just, if possible, don’t send him to the police station. Someone in my family is sick, and they can’t handle the stress…”

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and her head lowered with it.

Meng Suihuan hadn’t expected this situation to unfold the way it had. One unexpected incident after another left her reeling, particularly with Song Mian’s dramatic shift in demeanor. The contrast between her usual gentle image and this assertive, even violent side was so startling that Meng Suihuan hadn’t yet fully processed it.

She smiled lightly and reassured her, “Don’t worry; it’s not that serious. Your brother and I only had a minor disagreement. The station also prefers that we resolve things amicably. I never planned to hold a grudge.”

Song Mian sighed in relief at her words.

But then Meng Suihuan’s tone shifted as she glanced at the red-haired man. “However, your brother is young and hot-headed. He insisted on escalating things and refused to settle, which is why we’re still here.”

Song Jiucheng immediately became indignant. “Why should I settle with you? You were the one who almost ran me over—”

“Song. Jiu. Cheng.” Song Mian ground her teeth as she spoke. “I know exactly what kind of person you are. You’re going to apologize for this today. If you don’t, don’t call me your sister anymore, and don’t expect me to take care of you again.”

Song Jiucheng stubbornly retorted, “Fine! Don’t take care of me! I don’t need you to!”

“Fine, fine! Very well!” Song Mian was fuming. Deciding not to argue further, she turned to Meng Suihuan and said, “Meng Jie, I can’t talk sense into him. Let’s proceed with the formal process. Whether he gets detained or whatever, it has nothing to do with me anymore!”

Song Jiucheng panicked immediately. “Jie, you’re my sister! How can you take someone else’s side—”

Before he could finish his accusation, a group of people suddenly surged forward, surrounding Meng Suihuan so tightly that not even a drop of water could get through.

“Meng Jie, we rushed over as soon as we heard something happened. Are you okay?”
“What’s going on? We didn’t catch the details over the phone—who dared to mess with you?”
“Do they even know who you are? The nerve to pick a fight with you—”

The scene became chaotic in an instant.

Someone accidentally shoved Song Jiucheng, almost knocking him over. He instinctively wanted to snap at them but froze when he noticed the group’s imposing stature. Many of them looked fierce and intimidating. Not daring to speak up, he quietly scurried behind Song Mian for protection.

Song Mian had already moved to the side, sensing the situation would spiral out of control.

Soon, she felt her arm being grabbed gently. When she turned, she saw her once-arrogant brother huddled behind her like a scared quail. Swallowing nervously, he whispered, “Jie, who are these people? They look… scary.”

Song Mian chuckled softly but offered no explanation. “Scared now, are you?”

The overwhelming scene didn’t just shock Song Jiucheng; even Meng Suihuan was surprised. She hadn’t expected this large group to show up at the police station.

She raised her voice to ask, “Why are you all here?”

But the surrounding chatter drowned out her question. At that moment, a police officer on duty raised their voice sternly, “Quiet down! Do you think this is a market? Keep it down!”

Instantly, the noisy room fell silent.

The officer parted the crowd and walked to the center, speaking in an official tone as they pointed at someone. “Who are you people, and why are you here? You, explain.”

The person addressed was Lao Zhou, who immediately put on a flattering smile and replied, “Officer, we’re all friends of Sister Meng. We heard she was at the police station and were worried, so we came to check on her.”

At that moment, Lu Xiuhe finally squeezed through the crowd, thanks to the officer clearing a path. She added, “The station called me and asked for a family member to come over. When the rest of the team heard, they got worried and came along. Sorry for causing trouble, Officer.”

The officer scanned the group, and every person he looked at responded with a sheepish smile. After a moment, he nodded slightly and turned to Meng Suihuan to confirm. When she nodded in agreement, he issued a gentle reminder.

“I understand your concern, but this is a public space. Keep your discussions quiet.”

“Understood,” everyone replied obediently.

“I’ll handle other matters for now. Let me know when you’ve reached a resolution.”

Since both parties seemed to know each other and requested a private settlement, the officer refrained from getting further involved.

Meng Suihuan nodded quickly. “Thank you for your help.”

Once the officer left, Lao Zhou and the others breathed a sigh of relief and began whispering among themselves.

Ignoring them, Meng Suihuan hurried over to Lu Xiuhe. “Xiuhe Jie, when the station called you, did they say anything else?”

She lowered her voice, adding cautiously, “Like, about my relationship with Lu Linshen?”

Lu Xiuhe, experienced and quick-witted from years of working with the team, immediately understood her concern. Smiling, she reassured her, “Lao Zhou and the others only heard you were at the station. They don’t know anything else.”

Meng Suihuan finally relaxed.

Still, this incident served as a wake-up call. Her marriage to Lu Linshen was like a ticking time bomb. She’d have to find a way to resolve it soon.

While Meng Suihuan quietly discussed things with Lu Xiuhe, Lu Linshen wasn’t as fortunate. He was now surrounded by the group, bombarded with questions until they finally pieced together the story.

After learning what happened, Lao Zhou took charge, patting Lu Linshen on the shoulder and confidently saying, “I’ve handled cases like this before. Leave it to me.”

He strode over to Song Mian and Song Jiucheng, clapped the latter on the shoulder, and flashed a genial smile—albeit with a bit too much force.

“Young man, I hear you’re not interested in settling?”