36 36.
In every society, no matter what era or world there will always be a type of scum that one can never get rid of.
Human cockroaches.
A sneer was plastered on Chen Kai's lips as he read the report Argon sent him through his chat box.
Han Feng and Zhang Jun were two examples of these human cockroaches.
You can cut off their heads, light them a fire, spray them with insecticide and they will survive it all. Money is the reason why they survive. They are the ones who rely on their quick riches to gain power.
But what happens when that flow is disrupted?
They hide.
Due to Chen Kai's planning, Han Feng's online scandal has been stuck on lots of newsfeeds until shared bringing the attention of the relevant authorities. To save face and please the public, the Education Bureau, the Public Security Bureau, and the middlemen in the spotlight took to their public social accounts and posted the actions they would take.
The melon-eating onlookers who prefer to watch everything catch fire before their eyes are the ones who have enough brain power to read between the lines. Those who want their dry words to be heard quickly commend these upright officials. Clearly, there will be cannon fodder within this clean-up and mild compensations to those who are relevant.
Chen Kai had no reason to reveal these people's falsehoods, his targets were those two.
The eagles were picking apart Han Feng's company. They were poaching his clients and employees, boldly acquiring buildings he had his eye on, and ensuring their voices were heard.
Han Feng's daughter had it rough. Her deeds were revealed one by one. She couldn't respond to those who slander her and can only hide in her home. Those who were hurt by her either physically or mentally somehow found the courage to file a lawsuit against the young lady. All evidence was submitted and proceedings began smoothly.
His wife was put out in the cold in a flash. She was no longer in the elite group of society ladies and her relatives who depended on her to get them to a certain level in life mercilessly scolded her. They blamed her for the bad seeds in her home.
At the school of the one who is the catalyst, police officers visited and invited the principal and XiaoYan's class teacher back to the police station for a quick talk. The students didn't notice the undercurrent they were only fascinated by the uniformed officers, teasing their friends on getting arrested.
The teaching staff saw with their own eyes, the ongoing scandal and couldn't help but gossip.
"This person is so brave to out Mr. Han like this. Aren't they afraid of social death?"
"Is Mr. Han omnipotent? This is Nanjing! There are more crouching tigers than prideful peacocks. Maybe he is the one who offended someone."
"It's so precise. There is no loophole. They placed all evidence online in a systematic order, even the timestamps were confirmed. How can you go against video proof and admittance of the victims."
"This... This is too coincidental, right?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, why now? Why reveal all of this now? The daughter did a lot of things when she was in high school, few of us here taught her and knew the secrets hidden. They didn't reveal those secrets but those of...."
".... the brother."
The staff lapsed into silence when the conversations between the teachers reached that point.
It's no secret. The entire school knows of the staircase incident between XiaoYan and the two sons of the Han and Zhang families. They are all still scared out of their wits after seeing so much blood and the child's unconscious state. They even remembered the look on the paramedics' faces. They were desperate to keep the child in a good state to deliver him to the hospital.
The two kids were placed in detention and away from the other kids. The eerie thing about that day was the absence of remorse on the boys's faces. Their confession was simple - XiaoYan slipped.
But.
The surveillance camera caught everything.
"Is there word on XiaoYan?"
"I heard he fell into a coma."
"Can it be someone who's a relative is avenging the child? The principal..."
"Hey. Quiet. We don't know anything. Okay? Also, XiaoYan is a pitiful child with no background. No one will be his backing. He should be happy if he's alive."
"How can you be so crude with your words? He should be happy?!! Those kids tormented the child and everyone turned a blind eye. If those heathens can be like this at this age, imagine when they get older. We are to blame for it when they terrorize society." The shrill admonishment came from a new teacher who always did her best to protect the bullied kids. Her voice had been suppressed for two years and her status in that school was very low.
"Don't let the vice-principal hear you..."
"Oh, I wish he does hear me. Maybe whoever exposed that family will dip into the school's affairs. Imagine the things to be revealed," the young teacher said with a disdainful look on her face. She didn't care about her words. It was her last week there. It's a pity that she's leaving but she learned thoroughly about the real society.
"Wouldn't it be better to jolt his memory a bit?" Officer Ning pressed.
"Officer Ning, our young master's attending doctor warned you of this. Any sign of upheaval and we shall escort everyone out." This statement came from one of the guards. His voice had no fluctuation and was sharp.
There was an awkward silence in the room. XiaoYan smiled. "Officer Ning is straightforward. He's probably in a hurry to get his job completed. Right?"
A few words and it became uncomfortable to be in the room. They were all adults and the double entendre of XiaoYan's words was heard clearly. The smile on his face was a blanket on those barbed words and his tone was to purposely warn Officer Ning.
This confused everyone besides the guards. They didn't question this little problem, his way of speech was similar to the older young master.
XiaoYan kept his gaze on Officer Ning. His brown eyes made the man uneasy and upset. He was being played with by a child. "Yes," he answered through gritted teeth.
"It's understandable. I'm not offended nor am I resentful. That's a waste of energy. When I entered middle school due to my high grades and state help, I was carrying a target on my back. A poor child sitting among kids of wealthy parents. A disgrace right? We all knew the school board was playing their charity card. I didn't care, but others didn't think like me. Even in the lower schools, my grades and understanding should have matched my household income but to their disappointment - it didn't." XiaoYan sat in a regal upright posture as he spoke.
Though he was in the hospital bed, his confidence and pride can be seen by the way he postured himself. This was natural yet a contradiction.
Weren't this part of basic etiquette for well-off families?
"When did you meet Mr. Chen Kai?" Doctor Wang spoke up, wanting to come off the topic.
"Two to three years ago. Brother Kai was the only taxi driver who allowed me to enter their car that day." When he spoke of Chen Kai, his eyes finally sparked some emotion.
"Why? What happened that day?" she followed up.
"It was raining and my umbrella ended up missing along with my shoes. I guess my luck ran out because I slipped into the gutter that should have been covered. So many mishaps in one succession," XiaoYan recalled for them with a cold laugh.
" So he kindly picked you up?" The sarcasm was there.
"Yes. There are kind people in this world, Officer Ning." The mocking words were like a hammer on the man's head.
XiaoYan once again suppressed the officer. It was clear to everyone this time that he was protective of his older brother.
Doctor Wang and Lawyer Xu wanted to end this thing at that moment but couldn't. This child made them uncomfortable.
"Can you tell us what happened that day? There must be something why you held a great attachment to Mr. Chen Kai," Lawyer Xu asked respectfully.
"He made sure I got home safely, he was worried that I would get sick. My aunt wasn't home and my feet were bare, so he helped me up to my apartment. I wanted to refuse but I was too tired to protest. Brother Kai made sure I ate, took some preventatives and even bout a cheap pair of shoes to go to school. It was the first time I was taken care of. It felt.... weird."
XiaoYan fell into silence. His memories of Vance surfaced. Chen Kai's care for the original XiaoYan was the same as his brother Vincent when he was poisoned. They were both saved by kind souls and it was foreign to them.
For Vance, he knew that it wasn't his real brother.
For XiaoYan, it was a fluke. Someone was looking at him kindly.
But it all came down to the fact that they found a great big brother.
"Why didn't you take precautions in inviting a stranger into your home?" Officer Ning put forward his question, breaking the sentimental moment.
XiaoYan glared at the man. 'What the fuck is wrong with this man?'
The guards rushed forward to stop him but Lawyer Xu got to his feet and pushed him away.
16:06
"This kid has no respect. Do you think because you got some backing you can speak to me this way?" The man said angrily. He wanted to lead the questioning to his side but XiaoYan was too perceptive. He was stressed and lashed out.
"If he was a human trafficker he had a lot of chances to sell or ship me. The way home has a few offbeat turns."
The questions continued. Most centered around Chen Kai and those posed by Officer Ning were about his accident. XiaoYan recalled what happened that day. His words fit what the surveillance camera caught. There was no way that anything was falsified but Officer Ning didn't think so.
"XiaoYan can it be that you provoked young Han Sheng to have this violent reaction? We can say this was a little fight between friends."
"Are you stupid?" XiaoYan spat out. His temper was being tested. His harsh reply caught the officer off-guard. The older man stepped forward angrily, hating that the child was looking down on him.
The guards rushed forward to stop him but Lawyer Xu got to his feet and pushed him away.
"This kid has no respect. Do you think because you got some backing you can speak to me this way?" The man said angrily. He wanted to lead the questioning to his side but XiaoYan was too perceptive. He was stressed and lashed out.
"Your way of thinking is