Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Wang Zhiqi cursed, stood up, and was about to pounce on Wu Xia, but Jiang Chen, who had also stood up, kicked him away, sending him crashing into the table behind him, overturning it.

The cafe employees screamed. Some watched from a distance, while others pulled out their phones to call the police. As soon as Wang Zhiqi saw Jiang Chen, he recognized him. The kick to his abdomen and the impact with the table made it difficult for him to even crawl, but he still threatened Wu Xia viciously, “You dare… you dare hit me… I’ll post, post the video…”

Wu Xia watched as Jiang Chen kicked the man away. He stood there, as if his soul had left his body. Hearing about the video, he seemed to be triggered. He trembled and suddenly rushed over, grabbing a shard from the broken dish on the floor and stabbing it towards Wang Zhiqi’s neck, “I’ll kill you! Go to hell! Go to hell!”

Jiang Chen didn’t expect Wu Xia to be this bold and didn’t have time to stop him. Wu Xia had already pounced on Wang Zhiqi, whose reaction was relatively fast. He immediately blocked with his arm. The cafe had the air conditioning on, so he had taken off his coat upon entering. He was only wearing a shirt at this point, and the shard pierced his arm. Wu Xia, like a madman, tried to slash at his neck. Jiang Chen tried to pull him away several times but couldn’t manage to get him off.

Wang Zhiqi was truly scared. He only wanted money and didn’t want to risk his life. He cried out in fear, “Wu Xia, are you crazy? I won’t post it, no, ah—!”

The shard sliced open a dozen-centimeter-long gash on his arm, and blood immediately gushed out.

Wang Zhiqi was completely terrified by Wu Xia’s desperate state. He crawled backward, yelling, “Don’t kill me, don’t kill me, Wu Xia, there’s no video, I was lying to you, Wu Xia, there’s no video, I didn’t record a video!”

Jiang Chen finally managed to pull Wu Xia, who was barely listening, away, “Calm down, Wu Xia, calm down!”

At this moment, two police officers arrived. Seeing the blood and Wu Xia’s blood-covered hands, one immediately went to help Wang Zhiqi, while the other stood between them, “Don’t act rashly, this is a society ruled by law, calm down, calm down.”

By the time Ling Sheng arrived at the police station, Wu Xia had regained his senses. The blood on his hands had been washed off, but the bloodstains on his clothes remained. Both he and Jiang Chen had given their statements. Wu Xia hadn’t hidden anything, including the photos, videos, and Wang Zhiqi’s blackmail.

Jiang Chen had briefly told Ling Sheng what had happened over the phone. Ling Sheng found it hard to believe that Wu Xia had used a shard to stab someone. Seeing him sitting there blankly, like a prisoner waiting to be jailed, Ling Sheng sighed, walked over, and patted him, “Xiao Xia.”

Hearing his voice, Wu Xia, who had been in a daze for a long time, finally looked up. The moment he saw him, his tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and he reached out to hug his waist and began to cry.

Jiang Chen stood to the side, watching. After thinking about it, he decided not to move.

The door where Wang Zhiqi was giving his statement opened, and the police officer inside came out. Wu Xia then stopped crying, his eyes swollen like two large walnuts, both pitiful and somewhat funny.

“He’s confessed. The so-called video was just a short clip downloaded from the internet, featuring a yellow film with a similar side profile, and he recorded some audio himself. There’s actually no video. But his situation is quite complicated. He was involved in gambling, with huge sums of money, and also involved in blackmail. We need to open a case for investigation. He will be detained temporarily. Please wait a moment, we need your cooperation with some things.”

Hearing this, Wu Xia collapsed into his seat. The biggest mountain weighing on his heart was suddenly removed. He felt not only a huge relief but also as if all his strength had been drained away.

“Director Ling, it was fake.” Wu Xia leaned back, his voice hoarse, “He lied to me, the video was fake.”

The group sat there waiting for further developments. Wu Xia finally slowly recovered from his emotional state, but he was too tired and fell asleep. Ling Sheng put his coat over him and sat down next to Jiang Chen. But before he could say anything, Jiang Chen’s phone suddenly rang.

Jiang Chen glanced at the caller ID. It was his father, so he answered it.

“Come back here,” Jiang’s father said coldly, with suppressed anger.

Jiang Chen lowered his voice, “Later, I’m busy with something outside.”

“Busy?” Jiang’s father scoffed, his anger intensifying, “Getting into a police station for fighting for a homosexual, is that what you call being busy?”

Hearing the word “homosexual,” his heart jolted, and he felt a moment of panic. He subconsciously glanced at Ling Sheng, but immediately realized that Ling Sheng wasn’t involved at all. His father couldn’t possibly know about Ling Sheng.

Wu Xia had publicly come out in the cafe, and many people had heard it. He had also truthfully said it just now. His father was probably referring to Wu Xia.

Thinking this, Jiang Chen’s heart settled down, and he said, “Dad, that’s my friend. He ran into some trouble. I’m cooperating with the investigation.”

“You come home right now!” Jiang’s father’s tone brooked no argument, “I already know what happened and have made arrangements. You get back here immediately!”

The call ended, leaving only a dial tone. Jiang Chen looked at his phone and helplessly put it back in his pocket.

“Who was that?” Ling Sheng asked him.

Jiang Chen said helplessly, “My dad.”

At this point, Ling Sheng had roughly guessed what Jiang’s father had said to Jiang Chen. He patted his shoulder, “Go back, explain things clearly, don’t worry your family. I’ll stay here with Xiao Xia.”

Jiang Chen didn’t want to leave. Although Wu Xia’s condition did require someone to be with him, he was still a little worried.

At this moment, a message came in on WeChat. It was from his older brother.

Jiang Jian: [Explain what happened when you get back. Dad is very angry.]

Their family background was special. Jiang’s father had always told them to keep a low profile. Jiang Chen was the youngest son in the family and had always been favored, but he also knew the family rules. Problems were to be solved within the family. Outside, he never even swore, let alone fought. Now, there were even rumors that he had fought for a homosexual.

Jiang Chen had no choice but to go back now. Otherwise, if they investigated Ling Sheng, it would only cause more trouble for him. But they were still at the police station. He couldn’t kiss him or hug him, so he could only say softly, “Then wait for me to come back.”

“Okay.” Ling Sheng touched his hair and slightly curved his eyes, “Okay.”

On the way back, Jiang Chen called his senior, briefly explaining the situation and asking him to go to the police station. He would cover the lawyer’s fees and asked him to help Wu Xia settle the matter, but to tell Wu Xia that it was just help and not mention the money.

Back home, he explained the situation relatively clearly. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Jiang’s father sitting on the sofa waiting for him.

They lived in a three-story villa. The first floor was the living room, dining room, kitchen, and maid’s room. The second floor was the parents’ room and study. The third floor was his and his older brother’s rooms. After his older brother got married, he moved out. After he went to college, he lived in the dorm. Usually, only Jiang’s father and mother were at home.

At this moment, Jiang’s father was sitting in the middle of the living room sofa, waiting for him with an angry expression.

Jiang’s mother and Jiang Jian were sitting on the side. Jiang’s mother was holding her phone. She was about to stand up when she saw him, but Jiang Jian stopped her.

As long as Ling Sheng wasn’t involved, Jiang Chen didn’t have much to hide. Wu Xia’s pet shop was a place he often visited, and Xie Kun often went there too. He omitted everything related to Ling Sheng and truthfully told the rest.

“He’s just a friend. You should know that if you’ve investigated him. I was just afraid he’d act impulsively. That man was a gambler, and I was afraid something would happen. Who knew what he said to provoke Wu Xia, and it turned out like this.” Jiang Chen saw that Jiang’s father’s frown was slowly relaxing and felt a little relieved. “But he deserved it.”

Jiang’s father stared at him, seeing his fearless expression, “Did you know he was a homosexual?”

At the mention of homosexuality, Jiang Chen subconsciously felt a little nervous, but on the surface, he remained unchanged. He still told the truth, “I only found out recently. I didn’t know before.”

There was no need to lie to Jiang’s father about these things. He could easily find out with a simple investigation. Jiang Chen only hoped that he wouldn’t investigate Ling Sheng. But Ling Sheng and Wu Xia’s affair had happened two years ago in Jing City. Jiang Chen had only known Wu Xia for the past two years. Jiang’s father wouldn’t go so far as to investigate that long ago.

“What about that Ling Sheng? Isn’t there someone named Ling Sheng?” Jiang’s father asked.

Jiang Chen’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained calm. He simply said, “They’re friends. Wasn’t Wu Xia being threatened by that person? He even borrowed money from Ling Sheng.”

Jiang’s father didn’t think too much about it. After all, Jiang Chen and Ling Sheng’s interactions on the surface were indeed few.

His frown finally relaxed a little, but the sternness on his face hadn’t completely faded. He glanced at Jiang’s mother and said to Jiang Jian, “Deal with those rumors. What kind of nonsense are they spreading?”

This meant that he believed him. Jiang Chen inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn’t help but tentatively ask, “Society’s tolerance for the homosexual community is quite high now. Are you still discriminating?”

Jiang’s father didn’t care about these things, “I don’t discriminate against anyone. I discriminate against any irrational and irresponsible behavior. Whether they’re homosexual or not, jealousy, fighting in the streets, these things are wrong and shouldn’t happen in my family!”

Now that the truth was clear, Jiang’s mother quickly came over to persuade Jiang’s father, “Alright, it’s good to know it was a misunderstanding. I said, how could Chen Chen be homosexual? It’s all those messy things spreading online.”

Jiang Jian glanced at him. He had specially rushed back today for this matter. His wife and children were still waiting for him at home. It was already almost ten o’clock. So he stood up and prepared to go back. Before leaving, he specifically instructed, “I’ll take care of your matter. You have fewer classes in your senior year. Just stay home during this time.”

Before Jiang Chen could say anything, Jiang’s father said, “Your room has already been cleaned up for you this afternoon. Your mom has been worried about you for half a day. Stay home and keep her company lately.”

It seemed that he was still worried. Jiang Chen nodded in agreement, but he was thinking that it would probably be difficult to see Ling Sheng this week.

Knowing that he hadn’t eaten anything yet, Jiang’s mother quickly asked the nanny to make him something to eat. Jiang Chen ate a bowl of noodles, then said he was tired and hurried upstairs to take a shower and go to his room.

He entered his room, locked the door, and couldn’t wait to make a video call to Ling Sheng.