Chapter 24 - Xiao Bing Wants to See You
Xiao Bing and the others were moved to another cell. Food was scattered all over the room, all kinds of meat and alcohol. Xiao Bing and Dumbass were munching on chicken legs and drinking liquor. The four big men were massaging Xiao Bing’s legs and feet and scratching his back. After Xiao Bing fixed their arms, they treated him like he was their dad.
Xiao Bing poured another mouthful of liquor into his mouth and pointed at the four big men, “Look, I told you guys that you were here to massage my legs and feet and scratch my back. And you didn’t admit it.”
“Yes, yes.” One of the men smiled cautiously, “We are here to serve Brother Bing. It is our honor.”
Xiao Bing laughed, “Do you also want to eat and drink?”
The men glanced at the roast chicken, stewed fish, and roast duck on the plate and gulped. He smiled and said, “We don’t deserve it.”
“Bullshit, stop massaging. All f*cking sit down and eat whatever you want. Don’t be so f*cking polite. I’ll pull out your balls if you don’t eat!”
The four stopped what they were doing. Xiao Bing kicked one of them and cursed, “Don’t just sit there. Start eating!”
“Oh, thank you, thank you, Brother Bing.” They were quite excited. They were here for more than two months and they could hardly eat any meat, needless to say drink any alcohol. They started to eat after they got permission from Xiao Bing. Seeing that Xiao Bing didn’t blame them, they immediately dug into the food. Xiao Bing even shared two bottles of liquor with them.
One of the men shouted, “Brother Bing, if I knew you were such a generous man, we would never have listened to them at the beginning. We’ve been used by those motherf*cker officers.”
Xiao Bing laughed, “You regret it not because of my generosity, but because you can’t defeat me.”
The four men were embarrassed and smiled, “Of course. Brother Bing, you’re a good fighter. The boss of Jiang City will change if we follow your lead.”
Xiao Bing smiled and suddenly became serious, “Organize a gang? You’ll leave this place sooner or later. But if I find you do evil things out there, I’ll break your arms and legs.”
Those four men trembled and said in a hurry, “We won’t.”
Xiao Bing said seriously, “Just because I’m locked up here doesn’t mean I’m a piece of sh*t who disturbs the peace!”
Xiao Bing gulped down a mouthful of liquor, his eyes became grim and ghastly, and he said word by word, “I’m different from these cops. I’ll kill those who commit evil and harm national interests without hesitation.”
The whole room seemed to freeze. Everyone, except Dumbass, felt their bodies stiffen. They quickly had a few sips of wine to keep themselves warm.
Xiao Bing smiled, “Alright. I don’t want to be a bummer. Dumbass, why are you here? You don’t look like someone that does evil things.”
Dumbass put down the chicken drumstick in his hand and looked really angry. “I told them they had the wrong person. I left my hometown and wanted to work in the city. I saw a girl being touched by a man on the bus. I thought he was taking advantage of her, so I went to stop him. But the girl came and hugged me and said I was sexually Second-class harassing her.”
Xiao Bing showed a faint smile on his face and said, “You do sound innocent.”
“I felt the same way. So I told the policeman that I’m innocent. I’ve never even touched a girl’s hand in my hometown. How could I harass a girl? And our village chief said that I shouldn’t shame our village’s reputation in the city. I am a dumbass but I’m not stupid. I won’t do something so shameful.”
One of the big men heard what he said and smiled, “Brother Bing, I know what’s going on here. That girl was being sneaky on the bus and must be a thief. A thief group like this would use the girl to draw attention and the other guys would use this opportunity to steal money. Dumb… this brother had good will, but he sabotaged other’s business. That’s why he was framed.”
Xiao Bing frowned and nodded his head, “The public safety has been degraded by these people.”
Dumbass said angrily, “And they didn’t believe me and charged me with… something… rape.”
Xiao Bing asked, “Attempted rape?”
“Yes, yes. That’s the word. They came and said to me today that you’re also a rapist. You raped a girl and then killed her. If I could break one of your legs, they would let me out. Now I don’t believe them anymore. You’re a good guy. I can tell.”
One other man interrupted, “The thief group must have bribed someone in the police bureau. They all have backers in the bureau if they dare to steal things in a group.”
Xiao Bing slapped the table with a sharp light in his eyes, “These bastards! As law enforcement officers, they didn’t enforce the law impartially. They convicted you only with the word of one woman. The officials and thieves collude with one another. The officials and businessmen collude with each other. What is the difference between these officers and corrupt b*stards!”
Another man said, “Well, there are good people too. It is said that the deputy director here is very honest. He doesn’t get along with the director, and he doesn’t offer gifts nor flattery to others, so he has always been frustrated.”
Xiao Bing’s eyes sparkled, and others could not tell what he was thinking.
They chatted and had a feast. The big men became bold after a few drinks. They all lied down and fell asleep after chatting with Xiao Bing for a while.
The second day, Chang Huai’an asked the officer of the detention house to come to his office the first thing in the morning. The officer, named Jiang Wenhui, was in his 30s. He was successful in his career all because of Chang Huai’an. After he walked into the office, Chang Huai’an pointed to the chair beside and said, “Have a seat.”
Jiang Wenhui seemed nervous, but still, he sat down.
Chang Huai’an asked, “How is it going? No one’s dead yet?”
Jiang Wenhui looked awkward. Chang Huai’an felt nervous and asked, “Did he get killed?”
“No… not really. It’s just… just when I was there this morning, I found out that the man didn’t even get hurt. I heard… I heard that the men I arranged yesterday were all beaten by him.”
“What?” Chang Huai’an was furious. “What did you promise me? I’ve already set this all up for you. How could you let it slip away? Do you still want to keep your position?”
Jiang Wenhui wiped off his sweat and said with embarrassment, “I didn’t expect this either, Director Chang. A few days ago, a master was locked up in our detention center. He beat several bullies after he got in. I saw that he was very skillful, so I asked him to go as well. But I never knew… I never knew that Xiao Bing was such a good fighter. I went to see him this morning. He nearly tore down the whole detention center.”
Chang Huai’an frowned. Jiang Wenhui continued, “Xiao Bing, he also said… he said…”
Chang Huai’an asked, “What did he say?”
“He wanted you to go and see him. Otherwise… otherwise you won’t be able to keep your position as director!”
With a smack, Chang Huai’an slapped on the desk and said furiously, “Bullsh*t. Who does he think he is? Jiang Wenhui, look. I don’t care what method you use. I want you to break one of his legs. Otherwise, you’ll lose your job. There, you can go now.”
Jiang Wenhui looked very depressed but he left the office with respect.
Chang Huai’an was very angry. But after he calmed down, he felt worried about the message Jiang Wenhui had delivered to him from Xiao Bing. He felt that Xiao Bing wasn’t a normal person after meeting him. If he really had a method…
Thinking of this, Chang Huai’an began to feel too nervous to sit still. He grabbed his landline and dialed a number. After the telephone was answered, Chang Huai’an said in a deep voice, “Hello, Wenhui, arrange a time for me, um… I want to see him tonight.”
“Ok. Got it. I’ll do it now.”
Chang Huai’an hung up the phone. He seemed overwhelmed. “Xiao Bing, how dare you threaten me?”
Xiao Bing was lying in his cell. But the first person to visit him wasn’t Chang Huai’an, it was Su Xiaoxiao.
Xiao Bing and Su Xiaoxiao were arranged to meet in a small, separate room. They couldn’t meet for more than half an hour. Two guards were supervising them in the room.
They sat down face to face. Su Xiaoxiao asked with care, “I’ve already hired a lawyer for you. Are you ok here? Are they nice to you?”
Xiao Bing smiled indifferently, “I have always been the one who bullied others. Oh, by the way, has anyone from the noodle restaurant come to ask about me?”
Xiao Bing was worried about Yezi. She would be worried if she learned about what happened.
“I don’t know.” Su Xiaoxiao shook her head. “I haven’t been there today.”
“Oh, there should be no one then.” Xiao Bing laughed, “I am treated quite well here. Last night they treated me to a good meal. I also drank. It is more comfortable than outside, don’t worry about me.”
Su Xiaoxiao said, “How could you still be in the mood to make jokes now? Don’t think that I’m worried about you. It’s just that my family is also kind of the cause of this. You offended the Xies because my mom was sick. That’s why he framed you. I feel sorry about this. What’s more, no one in the noodle house can make our special noodle since my mom is still in the hospital. We need you there…”
Su Xiaoxiao was losing confidence while talking.
Xiao Bing said quietly, “I see. I understand. You aren’t worried about me at all. You just feel guilty. Am I right?”
“As long as you know that.” Worry could still be seen on Su Xiaoxiao’s face. “I found a lawyer for you. But the whole thing is complicated. Do you have any clues?”
Xiao Bing laughed, “Actually it’s quite simple. I will leave in two days. Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you something. The material for your exam that I prepared for you is in the memory stick in my bag. You should go and find it when you get back…”
Su Xiaoxiao was stunned at first. Then she seemed distracted by her own thoughts.