Chapter 531: It

If one has carefully studied the laws of many countries, especially those concerning Criminal Cases, one would know that every country spares no effort in protecting minors.

Especially regarding crimes against minors, to put it bluntly, you might not have committed a crime by doing this otherwise, but if the target of your behavior is a minor, then don't overthink it; just be prepared to go inside and learn a trade.

Although the age of criminal responsibility has been continuously lowered in our Criminal Law due to the current trend of younger offenders and the endless emergence of vicious crimes by minors, this does not mean that minors do not need protection.

Protection is protection, and punishment is punishment; the two are not contradictory.

Therefore, when the police officer heard that the target of the crime was a minor, their expression became extremely serious.

The primary evidence is naturally the video; Zhou Xinran's position at the time was quite good, and she filmed it very clearly—the hands of those friends of the groom were indeed placed in places they shouldn't have been.

Some of them even pressed up against her to rub...

It is hard for some people to imagine how, on such a joyous day, anyone could be so obscene, and how anyone would dare to do such a thing in front of so many people!

But this is reality; obscene acts can go unpunished under the guise of a joyous occasion, and the onlookers, friends and family, can just laugh it off...

It's all for the sake of a lively wedding!

Not to mention the various obscene behaviors that occur during the "teasing the bridal chamber" tradition.

The police officer took the phone and began to watch the video, and as they watched, their expression changed.

If you were to say that during the teasing, there was just some pulling and pushing, that might not be much.

Even if a hand accidentally touched some parts, one could argue that it was because there were too many people and it wasn't intentional.

But when you are groping all over the chest of a young girl wearing a dress, then no excuse will work.

In front of them, the young girl Zhou Min was already crying a mess; she was indeed a bit calmer than her peers, but the torment brought upon her by the previous events was something she would never forget in her life.

She hadn't reacted at first, and after getting into Zhou Yi's car, she was distracted by the god-like conversation between the two of them; it wasn't until they arrived at the Police Station that it finally hit her.

Coupled with the fact that the other bridesmaids were also being groped and even had their dresses lifted, the police officer's face turned dark.

"Zhou Min, is it? Stop crying for now, it's okay, we will definitely investigate this thoroughly!"

"By the way, you are her..."

This last sentence was asked to Zhou Yi, and Zhou Yi replied, "I am her cousin; the one getting married today is my other younger sister."

"By the way, Officer, I need to take my sister to the hospital later to see a psychologist; as you can see, her current condition is not very good."

The police officer nodded, and a female officer had already come over to start asking Zhou Min about the situation.

Zhou Yi did not feel that coming to report the crime today made him a "saint."

Although those people had only pulled Zhou Xinran in and hadn't done anything yet, he simply could not stand these behaviors.

Not to mention that Zhou Min had been scared like that before; a young girl whose mind was not yet mature being handled by so many men—anyone who saw that would feel uncomfortable.

And now, under the questioning of the female officer, Zhou Min told what had happened while crying.

"I told them, I said I was still young, and asked them not to pull me, but they wouldn't listen; they were groping me and trying to strip my clothes..."

"They were just laughing and teasing like that..."

The female officer was angry just listening to it; let's put it this way: if it were your own daughter being bullied like this, just ask yourself what you would do!

If it were someone with a worse temper, honestly, they might even have thoughts of using a knife.

The investigation went on for a while; Zhou Yi and Zhou Xinran also gave statements, and they needed to contact Zhou Min's parents.

Zhou Yi had the contact information, and the call was connected quickly.

Zhou Yi's uncle's house was no longer noisy; the couple was sulking, feeling that Zhou's father was being unreasonable.

And other relatives, like Zhou Jianping, were constantly trying to persuade him.

"Brother, just say a word to Zhou Yi; it's just an apology, it doesn't cost any money. There's no need to make things difficult for Lingling just after she's married, right? The groom's side just wants to save face."

He was Zhou Min's father, and he didn't yet know that his daughter had been taken away by Zhou Yi.

Previously, the groom's relatives were mainly Zhou Yi and someone else; Zhou Yi left, and that relative was embarrassed, so the groom's friends and family naturally wouldn't specifically call to notify them that Zhou Yi had taken away a bridesmaid.

"That's right, it's just a simple apology, you don't have to do anything else..." other relatives also chimed in to help.

Zhou Yi's uncle spoke up, "Second Brother, what Jianping says makes a lot of sense. It's Lingling's big day today; if you stay this stubborn, how will life go on in the future?"

Zhou's father shook his head and said, "It won't work; Zhou Yi is a child with his own mind now, he won't listen to me."

Zhou Jianping was about to say something else when his phone rang; he sighed, pointed at Zhou's father, and went to the side to answer the call.

The call connected, and a serious voice sounded: "Hello, is this Mr. Zhou Jianping?"

"It is, may I ask who you are..."

"I am from the Police Station. Your daughter, Zhou Min, is currently at the station. She and her cousin, Zhou Yi, just came to report that she was subjected to Forced Indecency by some people at a wedding, so we need you to come to the station."

What the hell? Zhou Jianping was stunned for a moment; my daughter... subjected to Forced Indecency?

"Wait, say that again!"

The police officer on the other end then said, "I'll let Mr. Zhou Yi tell you about it."

Soon, Zhou Yi's voice came through the phone: "Hello, Uncle Jianping, it's Zhou Yi."

Zhou Jianping was already shouting there: "Zhou Yi, what is going on? What is the situation with Xiaomin? How could she be subjected to Obscenity? Why did you go to the Police Station!"

Zhou Jianping's voice was very loud; that shout at Zhou Yi made many people in the living room look over, including Zhou's father, Zhou's mother, and the uncle and his wife.

Zhou Yi's uncle and his wife looked at each other, very curious; was this a call from Zhou Yi?

And on the phone, Zhou Yi had already explained the general situation.

"So Uncle Jianping, you need to come over quickly; Xiaomin is crying very hard right now, and the situation is quite serious."

Putting down the phone, Zhou Jianping was still a bit dazed; he didn't expect that it was his own daughter who had been subjected to Obscenity, and in front of so many people!

No wonder Zhou Yi was angry; if he had been there, he would have wanted to grab a knife!

Seeing Zhou Jianping hang up the phone, Zhou Yi's aunt spoke up: "Jianping, was that Zhou Yi calling you just now?"

"Look at this matter, we just wanted him, Zhou Yi, to apologize; why won't he do it? The groom's side just wants to save face..."

However, before Zhou Yi's aunt could finish speaking, Zhou Jianping suddenly roared in a rage: "Apologize my ass! If his groom's side wants face, do we not need face?"

Huh? The bunch of relatives in the living room were all stunned; what happened to Zhou Jianping? Why did he act like a firecracker after answering a phone call?

Zhou Jianping hesitated for a moment but still didn't speak recklessly; he only shouted, "You all just wait, if anything happens to my daughter, I'll risk my life to fight you!"

After saying this, he hurried downstairs; he had to go to the Police Station immediately.

Only a group of bewildered relatives remained in the room.

The face of Zhou Yi's aunt had turned liver-colored, and she was trembling with rage; she never expected that the other party would actually say such things.

Today was the day their family was marrying off their daughter!

Zhou Yi's uncle also frowned, and only after a long while did he say, "Is this Zhou Jianping sick?"

Nearby, Zhou Yi's father still dialed Zhou Yi's phone number, spoke a few words, and then hung up.

"Third brother, Jianping asked his daughter Xiaomin to be a bridesmaid for Lingling, and Lingling just doesn't care? Do you know that those friends of the groom started causing trouble the moment they picked Lingling up, and even Xiaomin was harassed, do you know that?"

"She is only fourteen, and from beginning to end, your Lingling didn't say a single word!"

What? Zhou Min was a bridesmaid and then got harassed by those friends of the groom?

Zhou Yi's uncle and aunt looked at each other in dismay, and finally said, "Second brother, this, could it be a mistake? Lingling didn't say anything when she called just now."

"What could she say? Could she say that she didn't look after her own younger sister at all?" Zhou Yi's father said mercilessly.

"Second brother, you can't put it that way!" Zhou Yi's aunt said directly: "Today is Lingling's big day, she just married into the family, how could she say anything, or have a fight with the groom's family?"

As locals of Lincheng, many people are quite aware that sometimes the hazing here is indeed a bit excessive.

Picking up the bride is just an appetizer; the main event is the wedding hazing in the evening, and the scale of it is so extreme that people are stunned just looking at it.

"If a bride doesn't even have anyone listen to her on the first day she marries into a family, what do you think her status in the groom's family will be in the future?"

"Enough, Zhou Yi has already taken Xiaomin to the Police Station to report the case."

Hearing this, Zhou Yi's aunt immediately became anxious!

"This, why report it to the police? What is Zhou Yi doing? Today is Lingling's big day!"

After shouting, she hurriedly made a phone call; she had to communicate with the groom's side immediately.

This matter was originally something Zhou Yi had his father say; in any case, everything depended on whether the Public Security Bureau would proceed with Case Filing.

If they file the case and find out the people have run away, that doesn't matter; what the concept of Forcible Indecency and Insult is, and what the concept of fleeing to avoid punishment is, those who understand, understand.

To put it bluntly, for a few people with no real ability to think they can escape is a joke.

At the groom's house, without a troublemaker like Zhou Yi, their ceremony went very smoothly.

Even if the remaining three bridesmaids were watching and feeling angry, it didn't matter; on a day like this, who would be foolish enough to get angry?

Just at this moment, Zhou Lingling's friend handed over a mobile phone.

"Hello, Mom, what's wrong? We are about to go to the hotel. What? Zhou Yi reported it to the police? What is he doing? It was just playing around, just to liven things up!"

Although Zhou Yi reported things to the police and filed a Lawsuit at every turn in Jingzhou, the reality is that most people's reporting to the police is just making a phone call.

Filing a Lawsuit is basically just talk.

So when Zhou Lingling heard her mother say that Zhou Yi had gone to the Police Station to report the case, she was also stunned.

They are all relatives; throwing a tantrum and reporting to the police on such an important day—if he doesn't want to acknowledge this relative, he could just say so!

She put down the phone and hurriedly called Zheng Chuan over.

"Chuanchuan, my mom just told me that Zhou Yi went to report it to the police!"

"Report it to the police? Is this person sick?" Zheng Chuan cursed upon hearing this: "I'm starting to wonder if he's even your relative. Didn't your family call his parents?"

By the end, Zheng Chuan's tone was already very displeased.

Zhou Lingling also looked like she was about to cry and said, "I called, but it's no use."

Zheng Chuan gestured to Zhou Lingling, then went back to discuss it with his brothers and his parents.

"It's fine, it's fine, it's just reporting to the police. Wedding Hazing happens, which family isn't like this? Does this really need to be managed?" Zheng Chuan's father said.

"Besides, what is wrong with their family!"

Zheng Chuan's father was already very unhappy; a perfectly good wedding had been turned into this.

Yuan Xiangnan and the others were there saying nothing; they knew what they had done.

But they didn't feel that what they had just done was a big deal; they just touched her a couple of times, it wasn't intentional, it's just Wedding Hazing, surely they can't be forbidden from using their hands?

If they can't even use their hands, how else are they supposed to haze?

Of course, feelings aside, they still thought about this matter in their hearts.

And what they had to do now was go to the hotel, so they could only temporarily stop thinking about this matter.

At the Police Station, Zhou Jianping saw his frightened daughter and, after learning the situation, cursed for a long time.

His daughter had kindly gone to help, and she had even asked for leave, all because Zhou Yi's uncle had personally called and asked.

But what was the result? She was actually treated like this!

Seeing that Zhou Jianping had arrived, Zhou Yi and Zhou Xinran could leave.

This matter was actually just a simple task for Zhou Yi.

The Police Station notified them of the Case Filing; there were no surprises, as it involved a minor, and the other party had done it in front of so many people—this was an aggravating circumstance!

Normally, Obscenity carries a sentence of under five years, but for Obscenity against a minor, or if it is done in a group, the starting point is five years or more.

Yes, that's right, being a minor is one buff, and being in a group is another buff...

Really, do not underestimate this charge; the sentencing is not light!

There was no way around it; last time when the two koi fish encountered hooligans, Zhou Yi had thoroughly looked into the charge of Forcible Indecency and Insult.

After Criminal Law Amendment Nine, the protected objects of this charge were expanded from women and children to "others," which means that men are also protected objects.

There's no helping it; there are more and more perverts, and some perverts are so perverted that even other perverts find them perverted; they must be protected.

Otherwise, some sexual assaults against men are hard to handle, as the charge of rape does not apply...

The two of them returned home; after the Case Filing, the relevant departments would help Zhou Min with psychological evaluation, and causing Serious Consequences is yet another buff...

After returning home, Zhou Yi lay directly on the sofa, and only after a long while did he say, "Xinran, do you think my uncle will grant leniency?"

Once a Case Filing has been made and the evidence is conclusive, don't think about innocence; the reason a Public Prosecution Case is a public prosecution is precisely because once it is initiated, even if you are the victim, there is no way to make it stop.

Zhou Xinran heard this and said with a smile, "It's hard to say, your uncle will definitely call many relatives to talk to him; after all, they are all relatives, just let those people pay some money and it will be fine."

"However, for this case, no matter how much reconciliation there is, no matter how much they surrender, it won't be less than five years; for Obscenity against a minor, and it was a group act, it will never be a light sentence."

"And the country is currently cracking down severely on this kind of Wedding Hazing behavior."

With these words from Zhou Xinran, Zhou Yi stopped pondering, because there was no need; those few guys would definitely have to go in and properly start Treading the Sewing Machine.

Zhou Xinran was just about to take a sip of water when she saw Zhou Yi suddenly jump up.

"What's wrong with you again?"

"I know the hotel where Zheng Chuan is getting married; why don't we go take a look? I feel like the Public Security Bureau should be able to issue a summons today."

"I really want to see if they are as calm as before when they are summoned."

This was his wicked sense of humor acting up; if it were any other girl, she would probably want to kick this man away right now.

But Zhou Xinran's eyes lit up as soon as she heard it.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The two hurriedly went out, drove, and arrived at the lobby of the hotel where Zheng Chuan was getting married; various ceremonies had already begun inside.

Of course, as long as one wasn't blind, one could see that the people on stage—the groom's parents, the bride's parents, the groom, and the bride—all had very dark expressions.

Especially the groom's parents.

As for those few groomsmen, they were also putting on a show on stage; Zhou Yi didn't go in to eat at the banquet, but chose a spot and started watching.

The speed of the Public Security Bureau was very fast; one didn't even need to think to know that in a case with conclusive evidence where everyone knew where the people were, they just had to go and bring them back, and since it was relatively serious, who wouldn't like such a case?

No need to waste too much effort, nothing is affected, how nice...

On stage, the emcee was being all sentimental, describing the love of the newlyweds as more wonderful than anything; this is also a common problem with some emcees nowadays.

It seems that if they aren't being sentimental and making everyone cry, they aren't a competent emcee.

Not to mention the current wedding banquets, which make many people want to curse; if the wedding ceremony isn't finished, they won't give you chopsticks...

Clearly starving to death, yet forced to sit there and wait, watching those dark faces force sentimentality, while the emcee kept asking for applause.

To be honest, once you're married, you know that everyone comes as a formality; to tell the truth, not many people are really saying any blessings...

Finally, the ceremony ended, and everyone started to eat and drink.

The people who attended the ceremony also stepped off the stage, and then started arguing right there.

One side insisted that Zhou Yi apologize, while the other side was saying they had no choice; they were already arguing.

Zhou Lingling and Zheng Chuan didn't speak; in this kind of situation, it wasn't their place to speak.

The matter of calling the police had already been forgotten, and no one remembered it; what everyone valued was the issue of face!

Yuan Xiangnan and the others were watching from the side, looking at each other in dismay; no one expected that this matter would turn out like this.

However, Zheng Chuan's father had already told them, saying, "It's fine, don't worry; attending the wedding of an uncle's son, you don't need to bear any responsibility."

Zheng Chuan's father was also a famous boss in Lincheng, so everyone wasn't worried now.

And just at this moment, several police officers walked into the lobby, but there were many people inside, and in their haste, they couldn't see the people they were looking for.

The leading police officer was just about to make a call when he saw a man and a woman walk over; the man pointed his finger at a corner and said, "Don't look anymore, comrade, they're over there."

The police officer was from the local branch in Lincheng and hadn't met Zhou Yi; he asked suspiciously, "Young man, do you know who we are looking for?"

"Of course I know; I'm the one who called the police. You're looking for the four groomsmen of the groom, Zheng Chuan, right?"

The police officer glanced at Zhou Yi, then headed toward the corner.

Although they didn't make a scene, that uniform was too conspicuous.

Some people even stopped eating and looked curiously at the few police officers, wanting to know what was happening.

On the other hand, those relatives who knew the situation in the morning felt a jolt in their hearts.

It couldn't be, right? Wasn't it just messing with the bridesmaid? Did the police really come?

The groom's parents and the bride's parents had already been arguing for a while; although Zhou Yi's uncle kept apologizing, it was useless. Zheng Chuan's father was used to being a boss and cared very much about face.

Just at this moment, Zhou Yi's uncle saw several police officers walking over and immediately said, "Eh, why are there police here?"

Others also turned their heads to look; sure enough, several police officers had already walked over.

Yuan Xiangnan and the others suddenly felt their legs go weak and hurriedly looked at Zheng Chuan's father for help.

Zheng Chuan's father said, "Don't worry, they probably just came to investigate because someone called the police; it's fine, I still have some face in Lincheng."

As he spoke, he walked up to them and looked at the few police officers, saying, "Comrades, what are you here for?"

The leading veteran police officer said, "Are you Mr. Zheng? We are here today to find the few groomsmen of your son."

Speaking of this, the veteran police officer caught sight of the four people behind him and immediately said, "You few, come over here."

Yuan Xiangnan and the others suddenly became afraid and looked at Zheng Chuan's father again.

Zheng Chuan's father smiled and said, "Comrade, they are just here to help today; my son is getting married, they are all my son's friends. I don't know if there is something going on?"

The veteran police officer said, "Mr. Zheng, they are suspected of the crime of Forced Indecency. We have already made a Case Filing, and we are going to issue a Criminal Summons for them. This is the Criminal Summons Document."

What? Criminal Summons?

Both families were stunned there, and the few young people already had their calves starting to cramp.

They couldn't understand anything else, but they could understand the word "Criminal".

Yuan Xiangnan couldn't help but say, "Uncle Zheng, look..."

Uncle Zheng certainly couldn't lose face; after all, he had just been bragging in front of the juniors.

At this moment, he said, "Comrade police, is this necessary? This is because of what happened this morning, right? It's a wedding, playing around a bit, I think it's normal; is it necessary to make such a big deal out of it?"

"They are all just kids; maybe they went a bit too far when they were messing around, but it definitely wasn't intentional."

The veteran police officer heard this and looked at Zheng Chuan's father, saying, "Mr. Zheng, I am now giving you your first Warning; please step aside!"

When these words came out, Zheng Chuan's father's expression suddenly became very ugly.

Then, under the bewildered gazes of several young people, Uncle Zheng, who was said to have a lot of face, just stepped aside like that; he stepped aside...

He didn't say another word, he just stepped aside directly, the kind without any hesitation.

"Uncle Zheng, we really didn't do anything, Uncle Zheng!" Yuan Xiangnan shouted hurriedly.

However, Zheng Chuan's father did not say a word, turned around, and walked away.

As a businessman, he had already heard the Warning; the meaning was very clear, the other party possessed sufficient evidence, and the case had to be handled!

If he were to be any more tactless, it would no longer be a matter of a Warning.

Watching as several police officers surrounded them, Yuan Xiangnan and the others were about to go crazy!

Isn't it normal to cause a scene at a wedding? Who doesn't cause a scene at a wedding? How, how is it that they are about to be taken away by the police!

Seeing that his few good brothers were about to be taken away, Zheng Chuan finally could not hold back anymore.

"Dad, please help out, Xiangnan and the others didn't do anything, was it that Zhou Yi who called the police? It must be him!"

Zhou Yi's uncle and aunt did not dare to speak now, but their fury had already burned to the top of their heads.

A perfectly good wedding, and now it had actually turned out like this; the police had actually come to make arrests!

It was all that Zhou Yi!

Zheng Chuan was anxious there, yet his old man did not say a single word; usually relying on the family having some money, Zheng Chuan was also a person accustomed to acting recklessly.

If these few brothers were taken away, that face would definitely be lost completely.

Seeing that his father still would not speak, Zheng Chuan stepped forward and grabbed that veteran police officer: "Wait, I said wait, where is that Zhou Yi? Call him out, I want to ask him what he wants to do, damn it, I'm just getting married, how does it concern him!"

Today's first update, six thousand words; I promised three updates yesterday, my three updates are twelve thousand words, so there are still six thousand words, which will be after twelve o'clock, it will be quite late, those who can't wait can go to sleep first. Thanks to Wenchidage, Feimaowuyu, Book Friend 2022, Jianghuzaizou, and Book Friend 2020, thank you brothers for the tips, thank you.

(End of this chapter)