Chapter 53: Will you let me go?

Su Ruo didn't fly into a rage as the hooligan had expected; she calmly asked, "You say I'm dating you—what evidence do you have?"

The hooligan seemed to have anticipated this, and Su Ruo would ask that; he immediately said proudly, "Of course I have evidence—I know you're Su Ruo, the educated youth sent to Li Family Village, and that you know medicine, the village doctor. Isn't that enough?"

Su Ruo's brows knotted tighter; since the other party knew her identity, it showed today's incident wasn't a spur-of-the-moment act but a long-planned conspiracy targeting her—but who exactly wanted to harm her?

Su Ruo almost immediately thought of Li Shirou, because after going to the countryside, she had offended someone who wanted her dead—and that person was only Li Shirou.

Su Ruo just couldn't figure out how Li Shirou would get involved with the town's hooligans, but that didn't matter now.

What mattered was how she would make these hooligans face punishment and send them to jail.

"You knowing my identity and name only shows that you've been watching me for a while, preparing to scheme against me."

"But just because you know my identity doesn't prove I'm dating you."

"Besides, since I went to the countryside, I've stayed in the village and hardly ever come to the county."

"So how did I meet you, start dating you, and in what way lure you into the alley?"

"Your words are full of holes, utterly untenable—so tell me, who exactly is behind you trying to harm me?"

The hooligan had thought that after revealing Su Ruo's identity, she would surely panic.

But he hadn't expected that Su Ruo wouldn't panic; instead, she remained sharp‑tongued and clear‑headed, leaving him speechless for a moment, unsure how to explain.

The middle‑aged policeman saw this and silently cursed: useless thing.

Then he told Su Ruo, "Come with me!" and took her to an interrogation room.

As soon as she entered, the middle‑aged man's face darkened; he sat at the interrogation table, stared sternly at Su Ruo, and demanded: "Name, age, identity, address!"

"Why did you come to the county today, and why did you clash with them? You claim they wanted to rape you—what evidence do you have!"

"Do you realize that if you have no evidence and just spout accusations, that's false reporting, which is illegal!"

In the dim light of the interrogation room, combined with the man's stern tone, if Su Ruo were really just a teenage girl, she would probably have been scared to tears by now.

But Su Ruo didn't; she silently stared at the man without speaking.

The man, seeing this, thought Su Ruo was frightened, so he softened his tone: "I know today's events have wronged you, but you've already hit them and vented your anger.

You haven't been injured or suffered any loss; I'll have them compensate you with a hundred yuan—let this matter drop, okay?"

Su Ruo now understood why the hooligan leader dared to be so arrogant—because no matter what he did, someone always cleaned up after him.

First threats, then bribes; seeing how practiced this person was, Su Ruo knew he wasn't doing this for the first time—too bad he'd run into Su Ruo this time.

Su Ruo asked mockingly, "What if I refuse to settle?"

The man's face flushed with anger: "Little girl, I see you're young—I advise you not to act on impulse.

"You say they wanted to rape you, but did anyone see it? Can anyone testify for you? In short, you have no evidence at all."

"On the other hand, you did injure them, and plenty of people saw it—they can even get a medical examination."

"Injuring people can land you in jail—if this is really pursued, you might end up the one who suffers."

"You're an educated youth unfamiliar with this place—why bother making trouble for yourself?"

"Wouldn't it be better to just take the compensation? I can guarantee that if you agree to settle, they'll never bother you again."

Su Ruo's lips curled in a cold smile: "You put it well, but I don't know whether you're speaking to me as a police officer or as the thug's father!"

"What difference does it make!" the middle‑aged policeman's face grew even uglier; he hadn't expected that after saying all that, Su Ruo would remain unmoved.

"Of course there's a difference—if you're speaking as a police officer, I must tell you I'm the victim, and you have no right to interrogate me.

If you're speaking as the thug's father, I tell you I refuse to settle; my sole demand is that those hooligans who harass women at will be brought to justice."

The man's face had darkened to the extreme: "Little girl, since you're an educated youth who's been to school, you should have heard our old saying: 'Leave a line, so we can meet again later; a broken net and dead fish benefit you in no way.'"

Su Ruo laughed and said, "I not only know those two sayings, I also know the phrase: 'The heavenly net is vast, though sparse, it lets nothing slip; good and evil will eventually be repaid—not that it won't be, just that the time hasn't come yet.'"

"Your son doing this sort of thing isn't the first time, is it? Otherwise he wouldn't dare be so arrogant, nor would he be unafraid even if taken to the bureau."

"Because he knows that no matter how big a mistake he makes, you can smooth it over for him—that's why he acts so recklessly."

"When you see those bullied girls, don't you feel any guilt acting this way?"

"Wearing that uniform, you ought to be upholding justice for the people and the populace."

"But now you're using your position for private gain, abetting evil—do you really think you can cover the sky with one hand?"

The man's face grew so dark it seemed water could drip from it: "It looks like you're dead set on fighting to the end."

"I can tell you, this hand of mine may not be able to cover the sky, but it's enough to cover you!"

"Since you're so obstinate, stay here and reflect—reflect! When you figure things out, you can go back."

The man finished speaking and walked out, leaving Su Ruo alone in the dark room.

Time passed second by second; the interrogation room was quiet enough for Su Ruo to almost hear her own breathing.

This is exactly what the man wanted—he wanted Su Ruo to feel uneasy and fearful, then compromise and surrender.

But he didn't know that Su Ruo is a tough nut to crack, and she hates being bullied and threatened above all.

"If, in another life, Su Ruo still had to endure this injustice, angry but silent, wouldn't she have lived in vain?"

In this world, Su Ruo's only concern is Li Zhaodi and An'an; seeing her come home so late, they'd surely worry, but Su Ruo only needs to know they're safe.

I don't know how long later, just as Su Ruo was about to fall asleep, the hooligan leader pushed open the interrogation room door, strutted in, and sat in the chair opposite her.

Su Ruo looked at the hooligan before her and found it ironic—she, the victim, was locked up, while the perpetrator, the hooligan, could swagger in and out freely.