NOVPUBIn the mediation room, Xu Qingfan patiently recounted the situation to several police officers.
"The three of us were chasing each other in the park, that’s true, but that old bitch... the old lady was more than a meter away from us. She fell because she didn’t hold her cane steady. We kindly went to help her up, and then out of nowhere, she grabbed Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi’s hands and falsely accused us of pushing her!"
"So, what about the slap you gave her afterwards?"
"That granny grabbed their hands so hard, both my little friends were about to cry. I panicked and slapped her. I’ve heard from our teacher that what I did was self-defense!"
"Right! Brother Qing Fan was protecting us when he hit her!"
"Mhm!"
Seeing that the police officer across from them remained skeptical, Zhang Yiyi and Lin Wanning were so anxious they were about to burst into tears.
It was clear they had tried to do the right thing, yet they were being wrongfully accused.
"Mr. Xu, right? Since there’s a witness across who testified, regardless of whether the old lady was tripped by the children or not, you’ll have to take full responsibility for the incident. My suggestion is that it would be best for you to seek an extrajudicial settlement with her family. It’ll be easier for everyone," the officer advised Xu Aiguo after finishing the record.
"But it clearly wasn’t us who pushed her, wuwu~" Upon hearing the police’s resolution, Lin Wanning couldn’t help but cry out in grievance.
"We, didn’t do it!" Zhang Yiyi fought back her tears, took out a tissue, and began to wipe away little Wanning’s tears.
Xu Aiguo looked on, deeply distressed, "Officer, isn’t there another way?"
The officer shook his head, "There are no surveillance cameras in that area. Even if you find witnesses now, it will end up as a he-said-she-said situation. I still recommend that you try to negotiate outside of court."
Xu Aiguo sighed helplessly, leaning back on his chair, "Uncle believes you are being wronged. You are all good kids who did the right thing!" he turned and said to the three kids.
"Dad, we won’t accept a settlement. Settling would mean admitting that we pushed her, but we clearly didn’t do it. We don’t admit to it!" Xu Qingfan declared.
"Tch~ Kid, I’m trying to help you. There’s a witness who saw you push her. If you end up in court, you’ll be held fully liable. Not to mention hiring a lawyer, you might even end up paying more compensation. Think about it carefully."
"No settlement, it clearly wasn’t us who pushed her!" Lin Wanning’s little temper fully erupted, and she glared at the officer who just spoke.
"No!" Zhang Yiyi also gave a cold stare.
Seeing the usually timid Lin Wanning explode, Xu Qingfan was startled at first, but then he genuinely laughed.
"Alright, the officers aren’t bad guys. Why are you two being so fierce? Quickly apologize to them."
"Officer, I’m sorry, Ningning didn’t mean to be fierce just now."
"Sorry!"
The two little girls had lost their former conviction and shyly lowered their heads, murmuring apologies as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
"Haha~ No worries, no worries. I’m just offering my advice, but what you want to do is your choice," the officer said with a laugh, scratching the back of his head.
Xu Qingfan thought to himself, [If they don’t sue in court, how can I clear everything up? Those idle college students won’t get away either, Old Master Yuan shouldn’t have let them overeat!]
"If you’re not willing to mediate, you can leave now. Just wait for the court summons and appear in court on time," said the officer.
"All right, thank you for your help, officer," Xu Aiguo stood up and shook hands with the officer, "You three sit here and wait. I’m going back to the park to bring the car over to pick you up," he turned and told the three kids.
"Okay."
After Xu Aiguo left, the officer took the three kids to their usual break room. "Brother Qing Fan, what do we do now?" Lin Wanning asked listlessly, propped up on the table.
"Relax, with me here, the bad guys won’t win. Come and check this out!" Xu Qingfan proudly took out his phone, pulling up the vlog he had saved.
The three kids huddled together, watching the screen without blinking. When the video played to the part where the old lady fell, they held their breath in tension.
When the video ended, Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi both let out a sigh of relief, the little girls indignantly spoke out.
"It’s clear she fell on her own, that old hag is just too mean!" Lin Wanning said angrily.
"Ningning, you can’t curse!" Xu Qingfan bumped her head with his.
"Ouch~" The little girl let out a cute yelp, "It was Brother Qing Fan who said it first, heehee, Brother Qing Fan is the best, Ningning knew it!!!"
Lin Wanning turned from worry to joy and excitedly kissed him on the cheek.
"Brother, you’re awesome!" Zhang Yiyi followed suit, covering the spot Lin Wanning had just kissed.
"We’re going to call Yiyi’s mom and have her send that old bitch to jail, and she should also compensate Yiyi and Ningning for our emotional distress!"
"Brother Qing Fan is right!"
"Brother, yes!"
Xu Qingfan chuckled and rubbed their heads, then dialed Zhang Chunxue’s number with two presses of the ’1’ key.
"Xiao Fan, what’s up? Auntie isn’t into desserts, no need to bring me any," Zhang Chunxue answered the call, thinking they wanted to bring her treats, she spoke first.
"Auntie, put the food aside for now. Someone has falsely accused us..." Xu Qingfan reported the afternoon’s events in full detail.
After listening, Zhang Chunxue was livid. She despised the shameless old lady and the corroborating bystanders. Luckily, Xu Qingfan, a clever kid since childhood, had recorded a video. This news comforted her somewhat.
"Xiao Fan, where are you right now? Auntie will come to find you immediately!"
"Auntie, we are still at the police station, waiting for my dad to drive over and pick us up."
"Which police station?"
"The biggest one, the one next to the electric power bureau."
"Where are you at the police station?" Zhang Chunxue asked further.
"In the tea room."
"You guys just sit there for now, I’ll give Yiyi’s uncle a call. Someone might come looking for you in a bit."
"Ah?"
Xu Qingfan wanted to ask more, but the call had already been hung up.
"Yiyi, does your uncle work here?" Since Xu Qingfan hadn’t put the phone on speaker, he tilted his head to ask Zhang Yiyi.
The little girl shook her head, displaying an ’I have no clue’ expression.
On the other end, Zhang Chunxue flipped through her contact list and dialed a number after hanging up the phone.
"Hello, Brother, it’s Zhang Chunxue." As soon as the call connected, she spoke in a cold tone.
"Ah! Chunxue, why are you calling me? We all miss you. When are you bringing Yiyi home for a visit? You didn’t come back for the New Year either, Dad actually misses you a lot."
"Why go back, to be criticized by you all? Yiyi and I are doing just fine outside! Your niece has been bullied and is right now in the tea room of your police station!"
"Family... what? I’m coming right over!" Zhang Chaoqun originally wanted to persuade his sister, but upon hearing that his niece had been bullied, he rushed out of his office without even properly hanging up the phone.
"Director Zhang..."
The officers in the corridor who had wanted to greet Zhang Chaoqun all looked at each other in puzzlement, wondering if some high-ranking official had come.
The three little ones who were sneakily snacking stopped their movements and watched as the middle-aged police officer panted his way towards them.
Xu Qingfan thought, [It’s just a few stolen packets of snacks from the police station, no need to make such a big fuss, right?]
"Yiyi, who bullied our Yiyi? Tell your uncle."
Seeing Zhang Yiyi safe and sound sitting inside, Zhang Chaoqun let out a sigh of relief.
"Uncle!" Zhang Yiyi excitedly stood up and threw herself at the man’s legs.
"Ai~ Our Yiyi’s speech is getting clearer and clearer!" Zhang Chaoqun said with a loving smile as he picked up the little girl.
"Uncle is good..."
The trio was bewildered as they were led out of the tea room, and when Xu Qingfan sneakily saw the sign that read ’Director’s Office,’ he swallowed nervously.
After some polite exchange, Xu Qingfan recounted the whole incident to Zhang Chaoqun and showed him the recordings and videos on his phone.
"Uncle, we want to countersue that old lady for extortion and those college students for perjury, is that possible?" Because the man opposite him was Zhang Yiyi’s uncle, he was completely upfront about his intentions.
Zhang Chaoqun stared at Xu Qingfan with the scrutinizing gaze of someone interrogating a prisoner, remaining silent and rhythmically tapping his fingers on the mahogany desk, exuding an imposing demeanor.
[This kid is only seven? Such meticulous thinking.] Zhang Chaoqun inwardly marveled.
"Uncle?" Xu Qingfan, feeling a little uneasy under the gaze, scratched the back of his head to remind him.
"Hmm, give me your phone for safekeeping for now. You don’t need to worry about the rest; I’ll take care of it," he told Xu Qingfan, stopping his tapping.
With the matter temporarily resolved, Zhang Chaoqun, maybe due to an occupational habit, began interrogating Xu Qingfan thoroughly.
"Are you Yiyi’s classmate?"
"Yes, Uncle. My name is Xu Qingfan, I am Yiyi’s classmate and group leader."
"From Li City?"
"Yes!"
"An only child?"
"Mhm!"
"Isn’t your dad from Cong City? How come he settled here in Li City?"
Xu Qingfan: ...
...
[Good thing I don’t have any hotel records.] He secretly sighed in relief.
Having an uncle who is the police chief is quite terrifying!
But with Zhang Yiyi’s uncle’s help, it seems like those people are indeed going to be taken care of all at once.
