Chapter 7: The Intimidated Thug, Does Today Count as a Date?

Xiuyelou crossroads.

Zhang Wei and Xia Qianyue were blocked by three hoodlums.

Not just that, they also brought along a field agent from the Martial Association.

Martial Association investigators handled criminal cases, but general civil disputes were dealt with by field agents.

Compared to investigators, field agents were in charge of the civil system, and their duties included patrolling the streets, maintaining basic public order, and mediating disputes among residents.

Therefore, Zhang Wei was not panicked upon seeing the field agent.

However, Xia Qianyue was another story.

Zhang Wei could clearly feel a hand clutching his clothes, gripping the fabric tightly.

"Silly, don't panic, we haven't done anything wrong, there's no reason to fear the knock at the door!"

Zhang Wei patted the person next to him on the shoulder, stood out boldly, and faced the three individuals.

"Field agent, it's this woman. She just attacked us!"

"Yeah, yeah, it was her, and this man, they're accomplices!"

"All these injuries on me were done by her; they must take responsibility!"

The three hoodlums, now playing victims, pointed at Zhang Wei and Xia Qianyue, weeping dramatically.

This scene drew the attention of passersby, most of whom were students who enjoyed watching the excitement.

Many even started recording on WeChat and Weibo, preparing to post about it on their social circles.

"Stop, stop, your acting is overdone, overdone!"

Zhang Wei quickly approached the field agent, directly ignoring the three hoodlums' crying and feigned suffering, saying, "Big brother, let's go somewhere to talk things over, so we don't disrupt the traffic around here!"

"Uh... Sure!"

The field agent did not expect Zhang Wei to be so cooperative and did not even deny anything.

However, seeing more and more onlookers gathering around, which did indeed seem to affect the traffic, he agreed.

A few minutes later.

Xiuyelou Field Office.

Office building, first-floor mediation room.

The field agent, the local mediator, and all parties involved had arrived.

Zhang Wei and Xia Qianyue had registered, and the three hoodlums had done the same.

Now, both sides began to sit down for mediation.

"I don't care, I want compensation!"

"My bones are broken, it has to be at least tens of thousands!"

"And there's emotional distress and medical expenses, all added up it won't do without 500,000!"

The three hoodlums now embodied the role of victims, tearfully telling their woeful story, almost pointing fingers and cursing Xia Qianyue.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Wei was not the least worried and even felt like laughing internally.

The acting skills of these three scammers weren't great, but their guts were enormous, demanding 500,000 right off the bat as if they had extorted people many times before.

The mediator was a big sister, who exchanged a glance with the field agent upon seeing the hoodlums' antics, and both turned to look at Zhang Wei and Xia Qianyue.

"Don't look at us, they claim they've broken bones, right? How about taking them to the hospital, a medical examination won't take much time."

Zhang Wei just chuckled, not worried at all.

Thinking for a moment, he added, "However, if their injury assessment doesn't match the facts, I can also accuse them of extortion and scamming the two of us poor students!"

"Also, 500,000 counts as a huge amount for fraud; if proven, it can lead to imprisonment for over ten years. Considering their heinous motives and the possibility that they're repeat offenders, the sentence could even be extended!"

Hearing Zhang Wei's words, the hoodlums stopped crying, as they were taken aback.

They couldn't understand why they had sought the field agent for justice, only to find themselves facing a decade in prison.

Zhang Wei stood up abruptly, as if ready to leave: "Let's go, let's all go to the hospital and have a doctor check whether your bones are truly broken. I'll make it clear, if you haven't injured your bones, I'll sue you for extortion!"

As he spoke, he pointed to the surveillance camera in the corner, "The field agent and mediator are our eyewitnesses, having witnessed the entire crime. Plus, there's surveillance here; your actions are all on record. If your charges stand, none of you will escape!"

Zhang Wei was imposing, and under his verbal assault, the hoodlums all widened their eyes in disbelief.

"That's not right. We're the ones who got beaten. How come it's our turn to go to prison?" one hoodlum protested, sensing something was amiss.

"Heh, you say you were beaten? Seems like you all haven't grasped the situation?"

Zhang Wei sneered after hearing this, pointing at the pants of one of the thugs, "Field agent, help me pull down his pants!"

!!!

Everyone was shocked!

"I have reason to suspect that he's carrying a lethal weapon on him!"

The field agent wasn't exactly a greenhorn either, and he took one look at the thug's pants and immediately understood.

"Get up!" he demanded.

Alarmed, the thug could only stand up. The field agent felt around for a bit and pulled out a spring knife.

"Carrying a controlled knife on your person, you still claim you're the victim?"

Zhang Wei continued his verbal onslaught, "Field agent brother, they carry knives that could be lethal. Even if we defend ourselves, it still qualifies as legitimate self-defense!"

"Moreover, they outnumber us, and Xia Qianyue and I are just ordinary students, always under the threat of death. Even if we survived, I would still accuse them of attempted murder!"

"Attempted murder?"

The little thug watched Zhang Wei's performance, momentarily at a loss for words.

Even the field agent brother and the mediator sister were stunned.

It was just a simple dispute; how did it escalate to accusations of intentional homicide?

"Nonsense, we never had that intention. Weren't we stopped by your girlfriend?" The thug quickly denied, pointing at Xia Qianyue.

"Girl, girlfriend..."

Xia Qianyue's face turned slightly red when she heard the words "girlfriend."

Zhang Wei immediately retorted, "Are you trying to claim your actions qualify as desisting from crime, but unfortunately for you, desistance refers to behaviors where, during the commission of a crime, one voluntarily gives up the crime or actively and effectively prevents the crime's consequences,"

"In that situation, as the perpetrators, under my girlfriend's resistance, you lost the will to continue your murderous intent. This doesn't count as desistance, which occurs when a person voluntarily gives up a crime they can still perpetrate and complete due to their own will."

"On the contrary, your actions meet the threshold for attempted crime, meaning your crime was unsuccessful due to reasons beyond the perpetrator's will, contrary to your original intent!"

"The former requires voluntary abandonment, while the latter is passive. You clearly lacked the capability to give up voluntarily at that time, so that was an attempted crime!"

Zhang Wei paused, noticing the brother, sister, and three thugs all looking at him, then he declared, "Dragon Country's criminal law stipulates that for an attempted crime, one can be sentenced in reference to the completed crime's consequences!"

"These three grown men, clearly trained, carrying controlled knives, could have threatened the lives of me and my girlfriend. Therefore, I would like to ask the Martial Association and the Procuratorate's Office to prosecute them for attempted murder, sentencing them as if for a completed murder!"

"You're full of shit!"

Upon hearing this, the thugs were in a panic.

Zhang Wei crossed his arms, all seriousness, "What, haven't I made myself clear? Then you're welcome to rebut me."

Rebuttal my ass, all three were just little thugs who hadn't learned any law; how could they possibly argue against someone who studies law.

"This student, you are..."

"I'm from East University Law School, majoring in criminal law!"

Upon hearing Zhang Wei's response, the field agent brother and the mediator sister suddenly saw the light.

No wonder he spoke so expertly on the law; the kid studied law, and his major was in criminal law.

They nearly complimented Zhang Wei on the spot: You're truly criminal, criminally smart!

"So, student, what do you think we should do about this? Even if you really accuse them of attempted murder, the Procuratorate might not necessarily prosecute..."

Zhang Wei thought for a moment, then magnanimously said, "Fine then, let them pay a compensation of three to five thousand, and we'll let this matter pass!"

The three thugs: "???"

In the end, under the guidance of the field agent brother and the mediator sister, the three thugs quickly recognized their "mistake" and compensated Zhang Wei and Xia Qianyue 3,000 yuan.

This time, they paid willingly, nearly elevating Zhang Wei to a saint.

Of course, they also silently vowed never to mess with students from the law school again in the future. Not for any other reason than fearing another flurry of troubles with a simple backhand swipe.

As for Xia Qianyue, she was utterly flabbergasted throughout, having never expected that under Zhang Wei's fast-paced combination punches, not only did the two of them suffer no loss, but the three thugs even ended up paying them money.

Leaving the field agent branch, Zhang Wei and Xia Qianyue walked down the road.

"Zhang Wei, if they had been more adamant, would you really have accused them of attempted murder?"

"Of course not; I was just bluffing them!"

Responding to Xia Qianyue's question, Zhang Wei shook his head, "Criminal cases can only be prosecuted by the Procuratorate's Office, this is called a public prosecution, because they represent law-abiding citizens like us. But do you think those prosecutors would really use public resources to sue three thugs based on our two testimonies?"

"And besides..." he said, glancing at Xia Qianyue, "besides, you did indeed attack them, although I could also argue legitimate self-defense. But as students, if we rashly got involved in a criminal dispute, there might be a negative record."

"You're the future investigator of the Martial Association, meant to join the major case squad; you can't afford to have a blemish on your record!"

"Zhang Wei..."

Xia Qianyue was deeply moved after hearing this.

She had not expected that the person by her side had acted out of concern for her. But the way he had argued with the thugs just now was really so manly.

Blushing at the thought, Xia Qianyue's face turned red again.

And when she thought about how Zhang Wei had called her his girlfriend back in the branch office, Xia Qianyue's heart hadn't stopped pounding.

"Let's go, we're off to our last destination!"

"Okay, let's!"

With that, Zhang Wei took Xia Qianyue to their final stop of the day, the most luxurious Four Seasons Hotel on Xiuyelou Road!

"Zhang Wei, what do you mean by this!"

Upon seeing the hotel entrance, Xia Qianyue immediately became upset.

How dare you, Zhang Wei, to insult her, Xia Qianyue,

It was only their first date, and he dared to go to a hotel to book a room; he truly had the audacity of a bear and the gall of a leopard!

Murderous intent!

Boiling murderous intent!

Zhang Wei could clearly feel a strong murderous intent emanating from Xia Qianyue.

Gurgle...

He instinctively swallowed hard, finally realizing that he hadn't explained himself.

Taking a girl to a hotel without any explanation, what else could it be?

"Zhang Wei, you're looking for death!" Xia Qianyue went into huntress mode and launched her attack.

"Granny, stop, stop, I'm here to investigate and gather evidence!"

"Investigate my foot, I think you're itching for a beating, asking for it!"

"Don't, please..."

A few minutes later, at the Four Seasons Hotel reception.

The female waiter looked at Zhang Wei, who was covering his swollen left cheek, and at Xia Qianyue, while her mouth twitched uncontrollably.

If it weren't for her professional composure, she would have burst into laughter.

After all, it was her first time seeing someone who had just fought with his girlfriend still come to book a room at a hotel.

But upon reaching the reception desk, Zhang Wei suddenly burst into tears: "Miss, have you seen my girlfriend by any chance? She's disappeared after we had a fight."

"Your girlfriend, but who is this by your side?"

"She's my sister, and we're both out looking for my brother's wife!"

While crying, Zhang Wei shakily pulled out a photo from inside his collar and handed it to the receptionist.

"This woman, she's your girlfriend?"

Upon seeing the photo, the receptionist looked at Zhang Wei with a touch of sympathy.

"Yes, we've been together for 3 years. I've been wholeheartedly devoted to her, but she just, just..."

Zhang Wei couldn't stop the tears from flowing as he spoke, prompting the receptionist to hand him a tissue.

"She hasn't been here today—I haven't seen her for months, to be honest..."

"I knew it, I just knew it..."

Zhang Wei covered his head and began to sob uncontrollably.

It had to be said that his acting was indeed impressive, especially with the slap from Xia Qianyue heightening the tragedy.

After crying, Zhang Wei stood up with red eyes, pounded his chest and stamped his feet for a while, then fixed the receptionist with a piercing gaze:

"Well, miss, I've also made a decision today. I wonder if you could help me out. Honestly, even though I still love her, my sister advises me to break up with her, and I don't want to suffer any longer. Please, you must help me this time!"

The receptionist was won over by Zhang Wei's performance and replied subconsciously, "Okay, okay..."

Xia Qianyue, standing aside, dropped her jaw in shock.

But Zhang Wei couldn't help but turn back and give her a sly brow lift.

After obtaining some evidence, the two finally left the hotel lobby.

"Zhang Wei, where did you learn to act like that? How come I never realized before that you could act so well?"

"My acting skills, I honed them myself!"

Zhang Wei spoke the truth and then pointed again to a certain building on the street.

It was a bank.

"Simpleton, let me ask you, could you lend me 100,000? I'll transfer it back to you in 10 seconds!"

"Huh?"

Xia Qianyue, still not fully recovered from Zhang Wei's acting at the hotel, was slightly stunned by his words.

Borrowing money, and 100,000 at that, only to return it 10 seconds later?

What did that mean?

Xia Qianyue didn't understand but still pulled out her wallet and entered the bank with Zhang Wei.

Her family wasn't extremely wealthy, but it was well-off, and indeed, she had 100,000 in her account.

The transfer was completed quickly, and Xia Qianyue didn't ask any extra questions the entire time.

However, after the transfer was completed, Zhang Wei grabbed Xia Qianyue's hand and said solemnly, "I need to formally tell you what this money is for. Not only that, they will probably ask you to testify in court, but this is all within my expectations. When the time comes, you just need to answer like this…"

Zhang Wei told Xia Qianyue everything about the use of the money.

The latter, who hadn't expected this use for the money either, nodded solemnly in understanding.

Finally, back at the school gate, as they were about to go their separate ways, Xia Qianyue pulled on Zhang Wei's sleeve.

"By the way, are you confident about the court hearing on Monday?"

"Confident? I've already won, okay!"

"That confident?"

"No, I have no reason to lose!"

Zhang Wei smiled confidently and added, "There's one last thing, and only you can help me with it, and this time I can't accompany you!"

"What is it that only I must do, and you can't join me?"

"It's simple. I'm a guy, so of course I can't enter the girls' dormitory!" Zhang Wei spread his hands, a helpless expression on his face.

This was an inevitable issue.

No matter the era, the girls' dormitory was always off-limits to boys.

Xia Qianyue: "???"

"What do you want me to do in the dormitory? If it's stealing something, I can't do that!"

"Simpleton, am I that kind of person? What are you imagining me to be!" Zhang Wei quickly denied it, as he was certainly not some kind of pervert.

"I just want you to ask if there are journalism girls in the dormitory next to Jia Meili's. I remember the dorms of the East University Law School and the journalism department are connected!"

"Why are you asking this?"

"Very simple, I need you to find out if there's a witness who can help me prove something. What's that saying? 'The more you speak, the more likely you'll slip up,' and that Feng Li is someone who can't keep her mouth shut for sure. She must have said plenty of things carelessly!"

Zhang Wei said this, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Soon after, the two parted ways.

Watching Xia Qianyue head towards the girls' dormitory, Zhang Wei patted his cheeks.

He realized his body was somewhat out of shape. Just a day of walking around and his legs were already feeling unwieldy.

"It seems I need to get some exercise too, after all, appearing in court is quite the physical task; without a good body, one can't sustain it!"

Thinking this, Zhang Wei headed towards his own dormitory.

He pondered whether the day's actions were flawless, whether there were any points that needed attention, or if anything had been overlooked.

As he thought, he remembered Xia Qianyue, and a certain smile appeared on his lips.

"Who would've thought, in this era, to find such an innocent girl, a real treasure indeed. And today, I wonder if it could count as a date."

After returning to his dormitory, he turned on his computer and opened several documents.

He recorded the day's gains and made specific notes; all clues and findings were organized into clear charts.

An hour later, there was a message in his inbox.

The email was sent from Xia Qianyue, with an attachment included.

"Oh, not only a profit but also video evidence, this simpleton truly is my lucky star!"

Seeing the contents of the attachment, Zhang Wei's smile returned, for everything was as he had anticipated.