Give you a favor

At dawn, I helped An Yesu out of the hospital and we headed to the police station to turn ourselves in. The snow had melted, the sun was shining brightly, and a gentle breeze blew - it was a beautiful day. As soon as we arrived at the entrance of the police station, a police car with sirens blaring pulled up in front of us.

The car stopped and its door opened. First came a pair of small leather shoes followed by Liang Shixin dressed smartly in his uniform with a smile on his face.

"The weather is nice," said Liang Shixin as he walked towards me and skillfully took out handcuffs before handing them over to An Yesu.

Liang Shixin's sudden appearance caught us off guard. It took me some time to react and I didn't know how he found us or why he chose this moment to show up.

"Luo Dakun has been arrested," said Liang Shixin. "We will investigate thoroughly and give you justice. However, before that happens, you need to cooperate with us."

"Of course," continued Liang Shixin while looking at An Yesu who seemed nervous but eventually reached out for the handcuffs.

I became angry when I realized that Liang Shixin had been tracking me all along.

"You were following me?" I asked him angrily.

"No," replied Liang Shixin with a smile on his face. "I fell asleep."

As he spoke, he reached into my pocket and pulled out a small black device about the size of his finger which turned out to be a tracker with listening capabilities.

"You told me you were helping me dry my clothes but instead you planted this thing on me!" I exclaimed feeling frustrated that I had been played like this.

"Little master, your martial arts skills are impressive but your scheming abilities are still lacking," said Liang Shixin while putting handcuffs on An Yesu and helping him into the car. "We are grateful for your help in solving this case. Let's go, I'll treat you to a meal as a thank you."

"I should have listened to my mother," I muttered as we got into the car.

"What did she say?" asked Liang Shixin with a smile on his face.

"She said never trust what women say, especially if they're pretty!" I replied while glaring at him.

"That's from The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," laughed Liang Shixin. "Your mother is quite trendy! Does she read martial arts novels?"

"No, she can't even read big characters but she likes listening to storytelling," I replied with disdain.

"Hehe, then consider what you just said as praise for me. Thank you!" exclaimed Liang Shixin who seemed pleased with himself while I remained gloomy throughout our conversation.

An hour later, we arrived at the police station in Siyun County where An Yesu was taken to make a statement and search parties were dispatched to find Xiaoping's body. After everything was settled, Liang Shixin waved at me and said: "Let's go eat Western food."

"Western food?" It was something that I had only heard of but never tasted before so naturally my curiosity was piqued.

Soon after we entered a Western restaurant where a blonde-haired blue-eyed waiter came over to take our order speaking gibberish which neither of us could understand. However, Liang Shixin spoke fluently like he knew every language in the world so it didn't take long for us to place our orders.

Shortly after ordering, our meals arrived - each one consisting of bread slices filled with meat strips and vegetable leaves along with an unappetizing piece of black beef which made me lose my appetite altogether.

I bet you've never had it before. Let me teach you how to use the knife and fork," Liang Shixin picked up the utensils and skillfully demonstrated for me.

"Thanks," I frowned, picking up the steak with my hands like a burger. As I ate, I asked Liang Shixin, "Can you really get An Yesu a light sentence?"

"As long as he shows good attitude and admits his guilt, I will try my best to negotiate," she replied.

"How much is this meal?" I asked.

"You have quite an imagination," she laughed. "It's not expensive, only two or three hundred yuan."

"What?!" I jumped up in anger. "This is robbery! A piece of bread, some rotten vegetables, undercooked beef...and they dare charge two or three hundred yuan?! Is this even considered a meal?!"

"Come on now, this is Western cuisine. That's just the price range," Liang Shixin tried to calm me down. "And that doesn't include tip yet."

I sat back down feeling frustrated and looked at the pathetic bread and steak in front of me. By the end of it all, my stomach wasn't full but instead filled with anger.

"I'm teaching you about high-class living here. Remember that girls love this kind of thing; when you're rich one day and want to impress them take them out to places like these - they'll be very happy." After we left the restaurant Liang Shixin said proudly.

"Forget it! If coming here means having something wrong with my brain then count me out!" I complained bitterly but little did I know years later there would actually be something wrong with my brain.

"What are your plans next?" Liang Shixin asked as she looked at me.

"My home is in Shuhe County so if possible could someone give me a ride back?"

"That's easy enough. I'll arrange it for you. And when An Yesu's case is settled, do you want me to let you know?"

"Sure," I nodded and then asked her, "If he gets the lightest sentence possible, how many years would that be?"

"Hehe," Liang Shixin laughed mischievously and playfully flicked my nose. "You'll find out soon enough. But here's a big favor from me - don't refuse if I ever need your help in the future."

"How is that even considered a favor? It sounds more like blackmail!" I rolled my eyes at her before asking, "What are you planning on doing? Do you have some way of getting him a lighter sentence?"

"Hmph! That's something I can't tell you about in detail," she said as she handed me her business card. "Keep this with you and call me if anything comes up."

As we returned to the police station, Liang Shixin arranged for someone to drive me back to Shuhe County.

Before leaving though, I saw two young policemen leading a group of oddly dressed people into the station; their dark skin wrinkled as they walked while some even vomited along the way.

Seeing this scene made everything clear - now I understood what Liang Shixin had planned all along.

If things went according to plan then An Yesu might actually get off lightly after all.

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