Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 605 Farce
"what!"

The various tools scattered from the makeup case brushed past Meimei's eyes, catching her off guard and causing her to scream in surprise.

Eyebrow pencils, powder puffs, eyelash curlers, eyeshadow palettes—all sorts of things were scattered all over the floor.

Berry's carefully applied makeup was smeared by a dark cotton brush, leaving a messy stain. In addition, various things pelted her, causing her to gasp and quickly duck to protect her stomach.

Fortunately, there were no sharp objects in the box, and apart from her wedding dress being stained with a lot of dirt, Meimei was not injured.

Even so, it terrified Huang Qi and Mei Mei's mother.

"What the hell!"

Huang Qi glared at him, stood up aggressively, and walked towards the groom.

"Huang Qi, don't do anything reckless!"

Meimei's eyes were a little blurry, but she still calmly shouted, "Don't do anything stupid! Leave everything to the police! I'm warning you, we don't have time to waste any more time! If we can't take the wedding photos today, you'd better watch out, or I'll lose my temper."

"But……"

Huang Qi was still unwilling to accept it. Why should his wife suffer such injustice? And if he backed down in front of his mother-in-law, wouldn't she think he was weak-willed? What if his mother-in-law started to have a bad impression of him...?

"Hey! Xiaoqi, Meimei is fine, don't get upset."

Meimei's mother quickly stepped forward to stop Huang Qi.

It's just some things that have nothing to do with me. Why turn something good into a nightmare? Just bear with it, bear with it, and let the police handle it when they arrive.

"hateful!"

Huang Qi then loosened his fist, but still came behind Meimei to protect her, and glared angrily at these troublesome bastards.

"..."

The groom hadn't expected the makeup case to be loose, nor did he anticipate it would involve others. Instead of hitting Dajun, the case injured Meimei, leaving him feeling awkward and flustered.

The anger and courage that had initially been directed at Xiao Ai's lover quickly vanished.

He looked helplessly at Meimei and Huangqi, then at the group of men and women who were being threatened by the police cat and dared not come over. He didn't know what to do, so he could only continue to glare angrily at them.

"call……"

Lin Ge breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, he was quite frightened when he saw Meimei get hit. But it was too late to rush over and protect her; thankfully, Meimei was unharmed. Now, looking at the groom, Lin Ge couldn't help but find him disagreeable.

What a useless thing!

Fortunately, the situation on the scene is still under control and has not deteriorated further. We are just waiting for our colleagues to come quickly and take these bastards away.

"I'm...I'm so sorry!"

The most unfortunate people in this situation are probably the staff at the photo studio. The makeup artist was caught off guard and Meimei was affected. Now she was both scared and annoyed, and could only carefully apologize to Meimei before quickly helping her remove the stains from her body and face.

Meimei shook her head, only glancing through the mirror at the chaotic filming location near those people.

"It's okay, don't mind them. But with things like this, won't it affect the filming? They've made such a mess of the set, how can we film properly?"

As she spoke, Meimei quickly took out her phone and started sending messages.

"This one……"

The makeup artist and the waitress in charge of Meimei's group were at a loss for words. Taking a photoshoot under the current circumstances was impossible; they'd have to wait for the police to arrive and take everyone away. Then they'd have to restore the location, check for safety hazards and wiring issues, and so on. Plus, many of the photo backdrops were damaged, and resetting them would take time. They also had to consider whether the staff could remain calm and focused on their work.

"Phew... how about we switch to shooting on location?"

Huang Qi made a suggestion.

Standing in the lounge, a female photographer who had been whispering to each other overheard this and looked up helplessly, saying, "The weather's not good today, the outdoor lighting isn't enough to get the right effect. We can't exactly take those gloomy wedding photos, can we? Even if we can brighten the colors in post-production, the overall exposure still won't be very harmonious. I suggest you two come back tomorrow, and I'll ask my manager for a discount and some extra perks for you. Or, if that's not possible, we'll just have to trouble you two to rest for a bit, have a meal or something, and then we'll work overtime to shoot for you once the scene is back in order. Is that alright with you?"

"Then let's work overtime!"

Meimei isn't the kind of person who unconditionally puts others first. Since the problem originated from the photo studio, it's only natural that they have to work overtime.

"This has nothing to do with me, so I'll be leaving now."

One of the women who came with the bride, feeling that she hadn't participated at all, was even less inclined to join in the fun. Thinking about having to go to the police station or something, she glanced at the so-called police cat and made a move to leave.

"Ow~"

Lin Ge roared and glared at her, meaning that no one was leaving now.

"What's going on! I just came to join in the fun, I didn't hit anyone or say anything wrong, why can't I leave!"

The woman saw that Lin Ge was still somewhat afraid, but she stubbornly said, "I have things to do, and I don't have time to waste here with you! Anyway, we can't take wedding photos in this mess, so why can't I leave?"

"Exactly! Arrest whoever laid a hand on us! We didn't lay a hand on anyone, nor did we participate, and we don't want to get involved, so we're leaving now! Xiao Ai, we'll contact you by phone later!"

Another woman quickly stepped forward as well.

The other two women nodded in agreement. Even if it were their boyfriends who were hitting them, their first concern was their own safety. They needed to clear themselves of any wrongdoing first; they couldn't possibly end up in the police station—that would be too embarrassing.

Seeing that the cat was too busy to keep an eye on the assailant, control the scene, and stop them, the women exchanged glances and headed towards the stairs together.

"I'll see who dares to leave! Just because I'm not showing my teeth doesn't mean I'm a pushover!"

Enraged, Lin Ge roared and slashed his claws hard across the wooden floor. Three deep marks, accompanied by a piercing sound, were clearly visible to everyone.

If it scratches your face, will it disfigure you?

The women were immediately terrified.

Seeing the cat staring intently at them, the studio owner and several staff members on the first floor, having received the news, rushed over to control the situation. The women exchanged glances again before obediently returning to the bride's side.

While they complained under their breath, they casually took out their phones to make calls, chat, and watch videos, but their constant, furtive glances at Lin Ge betrayed their guilty and nervous feelings.

As for the men involved in the fight, they were more rational than the women at this point. The three of them huddled together and discussed something, then, taking advantage of Lin Ge's inattention, gave the groom a threatening look, and quickly calmed down.

About six or seven minutes later, the on-duty police officers from Zhanghe Police Station finally arrived.

This time it was Zhang Ke and Sun Chang, leading Feng Yi and Yuan Meijuan. Having already learned the whole story from Meimei, Sun Chang immediately looked for Meimei as soon as he entered the room, and then ran over nervously.

"Berry, are you alright?"

"It's okay, I was just a little bit caught in the crossfire. But don't worry, Mimi is protecting me! Speaking of which, this photo studio should thank Mimi this time, otherwise, who knows what kind of mess they would have made of this place if they had gotten into a fight."

"..."

The makeup artist next to them and the person in charge a little further away both smiled sheepishly.

"Your clothes are all dirty, and you still say you weren't affected? Seriously, how did Mimi protect you! And who did this?! How dare they involve innocent people? You know you're pregnant, who can take responsibility if something happens?" Sun Chang said, glaring at the three slackers.

"Hehe... Officer, this guy did it! We were angry at the time, but we knew our limits. Only this idiot is brainless, causing this kind of trouble and dragging innocent people into it."

The tall man chuckled and pointed at the groom, first blaming him, then taunting him, "This guy thinks that just because he has a little money, women should belong to him and be completely subservient to him. Why should he? Dating and marriage aren't business transactions; he's treating women like commodities. I just can't stand his attitude of 'you owe me money, so you have to marry me!' What era are we living in? Do people still talk about buying and selling marriages?!"

"Hehe... Let's talk about the specifics when we get to the police station."

Zhang Ke ignored the man's explanation and went directly to the person in charge of the photo studio. "Is there any on-site surveillance footage? Pull it out and make a copy for me to take with me. Also, send one of your people to come with me to the police station to make a statement."

"No... there are no surveillance cameras."

The studio manager gave an awkward smile and whispered to Zhang Ke, "This is a photography studio. As you've seen, some of the clothes are a little revealing. The security cameras are mounted high up, so it's easy to spot any wardrobe malfunctions. Plus, we sometimes get some more artistic photoshoots, haha... Installing security cameras would be an invasion of privacy, right? So our studio only has security cameras in the public areas on the first floor and near the reception desk. There aren't any on the second or third floors."

"Artistic photos? Hmm, okay."

Zhang Ke nodded knowingly, not really feeling comfortable offering any evaluation or criticism. Artistic photography is all about mutual consent; as long as it doesn't involve deception, threats, or minors, the police station couldn't really say much.

Besides, with so many witnesses present, including Mimi and the trustworthy Meimei Huangqi, it's unlikely that the person involved would spread nonsense or cause trouble.

"Go to the police station and say whatever you want to say. Now, you and all of you are coming with us! By the way, if anyone says they are seriously injured and need to go to the hospital, say so in advance. If you ask for treatment at the police station, it's unlikely you'll get it."

As Zhang Ke supervised the procession away from the photo studio, he gave the groom a suggestive glance.

Everyone shook their heads, even the groom stubbornly refused to admit that he had lost.

This guy's a bit simple-minded!
Zhang Ke shook his head inwardly. He could tell from the groom's failure to grasp his hint that the groom's seemingly naive demeanor wasn't feigned. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would know by now to go to the hospital for a medical examination; a forensic report might even change the police's attitude and their subjective assessment of the case. But this guy, despite being beaten, insisted on going to the police station for an explanation, clinging to his pride and believing he hadn't lost. He simply couldn't see things clearly.

Even though he was being bullied, he was still thinking about saving face; he's a typical honest person.

Zhang Ke remained outwardly calm, but he had already made up his mind about the whole situation. So he led the large group of people downstairs and arranged for them to get into the police car all at once.

It was fortunate that Feng Yi brought a van; otherwise, the three police cars wouldn't have been able to fit so many people. It was also fortunate that these people didn't dare to provoke the police; otherwise, the four officers might not have been able to subdue them.

"Officer, he attacked first! We were just acting in self-defense!"

Even after being put in the police car, Da Jun and his two companions still tried their best to defend themselves. However, after glancing at Lin Ge, who was squatting on the dashboard staring into the car, they completely lost the will to resist.

In their eyes, it was just a fight. Given the kid's cowardly nature, they figured they could just sign a letter of understanding, pay some medical expenses, and that would be the end of it. The group even whispered among themselves on the way to the police station, quickly regaining their confidence.

Soon they arrived at the police station's mediation room, where, sure enough, eight men sat on one side, looking aggressive, while one man sat on the other, his face filled with grief and indignation.

As soon as the women sat down, they began to accuse the groom in front of Zhang Ke, placing all the blame on him. They casually ignored what the bride and the other man had done in the fire escape.

Whenever the groom mentioned this, they would refute him with various reasons such as "personal freedom" and "we're not married yet," and even ridicule him.

"You two haven't gotten your marriage certificate yet?"

Zhang Ke looked at the groom, Lü Wei, and sighed inwardly.

"Xiao Ai said there's no rush to get the marriage certificate; she wants to choose an auspicious date to print it on the certificate booklet. The wedding, on the other hand, takes more time, so she wants to get everything done by Qixi Festival."

Lu Wei confessed honestly, glancing at Yuan Xiaoai across the table as he spoke.

He seemed to still have feelings for this woman, but seeing that things had already blown up, she stopped trying to hide it or just gave up and continued to lean on Dajun's shoulder and chat with him.

This attitude filled Lü Wei with shame, anger, and indignation. He could only point at the adulterous couple and say to Zhang Ke, "Officer, look at those two! Xiao Ai is my wife, and this man is seducing a married woman. Arrest him immediately!"

"Calm down first."

Zhang Ke smiled awkwardly and said helplessly, "You haven't gotten a marriage certificate yet, which means you're not legally married. Plus, without evidence of long-term cohabitation, you can't be considered a de facto couple. So I must remind you that, legally speaking, you and she can only be considered as a couple in a committed relationship; anything that happens in this regard is merely a moral issue and doesn't violate the Marriage Law."

"Huh? Why not! How can she not be my wife? To marry her, I not only forgave the tens of thousands of yuan she owed my family, but I also spent nearly five or six hundred thousand yuan on the bride price, proposal, and wedding. And she's not my wife? Then all that money was wasted! That doesn't make sense! I've spent so much money on her, and you say she's not my wife? Her affair is just a moral issue. Why? That's not fair!"

Lu Wei roared in shock and anger.

On the contrary, the men and women opposite, upon hearing Zhang Ke's words, suddenly found the young policeman quite agreeable. That's right, it's just a minor moral issue; let's not drag in all that other nonsense.

Why do you think that marriage, or a spousal relationship, must and can only be maintained with money?

Zhang Ke wasn't nervous at all, or rather, the judicial system had already reached a consensus on this kind of situation. Marriage is a sacred thing, and a marriage where the woman isn't willing to be with you, a relationship maintained by money, is inherently inherently dangerous and unstable. Frankly speaking, whether it's marital infidelity or extramarital affairs, the essence is that the feelings between the two parties are not strong. A marriage bought with money is bound to run into problems sooner or later.

Furthermore, the fact that Lü Wei felt my financial contribution was sufficient reveals a flawed perspective on marriage and relationships. This very viewpoint might be one of the key factors that led to today's incident.

In other words, the current case is not solely the responsibility of the woman and her lover; the man also has many shortcomings or areas where he failed to perform his duties.

Of course, in essence, the woman's infidelity is also a fact, and Zhang Ke will not take her side or speak up for her.

"It's not fair!"

Lu Wei kept muttering to himself, seemingly still feeling resentful about Zhang Ke's words.

He knew he had underestimated the importance of dating and marriage, but his original plan was to get married first to solidify the relationship and then gradually develop feelings for each other over time. He had planned it all out perfectly, so how did it suddenly turn out like this?
"Essentially, it's just bad luck to have met the wrong person!"

Zhang Ke glanced at Sun Chang, who was bent over taking notes on the mediation, and felt that he was indeed a lucky man.

Sun Chang noticed Zhang Ke's gaze, looked up and glared at him.

"Alright! To be honest, at this point, we have a pretty good understanding of the situation. I believe you all know right from wrong, and there shouldn't be any point left to argue about. Right?"

Zhang Ke looked up at the people in the mediation room.

The eight people looked at each other, whispered among themselves for a while, and finally nodded obediently.

Lu Wei's face was ashen, but he knew he had completely lost face this time, so he could only grunt reluctantly.

"So, starting from the cause, Wang Dajun, what you and Yuan Xiaoai did violated public order and good morals, which led to the fight. There's no doubt about that, right? So the first thing is that you need to apologize to Lü Wei."

Sorry, bro!

Wang Dajun decisively reached out his hand to Lü Wei.

"Humph!"

Lu Wei turned his head away, refusing to accept the apology, and simply ignored the person.

Wang Dajun shrugged at Zhang Ke, indicating that he had done what he was supposed to do and there was nothing he could do if the other party did not accept it.

"Then, the fact that the three of you assaulted Lü Wei violated the Public Security Administration Punishment Law. It's an undeniable illegal act, and there's no dispute about that, right?"

Zhang Ke then looked at the group of people over there.

"It wasn't an assault, it was self-defense!"

The tall man suddenly raised his hand and said firmly to Officer Zhang, "Officer, this guy started it! He pushed me first, and I only fought back! I believe everyone at the scene, including your officer, can testify to this! Before he pushed me, we were just trying to reason with him politely, and we never intended to fight! But he hit me first, so I couldn't just stand by and let him hit me, right? As for him losing the fight, I think that's a separate matter. We can't pin all the blame on us just because he's weak. So, detention is fine, he'll be involved too!"

(End of this chapter)