I'll wait for you amidst the romance of nature.

As I ended my call with Bai Lu, I saw Yang Sisi knock on the door of that farmhouse. I didn't know what she was feeling as she faced these burly thugs all by herself, but I felt increasingly frustrated. While I hoped she could calm them down, an unquenchable fire of anger rose within me...

During Yang Sisi's communication with them, the noise did not decrease. One of the men, who was bald, stayed very close to Yang Sisi, his face almost touching her chest. He was lewd and obscene, but he maintained a very good sense of propriety and never made any physical contact with Yang Sisi.

Tie Nan saw all this and said to me, "These bastards are just here to cause trouble. I don't think anything we say will work. We'd better not let Sisi stay there. I'm afraid she'll get hurt."

I nodded, and at the same time, I thought of a plan. I had to find out who was behind these people, otherwise I would have no legitimate reason to talk to anyone.

Just as we were about to call Yang Sisi back, an unexpected incident occurred. The man who was closest to Yang Sisi spat on her. Yang Sisi was so disgusted that she burst into tears on the spot.

The others, however, showed no sign of letting her off the hook, continuing to point and whisper around her. Judging from Yang Sisi's expression, they were definitely saying vulgar things.

……

I couldn't stand it anymore and could no longer control my anger. I grabbed a piece of steel pipe from the balcony and rushed downstairs at the fastest speed I had ever run. I kicked open the half-closed door and, while shielding Yang Sisi behind me, smashed the steel pipe hard on the head of the bald man who had spat at Yang Sisi. The blow cracked his skull, and blood flowed down his ear.

I pointed the steel pipe at the group of unsuspecting thugs, mentally bracing myself for a beating. I'm not a martial arts hero; in my moment of rage, all I can do is deliver a critical hit when they're off guard. As for the ensuing onslaught, that's beyond my ability to defend against.

However, I don't regret doing this, because I have a protective instinct towards Yang Sisi. I wouldn't allow anyone to insult her like this. Although she has a mischievous streak, she is a kind and good girl at heart.

At this moment, Tie Nan also rushed into the yard with a baton. We confronted the dozen or so thugs opposite us with great excitement. I wanted to act like a desperate criminal to intimidate them and buy them some time.

I looked at the guy across from me who had been hit pretty badly, and whispered to Tie Nan, "This is going to be a big mess. I'm on my own, so don't fall in."

"Is the inn yours alone? If not, then shut the hell up and stop talking nonsense to me..."

"This is not the time to talk about brotherhood."

Tie Nan gripped the baton tightly, his eyes bloodshot, and said, "We're not buddies, I'm your brother-in-law... Don't waste your breath on me. If you kill or cripple me, count me in. If I let you go today, Taozi will look down on me."

I sniffed and replied, "It doesn't matter what happens between us. You take Sisi back to the inn first. If something really happens, we won't be able to explain it to her parents."

Startled, Yang Sisi finally came to her senses. She grabbed my arm tightly, not saying a word, but looking as if she were ready to die with me. In the midst of this danger, I couldn't help but feel a little dazed. In this society where everyone is on edge, what kind of circumstances had brought such a group of people around me who were willing to share hardships?

This seems to be the true human connection that should exist between people.

For some reason, the two sides had been facing off for a minute, but the menacing-looking guys on the other side showed no intention of making a move. Instead, one of them took out his phone and called the police, while the other drove away the thug I had injured, presumably to the hospital.

As I gradually calmed down, a feeling even worse than being beaten up welled up inside me, and I threw away the steel pipe in my hand.

……

Not long after, the police officers responsible for the Longkan area returned; one was a regular officer, and the other two were auxiliary officers. The regular officer stood in the middle of the group and asked, "Those who were fighting and causing trouble, step forward."

Immediately, someone pointed at me and said, "It's that guy in the black jacket, he's really ruthless. I have a video of him, take a look..."

The police officer took the phone from the man and started reading it from the beginning, which made me feel even more that it was a setup.

Yang Sisi quickly went to the police officer and defended me, saying, "Officer, this really can't be entirely blamed on my friend. It was the person who was just beaten who insulted me with vulgar language, and my friend couldn't stand it and hit him. Besides, that person even spat at me, which is also considered a personal attack, right? We acted in self-defense."

"Young lady, this isn't self-defense. His insults were a moral issue, and spitting at you didn't cause any real harm. But you've injured someone; these are completely different things." After saying this, the police officer walked up to me and said, "This was originally a small matter, something you could have easily let go of. But now you've really blown it up. You've injured someone, which involves a criminal offense. Come with us to the police station."

As I was being handcuffed, I felt an unprecedented sense of humiliation. Yang Sisi cried and pleaded with the police officer, "Please don't take him away! We are truly the victims. They provoked us first. Shouldn't there be a cause and effect before doing anything?"

"Don't interfere with our law enforcement, or you'll be taken in with us."

"I'm going to interfere with your law enforcement efforts. Go ahead and take me to the police station too..."

As Yang Sisi spoke, she tore at the policeman's clothes...

I suppressed my humiliation and whispered to Tie Nan, "Isn't this enough? Get her back here right now, don't let her cause trouble."

Tie Nan pulled Yang Sisi back, while I walked towards the police car parked outside the courtyard. Amidst the ever-growing sirens, I couldn't help but glance back at the inn behind me, and a sharp, agonizing pain welled up inside me.

I really tried my best to make it run like a normal inn. I didn't lose to my own impulsiveness, but to the greed of human nature and to my underestimation of the evil in human nature.

I don't know what kind of punishment I will face later, but I have lost faith in humanity.

……

In the police station's interrogation room, a policeman was taking my statement. I asked him, "Officer, how will my case be handled?"

"Now you know fear?"

"I'm quite scared."

The police officer glanced at me and replied, "This falls under the category of fighting arising from a civil dispute. Our public security bureau can mediate in accordance with Article 9 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law. If you and your parties can reach an agreement, you will not be punished... provided that you are willing to actively provide compensation to the victim."

"I am definitely willing to actively compensate."

The police officer added, "There's another situation. If the injuries are assessed as minor or more serious, then a criminal case must be filed. The police cannot mediate; the prosecution will be handled by the procuratorate. However, for these minor injury cases, the procuratorate mainly focuses on mediation, at most resulting in a short-term detention... When it comes to fighting, there are no exactly the same cases, and no absolutely identical handling methods and outcomes. The victim's attitude is very important. If they want to hold you accountable, you definitely won't end up well!"

I remained silent, for I already had the answer in my heart.

The police officer said to me with a hint of regret, "We've all heard about how you saved people in Majiuyi... The higher-ups even used your story as a model in a meeting. How could you do something so impulsive in such a short time? What about the respect you've given the higher-ups?"

"The inn is too big to be easily targeted; we were tricked by a villain."

The police officer sighed and then remained silent. I didn't dislike him, because he had analyzed the key points of the matter for me, ensuring I was well-informed. At the same time, it taught me a significant lesson, showing me a more realistic and cruel society.

Previously, the reason I was able to live peacefully was because I had nothing that others could covet. But once I hold a money tree in my hand, all those who harbor greed will become my enemies to varying degrees.