Chapter 202: Ordinary Citizens
Call the police...?
In all my years of running rampant as a student, no one had ever dared to threaten me with calling the police.
But I had to admit, I was a little scared. I'd never dealt with the cops before.
Would I end up like Brother Qu, thrown into prison?
The days that followed were even harder for me.
I couldn't accept gifts anymore. Even when I wanted to hit or scold the kids, I had to do it behind Chen Ting's back.
Back in the day, whenever something didn't go my way, I'd take it out on the kids in my class without a second thought. But now? I was tiptoeing around, afraid to make a move.
How could I live so pathetically?
One day during lunch break, I searched online, wanting to know: "What kind of people do the police arrest?"
The answer caught me off guard.
With such a convenient position, it turned out the cops couldn't just arrest whoever they felt like.
They had to arrest people who'd actually broken the law.
People online all said the police treat ordinary citizens well, since they're the "People's Police."
In that case, I had nothing to fear. After all, I was an ordinary citizen too. I hadn't done anything heinous. I just wanted a better life.
I was staring at my phone, lost in thought, when suddenly a message came in.
It was from the father who'd given me the gold necklace.
"Teacher Xiao, are you busy right now?"
Without thinking, I typed "Not busy," then thought better of it and deleted it.
"A little busy. What's up?"
About a minute later, he replied.
"You've returned the gifts I sent these past couple of days. Is something wrong? Would you be free to have dinner tonight?"
Reading that, a slow smile spread across my face.
Men were men, after all. I'd accidentally pulled off a classic play—playing hard to get.
I agreed to his request without hesitation and dressed up to the nines.
I picked a very low-cut mini skirt and put on meticulous makeup. I had a feeling my good days were about to return.
This parent drove a luxury car—the emblem started with a letter P, followed by a string of letters I couldn't pronounce. I'd heard it was called something like "Pala" or "Mela." Something really expensive anyway.
He drove me to the only Western restaurant in town.
After we sat down, he pulled out an exquisite little box. Inside was a watch.
"Teacher Xiao, sorry to bother you. Please accept this little token," he said with a smile. "I'm very busy with work, so I'll have to trouble you to look after Xiaohao a bit more."
I smiled, took the watch, and tried it on. "Don't be so polite, big brother. I'm a teacher—it's my job."
"Yes... I know that..." His expression turned a bit troubled. "Lately, I've noticed Xiaohao doesn't seem very happy. After thinking it over, you're the one who spends the most time with him. If anything comes up, I hope you'll let me know right away. If you can take good care of him with all your heart, I can focus on my work with peace of mind."
I thought for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Big brother, if you want me to take care of Xiaohao with all my heart... that's a bit difficult."
"Huh?" The man looked up, as if he didn't understand.
"There are over thirty kids in the class. My energy is limited," I said with a smile. "The things you've given me are really nice, but I can only say I'll do my best."
The man scratched his head, seeming to grasp my meaning, but he still looked troubled.
"Well... I came in a rush... I didn't prepare much. Would you mind if I transferred you some money instead?"
"How could I do that?" I laughed again. "I'm a teacher—I can't just take your money and then spend it too."
"This..." The man was stunned by my words. He didn't know what to do.
This was my moment to make my move.
"Big brother... would you like to have a more... in-depth exchange with me?" I asked. "If I treat you as one of my own, naturally I'll take good care of Xiaohao."
The man slowly straightened up and leaned back in his chair.
His expression shifted noticeably. Now he looked conflicted.
"Teacher Xiao... you... you do that kind of thing?"
"Oh, big brother, what kind of talk is that?" I reached out and patted the back of his hand. "I just don't want to take your money for nothing. I want to get closer to you—it benefits both of us."
The man sat up straight for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a scornful laugh.
He was a big boss. He must understand.
It was just a transaction.
We both got what we wanted. That way, no one owed anyone anything.
We booked a room at a hotel in town. But just as I'd said, even heaven couldn't stand to see me happy.
That night, the police came for a room check. Someone had reported me again.
They flashed their badges and said, "A concerned citizen reported illegal transactions happening in this hotel."
But they were wronging me.
I could clearly state the name and age of the man beside me. I had his phone number saved in my phone. I even knew his home address.
How could I be one of those cheap hookers selling themselves?
At most, we were having an affair.
Was having an affair against the law?
Looking at those cops, I couldn't help but feel furious. How dare they falsely accuse me?
"Sorry, ma'am. It was a misunderstanding."
The cops closed the door and started to leave. But how could I let it go?
"Stop right there," I said. "Just a 'sorry' and you're done? Is that how you police do things?"
"Uh..." The cops turned around, looking troubled. "Then what do you want?"
"What do I want? You tell me," I said, crossing my arms. "Are you just going to leave like that? If you shoot a hostage while trying to catch a criminal, is a 'sorry' enough?"
"You...!"
A young-looking cop seemed indignant, about to say something, but an older cop pulled him back.
"Sister, I'm really sorry, but this is our duty. If someone reports something, we can't just ignore it," the middle-aged man said politely. "Disturbing you today was indeed our fault. If you still have a complaint, you can report us at the police station. This is my badge number."
Just as I thought. Because I was an ordinary citizen, the People's Police had to serve me.
That was the difference between me and those cheap whores selling themselves.
I scolded them a bit more before finally letting them go.
So satisfying.
That feeling was way too satisfying.
Those arrogant cops were nothing after all.
I turned around, hoping to pick up where we left off, but I saw the contempt in that man's eyes had deepened.
"I'm not in the mood. Some other time," he said flatly, putting on his clothes and walking out the door.
I stood there, dumbfounded, not sure what was going on.
What just happened?
I thought about it for a long time but couldn't come up with an answer. All I knew was that my "happiness" was gone again.