"Do you know who it was?" Cheng Wanru asked again.
Jun Meiyu lips parted, then closed again. For the briefest heartbeat, Gu Jianhong's name hovered on her tongue. But she swallowed it down. She shook her head quickly.
"…No."
Her heart throbbed with fear and devotion. She had loved him for years, yet she still couldn't believe she had been betrayed. Could it really be him? She didn't know.
And until she did, she couldn't drag him into this.
"Do you have any enemies?" Cheng Wanru asked carefully.
Jun Meiyu paused. Her lips parted… then closed again. Her lashes lowered, casting shadows over her cheeks. Slowly, she shook her head.
But Xi Jiayi, sitting beside her, caught the flicker in her expression. The hesitation.
But Xi Jiayi, sitting beside her, caught the flicker in her expression. The hesitation.
Xi Jiayi's gaze lingered, steady, but she said nothing. If Meiyu chose silence, she would honor that—for now
Cheng Wanru flipped to a fresh page. "What happened next?"
Jun Meiyu froze. Her lips parted again, but this time words refused to come. How could she say it? That this little girl, her saviour, beside her had beaten grown men to the ground? That the thugs were lying, but not entirely wrong? If she spoke it, this girl would be marked forever. A record. A stain. Her life would be ruined.
Her silence thickened.
Then, Xi Jiayi's voice cut in, steady, almost sorrowful."I… I came then."
Cheng Wanru's gaze shifted to her.
Xi Jiayi pointed to the bandage on her head. "I tried to stop them. But one of them pushed me. I hit the wall here. I thought I was going to die." Her voice trembled just enough to sound convincing, her eyes shimmering. "But then… some men showed up. A rival gang, maybe. They fought with those thugs. Beat them down. And when the sirens came, they all ran away."
She told it like a story she believed herself, voice cracking in all the right places. For a second Xi Jiayi could see the glimpse of her most notorious student in herself.
Cheng Wanru froze, heart skipping. She was a trained officer, sharp and experienced, but every catch in that voice, every subtle tremor, made her believe it without question. Not a hint of doubt remained.
The desperate catch in Xi Jiayi's voice—it was too convincing.
Jun Meiyu sat there stunned. The lie was so seamless, so perfectly crafted, it felt real even to her ears.
Cheng Wanru turned to her. "Is that what happened?"
Jun Meiyu's lips parted. She faltered. Then—slowly—she nodded.
Cheng Wanru exhaled through her nose, writing swiftly.
"Can you identify those men?" she asked.
Xi Jiayi cut in before Jun Meiyu could speak. "Big Sister wasn't wearing her glasses then. She wouldn't be able to. But I… I can."
Cheng Wanru's gaze lingered on Xi Jiayi. For a heartbeat, silence pressed again. Then she nodded. "Noted."
She jotted everything down.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the station—
The thugs were shoved into the holding cell, wrists cuffed, bodies aching. Still, they shouted, voices hoarse:
"It was her! That little girl—she beat us!"
"She's a devil—don't trust her face!"
Their cries were drowned beneath jeers and baton strikes. Officers scoffed openly. "Seven men blaming a child? Pathetic!"
"Still pretending to be innocent?" Another blow landed. "Save your lies for court!"
But one thug caught sight of Jiayi through the glass. He screamed, spit flying. "That's her! Look at her! She's the monster!"
The station paused for a moment, heads turning. Papers rustled. Typing stopped.
Then a chorus of scoffs followed. "Tch. Still at it."
"No shame."
"Pathetic bastards."
Their words fell on deaf ears.
Inside the cell, Tian Yuren staggered forward, bandages wrapping his arm, his head, his leg. His face twisted with venom as he gripped the bars.
"Jun Meiyu!" he roared, voice cracking. "I'll kill you! Do you hear me? I'll—"
His threat choked off.
Because Jiayi's gaze cut across the room.
Calm. Sharp. Unblinking.
Like a predator noticing prey.
Tian Yuren's breath hitched. A shiver crawled through his spine. His hands slipped from the bars as though burned.
Then—BANG.
A baton slammed against the steel. Officer Jing Yongwei stood there, eyes blazing. He pointed the baton an inch away from Tian Yuren's face.
"Still daring to threaten a victim inside my station?" His voice was thunder. "Try it again, and I'll make sure you regret it."
Tian Yuren flinched back, sweat dripping down his temple.
Jing Yongwei turned, his gaze sweeping past the thugs. "Scum like you will pay. Every last one."
His voice cut the air like a blade.
"Officer Cheng, continue," Yongwei ordered coldly.
Cheng Wanru, who had half risen in fury, forced herself back into her seat. Her eyes locked on the culprits, and her lips moved silently: I'll make your lives hell.
Then, she turned back, softening instantly as she faced Jun Meiyu again. "Go on. We're almost done."
Jun Meiyu lowered her head. Her voice was faint, but she obeyed, finishing the statement in halting pieces.
By the end, Cheng Wanru slid the report forward. "Read and sign."
Jun Meiyu's hands shook as she scanned it, but she signed quickly and passed it on.
Xi Jiayi took the paper, eyes scanning line by line. Her gaze froze halfway down.
"...Big Sister," she whispered, almost too softly, "you're… a teacher?"
Jun Meiyu blinked, surprised by the question. "Yes. I'm a contract teacher. At Imperial Glory High."
She smiled faintly, proud of the name. She didn't notice the flicker of rage in Jiayi's eyes.