Lin Jiajun was furious. He stood with his hands on his hips in front of He Jingchun’s door.
“Fine, I’ll just wait here for your cousin. Let’s see if he arrests you or me.”
Chen Hui, who had rushed over, was afraid that Lin Jiajun’s temper would blow things out of proportion, turning a justified stance into an unreasonable one.
But she too felt indignant when she heard what He Jingchun’s husband, Lin Guoqing, had said.
Standing behind Lin Jiajun, she said, “Jiajun, don’t be afraid of him. This is their fault to begin with. Let’s not back down.”
Lin Jiajun was worried about Chen Hui’s pregnancy.
He told her to go back, “Take care of yourself and the baby. I’ll handle this.”
Chen Hui refused to leave. She was angry too—angry at people who knew nothing yet still spread malicious gossip.
Villagers gathered to watch the commotion. Zhao Yulan and Lin Yuantang also hurried over.
Zhao Yulan stepped in front of Lin Jiajun and gave He Jingchun a thorough scolding:
“He Jingchun, you gossip-monger! You run your mouth all day in the village. Let me tell you, today you’ve kicked a hornet’s nest.
“I’ve met Wanyi’s boyfriend. He’s no old man, no married man. He’s a genuine diamond bachelor, a real big boss.
“Let me warn you—slander is against the law, and it can land you in jail.
“Just wait. We’ll see who your cousin arrests when he gets here.”
He Jingchun refused to back down:
“What nonsense are you spouting? I just said a few casual words. Since when is speaking illegal?”
Lin Jiajun was livid:
“You drove my mom to the hospital and into surgery, and you still say that?
“Fine, fine, fine. Come with me to the hospital. Apologize to my mom in person.”
He tried to drag He Jingchun away, but Lin Guoqing blocked his path:
“What, you want to fight? Try it, Lin Jiajun.”
Just as the two were about to come to blows, the police arrived.
He Jingchun immediately began to cry out:
“Brother, you have to do right by me! This Lin Jiajun came to my house for no reason, kicking my door and hitting people.
“Look—he’s almost broken my front door down!”
The officer glanced at Lin Jiajun:
“Did you kick it?”
Lin Jiajun didn’t deny it. “Yes, I did.”
He Jingchun seized the opportunity to add:
“See, he admitted it! Brother, he’s damaged my property. Arrest him and make him pay for it—he has to compensate me.”
The officer narrowed his eyes at Lin Jiajun:
“Coming to someone’s house in broad daylight and making a scene—that’s definitely not reasonable.
“This door is clearly damaged. So, how are you going to pay for it?”
Lin Jiajun couldn’t believe how unreasonable they were being. He shouted:
“Aren’t you going to ask about the whole story? You just throw blame on me and demand money?
“Why don’t you ask why I kicked her door?”
The officer shrugged casually:
“It’s no big deal. She just said a few words, right? She didn’t hit you or curse you.
“But damaging someone’s property is a fact. You have to pay for it.”
Lin Jiajun let out a bitter laugh. Chen Hui couldn’t hold back either.
She yelled at the officer:
“Even if you’re her relative, you can’t be so blatantly biased! You’re a police officer—you must be fair.
“If you handle it like this, we can file a complaint against you.”
The officer wasn’t intimidated:
“If you don’t like what she said, you can sue her. But just a few words—who cares?
“Damaging property is a solid charge. So pay up now, or come down to the station for a chat.”
Lin Jiajun was raging. He held up his phone:
“I’m going to file a complaint. What’s your badge number? I’m reporting you right now.”
“Complaint?”
The officer grabbed his wrist directly.
“Kid, I’m the chief of this precinct. Who are you going to complain to? No one cares about a little thing like this.
“Even if you hire a lawyer, no one’s going to take a case over a few words.
“Stop being stubborn. Pay up and go. I’m busy.”
As Lin Jiajun’s wrist was being held, Chen Hui pulled out her phone again.
He Jingchun sneered:
“Go ahead, call 110 again. Whoever you call, my cousin will be the one handling it.
“Ha! I just said a few words, and you’re coming at me like mad dogs. Are you sick?
“Pay for my door—five thousand yuan, hand it over.”
“Five thousand?”
Zhao Yulan couldn’t take it anymore:
“Why don’t you just rob us? It’s a battered door, not worth five thousand.”
He Jingchun, emboldened by having backup, insisted:
“Five thousand, and that’s final. He kicked it, so he pays. Isn’t that right, brother?”
The officer agreed:
“That’s right. He must pay, or he’s coming to the station.”
Just as Lin Jiajun was at his wit’s end, a voice came from the edge of the crowd:
“Who’s going to the station?”
Liu Renzhi’s presence was imposing.
The crowd parted automatically to make way for him.
He was holding Wang Keke’s hand. Wang Keke pointed at He Jingchun and said:
“It’s her, Uncle. She told a lot of people that my mom is a mistress, that she’s with a married old man.
“She’s the one who made Grandma so angry she ended up in the hospital for surgery. It’s her.”
Liu Renzhi stood at six feet tall, in a black shirt, black trousers, and black leather shoes, with gold-rimmed glasses and a silver watch.
The moment he stood there, everyone instinctively stepped back several paces.
He Jingchun glanced at Liu Renzhi once and quickly looked away.
The officer who had been holding Lin Jiajun’s wrist let go immediately. He sized up Liu Renzhi and then asked with an ingratiating smile:
“May I ask who you are?”
Liu Renzhi ignored him and instead looked at Lin Jiajun:
“Jiajun, is it as Keke said? Did she call me an old man? Did she say I’m married? Did she call Wanyi my mistress?”
Lin Jiajun nodded vigorously:
“Yes, it’s her. She’s been spreading those rumors in the village every day. She told everyone my sister is a mistress.
“My mom heard it for days. Today she couldn’t take it anymore and went to confront her, but He Jingchun made her so angry she had to go to the hospital for surgery.”
“Good.”
A cold smile curled at the corner of Liu Renzhi’s mouth. He stared at He Jingchun:
“Come here. Let me tell you myself. My name is Liu Renzhi. I’m thirty-five years old and unmarried.
“Lin Wanyi is my girlfriend, and we’re already planning our wedding. She will soon be my wife.
“You have slandered her and slandered me. You’ve spread rumors about us everywhere, seriously affecting our lives.
“So, I will hire a lawyer and sue you. You just wait.”
He Jingchun panicked. She was truly panicked now.
Earlier, when Lin Jiajun came to her door, she wasn’t so scared.
She thought it was just a few words, and she had her cousin to back her up.
But now, she felt things had changed.
She turned and hid behind her cousin: “Brother, help me. You have to help me.”
The officer immediately reached out with a smile to shake Liu Renzhi’s hand:
“Hello, I’m the chief of the police precinct here. This is all just a misunderstanding. There’s no need to hire a lawyer over such a small matter.
“Do me a favor. Let’s just drop this. We won’t ask him to pay for the door anymore. How about that?”
Liu Renzhi didn’t say a word to him. Instead, he directly made a phone call:
“Lawyer Zhang, come to Wanyi’s house immediately. I want to sue some gossiping busybodies.”
After hanging up, he made another call:
“Director Wang, I need to file a complaint against the chief of your precinct. His badge number is…”
He paused briefly, then read out the officer's badge number.
"Right. I'll be waiting for your answer so I can give my mother-in-law a proper explanation."
