Chapter 22: Infuriating Enough to Kill (Part 1)

The leading officer looked at Lin Fan, who had just turned around, and was instantly overjoyed. He had been racking his brain for a way to deal with Lin Fan, and now, as if by divine intervention, an opportunity—or perhaps a grave—had presented itself. The officer in question was Yan Dong, the very same who, that afternoon, had chased after Zhao Ying, shamelessly insisted on joining her for lunch, only to be thoroughly humiliated by Lin Fan.

Yan Dong was extremely pleased that Lin Fan had landed in his hands. Wearing a smug expression, he said, “Mr. Lin, you’ve been accused of brawling in public and intentionally causing bodily harm to others. Please come with us to the station for questioning.”

Given the situation, it was impossible to simply arrest them and eliminate them all. After a brief pause, Lin Fan said, “Sis, I’ll go with them for a bit. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”

As Lin Fan walked over, Yan Dong shot a glance to one of the officers behind him, who hastily unfastened the handcuffs from his belt. Lin Fan’s face darkened as he shot a cold, playful, and faintly murderous look at Wei Liang, who shrank back in fear, clutching his nose as if bracing for a sudden attack.

Lin Fan sneered at Wei Liang’s defensive gesture, and only then did Wei Liang realize he’d been played again by this young man. With the police present, Lin Fan wouldn’t dare hit him, or so he thought. Emboldened, Wei Liang dropped his hands and barked, “You little punk, just you wait!”

Lin Fan responded with a cold laugh. The policeman who had been about to cuff Lin Fan caught sight of the piercing, blade-sharp gaze beneath his slightly long bangs. The chilling aura in Lin Fan’s eyes made the officer’s hands tremble involuntarily, and he quietly slipped the handcuffs back onto his belt.

“Let’s move out,” Yan Dong waved his hand and strutted out, satisfied. He felt his timing was perfect—thank goodness he hadn’t notified Zhao Ying, or he would never have been able to take Lin Fan away so easily.

With a wicked smile playing at the corner of his mouth, Lin Fan tossed Lin Yan a reassuring glance and briefly met the gaze of Tang Rui, who sat at the dining table watching him. Then, he strode out.

Watching her brother being led away by the police, Lin Yan merely shook her head and smiled. Over the years, she had some idea of the things her brother had been involved in, so she wasn’t overly worried. Still, to be safe, she made a call, instructing Zhentian Group’s lawyers to head to the police station.

“Sister Lin, do you want me to pull some strings for you?” Tang Rui, worried Lin Yan might be anxious, offered her help as soon as Lin Fan was taken away. Earlier this morning, Lin Yan had assumed Tang Rui would stand by and do nothing, so Tang Rui’s initiative came as quite a surprise. Though Lin Yan had met Tang Rui in college by chance and their relationship had been good over the years, she knew little about Tang Rui’s family. Still, for someone so young to be general manager of Dongxing Group, her background was surely extraordinary. Since Tang Rui never brought it up, Lin Yan didn’t feel comfortable asking.

Handling this matter would be no problem for Zhentian Group, but since Tang Rui wanted to help Lin Fan, Lin Yan was more than happy to accept another ally—strength in numbers, after all. With this in mind, she nodded at Tang Rui.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Lin Yan smiled and asked, “Rui, what made you decide to help that rascal?”

“He’s your brother. I was afraid you’d be worried,” Tang Rui replied offhandedly, her head lowered as she ate, giving an explanation that even she didn’t quite believe.

“Is that really it?” When Lin Yan let the matter drop, Tang Rui couldn’t help but question herself inwardly.

Outside the villa, Lin Fan was escorted into a police car. Yan Dong and several male officers sat across from him, while Wei Liang had disappeared as soon as he’d stepped out. Lin Fan gave a wry smile and said, “Officer Yan, we meet again.”

“Haha, Lin Fan, you didn’t expect to fall into my hands, did you? Just wait till we’re back at the station—I’ll make sure to take good ‘care’ of you.” Yan Dong practically ground his teeth over the word “care.” He still seethed at the memory of the previous afternoon, when Lin Fan and Zhao Ying had shamelessly flirted in front of him, entirely disregarding his dignity. All the officers around knew exactly what Yan Dong meant, but none dared interfere. In the station, Yan Dong was a tyrant, emboldened by the fact that his brother-in-law was the chief. No one dared cross him, most kept their distance.

Lin Fan shrugged, unconcerned, and said nothing more. Soon, the car pulled up at the station, and Yan Dong, with another officer, escorted Lin Fan inside. Lin Fan remained calm and nonchalant, as if the police station were nothing more than his own backyard and he was simply there for a stroll among the flowers.

“Ying, I came to see you,” Lin Fan called out with a smile as soon as he entered and saw Zhao Ying emerging from the interrogation room.

“What are you doing here?” Zhao Ying was clearly taken aback to see Lin Fan. She hadn’t expected him to show up so suddenly. Could he really have come just to see her, as he’d claimed? The thought brought a fleeting sweetness to her heart, though she quickly dismissed the idea—it didn’t seem like something Lin Fan would actually do.

“What are you standing around for? Get inside, now!” Yan Dong, seeing Lin Fan talking to Zhao Ying, was furious and pointed at the interrogation room.

“Yan Dong, what’s the meaning of arresting my boyfriend right in front of me? Even if you’re interrogating someone, it’s not your place,” Zhao Ying snapped before Lin Fan could reply. In her view, for Yan Dong to have brought Lin Fan in, he must have done something wrong—she needed to get to the bottom of it.

Hearing Zhao Ying openly refer to him as her boyfriend in front of everyone left Lin Fan stunned. But on second thought, he realized that despite always threatening to arrest him, she always defended him when it counted. Watching Zhao Ying and Yan Dong argue, Lin Fan just smirked, saying nothing, clearly enjoying the show.

The staff stood aside, watching the spectacle. In the station, only Zhao Ying dared to challenge Yan Dong—her family background made all the difference.

The moment Zhao Ying called Lin Fan her boyfriend, the station was abuzz. Everyone knew that ever since Yan Dong had learned Zhao Ying was single, he’d relentlessly pursued her, but she’d never reciprocated and always kept her distance. Now, with Lin Fan’s sudden appearance, Yan Dong felt his plans were unraveling, and Lin Fan had become a thorn in his side, an enemy he longed to remove at any cost.