Before Chen Tian could step onto the bridge, the curious onlookers pulled out their phones and started snapping pictures like crazy. They were all shouting "Great Hero" and pushing forward to take photos with him. Startled, Chen Tian dashed away at full speed.
He ran for a long distance, and only when he saw that no one was following him did he let out a sigh of relief. He rummaged through his pockets—they were completely empty; otherwise, he would have bought a set of new clothes to wear home. Going back soaking wet was hard to explain, and he knew his mother would surely worry. With no other choice, Chen Tian decided to find a deserted spot to wait for his clothes to dry before heading home.
Only then did he realize he had left his phone on the bridge and forgotten to pick it up. He prepared to slip back to the bridgehead, but no sooner had he gone a short distance than over a dozen men suddenly appeared before him. Chen Tian stopped in his tracks, feeling somewhat helpless. The people in front of him were all dressed in police uniforms. *Are these people bloodhounds? How did they get here so fast?* Chen Tian was speechless.
"Are you Chen Tian?" the young, handsome police inspector leading the group asked.
"Yes," Chen Tian replied, knowing that lying was useless.
"Take out your ID for inspection," the inspector ordered.
Chen Tian patted his pockets and said awkwardly, "I just dropped it in the river."
"It doesn't matter. As long as you are Chen Tian, that's enough. This is your arrest warrant." The inspector shoved the warrant right into Chen Tian's face.
Chen Tian felt deeply aggrieved. *Is the Su Family really going to turn on me this fast?*
"The Su Family reported that you raped the eldest Miss Su, and she herself has confirmed it. Please come with us for investigation," the inspector explained.
"I didn't!" Chen Tian shook his head.
"Whether you did or not isn't up to you; it's up to the evidence. Come with me," the inspector roared sternly.
Chen Tian clenched his fists; his first instinct, of course, was to run. If he entered the police station, would he even have a chance to clear his name? However, just as he turned to the side, the inspector suddenly drew his sidearm and pointed it at Chen Tian's head.
"Please come with us for the investigation. If you dare to run, don't blame me for charging you with resisting arrest and opening fire."
Chen Tian stared at the inspector, gritting his teeth tightly. *Click...* Handcuffs were immediately locked onto his wrists. Two officers behind him shoved him toward the vehicle with such force that he nearly stumbled.
After Chen Tian was taken away, the leading inspector did not leave with the car. He stared at Chen Tian inside the vehicle, a sinister smile creeping across his lips. He pulled out his phone and made a call.
"What is it, nephew?" the person on the other end asked.
"Uncle, I have some good news for you."
"What good news?"
"You've been racking your brain trying to take down Chen Tian. Well, he’s been caught by me."
"What?" Guo Dafu, on the other end, jumped up in excitement. He had been plotting how to send Chen Tian to prison without a sound, and the surprise had come so suddenly.
This inspector was none other than Guo Yingjie, captain of the criminal police squad and the nephew of Guo Dafu. Back at the hospital, when he had tried to frame Chen Tian, his confidence had stemmed entirely from having a police captain as a nephew. But he hadn't expected Elder Su to call Chief Wang, which naturally made it impossible to arrest Chen Tian then.
Guo Yingjie said with surprise, "Su Qingguo personally reported that Chen Tian raped his daughter. He walked right into our trap; how could we let him go?"
"Hahaha, such a thing actually happened? Chen Tian is still too young. The waters of the Su Family are so deep—did he really think he could rely on them to soar to success?"
"Hahaha, heaven is truly helping me. Make sure to teach him a harsh lesson. It would be best if he died in prison. As for his sister, I’ll have some fun with her first, then make her disappear," Guo Dafu laughed, baring his teeth.
Guo Yingjie replied triumphantly, "Don't worry, Uncle. Once he's inside, it’s my turf. He won't be able to fly away."
"Oh, right, Uncle. This time, because I offended Elder Su, Chief Wang gave me a real earful. If we want to crush Chen Tian now, we’re going to need some 'communication fees'."
"No problem. I'll transfer five hundred thousand to you. Is that enough?" Guo Dafu asked.
"That's plenty. Come to the prison this afternoon; I'll let you see Chen Tian's miserable life there with your own eyes!"
"Good, hahaha..."
***
**Chapter 14: Su Wanyue Feels Ashamed**
Elsewhere, Su Qingguo had also received news of Chen Tian's arrest and felt indescribably pleased. As long as Su Wanyue was willing to testify, he wouldn't need to worry about the rest. He could guarantee that the Su Family would never see Chen Tian again.
When Su Wanyue woke up, she felt hazy. Her mind was filled with memories of last night, of Chen Tian bullying her. She didn't even know what had happened to her, so she assumed Chen Tian had tried to force himself on her and had used some tricks to make her unable to resist, leaving her at his mercy.
"Daughter, don't worry. Chen Tian has been caught. As long as you go and testify, Chen Tian is completely finished," Su Qingguo comforted his daughter with feigned sympathy.
At that moment, Elder Su entered, supported by the old man who swept the gardens. His face was full of fury.
"Father, why are you here? Shouldn't you be resting in the back garden?" Su Qingguo stood up hastily, a bad feeling rising in his heart.
Elder Su didn't say a word. His face was ash-gray, and his wrinkles were filled with an indescribable sense of disappointment. He walked up to Su Qingguo and glared at him.
*Slap!*
Without warning, he raised his hand and struck him across the face with all his might. Su Qingguo lost his footing and stumbled into a chair.
"Grandfather, you..." Su Wanyue stood up in shock, staring at the scene.
"You really, truly disappoint me," Elder Su roared in a rage.
"Father, what did I do wrong?" Su Qingguo covered his blood-red cheek, feeling a spark of anger himself.
Elder Su looked at Su Wanyue and said, "It was I who intentionally got Chen Tian drunk and had someone help him into your room."
Su Wanyue’s jaw dropped: "What? Grandfather, you?"
Elder Su cold-snorted, "Wanyue, where did you go yesterday afternoon? Why were you in such a deep sleep after you returned?"
"I... I went out for drinks with my best friend!" Su Wanyue lowered her head.
"Best friend? Hmph, your 'friend' is quite something—daring to drug you?" Elder Su was boiling with rage.
"What? Drugged?" Su Wanyue repeated, stunned.
Elder Su said indignantly, "I saw potential in Chen Tian as my grandson-in-law. Even if his status is low now, I believe that given time, he will surely show his true mettle."
"Last night, after he was carried into your room, my intention was for the news that you two had consummated the marriage to reach the Wu Family. They would then give up completely. As for the future, we could talk about that later."
"Grandfather, but I wouldn't want to ruin my purity just to push away the Wu Family," Su Wanyue said, looking pitiful and utterly disappointed.
"Silly granddaughter, how could I let you lose your purity? I only wanted to test Chen Tian's character. If he had taken advantage of you, it would have proven he had no self-restraint and wasn't worth using."
"Then, last night..." Su Wanyue’s eyes turned red.
Elder Su said angrily, "After you returned to your room last night, the poison soon took effect, and you wouldn't let go of Chen Tian."
"Ah? What? I... I wouldn't let him go?" Su Wanyue’s face turned bright red, down to her neck. *How could that be? My lifelong reputation, ruined?*
"I don't blame you. You were poisoned quite severely, so it was only natural. I thought it was fate, that Chen Tian was yours for the taking. I didn't expect that poison to nearly cost you your life."
Su Wanyue vaguely remembered walking to the door and then suffering such intense abdominal pain that she lost consciousness. Only then did she recall her chronic ailment. She felt her body carefully and discovered it was unusually comfortable; the pain that used to bother her from time to time had completely vanished!
She immediately understood and asked, "Grandfather, did you have someone monitoring Chen Tian? What happened afterward? What about me?"
"Thankfully, Chen Tian possesses profound medical skills. He carried you to the bed and performed treatment. He worked until dawn before he stopped."
Hearing this, Su Wanyue felt a surge of energy. Pleasantly surprised and shocked, she said, "My lower abdomen, there’s no pain at all! Did Chen Tian really cure me?"
Elder Su said with great heartache, "It’s all your grandfather’s fault. You are so young, yet I burdened you with such heavy responsibilities, forcing you until you developed a hidden ailment."
Su Wanyue asked in surprise, "Grandfather, so you mean... Chen Tian, he didn't... do that to me?"
Elder Su waved his hand, and an old woman walked in from outside, bowing respectfully: "Eldest Miss, the Master had me lurking in the shadows last night to protect you if necessary. I can swear that while Chen Tian had intimate contact with you, he never crossed the line. He only massaged your abdomen for a long time; I assume he was using traditional Chinese medicine techniques to treat your illness."
Su Wanyue finally let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, an indescribable feeling rose in her heart. Chen Tian hadn't taken advantage of her; instead, he had helped treat her illness? Yet her father had been so hostile toward him, and even made her misunderstand him!
Su Wanyue stood up, feeling guilty. "But he has already been taken to the police station."
Elder Su glared at Su Qingguo and sneered, "I have lived an honorable life, yet I have produced such a disgraceful son. Su Qingguo, you knew everything about last night, yet you insisted on waiting until dawn to arrest him. You looked down on the grandson-in-law I chose, but was there any need to be so cruel as to send him to prison?"
"Father, it’s a misunderstanding! I did it for Wanyue’s sake. How could she marry a nobody?"
"The marriage was my proposal! Now that you’ve flatly rejected it, where does that leave me? How am I supposed to answer to the Wu Family? The Su Family will be thrown into a pit of fire!"
Facing Su Qingguo’s questioning, Elder Su flicked his sleeve. "Solve your own problems. While I was hospitalized, the person who poisoned me has yet to be identified, and now last night, someone tried to harm my granddaughter. Do not let me find evidence."
"From today on, you are not allowed to step a single inch outside the gates. You are no longer fit to be involved in the relations between the Su Family and the Wu Family!"
Su Qingguo broke into a cold sweat and dared not utter another word. He couldn't dissociate himself from the incident of Su Wanyue’s poisoning, but he hadn't known she had a hidden illness and never imagined it would be life-threatening.
Su Wanyue also remained silent, recalling the events of last night. A strange feeling bloomed in her heart. Thinking that Chen Tian had seen her completely exposed, her cheeks flushed hot again. In her life, Chen Tian was the first man she had been so intimately close to. Although she still hated him, he had cured her ailment, and she had falsely accused him, sending him to prison. She felt a lingering sense of guilt.
After agonizing all afternoon, she prepared to go to the police station to withdraw the charges. But when she found Guo Yingjie, he regretfully told her it was too late; the law was not a child's game. The police station would not release Chen Tian just because of her words.
Su Wanyue was annoyed—Guo Yingjie really wouldn't give her any face at all. She didn't know him, and her status in the family no longer carried weight here.
But she didn't know that just a short distance away in the prison, Chen Tian had already been locked up. He wasn't sent to an interrogation room, nor was he kept in a holding cell; he was taken straight to the prison population.
After signing the confirmation and sending him in, Captain Guo’s men said to the prison guard, "The higher-ups said to give him special treatment. No need to hold back, as long as he’s still breathing."
"Is this Captain Guo's order, or Chief Wang's?" The prison guard smiled as if he were very accustomed to this operation.
"Both. Once it's done, there will be a bonus."
"Understood. Please tell those above not to worry."
***
In the prison, Chen Tian was forced into a prison uniform and sent to an extremely remote cell. Two guards escorted him and kicked the door open with a loud *clang*. Immediately, a pungent, sickening stench wafted out, seemingly mixed with the smell of excrement and urine, making one want to retch.
"Take good care of him," one guard said to the people inside, then shoved Chen Tian in.
Chen Tian did not know that the cell he had been sent to was the death row section.
***
**Chapter 15: Who is the Big Brother in the Prison?**
*Bang...*
The chilling iron door was slammed shut. Chen Tian stood where he was, staring blankly at his surroundings. More than a dozen tattooed men were lying on a large bed; every one of them was burly and had a fierce expression.
*Ah...*
At that moment, a miserable scream came from the toilet stall by the window. A thin, frail man crawled out, weeping pitifully. Using all four limbs, he looked exactly like a dog.
"Hahaha, you didn't have diarrhea today. You're quite lucky." Another voice spoke up at the same time.
As the voice faded, Chen Tian froze, stunned by what he saw. The head of the screaming man had a pile of feces on it! Chen Tian felt a chill run through him. He truly hadn't expected that someone would actually treat another person's head like a toilet.
The thin man was trembling all over, wearing the steaming, unidentified matter, wailing incessantly. Then, the man from the stall stepped out and cursed: "I hate people like you the most—killing your own wife. Damn it, if you didn't want your wife, you should have let me play with her! Do you have any idea how lonely I am in here?"
"Wuwuwu..." The thin man wept pitifully.
Only then did the violent man look at Chen Tian with a grin, excited. "Another one arrived?"
"Something to play with. Hey kid, how did you get in?"
Chen Tian frowned. "I walked in."
"Hahaha, brothers, is this the first time you’ve heard such an answer?"
Suddenly, the group of men who were lying around like pigs all sat up, observing Chen Tian with interest.
"Interesting. It’s the first time someone has dared to talk like that!"
"Kid, I don't care how you got in. After coming in here, you have three choices: first, use your mouth to take good care of our brothers; second, you can be a toilet or a chamber pot—pick one."
Chen Tian felt disgusted and stepped back. "What if I don't choose?"
"Hahaha, everyone who comes in says that. The final result is that they all do it, and then they get beaten so badly even your own mother wouldn't recognize you."
Chen Tian furrowed his brow, feeling a bit nervous. *Was I really not locked up in the wrong place? What kind of perverts are these people?* Even if he had been arrested, he should have been interrogated, evidence should have been collected, and a trial should have taken place before he was sent here. But without any process, he had arrived in a place like this. Besides, even if Su Wanyue falsely accused him, he hadn't done anything. Did she have evidence?
His mind raced. He glanced at the dozen or so big men and broke into a cold sweat. *Why are their eyes looking at me like I'm a beautiful woman?* How perverse!
"Brother Dahua, the people outside told us to 'take good care' of him." One of the brothers suddenly explained.
"Yo, it’s been a long time since someone came for us to 'take care of'. Hahaha, it looks like we have more meat to eat."
"What does that mean?" Chen Tian was confused.
The man called Brother Dahua laughed. "Not many people dare to offend the police station. It looks like you've got some background, kid."
"Brothers, get up and get to work. The sooner we finish, the sooner we eat meat."
*Boom...*
Suddenly, all the burly men stood up, shaking the floor as if an earthquake had hit. Chen Tian was terrified and pressed himself tightly against the door. Without another word, the dozen men, bare-chested and clenching their fists, rapidly closed in on Chen Tian.
"Kid, just accept your bad luck. We want our meat, and we have to trade you for it."
Brother Dahua let out a cold snort, spat on the ground, and threw a punch straight at Chen Tian’s nose. This was his usual method; if you couldn't dodge this punch, you would be knocked unconscious instantly. And then, even if they left the person crippled, it wouldn't make a sound.
Chen Tian was tense. However, the moment Brother Dahua swung his punch, he felt as if his entire body had been summoned by some kind of power.
*Thud...*
With a dull thud, Chen Tian caught Brother Dahua’s hand out of thin air. The fist stopped abruptly, just one centimeter from the tip of Chen Tian’s nose.
*What?* Brother Dahua was stunned; he had never encountered such a situation. His speed hadn't been slow, yet he had been caught firmly and couldn't move.
Then, Chen Tian locked his wrist and gave a sudden, sharp twist.
The next second!
"Ah..."
In an instant, the sound of bones shattering traveled from the arm joint to the shoulder blade. Brother Dahua, caught completely off guard, felt his arm being torn apart by a massive, explosive force. The scream carried through the iron door. Two guards glanced at each other, assuming it was Chen Tian, and walked away with a smile.
At that moment, at the entrance, Guo Yingjie was bringing his uncle, Guo Dafu, to walk inside. The two guards saw the Captain and said with full smiles, "They're doing business inside. The person sent over just let out a scream like a slaughtered pig."
Guo Dafu said impatiently, "It's best if you destroy him completely."
Guo Yingjie laughed, "Uncle, don't worry. That cell is known by the brothers as the 'Ghost House'. Everyone locked in there is a super-perverted death row inmate."
"Good, good. That really vents my frustration. I’ve been in the world for over thirty years and never thought I'd be toppled by a young punk. It’s so frustrating."
Guo Yingjie laughed smugly, "Uncle, let's go in and take a look. You’ve probably never been here before. Let me broaden your horizons."
"Alright!"
Guo Dafu arrived at the cell where Chen Tian was held with great joy. Through the small window in the iron door, the activities inside were clearly visible. He leaned in with a smug face, but his smile froze as if it had been struck by ice.
"How about it, Uncle? Can you still recognize what he looks like?"