Outside the gates of the local police precinct.
Ye Zhiming smoked a cigarette, his expression anxious as he stared at the brightly lit office building.
Beside him, Wang Jiahui paced back and forth incessantly.
Not long after Ye Xuan was taken away, officers from the precinct had searched their home for evidence.
At the time, Ye Zhiming and his wife felt as though the sky had fallen!
Once they finally gathered their wits, they rode their motorcycle straight over here.
Visibility was poor at night, and they were in such a panic that they even crashed halfway there.
"Zhiming, do you think Xiaoxuan could actually..."
"No! Absolutely not!"
"I believe in Xiaoxuan too, but it's been so long and he still isn't out..."
"An investigation always takes time, you know."
"What if Xiaoxuan has been wronged?"
Ye Zhiming fell silent for a moment, then said with firm resolve, "Then I'll go to the municipal bureau to demand an explanation. If the municipal bureau won't do, I'll go to the provincial level, and if the provincial level won't do, I'll go all the way to Imperial Capital! I might not amount to much as a father, but if anyone dares to harm my son, I'll fight them to the bitter end!"
Wang Jiahui's eyes turned red, and she tightly grasped both of his hands.
Just then, Ye Xuan walked out of the ground-floor lobby.
Behind him followed Chen Wu, Old Li, Xiao Zhang, and several others.
"Zhiming, look quickly, isn't that Xiaoxuan?!"
"It is him!"
"Why are there so many police officers following him? Could it be... is he being taken to the detention center?!"
While Wang Jiahui's imagination ran wild, Ye Xuan raised his hand, shouted "Mom and Dad!", and broke into a run toward them.
Seeing him run, Chen Wu and the others had no choice but to pick up the pace and follow.
A suspect running in front, chased by a whole group of police officers.
Anyone seeing this scene would let their imagination run wild!
At that moment, Ye Zhiming and his wife were scared out of their wits!
"Ye Xuan, you... you stop right there!"
"Xiaoxuan, don't run, stop!"
Crying out, the couple rushed forward to block his path.
Ye Xuan instinctively stopped in his tracks, looking utterly bewildered. "What's wrong?"
To their surprise, Ye Zhiming and his wife sprinted right past him.
Seeing the couple charging toward them, Chen Wu and the others froze.
At a time like this, shouldn't they be rushing to comfort their son?
Surely they didn't come to settle scores with us just because their child was wronged, did they?
At that thought, Chen Wu and his men felt a little guilty.
"Officer, Ye Xuan only ran because he was too excited to see us. Please give him another chance!"
"Officer, you saw it too, Xiaoxuan didn't get away—we stopped him. Please don't hold it against him, okay?"
Ye Xuan: "..."
Well, what do you know—his mom and dad thought he was fleeing from the law!
Of all the misunderstandings!
Chen Wu finally figured it out and burst into a wry laugh. "You two have misunderstood! Student Ye Xuan isn't running away; we're letting him go!"
"Huh?"
"Released?"
Ye Zhiming and his wife couldn't quite wrap their heads around it for a moment and stood frozen in place.
"We've already cleared up the matter. Little Ye acted out of righteousness; he's not a criminal, he's a hero!" Chen Wu hurriedly explained.
"A hero?"
Ye Zhiming and his wife turned their heads in unison to look at Ye Xuan, both stunned and dazed.
"Not only that, but he also provided us with crucial clues that helped us catch the real Rainy Night Fiend!"
"Big brother, big sister, your son didn't panic in a crisis—he has the makings of a true general!"
"Student Ye Xuan is both brave and resourceful; he's bound to accomplish great things in the future!"
Wang Jiahui was dumbfounded, and Ye Zhiming was equally stunned.
Just a moment ago, they were worried their son was being dragged off to a detention center.
Now, their son had suddenly become a hero in the eyes of the police?
Were they dreaming?
"Dad, Mom, what happened to your legs?"
Only now did Ye Xuan notice the several tears in his parents' trousers.
Their knees looked scraped, too.
"Had a little spill on the bike on the way here, it's nothing."
Ye Zhiming laughed heartily, brushing it off completely.
Compared to his son being safe and sound, what were a few minor injuries?
"It's just that the bike broke and won't start."
Wang Jiahui sighed, feeling a bit distressed.
That motorcycle was a major household asset, costing nearly five thousand yuan when they bought it.
Back in the early 2000s, the average salary in Ming City was only around 1,500 yuan.
Even though both husband and wife worked at state-owned enterprises, their combined salaries were just over 2,000.
"It doesn't matter if the bike's broken, as long as everyone's okay."
Knowing how thrifty his mother was, Ye Xuan quickly offered words of comfort.
Ye Zhiming nodded in agreement. "Our son being fine matters more than anything. If the bike's broken, we can just fix it."
At the thought that her son was all right, Wang Jiahui smiled too.
Immediately afterward, however, a troubled look crossed her face. "There's nowhere to fix a bike at this hour. Shall we push it all the way back?"
Ye Zhiming chuckled. "Push it! Consider it a workout."
Ye Xuan was startled. "Let's not. It's almost ten miles; if we push it back, we won't get home until lunchtime. Let's just leave the bike at the precinct for now and hire a truck to haul it back tomorrow."
Ye Zhiming and his wife hesitated. "Leaving it here... is that appropriate?"
"It should be... appropriate, right?" Ye Xuan looked at Chen Wu.
The corner of Chen Wu's mouth twitched. "...Appropriate, perfectly appropriate! We have plenty of space here, you can leave it as long as you want!"
You brat, you've already said it's appropriate—if I say it's not, would that be appropriate?
"Hear that? That's what I call a good police officer who serves the people!"
Ye Xuan offered a word of flattery, then abruptly changed the subject. "It's just that at this hour we won't be able to hail a cab, so we'll have to walk back."
With that, he kept shooting sidelong glances at Chen Wu.
The gathered police officers couldn't help laughing out loud.
Just now inside the precinct, everyone had witnessed how Ye Xuan never missed a chance to squeeze out an advantage.
And now he was pulling the same stunt again...
Was this kid really only eighteen?
"You rascal, if you want me to send a car, just say so. Why keep glaring at me? Xiao Zhang, take the trouble to drive Little Ye and his family back."
Chen Wu pointed at Ye Xuan with a finger and casually issued the order.
"Yes!"
Xiao Zhang grabbed his car keys and hurried over to a police cruiser.
Ye Zhiming and his wife were startled. "That's not appropriate, far too appropriate—we can just walk back ourselves."
Ye Xuan reached out to stop them. "Dad, Mom, Chief Chen is offering out of the goodness of his heart; it wouldn't be appropriate to refuse. Besides, everyone in the residential compound probably already knows I got arrested, right? Having Uncle Police Officer drive us back will give us a chance to clear things up for everyone along the way."
Chen Wu nodded in agreement. "That's right, that was my thinking as well."
Everything else aside, when it concerned their son's reputation, Ye Zhiming and his wife certainly wouldn't refuse.
Thus, after a flurry of polite farewells, the family of three boarded Xiao Zhang's dedicated ride and set off on their journey home.
...
"Oh, my dear boy, you were simply amazing!
No wonder those police officers kept praising your courage and resourcefulness—you really are my good son!"
As soon as Ye Xuan finished recounting what happened, Wang Jiahui showered him with praise.
Ye Zhiming nodded repeatedly, his face beaming with pride and satisfaction.
After the compliments, Wang Jiahui shifted her tone. "I'm warning you, though—if you ever run into a situation like this again, you make sure to stay far away and don't go acting on impulse. I don't care about you being a hero; I just want you safe and sound. Did you hear me?"
A lump formed in Ye Xuan's throat, and he nodded. "Got it, Mom, I'll remember!"
Driving the car, Xiao Zhang was reminded of his own mother, and his eye sockets grew slightly warm.
Just as he was feeling moved, he heard Wang Jiahui ask, "Oh right, didn't you say there's a reward for the Rainy Night Fiend?"
Xiao Zhang: "..."
Well, well. No wonder Ye Xuan had his eye on the reward money right from the start.
It turns out it runs in the family!
Ye Xuan nodded. "I was just about to tell you that. Chief Chen said the clues I provided qualify for a reward of up to 50,000 yuan."
"That much?" Wang Jiahui's eyes lit up, followed immediately by a worried look. "They won't renege on it, will they?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Xiao Zhang in the driver's seat.
"They... shouldn't, right?"
Ye Xuan looked over too.
Sensing the atmosphere turn strange, Xiao Zhang glanced in the rearview mirror.
Good grief, two pairs of wide eyes were staring at him intently.
He couldn't help a wry laugh. "Aunty, please set your mind at ease. Our Chief Chen isn't that kind of person!"
Wang Jiahui nodded with satisfaction. "Son, you hear that? Officer Zhang is vouching for it. If you don't get that fifty thousand yuan later, you go straight to him for it!"
Ye Xuan: "Got it, Mom, I'll remember!"
Xiao Zhang: "???"
Did I say something wrong?
Is it still too late to jump out of a moving car?
Online right now, urgent!