Chapter 140: Chen Shi’s Conditions

Tao Yueyue got into the car, and the woman handed her a bottle of water. Tao Yueyue politely said, “Thank you, ma’am, but I’m not thirsty.”

The man asked, “Where do you live?”

Tao Yueyue gave an address, knowing that Chen Shi was probably still at the city bureau, working on a case.

The man found the address on the navigation system and said in surprise, “That’s the city police bureau. Are you sure?”

“Yes, my dad works there.”

“Your dad is a police officer?”

“A detective!”

“And your mom?”

“My mom left a long time ago.”

The woman sighed, “Oh, poor child.”

The man said, “She must be the daughter of a detective, targeted by criminals for revenge. Being a police officer isn’t easy! Little girl, you must be very careful from now on. If it weren’t for us today, you’d be in danger.”

“Thank you, sir!”

When they arrived at the bureau, Chen Shi came out after receiving a message. Tao Yueyue ran up and enthusiastically called, “Dad!”

From her tone, it was clear she was acting, and Chen Shi played along, picking her up and saying, “What are you doing here? And who are these people?”

“Don’t mention it. Your daughter was almost targeted by criminals for revenge today…” The man recounted his imagined heroic rescue, painting himself as a gallant hero.

After he finished, Chen Shi seemed a bit surprised. The man realized he forgot to mention the compensation for the broken car window. According to his story, there was no place to fit in the window-breaking part. He had bragged too much and dug his own grave.

However, the broken window was a small matter compared to making connections with the police. With a big smile, he said, “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m in the clothing business. Here’s my card.”

He handed over a business card with both hands. It read “Deputy Manager of X Clothing Company, Xue Chengyi.”

“Officer Chen, let’s have a meal together sometime.”

Chen Shi felt it was rude to refuse and said, “Sure, sure. Thank you for saving my daughter today. Otherwise, it could have been serious.”

“It’s my duty as a citizen to do what’s right! Well, we’ll be going now…”

“Take care!” Chen Shi’s gaze lingered on the woman’s hips for a few seconds, noticing the man’s wedding-ringed hand on her waist.

Chen Shi knelt down and looked seriously at Tao Yueyue. “Tell me what happened.”

After Tao Yueyue finished, Chen Shi felt that she wasn’t at fault. On the contrary, she had acted bravely and intelligently. However, he decided not to praise her and said, “If you hadn’t set him up, today’s incident wouldn’t have happened. You need to reflect on that.”

“If you hadn’t told him the truth and made him think it was just an accident, this wouldn’t have happened,” Tao Yueyue replied maturely.

Chen Shi laughed, “So it’s all my fault?”

“Yes, it’s your fault!”

“And getting revenge on a classmate is right?”

“Liang Zuoming is a bad guy. ‘Weizeng’ told me he bullied other classmates before I transferred. People like him deserve it! Do you want me to just take it or let the teacher smooth things over? All teachers say the same annoying things, like ‘Flies don’t bite seamless eggs’ or ‘Why does he only bully you and not others?’”

Chen Shi was speechless for a moment and said, “We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

“You can’t win against me,” Tao Yueyue said proudly, as if the recent danger was already forgotten.

“Yes, I can’t win against you. So I need to think about how to educate this special kid.” Chen Shi patted her head. “Wait for me to finish work, and we’ll go home together.”

“Can I go find Sister Lin?”

“She’s still working.”

Tao Yueyue pouted, and Chen Shi said, “How about I take you to see a forensic experiment?”

“Okay!”

The next morning, Chen Shi put breakfast in front of Tao Yueyue and sat down. She now had a short layer of hair and didn’t wear a hat at home anymore.

“Let me tell you a story,” Chen Shi said. “One day, a scorpion wanted to cross a river and asked a frog, ‘Brother Frog, can you carry me across the river?’ The frog said, ‘No, you have a poisonous sting. You’ll sting me.’ The scorpion replied, ‘If I sting you, I’ll drown too!’ The frog thought this made sense and carried the scorpion across. But halfway across, the scorpion stung the frog. As they both began to drown, the frog asked, ‘Why?’ The scorpion helplessly replied, ‘Because it’s my nature!’”

Tao Yueyue listened intently and said, “So you’re saying…”

“I thought about it all night. Your nature is what it is. I shouldn’t try to change you or make you act like others. That would be painful for you, no different from what school does. I know how bad school education can be because I was a genius kid too… I understand you’re holding a grudge against Liang Zuoming. With your personality, you won’t let it go… I permit you to get revenge on him!”

Tao Yueyue’s eyes widened in surprise but then returned to calm. “What are the conditions?”

“First, don’t let the school find out. If they do, don’t get punished. Second, no physical retaliation. Third, you must have a valid reason for your actions. These rules apply to this incident and any future ones.”

“Can the second rule be changed?”

“No way!”

Tao Yueyue shrugged helplessly. “I guess the plan I thought of last night is useless now.”

Chen Shi thought, what a scary child, already planning her revenge.

His three conditions seemed encouraging but were actually restrictive, adding difficulty and preventing Tao Yueyue from going astray.

Tao Yueyue’s mother was a prostitute, and her father could be one of many men. She grew up with her mother’s abuse and indifference and later witnessed her mother’s murder. Her calmness in front of the police was unsettling. At first, they didn’t believe her testimony. How could an eight-year-old girl hide in a closet for three hours, witness her mother’s brutal murder, and remain silent and tearless?

Tao Yueyue harbored a small venomous snake in her heart, which needed regular milking to prevent it from attacking someone one day.

Many notorious serial killers, when caught, surprised the police. They weren’t wild brutes but polite, introverted, and caring individuals, known as good neighbors and good citizens.

The man who killed Tao Yueyue’s mother was one such person.

A person repressed for too long will have problems. Venting is essential for mental health. That’s why society needs games, competitions, adult entertainment, and online literature. Chen Shi thought those who sought pleasure at night but condemned video games as harmful by day were hypocrites.

“And,” Chen Shi added, “after you get revenge, you must report it to me honestly. Don’t worry; I’m not the kind of adult who goes back on his word.”

Tao Yueyue stood up, walked over to Chen Shi, and kissed him on the cheek, leaving a bit of oatmeal porridge. “Uncle Chen, you’ve changed my view of adults. Thank you!”

Chen Shi laughed and tweaked her nose. “Satisfied, you little devil?”