Chapter 266: Coercion of Love

Miss Dong continued, “I woke up that morning and was terrified. Guess how many missed calls I had from him?”

“How many?”

“Over 500!”

“That’s insane!”

“He stayed up all night calling my phone. The text messages, I lost count. They were all ‘Answer the phone!’ His WeChat was filled with messages too. He said if I didn’t answer within an hour, he’d cut himself. Every hour, he sent a picture—he cut himself ten times!”

“Oh my god!” Lin Dongxue was shocked.

“That’s how he is. When we argue, he doesn’t hit me or break things, he self-harms! Have you ever seen someone argue and then pull out their teeth with pliers and drop them in my cup? He’s done that! When we’re not arguing, he says he loves me so much he doesn’t know how to express it. I’ve forgiven him many times, but I eventually realized he can’t change. He’s a control freak!”

“How did you end up with him?”

“He pursued me intensely. It felt like he would do anything for me. Which girl wouldn’t be moved by that?”

“I think people who pursue love intensely tend to be obsessive.”

“And my family kept saying how great his background was, how good his family was. I wasn’t interested at first, but I gradually warmed up to him.”

“Let me ask you, is your mother your biological mother?”

Miss Dong laughed, “Does she look like she’s not? She and my dad were introduced to each other. They’ve been arguing for decades, about every little thing. Whatever my dad likes, she hates. She finds faults even where there are none. My dad loves me the most, so she resents me. She used to hit and scold me all the time.”

“That generation thinks marriage is like that, and that other types of marriages aren’t happy.”

“Exactly!” Miss Dong agreed. “Conditions and family background are fake. What matters is whether the two people get along. But family never sees that! I had a boyfriend I really liked, but because his family wasn’t well-off, my mom persuaded me to break up. She even brought in relatives to convince me. I cried all night and eventually broke up… Officer, do you have someone you like?”

“There is someone!” Lin Dongxue blushed at the thought.

“Does your family interfere?”

“I’m an orphan. Sometimes I envy people with parents, but compared to your situation, I feel lucky.”

“You are lucky. I envy you.” Miss Dong sighed. “Since that night, he’s been telling everyone I cheated on him, turning black into white. Now the whole world thinks I cheated. I don’t dare go home. I’m afraid of what he might do. I’ve been hiding at a friend’s place. I was most worried about my cat. I never thought he’d actually do something so terrible!”

Lin Dongxue gently patted her hand. “Don’t worry. Give me your key, and I’ll go talk to him.”

“But what if…”

Lin Dongxue flashed her badge. “I’m a criminal police officer. He can’t hurt me.”

Miss Dong hesitated when Xu Xiaodong sent a WeChat message saying, “Have you seen the guy who killed the cat after a breakup?”

Lin Dongxue replied, “I’m at the scene,” and accidentally sent it.

Xu Xiaodong was surprised, “Really? Why are you there? Is it resolved?”

“Not yet.”

“Send me your location. I want to join in.”

“Don’t come. I’ll handle it.”

“Are we friends or not?”

Lin Dongxue ignored him. After a while, Xu Xiaodong said, “Haha, I found it myself. The internet has already doxxed this jerk. I’m on my way.”

Lin Dongxue thought, what good will you do?

There was a commotion outside. Miss Dong asked, “What’s going on? Is something happening?”

“Let’s go check.”

They went to the community entrance and saw a news van. A reporter stood in front of the camera, saying, “We are on-site now. This incident has caused a huge uproar. Miss Dong has chosen to call the police. We’ll now interview Officer Luo.”

The camera and lights turned to Luo Haifeng, who awkwardly said, “An hour ago, the police tried to negotiate with Mr. Ma, but he refused to open the door. We could only talk through the door. I advised him not to do anything impulsive. We’re all adults and should solve problems rationally…”

Before Luo Haifeng could finish, the reporter pulled back the microphone. “Officer Luo, has Mr. Ma broken any laws with his behavior?”

Seeing this, Miss Dong hid behind a tree and whispered to Lin Dongxue, “Don’t let them film me! I don’t want to be interviewed.”

“How did the reporters get here?” Lin Dongxue wondered.

They walked away, and Xu Xiaodong’s car drove into the community. He greeted them with a smile, “Wow, this is big. Reporters are here. Did you get on TV?”

“No, park your car properly. You’re blocking the road.”

“Wait a second.”

Xu Xiaodong parked and came over, acting surprised. “Wow, a beauty! Are you Winter Snow’s friend?”

“She’s the person involved, Miss Dong,” Lin Dongxue introduced. “This is my colleague, Xu Xiaodong, a not-so-reliable police officer.”

“Is that how you introduce someone?”

After hearing Lin Dongxue’s explanation, Xu Xiaodong was furious. “How could he kill a cat? Cats are so cute. He’s a scumbag!”

“All you care about is the cat?” Lin Dongxue retorted.

“I represent public sentiment. When humans involve cats, it’s not okay… Have you seen him?”

“No, he’s still locked inside.”

Miss Dong suddenly said, “Oh no, where’s my bag?”

“Did you leave it at the Japanese restaurant?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“Could you come with me to get it?”

Lin Dongxue accompanied Miss Dong back to the restaurant. The burly waitress handed over the bag. “Is this what you’re looking for?”

Miss Dong checked her bag. Everything was inside. She thanked the waitress and asked for a glass of water.

She took out a bottle of medicine and said, “Sorry, I’m not well and can’t stay up late… And with reporters outside, I don’t want to show my face. The whole internet is bashing me.”

“Give me the key. I’ll handle this and get your cat back.”

Miss Dong handed Lin Dongxue a key, saying, “Please, I’m counting on you.”