Chapter 715: Self-defense

“Hoo… hoo… hoo…”

Xin Bai leaned on his knees, panting heavily. Cold sweat poured from every pore on his body. Chen Shi moved forward to inspect Xu Guolong’s body and remarked, “He’s dead, Dong Xue. Your shot was a bit harsh!”

“I didn’t have time to aim at his hand, so I had to shoot at his chest,” Lin Dongxue explained.

“At least he’s alive. It’s finally over,” Chen Shi sighed in relief.

Not long after Xin Bai quietly left, they discovered he was missing. With two police officers searching frantically outside, Xin Bai hailed a taxi at the entrance of the neighborhood. Chen Shi contacted the taxi company upon spotting him in the surveillance footage, leading them to this park.

It was a close call.

“Teacher Bai, what were you thinking? Adding more thrills to this story?” Chen Shi complained.

Xin Bai looked ashamed. “He… he sent a fake photo claiming he had kidnapped my neighbor, so I came alone.”

“Couldn’t you have knocked to confirm?”

“I was afraid of waking you all up. Besides, I heard the neighbor’s child crying when I left. I thought she was really kidnapped.”

“Sigh, there were so many ways to avoid this situation. You had to pick the riskiest one!” Chen Shi sighed. Suddenly, he noticed a wound on Xu Guolong’s abdomen and a craft knife that seemed to belong to Xin Bai.

He wondered, could this guy have come to kill Xu Guolong?

“Oh, quickly save him. Lan… Lan Xiao is still in the woods. I can’t face him,” Xin Bai said.

After Lan Xiao was released, he went behind a tree to relieve himself for three full minutes. Then, while fastening his pants, he muttered curses, “Damn it, they’ve bullied me. Xin Bai and that pervert, just wait until I get my revenge!”

“That’s enough!” Lin Dongxue flashed her badge. “Let the police handle this!”

Later, Lin Qiupu and the others arrived to process the scene. Both Xin Bai and Lan Xiao were taken back to the station for questioning. Though their versions of the story differed, they agreed that Xin Bai’s stabbing could be seen as self-defense, as Lan Xiao was a threat to his life at the time.

At four in the morning, Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue waited outside the police station gate for Xin Bai. When he emerged, he sighed deeply, “I can’t believe it’s over like this. Thank you all for taking care of me these days.”

“No problem. It’s late, and there are no taxis. Let me give you a ride,” Chen Shi offered.

“How about we grab breakfast later? I need a shower. I’m covered in sweat…” Xin Bai looked at the sky outside. “I can finally walk outside peacefully.”

On the way, Xin Bai remained silent. Chen Shi said, “Stop thinking about it. I know this has been a big psychological blow for you. If you need to talk to Miss Gu, you can contact me.”

“What’s your relationship with Miss Gu?” Xin Bai asked.

“She’s my neighbor.”

“Wow…” Xin Bai looked at Lin Dongxue in amazement. “Officer Lin doesn’t mind?”

“What’s there to mind?” Lin Dongxue smiled.

“Actually, I’m thinking about how to finish this volume. Remember the person who walked out of the forensic lab earlier? I can’t fill that plot hole anymore. Mr. Chen, do you have any suggestions?” Xin Bai asked.

“Suggestions? Did that person get dissected?”

“I only said there was an autopsy, not dissection.”

“But the medical examiner would have confirmed death. Usually, they also check liver temperature. With an autopsy done, how could that person come back to life?”

“Oh, I know it’s unrealistic, but I didn’t think about it at the time. Novels don’t consider reality; they consider possibilities. Anything with a one-in-a-million chance can happen in a novel. Mr. Chen, can you help me think of that one-in-a-million chance? Please!” Xin Bai seemed more active now.

Chen Shi racked his brain. “What if it was that one?”

“Which one?”

“That one!”

“Which one?”

“Haha, figure it out yourself!”

“Come on, Mr. Chen, are you teasing me? I won’t treat you to dinner!”

“Do you want to hear about cases I’ve handled before?” Chen Shi’s eyes lit up.

“Okay, okay! Where do you want to go for breakfast?”

Everything returned to normal. Xin Bai, however, refrained from mentioning the incident on any social media and continued focusing on updating his novel. He donated a portion of his savings to the victim’s family.

This volume, which had been dragging on, finally concluded. Xin Bai took a sip of the cold coffee next to his computer, contemplating the content of the next volume. This one promised to be very exciting.

Suddenly, a loud bang on the door startled him so much that he almost dropped his cup. Outside, a fierce voice yelled, “Xiao Daimao, you live here, right? Get out here!”

Hearing the voice, Xin Bai’s soul almost left his body. He rushed to the door and peeked out, finding Lan Xiao accompanied by several friends, demanding an altercation. Lan Xiao had been imprisoned for over two months, treated like a dog, eating pickled vegetables and rice. Overflowing with anger, he kicked the door with his foot. “If you don’t come out, I’ll smash this damn door!”

Xin Bai squatted down, back against the door, and called Chen Shi on his phone. “Mr. Chen, things are bad. Lan Xiao is here to cause trouble. Please… please come save me!”

That day, Chen Shi happened to be nearby, driving a taxi. Upon receiving the call, he rushed over and, climbing the stairs, found several rough-looking men wielding iron pipes and other menacing tools, shouting and kicking at the door.

“What are you doing?” Chen Shi asked.

“Oh, you’re the cop from that night. Perfect timing. I’ve been imprisoned for so long. This kid hasn’t compensated me a dime. Can the police intervene for me? Can the law intervene for me? Today, I’m going to reclaim justice on my own terms.” With that, he shook the crowbar in his hand.

This demeanor hardly matched that of a victim. Chen Shi responded, “Firstly, I’m not a cop. Secondly, I hope you seek legal assistance instead of acting as an aggressor. Lastly, both you and Xin Bai were victims in this incident. He owes you no responsibility.”

“What did he say? He’s not a cop?” Lan Xiao overheard this and immediately turned more arrogant. “Get lost, don’t meddle in my business.”

Chen Shi smirked and beckoned with his finger, “I am meddling!”

Soon after, the corridor echoed with loud noises resembling wailing and wolf howls. Each bang made Xin Bai shiver behind the door. Eventually, he heard Lan Xiao shouting, “Fine, you win. I’ll remember this!” Then, there was the sound of a group of people rushing downstairs.

Suddenly, another knock on the door startled him. Outside, Chen Shi’s voice came through, “I’ve sent them away!”

Opening the door, Xin Bai saw Chen Shi’s fist with a scraped knuckle. As he shook his hand, Xin Bai exclaimed, “Mr. Chen, you’re so brave! I’m so glad to know you.”

“It’s nothing. If you encounter such situations in the future, just call the police,” Chen Shi advised.

“Oh, oh, I shouldn’t have troubled you.”

“That’s not what I meant. I meant, if someone harasses you, call the police. Trusting the police is the quickest way to resolve trouble, understand?”

“I understand!” Xin Bai nodded.

The neighbor’s door opposite opened, and a beautiful woman rubbed her eyes as she stepped out, saying, “Why was it so noisy just now? The baby was woken up… Oh, Mr. Bai, you’re home!”

“I’m working!” Xin Bai grinned shyly.

“Oh, I’m reading your novel. It’s quite interesting. I couldn’t put it down.”

“You like it…” Xin Bai scratched his head. “I thought girls don’t like these kinds of things.”

“No, I quite like it. I left you a comment.”

After the beautiful neighbor returned home, Xin Bai rushed to his computer to read that comment. Although it was just a “keep it up,” it warmed his heart. Leaning against the bedroom door, Chen Shi teased, “Any progress between you two? Seems like this incident has made you brave.”

“I told her a few days ago that I’m a writer.”

“Haha, she likes your novel. It’s a good start!”

“Hehe!” Xin Bai scratched his head shyly.