Five O'clock
Su Cheng walked out of the Archery Club, his steps heavy and his body unusually tired.
Ji Qingyi wasn't at the club today, and he could only watch others practice.
It wasn't that they were stingy and unwilling to teach him; on the contrary, everyone in the club was very enthusiastic.
It was just that because he was a member personally taught by Ji Qingyi, only she could teach him.
So he fought against his drowsiness and could only sit in the spectator seats to learn by observation.
He sat there for two hours, and as time passed, his mental state not only failed to improve but became increasingly worse.
Today's emotional fluctuations were simply too intense.
"I should just go home and sleep."
Su Cheng dragged his tired body toward the parking lot, but after searching for a while, he couldn't find his beloved bike.
This made him even more irritated.
"Where's my bike?"
Su Cheng kept searching the parking lot for his bicycle, but he couldn't find any trace of it anywhere.
This struck him as strange - could someone have stolen it?
But who would bother stealing a bicycle at this kind of school?
Su Cheng's head was in chaos; this incomprehensible situation made him want to go crazy.
"Forget it, I'll look for it more carefully tomorrow."
Su Cheng sighed helplessly and walked toward the school gate.
When he got home, he didn't even feel like taking a shower. He just changed into his pajamas and lay directly on the couch, then closed his eyes.
Tonight's starry sky was exceptionally brilliant, with countless stars making the night as bright as day, yet within this brilliance lay countless sorrows.
For instance, his neighbor's child's mouth had swollen up like two sausages...
"Waaah wuwuwuwu~"
A child's crying echoed throughout the entire building.
Su Cheng opened his eyes, his pupils turning crimson. He slowly got up and opened his door.
He immediately saw two adults with a child whose lips were swollen like sausages walking down the stairs.
"Pfft~"
Unable to hold back, he laughed inappropriately.
"What are you laughing at?"
The two adults glared at Su Cheng when they saw him.
"Nothing, I just wanted to ask what happened to the child."
Su Cheng quickly put on a serious face.
Actually, he had instantly figured out what had happened - it was probably related to the takeout food Cornelia had ordered.
"Someone poisoned my child!"
One of the adults said, "How could someone be so shameless? He's just a child!"
The other woman also glared with anger, saying furiously, "This is too much - look at my son!"
She pointed at the sausage-faced child, tears immediately streaming down her face.
She cried, "He's my only child! Look how swollen he is now, like sausages! He's just a child, how could someone be so cruel!"
"What! How could such a thing happen!"
Su Cheng slapped his thigh, his face full of anger as he shouted, "This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! How dare someone do this - this is straight-up abuse!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the two adults were taken aback, seemingly not understanding why this person was even angrier than they were.
Even the sausage-mouthed child stopped crying out of fear and timidly looked at Su Cheng.
"Do you need legal assistance?"
Su Cheng declared righteously.
"You are..."
The child's father asked.
"As it happens, I'm a law student. My name is Zhang Wei, I live downstairs from you, and I'm willing to help you free of charge!"
Su Cheng patted his chest as he spoke, appearing both upright and enthusiastic.
After hearing this, the two adults' eyes lit up, and they excitedly said, "Yes, we need legal help! We must severely punish the perpetrator and let the law give us justice!"
"As your neighbor, leave this to me. I can't stand people like this!"
Su Cheng patted his chest again.
The child's mother also excitedly said, "That's right, we must bring the perpetrator to justice!"
Su Cheng quickly nodded: "The urgent matter now is to take the child to the hospital for injury assessment and treatment."
"Yes, yes, that's exactly what we were thinking."
"Thank you for your help today."
The three of them rushed to the parking lot, but Su Cheng froze when he saw his bicycle properly parked in his spot.
"What the hell, did it come back by itself?!"
No, wait, I didn't even ride my bike today.
"Young Lawyer Zhang, don't just stand there, get in the car!"
The child's father in the driver's seat quickly called out to the good Samaritan 'Zhang Wei' to get in.
Su Cheng quickly got into the family's car when he heard this.
"Can you tell me exactly what happened? Don't hide anything from me."
Su Cheng quickly asked.
"Well..."
The child's mother seemed to have trouble speaking, and after hemming and hawing for a few seconds, she still couldn't get it out.
"My child accidentally picked up an abandoned takeout order, and it turned out to have extremely spicy sauce in it. That's how my son ended up like this."
The father at the wheel slapped the steering wheel and continued, "Who would put ultra-spicy sauce in egg tarts?"
"This clearly shows intentional targeting, which constitutes illegal behavior."
Su Cheng raised an eyebrow.
"Leave it to me, I'll contact someone now."
Su Cheng took out his phone and started contacting Liu Qingyue.
This was when her usefulness became apparent.
He knew Liu Qingyue would definitely have Cornelia's contact information.
.....................
...
In a certain villa district
A blonde girl was anxiously standing by the lake, constantly looking around for something, but after waiting for a long time, she didn't see the familiar figure.
"Oh dear, he usually goes jogging here..."
Cornelia anxiously stamped her white-stockinged feet to release her inner tension and panic.
She had just ordered the ultra-spicy egg tarts and personally witnessed the child stealing them.
But thinking about it afterward, she had an ominous feeling. Afraid of being held responsible, she came to the lake to wait for Su Cheng.
Since she didn't have Su Cheng's contact information, she could only come to the lakeside to wait for him.
But after waiting for a long time, Su Cheng still hadn't appeared.
This made her increasingly anxious, to the point where she could barely sit still.
Just then, her phone suddenly rang.
Cornelia trembled in fright and quickly took out her phone.
It turned out to be a friend request, with a note saying [I'm Su Cheng!]
This immediately filled her with joy, and she accepted the request without hesitation.
[Don't Like Oranges]: "Don't say anything later, just deny everything!"
[Don't Like Oranges]: "Put on your school uniform now and wait at the villa entrance!"
[Don't Like Oranges]: "Someone will come looking for you, you must maintain a strong presence."
.........
Seeing this, Cornelia quickly ran back to her villa to change clothes according to Su Cheng's requirements.
Although she didn't understand or comprehend why.
But if Su Cheng said so, it must be right!
As for why?
Because she found Su Cheng very reliable!
.......................
"Blonde hair, white socks, this is the person who hurt our child!"
After taking the child to the hospital, the three people came to the villa district aggressively, with the child's mother pointing at Cornelia at the entrance.
"Wait!"
Su Cheng's expression suddenly changed dramatically, and he quickly stopped the two adults.
"What's wrong, Lawyer Zhang?"
"What happened? The culprit is right there!"
The two were suddenly confused by this turn of events.
What was going on?
Why had the previously calm and collected Lawyer Zhang suddenly become so nervous?
"This is bad, this is too tricky!"
Su Cheng clapped his hands together, then started walking in circles, muttering to himself: "This is hard to handle."
"What happened?"
"What's wrong?"
Su Cheng sighed: "Wait, let me think of something."
The two were completely bewildered and could only quietly watch Su Cheng, waiting for him to explain.
Su Cheng finally stopped, sitting down on a nearby chair. The two quickly followed, anxiously watching him.
Su Cheng took a deep breath, then looked up at the two and said: "Did you see that child's school uniform?"
"School uniform?"
The two looked at each other, then looked toward Cornelia at the villa district entrance.
"What's wrong with attending Flame City Private Academy?"
The child's father shook his head: "It's normal for rich people in the villa district!"
"Yes, being rich doesn't give them the right to poison our child. This world runs on laws!"
The child's mother also spoke up.
"How foolish!"
Su Cheng sighed, shaking his head.
The two people looked bewildered, and the child's father quickly spoke up: "Stop keeping us in suspense, just tell us what's going on?"
Su Cheng looked at them and slowly explained: "Flame City Private Academy has its own legal team. For civil disputes like this, the school will stand behind her and back her up. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"This..."
"No way..."
The two were momentarily speechless.
"Moreover, if the school gets involved, ordinary courts will transfer the case to the high court. Do you know what consequences you'll face if you lose the case!?"
"Consequences?"
"What consequences?"
The two swallowed nervously.
Su Cheng showed a troubled expression and said to them: "Let's not even mention that child's own background. Just the school alone, being such a powerful entity, is not something poor people like us can stand against."
Su Cheng shook his head again: "This school is full of children from powerful families. What if her classmates' relatives are your superiors? This matter will be reported by the school whether you win or lose the case. Have you thought about the consequences?"
As Su Cheng spoke, he gestured with his hands, staring intently at the two.
After Su Cheng finished speaking, the two began to look lost.
"My chairman's child happens to study at Flame City."
The child's father notably began to panic, unconsciously pacing in circles.
Su Cheng sighed: "Well, I can't help you with this matter. I might even get dragged into it myself. I'm going home now."
"Oh, and..."
Su Cheng stood up and pointed at Cornelia, warning them: "Look, that person is clearly waiting for you to approach her. Do you know what that means?"
The two noticed that indeed, Cornelia was looking around, appearing to be waiting for someone.
"It means she's waiting for you to come to her so she can cause trouble!"
Su Cheng continued: "However, you can try to negotiate. Turn on your phone's recording function and try to get her to reveal her purpose in using extremely spicy food."
"With evidence, you can claim compensation. If you report it to the police, she'll definitely panic."
After saying this, Su Cheng paused before continuing: "This blonde girl doesn't look very bright, but if she insists she just likes extremely spicy food and even threatens to sue you, then it's better to settle this quietly. After all, your child did commit theft, and in the end, you'll not only lose the case but also face her wrath."
"Well, maybe we should just let it go."
The child's father looked at Su Cheng, then at the blonde girl, hesitantly.
"Let it go? How can we let it go? Have you no conscience? How can you be such a coward! Our child is still crying in the hospital!"
The child's mother exploded in anger, turned on her phone's recording function, then pushed past the two and ran up to Cornelia, shouting: "How can someone so young be so vicious, daring to use poison! How did your parents raise you? How cruel must you be to do something like this! Why would you do this to a child!"
Cornelia, startled by this sudden confrontation, turned pale and kept backing away.
The mother continued shouting while grabbing Cornelia's arm and pulling her.
"Help!"
Cornelia screamed, falling to the ground and bursting into tears.
Su Cheng saw this and quickly called out to the child's father: "Stop her! Do you want to go to jail?"
Hearing this, the father snapped to attention and rushed to restrain his wife: "Stop making trouble, let go."
Cornelia, terrified and crying, struggled desperately: "I didn't mean to! I really didn't mean to!"
Well, expecting this dimwit to cooperate was the biggest mistake.
From a distance, Su Cheng helplessly slapped his forehead, not expecting this fool to forget everything when scared.
"It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, my baby wouldn't be in the hospital."
The mother stopped, pointing at the tear-stained Cornelia with anger: "Tell me, did you deliberately poison my child?"
Su Cheng panicked, worried that Cornelia might accidentally say something incriminating.
However, just as he was about to run towards Cornelia, she defiantly raised her head: "I don't know what you're talking about, I don't know anything!"
Despite her tear-stained face, red eyes, and slightly swollen nose, her stunning beauty remained undimmed. Combined with her defiant response, both men were frozen in place.
One was Su Cheng.
One was the child's father.
Su Cheng stopped in his tracks and nodded approvingly at Cornelia from afar.
"You still won't admit it?"
The mother became more agitated and reached for Cornelia's arm again.
Then came a loud 'slap'!
The child's father had slapped his wife across the face. She touched her cheek in disbelief, staring at her husband: "You dare hit me?"
"Aren't you ashamed of yourself? Come home with me!"
With that, the father dragged his wife away, and seeing her husband's sudden change in demeanor, she was too scared to say anything more.
"I said I don't know anything!"
"How dare you bully me!"
Cornelia, finding courage from somewhere, suddenly stood up with her hands on her hips and shouted: "I'm going to get a lawyer and sue you! I'll make sure you spend the rest of your lives operating sewing machines in prison!"
Su Cheng was stunned, looking at this suddenly transformed woman.
He nodded approvingly again.
He suddenly felt like a proud father watching his daughter grow up.
So, he showed a fatherly smile and walked forward. Cornelia brightened upon seeing him and was about to greet him, but Su Cheng made a 'shush' gesture, signaling her to stay quiet.
"At this point, you'd better apologize quickly, or the consequences will be unimaginable. There are security cameras here, and you were the ones who got physical first!"
Su Cheng approached the couple and spoke earnestly.
The father fell silent upon hearing this.
After pondering for a moment, he suddenly turned to Cornelia and apologized: "I'm sorry, we were too emotional. We'll take responsibility for all damages, please don't press charges, just let us off this once."
Cornelia was initially startled, not expecting the child's father to apologize to her, and instinctively nodded.
"Did you lose many food deliveries before?"
"Yes, did you steal them?!"
"It was my thoughtless child who took them. I'll transfer the full amount to you now."
The father took out his phone and started to transfer money. Cornelia was surprised, then nodded and took out her phone: "I've calculated it. There were 12 missing deliveries, totaling 2,300 yuan!"
"Are you crazy? Were your deliveries made of gold or silver?"
The mother nearly fainted at hearing the amount, quickly stepping in front of her husband to confront Cornelia sharply.
"Here are the orders, see for yourself!"
Cornelia showed them her phone, displaying 12 order records, each ending with two zeros.
There wasn't a single order under 100 yuan.
It seemed all the orders were for high-end items.
"This... this can't be!"
The couple looked at each other in disbelief.
Finally, the father transferred the money, and Cornelia nodded.
"This happened because we failed to properly discipline our child. We're sorry for the trouble we've caused. Please forgive us," the father said, bowing his head apologetically. "We will definitely educate our child better, and this will never happen again!" he added sincerely.
Cornelia didn't respond, as Su Cheng hadn't signaled her to.
But inside, she was very satisfied, finally getting justice after all this time.
The money didn't matter to her; she just wanted an apology.
She used to go hungry every day before.
"Oh, by the way, I found this belt over there. I think you might need it."
Su Cheng pulled out a black 'Wolf Pack' belt from his back pocket and handed it to the father, winking to indicate he should take it, the meaning clear.
"I understand."
The child's father glanced at Su Cheng, then at Cornelia, before finally taking the belt.
He clearly had good judgment of the situation.
Su Cheng winked at Cornelia.
"Alright, you may go. I forgive you."
Cornelia waved her hand, signaling the couple to leave. The two finally breathed a sigh of relief, and the child's father hurriedly expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you."
After saying this, he quickly left with his wife, while Su Cheng took out a bottle of 'Eight Nuclear Bombs' drink and stuffed it into Cornelia's arms before hurriedly catching up with the couple.
"Why are you giving me drinks again..."
Cornelia watched Su Cheng's retreating figure, looked at the drink in her hand, and her small face showed confusion once more.
"Attorney Zhang, it's fortunate to have you this time, otherwise it would have been troublesome."
"No need to be so polite, we're neighbors, and besides, I wasn't much help."
Su Cheng waved her hand apologetically, indicating that she really wasn't able to help much, then continued: "However, there is something I need to remind you about - you must educate your child well. There's a villa district nearby, and if something like this happens again, it could be really serious."
Su Cheng said with a serious expression.
"I understand, I will definitely educate my child properly. Thank you for your legal assistance today!"
The child's father said while extending his hand to shake Su Cheng's, expressing his gratitude.
"No need to be so formal, just keep a better eye on your child in the future."
Su Cheng waved her hand as she spoke and walked directly into the apartment.
As the couple watched Su Cheng's retreating figure, they exchanged glances, and then the child's father sighed: "There are still many kind-hearted people in this world. If it weren't for him, we would have been in real trouble today."