In the end, he was truly pushed to the brink.

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Faced with the heckling of the crowd, Lu Yin’s fiery temper flared up as well.

“What’s all this noise? What’s with all the noise?” she snapped.

Black Screen and the others’ momentum faltered.

Yang Tang, seeing this, spoke with biting sarcasm, “This is a private place. People can speak however they want. But Officer Lu, no one invited you in, did they?” Without waiting for Lu Yin to retort, he pointed at one of Hua’s men’s girlfriends. “You, yes, you, come over here!”

The little delinquent girl glanced at her man, and under the double signal from Hua and her boyfriend, she walked over to Yang Tang, trembling. “Hello, Brother Yi!”

“What are you greeting me for? Answer my question!” Yang Tang sneered. “Just now, when these three officers rushed in, I saw you looked scared following behind them, didn’t you?”

At these words, the hand under Hua began to sweat profusely, wanting to explain. But although the little delinquent girl hadn’t studied her books well, she’d learned to read faces long ago. Hearing Yang Tang’s words, she shrieked, “Yes, Brother Yi! When the officers rushed in, I was really frightened!”

Yang Tang nearly burst out laughing but managed to keep a straight face, turning to Lu Yin, “Officer Lu, you heard her? She says when your people burst in, she was so frightened—tell me, how should this be handled?”

Hua and his crew were stunned for a moment before roaring with laughter. Even the delinquent girl and her boyfriend looked proud, making Yang Tang speechless.

Lu Yin and her two colleagues, however, seemed deeply humiliated. Especially Lu Yin—her square face flushed bright red. “I’m here today to find Kong Hua. And you, where did you pop up from? Looking for trouble, are you? Do you want me to haul you back to the station?”

Yang Tang was completely unfazed by the threat, mocking, “Don’t say that, Officer Lu. There really is an issue here. It was me who ordered the car smashing at the school gates the other day. If you aren’t after me but come looking for Hua, isn’t that a bit muddle-headed?”

At this, Lu Yin and her colleagues’ faces changed dramatically.

Yang Tang, seeing their reaction, became even more relaxed. He sat down leisurely and shouted, “Hey, someone, bring out a plate of Mapo tofu!”

The kitchen staff, also watching the scene unfold, immediately responded, “Right away, Brother Yi!”

By now, Lu Yin had recovered from her shock and stepped forward, glaring at Yang Tang, “So it was you who smashed my brother’s car and beat up his two classmates!”

“Hey, Officer Lu, there were plenty of witnesses at the school gate that day. You can’t just take your brother’s side over logic!” Yang Tang said lazily. “Your brother tried to hit me, then my two classmates heroically knocked down his two lackeys and saved me. As our great leader once said, ‘The public’s eyes are sharp.’ If you don’t believe me, go investigate!”

Lu Yin was speechless.

“As for the car smashing, I’ll say it again: whatever the car is worth, I’ll pay. Don’t go after Hua for compensation—you can come straight to me!” Yang Tang’s smile was all sarcasm. “But, I swear as a recent graduate of Shizhong, I won’t compromise with any local thugs. So if the police want to mediate a private settlement and make me pay the car owner in advance, that’s impossible! I’ll only accept a court ruling. Whatever they say I owe, I’ll pay every cent. How’s that?”

Lu Yin was so furious she laughed. “You? You have money to pay?”

Yang Tang scoffed. “Don’t underestimate me, Officer Lu. Your brother’s car isn’t even worth two hundred thousand. I’ll pay him the full two hundred thousand—so what? But until the court rules, not a penny from me!”

“You—”

“And another thing, Officer Lu. I’ll let bygones be bygones until today. If you come after me again over your brother’s case, I’ll have to formally complain that you’re violating the police recusal policy!” Yang Tang went on, hitting every sore spot. “Besides, this is Hua’s place. Whether he complains about you disturbing the peace or trespassing, I don’t know.”

Hua immediately chimed in, “Complain? Of course, I’ll complain!” He patted the little delinquent girl. “Look how badly you scared my girl!”

Lu Yin and her colleagues could no longer keep a straight face. Embarrassed, they had no choice but to leave in haste, causing Black Screen and the others to erupt in laughter that echoed on and on.

When the laughter finally subsided, Hua generously rewarded the girl and her boyfriend with a thousand yuan, sent his men downstairs, then turned to flatter Yang Tang. “Brother Yi, you’re truly something. In ancient times, Zhuge Liang debated the scholars; today, you debated the police. Just a few words and that pesky female officer was sent packing. That was brilliant!”

Yang Tang shot him a sidelong glance and replied coolly, “Brilliant, my foot. Just wait, that Lu Yin will definitely find an excuse to harass me again!”

Wu Hao, who had been silent in the background when Lu Yin and her colleagues appeared, now spoke up. “She wouldn’t dare! I’ll have my dad get her dismissed!”

“Whoa, whoa, Haozi, that’s going too far!” Yang Tang said. “Uncle Wu is about to win a big merit. You can’t let him down now!”

Wu Hao protested, “But that female officer’s conduct just now clearly violated police regulations!”

“Maybe she’s relying on someone powerful!” Yang Tang speculated indifferently. Then he turned to Hua. “By the way, there’s something you need to pay attention to.”

“What is it?” Hua leaned in, all ears.

Yang Tang spoke unhurriedly. “I’m guiding you here—your operation is going to grow. If someone on the street gets jealous, your men can handle it. But on the official side, you need someone to cover for you, and you must hire a lawyer to deal with the police!”

“Hire a lawyer?”

“Yes, hire someone reputable but also mercenary, who only cares about money and gets things done!”

“Got it. I’ll remember.”

The next day, at the city bureau, Wu Lie’s office.

“Hao’er, is that really what he said?”

“That’s right. He said he didn’t want to cause you trouble and told me not to hold you back!”

“Nonsense!” Wu Lie grinned. “Little Yang is reminding me not to be passive. Otherwise, with such a big prize, others will be quick to carve out a share!”

“So, what did he really mean?”

“Just listen to him in reverse!” Wu Lie advised his son.

Wu Hao, however, was unconvinced. “But the tips he gave me in that note, I can’t just do the opposite, right?”

Wu Lie didn’t notice his son’s expression and muttered to himself, “He’s right. Such a big achievement—I can’t swallow it alone. I might as well let go. Everyone in the bureau knows the truth. No one can deny my contribution, and my name will certainly be on the commendation list. By the way, Hao’er, what did you say that female officer’s name was?”

“Lu Yin, from the High-Tech District.”

“Perfect. I’ll make an example of her!” Wu Lie sneered as he picked up the phone. “Hello? Personnel Department? This is Wu Lie. I need you to look into a female officer named Lu Yin from the High-Tech District. Yes, I want her file on my desk. Fax it to me as soon as you find it!”

When Wu Lie hung up, Wu Hao said, “Dad, Brother Tang said you shouldn’t touch that female officer!”

“He says I shouldn’t, so I won’t? Just wait. I bet in a couple of days, he’ll be the one complaining about her himself.”

Wu Lie’s prediction was, unfortunately, all too accurate.

On Monday morning, during the break after the first double period, Yang Tang left the classroom building, intending to use the restroom, all the while thinking about the last mock exam coming up that weekend.

Unexpectedly, just as he passed the flowerbed, Lu Yin—who had been lying in wait on the far side—jumped out and blocked his path. Her two male colleagues closed in from behind, gripping Yang Tang’s arms to restrain him.

Yang Tang nearly lashed out in reflex, but though his anger soared, his expression remained cold as ice. He asked in a chilling voice, “Officer Lu, what are you trying to do?” At the same time, he thought to himself that he should find time to learn some self-defense moves—just enough to protect himself, not to injure others.

As the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly understood: he needed to study non-lethal self-defense techniques!

Lu Yin, seeing Yang Tang caught, allowed herself a trace of smugness. She announced loudly, “Yang Tang, is it? We’re from the High-Tech District Police. Regarding last week’s incident at Shizhong’s front gate—the car smashing and assault—you are one of the witnesses. We’d like you to come to the station to assist with our investigation!” Her voice immediately drew a crowd of students, both male and female, eager to see what was happening.

Yang Tang instantly saw through Lu Yin’s malicious intent. Assisting with an investigation meant neither arrest nor detention, but she insisted on forcibly detaining him on campus, creating a negative scene—clearly just to disgust him!

“Hmph. Officer Lu, let me remind you: with so many witnesses here, I’m under eighteen. What you and your colleagues are doing is against the rules. I will definitely file a complaint against you.” As he spoke, Yang Tang felt the grip of the two officers on his arms loosen slightly. He immediately mustered his strength and broke free, darting into the crowd of classmates.

Lu Yin’s expression changed dramatically as she shouted, “Yang Tang, are you refusing to cooperate with a police investigation and escaping police custody?”

“Officer Lu, spare me the act! I’ll pay for the car. As for the assault, it wasn’t me—there are plenty of witnesses. Why are you after me?” Yang Tang called out from the crowd, grabbing a sophomore girl’s phone as he spoke. He turned on the video function and filmed Lu Yin and her colleagues furiously. “You say you’re here to investigate, but you’re trying to detain me by force. Is there no law left? Besides, if you really are on duty, why haven’t you shown your police IDs?”

At these words, the students who had come to watch the commotion began to glare at Lu Yin and her two colleagues with growing hostility. Liu Yu, who was also among the crowd, took the opportunity to say, “Officers, if you’re here at our school, shouldn’t you at least show your IDs?”

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