Chapter 20 - Xiao Bing, You are Under Arrest
Xiao Bing went home, lay on bed, took out his phone and sent Yezi, “Good night.”
Very soon, he received a message, “Call me ‘baby’.”
The young and ignorant face of Yezi came to Xiao Bing’s mind, and he couldn’t help smiling. He quickly typed on his phone and sent, “Baby, good night.”
“Good night.”
Ye Bancheng was 55 years old this year, which should have been the wealthiest time of his life. However, he fell seriously ill. Even famous doctors in Europe couldn’t cure his illness.
Someone advised him that the best doctor from Hua Xia, Zhang Yizhi, who lived in Jing Du City might be able to cure him. However, despite sending his men to invite Zhang Yizhi five times, none of them succeeded. After going into retirement, Zhang Yizhi had stopped treating patients. Therefore, Ye Bancheng had to give up.
But today, the Ye Family suddenly heard a piece of good news: Zhang Yizhi showed up in Jiang City. The moment he arrived, he dismissed the director of the #1 hospital from his post. Hurriedly, the Ye Family sent their men to inquire about this. They found out that Zhang Yizhi came because a man named Xiao Bing invited him.
Ye Bancheng had one son and two daughters. Ye Xinyi was the eldest daughter, Ye Tianming was the middle brother, and Ye Xiaoxi was the youngest daughter, namely Yezi. Because Yezi was the youngest, Ye Bancheng spoiled her the most, just like a little princess. However, Yezi didn’t appreciate her father that much. Now, both Ye Xinyi and Ye Tianming stood beside his bed.
Ye Bancheng said in a weak voice, “Zhang Yizhi is in Jiang City now. And this is my last chance. You need to get him to treat me, no matter the cost.”
Ye Tianming said, “Zhang Yizhi is very stubborn. I don’t think he will change his mind, no matter how much you beg him. But I have an idea, father.”
Ye Bancheng looked to his son and gasped, “Speak.”
“Since he was invited here by the outsider Xiao Bing, they must be good friends. Why don’t we solve the problem in another way? If we bribe Xiao Bing, it should be a lot easier than directly going to Zhang Yizhi for help.”
A light flashed in the cloudy eyes of Ye Bancheng. He said in a hurried voice, “Do as you said. Find Xiao Bing. As long as he agrees to help, we can pay any price. Which one of you will go?”
Before Ye Tianming could open his mouth, Ye Xinyi said, “I will go.”
Ye Tianming took a look at his sister, but didn’t say anything.
Ye Bancheng looked to his daughter who was both glamorous and dazzling, even when wearing a simple white dress. He stared at her with his eyes half-closed for a while, before suddenly saying, “Okay, if you go.. It might be easier.”
Ye Xinyi’s eyes glamed, and she said with a smile, “Don’t worry, father. No matter what, I will get him to help.”
“Okay.” Ye Bancheng closed his eyes slowly and said with a weary look, “It’s getting late. You should go back to your room to have some rest. I also need to sleep now.”
Ye Tianming and Ye Xinyi took a look at each other before leaving together.historical
After leaving the room, Ye Tianming suddenly mentioned, “Sister, when I was investigating Xiao Bing, I heard that he had a conflict with the Xie Family. And you were there too..”
“I was.” Ye Xinyi laughed calmly.
“Then.. Are you sure it’s appropriate for you to go?”
“I won’t know unless I try.” Ye Xinyi smiled with a look full of confidence and said, “And besides, that’s the Xie Family he messed with, not me. Am I right?”
After hearing this, Ye Tianming knew that his sister was going to make a deal with Xiao Bing. Ever since they were kids, he had known of his sister’s excellence. It wasn’t just in academics, she also had a keen awareness of social situations, a kind of merit which was rare in youths nowadays.
The next day, Xiao Bing got up at dawn.
Su Xiaoxiao was also an early riser, but was not as early as Xiao Bing. After Xiao Bing washed up quietly, he went to the kitchen and started to make breakfast.
When it was six o’clock, Su Xiaoxiao walked into the bathroom with a sleepy look. After she finished washing up, she entered the kitchen to make breakfast, but found that Xiao Bing had already made it.
Xiao Bing brought two bowls of steamed sponge cake to the table and put some steamed spring rolls onto the plate. When he saw Su Xiaooxiao walking into the kitchen, he showed the breakfast on the table to her and said with a smile, “Good morning. Come sit down and let’s have breakfast.”
When Su Xiaoxiao looked at the bowls of sponge cake, she felt sober immediately. She looked dazed for a bit, and tears started coming out.
Xiao Bing said with a smile, “You told me that after your sister passed, nobody ever made you steamed sponge cake again. I’ve made it a few times before. You should try to see if it’s as good as the ones your sister made.”
“Thanks.” Su Xiaoxiao sat down and took a spoonful of sponge cake. She pressed her lips together tightly, trying not to let her tears fall. At that moment, she thought of her sister and the time they spent together at home a few years ago.
Xiao Bing put a steamed spring roll in Su Xiaoxiao’s bowl, and said with a smile, “I used to have steamed sponge cake a lot when I was a kid. It was the Auntie in the orphanage who made it, and the ones she made were much better than mine.”
“Mmm.” Su Xiaoxiao finally took a bite. It tasted so good that she nodded contentedly. Her messy hair lay on the table and even blocked her face. However, she didn’t pay any attention to it, instead eating the steamed spring roll and the steamed sponge cake in big mouthfuls.
Seeing Su Xiaoxiao eating so happily, Xiao Bing smiled in relief. Since Su Peiya was gone, he wanted to take good care of her family as much as possible – even if Su Xiaoxiao was unfriendly to him.
After Su Xiaoxiao finished eating, she put down her spoon and tied up her hair again. Xiao Bing realized her eyes were red when she raised her head. However, she smiled after such a long time. She said with a softer voice than usual, “Uncle Zhang said he would do the surgery for my mom today. So I’m taking leave from school and going to the hospital. My mom said you should stay at the restaurant and attend to the business. We all believe in Uncle Zhang’s skills. After the surgery is done, I’ll go and tell you the good news immediately.”
Xiao Bing smiled and said, “Okay.”
Su Xiaoxiao pushed her chair away, stood up, and said, “I’ll be leaving now, call me if anything happens.”
“You too.”
“Okay.” Su Xiaoxiao replied, before leaving the kitchen and heading directly for the door. She wore her shoes and went out.
After Su Xiaoxiao left, Xiao Bing looked at her seat at the table and noticed it was soaked.
Since he had got up so early, when Xiao Bing arrived at the restaurant, it was still empty.
Xiao Bing opened the door, entered the restaurant, and did a little cleaning. Wang Guifang was the second to arrive. She felt a bit surprised and said, “Lil’ Bing, why are you so early?”
Xiao Bing smiled and said, “I woke up early and couldn’t go back to sleep. So I came after having breakfast.”
“Oh, what a shame that you have a girlfriend now. Otherwise, I could introduce you to my niece from another city. She’s about your age and wants to find a boyfriend now. Decent young men like you are so rare.”
Xiao Bing laughed and said, “Aunt Wang, you’re making me embarrassed. I’m just a worker here. If your niece stayed with me, she would suffer.”
Wang Guifang said a little crossly, “Oh, you. Who would ever say that about themselves? What’s wrong about being a worker? If you work hard, you will surely make a living. Trust me, you’ll be outstanding someday. I won’t be wrong. What’s more, if you are that bad, why would the school beauty like you?”
Xiao Bing laughed a bit, but didn’t argue.
While they spoke, Zhang Jing and Li Hong also arrived. After they saw Xiao Bing, they asked Xiao Bing right away for details of his date with Yezi last night. When Xiao Bing told them that Yezi had agreed to be his girlfriend, they got so thrilled that they couldn’t stop talking about it.
In the morning, it was less busy in the restaurant. The reason why some customers would come to the restaurant to have breakfast was because it was famous for its noodles. The other restaurants on this street would usually stay closed until midday.
Before it struck ten o’clock, Su Xiaoxiao ran into the restaurant, and said to Xiao Bing with joy on her face, “Bother Bing, the surgery was successful!”
There were only two tables occupied in the restaurant right now, which weren’t busy. When Su Xiaoxiao went into the restaurant, Xiao Bing was talking with Li Hong and Zhang Jing. Xiao Bing felt quite delighted and relieved hearing the good news. It was as if a weight had been lifted from his heart. He smiled at once and said, “That’s great. Now you can stop worrying and focus on your studies. I’ll go visit Aunt Li in the afternoon and see how she’s feeling.”
Su Xiaoxiao looked at Xiao Bing, and said in a grateful voice, “Thank you. If it weren’t you, my mom could have..”.
Xiao Bing shook his head and smiled, “As long as you don’t kick me out.”
Zhang Jing and Li Hong said, astonished, “Xiaoxiao, you want to drive Brother Bing out?”
Su Xiaoxiao sighed. Some words were not meant for the ears of others. After all, Xiao Bing had helped her family a lot, and she was starting to like him. There was no way she would ask him to leave again. However, Su Peiya’s death made her sad for so long that she couldn’t stand facing Xiao Bing because his existence kept reminding her of her sister.
Just as Su Xiaoxiao was about to speak, a police siren suddenly rang. Xiao Bing and the others looked outside and saw a few police cars stopping outside. A fat, middle-aged police officer walked right into the restaurant followed by several young policemen. People eating put down their chopsticks and looked at them, stunned. The fat middle-aged police officer showed his badge first, and said with an air of justice, “I am Chang Huai’an – the director of the public security bureau in Jin Sha District. Which one of you is Xiao Bing?”
Su Xiaoxiao and the others all got stupefied, especially Li Hong and Zhang Jing. They were wondering if the guy who got kicked by Brother Bing had died after he left yesterday. Everyone felt uneasy except Xiao Bing. He said in a calm voice, “I am.”
Chang Huai’an said, “You’re suspected of a break-in murder that happened three days ago. You are under arrest!”
Xiao Bing frowned a bit and said, “Are you sure you want to arrest me?”
Chang Huai’an still had the air of dignity on his face, which gave people an upright and honest impression. He said with a serious voice, “We have sufficient evidence proving that you are the foremost suspect in this case. So you have to come with us now. No matter who you are, no matter who you know, and no matter how close you are with the Ye Family.. If you try retaliating with violence, we have the right to take you down by force.”
“Everyone is equal before the law!”
One wouldn’t be able to defeat a country, no matter how powerful he was. Xiao Bing certainly wouldn’t fight against these policemen. And there’s no chance he would let Chang Huai’an frame him like this.
Chang Huai’an thought his words were righteous, and had made others feel refreshed and invigorated. However, Xiao Bing looked at him with a gaze full of irony and mocking. He didn’t seem to be afraid of him, or even pay any attention to him. Chang Huai’an got a bit angry.
The policeman beside Chang Huai’an took out a pair of handcuffs and was going to cuff Xiao Bing. Suddenly the door to the restaurant opened again. Then Ye Xinyi walked in. She said in a confident and beautiful voice, “Hello, Director Chang, what are you doing here?”
Chang Huai’an looked back and saw Ye Xinyi walk into the restaurant. She wore a pair of branded high heels and was dressed in a fashional and noble manner. The moment she walked in, everyone turned their heads to look at her.
She was just that dazzling and glamorous.