Chapter 73 Chapter 071: Captured Again

"I'm not resisting. I'm innocent—on what grounds are you arresting me?" Ye Chen snorted coldly.

"That's right, my big brother has done nothing wrong!" Shrimp stepped protectively in front of Ye Chen, towering over Zhang Yantong.

"You fool, you really don't know what's good for you!" Zhang Yantong lost her patience. She rushed forward, swinging her fist at Shrimp. He caught her blow with his open palm. Zhang Yantong unleashed a spinning kick. Behind her, Ye Chen pushed Shrimp aside and stood unmoving in the face of her attack. Startled, Zhang Yantong couldn’t pull her leg back in time, and her kick landed hard against Ye Chen’s chest.

A spurt of blood burst from Ye Chen's mouth.

"Brother Chen!" Liu Momo’s heart clenched at the sight of Ye Chen coughing up blood. She was wracked with pain for him.

"Ye Chen!" Li Ruo cried out in alarm.

"Big brother!" Mouse and Shrimp panicked, wanting to rush at Zhang Yantong in fury, but Ye Chen stopped them with a wave of his hand, forcing a bleak smile. He looked at Zhang Yantong and said, "Good. Very good."

"Ye Chen, I... I didn't mean to!" Zhang Yantong hurried to explain. This beautiful woman, radiant as a flower and pure as snow, had secretly harbored feelings for Ye Chen without realizing it. When she saw him spit blood from her own kick, her heart ached.

"I... will submit to the law," Ye Chen said, holding out his hands.

With a click, the policemen rushed over, cuffing his wrists. Two burly officers flanked him, practically dragging him to the police car. In that moment, Ye Chen’s heart was weighed down by despair. Zhang Yantong reached out to him, wanting to say something, to explain, but in the end, the words would not come.

"Big brother!" Mouse and Shrimp tried to rush forward again but were blocked by Li Tieniu. He looked at them and said, "Brother Ye Chen knows what he must do. Don't worry. If Brother Ye Chen isn't out by noon tomorrow, I'll risk my life to storm the police station and get him out myself!"

Li Ruo quickly dialed Lin Ziwen's number. Ziwen had just finished her bath when she received the call, surprised—normally, President Li rarely called her at this hour. Was there an emergency at the company? Thinking this, Lin Ziwen answered at once.

"Ziwen, call the company’s lawyer Chen immediately and have him rush to the police station to bail out Ye Chen!" Li Ruo said anxiously.

"What?" Lin Ziwen was startled. "President Li, what happened to Ye Chen?"

"That fool got into a fight with city inspectors on the street today and injured one of them. That’s why he was arrested!" Li Ruo gnashed her teeth, exasperated. Ye Chen really was a handful. Lin Ziwen nodded quickly, "Alright, I'll call Lawyer Chen right away!"

After hanging up, Lin Ziwen was puzzled. When did President Li start caring so much about Ye Chen? And how did she get news of him so promptly? Despite her doubts, Lin Ziwen immediately called Lawyer Chen, explained the situation, and sent him hurrying to the police station.

Zhang Yantong sat in the front of the police car. Behind the iron bars in the back sat Ye Chen, leaning wearily against the window. He gazed outside, feeling as if something deep within his mind was stirring, something strange trying to break free, but in the end, it was suppressed once more.

The vehicle arrived at the police station. As a principal party, Liu Junyuan also went along with the police. The old man, with his protruding belly, tried his best to curry favor with Zhang Yantong—after all, she was the most famous police beauty in Jianghuai City and the face of the department. Whenever there was a need for police publicity or promotional shoots, Zhang Yantong was always chosen. Nearly everyone in the police force and related departments knew this beautiful rose.

Unfortunately, Zhang Yantong paid Liu Junyuan no mind, and he didn’t realize his enthusiasm was met with indifference.

"Get out!" Two burly officers hauled Ye Chen from the car.

"Be gentle! He may be a suspect, but he still has rights and dignity!" Zhang Yantong scolded them. The two, startled, quickly released Ye Chen and let him jump down himself, following closely behind. Zhang Yantong watched Ye Chen intently, but he acted as if she were invisible, brushing past her as though she were air.

"You..." Zhang Yantong bit her lip, tears glimmering in her eyes. For the first time, she realized how painful it was to be misunderstood.

Ye Chen entered, and the officers unlocked the interrogation room.

Zhang Yantong presided over the session, with two male officers watching. Liu Junyuan sat grandly in the office, drinking tea, bantering with the officers, boasting about today's incident. When it came to Ye Chen, he raged as if his tail had been stepped on, cursing Ye Chen’s ancestors for eighteen generations.

Inside the interrogation room, silence reigned.

Zhang Yantong stared at Ye Chen, who kept his eyes downcast, sitting calmly like a silent prisoner. Zhang Yantong was anxious, not knowing why she suddenly cared so much for this roguish man. Taking a deep breath, she began, "Name!"

"Ye Chen."

"Age?" her voice icy.

"Twenty-five."

"Home address?"

"Room 205, Xinhai Apartments, Extension of Station Front Road, Jianghuai City."

"Occupation?"

"Salesman."

"When did you become a salesman? Aren’t you a bodyguard for Tianya Group?" Zhang Yantong was taken aback.

Ye Chen merely grunted, ignoring her. Zhang Yantong frowned, feeling more aggrieved, but her resilience did not waver. She pressed on, "Describe today’s events in your own words!"

Ye Chen remained silent.

"You’re not going to talk, are you?" The two burly officers approached Ye Chen menacingly. Zhang Yantong immediately barked, "Stop! Don’t touch him!"

The two officers were stunned. What was with Captain Zhang today? She usually didn't object to tough interrogations, but now she was protecting this kid at every turn. Was there something between them? Bewilderment was written all over their faces.

"Ye Chen, I know you feel wronged, but do you know who Liu Junyuan is?" Zhang Yantong softened her tone. "His father is Liu Jiangqiu, the Deputy Secretary of the City Committee. Even the Party Secretary Jiang Zhonggen has to show him some respect!"

"If my father were the Party Secretary, would you dare drag me in here?" Ye Chen shot her a cold look.

His words cornered Zhang Yantong. Indeed, in a society like this, everything depended on your father, your wealth, or your connections. Her face turned pale with indignation. On any other day, Ye Chen might have found her pout cute, but not now, not in this hostile climate with so much tension.

"Ye Chen, I'm only doing this for your own good!" Zhang Yantong pleaded earnestly.

"For my own good? I’d rather you didn’t!" Ye Chen retorted with a cold laugh. He stood, glaring at her. "Why don't you do something for the poor people? Why not help those street vendors who get beaten and whose livelihoods are smashed, who might go hungry for a month? You police are always the lapdogs of the powerful, oppressing the common people!"

Tears welled in Zhang Yantong's eyes, sparkling but refusing to fall. Ye Chen was momentarily stunned by the sight. Maybe he’d gone too far. Perhaps not all police were bad—he’d heard of Zhang Yantong’s reputation for always putting the people first. Perhaps his anger had gotten the better of him.

"Forget it, I have no interest in wasting time here with you," Ye Chen shrugged, then slipped off his handcuffs with ease. The two male officers gaped in disbelief—he had freed himself with his bare hands! Ye Chen tossed the cuffs on the table and strode toward the door.

"Stop!" Zhang Yantong suddenly called after him.

"What is it? Does the police station provide meals too?" Ye Chen glanced back at her, pulling a Red Double Happiness cigarette from his pocket and lighting it with a snap. Zhang Yantong watched him—this scoundrel had no sense of being a prisoner; did he think the police station was his home? She snorted, "Of course we do. In fact, we offer a week-long tour of the police station, complete with a fine pair of handcuffs!"

She strode over, picked up the cuffs, and clamped them on Ye Chen again.

Ye Chen stared, about to protest, when Zhang Yantong whispered in his ear, "If you trust me, don’t do anything rash."