Pretending to be a Bad Student - Chapter 3

Police Station Showdown

B City, Heishui Town Public Security Sub-bureau.

“Guardian of Xie Yu?”

“I’m his mother.” Gu Xuelan looked a little uneasy standing in the police station. “Is he alright? Is he hurt? How much is the medical bill? I’ll pay whatever it takes, just release him immediately.”

The female officer didn’t even look up. With practiced movements, she pulled a sheet from the folder on her right and slapped it on the desk. “That can wait. Fill out this form first.”

After a while, once the officer finished handling her tasks, she capped her pen and looked up. “Your son is impressive. One person against five… He beat them, but all their injuries are internal. You wouldn’t even notice them at a hospital.”

Gu Xuelan stiffened all over, unsure how to react.

The officer gave her a quick once-over and asked casually, “You’re not locals, are you?”

Gu Xuelan said, “We… are from A City.”

This time, Xie Yu’s fight wasn’t particularly serious. Although the few young men who called the police kept insisting how their ‘big brother’ was bullied and thrown to the ground and beaten, the officers taking the reports were skeptical.

They had handled countless emergency calls, but this was the first time they encountered this kind of “victim”: brightly dyed chicken-head hairstyles, earrings and nose rings, smelling of smoke, and tattoos of a domineering Left Azure Dragon and Right White Tiger on their arms. Especially after checking the ID numbers the youths provided, they found multiple criminal records among them.

“Are the circumstances you described true?”

“True, absolutely true. Our big brother still can’t stand.”

They then turned their gaze toward the man sitting on the couch in the waiting room, a repulsive-looking figure with a gold “dog chain” around his neck. He clutched his stomach, groaning continuously: “It hurts so much… oh, they’re bullying honest people… kids these days… it hurts, it hurts, even talking hurts.”

“…”

Gu Xuelan filled out the form and signed her name at the bottom right corner.

The officer said, “Alright, wait here. Your son hasn’t finished being interrogated yet.”

Gu Xuelan gripped her handbag tightly. She didn’t want to stay any longer. “He hasn’t finished?” After receiving the call, she had rushed over from A City, a two-hour journey.

The officer glanced at her. “The two sides’ statements don’t match.”

In the holding room.

Xie Yu repeated for the third time, “I didn’t hit him.”

During these not-so-long, not-so-short two hours, Hu Ge truly experienced how unpredictable life could be, and also got a taste of just how miserable things could get. The little kid in front of him, who had just started high school, had taught him a lesson, what it meant to be shameless.

He sat across from Xie Yu at the wide table, slammed his palm down, and shouted at the top of his lungs as if he wanted to rip the roof off.
“Fuck you! Officer! He’s lying!”

The officer wasn’t someone to be easily intimidated either. Having worked in the Heishui Street jurisdiction, even the gentlest disposition had been sharpened:
“Fuck what? Sit down properly! What are you acting like? If you can’t behave, get out! Did I let you talk?”

Reluctantly, Hu Ge sat back down.

The officer turned to the “fragile boy” sitting across from Hu Ge, lowering his voice a few decibels.
“Xie Yu, right? Don’t be afraid. With us here, he won’t dare do anything to you.”

Xie Yu quietly, timidly, and politely replied:
“Thank you, Officer.”

Hu Ge was so furious he wished he could leap across the table and tear off the boy’s fake mask:
“Stop acting! I’m the one who got hit, I’m the victim!”

The officer tapped the table with his folder.
“Shut up or get out! Look at the poor kid, you’re scaring him!”

Xie Yu shivered twice, cooperating perfectly, pretending to be terrified by the gangster. His acting wasn’t particularly heartfelt, but the effect was significant.

Fake… all fake! You’re blind!

Hu Ge raged inside.

What kind of demon or monster was this kid? So young, and already so skilled at wearing a sheep’s skin!

This damn kid was clearly a wolf in disguise!

By the time Xie Yu left, it was almost dark. He bore no responsibility at all, and got away perfectly.

Thanks to the embellishments of the aunties at the wholesale market, Hu Ge’s guilt was solidified. The injuries he had taken were officially recognized as “God knows where, inflicted by who.” He had no choice but to pay five hundred yuan out of his own pocket, write a written guarantee, reflect deeply, swear never to trouble the people of Heishui Street again, reform, and start a new life.

Hu Ge sulked, slumped over the table, with a Xinhua dictionary in front of him, looking up every word he didn’t know how to write, they didn’t even allow him to write in pinyin.

It could easily be described as one of the most humiliating experiences of his life.

When Xie Yu was leaving, Hu Ge even called after him.

The officer held a baton in hand, on high alert the whole time, and warned sharply:
“Chen Xionghu! What are you trying to do now?”

“I’m not trying to do anything. You’re right here holding me, what could I do? I just want to say a word to him.” Saying that, Hu Ge stared at Xie Yu, refusing to give up, and asked, “…Which ‘circle’ are you from?”

Xie Yu stopped in his tracks and looked at him with a complex expression that could be summed up as looking at an idiot.

Hu Ge repeated the question, relentless.
“Which ‘circle’ are you from?!” He felt that the forces behind this kid were unfathomable and needed to know exactly which kind of powerhouse he had provoked this time. If he had to die, he wanted to die knowing the truth.

Under Hu Ge’s piercing gaze, Xie Yu slowly opened his mouth:
“Me? I follow the path of Chinese socialism.”

Hu Ge remained silent.

Outside the police station, a familiar silver-white Bentley was parked. Gu Xuelan sat inside, and through the window Xie Yu could faintly make out her profile.

Xie Yu got in the car:
“Mom.”

Gu Xuelan didn’t say anything.

He continued.
“Actually, you didn’t have to come today. I knew how it would end.”

That Hu Ge… from the start, Xie Yu had known he was bluffing. A true tough guy wouldn’t go around bragging about “I’ve been in prison” all the time, wouldn’t dare come over after drinking only because the Guomao trade center happened to be understaffed, and in the end… actually went so far as to report to the police himself.

Silence hung in the air. After the car had driven for a while, Gu Xuelan finally said:
“You still know I’m your mother? If you’re fine, why did you come here? In the end, the officer said it wasn’t you who hit him… it was you, right?”

Xie Yu leaned back and said casually:
“It was me. Embarrassed that I brought shame to you?”

Gu Xuelan gripped the edge of the plush car seat, knuckles white, paused, and then said sharply:
“Yes! I’m embarrassed! If you know it’s shameful, don’t keep doing shameful things!”

The driver in front sighed and tried to smooth things over:
“Second Young Master, don’t argue with Madam. On the way here, Madam was worried about you the entire time, afraid something would happen to you.”

Xie Yu wanted to say: Don’t call me ‘Second Young Master’—I’m not your Zhong family’s Second Young Master.

Every time he heard those words, he felt uncomfortable all over, as if being forced into ill-fitting clothes, strangling his neck, making it hard to breathe.

Gu Xuelan calmed down and changed the subject:
“I’ve arranged several tutors for you. Starting tomorrow until school begins, you aren’t going anywhere. Stay home and study properly. You know your current grades… what level they are.”

“No need. My grades are what they are. Don’t waste your effort,” Xie Yu said.

Gu Xuelan.
“You refused to go abroad, and stayed in the country, look at what you do all day. A puddle of mud—you can’t even spread it on a wall! Tell me, what exactly do you want to do?!”

The car slowly drove into the underground garage. This was a private villa, surrounded by green mountains and clear water. It had rained a few days ago, and the mist had not yet dissipated; the dampness hit them in the face.

Xie Yu opened the car door, got out, and replied.
“I know what I’m doing with my own life.”

Gu Xuelan was fuming at his attitude, but the driver tried to calm her.
“Rebellious phase, rebellious phase… boys, it’s unavoidable. Sharp edges will prick. My kid was like that too; a few bumps and bruises, he’ll grow out of it.”

Gu Xuelan sat in the car, massaging her temples, unable to speak.

Impressive, Boss Xie… said you’d come see me, and you even went into the police station. I’m really damn touched.

Are you out of the station yet? Want me to send some bros to get you?

Sender: Lei Zi.

Xie Yu glanced down at the text while entering the house.

He was busy changing clothes, so he didn’t reply by text and dialed a call instead.

At this hour, Lei Zi should still be helping at the barbecue stall.

Sure enough, when the call connected, the first thing Xie Yu heard wasn’t Lei Zi’s voice, but someone shouting, “Ten more skewers of lamb!”

“Coming, coming! Table three, ten skewers of lamb.”

After saying that, Lei Zi yanked off his apron, bent down, and slipped out the back door. “Boss Xie, you alright? You made it home? Damn, that station… in and out just like that, ten years of a hot temper, hasn’t changed a bit.”

Xie Yu had just taken off his T-shirt, bare-chested:
“I’m fine. By the way, keep an eye on that ‘Dog Brother.’ I’m afraid he’ll bother Aunt Mei again.”

“Dog Brother?” Lei Zi thought for a moment, then realized: “Oh, you mean Hu Ge?”

Xie Yu: “Pretty much the same.”

“Pretty different, actually,” Lei Zi said.

Lei Zi continued.
“You’ve always been like this, never remember names. Do you even remember my name?”

“Zhou Da Lei, are you sick or what?” Xie Yu said.

“Good enough, good enough. I always feel like with your style, you could actually forget.”

Lei Zi found a small plastic stool, sat down, and pulled a Zhonghua cigarette from his pocket, putting it in his mouth:
“Aunt Mei doesn’t really need my protection, she’s the one protecting me. At most, I’m just a little prince of the barbecue stall. She’s the famous big sister of Heishui Street.”

Xie Yu noticed there was more meaning behind his words:
“Meaning?”

“You left early, so you wouldn’t know. Aunt Mei had someone dig through his background. All that prison and murder stuff… total lies. He only stole something once and got caught on the spot by the owner. I don’t think he can survive on Heishui Street anymore. Protection fees aren’t so easy to collect here.”

Xie Yu put his phone on the bed and started changing his pants.

Lei Zi rambled on. Maybe from boredom with smoking, he suddenly sighed:
“Remember the old days, when our brothers were together… Those were good times. But I’m happy for you. The Zhong family is famous in A City, even opening a branch in B City. Your mom can take you there… you won’t have to worry about food or clothes, unlike before, running around hiding from debts.”

Xie Yu didn’t bother taking off his pants. Relaxing, he flopped onto the bed, the chandelier dazzling above him, asking either others or himself:
“Really?”

It was too noisy on Lei Zi’s end; he didn’t hear him. Lei Zi inhaled the last drag of his cigarette and got up.
“Boss Xie, I’ll stop talking. Table three is starting to rush. Damn, some guy even tried to slam the table, better watch out, I might grab the charcoal and shove it in his face…”

The call disconnected.

Xie Yu lay on the bed, dazed.

After a while, he scratched his head, about to get up and shower, when he felt a hard little square in his pocket. Pulling it out, he realized it was a flyer, the flashy, obnoxiously yellow one he hadn’t thrown away.

Unexpectedly, it wasn’t promoting some naked chat app. He noticed four bold black characters at the bottom, “King of Questions Competition.”

Xie Yu raised an eyebrow, intrigued by this sheep-in-wolf’s-clothing marketing trick.

He flipped the flyer over.

On the back, it read:

“Here are the latest and most comprehensive Olympiad questions, the most thrilling arena battles. Questions cover Chinese, math, English, physics, and chemistry. Hundreds of professors carefully designed them, giving you traps you never imagined. There’s no ‘hardest,’ only ‘harder.’

You… could be the question king we’ve been eagerly awaiting.

Mysterious! Exciting! Good bro~ come on~”

Xie Yu remained silent.