Wang Shuang had assumed he’d be the last of the “Shrimp King” shareholders to arrive.
By the time he rushed from the airport, Wen Ying, Geng Xiao, and Tang Yifeng were already at the police station. Among the “Shrimp King” shareholders, Qin Jiao wasn’t there, and surprisingly, Xie Qian was absent too.
Odd. Why had Wen Ying notified him but not Xie Qian?
The thought had just crossed his mind when Wang Shuang spotted a familiar face—Qin Xianming’s secretary.
Wang Shuang perked up. “Brother Gao, what’s the situation inside?”
Secretary Gao lowered his voice. “Shrimp King caught two petty thieves. The night supervisor nabbed them red-handed and brought them to the station. Qin Jiao couldn’t come, so President Qin sent me to check things out.”
Secretary Gao was there to back Wen Ying and the others.
Though called petty thieves, the two were carrying controlled knives, enough to classify their crime as “burglary with intent to rob.” Qin Xianming sent Secretary Gao to lend Wen Ying a hand.
These small-time troublemakers shouldn’t keep draining Wen Ying’s energy. Constantly worrying about “Shrimp King” would leave her no time to study.
Qin Xianming’s intent was to crush them once and for all, ensuring Shu Ji never dared to mess with “Shrimp King” again.
A big boss personally dealing with a small shop might seem laughable, but Shu Ji had walked right into the line of fire, giving Qin Xianming every reason to act.
“Yang Xi caught them both?” Wang Shuang asked.
Secretary Gao nodded. “Yes, she was on night watch. She took down both thieves. You picked a great supervisor.”
This wasn’t just a lobster shop supervisor—she’d qualify as a bodyguard for the wealthy.
President Qin was intrigued. If Yang Xi ever left “Shrimp King,” he’d offer her a high salary to protect Qin Jiao.
“That impressive!” Wang Shuang exclaimed.
Hearing that Yang Xi, a young woman, had subdued two thieves, Wang Shuang didn’t want to waste time with Secretary Gao and hurried inside.
But once there, he found Yang Xi wasn’t being praised—she was being scolded by the police.
“You’re a young woman. In situations like this, you should leave the scene immediately, ensure your safety, and then call the police. How could you rush in and confront the criminals?” the officer said.
The officer’s criticism was out of concern for Yang Xi. Wen Ying didn’t defend her, letting the officer continue.
Yang Xi’s courage was reckless.
She had a bold, almost foolhardy bravery.
Thinking back to last night, Wen Ying still felt waves of fear.
Yang Xi not only caught the thieves but kept quiet until workers arrived for renovations today, only then reporting the incident.
Two thousand yuan was her salary, not payment for risking her life. Yang Xi was too reckless.
Wang Shuang was pulled aside by an officer to answer questions about whether he knew of any conflicts between “Shrimp King” and “Shu Ji.”
Wang Shuang’s expression turned rare and serious. “There’s been bad blood for a while. No idea why, but Shu Ji keeps targeting Shrimp King. Our shop’s renovations were sabotaged with feces not long ago. We’re in the food business—who’d come to our store after hearing about that? Now they’ve escalated, sending people with knives to our door. What are they planning? Murder?”
Wang Shuang admired Yang Xi’s fighting skills.
But he wasn’t naive.
This time, they were lucky it was Yang Xi. She subdued the thieves.
What if it had been Wen Ying in the shop?
Vandalism was one thing, but what if the thieves, seeing a lone young woman, had worse intentions?
Shu Ji’s audacity had grown, and Wang Shuang’s patience was at its limit.
Hearing Wang Shuang say the thieves might have intended murder, Yang Xi chimed in. “They had knives—maybe they really meant to kill. This job’s too scary. Boss, settle my wages. I quit!”
Quitting was out of the question. Yang Xi was playing it up at the station, acting frightened.
The officers didn’t quite buy it.
The thieves had broken into Shrimp King’s shop at midnight. Yang Xi caught them then but didn’t make a fuss, keeping them detained until noon today before reporting it.
It seemed the thieves were more shaken. They answered every question the officers asked.
Based on their statements, the police had brought in Shu Guobing.
Shu Guobing denied knowing the thieves, calling it slander.
As for why Wen Ying and the others would frame him and Shu Ji, he claimed it was because their families had a feud.
“We’ve been at odds for ages. We’re supposedly relatives, but her family always bullies us, picking on ordinary folks like us!” he said.
He even accused Wen Ying of making up stories.
Last time, she claimed his daughter Shu Lu hired someone for extortion.
Now, she was saying he hired people for armed burglary.
“Don’t think you can bully me because I’m from the countryside. I’ve got friends looking out for me!” Shu Guobing said, brimming with arrogance.
He believed Wen Ying had no evidence.
Xiao Cai had assured him everything was fine.
The thieves were hired by Xiao Cai, and Shu Guobing hadn’t been involved directly. Why pin it on him?
Xiao Cai was usually reliable, but this time he’d botched it.
Shu Guobing still couldn’t wrap his head around it at the station. How had two lowlifes with knives gotten caught breaking into Shrimp King’s shop?
This wasn’t the plan at all.
Wen Ying didn’t bother arguing with Shu Guobing. She was waiting for someone.
She glanced at her watch, estimating the time.
Sure enough, moments later, Xie Qian arrived with Director Lü from the street office.
Xie Qian nodded slightly to Wen Ying, and a smile spread across her face. Shu Guobing was done for this time.
Director Lü personally handed surveillance footage to the police. “The street office installed cameras on Night Snack Street as a precaution. We didn’t expect to actually capture illegal activity.”
Director Lü didn’t mention that Wen Ying had suggested the cameras.
Not only were cameras installed in all four directions outside Shrimp King’s shop, but the entire Night Snack Street was now under surveillance.
After Yang Xi’s report, Wen Ying had promptly provided “evidence” to the police, handing over the shop’s exterior footage from that night. The video clearly showed the thieves prying open the door to break in, one of them holding a knife that glinted in the footage—undeniable proof of “armed” intrusion.
Wen Ying could access Shrimp King’s exterior footage but not other parts of the street. The footage Director Lü brought was from a camera at the alley behind Shu Ji’s back door.
In the footage, the thieves’ outfits hadn’t changed. A man handed them a package, and the three huddled, pointing toward Shrimp King. The thieves smoked a cigarette before leaving the alley.
Clearly, none of them knew about the nearby camera.
Without Director Lü’s approval and cooperation, Wen Ying couldn’t have installed cameras under the guise of trimming the banyan tree.
The cameras were painted green, hidden among the tree’s branches, nearly impossible to spot unless deliberately searched for.
“Pause and zoom in,” an officer said.
They managed to capture a clear shot of the man’s face. Pausing the video, the officer asked Wen Ying if she recognized him.
No need for Wen Ying to speak—Director Lü did. “That’s Shu Guobing’s driver, known as Xiao Cai. I don’t recall his real name clearly. After Shu Ji opened, Xiao Cai sent me a gift, slipping an envelope of cash under the gift box. How could I accept that? I returned it immediately and reported the incident. You can still find the file. Anyway, Xiao Cai is Shu Guobing’s driver and confidant, handling all sorts of tasks for him.”
Working at the street office, Director Lü dealt with all kinds of people daily. The first time he met Xiao Cai, he knew he was shady. Xiao Cai dared to offer him money, but Director Lü wouldn’t dare accept it.
Not only could he not take it, but he had to guard against being accused. Director Lü was cautious.
The police had only detained Shu Guobing, not Xiao Cai. With Director Lü’s footage, Xiao Cai wouldn’t escape either.
Xie Qian accompanied Director Lü to the station and saw him out.
Director Lü pretended not to notice Secretary Gao’s luxury car parked outside and spoke to Xie Qian as he always had. “Now that no one’s causing trouble, you can focus on your business. Of course, studying is the priority.”
In the capital, someone like Director Lü might fawn over Xie Qian and avoid a lecturing tone.
But this wasn’t the capital. Xie Qian didn’t mind Director Lü’s demeanor and sincerely thanked him.
Director Lü’s help stemmed from their suggestions aligning with his interests. But today, he could have sent a clerk with the footage. His personal presence showed that beyond shared interests, there was genuine respect.
Director Lü left.
Wang Shuang finished answering questions.
The police went to apprehend Xiao Cai, and Wen Ying and the others could go home to await updates.
As soon as Yang Xi stepped out of the station, she clutched her stomach, groaning. “No, no, I can’t hold it. I need a bathroom!”
Bent over, she dashed off.
Even the honest Wang Shuang knew Yang Xi was faking it. Wen Ying, exasperated, shouted after her, “Sister Xi, dodging won’t help. You’re still coming to work tomorrow!”
Yang Xi didn’t look back, sprinting with vigor.
Tomorrow’s problems could wait.
Maybe after a night’s sleep, Wen Ying would forget to scold her.
Geng Xiao and Tang Yifeng exchanged glances. “Why’s she running? Catching those guys—wasn’t that planned with you?”
Wen Ying rubbed her temples. “Planned what? I told her to notify me if anything happened. She’s a girl—how could I let her take them on alone? Who knew she’d be that bold?”
Yang Xi was indeed last life’s “firefighting hero” and this life’s “Sister Xi.”
For two thousand yuan, she called Wen Ying boss but clearly had her own way of doing things.
Tang Yifeng asked Wen Ying if this would take down Shu Ji. The footage only showed Xiao Cai, and Shu Guobing might pin the blame on his driver to escape legal consequences.
Xie Qian dismissed Tang Yifeng’s concern.
“He doesn’t have the brains to get off.”
If Shu Guobing tried to shift the blame to Xiao Cai, would Xiao Cai take the fall?
Wen Ying said Shu Guobing had little ability. His rapid rise in seafood wholesale and diner businesses relied on Xiao Cai’s support.
The footage clearly captured Xiao Cai. If he didn’t want jail time, he’d have to sacrifice Shu Guobing.
If he didn’t, even better—Xie Qian wanted to dig up Zhao Dong.
