Chapter 88: Achieving the Third Stage Goal

Chapter 88: Achieving the Phase Three Objective

As soon as Jian Ye hung up the phone, Yi Siyu walked in carrying the puppy's food bowl.

He frowned and said, "Was that your uncle and aunt calling? Ignore them."

Jian Ye patted the little puppy’s head and set it down on the floor. The little pup immediately dashed toward its food bowl, drawn by the scent, and buried its face inside, gobbling it down.

"They want me to tell the police that everything yesterday was a misunderstanding," Jian Ye said leisurely.

Yi Siyu snorted. "The moment Jian Song was taken to the police station yesterday, I had people keep an eye on it. The authorities have already filed a case. Trying to explain now is useless—do they think the police station is a joke?"

Total idiots.

Their son’s stupidity must be hereditary.

Propped up in bed, Jian Ye smiled. "I know it’s pointless. I just didn’t tell them on purpose. Later, I’ll have to trouble you, honey, to push me to the police station."

Yi Siyu paused. "Push?"

The young man flashed an innocent, harmless smile, but Yi Siyu could see the mischief hidden beneath.

...

Jian Zhengqing and his wife waited at the gate for an hour, but no one came out. They decided to call and urge Jian Ye.

However, the call went unanswered.

Zhu Yan was sweating with anxiety. "Is this brat messing with us? Why isn’t he coming out yet?"

"He wouldn’t dare," Jian Zhengqing said, unwilling to believe Jian Ye’s personality could change so suddenly. "Let’s wait a little longer. Didn’t he say he had trouble moving? Maybe Jian Song really did a number on him."

In the Jian family’s memory, Jian Ye had always been frail and delicate, as if a gust of wind could knock him over.

Jian Zhengqing knew exactly what kind of person his son was.

Jian Song had bullied Jian Ye countless times before, but they had never stepped in, letting it happen.

If yesterday’s incident hadn’t escalated, Jian Zhengqing and his wife would never have come to the Yi family to plead with Jian Ye today.

Another hour passed, and the couple were nodding off from waiting. The weather was sweltering, and with no air conditioning outside, they considered retreating to their car. But they feared Jian Ye might back out and slip away, so they had no choice but to endure, squatting by the gate like beggars.

Just as their legs were going numb, the door finally opened.

The couple jumped up, and Zhu Yan immediately prepared to scold, "You brat, why did you take so long—"

But the sight before them left them speechless.

There sat the young man in a wheelchair, a small blanket draped over his lap, his hand still bearing the bandage from an IV drip.

Jian Ye’s face was ghostly pale, his lips chapped and colorless. Covering his mouth, he coughed weakly. "Cough... I’m sorry, Uncle, Aunt, for making you wait so long. My health isn’t good... The family doctor insisted I finish two IV drips before leaving... cough... or else I could pass out on the way."

Jian Zhengqing: "..."

Zhu Yan: "..."

Yi Siyu, pushing the wheelchair, gave the couple a withering look that instantly silenced them like frightened quails.

His eyes clearly conveyed one message: *"Thanks to your son, my wife needs bedrest. Happy now?"*

Jian Ye looked as if he had truly been through a lot, so the couple clammed up, not daring to complain anymore about waiting at the door for hours.

"Ahem... Uncle, you two go to the police station first. I'll take Brother Siyu's car," Jian Ye said weakly.

Jian Zhengqing glanced at the wheelchair beneath Jian Ye and knew it would be a hassle for them to go together. He had no objections, but something about this didn’t sit right with him.

Would Jian Ye’s current state at the police station—playing it off as a misunderstanding—still be convincing?

...

The moment they got in the car, Jian Ye burst out laughing.

"Pfft—HAHAHAHA!" The boy clutched his stomach, laughing uncontrollably.

Yi Siyu was infected by his laughter, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. "Easy there, or you’ll ruin your makeup."

Jian Ye instantly composed himself. "Oh right, can’t waste the foundation I spent half the morning applying. Does my face look like a ghost now?"

Yi Sizhe bit back a smile. "Not exactly, but you do look very frail. If I hadn’t watched you put on the makeup myself, I’d have believed it."

"Faking weakness is nothing I can’t handle. I’m just frail and needy—are you going to take care of me or not?" Jian Ye pouted.

Yi Siyu started the car, buckling Jian Ye’s seatbelt with one hand while ruffling the boy’s soft hair. "I’ll take care of you, for a lifetime."

"Don’t rush to the police station yet. Let them sweat a little longer. Drive to the snack street nearby first—I suddenly feel like eating cheap sausages and ice cream."

Yi Siyu: "..."

His wife had quite the sly side. From now on, anyone who wanted to mess with him would have to think twice.

Previously, Yi Siyu had severely underestimated Jian Ye’s ability to hold his own. Who would’ve thought the seemingly delicate boy could play dirty when needed?

...

Jian Zhengqing and his wife didn’t hesitate at all, rushing to the police station as fast as they could.

Zhu Yan wanted to see her son first but got stopped by a cop.

"Hey? What’s going on? Who are you people?"

"My son was detained here yesterday. I want to see him. He must be miserable after a whole night inside—cut him some slack!"

Another officer nearby was dumbfounded. He politely explained, "If your son is in custody, you can’t just see him. You’ll need approval from higher-ups or have his defense lawyer present. Only lawyers are allowed access."

Zhu Yan didn’t understand these procedures. Having lived a privileged life since childhood and flaunting her status as a high-society wife after marrying into the Jian family, she wouldn’t have sneered at these beat cops—if not for her son.

"I’m his mother! Can’t I see him? Where’s your humanity? This is all a misunderstanding! My son isn’t some criminal. My nephew will be here soon to clear things up—none of this has anything to do with my son!"

Zhu Yan doubled down, and Jian Zhengqing tugged at her sleeve, but she ignored him, continuing her tirade.

"Who’s your supervisor? Do you know the Jian family of Yun Jing? My son is the eldest young master of the Jians! Can’t you cut corners and let him out so we can sort this out?"

An older-looking officer stepped forward and sternly shut her down, stating, "Ma’am, we understand your concern, but this is a police station. Everything follows legal procedure. No one gets special treatment—we handle cases based on facts. Right now, he’s a suspect. If you want to see him, you must follow protocol."

"You—!" Zhu Yan turned red with rage, but no words came out.

The officer added, "Also, keep your voice down. If you have no further business, please take it outside."

Zhu Yan: "..."

Jian Zhengqing felt his face had been completely humiliated by this woman. He forcefully pulled her outside and snapped, "Do you think this is the Jian family, where you can yell and cause a scene like this? Can’t you just hold it in? Jian Ye will be here soon, and we can resolve this together. But no, you had to make the cops think you're some crazy harpy!"

"A shrew? Jian Zhengqing, I’m doing this for our son! You selfish bastard, all you care about is your own face and dignity—ugh!" Zhu Yan hissed through clenched teeth.

The two argued outside for twenty minutes, yet Jian Ye still hadn’t arrived.

Finally, exhausted and parched, they wore themselves out. The usually polished Jian family matriarch now sat on a broken step, gasping for breath.

She had never imagined in her life that she would one day come to a police station to bail out her son, let alone have a full-blown shouting match with her husband outside. The more Zhu Yan thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and she began to cry.

Seeing her tears, Jian Zhengqing grew even more irritable but could do nothing about it. He stayed silent, making no move to comfort her.

Just as Zhu Yan was losing all hope, Jian Ye arrived at the police station entrance, letting out a satisfied burp, escorted by Yi Siyu.

Today, Yi Siyu was just his errand boy—silent throughout, only doing the work.

After unloading the "props" from the trunk, he carried Jian Ye out of the passenger seat.

"And that one…" Jian Ye pointed at the small blanket in the car. Ever the perfectionist, he refused to leave any prop behind.

Once covered with the blanket, he whispered to Yi Siyu, "No cumin powder on my lips, right?"

"None."

"Good."

That cheap fried starch sausage he’d just scarfed down was so good that he even got his uptight Yi to try a few bites of the street vendor’s junk food.

Gotta eat to keep your strength up—that was only natural.

When Zhu Yan saw Jian Ye, she hurried over. "Xiao Ye, you’re finally here! The police inside won’t let me see your cousin. Quick, think of something!"

*Cough, cough…* "Auntie, don’t panic… *cough*… Let’s go inside first…" Jian Ye covered his mouth as he coughed weakly.

"Alright, let’s go in right away." Zhu Yan wiped the tears from her face, smearing her makeup and making her look even more haggard and disheveled.

Jian Ye’s frail appearance as he was helped into the station drew many concerned glances.

An older officer came to inquire about the situation. After Jian Ye explained his purpose, the officer realized this young man was the nephew the earlier hysterical woman had mentioned—the one who would set the record straight.

"Officer *cough*… it’s all… *wheeze*… a misunderstanding… *cough*… I don’t think my cousin meant to lock me in the freezer on purpose… *cough, cough*… And he certainly wouldn’t have turned on the freezer switch afterward. He’s an adult—he must know that doing so would kill someone from the cold… *cough*…"

Jian Ye coughed every few words, gasped every few sentences, and had everyone worried he’d pass out any second.

*Cough, cough…* "My cousin was just playing around… He really didn’t mean to hurt me… *cough*… It was all an accident… After all, it’s not like he’d lock me in there just to sabotage my party… *cough, cough*…"

Jian Zhengqing and Zhu Yan: "…"

The more they listened, the more horrified they became. Every word Jian Ye spoke seemed to deny yesterday’s events, yet every word made it impossible not to believe it was the truth.

They knew their son’s nature all too well—Jian Song was absolutely capable of sabotaging Jian Ye’s birthday banquet. They knew it damn well, yet now, they dared not utter a word.

"And I… I wasn’t seriously injured… *cough*… It’s just that since yesterday, I’ve been feeling cold and coughing occasionally… *cough, cough*… Officer, I… Could you please…"

At this point, Jian Ye’s voice choked up as if holding back. His eyes brimmed with unshed tears, making the officers’ hearts ache.

They wanted to ask: Kid, if someone’s forcing you to settle this, just blink!

As if hearing their thoughts, the boy blinked—and the tears spilled over, rolling down his face. "C-Can you let my cousin go home now?"

The senior officer shook his head firmly: "No, your cousin's case has already been filed. After last night's interrogation, the evidence left by the person he hired is sufficient to prove it was a premeditated attempted criminal act. Criminal cases cannot be handled privately."

Another officer added in explanation: "But if he compensates you and obtains your letter of pardon, he may still receive a reduced sentence."

Zhu Yan beside them snapped: "What do you mean?"

Yi Siyu, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up, cutting straight to the point: "It means your son is definitely going to jail."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yan looked as if she'd been struck by lightning, slumping to the floor. Jian Zhengqing also stood frozen in place, in frustration, punched his thigh.

Old Mr. Jian had left no room for compromise from start to finish—how could he be so ruthless to his own grandson! Jian Zhengqing was furious at his foolish son and resentful toward his always-partial father.

A female officer nearby, noticing Jian Ye's constant coughing, thoughtfully poured him a glass of water. The young man politely and meekly accepted it, saying, "Thank you."

Then, in a voice only the two of them could hear, he whispered to the officer: "My cousin tried to harm me, and my uncle and aunt forced me to come here today to clear up the misunderstanding. I... I'm scared... I don’t want to forgive my cousin or accept his compensation. I just want him to reform in prison."

The female officer thought to herself, *This child really was threatened.* She comforted him: "Don’t be afraid. They’re just grasping at straws now. Our captain already gathered all the evidence yesterday. Justice will be served, and the law will punish him. Don’t let them threaten you—if they do, they’ll face serious consequences too."

"Thank you, sister."

The gentle thanks touched the female officer’s heart. She felt the boy looked familiar, searching her memory until suddenly, it suddenly came to her. Excitedly, she pointed at him and said, "You... aren’t you the heroic young man who saved that drowning girl a while back? Your name is Jian... Jian..."

"Sister, my name is Jian Ye." The boy’s eyes crinkled into crescents.

"Ah, yes! Jian Ye!" Her exclamation made the surrounding officers aware of his identity.

They had discussed the news back then, marveling at how remarkable the young man was—most people wouldn’t have acted so decisively in such a situation, opting for safer alternatives instead.

For such a brave and righteous boy to be deliberately harmed by his own cousin... Thankfully, the crime was only attempted. Otherwise, what a tragedy it would have been—another example of no good deed going unpunished in this world.

As guardians of justice, they could only wish all good people a safe and peaceful life.

For a moment, the officers felt both admiration and pity for Jian Ye.

[Ding—Congratulations, Host, for achieving Phase 3 objective and earning the title "Advanced Tea Art Master."]

[Ding—Reward unlocked: Permanent access to "Tearful Weeping Like Pear Blossoms in Rain."]

Jian Ye: "???" What weeping?

"Author's Note"

Jian Xiaocha: Easily maxed out Green Tea Points. O3O

Yi Siyu: My wife cries so beautifully. ^_^

Er Tong: She’ll get even better. ╮(￣▽￣)╭