Chapter Ninety-Seven: A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold!

Chapter Ninety-Seven: A Promise Worth a Thousand Gold Coins

Not know him?

That thought stirred the crowd at once.

Because Qiu Yihan's identity had been exposed, they had assumed Tang Zhong must also be someone of no ordinary background. A princess was naturally supposed to be matched with a prince. Otherwise, how could the two of them have been so intimate, holding each other in each other's arms?

So after confirming Qiu Yihan's identity, they arranged for her to be looked after in the lounge with tea, fruit, and refreshments, and merely locked Tang Zhong in a single room without questioning him further.

They had not even informed the school teacher.

What if the boy's family did not want the scandal made public? Wouldn't they only be bringing trouble on themselves? Besides, once word got out, the family would have to spend far more effort and thought managing the fallout. The more people who knew, the greater the danger.

In every respect, they were considering the matter from Tang Zhong's point of view.

But now this young man named William said he did not know Tang Zhong. If he did not know Tang Zhong, then it also proved that Deputy Director Huang Chao did not know him either. For them, that only made the matter even more troublesome.

Led by Li Botao, William Ji, Huang Chao, and the others went to the police station's specially reserved lounge for receiving distinguished guests.

Qiu Yihan sat curled in the corner of the sofa, looking dazed, as though she did not know what she was thinking. The wound on her forehead from the fall had already been treated, but the violet-red imprint of a palm still remained on her face.

Her skin was so delicate, and Tang Zhong's slap had truly been no light one.

Fruit and snacks were laid out in front of her, yet she had not even glanced at them.

Li Botao handled everything with great care. He even specially arranged for a young female officer to sit at a distance and keep an eye on every move she made.

William Ji tapped lightly on the door and called with a smile, "Yihan."

Qiu Yihan looked up. Seeing William Ji standing at the doorway, her eyes reddened at once as she cried out, "Brother William---where are my mom and dad?"

"Uncle is in the United States for a meeting and can't make it back for the moment. Auntie is on her way here from Beijing, and she should already be on the plane. After Grandma received the call, she was frantic and told me to hurry over with the car and bring you home." William Ji walked to Qiu Yihan's side and said with pity, "It's all right now. Everything's all right. We'll go home now. Grandma is waiting for you at home, and she's prepared a lot of delicious food for you."

Hearing that she could go home, Qiu Yihan sprang up from the sofa at once and cried, "I'll go back right now. I want to see Grandma."

"Good. We'll go home now. I'll take you back to see Grandma." William Ji said with a chuckle.

After leaving the police station and just as they were about to get into the car, Qiu Yihan suddenly remembered something and asked, "What about Tang Zhong? Is Tang Zhong not going back with us?"

"He has to wait a little longer." William Ji's smile was mild. "The police still need to ask him about some details. After all, he is the person involved. Besides, it was him who killed the man."

"Brother William, can you help him? He's innocent. It was that evil Taoist priest who wanted to kill us---" Qiu Yihan explained anxiously.

Her concern only deepened William Ji's wariness toward Tang Zhong, though he showed nothing of it on his face.

"Don't worry. He'll be fine. Didn't you say it yourself? He was the victim, acting only in self-defense. He'll be back very soon. You are one of the people involved too, and you know exactly what happened. Surely you don't still doubt him?" William Ji said, forcing Qiu Yihan into the car and helping her close the door.

Turning around, William Ji shook hands with Li Botao and said, "Director Li, I'll leave everything here to you. If anything comes up, you can discuss it with my lawyer."

Then he took out a business card from his pocket and handed it over. "When you come to Pearl City, you must let me do the honors as host."

"Thank you, Mr. Ji. Thank you very much." Li Botao said, bowing slightly in gratitude.

"Uncle Huang. Shall we head back?" William Ji said.

"Back we go. But I won't be riding in the same car as you." Huang Chao said with a smile, heading straight for the black Mercedes behind them.

When the two Mercedeses started up one after the other and disappeared into the distance, Li Botao was still standing on the platform, seeing them off with great enthusiasm.

Deputy Director Huang Chao had come and gone in a hurry. Aside from Director Li Botao, none of his subordinates or team members even had a chance to shake his hand or exchange a few polite words.

Although they cursed Li Botao inwardly for being on the take, the dark-faced officer Jiang Kai still walked over and asked, "Director, what should we do with that kid?"

Li Botao frowned in thought.

By rights, that young man surnamed Ji, even if he did not know Tang Zhong, ought to have said something on his behalf. After all, the Qiu family young lady, Qiu Yihan, was a party to the same case as Tang Zhong, and the two of them seemed to have a pretty good relationship.

Yet when Li Botao asked him, after a single sinister line about not knowing him, there had been nothing more.

What sort of attitude was that?

Hostility.

Yes. Hostility.

William Ji was hostile toward Tang Zhong.

And just now one of his subordinates had reported that Tang Zhong and Qiu Yihan were very close, while William Ji's concern for Qiu Yihan was obvious enough for even a fool to see.

Thinking of all this, Li Botao knew exactly what orders he should give.

He patted Jiang Kai on the shoulder and said, "Handle it however it should be handled. Make absolutely sure this case is investigated thoroughly."

Handle it however it should be handled?

In other words, handle it fairly and impartially?

The dark-faced officer sneered inwardly. So this brat had been playing the tiger all along while pretending to be a pig---no, a lion. Just you wait. I'll see how I deal with you in a moment.

Hua Ming, Liang Tao, and the others, who had been sent up to the second-floor conference room, watched Qiu Yihan get into the car and leave. Their faces all grew even more unsightly.

"Qiu Yihan has quite a background," Liang Tao said.

"Nonsense. Just look at the clothes she's wearing---what brand are they? And look at the material of that bracelet on her wrist. You don't even come close to her level. At best, you're just an LV display rack." Hua Ming felt as if his whole body were about to burst.

So what if he had status? So what if he had backing? In the end, he still couldn't do a thing.

Power was only power if a single word could decide the fate of heaven and earth.

Money was only money if it could carry one from sea to mountain.

Whether power or money, it had to be in his own hands.

Regrettably, he had neither.

"You can be angry, but don't take it out on me," Liang Tao said, also holding back a belly full of frustration. "Old Second has gotten himself into something like this. Do you think I wanted to see it? I want to get him out too, but I can't. I called my father, and he said he has no influence here. Your background is bigger than mine, so why don't you call someone and ask for help?"

"How do you know I didn't call? How do you know I didn't call?" Hua Ming roared, grabbing Liang Tao by the collar.

Seeing Hua Ming's contorted face, Liang Tao understood something at once.

He patted Hua Ming's shoulder and said, "It's enough that you tried your best. Don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Hua Ming seemed like a punctured balloon, deflating all at once.

He sat down in defeat on the chair and muttered, "How could Qiu Yihan just leave like that? How could Qiu Yihan just leave like that?"

----

Guanlan Lake Golf Course, the most upscale golf course in Pearl City.

On a stretch of level grass, a strangely built young man was swinging a club.

Hunched-backed, lame in one foot, yet his stance was exceptionally standard.

With one strike, the white ball soared away like a beautiful bird.

A few young men nearby immediately applauded and cheered.

"Young Master You, your game is getting better and better," one of them flattered him. He had long hair slicked straight back, very much like Xu Wenqiang from Shanghai Bund.

"Young Master You hasn't come out to play for a while. We thought you'd stay in Northern Thailand. We never expected you'd come to Pearl City for school. I mean, with Young Master You's talent and ability, what teacher could possibly teach him? What is there to study? You should just come out and do business with us, Young Master You."

"Young Master You, you're such a great golfer. Teach me, will you?" A tall girl with bewitching eyes came over and said coquettishly.

"Studying isn't about learning from anyone," You Mu said with a smile. "It's about understanding knowledge. The more you know, the less likely you are to be deceived. Wouldn't you say so?"

The others felt awkward and resentful inside, yet still laughingly agreed, saying yes, yes, Young Master You always spoke with such insight.

You Mu smiled and hobbled toward the golf cart.

Just then, a middle-aged man in a black suit hurried over.

There were only two kinds of people who wore suits on a golf course. First, the course staff. Second, the subordinates or bodyguards of important figures.

Clearly, this middle-aged man belonged to the second kind.

He leaned close to You Mu's ear and said a few words. You Mu listened with an expressionless face.

"Is that such a big matter that you had to come all the way here to report it?" You Mu said with a smile.

"We remember every word the young master says." The middle-aged man replied in a deep voice.

"Hm. Good attitude." You Mu nodded. "Loyalty shown through real action is far better than that pack of fools who only know how to lick with their mouths."

"Thank you for the young master's praise," the middle-aged man said.

"Still, this is also an opportunity," You Mu said. "No matter what the outcome is, what I said must be carried out. If he tries to assault police while inside, or attempts to escape, what's wrong with breaking one of his legs?"

"Nothing at all," the middle-aged man answered.

"Then go handle it," You Mu instructed carelessly. It was just a small matter, and the person involved was nothing worth his attention.

"Yes."

The middle-aged man answered and turned to run off.

The three men and two women gathered around. The man with the slicked-back hair asked, "Young Master You, nothing serious, is it? Shall we keep playing?"

"Nothing serious." You Mu waved a hand. "I just remembered something and told someone to take care of him. When it comes to being a person, the most important thing is to keep your word. A promise is worth a thousand gold coins."