Chapter 133: Dispute at the Newspaper Office

The young policewomen at the Gourmet Street police station finally realized they had been dead wrong; Liu Yunfei was not just a local celebrity, but a major one. Almost everyone in the station was talking about him.

It wasn't because they knew he was coming to serve as their coach—Zhu Zhicheng hadn't announced that yet. After the newspaper reports, he was even more hesitant to do so. Of course, to ensure the training plan didn't fall through, he had moved the physical training sessions to the beginning of the schedule.

The officers were discussing the matter because they were indignant. Although they weren't direct witnesses, they had been among the first to arrive at the scene and were well aware of the bullying tactics employed by the Zhou family. They felt a sense of injustice for Liu Yunfei, and the image of Yang Huiru, the reporter who claimed to speak for the people, had plummeted in their estimation.

The two young policewomen looked at each other, wondering if it was a coincidence of names. It wasn't until they saw the photo in the paper during their break that they realized it was indeed the Liu Yunfei they knew.

"Sigh, it looks like you don't have a chance now. People are saying he's gotten his '6688' girl pregnant so many times," the plump policewoman sighed.

"You didn't hear what the people on Gourmet Street were saying? Those reports are all nonsense and lies. He was acting in self-defense," the young policewoman argued.

"I believe those parts are fake, but I believe the pregnancy rumor. Don't you remember? The first time we met '6688,' that Zhang Xiaoli had her hand touching him right there."

The young policewoman thought for a moment and said, "Touching him doesn't mean anything. When he saved me that day, he touched me too. Does that mean we’ve had a relationship?"

"Sigh!" The plump policewoman shook her head, too tired to argue with such twisted logic. She muttered to herself, "They say women in love are fools. I see you’re beyond help."

"To be thinking about dating at such a young age… that boyfriend of hers is truly hopeless. It looks like I need to transfer Xiao Juan to another school; the atmosphere there is just too corrupt." Yang Huiru muttered to herself while driving. She had been furious all morning; her daughter, a senior at Huangjiang High School, wouldn't stop accusing her of writing sensationalist reports and insisting that Liu Yunfei wasn't that kind of person.

How could Yang Huiru listen to a child? She had seen it with her own eyes—how could she not believe it? Her daughter was simply too naive, captivated by Liu Yunfei’s handsome face. If only she knew how ruthless he was, how deep his connections ran, and how pitiful Zhang Xiaoli’s parents were. She absolutely could not let her daughter fall for that boy's schemes.

The mother and daughter had ended up in a heated argument. The culprit, of course, was that detestable rich kid, Liu Yunfei. Her daughter, usually so obedient and well-behaved, had actually talked back to her for the sake of a boy from another class. This just showed how skilled that brat was at manipulating young girls.

Her daughter’s disobedience wasn't the only thing bothering her. The Audi A8 in front of her was also annoying, swerving left and right without ever passing or turning. What a frustrating morning. Impatiently, Yang Huiru honked her horn repeatedly.

Perhaps the Audi heard the honking and cleared the lane. Yang Huiru slammed her foot on the Mazda 6’s accelerator. With a roar from the engine, she surged past the Audi. There was something satisfying about having a clear road ahead; the open view made her understand why men loved to speed—there was a thrill in leaving everything behind.

Yang Huiru turned into the entrance of the Huangjiang Evening News, parked her car, and grabbed her handbag. As she stepped out, she saw the Audi A8 that had been dawdling in front of her pull up as well. A middle-aged man stepped out, wearing a shiny T-shirt of an unknown brand and material. It was undoubtedly expensive, as she had never seen such fabric before. Was he an advertiser coming to see the paper? He didn't look like it; his attire screamed "nouveau riche." The advertising department would be pleased, but it was none of her business. She currently held a deep-seated hatred for the wealthy.

To her surprise, the man followed her all the way upstairs. When she reached the news department door, he seemed intent on following her inside. Yang Huiru finally snapped, "Who are you? Why are you following me? You’ve been on my tail since the main road. Are you crazy? Just because you have money doesn't mean you can harass people!" Yang Huiru wasn't usually like this, but today, she didn't know why she was inexplicably fired up.

The middle-aged man was naturally Liu Hongbing. He didn't know who Yang Huiru was, but with signs everywhere, it was easy to find the news department. He hadn't been ogling any beauties; he was busy thinking about how to confront the editor-in-chief and how to deal with the potential verbal sparring. He hadn't expected the woman walking in front to suddenly turn around and berate him. He was stunned, then infuriated. "Who are you? You're the one who's crazy! A self-important hag like you? Even if you wanted me to harass you, I wouldn't be interested!" Liu Hongbing shared his son’s habit of referring to himself as "the old man."

Yang Huiru was now in her element. Like a fighting cock, she held her head high. "Who do you think you’re talking to? This isn't a place where you can run wild."

Arguments with women were always like this; they didn't care about logic. They would grab onto a single word or phrase and lock onto it, making you seem in the wrong even if you were in the right.

"Run wild? What wildness am I running? I think you’re the one acting like a shrew. You’re crazy, and I have no time for you." Liu Hongbing, remembering his son’s warning from the night before, held back. Since he had gotten rich and promoted, no one had ever dared to speak to him like this.

Seeing colleagues gathering around, Yang Huiru didn't want to cause a scene and damage her elegant image. She turned and headed toward her editor's office, only to hear the man behind her ask someone, "Which one of you is the editor-in-chief, Yang Huiru?"

Realizing he was looking for her, Yang Huiru turned back. "I am Yang Huiru. What do you want?"

"Oh, so it's you. It’s true what they say—the kind of person you are determines the kind of articles you write. Someone who twists facts only produces trashy news." Liu Hongbing’s anger flared up again.

"Does having money make you special? Who do you think you are, coming to the Evening News to run wild? You need to take responsibility for your words!" Yang Huiru, abandoning her image, pointed a finger at Liu Hongbing.

"I’m not responsible for my words? Your reports are the ones that aren't responsible! I am Liu Yunfei's father." Liu Hongbing swatted her hand away.

"You’re actually hitting a reporter in the Evening News building? Like father, like son—a bastard father raises a bastard son. It wasn't enough for the son to beat people at a restaurant, now the father comes here to cause trouble and assault a journalist! I will report this to the end to uphold social justice and expose your bullying family to the light of day!" Yang Huiru grew more furious by the second. What kind of degenerate family was this, showing up at her workplace? She had expected them to call connections, pressure her through superiors, or even hire thugs to intimidate her. She had encountered many such people over the years, but she had never seen anyone brazen enough to show up and cause a scene like this.

"Who is causing trouble? I am a state official; would I hit you?" Liu Hongbing argued loudly, but his deep voice could not compete with Yang Huiru’s piercing soprano. The louder he spoke, the more menacing he appeared to everyone else.

Hearing this, Yang Huiru felt he was trying to use his official status to threaten her. "Do you think I’m afraid of that? I don't care how high your rank is, how much money you have, or how much power you wield. Use whatever tricks you have, whether in the underworld or the light of day! I’ve encountered plenty of ugly social forces like your family, and I will not be intimidated!"

At that moment, Yang Huiru felt filled with righteousness, as if possessed by the goddess of justice, Athena. Even if it meant her own destruction, she would defend her morality and dignity.

Liu Hongbing, like his son, found himself unable to defend his side of the story. No one would listen, and the reporters naturally sided with their own. Several junior reporters swarmed around him. A few who held secret crushes on the editor-in-chief rolled up their sleeves, ready to beat the old man up. They pushed him toward the door, having transformed into Athena’s loyal guardians.

"Get out! You aren't welcome here!"

"You aren't allowed to interfere with our reporting or disrupt our work! Get out!"

"You old bastard, looking for a beating? You don't even know where you are. I don't care if you're a state official—my fists don't recognize that." Liu Hongbing was shocked to find such vulgar people in a cultural institution. He realized the security guards had arrived. Cursing, they grabbed Liu Hongbing and dragged him downstairs.

"Are you people reasonable? Hey, are you a newspaper or a gang? Hey, hey, hey, my car is still in your parking lot! Ouch, how dare you hit someone!" Liu Hongbing was thrown hard onto the concrete outside the newspaper office by the guards. Like his son, he was forced to leave his car behind and flee on foot.

After clashing with the "ugly social forces," Yang Huiru’s chest heaved with excitement. She didn't fear such direct confrontations; she felt this was the only way to demonstrate the courage of a conscientious reporter and the power of social justice. A junior reporter with glasses walked up to her. "Editor Yang, there’s someone in the meeting room waiting for you. He’s another victim, and after reading yesterday’s report, he has some information to share."