CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 41: ANOTHER INCIDENT

After leaving the Security Bureau, Xia Liang got in his car and started for home.

As he drove along a tree-lined lane, he noticed an old woman in the distance peering at something. When she saw his car approaching, she began to walk straight into his path.

Xia Liang frowned, stopped the car, and rolled down his window to look at the woman before him.

"Ma’am, this road is for..."

The old woman completely ignored him. She first tossed her bag of vegetables into the air, and then, under Xia Liang’s astonished gaze, threw herself to the ground.

"My Boleng Cap! Oh, my herniated disc!"

Xia Liang was completely dumbfounded. What the hell! He finally understood—he’d run into a scammer. But since this was his first time dealing with such a thing, he was a bit stunned and could only stare blankly at the old woman on the ground. Before he could react, she started wailing again.

"Is there no justice in this world? He hits someone and doesn’t even call an ambulance! He won’t even help me up!"

Amidst her cries, a crowd of onlookers gathered, pointing fingers at Xia Liang and murmuring amongst themselves.

"He may be handsome, but that young man has no manners."

"Look at him, so young and driving such a nice car. He’s obviously a rich kid squandering his family’s money. And now he’s gone and hit an old woman!"

"Exactly! He hit her in broad daylight and is just ignoring her."

"Why isn’t he taking her to the hospital? What if something serious happens? Does he think he can get away with anything just because he has a little money?"

"Yeah! That’s right! Everyone, record this and expose him online!"

Hearing their condemnations, Xia Liang finally snapped back to reality and calmly explained, "She’s faking it."

Of course, the bystanders didn’t believe his explanation. The old woman on the ground was far more sympathetic, and combined with their resentment of the wealthy, everyone had already decided that Xia Liang was the perpetrator.

"If you didn’t hit her, who did?"

"Exactly! Are you suggesting the old lady just fell over on her own?"

"He’s still not admitting it? I can’t imagine what kind of parents could raise such a menace."

"Come on, she’s over fifty and doesn’t look very agile. Did she throw herself at your car or something?"

"Young man, I see you’re driving a luxury car. It must have cost a pretty penny, right? You look like you’ve had a good education. If you did something wrong, you should have the courage to admit it. Don’t bring shame to your family."

"That’s right, that’s right!"

Hearing these piercing accusations, Xia Liang glanced around, his brow furrowed as he fought the urge to punch every single one of them in the head.

Seeing that so many people were on her side, the old woman on the ground shot Xia Liang a smug look. She then started slapping her thigh, put on a miserable expression, and cried out again.

"Hey! What are you doing? Are you clenching your fist to hit me? I don’t want to live anymore! The world has grown so cold! People just aren’t what they used to be! I, an old woman, was just walking down the road, and someone hit me! My poor six-year-old grandson... if I die just like this, who will go home and cook for him!"

This declaration further enraged the crowd. Dozens of eyes glared at Xia Liang as if they wanted to eat him alive. The vicious words of the clueless keyboard warriors stung at his heart.

He knew this was all staged. He had just scanned the area and saw no cameras, which meant there was no evidence to prove whether he had hit her or not. The old woman had gotten lucky. The car was a gift from the System and didn’t have a dashcam installed, so the only piece of evidence that could prove his innocence was missing. From her fall and screams of pain to her act to gain sympathy, it was all one seamless performance. It was obvious this old woman was a seasoned pro at this scam. Even calling the police would be useless; without witnesses or physical evidence, he’d still have to take her to the hospital himself. Then, during the check-up, they’d find diabetes, high blood pressure, bone spurs, nail fungus... and blame it all on him. And as for trying to run? He wouldn’t be surprised if two burly men claiming to be "good Samaritans" suddenly popped out of the crowd to block his path.

But Xia Liang wasn’t afraid.

He had all the time in the world to play along with these people.

He looked at the old woman with great interest. "Alright, let’s hear it. How much do you want? One-tenth of a Yuan? Two Cents? Or maybe a whole Yuan?"

Hearing this, the old woman’s face lit up. She was about to speak when she seemed to remember something. Her eyes darted around, and she feigned indignation. "You’re the one who hit me! What do you mean, ’how much do I want’?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the bystanders piled on.

"Watch your mouth, young man! You hit her, so it’s called compensation!"

"Exactly! The old lady is being merciful by not pressing charges. Hurry up and pay her so she isn’t late for her hospital visit."

"Stop dawdling! Haven’t your parents taught you anything? When you get caught, you take the heat! Admit you were wrong, apologize, and pay up!"

This time, faced with the crowd’s self-righteous condemnations, Xia Liang no longer felt any anger. His expression was calm. After all, if a dog bites you, are you going to bite it back?

However, seeing Xia Liang remain silent, the old woman on the ground grew furious. "What is wrong with you, young man? Oh, heavens, there’s no justice! He hit someone and refuses to pay, just because he’s bullying a helpless old woman like me! If my son were here, you wouldn’t dare treat me like this!"

Her voice was so pathetic it could break the hearts of anyone who heard it and bring tears to the eyes of all who saw her.

Just then, two burly men stepped out from the crowd. One squatted down beside the old woman, comforting her with a kind face. "Granny, don’t you worry. We can’t stand by and watch an injustice. My brother and I will make sure this kid doesn’t get away with it."

The other man clenched his fists and walked toward Xia Liang with a fierce expression.

THUMP!

He kicked the car’s tire, glaring menacingly at Xia Liang. "You’re a disgrace! You hit this old lady, so hurry up and pay her!"

Looking at the man’s furious expression, Xia Liang was deeply impressed. He had to admit, movie directors these days were fools. They should be scouting people like this for their lead roles. Their acting was top-notch.

"Not paying," Xia Liang said coolly, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he calmly faced the burly man.

Seeing Xia Liang’s confident demeanor, the crowd grew puzzled. The man in front of him was also stunned for a moment, then raised his fist as if to strike.

Xia Liang wasn’t the least bit intimidated. In fact, he looked almost eager. The guy yesterday didn’t last two hits. Hopefully this one can stick around a little longer.

His eyes filled with anticipation, but the man’s fist never fell. A flash of disappointment crossed Xia Liang’s face, which completely bewildered the man.

He saw me hold back my punch, shouldn’t he be relieved? What’s with that disappointed look on his face? Did I run into a lunatic?

Thinking about Xia Liang’s strange reaction, the crowd began to think the same. One of the older men in the crowd finally couldn’t take it anymore and shouted out.