"I think you're the ones who should be leaving," Zhou Hongyu said, picking herself up from the ground and sneering at Xia Yuqing and Song Qiao.
She then ran downstairs and started yelling outside the door. "Help! Someone is bullying an old person, help!" Her sharp cries immediately drew the attention of neighbors around her grandmother's house. They were familiar with Zhou Hongyu, knowing she was the nanny hired by Xia Yuqing's maternal uncle for his mother, and they quickly gathered around. Zhou Hongyu had always maintained a good facade in front of outsiders, so no one knew her true nature. Seeing Zhou Hongyu's face covered in injuries, looking miserable and disheveled, they began to ask, "Old Zhou, what's going on? Who bullied you? We'll call the police and have them arrested."
With people on her side, Zhou Hongyu gained confidence. She pointed at Xia Yuqing and Song Qiao, who had just walked out the door, and said, "It was these two! First, they accused me of mistreating their grandmother, and then they beat me. If I hadn't run fast enough, these scoundrels would have beaten me to death." Zhou Hongyu was in full dramatic mode, her performance incredibly pitiful.
"You're talking nonsense! You were the one mistreating my grandmother first!" Xia Yuqing was fuming, cursing at Zhou Hongyu. In her entire life, she had never met anyone so shameless. It was Zhou Hongyu who had begged for mercy earlier, and now she was turning around and biting back. She regretted her soft heart, allowing this perverted woman an opportunity to retaliate.
"Nonsense? Let everyone here judge. I treated your grandmother like my own mother. Now you're accusing me of mistreating her? You heartless people, who do you think is talking nonsense?" Hearing this, the neighbors who knew Xia Yuqing chimed in with their agreement. "Yes, Xiao Xia, Old Zhou has been good to your grandmother. How could there be any mistreatment of the elderly?" "Yes, regardless, Old Zhou is over fifty. How could you be so harsh?" The surrounding neighbors started pointing fingers at Song Qiao and his wife.
Xia Yuqing was at the peak of her anger. She never expected that the shameless Zhou Hongyu could be so good at deceiving people. "Alright, stop your yelling. I've already called the police. We'll wait for them to handle it," Song Qiao said, glaring at Zhou Hongyu, who was still rolling on the ground, his face grim. As soon as they had gone downstairs, he had not hesitated to take out his phone and call the police.
"Call the police, fine! I have nothing to hide, so I'm not afraid of you!" Zhou Hongyu, having personally witnessed Song Qiao deleting the video, felt emboldened. Even if the police came, she was the victim, and Song Qiao wouldn't get away with anything. Seeing Song Qiao actively calling the police, the neighbors stopped speaking and stood by, arms crossed, curious to see how the police would resolve the situation.
About ten minutes later, two police cars sirens wailing arrived. A senior and a junior officer stepped out. "Shanliu Town Police Station, Lu Ming," the older officer announced, showing his badge as he walked. "Who reported the incident?"
"Officer, you must help me," Zhou Hongyu, who had been sitting on the ground, suddenly found a burst of strength. She rushed forward and clung tightly to the officer's leg, crying, "Officer, this person wanted to kill me!" She then pointed at Song Qiao, who was walking towards them. Lu Ming frowned and looked in the direction Zhou Hongyu pointed, seeing Song Qiao approaching with a grim expression.
"Officer, I reported it," Song Qiao said, voluntarily handing over his ID. "Did you hit her?" Lu Ming took Song Qiao's ID and glanced at him. "Partially. Partially not," Song Qiao admitted frankly. He knew that any attempt to conceal information now would only lead to him being at a disadvantage later.
"Why did you hit her?" Lu Ming asked Song Qiao, helping Zhou Hongyu up from the ground. "She's the nanny we hired. While we were away, she mistreated my grandmother," Xia Yuqing said, joining them and explaining to the officer.
"Nonsense! You little b*tch, you're saying I mistreated your grandmother? What proof do you have?" Zhou Hongyu shot Xia Yuqing a smug look, her voice sharp and grating, making Lu Ming frown. "Alright, in that case, you'll both have to come to the police station with me." Lu Ming, unable to make a judgment with conflicting accounts, decided to bring them in for further investigation.
"Officer, please wait a moment," Zhou Hongyu said, then turned to Song Qiao. "Kid, if you know what's good for you, give me a hundred thousand yuan, and we'll forget this whole thing. Otherwise, if you end up with a criminal record, don't blame me for not being lenient." Lu Ming couldn't help but frown again. A hundred thousand yuan for a settlement? He wondered what this old woman was thinking. However, it was the right of the parties involved, so he couldn't say much, merely observing Song Qiao. If Song Qiao agreed to settle now, he would clearly be in the wrong.
Unexpectedly, Song Qiao ignored Zhou Hongyu, giving her a half-smile. He then pulled Xia Yuqing onto the police car. As he left, he casually remarked, "I hope you don't regret today's events." Zhou Hongyu's initially triumphant expression turned ashen at Song Qiao's indifferent attitude. She stomped her foot angrily and sullenly followed Lu Ming onto the police car. "Fine, I'm not afraid of you! You have no evidence, what can you do to me?"
Song Qiao didn't respond, merely glancing at her calmly. When they reached the police station entrance, he quietly said to Zhou Hongyu, "Don't you know that even if a video is deleted, a backup still exists?" With that, he turned and walked into the police station with his wife. Zhou Hongyu stood stunned, a sense of foreboding rising within her. If Song Qiao really had a backup of the video, she would immediately face police punishment, and the charge of elder abuse could become an indelible stain on her life. "Let's go, why are you still standing there?" Lu Ming came up behind Zhou Hongyu, and seeing her hesitate to enter, he urged her.