Chapter Forty-Three: He Is the True Victim

However, once they reached the courtyard, they noticed something off about the noises coming from inside. Liao Shuxia was hurling curses, but mixed in with her shouting was the sound of a man begging for mercy.

Lin Sangqian and Lin Hongda exchanged glances; at the same time, the corners of their mouths twitched. At last, they felt reassured.

“What’s going on with Da Meng? What’s he doing in there?” Auntie Niu asked anxiously.

Di Qing shot her a look, then strode to the tightly closed door and called out, “Officer! Open up!”

The shouting inside abruptly stopped, followed by Wang Dameng’s cries for help: “Officer, sir, save me!”

Lin Hongda and Lin Sangqian walked over as well, and soon the door was opened from within.

In front of them stood Liao Shuxia, completely unscathed, though she was gripping a thick wooden club and her face still bore traces of ferocity. However, the moment she spotted Lin Hongda, she immediately tossed the club aside, rushed into his arms, and whimpered, “Boo-hoo! Husband, I was so scared!”

Lin Hongda: “…”

My dear, you didn’t look the least bit frightened just now!

Di Qing stepped into the room and saw Wang Dameng sitting on the floor, his face covered in bruises, grimacing in pain. He was so overwhelmed that he nearly collapsed when he saw the constable enter.

“Finally, I’m saved!” he muttered to himself. “If this had gone on any longer, I think that woman would have beaten me to death!”

Never in his wildest dreams had he expected that such a frail-looking woman could be so fierce.

After he’d hauled Liao Shuxia here, he’d been waiting for Guo Da as planned. Guo Da was supposed to shake off Lin Hongda and then come join him, so the two could teach this woman a hard lesson together.

After a while, he’d decided it would be safer to tie Liao Shuxia up with a rope. But just as he was looking for one, she’d come to—and grabbed his fighting club, landing a blow on the back of his head without hesitation!

Wang Dameng was instantly sent reeling, and before he could recover, she struck him several more times with the club. He tried to fight back, but she was so quick and nimble, darting around the room, that he couldn’t even lay a hand on her.

Not only that, she kept walloping him with the club whenever she had the chance. His head kept spinning, and in the end, all he could do was take the beating.

That Guo Da really had gotten him into trouble!

“Da Meng!” Auntie Niu rushed in, and upon seeing his condition, burst into tears. “How did you end up like this? What on earth did you do?”

“Sis, it’s that woman who beat me up!” Wang Dameng shouted. “Aren’t you going to stand up for me? Are you really my sister or not?”

“This…” Auntie Niu wiped her tears, at a loss for what to do.

Though she didn’t know exactly what had happened, she felt certain the Lin family were good people and would never have attacked Wang Dameng without a reason.

At that moment, Di Qing said sternly, “Wang Dameng, you are suspected of kidnapping. Come with me to the magistrate’s office!”

“What? Why are you arresting me?” Wang Dameng tried to jump up but felt so dizzy he had to stay seated. “Aren’t you the officer here? Look at what she did to me! I’m the real victim!”

“If you hadn’t kidnapped this lady, you wouldn’t have been beaten,” Di Qing replied coldly. “In the end, she was simply defending herself.”

Lin Sangqian looked at Di Qing with open admiration.

This constable is truly impressive.

Wang Dameng’s eyes darted, and he tried to argue, “Who said I kidnapped her? She came with me of her own accord! Maybe she just took a liking to me—tall and strong as I am, so…”

Before he could finish, a figure burst into the room with a menacing air: Lin Hongda.

Wang Dameng shrank back in fear, but before he could say more, Lin Hongda strode over and punched him hard in the face.

The blow was so forceful that, already dizzy, Wang Dameng’s vision went black, and he couldn’t even feel the pain.

Lin Hongda looked ready to hit him again, but Di Qing rushed forward and seized his wrist.

“Enough!” Di Qing said in a low voice. “If you keep going, I won’t be able to help you anymore!”

Though furious, Lin Hongda had not lost his reason. He knew Di Qing was on their side, and if he continued, he might be charged with assault himself.

He shot Wang Dameng a chilling glare, then reluctantly lowered his fist.

“Da Meng!” Auntie Niu threw herself at Wang Dameng and hugged him tightly. “How could you be so foolish? How could you do something like this?”

“I—I didn’t…” Wang Dameng still tried to lie.

Auntie Niu, eyes brimming with tears, turned to Di Qing. “Officer, sir, could there be some misunderstanding here?”

In truth, she knew perfectly well what her brother was like.

But he was her only brother; she couldn’t bear to see anything happen to him.

“What misunderstanding could there be?” Di Qing frowned. Still, he knew that without hard evidence, it would be difficult to convict Wang Dameng. If Wang Dameng refused to confess before the magistrate, no one could force him. Liao Shuxia’s testimony alone wasn’t enough.

Just then, Lin Sangqian entered the room.

She walked up to Wang Dameng and smiled. “Did you know? Guo Da has already been arrested and taken to the magistrate’s office.”

“What? Guo Da was caught?” Wang Dameng was stunned.

That useless fool! Didn’t he claim he would get away for sure?

“Yes, and he’s already confessed to all your crimes,” Lin Sangqian said unhurriedly. “He’s admitted that the two of you conspired to kidnap my mother.”

Di Qing gave Lin Sangqian a look of deep admiration.

She’s clever—why hadn’t he thought of that?

“Guo Da confessed to everything!” Wang Dameng’s face twisted with anger.

“Of course. Otherwise, how could we have found this place so quickly?”

“Bah! That coward! Useless!” Wang Dameng cursed. “If I’d known, I never would’ve gotten involved in this! Now I’m the one suffering!”

“Still, we need to clarify one thing: did you find him, or did he come to you?” Lin Sangqian asked.

“Of course he came to me first!” Wang Dameng blurted out. “He said someone had wronged him and that there was a pretty little lady. That’s why I agreed to work with him!”

“So you’re saying Guo Da approached you first, and then you kidnapped my mother?”

“That’s right!”

“You all heard that, didn’t you? Wang Dameng said it himself.” Lin Sangqian sneered. “Officer, I think you know what to do now.”