18: Chapter 18 Public Anger Is Hard to Defy

"Director Fang, this is where you're in the wrong. How can you bully a woman? Anyone can see at a glance that this was a drunk driving accident, and you are the responsible party. You should compensate this lady for her car repairs and move your car immediately so as not to obstruct traffic," Cao Xiao said with a half-smile, looking at Fang Xuehai.

"Cao Xiao, do you not want your job anymore? Believe it or not, I'll call right now and have you fired. Get lost and stay out of my way. I'm leaving my car right here and I'm not moving it, so what? I, Fang Xuehai, am a man of status in Xiangmen City. Who dares to chirp at me?" Fang Xuehai said arrogantly.

"Kid, I haven't even settled the score with you for last time, and now you're sticking your nose into our business. A lowly coal mine employee dares to meddle in our affairs? Just you wait; someone will be here to teach you a lesson in a moment," Director Huang said viciously to Cao Xiao.

Cao Xiao stood between Fang Xuehai and the lady. After reporting the incident to the police, he turned on the recording function on his phone and tucked it into his pocket; their entire conversation had just been recorded in full. When Fang Xuehai and Director Huang threatened him, he remained where he was, still looking at them with a smile.

"Kid, are you stupid? Move, I told you to get lost! Careful or I'll beat you. You're really not moving? You asked for this. Old Huang, let's beat him together!" Seeing Cao Xiao standing there smiling without moving a muscle, Fang Xuehai's anger flared. He pushed Cao Xiao with his hands, but having drunk too much, he had no strength. After a few failed attempts to move him, he called out to Director Huang and prepared to strike Cao Xiao.

Cao Xiao remained motionless, letting Fang Xuehai slap him across the face and Director Huang kick him in the leg. Before they could continue their assault, Cao Xiao moved. Using all his strength, he slapped Fang Xuehai across the face. A crisp crack rang out at the scene, and Fang Xuehai was sent sprawling to the ground. The surrounding onlookers were stunned, and the atmosphere fell silent. It wasn't over yet; Cao Xiao sent a flying kick into Director Huang's large belly, a classic 'landing on his backside' move. Neither Fang Xuehai nor Director Huang had reacted yet; one clutched half his face while the other held his stomach, staring blankly at Cao Xiao from the ground as if they couldn't believe he actually dared to hit them.

Suddenly, a roar of laughter erupted from the crowd. Everyone could see that Cao Xiao had intended to beat them from the start; he had used so much force that it looked painful just to watch. Dealing with shameless rogues like these, reasoning was useless because they wouldn't listen to a word you said. It was better to just shut them up and make them understand fear before trying to have a proper conversation.

"You're looking for death!" Having finally reacted, Fang Xuehai's rage boiled over. He scrambled up from the ground and charged at Cao Xiao with clenched fists.

Director Huang did the same, but before Fang Xuehai's fist could land on Cao Xiao, a large fist appeared before his eyes, growing larger. Suddenly, the sound of bone cracking came from his nose, followed by a sharp sting as tears and blood flowed together. Then, he felt a powerful kick to his stomach, and his body flew backward uncontrollably. Director Huang met the same fate, and both crashed into the crowd together.

Whether out of panic or intent, several pairs of feet stepped on them simultaneously, including a few high heels. Even Cao Xiao felt a pang of sympathy watching it. The other onlookers seemed to have received a signal and simultaneously began to panic, moving toward where Fang Xuehai and Director Huang had fallen. They all 'accidentally' stepped on or kicked their bodies; though the force wasn't heavy, it still made them scream in pain repeatedly.

The sound of sirens wailed ahead, and the crowd ceased their panic, forming an orderly circle to continue watching. The first to arrive was a police car from the local station. With its lights flashing, it pulled over to the side of the road, and four officers stepped out, walking into the center of the scene.

"Officer, I'm the one who called the police. The situation is like this—" Cao Xiao took the initiative to explain the sequence of events to the officers.

"Hmm, a final decision on this matter will have to wait until the traffic police arrive. However, the charge of intentional extortion against these two won't be dropped. For now, let's restore traffic. Ma'am, please move your car to the side of the road and park it. Don't worry about disturbing the scene; we will take photos, and we will also take statements from several witnesses among the crowd regarding what just happened," an officer said after a moment of reflection.

"Officer, I want to report a crime! We were just assaulted by this man and others. We are seriously injured and need to be sent to the hospital immediately. Call an ambulance for us right now! My son-in-law is Wang Yili!" As soon as Fang Xuehai and Director Huang saw the police, they scrambled over and spoke indignantly.

"I'm sorry, we will not accept your report because someone has already reported the incident. Both of you are criminal suspects. We will record everything you've said in detail, and there are witnesses at the scene. Please hand over your car keys immediately and cooperate with our work. Xiao Chen, Xiao Wang, keep an eye on them," the officer said.

The police began taking statements from the witnesses who understood the situation. One officer moved Fang Xuehai's Buick to the side of the road and then dispersed the onlookers. Traffic was restored, but Cao Xiao couldn't leave yet; he had to stay at the scene to assist with the investigation, as he was a party involved.

In less than two minutes, the traffic police arrived. After communicating with the local police and following legal procedures, they revoked Fang Xuehai's driver's license, confiscated the vehicle, and handed him over to the police for detention. Director Huang was not the driver, but he was suspected of malicious extortion and was also taken into the police car. Their injuries were not serious—only their noses had been broken by Cao Xiao—so the police didn't call for a hospital and only gave them simple bandages. They would be detained and subsequently prosecuted and tried.

Cao Xiao and the victim lady drove to the police station to assist with the investigation. Once there, the lady thanked him repeatedly. Cao Xiao insisted it was nothing; this was a calculated revenge on his part, though he was on the side of justice, and Fang Xuehai and Director Huang had brought it on themselves. During this time, the lady made a phone call home in front of the police, briefly explaining the situation. A short while later, the station chief appeared. He asked the handling officers about the case and requested it be handled according to the law, treating it as a model case. Fang Xuehai and Director Huang were still relentlessly making excuses, but with many witnesses and solid evidence at the scene, their quibbling was useless. Knowing they were rogues, the police simply recorded their statements and then ignored them, letting them make phone calls for help. However, they soon quieted down; it seemed the people they relied on couldn't save them.

"Cao Xiao, don't get cocky. I've already called my son-in-law. Just you wait and cry when the time comes." Seeing Cao Xiao chatting and laughing with several officers—a completely different treatment from his own—Fang Xuehai was filled with hatred. He realized that even his son-in-law might not be able to protect him this time, and that he had offended some powerful figure. The consequences were serious and he might be sentenced, so his hatred for Cao Xiao was immense.

"Cao Xiao, you wait for me too. I've called my friends. You ruined their business last time, and now you've done this to me. They'll take good care of you for me." Director Huang also hated Cao Xiao to the core, so he had just called his friends, telling them everything he knew about Cao Xiao from Fang Xuehai and asking them to take severe revenge.

"Go ahead and keep talking. We've already recorded this, so you can add another charge to your list. If anything happens to this comrade in the future, you will be the prime suspects," an officer said after hearing Fang Xuehai and the other man speak, having started a recording before addressing them.

Finally, the two of them shut up, only able to glare at Cao Xiao as if they wanted to eat his flesh raw. Cao Xiao didn't bother with these two idiots and just stared back at them with a smile. These fools actually clamored about revenge right inside the police station; if anything happened to Cao Xiao later, the police would go straight to them first. Although Cao Xiao had hit people this time, the recording on his phone proved it was self-defense. Thus, after the police politely had him finish his statement, he was told he could leave.

Leaving the police station, Cao Xiao was in a great mood. He had vented his frustrations today, and those two pieces of trash were finally going where they belonged. Cao Xiao silently wished them a 'wonderful' life in prison. He called Li Dongping and a few former colleagues to tell them the news. They were all delighted and prepared to celebrate Fang Xuehai's misfortune. Thinking of Director Huang made him think of He Yueyou, whom he hadn't seen for several days. He missed her quite a bit, but she was still at work and he had things to do. Checking the time, it was already 2 PM, so he drove toward Hengyu Coal Mine.

Three days later at the Dachuhe Pier, the five warehouses Cao Xiao had rented were filled to the brim. The coal powder and coke originally in Warehouse No. 1 and No. 2 had been shipped away and were now refilled with coke. Each warehouse held 7,000 tons, totaling exactly 35,000 tons of coke across the five. Cao Xiao handed the keys to all five warehouses to the person in charge from Hongdu. It would take some time to transport all this coke, so Cao Xiao didn't plan on doing anything else for the time being. He had been exhausted these past few days, spending over ten hours driving every day. To avoid meeting the transport and handling personnel, he had become a night owl, resting during the day and moving at night.

The next day was Saturday, the day He Yueyou's mother had invited him to dinner in the provincial capital. Cao Xiao had already agreed with He Yueyou to head to the provincial capital together in the morning. Xiangmen City was over 400 kilometers away from the provincial capital, Huanghe City, and the distance was even further from Fangzhu. Even with smooth traffic, it would take four or five hours. They wouldn't make it for lunch, so the time Cao Xiao had arranged with Mother He was for the evening.

This time, Cao Xiao planned to stay in the provincial capital for a while and might need to buy a house there. The payment for the coke from Hongdu had been wired to his account two days ago—a full 52 million. Adding the 4 million left from his coal powder purchase and the 2 million from selling the blue amber necklace, he had over 58 million in his ICBC account. Furthermore, another 52 million in payments would be arriving soon. Aside from what he would spend on starting a company, the rest was enough to buy a nice villa in Huanghe City. Thus, he planned to give up his little place in Fangzhu. He kept his personal items and the clothes he was wearing but threw everything else away, including his old clothes. He planned to go on a major shopping spree in Huanghe City this time; his personal image needed a good overhaul.

He got up at 8 AM, had breakfast with He Yueyou in the small town, and set off. Five hours later, the car exited the highway and entered the city. Cao Xiao felt a sense of reunion; he liked Huanghe City, not just because it was a bustling metropolis, but because of its rich cultural atmosphere. For thousands of years, it had been a center of cultural exchange between the north and south, as well as a strategic military town with countless historical sites.

Cao Xiao had attended university in Huanghe City and stayed there for four years, but he hadn't returned in the four years since graduation. He thought of his teachers, his classmates, his alma mater, and the girl he had once loved deeply. Everything felt like yesterday once more. This place held too many memories, but the past was beyond reach. His classmates were scattered across the country, and though his former lover was still here, she had long since married someone else. He heard her husband was a wealthy man who, though older, treated her very well.

It was only 2 PM, and the two were starving. They found a decent restaurant by the road and had a good lunch. Since there was nothing to do in the afternoon, He Yueyou took a taxi home. Cao Xiao then remembered he had promised Liu Chang to take her out to eat, so he drove to Liu Chang's school. He called her on the way to tell her to wait at the school gate, only to find that Liu Chang was currently shopping with her classmates at a nearby pedestrian street.

A short while later, Cao Xiao met Liu Chang and her five classmates at the entrance of the pedestrian street. Since he had thrown away his old clothes and it was still early, being at the pedestrian street was the perfect opportunity to pick up a few new outfits.

"My dear older cousin, you finally remembered your little sister! If I had really waited for you to invite me to dinner, I would have starved to death," Liu Chang complained as she grabbed Cao Xiao's arm.

"Ahem, haven't I come to find you now? I forgot to tell you the time was set for the evening. I'll make it up to you in a bit. How about I pay for your shopping today? Buy whatever you want!" Cao Xiao said awkwardly; he really had forgotten about Liu Chang.

"You really struck it rich? You said it! Besides that, you have to treat us to a big meal later," Liu Chang's eyes sparkled with excitement when she heard Cao Xiao's generous offer.

"My word is my bond. When have I ever lied to you? But aren't we going to a banquet tonight? If you eat now, will you still be able to eat tonight?" Cao Xiao promised, patting his chest, before asking Liu Chang.

"Don't you know my appetite? Don't worry, I digest quickly. I didn't eat much for lunch just to wait for your treat. Besides, my classmates are here too. Oh, let me introduce you to these beauties. They're all single, so you'd better seize the chance," Liu Chang said nonchalantly. She then pulled her classmates over to introduce them. "This is our school's great talent, Mi Fan. This is Zhou Xinmeng, and here are Wang Can, Hu Keqin, and Dai Hanqiu. Pretty, aren't they?"

"Hello, everyone. I'm Changchang's cousin, Cao Xiao. It's a pleasure to meet you." Liu Chang's classmates were all very beautiful, but Cao Xiao only gave them an appreciative glance before greeting them naturally.