Chapter 53 Entering the Palace

Every morning, Qin Chao found himself with two additional tasks: preparing breakfast for Su Ji and accompanying her to work. Left to his own devices, he would typically make do with a hasty bowl of instant noodles or simply chew on dry food. Now, however, he had to cater to another mouth - a rather particular one at that. As such, Qin Chao had no choice but to rise earlier and help Su Ji prepare congee.

Strangely, Qin Chao did not find these busy mornings bothersome; instead, he felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. He couldn't help but wonder if he possessed some masochistic tendencies, which puzzled him greatly.

The two shared their morning meal amidst an odd atmosphere before tidying up and leaving. As Su Ji exited, she encountered Wang Yan, who was taking out the trash. Dressed in thermal underwear, Wang Yan cast a somewhat apprehensive glance at Su Ji but said nothing. During their last encounter, Wang Yan had attempted to humiliate Su Ji, only to suffer a counterattack that left her completely disgraced in front of the entire building. Consequently, she now dared not provoke this female Shura any further.

In contrast, Su Ji provocatively glanced back at Wang Yan, who quickly disposed of her trash and sullenly retreated to her room. Su Ji chuckled softly just as Qin Chao emerged from the house, fully dressed.

At that moment, the door across the way opened, and Li Na walked out with a look of astonishment on her face. As she saw Su Ji leaving Qin Chao's house once again, her beautiful, wide eyes filled with shock and bitterness.

"Su Ji... Qin Chao... you two..."

"Li Na, let me introduce you to my new tenant," Qin Chao gestured towards Su Ji and said, "By the way, I'll fill you in on yesterday's parent-teacher conference when I have time."

"What? What meeting?" At this point, Li Na's mother, Xu Mei, also emerged from the house, her eyes fixed on the two women and one man before her as she inquired.

"Uh, never mind. I was just talking about a meeting at our school," Qin Chao quickly waved his hands, fearing that Xu Mei might learn about the parent-teacher conference he had arranged on her behalf.

"Oh, Little Qin, is this your girlfriend?" As a middle-aged woman, Xu Mei was quite interested in gossip, "She's quite beautiful. You have a good eye."

"Hehe, thank you, Sister Xu," Qin Chao grinned cheekily as he scratched his nose, reveling in the compliment. Su Ji pinched him, intending to clarify the situation. However, upon seeing Li Na's resentful eyes, she promptly decided against it.

"Sister Xu, right?" Su Ji interjected promptly, "I've heard about you from Qin Chao. Indeed, you're a beautiful mother. I'll be living here from now on, so we're neighbors. Let's interact more often!"

"Sure, let's interact more!" Xu Mei's face broke into a smile. As long as this young man didn't get involved with her daughter, she didn't care who he chose as a partner. Even if it were Jolin Tsai, she wouldn't interfere.

"Let's go, or we'll be late for work!" Su Ji tugged on Qin Chao's arm and then leaned affectionately against his shoulder, saying, "Ride faster today. If we're late, our wages will be docked."

"No problem, I guarantee we'll arrive on time!" Qin Chao nodded, leading Su Ji downstairs to retrieve their bicycles. All the while, Li Na stared after the departing pair, her gaze filled with bitterness.

"Nana, hurry up and go to school!" Xu Mei patted her daughter on the back, saying, "Or else you'll be late too."

"I know, Mom..." Li Na pouted, hoisting her schoolbag onto her back and heading downstairs. Watching her daughter's retreating figure, Xu Mei sighed and murmured to herself, "Nana, you still have a long way to go..."

As a mother, she was well aware of her daughter's feelings. However, Xu Mei was a determined woman who had single-handedly raised her daughter through hardships, hoping for her success. Although Qin Chao was a decent man, he was far too poor. Moreover, Li Na was only 16, with a long future ahead of her. Perhaps after graduating from college, a wealthy heir or young official might take a liking to Nana and marry her, allowing her to enjoy a life of comfort.

Therefore, Xu Mei rarely allowed Li Na to interact with Qin Chao.

Unaware of Xu Mei's thoughts, Qin Chao carried Su Ji as they rode along the road leading to the suburbs. At this hour, the city of Sunan was just waking from its slumber. Many people had already begun their daily routines, preparing for a day's work. Some elderly individuals took advantage of the morning to exercise their limbs and practice Tai Chi.

With time to spare, Qin Chao didn't ride too quickly. Suddenly, a middle-aged woman dashed from the sidewalk and onto the road in front of their bicycles. Startled, Qin Chao immediately extended his leg, pressing it against the ground. Simultaneously, he twisted the bike's frame, leaving a deep tire mark on the ground as he skillfully skidded to a halt, stopping right in front of the pale-faced woman.

"Phew, that was close!" Both Qin Chao and Su Ji breathed a sigh of relief. This auntie was quite reckless; who would charge onto the road like that?

"Ouch!" Unexpectedly, the woman's eyes shifted, and she plopped down onto the ground, slapping her thigh as she wailed, "Someone's been hit! Help, somebody, I've been hit!"

"Who hit you?" Qin Chao jumped off his bicycle, frowning as he asked. Could it be that he had encountered a scam artist today? What terrible luck.

"I've been hit to death..." The auntie slumped down, opting to lie on the ground and moan in pain.

At this point, a crowd of onlookers gathered around, pointing and gossiping about Qin Chao.

"This person is so unreasonable, hitting someone and not even caring."

"Sigh, the world is going downhill; people have lost their virtues," an old man said, slapping his thigh.

"Where did I hit you? What are you trying to do, extort money?" Qin Chao's brow furrowed as he parked his bicycle to the side, attempting to help the auntie lying on the ground. However, she shrugged off his hand, refusing to get up.

"Who, who hit someone?" At this moment, several police officers in uniform pushed through the crowd and approached.

"Officer! Officer!" The auntie stopped moaning, energetically pointing at Qin Chao and loudly exclaiming, "It's him, it's him who hit me!"

"He owes me money, and he didn't want to pay, so he tried to kill me!" the auntie continued.

"Nonsense, who even knows you?" Su Ji couldn't help but interject, "Where did you come from, you must be insane! You deliberately ran into traffic and now you're blaming others! If you want to die, go jump off a building, but don't involve us!"

"She was the one who hit and yet she's still being so unreasonable..." The auntie suddenly burst into tears, "There's no justice left! Officer, you must support me!"

"Is it you who hit her?" An expressionless police officer approached Qin Chao, glancing at him before coldly saying, "Come with us. We suspect you of attempted murder."

"Attempted murder?" Qin Chao looked at the officer, pointing to himself, "You must be joking. I don't even know this woman, and I didn't hit her!"

"Enough talk, let's discuss this at the station!" The officer waved his hand, and several police officers came forward to restrain Qin Chao. One of them even took out handcuffs, cuffing Qin Chao's hands behind his back.

Defeating these police officers would be a piece of cake for Qin Chao. However, if he did so, he would likely have to live in hiding in the deep mountains and forests.

"Hey, what are you doing!" Su Ji pushed the officer who handcuffed Qin Chao. As a disciple of Buddhism, this young woman possessed incredible strength. With just one push, she sent the officer stumbling back several steps, nearly falling to the ground.

"You, you dare to assault an officer?" Another police officer immediately approached, speaking rudely to Su Ji. He also took out a pair of handcuffs, seemingly ready to take Su Ji away as well.

"Wait!" The officer stopped the younger policeman, saying, "The suspect of attempted murder has been determined, and it has nothing to do with this young lady. Take him away, and let's go back to the station to record his statement."

As they spoke, the police officers escorted Qin Chao under the watchful eyes of the crowd, boarding a nearby patrol car.

"I didn't hit anyone!" Qin Chao protested a few more times, only to be pushed back by an officer.

"Get in; all suspects say that!"

"Qin Chao, I'll get you out of this!" Su Ji watched as Qin Chao was taken away in the police car and immediately hopped on the bicycle, speeding off toward the school.

Meanwhile, the auntie who had been "hit" stood up and dusted herself off as soon as the police left. She casually walked over to a nearby morning market and began haggling with a fish vendor.

Qin Chao sat in the police car, flanked by officers on either side. He had no idea that he had fallen into a sinister plot.

He was quickly brought to the police station and, without even being interrogated, was sent directly to a holding cell. An officer leaned him against a radiator and then left the interrogation room.

A long time passed without anyone coming to question him, which made Qin Chao frown and begin to ponder the events that had transpired.

Even if he had knocked the auntie down with his bicycle, the police surely wouldn't have arrived so quickly and treated him like a murderer.

Qin Chao was not slow-witted; after carefully considering what had happened, he made a judgment.

Clearly, this was a trap set specifically for him. And the only person with the power to control the police was Li Chao, the secretary of the municipal party committee.

Qin Chao was correct in his suspicion that Li Chao was behind his being sent to the police station. Li Chao had entrusted the matter to his father's subordinate, Luo Hao, the captain of the criminal police brigade.

To please the son of the deputy director and the secretary of the municipal party committee, Luo Hao immediately arranged the operation. Of course, the officers sent were his trusted men, and he personally led the operation, aiming to arrest Qin Chao, who had become a thorn in Li Chao's side, without fail.

Furthermore, due to the recent crackdown on major cases, the city had just launched a severe crackdown. The municipal party secretary personally called for a strict fight against criminals and the eradication of underworld forces. Qin Chao became the first shot fired in the crackdown and the first to be arrested by Luo Hao.

Deputy Director Li also approved, stating that such criminals must be dealt with strictly. There was to be no favoritism, as everyone is equal before the law.

Finally, after Qin Chao had been held in the interrogation room for three hours, someone came to see him. That person was none other than the captain of the criminal police brigade, Luo Hao.