The girl's delicate face was flushed, possibly from fear or intense emotion, and her eyes seemed to well up with tears.
The injured young man, no older than twenty, with a short haircut, small eyes, a round face, and an earring, looked like a petty thug. He was now sitting on the ground, groaning incessantly.
Beside him, several young men of similar age had surrounded the girl, clearly demanding compensation.
"Beautiful, have you thought about it? Do you want to settle this privately or let the authorities handle it?"
"What private or public settlement? He ran into me. You're trying to scam me."
"Then call the police. The fact is, my friend's leg is broken. Who can prove he ran into you?"
Amidst their arguments, Yang Jian understood. The girl was being extorted by these young men, but there were no witnesses, and no cameras nearby. If she called the police, she would likely have to pay.
The onlookers sympathized with the girl, but no one dared to speak up. The group of young men looked like trouble, and such matters were difficult to clarify.
"What about a private settlement, and what about going public?"
With no other options, the girl seemed ready to compromise.
"Going public is simple. We call the police, let the officers handle it. If he needs to be hospitalized, then hospitalization, medical expenses, lost wages, nutrition fees, caregiver fees, living expenses – whatever the calculation. As the saying goes, a broken bone takes a hundred days to heal. You broke his leg, so he'll be hospitalized for at least three months, and unable to work for a year. All in all, it won't be less than seventy to eighty thousand."
"And a private settlement?"
"A private settlement is even simpler. A lump sum of thirty thousand yuan, and we'll take him to the hospital. This matter will be unrelated to you."
"You're extorting me! How can you ask for so much money? Besides, it's not my fault."
The girl was on the verge of tears.
One of the young men sneered, "Then call the police. Let's see if the police believe your one-sided story or the facts!"
The girl was clearly intimidated. Calling the police seemed to put her at a greater disadvantage.
The dispute seemed to be at a standstill. Yang Jian checked the time; it was nearing lunchtime. He decided to take a detour to the teachers' village. While he sympathized with the girl, he couldn't think of a solution.
As he turned to squeeze through the crowd, a somewhat familiar voice made him stop. "Yaoyao, you hit someone. Don't be afraid, I'll handle it for you."
Yang Jian turned and saw a familiar face. The speaker was none other than Wu Laizi, the man who had caused him to spend over twenty days in jail.
Wu Laizi appeared to have recovered completely, walking normally. It seemed he knew the girl and intended to help her out of this predicament.
Yang Jian became interested, wanting to see how Wu Laizi would handle the situation. He also planned to talk to him, as although his grandfather's death was likely related to Brother Mao, Baoguo, and others, it was still possible that Wu Laizi had arranged for people to vandalize his home. He needed to confirm this.
The girl, named Yaoyao, clearly seemed to reject Wu Laizi's intervention and ignored him.
Wu Laizi, unfazed, shouted at the young men, "What's going on? This is my sister. Are you trying to scam her? Do you know who I am?"
The young men visibly faltered. "You're Brother Wu, we know you. But your sister did hit our guy. We're not scamming her, just asking for some compensation, or you can call the police. We haven't hit or insulted her."
"Yaoyao, did you hit him?"
Wu Laizi looked at the girl with a hint of fawning, a glint of greed in his eyes.
The girl continued to ignore him, sobbing and trembling, looking utterly pitiful.
Wu Laizi turned back to the young men. "How much do you want her to pay?"
"Brother Wu, my brother's leg is indeed broken. He won't be able to walk for at least half a year, and he won't be able to do heavy work for a year or so. Is thirty thousand yuan too much for her to pay?"
"Bullshit! My leg was broken in the first half of the year too. I was only in the hospital for a little over a month, then I recuperated at home. The medical expenses were no more than four to five thousand yuan, and I'm fine now. Even with lost wages, it wouldn't be thirty thousand. You're deliberately extorting us, bullying my sister, aren't you?"
Wu Laizi tried to project an image of righteousness, but his rough demeanor couldn't hide the fact that he was a hooligan.
The young men quickly plastered smiles on their faces. "We wouldn't dare, Brother Wu. Since she's your sister, we'll definitely give you face. Brother Wu, how much do you think she should pay?"
Wu Laizi squatted down to examine the injured man, then stood up and said to the girl, "Yaoyao, his leg is indeed broken. How about paying ten thousand? I'll vouch for it, they won't dare to ask for more."
"Why should I pay ten thousand? It wasn't me who hit him at all. He ran into my car himself. They're trying to scam me."
The girl clearly didn't want to pay anything.
Wu Laizi turned and roared again, "So you're trying to scam me, are you? You're looking for death! Get lost, or I'll kill you bastards!"
Seeing someone stand up for the girl, someone in the crowd applauded Wu Laizi.
However, the young men suddenly became defiant. "Brother Wu, since you say so, then we'll have to call the police and let them handle it."
Seeing one of them reaching for his phone to call the police, Wu Laizi whispered to the girl, "Yaoyao, why don't we settle this privately? The main thing is, no one can prove it for you. Even if the police come, they'll likely rule it as your fault. Ten thousand yuan is really not much. I went through something similar this year, and someone compensated me thirty thousand. If the police handle it, it'll probably be around that amount."
The girl hesitated, starting to believe Wu Laizi. There was indeed no one to prove that the young man hadn't run into her. It seemed she had no choice but to pay ten thousand.
"Alright, I'll pay ten thousand. But I don't have cash on me. I'll have to go to the bank to withdraw or transfer it."
"Wait a minute, don't give them the money."
Just as the girl made her decision, Yang Jian pushed his way through. He had already realized that this was a setup orchestrated by Wu Laizi and the young men.
If it hadn't been for Wu Laizi's appearance, he wouldn't have intervened. There were too many injustices in society, and he wasn't a police officer; why would he bother with such trivial matters?
But Wu Laizi's presence made him uncomfortable. He was a scoundrel to the core, and it was impossible for him to have such good intentions to help others.
As for the claim that the girl was his sister, it was clearly not true. Setting aside their appearances – one a breathtakingly beautiful swan, the other a toad – the girl's attitude towards him was enough to indicate they were not siblings or relatives.
"Yang, President Yang, why are you here?"
Wu Laizi's face changed drastically. His fear of Yang Jian was ingrained in his muscles. This man was too ruthless, breaking people's limbs at the slightest disagreement. Liu Ming had been crippled by him, and he couldn't even withstand one of Yang Jian's moves. Whether openly or secretly, he couldn't defeat him.
Even Old Gui was unwilling to offend him. Now that Old Gui was dead, he was even less of a match for Yang Jian.