"Whatever, this is all your fault for wanting to see some underground auction. When we go to the station to give our statements, who knows if it’ll go on our record," Lin Xue said, her voice full of resentment. "When I graduate, a record like this will definitely affect my chances of getting into the military."
"What’s with you all? Blaming me? I’m in a foul mood too, you know. Keep shouting, and don’t think I won’t do something just because you’re with Sister You!" Yang Qi was already in a bad mood and his face was grim. Hearing her words, his scowl deepened. He rolled up his sleeves, baring his lean arms, and looked ready for a fight.
He raised a fist in a mock threat, his voice turning fierce as he yelled, "I’ve had it! I’m going to teach you all a lesson today!"
These girls had lorded over him more than once, riding on Jiang You’s coattails.
’He was a young master! When had he ever been subjected to this kind of treatment?!’
"Sister You!"
"Sister You!"
"Sister You!"
The three followers immediately hid behind Jiang You.
"Hah, scared now, are you?" Yang Qi scoffed. He wasn’t actually going to hit them; he was just trying to scare them.
’Otherwise, they’d really start walking all over him.’
"Sister You, look at him!" The three followers clutched at Jiang You, their voices full of grievance.
Jiang You had been squatting in silence.
She had witnessed the whole farce, and the corner of her mouth twitched. Hearing her followers’ complaints, she finally looked over at Yang Qi.
Like a vicious, snarling dog that had just seen its master, the fierce, threatening expression on Yang Qi’s face slowly faded when he saw Jiang You look his way.
Yang Qi immediately put on a fawning, eager-to-please expression and looked at Jiang You. "Sister You, I was just trying to scare them. I wasn’t really going to hit them."
"Sister You, he was totally going to hit us!" Yu Lin protested.
"That’s right, I saw it! He was snarling; he looked like he wanted to bite our heads off," Chen Yu chimed in.
"Sister You, you can’t let him get away with this! You have to stand up for us!" Lin Xue added, glaring at Yang Qi resentfully.
Being impartial wasn’t part of Jiang You’s persona.
She looked at Yang Qi and called out his name dispassionately, "Yang Qi."
Yang Qi knew what was good for him. He spoke immediately, his face a mask of appeasement. "Sister You, I’m sorry. I’ll apologize to them right now."
With that, he quickly turned to Yu Lin and the others. "Hey, my bad. Sorry for scaring you guys."
The young man’s expression changed in a flash. Seeing this, Yu Lin and the others couldn’t help but let their lips twitch, though they were already used to it.
They let out an ambiguous scoff.
Yang Qi ignored them, instead pulling a small folding stool from his Space Ring. "Sister You, you must be tired of squatting. Here, have a seat."
Jiang You paused for a moment before sitting down. The stool was quite low. With her followers and the sycophant gathered around her, the Star Police probably couldn’t tell whether she was sitting or squatting. Her legs were indeed numb from squatting, so she sat down without a second thought.
A moment later, Yang Qi produced a bottle of water from his Space Ring. He deliberately unscrewed the cap, inserted a straw, and only then did he pass it to Jiang You. "Sister You, are you thirsty? Have some water."
Jiang You took it without missing a beat.
She sat on the low stool with one leg stretched out and the other bent.
"Sister You, are your legs sore from squatting? Let me give them a massage." Yang Qi fawningly reached out to rub Jiang You’s legs.
His hand was swatted away before it got halfway.
"Tsk. Is he trying to give you a massage or just feel you up?" Yu Lin sniped. Then she turned to Jiang You, her face breaking into a radiant smile. "Sister You, let me massage your legs."
As she spoke, she was already placing her hands on Jiang You’s calf, gently massaging it.
"Hey, I can massage the other leg!" Yang Qi had just started to say, when Chen Yu and Lin Xue squeezed in on the other side of Jiang You’s outstretched leg.
"Leave the other leg to us." Without waiting for an answer, Chen Yu and Lin Xue started massaging Jiang You’s other leg.
Shoved aside, Yang Qi fell and landed on his butt. A vein throbbed on his forehead, and his face darkened.
Still, he scrambled back up, squatted beside Jiang You, and pulled out a small pack of cookies from his Space Ring. He looked at Jiang You with sparkling puppy-dog eyes. "Sister You, want some cookies?"
...
Jiang You’s lips twitched. Noticing more and more subtle glances coming their way, she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
The Star Police officer watching them glanced over but said nothing. As long as they weren’t causing trouble, it was fine.
After all, the targets of this sting operation were the ringleaders, not the clients who had come to the auction to do business.
Jiang You’s embarrassment didn’t last long. Soon, they were all told to get up and head out to the police vehicles that would take them to the station.
"Officer, can I ride in the same car as her?" Yang Qi said, trying to force his way over to get into the same police vehicle as Jiang You.
"Sister You, sit with me!" Yu Lin squeezed in.
"Sister You! Sister You! Let’s sit together!" Chen Yu and Lin Xue pushed their way over as well.
In an instant, the three of them were squabbling loudly.
This time, the joint sting operation between the Imperial Capital Star Police and the military district had concluded perfectly.
The captain of the Star Police division was walking out alongside a tall man.
"Hey, Qi, the operation was a complete success. Want to go celebrate in a bit?" Star Police Captain Lin Cheng said with a smile, looking at Jiang Qi beside him. However, the other man didn’t answer, his gaze fixed on something in the distance.
Lin Cheng followed Jiang Qi’s gaze, which landed on Jiang You and her group. Seeing the noisy scene, he chuckled and commented, "These kids sure have a lot of energy. I wonder how they even found a way into an auction like this. Must be thrill-seekers or something."
Jiang Qi’s deep, stern amber eyes narrowed. He let out a sneer. "Yes, so much energy. Enough to dare come to a place like this. They seem to have forgotten the family rules."
Lin Cheng blinked. "You have family over there?"
"Yes. I’ll have to skip the celebration. I need to go deal with a junior from my family." With that, Jiang Qi strode purposefully toward them.
Meanwhile, the followers and the sycophant were still arguing over who would ride in the same police car with her.
The nearby Star Police officer finally lost his patience and yelled, "What do you think this is, a field trip? You think you can pick your seats? Hurry up! Don’t waste any more time! Get in!"
As he spoke, the Star Police officer grabbed Jiang You’s arm to push her inside, but in the next moment, his own arm was frozen in place.
Impatient, he was about to turn and see which idiot dared to obstruct a police officer, when he saw Commander Jiang.
His expression immediately shifted to one of respect. "Commander Jiang."
"I’ll take her to the station," Jiang Qi said flatly. Ignoring the Star Police officer, he grabbed Jiang You’s wrist and pulled her toward another police vehicle.
"Who the hell are you? You can’t just—" Yang Qi started to say, but he was pulled back.
"What are you doing? That’s Sister You’s uncle," Yu Lin and the others said, yanking Yang Qi back just in time.
That man was not someone to be trifled with. He was the commander of Zone Three.