Chapter 553: Lending a Hand
Hua Zifeng smiled. "Yes, that makes sense."
But only Hua Zifeng himself knew what he was really thinking.
They chatted a bit more, but Hua Zifeng didn’t get anything out of Su Qing. He was also unsettled by the aura about her, which was almost identical to Susan’s. His thoughts were in a jumble, and he was anxious to go back and sort them out, so he stood up to leave.
After Hua Zifeng and his assistant left, Zou Ming said to Su Qing, "This Hua Zifeng guy is a strange one. I keep getting the feeling he suspects you of something. It’s like you, the victim, are being treated as a suspect."
Compared to Hua Zifeng, Zou Ming was naturally on Su Qing’s side. He wasn’t happy with the way Hua Zifeng had questioned her, but he couldn’t very well say so to his face. Now that they were gone, he couldn’t help but complain to Su Qing about it.
Su Qing gave a faint smile. She’d dealt with Hua Zifeng before and was somewhat familiar with his way of talking, so his sharp tone didn’t surprise her. Still, she was a little confused. ’Right now, my identity is just a student. At most, I’m the victim in Master Zhang’s case. Why did his questions suddenly veer toward A Tai? He even asked if I’d been there!’
Su Qing had a faint feeling that Hua Zifeng might have connected her to Susan. ’Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked that question. But that raised another problem. The current me bears no resemblance to Susan whatsoever. If Hua Zifeng really did link me to her, what could have possibly made him think there was a connection?’
Su Qing couldn’t figure it out, but she wasn’t worried. In the end, as long as she didn’t admit to anything, it wouldn’t matter how suspicious Hua Zifeng was. Everything required proof, after all.
"That Mr. Hua has probably been a detective for too long. It must be an occupational hazard," Su Qing said.
Zou Ming nodded at her words. "That’s true. No matter what you do, you can’t shake your occupational habits."
With that, Zou Ming started to laugh.
Su Qing chatted with Zou Ming for a little longer, but knowing he had things to do, she excused herself and left.
After leaving the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Su Qing planned to head back to the compound. It was still early, so she decided to make a trip to the department store to buy Mrs. Li her favorite Zaozi cake.
The distance from the Public Security Bureau to the department store wasn’t actually that far. If she took the side alleys, it would only take about ten minutes, so Su Qing decided to walk.
"Well now, little lady. All by yourself?" Su Qing hadn’t expected to be stopped just for cutting through an alley. The one blocking her path was a young punk wearing aviator sunglasses. Exchanges between the mainland and Xiangcheng had become more common, and many boys on the streets of Beijing had taken to wearing them, making it something of a trend.
However, this particular young man had a sleazy look on his face and didn’t seem like a good person at all. He sidled up to Su Qing with a grin. "It’s the weekend. How about I take you out to eat? What do you want? My treat."
Su Qing frowned slightly. "Go away."
"C’mon, don’t be so serious. We’re all young, it’s normal to hang out together. How about it? Let’s get to know each other." The young punk was a street loafer who didn’t have a real job. He just drifted through life with his buddies, picking up a whole host of bad habits. He had spotted Su Qing, saw how pretty she was and that she was alone, and decided to hit on her. Her cold expression didn’t bother him in the slightest. He had no real intention of treating her to a meal; he just wanted to get handsy and take advantage.
"Go away. Can’t you understand plain language?" Su Qing’s voice was cold.
"C’mon, don’t be like that. What’s wrong with having a little fun together?" The young punk grinned, reaching out to grab Su Qing’s hand.
Seeing this, Su Qing’s eyebrow twitched. She was just about to send a kick his way when a man suddenly dashed out from a nearby alley and threw a punch straight at the young punk. "Get lost! You dare harass a young lady? Watch out, or I’ll have you sent to the station."
"Oof!"
Caught off guard, the young punk took the man’s punch right in the face. He immediately lost his footing, stumbled back several steps, and fell right on his butt.
"Fuck, which son of a bitch dared to hit me? You got a death wish?" Having been punched, the young punk flew into a rage and yelled at the man.
When he got a clear look, well, what do you know, it was someone he knew. The young punk got even angrier. "Zhang Dahai, what’s the meaning of this? Are you fucking crazy? Just coming up and hitting someone? You think I’m some pushover?"
Su Qing was also a little surprised. She actually recognized the man in front of her, though she’d only met him once. ’Isn’t this the second older brother that Zhang Xiaozhen from the housing authority introduced me to at the department store last time?’
"You’re the crazy one, bullying a young lady! Have you no shame?" Zhang Dahai stood in front of Su Qing, glaring angrily at the young punk. "Liu Fuqiang, I can let it slide when you fool around normally, but harassing a girl like this is not okay. If you try anything else, I’ll hit you again. Go on, try me if you don’t believe it."
"You... you’re nuts. What I do is none of your damn business." The young punk was furious. He glanced at Su Qing, and a look of dawning comprehension crossed his face. "Oh, I get it. So you’re sweet on this little chick, huh?"
Zhang Dahai’s ears couldn’t help but turn a little red, but he absolutely would not allow the punk to ruin Su Qing’s reputation. He roared, "You say one more damn thing. If you dare ruin this young lady’s reputation, I’ll beat you to death."
As he spoke, Zhang Dahai raised his fist.
Seeing Zhang Dahai’s posture, the young punk instinctively took two steps back. Zhang Dahai was tall and well-built to begin with, and since his family ate well, he was much more robust than the punk’s scrawny frame. If it really came to a fight, the young punk was no match for Zhang Dahai at all.
So, the young punk swallowed hard and said, all bark and no bite, "Hmph. I won’t stoop to your level. Just my bad luck today."
After saying his piece, the young punk clutched his face and ran off.
Once the young punk was gone, Zhang Dahai turned to Su Qing, looking a little embarrassed. "Um, don’t be scared. That was Liu Fuqiang, he’s my neighbor. He just messes around with a group of friends all day. He’s actually a coward. If you run into him again, just be firm with him and threaten to call the police. That’ll scare him off."
The man had helped her, after all, so Su Qing smiled and thanked him. "Thank you for what you did just now."
"It’s... it’s nothing." Hearing Su Qing’s thanks, Zhang Dahai’s face immediately turned red, and he started to stammer. "I was just... just passing by and saw it. Anyone who saw something like that wouldn’t have just ignored it. You... you don’t have to thank me."