He gradually began to realize something.
At first glance, the people Jiang Cheng 'targeted' all seemed like victims of him 'using his influence to bully others.'
But if one investigated to the bottom, not a single one of them was clean.
Take Lin Weiwei before him, for example. If she hadn't been the first to insult and bully her classmate,
And if her family hadn't actually been hiding evidence of selling counterfeit goods, she wouldn't have ended up in this situation.
Listening to Jiang Cheng's words now and seeing how he protected the Si sisters,
The scrutiny in Lin Yang's eyes completely faded, replaced by a glimmer of understanding.
He let out a soft breath, and his originally tense shoulders relaxed.
The gaze he directed toward Jiang Cheng held a few more degrees of approval.
Lin Yang suddenly thought of Chen Tie.
According to Chen Tie's criminal record, he also relied on his family's power.
He would cause trouble in bars at will, smashing people's heads, and every time, he would just pay a small fine to settle it.
In reality, if Jiang Cheng wanted to, he could do the same—simply vent his anger by beating people up.
Yet, he insisted on organizing the evidence of counterfeit goods from Lin Weiwei's family shop with absolute clarity.
He was completely different from those rich kids who only knew how to use power to suppress others.
Or perhaps, the information Jiang Cheng possessed was simply too vast.
Compared to an ordinary Second-generation rich, Jiang Cheng's level was clearly much higher.
Lin Yang suddenly felt that his previous thoughts about Jiang Cheng being 'unfathomable' had been slightly off the mark.
Among those with wealth and power, many would manipulate others at will just for the sake of face.
But Jiang Cheng was different; his 'ruthlessness' was only directed at those who had done wrong.
Seeing this, Lin Yang took two steps forward.
He deliberately raised his voice and gave Jiang Cheng a look. "Young Master Jiang, after listening to all this, I get the feeling these two... are persons of interest in a case?"
Seeing Lin Yang winking at him,
Jiang Cheng found the man quite interesting.
"Officer Lin has a sharp eye. These are the owners of this counterfeit luxury store, the mother and daughter, Lin Weiwei and Zhang Hongmei."
"So they are persons of interest!" Lin Yang's voice suddenly rose, loud enough for all the surrounding customers to hear. He then jerked his chin toward the officers beside him and shouted, "These two are involved in the sale of counterfeit luxury goods. Please cooperate with our investigation! Compensation matters will be handled according to the law later!"
Hearing this, the crowd instantly exploded.
The customers holding their receipts, their hearts full of pent-up rage, had originally just been clamoring around the shop.
Now, hearing the words 'persons of interest,' their eyes turned red as they surged toward Lin Weiwei and her mother.
The first to rush up was a middle-aged woman.
She grabbed Zhang Hongmei's arm with such force that the woman cried out in pain.
"Fine! So you're the boss! The bag I saved up six months of salary for is a fake! If you don't pay me back today, don't even think about leaving!"
"And mine! I bought this bag behind my husband's back, and he almost divorced me over it, only for it to be a high-quality knockoff! Where is your conscience?"
Another woman rushed over with bloodshot eyes and gave Lin Weiwei a hard shove.
Being suddenly pushed and shoved, Lin Weiwei and Zhang Hongmei's faces instantly turned pale with fear.
Someone yanked at Zhang Hongmei's bag, while another person landed a couple of punches on Lin Weiwei's back.
Surrounded in the middle, the mother and daughter had nowhere to hide.
Zhang Hongmei cried out, "Don't hit me!" and Lin Weiwei screamed in terror, but no one paid them any mind.
Everyone had been holding in their anger for too long, and now it was all being unleashed.
Someone grabbed Zhang Hongmei's arm.
Another person tugged at Lin Weiwei's Chanel suit.
In the chaos, threads were pulled from the clothes.
Their hair was also grabbed and made into a complete mess.
Zhang Hongmei screamed as she tried to break free, and Lin Weiwei was so scared that tears flowed uncontrollably, but they were pinned by the crowd and couldn't move.
In just a few moments, Lin Weiwei's suit was wrinkled and torn, her hair was as messy as a bird's nest, and Zhang Hongmei's silk scarf had fallen to the ground and been trampled. The two of them cried and wailed in the crowd, no longer showing any of their previous arrogance.
They immediately shouted to the police officers on the scene.
"Let's talk this out properly! Officer, someone is hitting me!"
Seeing this, Lin Yang immediately shouted to his colleagues, "Everyone, pay attention! Don't let the scene get out of control! Protect the safety of the suspects! Take them away first to cooperate with the investigation!"
Though he shouted loudly, he only moved forward two steps and symbolically held out a hand to block the people in the very front, without actually trying to pull the surrounding customers away.
There wasn't the slightest hint of 'protection' in his eyes; instead, he quietly gave the other officers a 'don't interfere' look.
Those officers had been with Lin Yang for years and instantly understood his meaning.
Everyone could see that Lin Yang was intentionally giving this mother and daughter a 'lesson'.
They began to move forward two steps symbolically.
They gave loose warnings: "Everyone, don't get excited, don't get excited."
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng looked at Lin Yang.
"Old Lin, I've found that you're quite an interesting person."
Seeing Jiang Cheng suddenly praise him, Lin Yang scratched his head in embarrassment.
Having been in this line of work for a long time, he dealt with many bizarre cases every day.
To be honest, they had become somewhat numb to such things.
By all rights, this kind of behavior was something he would have done when he first entered the profession, back when he was full of energy and a sense of justice.
But perhaps he had been influenced by Jiang Cheng's attitude.
That was why he had momentarily done something so childish.
Seeing the scene starting to get chaotic, Lin Yang said to Jiang Cheng, "Young Master Jiang, it's messy here. It wouldn't be good if you were accidentally injured..."
Jiang Cheng withdrew his gaze and lightly patted his shoulder. The force wasn't heavy, but it carried an unquestionable weight.
"I think you've handled this job quite well. Seeing how you've dealt with these few matters—clear logic and well-judged boundaries—it's time for your position to be elevated a bit."
As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Yang's heart leaped, and his breathing hitched for a moment.
He knew Jiang Cheng's weight all too well.
Especially after the incident with Wang Hao.
Even the most powerful person in Shanghai had been stirred.
And that time before the New Year when he was on duty to close the roads.
The top three figures in Shanghai had all gone to the airport to pick someone up.
Although Lin Yang didn't know exactly who it was,
It was definitely someone related to Jiang Cheng.
As long as Jiang Cheng was willing to help him,
A single word from him would be enough to create waves in the bureau.
Was Jiang Cheng really going to help him?
Joy instantly filled his entire chest.
So, was he about to be promoted to deputy captain??
Thinking of this, he quickly straightened his back and spoke with even more respect: "Thank you for your recognition, Young Master Jiang! I will definitely continue to work hard and not let down your high regard!"
Si Nian and Si Qing held Jiang Cheng's hands and quietly exchanged a glance, their eyes hiding their surprise.
They hadn't expected that a single word from Jiang Cheng could make Lin Yang so excited.
Even more so, they hadn't expected someone in this profession to be so respectful toward him.
Their fingers tightened around Jiang Cheng's palm, and the sense of security in their hearts grew even stronger.
The chaos at the scene continued. Jiang Cheng glanced at Lin Weiwei and her mother, who were being'symbolically' protected by the police and had long since lost their former arrogance.
He then looked down at Si Nian and Si Qing's slightly pale faces and knew that the two of them no longer had any desire to go shopping.
"There are too many people here. I'll take you back to school."
Hearing this, both girls nodded obediently.
The atmosphere in the car was quieter than when they had arrived.
Si Qing gripped the bank card, which still held a lingering warmth.
She handed the card toward Jiang Cheng. "Brother Jiang Cheng, this card... you should take it back."
Si Nian also nodded gently from the side, her eyes filled with unease. "Yes, this is 5 million. We can't take it."
Seeing the two girls' anxious expressions,
Jiang Cheng put his arms around them, one on each side.
"This isn't compensation for me. It's for your emotional distress."
Seeing the sisters still wanting to decline, he added, "This is legal and reasonable compensation. Just take it. Do you really want to return the money and let them continue to live comfortably with it?"
Si Nian and Si Qing looked at each other, both seeing the conflict in the other's eyes.
2.5 million each was truly not a small amount for them.
But Jiang Cheng's words left them with no way to argue.
After a few seconds of silence, the two finally nodded gently.
They carefully put away the bank card, their voices full of gratitude: "Thank you, Brother Cheng."
As soon as the words left their mouths, the two girls looked at each other.
Then, with perfect coordination, they leaned in toward Jiang Cheng.
One on the left and one on the right, they each planted a soft kiss on Jiang Cheng's cheeks.
Jiang Cheng was tickled by this sudden 'double feeding'.
He immediately chuckled and tightened his arms around their shoulders, pulling them even closer to him.
He first looked at Si Nian beside him, his fingertip lightly brushing her chin.
His gaze first fell on the corner of her mouth.
Receiving Jiang Cheng's message, Si Nian subconsciously twitched the corner of her mouth, a soft smile spreading through her eyes.
Seeing she was prepared, Jiang Cheng followed through and held her waist.
When his lips descended, he didn't rush to deepen it. He first just lightly pressed against her lips, waiting for her to relax before slowly deepening the kiss.
Unlike her stiffness at the barbecue restaurant earlier,
Si Nian's acceptance of Jiang Cheng's kiss was clearly more than just a little higher now.
Her lips even showed a bit of clumsy initiative as she lightly rubbed back against him.
Watching the two of them kiss, Si Qing's cheeks instantly flushed a deep red.
Mainly because they were even using their tongues.
Her fingers unconsciously gripped her skirt, yet she didn't look away.
She just sat there quietly, her eyes filled with a bit of bashfulness.
A few minutes later, Jiang Cheng finally released Si Nian and turned to look at Si Qing.
She hadn't yet recovered from the scene she just witnessed; her fingertips were still gripping her skirt, and her lower lip was being quietly bitten into a red mark.
Her eyes were full of shame and panic, yet she didn't look away.
She even subconsciously closed her eyes.