Chapter 211: Zhang Yu in the Mediation Room
“Someone will come to take you for questioning shortly. Just stick to the original plan—take it all on yourself.”
“Ultimately, this was just a student squabble. You sending people to tail them was only to gather information about Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen’s tutoring schedules.”
“Try to win their forgiveness as much as possible. Even if you have to pay extra, it’s fine—just make sure this stays a simple public security incident.”
“Your father wants you to stay calm. After all, your uncle is a Third-Rank Purple Gold Merit Lord, and the Zhou family is a prominent clan in Songyang City. This won’t break you—just a few extra expenses, that’s all…”
Listening to the words, Zhou Chichen let out a faint, wry smile.
Especially when he remembered how, just moments ago, he’d been sending messages to Zhang Yu, urging him to apologize to others.
Now, here he was—on the verge of kneeling before Zhang Yu, begging Zheng Shen to show mercy.
Zhou Chichen sighed inwardly: I’m just a pawn in this game.
But this Zhang Yu… How could such a small matter summon a Sixth-Rank Zheng Shen in person? Just what kind of importance does he and Bai Zhenzhen hold in Zheng Shen’s eyes?
…
While chaos erupted at Wanxing Group and the Zhou household, back at the Inspection Bureau, Zhang Yu remained in his office, continuing his cultivation.
Though the door was locked, the air conditioning grew colder, and hunger gnawed at his stomach, there was no trace of panic on his face. He simply carried on with his daily routine—unhurried, focused.
After all, the matter is now in Deng Bingding’s hands. There’s nothing more I can do.
Zhang Yu knew his only role now was to keep pushing forward with cultivation—every moment, every effort, increasing his chances of passing the final Foundation Establishment Exam and securing the Foundation Establishment Qualification Certificate.
Just then, the office door burst open.
Gong Zhe stood there, holding a large tray of food and two cups of Beast Protein Milk, grinning widely.
“Hungry, you two?”
“The bureau doesn’t have much on hand, so I ordered a pre-made meal from delivery. Hope it’s to your taste.”
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen exchanged a glance. The sudden shift in attitude was unmistakable—Deng Bingding must have already moved.
Gong Zhe set the tray down with exaggerated warmth, as if the cold, detached interrogator from earlier had never existed.
“Eat up! It’s still hot.”
He added with a chuckle, “Oh, by the way—we made a mistake in the investigation. The surveillance footage’s been repaired. It wasn’t a mutual fight at all. It was Yue Jincheng trying to steal your phone. You were acting in self-defense.”
Inside, Gong Zhe seethed: You two—why didn’t you just say you had connections to a Sixth-Rank Zheng Shen from the start?
Now look what you’ve done—wiped out the entire Wanxing Group!
In his eyes, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were now two golden statues—divine figures beyond reach.
After hearing about the chaos at Wanxing Group, Gong Zhe just wanted to get them out of there as fast as possible.
But Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen merely chuckled, digging into their food without a word.
Gong Zhe showed no embarrassment. He kept smiling.
“The case is now fully resolved. You’re free to leave anytime you like.”
Bai Zhenzhen snorted. “No bail fee?”
Gong Zhe sighed. “It was our mistake. I sincerely apologize.”
He bowed deeply.
“The bureau is taking this very seriously. We’ll give you a proper resolution.”
Bai Zhenzhen asked coldly, “And the one who attacked us? Why isn’t he being arrested?”
Gong Zhe looked down. “He’s currently involved in another case…”
As Gong Zhe continued to apologize and soothe them, a knock came at the door.
A subordinate slipped in, whispered something into Gong Zhe’s ear.
Gong Zhe’s eyes lit up.
“Good news, both of you—the suspect and the mastermind have been caught!”
“They’d like to personally apologize. Would you two be willing to meet them?”
…
In the Mediation Room, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen had just stepped through the door when—thud!
Yue Jincheng and Si Zhouru dropped to their knees, bowing their heads repeatedly, thud-thud-thud, striking the floor.
Yue Jincheng, face twisted with humiliation, could barely breathe.
A college student—him—kneeling before two high schoolers, begging for forgiveness. His dignity was crushed into the ground.
But then he thought of his student loans, the job hunt, his parents’ exhausted faces…
He gritted his teeth. Yue Jincheng, you’re just an ordinary person. This isn’t your fight. You can’t take on someone with this kind of backing.
He forced out a low voice:
“I’m sorry… I acted on my own. I attacked you. Please forgive me.”
Si Zhouru, on the other hand, felt no such burden.
Just another knee-bow?
Back in high school, she’d bowed to top students.
At junior college, to college students, to Second Layer elders, to teachers…
Now, as an employee, she bowed to bosses, to clients…
She’d long since stopped caring about pride.
Pride? That’s for straight-A students, top-tier colleges, fresh hires, rich kids.
Since she’d been kicked out of the Model Class in high school, she’d thrown that useless thing away—piece by piece.
She spoke with genuine remorse:
“I’m truly sorry I failed to stop my colleague. It was a massive professional failure.”
“I deeply regret the trouble I’ve caused you today.”
Just a few bows—fine. But please, don’t make me pay money.
At that moment, Zhou Chichen stepped forward from behind them.
With a brutal kick, he slammed his foot into Yue Jincheng’s back.
Then, a sharp slap across Si Zhouru’s face.
“Look at what you’ve done! You’ve ruined Wanxing Group’s reputation!”
He turned to Zhang Yu, his expression sincere.
“Zhang Yu… I sent them to observe you—just to see where you went after school, where you took tutoring.”
“I never expected Yue Jincheng to go so far… to steal your phone, trying to dig up your tutoring info.”
“Now, you can do whatever you want. Beat them. Punish them. I’ll let you.”
Zhang Yu stared at Zhou Chichen’s earnest face—so familiar, so convincing.
It reminded him of their very first meeting, when Zhou Chichen had spoken with the same gentle sincerity.
And back then, the reason sounded plausible enough—tutoring schedules were sensitive school intel, and student rivalries over them were common.
But now, Zhang Yu knew better.
He sighed inwardly: His acting skills haven’t changed at all.
Meanwhile, Bai Zhenzhen spoke coldly:
“What’s the point of beating them? Will it bring back the time we lost today?”
Zhou Chichen inwardly groaned: Damn. They’re not as easy to fool as I thought. I’ll have to pay up.
They’re Zheng Shen’s dogs—just like their master, greedy as hell. I wonder how the talks with Father and Uncle are going… I need to settle this fast.
Zhang Yu, however, remained silent, letting Zhou Chichen and Bai Zhenzhen argue.
He reached out to contact Deng Bingding.
For the next steps, he’d follow her advice.
When he reported back, Deng Bingding replied:
What’s your take?
At that moment, Fujie chimed in:
“Let Zhou Chichen pay extra.”
“The evidence we have only proves the Zhou family sent people to tail us. Enough for Deng Bingding to investigate, but not enough to destroy them.”
“The Zhou family is deeply entrenched. If Deng Bingding pushes too hard without solid proof, she’ll pay the price herself.”
“She probably doesn’t want a full-scale war. But she does have the guts to exploit the Foundation Establishment Exam to squeeze them dry. Right now, she’s probably having ‘friendly talks’ with Zhou family elites.”
“But if we push her to dig too deep, Zheng Shen might see us as troublemakers.”
“Besides… if they do uncover something behind the Zhou family, it could end up hurting us too.”
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen remembered Fujie’s earlier warning.
Zhou Tianyi, dead after attacking Zhang Yu—his body consumed by backlash.
Song Xu, dead after the Evil God behind him stirred again.
And the Zhou family—suddenly active after the Evil God’s return… even Songyang High School might be hiding one.
Though no concrete proof existed, the pieces fit too neatly.
There was a growing suspicion: the Zhou family might be hiding an Evil God.
Especially since Zhou Tianyi had claimed his Evil God knew Zhang Yu also had one.
If that Evil God was the same one behind the Zhou family… then we must not let Deng Bingding go full-force.
If she uncovers the truth, and the Zhou family retaliates by exposing us too—then we’re in real trouble.
Zhang Yu nodded. Fujie’s words echoed their earlier agreement.
While Zheng Shen drained the Zhou family and Deng Bingding took a heavy toll, they’d take their share—without forcing a direct confrontation that would burden Zheng Shen.
Zhang Yu sent his decision to Deng Bingding.
A single thumb-up appeared on his screen.
Seeing it, Zhang Yu felt a surge of confidence.
Fujie, watching from afar, thought: Looks like Zheng Shen’s getting a good cut. The Zhou family folded fast.
Zhang Yu lifted his head, eyes locking onto Zhou Chichen and the two kneeling figures.
“Zhou Chichen. Don’t think a simple apology ends this.”
“Until we’re satisfied, this isn’t over.”
Gong Zhe cleared his throat, stepping forward.
“Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen—both of you were just enjoying a peaceful walk in the park when your company’s employee attacked you. You were traumatized, physically hurt.”
“Your precious early morning was wasted. No studying. No peace. Just hours of detention.”
“You’re both still students. Put yourself in their shoes—how much loss is that? How much compensation is fair?”
Zhou Chichen nodded.
“Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen… I’ll pay 100,000 to cover your losses.”
“100,000?” Bai Zhenzhen laughed bitterly.
“You’re joking, right? If Zhang Yu had any backbone, he could’ve pulled out ten times that from the Hongta Seed Vault in a single session.”
“Think about it—how many times could that amount of money have been earned in the time you wasted today?”
What the hell? Zhang Yu shot a glare at Bai Zhenzhen. Are you seriously helping me negotiate like this?
But he knew now wasn’t the time. He turned back to Zhou Chichen.
“Don’t talk to me about money. I’m not short on cash. This isn’t about money. The mental damage you caused—this is something I’ll carry for life.”
(End of Chapter)
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