Chapter 57: Counter-Accusation, Chu Yanran Speaks Out!

The police responded swiftly; within fifteen minutes, the patrol car had arrived at the Murong family’s jade-cutting site.

What caught everyone off guard was that shortly after the officers entered, Chu Yanran arrived at the scene as well, following closely behind.

Everyone was quietly surprised by Chu Yanran’s arrival, but with the police present, no one had the heart to pay her much attention.

Chu Yanran simply stood to the side, smiling gently and watching silently without uttering a word.

“Mr. Murong, hello! Are you the one who reported this? What has happened? Rest assured, whatever the issue, I will do my best to help you!” said a middle-aged policeman, immediately wearing a flattering expression upon seeing Murong Shan.

“Yes, I made the report!” Murong Shan was about to speak when Jiang Cheng stepped forward slowly from the crowd, his face cold.

The middle-aged officer scrutinized Jiang Cheng, frowning in confusion.

“What is going on?” he asked.

Jiang Cheng replied calmly, “Officer, I am reporting Mrs. Murong for illegally appropriating property worth five hundred million.”

“What? Illegally taking property worth five hundred million? What exactly happened?” The officer’s surprise grew as Jiang Cheng recounted the details. His gaze toward Ye Rong grew increasingly strange.

He finally understood.

Jiang Cheng had borrowed money from the Murong family to bid on several jade rough stones. One of them turned out to be a top-grade imperial green jade worth five hundred million, but Ye Rong intended to claim it outright for herself.

If true, Ye Rong had indeed broken the law.

The middle-aged officer looked at Murong Shan with some hesitation. “Mr. Murong, is what Mr. Jiang said true?”

Ye Rong quickly defended herself, “Officer, this jade was paid for by my daughter! It belongs to the Murong family by right! How am I breaking the law?”

Huang Chengye chimed in, “Exactly! Officer, just look at him—dressed in cheap clothes, how could he afford to bid on jade worth tens of millions? He’s just envious of Miss Murong’s find and is making up lies to get a cut!”

The middle-aged officer was taken aback when he realized it was Huang Chengye from the Huang family speaking.

“Young Master Huang? What are you doing here?”

“I... I came to see Miss Murong’s jade cutting,” Huang stammered.

Jiang Cheng clenched his fists tightly, disgusted by their shameless counterattack.

The officer nodded slightly. Since both the Murong and Huang families had spoken, some respect had to be given.

He then gestured to his subordinates, “You three, take Jiang Cheng back to the station. He’s suspected of extortion.”

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Ye Rong and Huang Chengye looked at Jiang Cheng with amusement.

Ha! What good is calling the police? Do you think they’ll believe a poor man like you?

Lin Zhou and Wang Hao flanked Jiang Cheng protectively, glaring coldly at the officers. “What are you doing? How can you act so recklessly? How do you expect to be good police?”

The middle-aged officer sneered, “What, are you resisting arrest? Planning to attack the police?”

Murong Shan frowned deeply and shouted at Lin Zhou and Wang Hao, “What do you think you’re doing? Don’t forget who your boss is!”

Lin Zhou bit his lip and said, “Sorry, Mr. Murong, we’re done.”

They had witnessed the entire process—Jiang Cheng bidding on the jade, cutting it, only for Ye Rong to forcibly take it away. The greed and duplicity of those merchants sickened them.

Lin Zhou especially felt it keenly.

When he was captured by the Feng Sect, Murong Shan had distanced himself, paying no heed to his fate.

If not for Mr. Jiang risking his safety, gambling one-handed with Cheng Dong and winning, then spending a million to settle the matter, Lin Zhou didn’t know if he would even be alive.

Lin Zhou was uneducated but would never forget a life-saving kindness.

Seeing Jiang Cheng treated so unfairly, how could he stand by?

Listening to the officer’s words, Jiang Cheng’s anger flared.

He was clearly the plaintiff, yet Ye Rong and Huang Chengye’s two words had flipped the situation, making him the defendant.

Is there no justice anymore?

Is there no law?

With such parasites in Qingzhou, no wonder Huang Kun and the Feng Sect remain at large.

Jiang Cheng immediately pulled out his phone, activated the recording function, and aimed it at the officer.

In a cold voice, he said, “Officer, I was the one who reported this. Could you please explain again how I went from plaintiff to defendant? Give the people of Long Kingdom a reasonable explanation! Are the police in Long Kingdom just servants to the wealthy? Do you have any respect for your uniform? Do you have any respect for the people?”

The officers hesitated, about to take Jiang Cheng away, but Jiang Cheng’s unexpected move made them exchange glances and look to their commander, unwilling to act rashly.

They hadn’t expected this seemingly lowly man to be such a troublemaker.

They had planned to save face for the Murong and Huang families, but Jiang Cheng was even more ruthless, recording the entire law enforcement process.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, the middle-aged officer knew that in this age of rapid internet and viral negativity, any misstep could ruin him.

At that moment, Huang Chengye sneered coldly, “Officer, don’t worry. If anything happens, the Huang family has your back! We will vouch for you!”

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Hearing Huang Chengye’s assurance, the officer let out a silent sigh of relief, clenched his teeth, and spat harshly.

“Damn it! If anyone threatens me, grab his phone! Anyone who resists will be charged with assaulting an officer!”

His subordinates gritted their teeth and advanced toward Jiang Cheng and his companions.

“How dare you!” Lin Zhou and Wang Hao shouted in unison.

“Stop!”

Just as the situation threatened to spiral into chaos, a clear, melodious voice rang out.

It was Chu Yanran, who had been standing quietly on the sidelines.

The officer looked at her in puzzled surprise, momentarily stunned.

He hurriedly put on a smile and approached her, “Miss Chu… Chu, what are you doing here?”

Chu Yanran smiled gently, “Officer, you sure have quite the authoritarian air. I was at the auction. Miss Murong herself admitted that those pieces of jade were bought by Mr. Jiang. I think you should ask Miss Murong to verify the facts.”

The officer faltered.

At this point, it was clear the conflict was no longer just between Jiang Cheng and the Murong and Huang families.

It had escalated into a dispute involving the Chu family against the Murong and Huang families.

He could tell Chu Yanran was speaking up for Jiang Cheng.

But Jiang Cheng looked like an ordinary man in shabby clothes with no apparent background.

He couldn’t understand why Chu Yanran would risk offending the Murong and Huang families for someone like him.

Could Jiang Cheng have a hidden, powerful background?

The thought made cold sweat break out on the officer’s forehead.

He was at a loss as to how to proceed.

Jiang Cheng stared at Chu Yanran in a daze, bewildered by her defense of him.

At the auction, she had lost almost everything to him—down to her last piece of lace lingerie.

Shouldn’t she hate him?

Why was she helping?

Jiang Cheng was utterly confused.