“Captain Chen, why was I suddenly released without any charges?” Yang Ming doubtfully asked, “What was it about the ‘girlfriend’ that you mentioned in the phone call?”
“Be honest with me. The girl that you forced yourself on that day, do you know her?” Captain Chen asked.
“She seemed familiar but I don’t know her.” Yang Ming said the fact.
Chen Fei nodded his head, “Initially, she came to identify her perpetrator but once she saw you she decided to drop the charges and said that you were her boyfriend!”
“I’m her boyfriend?! Yang Ming couldn’t really understand. “What’s her name?”
“Lin Zhiyun,” answered Chen Fei. “Are you sure you don’t know her?”
Yang Ming shook his head. None of the people he knew had this name. People with the surname Lin was rare. From the time Yang Ming was in kindergarten, he hadn’t seen a person with this name.
“What does she do? Where does she stay? Let me find her to understand the situation.” Yang Ming didn’t really understand why this Lin Zhiyun would change her mind at the final moment.
“Sorry, the police can’t provide you that information.” Chen Fei shook his head.
Yang Ming smiled understandably and understood that if Chen Fei didn’t have the victim’s permission, he wasn’t allowed to disclose this private information.
“Young man, I believe that after you have gone through this experience you would have matured a bit. In the future, please be careful. Don’t step on other people’s toes again! This is a complicated society!” Chen Fei told Yang Ming when he dropped him off at the apartment unit area near his house.
“I understand, Captain Chen. Thank you very much!” Yang Ming gave a bow to Chen Fei after he got out of the car.
“Young man, call me Uncle Chen. Even though I have a good impression of you, I really don’t want to see you again at the police station!” Chen Fei smiled as he waved to Yang Ming and restarted the engine.
“Understood, Uncle Chen!” Yang Ming hesitated for a while then he told Chen Fei, “Uncle Chen, I have something that I would like to ask you as a favor…”
“Haha, young man, what’s the problem? Tell me. Since you call me Uncle Chen, anything that Uncle Chen can help with, I will help!” Chen Fei smiled as he said this.
“It’s like this, Uncle Chen…” Yang Ming shared the case that he learned in the jail the other day.
“Really? If it is the truth, then it was an oversight in our job! This time it isn’t that I’m helping you, but you are helping us to notice our problem!” Chen Fei thoughtfully said, “Once I am back, I will go and investigate this case from beginning to end!”
Yang Ming felt a sense of relief because he knew that Chen Fei was a responsible person. Yang Ming watched Chen Fei’s car as he drove out of the city, then turned around to go up to the house.
When Yang Ming arrived home, he realized that he didn’t have his keys. Before he went to the detention center, all of his belongings including his pocket-money, keys and Zippo lighter were taken home by his father.
Yang Ming was hopeful as he knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” Yang Ming’s father’s voice came out of the house.
“Dad, it’s me, open the door quick.” Yang Ming answered.
Bzz and the anti-theft door was unlocked. Father Yang looked at his son cautiously, then he looked behind Yang Ming for a while and asked, “Where’s the police?”
“What police?” Yang Ming was surprised by the question. How did Father Yang know that he was sent back by the police?
“Then, how did you come back? Did you… escape from jail?” Father Yang stared at Yang Ming for a long time and he couldn’t help but ask.
“Escape from jail!?!” Yang Ming didn’t know whether he should cry or laugh. “Dad, did you watch too many American movies? How is it so simple to escape from a jail?! Moreover, why would I need to do that? I was sent back home!”
“Sent you back home? Then, aren’t they afraid of you running away?” Father Yang thought that the police was giving Yang Ming a holiday to visit his family members.
“Dad, why am I still running away? I was released!” Yang Ming explained.
“Released. How could this be?” Father Yang was obviously unconvinced.
“Dad, let’s stop standing in the doorway. Let’s enter the house and talk. If our neighbor saw us like this, they would be asking what had happened!” Yang Ming pushed Father Yang back into the house.
“Okay, let me see how you explain it to me. If there were any questionable explanations, I will personally drop you back to the police station!” Father Yang nodded his head.
Once they were at home, Yang Ming first got himself a big glass of water. Then, he sat on the sofa to explain everything to his father.
“You are saying that the girl suddenly decided to drop her charges?” Father Yang was surprised and asked, “Why?”
“Dad, even the police officer who was responsible for this case, Uncle Chen, couldn’t understand why.” Yang Ming couldn’t help but shake his head.
“Does this mean that it’s possible that the girl knew that you were framed by someone, and decided that it wasn’t fair for you to be jailed?” Father Yang made his conclusion.
“That is possible.” Yang Ming nodded his head because he also couldn’t think of any other explanation.
“Ai! What a nice girl. Big Ming, do you know where that girl is from? You had already treated her like this. How would she be able to marry another guy in the future? Let’s do this instead. You find that girl, discuss with her family members, then we will have both of you engaged so that we are responsible to their family members!” said Father Yang and he sighed. Father Yang was still an elder with the elder generation’s thinking that once a girl had a relationship with a guy she wouldn’t be able to marry someone else in the future. However, what century are we in? Who else held this kind of belief? In the present situation, the girl was obviously hiding from Yang Ming. Maybe she didn’t really like him!
“Dad, it’s not that I don’t want to find her, but… she didn’t leave a way for us to contact her. I asked Captain Chen but he didn’t tell me anything in order to protect her privacy!” said Yang Ming feeling slightly frustrated. Of course, he also wanted to know who this girl was. If it was possible, Yang Ming also wanted to compensate her!
“Alright, if that’s the case, I shall not speak any more of it. But Big Ming, you are now an adult. You should know what being responsible means! If she were to find you in the future for whatever reason, then you have to give your all to help her! Can you do this?” Father Yang looked at Yang Ming and emphasized each word.
“I can.” Yang Ming nodded his head seriously. This was Yang Ming stating his first commitment as a man.