Free Web NovelChapter 201: Chapter 201: An Extortion Scam Requires Evidence
"Miss Hua, how are you feeling now? Come now, don’t be nervous. Lower your hands." A doctor and two executives from the safety zone’s management had rushed to the scene.
"Something just got in my eye! My eyes hurt so much," Hua Guguang said, her voice filled with fear and agitation.
"Miss Hua, please relax. Let me examine you." The Panshi Safety Zone’s doctor was a woman who appeared to be in her fifties or sixties, with a dozen or so students trailing behind her.
The doctor calmly lowered Hua Guguang’s hands, revealing a pair of eyes that, though tightly shut, were completely unharmed.
"Visually, there doesn’t seem to be any damage. Miss Hua, slowly open your eyes." The doctor’s steady tone gradually calmed Hua Guguang. ’It feels like my eyes stopped hurting a while ago,’ she thought. She slowly opened them.
Seeing so many people staring at her, Hua Guguang grew annoyed. "What are you all looking at? Scram."
"It appears Miss Hua’s vision is also normal. Are you still feeling any discomfort?" the doctor asked in a calm voice.
"What’s with that look in your eyes? Were you hoping I’d go blind?" The gawkers who had been secretly watching the commotion looked somewhat disappointed to see that Hua Guguang was fine.
Their gazes infuriated Hua Guguang.
"And you. Do you think I’m faking it?" Hua Guguang demanded of the doctor.
"Miss Hua, you misunderstand. Since there’s nothing wrong visually, we’ll perform a scan just to be sure. Please look this way." The doctor turned, and a student brought over a boxy instrument. Under the doctor’s guidance, they adjusted the angle and aimed a scan at Hua Guguang’s eyes.
"This is an ocular scanner. The instrument shows the eye structure is intact, with no defects, no foreign objects, 100% corneal integrity, and normal retinal nerve reflexes." The scanner’s projection magnified the structure of Hua Guguang’s eyeball and saved the data.
"Can you describe what you’re feeling now?" the doctor asked.
Hua Guguang’s fingers dug into the Attendant beside her, her long brown hair framing her pale cheeks. She suddenly looked up, her gaze locking onto Ning Xuan. Her amber pupils narrowed. "I felt it! Something burrowed into my eye, and she’s the one who did it! Seize her, now!" Hua Guguang said frantically.
The scene fell deathly silent. One of the executives, Lin Rui, stood in his tactical gear, his expression taut. "Miss Hua, we just examined you. There are no foreign objects in your eyes." Ever since Hua Guguang had arrived at the safety zone, she had made passes at him on several occasions, which had given Lin Rui a very poor opinion of her. Seeing her trying to stir up trouble out of nothing, he immediately spoke up.
"Commander Lin, surely Miss Hua wouldn’t lie. The equipment here is limited; just because it can’t detect anything doesn’t mean there’s truly nothing wrong," the other executive said. But as soon as the words left his mouth, Hua Guguang slapped him across the face.
"You bastard, you dare jinx me?" Hua Guguang’s slap landed with such force that half of the executive’s face swelled up instantly.
The man’s name was Shan Chengliang. Having been slapped in public, his face darkened. He clenched his fists, his knuckles letting out a soft CRACK. The two armed guards behind him immediately took a half-step forward.
A student tidying up the equipment accidentally knocked over a sterilization tray, and the metal instruments fell to the ground with a sharp CLATTER.
Shan Chengliang forced a smile onto his face. "Miss Hua, if you are unharmed, then we cannot arrest Miss Ning."
"Heh. I won’t be leaving the safety zone for the next few days. If you want to try and frame me, you’d better find some evidence. I’ll be waiting. Let’s go." Ning Xuan shot Hua Guguang a scornful look and turned to leave.
"No, you can’t leave! Shan Chengliang, aren’t you going to have her arrested?" Hua Guguang shot Shan Chengliang a glare.
The insignia on Lin Rui’s black tactical suit glinted coldly. He stepped in front of Hua Guguang, blocking her line of sight. "Miss Hua," he said coldly, "please stop making an unreasonable scene."
"Miss Ning is a Federal S-level Controller and an Alchemy Master certified by the Alchemist Association. As a recent university graduate participating in the joint exams, she is under the protection of the Federation Government, the Controller Protection Association, and the Alchemist Association. To ask us to arrest someone based on an unsubstantiated accusation is an order we simply cannot follow."
While Lin Rui was speaking, Ning Xuan and her party had already left, and the crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed.
After returning to their quarters, Ning Xuan went straight to her room and locked the door, making it clear she didn’t want to see Yun Han.
Yun Han stood outside the door, his handsome face shrouded in shadow, his expression dark.
There was an uncomfortable tightness in Ning Xuan’s chest. ’I know Xie Heng and Hua Guguang were working in concert,’ she thought. ’Everything they said was meant to sow discord. Yun Han and Xie Heng couldn’t have actually had a physical relationship.’
’But, judging from their conversation, it’s certain that the Yun Family selected Xie Heng as a potential match for Yun Han. There were even many other backup candidates in the past, not just her.’
’But Yun Han recognized Xie Heng right away, which means they must be quite familiar with each other. Hua Guguang said he used to pick Xie Heng up from school often and was very concerned about her. Just how concerned was he?’
Ning Xuan was upset and didn’t want to see anyone. After confirming she could sense the locations of Xie Heng and Hua Guguang through her Vine Silk, she felt a bit more at ease. With nothing else to do for the moment, she simply began her Cultivation.
Yun Han leaned against the door, his eyes downcast, radiating a heavy aura. Seeing Xie Heng had indeed brought back many memories.
’Ever since he turned sixteen, his father had started making him meet potential matches they had selected. He’d always found the whole thing repulsive.’
’Most of the chosen candidates were talented female Spirit Controllers who lacked powerful family backgrounds. They simultaneously coveted the Yun Family’s status, feeling fortunate to be chosen, while also being resentful. They were unwilling to marry into the family and lose the various advantages that female Spirit Controllers typically enjoyed in a contractual relationship. This made them all act incredibly awkward. Only Xie Heng was different. She seemed completely straightforward. For that reason, even though she wasn’t the most outstanding among the Spirit Controllers, she had caught his eye.’
’When his father’s pressure became too intense, Yun Han would occasionally meet with Xie Heng just to placate him.’
’Xie Heng, for her part, was generally discreet. She never said more than was necessary, whether in public or private.’
’In the beginning, his father had even spoken to him a few times, saying that Xie Heng’s qualifications weren’t the best and that he should vet some of the other candidates.’
’Yun Han had once told his father frankly that he didn’t like any of them and didn’t need them, so his father shouldn’t waste his energy on the matter.’
’But his father had turned right around and brought him stacks of photos of more women for him to choose from. He even held several banquets specifically for this purpose.’
’His father’s actions attracted a great deal of gossip, some of which eventually reached his ears.’
’It annoyed Yun Han to no end.’
’Later, to get his father to stop making such a fuss, he had met with Xie Heng a few more times. That was why he remembered her.’
