The mediation room was quiet at first.
Two police officers sat in the front, with the parents from both sides seated opposite each other, while the children stood.
As for the bodyguards, Xie Yizhao had dismissed them upon arrival and had no intention of blaming them for what happened tonight.
Due to limited seating, with only five chairs on each side, all the opposing parents had taken their seats. The remaining two parents, finding no place to sit, dragged over chairs from Xie Yizhao’s side.
This left empty space on his side, making Xie Heng the only child in the room who was seated.
A tacit boundary was drawn, like the Chu River and Han Border1.
Officer Zhang was experienced in handling such matters. He got straight to the point. “Everyone here understands what happened. Both parents are present, and I will contact the families of those who ran off tomorrow. As for tonight, my suggestion is for both parties to reconcile and apologize to each other. They’re all minors, let’s not blow this out of proportion.”
One of the parents across the table chuckled. Unlike the more aggressive one earlier, he spoke politely, “An apology is no problem. But look at my son, and these kids, aren’t we going to discuss some form of compensation for their injuries?”
Other parents nodded in agreement.
As for those troublemakers, now emboldened by their parents, they finally felt some relief facing Xie Heng. Even if they knew they’d be scolded or punished at home later, at least for now, they had the upper hand.
So what if he was arrogant, provocative, or a great fighter? He’d still have to pay them compensation.
They had taken a beating today and lost face, but at least they could make sure Xie Heng didn’t walk away unscathed either!
Xie Heng frowned, tension tightening in his chest. His hand clenched into a fist on the table.
At that moment, Xie Yizhao glanced at him lightly.
Xie Heng pressed his lips together, swallowing the words he had been about to blurt out. His clenched fist loosened slightly.
Xie Yizhao ignored the parent who had spoken and turned to Officer Zhang. “Didn’t you say there’s surveillance footage? Play it, I’d like to see what actually happened.”
His voice was not loud, nor was it overbearing, yet there was an undeniable calm authority in his tone.
It was a kind of gravitas built over years, making anyone who heard him instinctively take him seriously.
Officer Zhang nodded and signaled the younger officer to play the footage.
The younger officer hesitated, glancing at Xie Yizhao. From this parent’s standpoint, it might be better not to watch the footage. After all, his son had beaten the others pretty badly. Wouldn’t playing it just work against him?
But Officer Zhang thought differently. He was more seasoned and had already guessed what the man was getting at. Casually, he sipped his tea.
The younger officer went to fetch the computer, where the video had already been saved.
Sure enough, as soon as he played it, the screen showed Xie Heng and his two friends punching and kicking the others. Xie Heng’s strikes were solid, Song Siyang favored kicks, and Xu Jiaming’s over-the-shoulder throw made a few parents’ pupils contract.
Even Xie Yizhao couldn’t help but glance at Xie Heng again.
It wasn’t the first time his Dad had seen him fight, but this time, he felt particularly guilty, unconsciously rubbing his ear.
One of the parents across the room couldn’t hold back and exaggeratedly exclaimed, “My god, that’s brutal! If I didn’t know better, I’d think they had some deep-seated grudge!”
Another chimed in, “Yeah, he’s just a high schooler! How does his family teach him?”
“If he seriously injures someone, even if you compensate with everything you have, it won’t be enough!”
…
Xie Heng ignored them and pointed at the screen. “The video didn’t start from the beginning. Play it from the start and watch the whole thing before talking.”
The young officer was taken aback. He suddenly realized—he had indeed started it midway.
He had watched the footage earlier and simply resumed playback from where he had left off. However, the software automatically continued from the last paused position, and he hadn’t noticed.
When he restarted it, the left-side camera facing the Mingli West Gate showed Xie Heng and two friends walking out.
They stood at the entrance, looking relaxed. There was no audio, but their expressions suggested that everything was calm.
Then, about ten boys suddenly rushed in from the right, surrounding Xie Heng and grabbing his clothes to drag him into an alley.
Song Siyang and Xu Jiaming quickly followed, standing by Xie Heng’s side.
One of the boys in the group, a cigarette between his lips, smirked provocatively at Xie Heng and flicked the cigarette butt at him. That was when Xie Heng lost his temper and started fighting back.
From that point, the rest had already been seen.
Now, the parents who had spoken so confidently earlier looked rather awkward.
The boy who had flicked the cigarette butt was among them, standing there with his head lowered, not daring to meet his mother’s gaze.
But his mother was furious. She stood up and smacked him hard on the back, scolding fiercely, “You useless fool! If you knew you couldn’t win, why start trouble? Look at yourself—your face, your hands, your head! Didn’t you get beaten too?”
Hearing this, even Officer Zhang’s mouth twitched.
Unbelievable.
The other parents quickly caught on and followed suit, first berating their own children while subtly implying their injuries were too severe to be ignored.
Xie Yizhao remained silent. After a few minutes, he checked his watch before shifting his gaze to the officers.
Officer Zhang had also heard enough. He raised his voice to stop the commotion. “This is a police station, not a marketplace—quiet down.”
Xie Yizhao finally spoke. “Let’s be direct. My time is limited.”
Xie Heng stiffened slightly, feeling an inexplicable discomfort in his heart.
It’s over. His Dad must have been handling something important for work, which was why he got delayed.
Right across from them, the parent who had spoken first just now said again, “It was wrong for our kids to start the fight, but your kid didn’t suffer any injuries. No matter how you look at it, we’re the ones at a disadvantage. Since you’re in a hurry, let’s just settle on a compensation amount here.”
Xie Heng was about to explode. What kind of people were these? No wonder their kids turned out like that.
Could they not have a little more class, like him?!
Just then, Xie Yizhao spoke in a calm tone, “Compensation? No problem.”
Xie Heng was stunned, staring blankly at his Dad.
What did he just say?
Even the police officers and the other parents were caught off guard. They had been gearing up for an argument, but the other side agreed so easily?
Xie Heng suddenly realized something, and his expression darkened.
Was his Dad agreeing just because he was in a hurry and didn’t want to waste time arguing? Was he planning to just throw money at the problem and be done with it? After all, every minute he spent here probably cost him more than a few zeros.
A wave of frustration and grievance welled up in him. He didn’t think he had done anything wrong this time.
But could he even protest?
Would he dare?
If not for him, would Xie Yizhao have needed to come to the police station at all? Was he really going to be selfish and make his Dad waste time dealing with this for him?
He had always known how important his Dad’s career was to his Dad.
It was definitely more important than a son like him.
The boy’s face darkened, and he lowered his head, losing all his earlier bravado.
Xie Yizhao glanced at him briefly, then turned his gaze back to the others. “However, my son just had surgery two weeks ago and hasn’t fully recovered. He was startled this time, and to ensure his safety, he had no choice but to come to the police station to report it. He just told me that his wound is hurting again, and it might have torn open. We’ll need to go to the hospital for a check-up later.”
The other parents exchanged looks, doubt flickering in their eyes.
The blond-haired delinquent couldn’t hold back and shouted, “Bullshit! He had so much strength when he was hitting us and ran so fast—how is that being injured?”
His parent immediately followed up, “Yeah! Where’s the injury? Let us see! Just saying it doesn’t prove anything!”
Xie Heng was completely dumbfounded.
???
His Dad had asked him earlier if his wound was okay, and he had clearly said it didn’t hurt at all and hadn’t reopened.
Did his Dad mishear him, or…?
Xie Heng’s mind raced, and when he met Xie Yizhao’s gaze, he suddenly understood. His face changed, and he immediately clutched his stomach, grabbing onto his Dad’s clothes with his other hand. His voice carried a hint of pitifulness: “Dad, my wound feels hurt. I need to go to the hospital.”
“……”
Xie Yizhao coughed lightly, gave him a glance—a mix of warning and helplessness.
Just cooperate quietly. No need to overact.
One of the parents looked annoyed. “So what do you want? If you don’t want compensation, just say so!”
Xie Yizhao cleared his throat and turned to Officer Zhang. “If I remember correctly, the police station has a forensic assessment center. How about we file a case first and have all the kids undergo an injury assessment? We’ll let the experts decide.”
Before the officer could respond, the other parents started panicking.
“No way! Our kids are still minors. What if they end up with a record?”
“Yeah! Do you want your son to have a record too?”
Xie Yizhao leaned back in his chair, his sharp and cool face void of emotion. “That’s fine. The law is fair. If you do something wrong, you should face the consequences. Besides, even if he does get a record, worst case, he can just come work at the family company. As long as he doesn’t aim for a government job, it won’t matter.”
The room fell silent. Their expressions were all over the place.
None of them wanted to make things more complicated… and frankly, they didn’t have that kind of backup plan. They didn’t own a company their kid could inherit.
Officer Zhang saw the situation was about to resolve itself and shot Xie Yizhao an admiring glance before speaking up. “Think carefully—getting involved in a fight can leave a record. And ten of your kids showed up together—that’s serious. It could even be considered provocation and disturbance.
“If Xie Heng hadn’t fought back or if no one had helped him, think about how badly he could have been hurt.”
The parents’ faces turned pale.
They were adults—they knew how to weigh the pros and cons. Seeing that things were taking a bad turn, none of them wanted to push for compensation anymore. They just wanted to move on as quickly as possible.
“Forget it, forget it. We won’t pursue this anymore.”
“Can we leave now?”
“Wait,” Xie Yizhao glanced at them, his tone unhurried. “Apologize to my son first. And write a guarantee letter stating that you won’t approach him again in the future.”
This time, strangely, none of them argued. They hurriedly made their kids apologize, wrote the guarantee letter, and couldn’t wait to escape this mess.
With the matter settled, Xie Yizhao took Xie Heng out of the police station.
Before they left, Officer Zhang walked them out, smiling as he said to Xie Yizhao, “Mr. Xie, your son didn’t do anything wrong this time. He came to report it because he listened to my advice last time. Don’t scold him when you get home.”
Xie Yizhao gave a faint smile. “I won’t. He did well this time.”
Xie Heng was stunned and instinctively rubbed his ear in embarrassment.
His Dad praised him…
Did he really do well?
Officer Zhang chuckled and patted Xie Heng’s shoulder. “Kid, you’re quick-witted. But next time, maybe just run first? Did you really have to hit them before running?”
Xie Heng couldn’t hold back his laughter. Carefree and full of youthful energy.
“Also, the police station isn’t exactly a good place. If you have no reason to be here, it’s best to stay away, got it?”
A passing officer overheard and jokingly replied, “If you really want to come, that’s fine too—graduate, apply to the police academy, and work here. Then you can come every day!”
Officer Zhang burst into laughter.
But the smile on Xie Heng’s face faded. He couldn’t help but glance at his Dad, only to find his expression indifferent. A sudden wave of unease rose in his heart.
If he said he wanted to be a police officer, would his Dad agree?
Just now, his Dad had clearly said that after graduation, his Dad wanted him to work at Xie Corporation.
After leaving the police station, Xie Yizhao first took him to the nearest hospital to have his wound examined. Once it was confirmed to be nothing serious, they stopped by a restaurant near the school to pick up the late-night snack that Lu Xi had specifically requested. Only then did the father and son head home together.
Forty minutes later.
Fresh out of the shower, Xie Heng had changed into clean clothes and was now sitting comfortably on the living room sofa.
Using the excuse of ‘worrying that Ms. Lu might overeat and get indigestion,’ he insisted on sharing her late-night snack. Even when Lu Xi pinched his cheek in protest, he refused to back down, squeezing beside her to fight over the fried chicken while recounting what had happened at the police station.
Utterly shameless.
But with his damp blue hair still slightly tousled from the shower, he looked a little soft and adorable. Given his good looks—and considering that he had almost gotten beaten up today, suffered grievances at the police station—Lu Xi decided to forgive him.
Xie Heng was never one to keep things bottled up.
As soon as Xie Yizhao went into the study, he couldn’t hold it in any longer and confided in Lu Xi.
“What do you think. If I want to become a police officer in the future, will my Dad agree?”
Lu Xi was momentarily caught off guard.
She hadn’t expected that, at this late hour, while eating fried chicken, this little brat would suddenly want to discuss life decisions with her.
It gave her a bit of a headache.
She studied Xie Heng’s expression and saw the confusion in his eyes. It seemed like even he wasn’t sure whether he truly wanted to pursue this career.
In that moment, many thoughts, including doubts and concerns, crossed Lu Xi’s mind. But looking at Xie Heng, she chose not to dampen his enthusiasm. Instead, she said, “If you really want to know, I can find a chance to test your Dad’s reaction. How about that?”
The problem wouldn’t disappear, but the conflict could be redirected.
Sure enough, Xie Heng immediately brightened up. “Then I’ll leave it to you! If it works out, I’ll treat you to fried chicken!”
Having finished his meal and achieved his goal, the boy cheerfully went back to his room.
And Lu Xi’s way of ‘testing the reaction’ was simple—
At ten o’clock, when Xie Yizhao returned to the bedroom, she got straight to the point. “So, what do you think? Our son wants to be a police officer. Do you support it?”
Xie Yizhao lowered his gaze slightly, reaching out to tuck Lu Xi’s long hair behind her ear. His warm, broad palm rested on the back of her neck, pressing just right, making her feel incredibly comfortable.
The man spoke, his tone light and amused, but tinged with a bit of sourness. “He tells you everything now. He wants to be a police officer, and I didn’t even know.”
Lu Xi was momentarily stunned, then couldn’t help but laugh. “Xie Yizhao, don’t tell me you’re jealous?”
- 楚河汉界 (Chǔ Hé Hàn Jiè) : This is a well-known Chinese idiom that literally means “the Chu River and Han Border.” It refers to the demarcation line in the ancient war between the Chu and Han states. Today, it’s used metaphorically to mean a clear, distinct boundary or a point of no return between two opposing sides. ↩︎