After saying that, Zhang Guolin turned and ran towards the interior of the platform. Over Xu Dayuan's walkie-talkie, the voice of the police at the stairwell could be heard shouting.
"He's coming down! He's coming down!"
Xu Dayuan glanced at Zhou Ning and tossed the walkie-talkie to someone beside him, who, judging by the insignia, seemed to be on the same level as Xu Dayuan. That person hurriedly said,
"No need to make such a fuss, it's good that he's coming down. Don't block him, he's already on his way to the door."
Xu Dayuan gestured to Zhou Ning, who hesitated for a moment before lifting the cordon and walking up to where Xu Dayuan and the others were standing, speaking somewhat guiltily.
"What's the matter, Xu Da?"
"What's the matter, what were you just up to?"
"Saving someone!"
"Cut the act with me, why did that line work so well?"
Zhou Ning nodded towards the motorcycle.
"Mr. Xia said that the bike belongs to Zhang Guolin. Even though it's just a motorcycle, most cars don't even cost as much as that one. Mr. Xia mentioned his father had an affair and kicked him and his mother out, so that bike became one of their few remaining assets. How could he not care about it?"
Xu Dayuan blinked, taking in the rationale, which seemed to hold some water, but he still couldn't connect it to the act of saving someone. The leader beside Xu Dayuan was already smiling from ear to ear.
"Don't glare at me. One sentence solved the problem. We are in a period of maintaining stability, crucial for the transition from Qidong County to district. If a student commits suicide at this time, it's trouble for all of us. Isn't it better this way? Right, this young man looks decent. If you don't want him, I'll take him."
Xu Dayuan rolled his eyes.
"Go on, you're everywhere. You've got an eye for every young person you see. He's Doctor Zhou, what do you need him for?"
While they were speaking, Zhang Guolin ran downstairs, unlocked the motorcycle, and pushed it to a parking space to the side. Only then did he look nervously at Zhou Ning. He had seen clearly from up above; it was this man who had shouted out.
"Officer, I've moved it, please don't give me a ticket or tow it."
Xu Dayuan and everyone else at the scene looked at Zhou Ning. To say at this time that he was a forensic doctor looking for them would truly spoil the situation.
Zhou Ning didn't rush, his smile fading as he placed one hand behind his back.
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"Got a driver's license?"
Zhang Guolin nodded vigorously and took out his driver's license from his pocket. Zhou Ning looked at it briefly, considering Xia Momo's words, it wasn't surprising that this art student, who was repeating a grade, had a driver's license.
Tossing back the driver's license to Zhang Guolin, he pointed at the bike and said,
"I thought you were underage. Now that you're an adult, act like one. I've heard about your situation from Mr. Xia. Running upstairs to seek death at the slightest issue is a child's tactic. If you died, what would your mother do?
Oh, you're old enough to be kicked out but not to fight for justice for her? You use the threat of suicide to intimidate your father, do you think he cares about abandoning you and your mother? Don't you know to think before you act?"
Zhang Guolin pursed his lips, his hands clasped together, head slightly lowered, listening intently to what Zhou Ning said. In the midst of it, he glanced at Xia Momo, not refuting Zhou Ning's words.
"Are you listening to me?"
Zhang Guolin nodded.
"I know you're Mr. Xia's boyfriend, I believe what you said, but I really can't help right now. My cards have been frozen, and my mom has been kicked out with nothing. Apart from this bike, we don't have a penny. My mom and I are living at my grandmother's, enduring contempt every day."
As he spoke, Zhang Guolin's eyes reddened, as if he were about to cry the next moment.
Zhou Ning kicked his shoe, and Zhang Guolin looked up at him, startled.
"What now?"
"Did your parents go through a consensual divorce, or was it a court lawsuit?"
Zhang Guolin looked puzzled.
"My mom can't read much, so my dad tricked her into signing a divorce agreement. The next day, the divorce certificate was delivered. My dad said that he earned every penny of our family's wealth and we were just leeches off him. Since I was of age, I didn't need to depend on him anymore, and he kicked us out."
Zhou Ning exhaled. Such an agreement sounded dubious right off the bat. How could a divorce be arranged without one's presence?
Unless it involved forging a power of attorney and having a lawyer represent the parties, but that's something ordinary people wouldn't dare do—it's a criminal act.
"You're eighteen now, and you don't think to solve problems through legal means. Things haven't reached a dead end yet. Get a lawyer to check who processed the divorce at the registry office, and proceed with a direct lawsuit.
"When a party is unaware, such a divorce agreement isn't recognized by the court. Plus, your father's assets acquired after marriage are their joint property. If a divorce is desired, asset division can be pursued, and as for infidelity during the marriage, if the evidence is conclusive, the judge will compensate your mother with a portion of the assets, but it won't be a significant amount,"
Zhang Guolin's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Why don't you ask a professional lawyer and find out?"
Zhou Ning cocked her head, looking pleadingly at Xu Dayuan, who poked the policeman beside him.
"Mr. Liang, don't play dead, quickly introduce us to a reliable lawyer, and as for the fees, we can pay them after securing the assets."
Xu Dayuan's voice was not quiet, and the policeman called Mr. Liang by his side had already walked over with a smile and dialed a number, putting the call on speakerphone.
"I'm Liang Honggang, introducing a case to you, and the situation is like this... How confident are you?"
Liang Honggang provided a comprehensive description, almost repeating their entire conversation again.
"I'll check on it and get back to you in ten minutes."
With a click, the other party hung up the call, and by this time, Xu Dayuan had arranged for the surrounding police force to withdraw. After all, the person had come down, the danger was resolved, and he could leave too once the follow-up was handled.
Before long, Liang Honggang's phone rang.
"Alright, I'll take the case. I can't say there's a 100% certainty, but 99% confidence is possible. Oh, and I need the contact information of the parties involved."
"Just a moment."
Zhang Guolin was handed the phone, and he gave out his mobile number; they also added each other as friends on QQ. Seeing Zhang Guolin put away his phone, Liang Honggang then folded his arms and stared at Zhang Guolin.
"Okay, considering you're young, I'll let you off this time. Do you know that it's called disturbing public order?"
Zhang Guolin shrank his neck, and Xia Momo stepped forward, standing in front of Zhang Guolin.
"He was just desperate. I'll talk to his mother about it. We're truly sorry for the inconvenience today, and thank you for your help."
Liang Honggang waved his hand, glancing at Zhou Ning.
"Forget it, seeing as you're also a police family, we'll leave it at that. However, he still needs to see a psychologist and get what's it called... right, psychological counseling!"
Xia Momo kept nodding. Zhou Ning coughed, and Xu Dayuan nudged Liang Honggang.
"Alright, that's enough, the incident was caused by my people, you can stop showing off now."
The two traded barbs for a bit, and after Zhou Ning comforted Xia Momo, and Zhang Guolin's mother arrived, Zhou Ning left as well.
Xia Momo stared at the car Zhou Ning was in for a long time. Though they had known each other for just over a month, Zhou Ning gave her a completely different impression today, standing protectively in front of her, bringing calm to her panicked heart.
It was only when Zhang Guolin's mother took her hand that Xia Momo withdrew her gaze.
...
December 10th
Two days ago, the news that Qidong County would be reorganized into a district was published, and housing prices skyrocketed instantly. The price of homes originally at three thousand per square meter shot up to over nine thousand, and there wasn't even a market for them—buying a house now would be foolish.
Doctor Liu held a housing sales brochure, constantly reviewing and comparing it, letting out repeated sighs of regret for not having made a move earlier.
Having hung up the phone with Xia Momo, Zhou Ning hummed a tune while tapping away at the keyboard.
Liu Yongxin glanced at Zhou Ning, threw aside his reading glasses, and gave up looking at the property sales brochure.
"Did you strike it rich or something, why are you so happy?"
Zhou Ning smiled. In fact, these past few days felt almost like finding a gold nugget. Doctor Lu had already sent over the follow-up payment for his manuscript, three thousand dollars, which converted to twenty thousand yuan, the most money he had ever seen since graduating.
But even this paled in comparison to the phone call he just received, which made him so happy. To change someone's fate with just a few words—what a great feeling that was.
"The kid who was about to jump off the building, they're prepared to sue. When his dad heard the news, he wanted to settle out of court and even offered more money."
Doctor Liu nodded. He had heard about the incident later. His apprentice had really made a name for himself in the department. But as for the young people's understanding of these matters, they really couldn't keep up with the pace.
"An out-of-court settlement won't work, as it involves them falsifying evidence. But you sure know a lot about legal matters; knowing they hoodwinked him into signing, you could think of a forged power of attorney. That's really impressive."
Before Zhou Ning could boast, the office door was pushed open forcefully, and Xu Dayuan poked his head in.
"Everyone's here, good timing, I've got a new case!"