Recently, the temperature in Tianfu had been high with high humidity. Lin Jie had accompanied a few girlfriends to the swimming pool for an afternoon of fun, but on her way home, she encountered an old lady lying on the ground.
Despite the old lady's prone position, no one stopped to assist her. Lin Jie was aware of the prevalent phenomenon in recent years where elderly individuals would stage falls as scams, deterring others from extending a helping hand. A particular sketch from a comedy show resonated deeply with many, as the character who rode a bicycle used to drive a Mercedes...
It wasn't that the people were indifferent, but rather that many villains had grown old, their despicable actions undermining societal morals. Unfortunately, even when proven to be fraudulent, there were no legal consequences beyond an apology, failing to deter such behavior. Over time, this only served to make society colder and more paranoid.
Today, Lin Jie bore witness to this chilling indifference firsthand. Being only 14, she still believed in the inherent goodness of people and the world, leading her to make a decision she would later regret—she stepped forward to help.
The result was plain for all to see: her kindness had become a calamity, and Lin Jie found herself wrongly accused, tears streaming down her cheeks from the injustice.
Amidst her panic, regret, and anger, Li Nianlong appeared, offering a sudden anchor amidst the chaos. Lin Jie was both startled and overjoyed, finally finding a safe harbor to pour out her grievances. She threw herself into Li Nianlong's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Don't cry." Li Nianlong half-embraced Lin Jie, gently patting her back. Lin Jie trembled all over, like the little match girl in the coldest of winters. Witnessing such unfair treatment of his dear student ignited a fierce anger within Li Nianlong. His tone was grim as he said, "Tell me everything. Your teacher will stand up for you."
"You're her teacher? Perfect!" The scamming grandma, unwilling to wait for Lin Jie to speak, made her false claim first: "Your student knocked me down. What are you going to do about it?"
"You... You're lying!" Lin Jie was furious and anxious, her face flushed red.
The old woman sneered, "If you don't pay up, you're not leaving."
"You... You have no shame!"
"Enough," Li Nianlong patted Lin Jie's shoulder and said firmly, "I've got a grasp of the situation. Don't say anything else; I'll handle it."
"Teacher Liu..." Tears continued to stream down Lin Jie's face. "She... She's so shameless, clearly it was she who..."
"I know." Cutting her off, Li Nianlong comforted her, "Don't worry, I will ensure justice is served for you."
Turning to the scamming grandma, Li Nianlong sneered, "Old lady, you're well into your years, with one foot in the grave, yet you seem to grow more shameless with age. Is it amusing to bully a young girl?"
Insulted, the grandma's face darkened, and she yelled, "Who's bullying a young girl? She knocked me down! She hit me and now wants to leave? Let everyone here judge. Is there such a thing as hitting someone and getting away scot-free?"
"You say she hit you? Then allow me to ask, how did she hit you?" Li Nianlong chuckled, pointing to the small red bicycle two meters away. "The bike is standing there undisturbed. If this is the site of the collision, how could the bike be two meters away?"
That bicycle belonged to Lin Jie. On holidays, she would ride it to meet Li Nianlong for basketball games, and after, she'd ride it back home. Li Nianlong recognized the bike instantly, confirming that the old lady was indeed a scammer.
Li Nianlong's words immediately sparked realization and agreement among the onlooking crowd.
"I knew it! The girl has been crying the whole time; she must have been wronged. This old lady shouldn't have done this."
"Yes, at her age, to have no shame, bullying a young girl like that. Despicable."
"There are just too many scammers nowadays, especially the elderly ones. Each one more shameless than the last."
"What's happening to the elderly these days? The older they get, the less shame they have."
"It's not that the elderly are turning bad, it's that bad people are growing old."
The scamming grandma's face turned ashen, and she lashed out at the onlookers, "What's it to you? She's the one who knocked me down. I won't get up until I get my money, and if you don't like it, we can take it to court!"
"You..." Lin Jie was seething with indignation. "Do you have any sense of shame left?"
"Who says I have no shame? You hit someone and still want to argue? You're paying up today, or you're not going anywhere!" The grandma was all in, and as the saying went, when the elderly decided to abandon their dignity, ordinary folks were at a loss. But Li Nianlong was far from ordinary.
"It's alright." Li Nianlong held Lin Jie back, whispering, "Leave it to me; I have a plan."
"Teacher Liu..." Lin Jie's eyes were misty with tears, her heart full of injustice.
Li Nianlong patted her shoulder and looked down at the scamming grandma. "Drop the act. We're unlucky today. So, how much do you want?"
Lin Jie was shocked when Li Nianlong seemed to acquiesce. "Teacher Liu!"
Li Nianlong quickly signaled to her with a look. Perhaps due to the past year's rapport, Lin Jie immediately fell silent, a glint of cunning flashing in her eyes. In the past year, Li Nianlong had given her such signals three times, each preceding someone's misfortune. If it wasn't going to be her, then it could only be...
The scamming grandma's face broke into a victorious smile. "If you had said that earlier, we wouldn't have had this trouble. Just give me..."
"Hold on." Li Nianlong interrupted, his tone mild. "As you can see from my clothes, I'm just a laborer, a mere PE teacher at school. I don't have much money. If you dare to ask for too much, then we'll have to go to court." Li Nianlong was still wearing his construction site outfit, dirty and worn. Lin Jie hadn't noticed before, but now she realized he was dressed in a blue short-sleeved shirt typical of construction workers.
A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. Lin Jie wondered to herself where Teacher Liu had been.
The scamming grandma eyed Li Nianlong's attire and frowned, a look of displeasure on her face. "Forget it, seeing as you're not doing well either, just give me twenty thousand!"
"Twenty thousand?" Li Nianlong's expression soured, and the spectators were enraged.
"Hell! Asking for twenty grand for a bump? I'm gonna get myself bumped tomorrow and live off that from now on!"
"For heaven's sake, does this old lady have no shame?"
"I'll bump into you, and you give me ten grand, damn it!"
Lin Jie's face turned scarlet with anger. "This is extortion! Fraud! It's punishable by law!"
"When did I extort anyone? This is what I deserve," the scamming grandma declared brazenly.
Grandma, you're unbeatable.
Li Nianlong laughed in anger and said, "Twenty thousand, right? Fine!" He reached into his pocket and mentally instructed the system to convert twenty thousand dollars.
Instantly, Li Nianlong felt two thick stacks of bills in his hand.
Taking out the two fresh stacks of yuan, Li Nianlong sneered, "Here's your twenty thousand, take it yourself." With that, he tossed the money three meters away, right next to the crowd. Coincidentally, a good-for-nothing hooligan stood there, and upon seeing the cash fall at his feet, he thought it was a windfall and couldn't resist snatching it.
The hooligan picked up the money and ran. Seeing this, the scamming grandma exclaimed, "Hey!" and promptly scrambled to her feet, chasing after him nimbly. "That's my money, stop!"
Thus, a bizarre scene unfolded on the streets of Tianfu: a twenty-something hooligan sprinted ahead while a seventy-year-old grandma pursued him. To everyone's astonishment, the robust young man failed to shake off the elderly woman, and instead, the distance between them narrowed. Finally, the grandma leaped into the air, letting out a battle cry, and landed a flying kick square on the hooligan's back, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"Holy sh*t!" The hooligan sprawled on the ground, turned around, and stared at the shriveled grandma in shock. "Granny, which gang are you from?"
"Which gang? Hmph!" The grandma looked smug. "Back in the day, I trained at Mount Emei."
"Holy sh*t!" The hooligan was awestruck. Mount Emei! That was a renowned martial arts sect, not accessible to just anyone. He never expected this scrawny grandma to have studied there. Today, he had truly kicked an iron plate.
The hooligan sighed wryly, "Granny, I admit defeat today."
"Defeated? Then hand over the money," the grandma huffed.
"Fine, here!" The hooligan got up, dusted himself off, and reached into his pocket, his expression suddenly changing. "Where's the money?"