Left with no other choice, Chen Yi reluctantly climbed into Luo Yan's "bandit car."
"Still planning to keep your mouth shut? Once we're out of the police station, this story will carry even more weight," Luo Yan continued her persuasive assault.
Chen Yi replied, "What good does this do for you? Aren't you worried about what others might say?"
This woman was either a lunatic or a masochist. Who else would smear their own reputation and seem to enjoy it so much?
Luo Yan, driving the car, burst into laughter—loud, clear, and utterly unrestrained.
"If you live your life caring about what others think, then what's the point of living at all?"
Chen Yi chose not to respond, pretending he hadn't heard her. She was a true enigma, her mental fortitude so unshakable that it bordered on the supernatural.
The police car came to a stop in front of a dilapidated courtyard.
The courtyard's walls were weathered and crumbling, with tufts of weeds sprouting from the cracks. Compared to the bustling prosperity of Quancheng, it was a stark contrast, as if belonging to an entirely different world.
"'The Rising Sun Home'? Is this where you live?" Luo Yan asked curiously.
"No, it's where I grew up. I haven't lived here in years," Chen Yi replied impatiently. "Alright, Officer Luo, thanks for the ride. If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."
"Have you forgotten that you still owe me an answer?"
Luo Yan's persistence was truly formidable. Despite Chen Yi's attempts to outwit her during the entire ride, he had failed to shake her resolve.
This woman was terrifyingly stubborn. No matter how much he argued, she refused to believe he had been honest. In his three years of "practice," he had never encountered someone so single-mindedly relentless.
He was beginning to wonder if his high-profile actions this time were a mistake.
"Lady, I swear I calculated it. I didn't lie to you!"
Chen Yi was on the verge of tears.
"Fine, then I'll go in with you," Luo Yan declared without waiting for his approval. She got out of the car, pushed open the gate of "The Rising Sun Home," and walked straight in.
"Hey!"
Chen Yi had no time to stop her and could only follow her inside.
"The Rising Sun Home" was an orphanage where Chen Yi had lived until he was sixteen. Despite its uplifting name, it was nothing more than a cluster of rundown brick houses, resembling a slum.
It was a privately run orphanage established by Li Haoran and his wife, Liu Aijiao. With little to no government funding, they had always struggled to provide for the twenty or so children under their care.
As a child, Chen Yi had dreamed of building a beautiful new building for the orphanage. Yet, after so many years, the same old brick houses remained, now even more worn down.
"Gousheng, you're just in time! I was about to start making dumplings," said a man in his fifties as Chen Yi and Luo Yan entered.
The man was Li Haoran, the director of the orphanage. Beside him was a woman of similar age, Wang Ayi, who helped care for the children. They were surrounded by seven or eight kids, all busy making dumplings.
"Gousheng" was Chen Yi's childhood nickname. Even after all these years, Li Haoran still couldn't break the habit of calling him that. Chen Yi didn't mind; instead, he found it endearing.
"No wonder I smelled something delicious from so far away—it's dumplings!" Chen Yi said with a smile.
Li Haoran chuckled and scolded, "What kind of nose do you have, boy? You can even smell the dumpling filling?"
"Of course! You named me 'Gousheng'—it's only natural I have a good nose," Chen Yi replied, unfazed.
"And who's this?" Wang Ayi asked, her sharp eyes noticing the beautiful young woman accompanying Chen Yi.
"She's Luo Yan, a friend. She came along by chance," Chen Yi answered vaguely.
"A friend?" Wang Ayi gave Chen Yi a suspicious look. She had never seen him bring a friend here before, let alone a female friend.
Could she be his girlfriend? Wang Ayi couldn't help but speculate. But seeing how stunning Luo Yan was, she found it hard to believe.
Children from orphanages often struggled to find partners, let alone someone as beautiful as this policewoman.
"Well, perfect timing! Stay and eat with us. I was just saying we made too much filling, and now we have more mouths to feed," Wang Ayi said with a smile. Whether or not Luo Yan was Chen Yi's girlfriend, she wouldn't treat her poorly.
After all, if Chen Yi really managed to win her over, Wang Ayi would be thrilled.
Like Li Haoran and his wife, Wang Ayi had a soft spot for Chen Yi. They admired his politeness, gratitude, and kind heart, treating him almost like their own child.
Who wouldn't want their child to succeed? Success wasn't just about career achievements; it also included finding happiness in love.
Having watched Chen Yi grow up, Wang Ayi knew his character better than anyone. Whoever became his wife would never feel mistreated.
Sure, he had his flaws. His background wasn't ideal—an orphan with no stable job. But he had a heart full of gratitude.
How many of the orphanage's children came back regularly to visit, bringing toys for the kids?
How many donated most of their income to the orphanage, keeping only a few hundred yuan for themselves?
If he could be so devoted to the orphanage, how could he not treat his future wife with the same care?
"No need, Wang Ayi. We have some matters to discuss and will leave soon," Chen Yi said quickly. If he knew what Wang Ayi was thinking, he would have run even faster. Women, especially beautiful ones, were often more trouble than they appeared.
"No rush. It's not urgent. Stay and eat. It's been ages since I've had dumplings, and now's the perfect chance," Luo Yan said, glaring at Chen Yi as if to assert her dominance. Then, acting as though she were in her own home, she washed her hands at the tap and joined the dumpling-making crew.
Chen Yi sighed inwardly. This woman was truly a force of nature—beautiful, skilled, and utterly shameless when it suited her. Whoever married her would never dare stray; the consequences would be unimaginable.
Still, the idea of her in uniform, complete with handcuffs and a whip, had its… appeal. Everything was already in place—no need for roleplay. The temptation was undeniable.
"Gousheng, how's business lately?" Li Haoran's voice interrupted Chen Yi's wandering thoughts.
"Huh? Oh, not bad. I just made a decent sum," Chen Yi replied, snapping back to reality. "I've taken care of part of Xiao Nannan's medical expenses."
He had nearly forgotten the main reason he was here. This was his ultimate goal.
"Sigh," Li Haoran sighed heavily. "Chen Yi, you need to start thinking about yourself. You're at the age to settle down. Don't give all your money to us—keep some for yourself."
"Uncle Li, I know. But we're in a tough spot right now. Xiao Nannan is still waiting for a kidney transplant in the hospital. How could I keep the money and ignore her?"
Li Haoran had said this many times before. To him, Chen Yi and the other orphans were like his own children. He couldn't bear to see any of them suffer.
"But when will it ever end? Just yesterday, I went to the city government again, hoping they'd allocate some funds. But the result… sigh!"
Though Li Haoran didn't finish, Chen Yi knew exactly what had happened. The usual excuses: budget constraints, no spare funds, maybe later.
"Ha! Uncle Li, you won't believe this—I've already covered half of Xiao Nannan's medical expenses!"
Chen Yi never pinned his hopes on the government. After twenty-odd years, he knew they had to rely on themselves.
"Half? The surgery costs 200,000 yuan. Are you saying you earned 100,000?" Li Haoran looked at Chen Yi in disbelief, his eyes full of doubt.
Chen Yi had seen enough skeptical looks today—from the police station to Luo Yan to Li Haoran. It was as if he were some unreliable scoundrel.
"See for yourself!"
Without wasting words, Chen Yi pulled out the police department's reward money from a canvas bag.
A full stack of crisp, brand-new bills.
"This… this…" Li Haoran's hands trembled as he held the money. "You didn't do anything illegal, did you?"
Though he knew Chen Yi wasn't that kind of person, the sight of so much money was shocking.
"Uncle Li, this money came through proper channels. Chen Yi helped the police solve a case and earned the reward," Luo Yan explained, surprisingly siding with Chen Yi.
She had overheard their conversation earlier and was stunned. She never expected this so-called fraudster to hand over every penny of his reward to the orphanage.
Even if he had grown up here, such selflessness wasn't something just anyone could muster.
Her gaze toward Chen Yi subtly shifted, carrying something new.
"Really?"
"Of course. I personally caught the criminals!" Luo Yan guaranteed.
Her words carried more weight than Chen Yi's, given her uniform and authority.
"Chen Yi, you've done the orphanage a great service. We've been delaying Xiao Nannan's surgery because we couldn't afford it. Now, we can finally move forward," Li Haoran said, his eyes glistening with emotion.
"Don't wait for me later. I'll take the money to the hospital right away. Your Aunt Liu will be over the moon when she hears the news."
Before anyone could stop him, Li Haoran rushed out like the wind, pedaling his old, creaky bicycle toward the hospital.
"That old Li, still so impatient at his age," Wang Ayi said with a laugh, though her face soon clouded with worry. "But is it safe for him to carry that much money alone?"
Chen Yi thought for a moment. "It should be fine. Who would suspect someone as poor as Uncle Li of carrying 100,000 yuan in cash?"
"True. You've grown up, Gousheng. You think things through better than we do," Wang Ayi said, smiling at Chen Yi's upright figure.
"Who is this Xiao Nannan? Another child from the orphanage?"
Luo Yan, usually sharp and composed, found herself feeling lost amid all this.
"She's a child abandoned at the orphanage's doorstep last year. She has congenital kidney failure," Wang Ayi explained, glancing at Chen Yi.
"So you took the reward money to pay for her treatment?" Luo Yan asked.
"Of course. Why else would I go to the police station and make a scene?"
"And the self-promotion at the station—was that also to earn more money for Xiao Nannan?"
Though the truth was clear, Luo Yan still found it hard to believe. This so-called fraudster had far more depth than she'd imagined.
"Didn't expect me to be so noble, did you?"
Chen Yi struck a pose he thought was cool but came off as ridiculous.
"Hmm, very noble," Luo Yan said, surprisingly not mocking him, leaving Chen Yi slightly unsettled.
"Alright, let's finish making these dumplings. After we eat, Chen Yi, you can take some to the hospital," Wang Ayi said cheerfully.
With everyone pitching in, the dumplings were ready in no time.
"Didn't expect you to know how to make dumplings—and they don't look half bad," Luo Yan remarked.
"Of course!"
Humility seemed foreign to Chen Yi. Any compliment, no matter how minor, inflated his ego.
"I'm the 'Little Immortal of Quancheng,' master of all things great and small!"
Luo Yan rolled her eyes at his shameless boasting.
Just then, Chen Yi's old Nokia phone buzzed with its classic ringtone.
"Chen Yi, hurry to the hospital! The money… the money's been stolen…" Li Haoran's tearful voice came through the line.