Chapter 68: Slow Changes 3

“Water meter? Didn’t we just check it this month?”

As the door plastered with countless flyers was slowly pulled open, a skinny white man with dark circles around his eyes cautiously poked his head out.

Ji Yuennian had been waiting for this exact moment!

Without hesitation, he suddenly lifted his foot and delivered a fierce kick to the door, which burst open with a loud bang from its previously half-open state!

At the same time, in a flash faster than thunder, he drew a black object gleaming with a dark luster from his waist and shouted loudly, “Heads down, squat! Federation FBI!”

The skinny man’s face instantly froze at the sudden shout. Instinctively, he hugged his head tightly and tremblingly crouched on the ground.

“Don’t shoot, don’t shoot! I just wrote a few erotic stories to make some living expenses. I don’t deserve to die! I don’t deserve to die!”

“Su… Officer, handcuffs.”

A calm and resolute voice came from Ji Yuennian’s mouth, carrying a sense of reassurance.

“All right, Sir!” Su Tian immediately understood and, following the plan, swiftly pulled out a pair of delicate silver handcuffs from his waist.

The man didn’t dare to struggle, especially after seeing the three men wearing bulletproof vests. He could only keep his head hugged and comply.

With a “click,” the silver handcuffs snapped shut on the man’s wrists, glinting coldly under the lights.

Once everything settled, Ji Yuennian gave Wang Xin a look. The latter immediately caught on, quietly pulled out his phone, and tiptoed out to contact the police.

Ji Yuennian glanced at the skinny man on the ground, hands on his head, frozen with fear, then took out his own phone and dialed.

“Hey, Lao Yao, come to the station. It’s time for you to back your brothers up.”

At a police station in Wanquing City.

The attendees: one policeman, one suspect, three concerned citizens, and one “victim and witness.”

“Wuwuwu~ Wuwuwu~”

“Officer, you have no idea—this guy actually posted those kinds of adult works online, and he even used our school’s real names and locations.”

“Just imagine the psychological damage to a high school sophomore minor! This is outright destroying the Federation’s flowers and poisoning the pillars of our future, wuwuwu~~”

“We have college entrance exams next year! If it’s because of this…”

No doubt, Yao Shiming was truly an acting prodigy from the Literature Department. His sobbing was thunderous, and tears flowed as if from an endless faucet.

Even the suspect, seeing Yao Shiming’s pitiful act, felt an urge to slap himself.

“Officer, this is exactly what happened…”

In the interrogation room, Ji Yuennian and the others also blew their noses and wiped tears, fully cooperating with Yao Shiming, showing utmost grief and indignation.

In summary: After seeing the erotic stories written by the suspect at school, the young and fiery teenagers felt “the more they thought about it, the angrier they got; the more they retreated, the more they felt wronged.” Holding onto the conviction that such a malignant tumor should not be allowed to harm the world, they took real-world… um, corrective action.

Just then, a young police officer pushed open the door, walked in, placed a printed report on the table, and then looked at the senior officer interrogating Ji Yuennian and the others.

“Brother Chen, we found that suspect Yang not only has dozens of alt accounts selling stories on Penguin, but also runs a paid novel group with thousands of members. Moreover, he has accounts on First Moderator, p站, Thornbird, and Chaos Ark. Some of the content is… quite bizarre.”

Officer Chen glanced over the report and furrowed his brow slightly. He temporarily set the matter aside and instead looked at the object seized from Ji Yuennian’s waist.

Its pitch-black, cold surface and deep, mysterious barrel combined with perfect structural design emitted a chilling aura under the interrogation room lights.

“That’s fake, a BB gun.” Ji Yuennian hurriedly explained upon seeing this.

Officer Chen ignored the explanation, picked up the gun, weighed it in his hand, and a trace of understanding flashed in his eyes.

For officers who regularly carry firearms, distinguishing real guns from fakes is a matter of a flicker.

Setting the BB gun aside, he asked again, “Source of the handcuffs?”

“Bought from an adult toy store along the way.”

“Motive for breaking in?”

“Wuwuwu, Officer, we really didn’t mean to. We were just so pissed off.”

At this, Yao Shiming butted in, crying pitifully with all the grievance one could muster.

Night. At a roasted lamb restaurant.

“Toasting!!”

The clink of glasses rang crisp and clear, followed by bursts of hearty laughter. A group of people sat around a small round table, with a steaming whole roasted lamb in the center.

“Old Ji, you really nailed it!” Yao Shiming cut a piece of lamb with his knife and popped it into his mouth, satisfied. “Distributing obscene works for profit? That ‘Peach Blossom’ is looking at at least a year behind bars.”

“That’s just leveraging momentum. Learned it from The Art of War.” Ji Yuennian took a sip from his glass. “Dare to write and sell my erotic stories? If I don’t teach him why the flowers are red, I’m not Ji!”

“But this time, it’s thanks to Wang Xin.”

He shifted his tone, glancing at a shy bespectacled boy nearby. “If Old Wang hadn’t dug up so much useful info, I wouldn’t have thought of this leverage.”

“It’s not really my credit,” Wang Xin rubbed his nose, cheeks slightly flushed. “It was that senior…”

“Doesn’t matter. Being able to call for backup is a kind of skill.” Ji Yuennian waved his hand and forced the credit onto him.

“Oh, and one more thing—I sent you my QQ before…”

“I’ve got some clues,” Wang Xin scratched his head. “But…”

“No buts. I believe in you!” Ji Yuennian patted his shoulder. “Wang Xin, you’ve got this. Your skills rank top in our school!”

“I just called Officer Chen. Although we did break in forcibly, we truly caught a criminal profiting from distributing obscene content.”

“Credit where it’s due, mistakes too! Officer Chen said we definitely deserve a banner—should be ready by next week. Then I’ll personally hang it up for you so those classmates who look down on you will know: you’re also a pure dad who dares to catch criminals!”

These words struck Wang Xin’s heart, exciting him so much his previously weak posture straightened a bit!

After several rounds of drinks and flavors, they chatted and ate until 10 PM, then went their separate ways.

Before leaving, Ji Yuennian pulled Su Tian aside for some private praise: “You were the biggest contributor in uncovering ‘Peach Blossom.’ You’re my most trusted little brother. When I get promoted to the Student Council Minister, that spot’s yours.”

After a final round of motivation and pep talk, Su Tian blushed fiercely, chest puffed out, practically ready to say, “If you don’t abandon me, I’m willing to be your sworn father.”

After the three walked away, Ji Yuennian ordered a pound of crayfish from the owner, then sat alone, holding his drink and sipping quietly.

The alcohol gradually deepened his gaze, blurry yet focused on the not-too-big, not-too-small hand clutching the glass. Though coated with brownish waterproof cream, it couldn’t hide the moist luster beneath.

“I feel like I’ve changed a lot,” Ji Yuennian mumbled, a little tipsy.

Thinner, shorter, paler—even his personality seemed to have shifted.

Take this incident as an example—if it were before, once he knew ‘Peach Blossom’s’ address, his first reaction would’ve been clenching his fists and going straight over! To send regards to the whole family!!

As for the consequences?

Hmph!

If you can’t be reckless when you’re young, then what’s the point of being young!!

But now… meticulous plans, rational deception, shared interests.

Even afterward, he knew how to consider everyone’s feelings. This was nothing like himself, not like the old Ji Yuennian.

“Damn it!”

He cursed under his breath, downing the glass, then poured another.

The clear liquid rippled softly—just like his current thoughts.

Suddenly, the reflection in the drink showed a long-haired, elegant woman whose face bore a striking resemblance to Ji Yuennian, but with an especially delicate, feminine charm.