Chapter 84: The Encrypted Folder

When she saw the police appear, Ban Qianqian’s eyes lit up and her body relaxed. Dong Xiaohui and Lily, who had been restraining her, hurriedly let go, their faces flustered, not daring to meet the gaze of the four officers entering the room.

Chen Hao was not as optimistic as Ban Qianqian. In his memory, this incident had been covered up, so these officers might not uphold justice. He didn’t expect the police to punish Zhou Shi and the others; as long as he and Ban Qianqian could escape this ordeal, he would be content.

Zhu Xiaodao kept observing Zhou Shi and Wang Yu. Seeing their calm faces, he felt no anxiety. With the sons of the previous and current secretaries of Huaxi District’s Political and Legal Affairs Committee and Police Bureau present, would these local officers dare not show respect?

Just as Zhu Xiaodao anticipated, the portly officer’s face broke into a wide smile when he saw Wang Yu. He stepped forward and said, “Oh! So Young Master Wang is here. We received a report about something happening in this private room, so we came to check.”

Wang Yu shook his head and replied, “Uncle Qin, someone must have made a false report. I’m here enjoying drinks with the son of Westwind County’s Secretary Zhou. Our mood is ruined by your arrival.”

The portly officer went up and shook Zhou Shi’s hand vigorously. “So you’re the old chief’s son! I remember holding you when you were little. Can’t believe you’ve grown so much.”

Zhou Shi smiled lightly. “I still remember you, Uncle Qin. With us watching over things, nothing will happen here. Please rest assured.”

Hearing Zhou Shi’s subtle dismissal, the officer waved his hand briskly. “Then we won’t disturb Young Masters Zhou and Wang any longer. Sorry for today. When we return, we’ll thoroughly investigate who made the false report.”

The sudden turn of events left Ban Qianqian pale. Everything unfolding before her eyes was beyond comprehension. She pleaded anxiously, “Officer, these people are trying to assault me. You can’t just leave!”

The portly officer acted as if he hadn’t heard her, chuckling. “Young Master Zhou’s girlfriend is truly beautiful, and quite fond of joking, too. I won’t intrude further.”

Seeing the four officers about to leave, Chen Hao, once again restrained by two thugs, spoke coldly, “If you leave now, there will be two deaths in this room tonight, and you won’t escape accountability.”

The portly officer walked up to Chen Hao, stared at him for a moment, then abruptly ordered the other three, “Search the room carefully for any abnormalities.”

The three officers made a show of inspecting, then reported, “Nothing unusual.”

“Withdraw.” The portly officer snorted at Chen Hao and left the room, followed by the other three.

“Hahahahaha!”

Suddenly, Zhou Shi burst out laughing, looking up at the ceiling. He shook his head at Chen Hao. “I’ve always admired you. If you had grown up under better circumstances, I would only be able to look up to you. But some things are decided from birth…”

“Hahahahaha!” As Zhou Shi approached Ban Qianqian, Chen Hao also laughed aloud, his voice cold. “Do you think you’re so impressive? Regret letting me stand against you for a woman? Nonsense! No matter how many women you play with, there’s only one you truly want to marry—Wang Ying. But she belongs to me…”

Zhou Shi shook his head. “You and Wang Ying will never happen, that much I know.”

Chen Hao mocked him, “Do you think you have clairvoyant eyes or supernatural ears? I spend time with Wang Ying, close and intimate—how would you know what happens? Even if I die tonight, what happened between me and Wang Ying will always be a thorn in your heart. I wonder how you’ll face it in the future…”

“Enough!” Zhou Shi interrupted. “With Wang Ying’s status, how could she possibly be with you?”

Wang Ying had always been low-profile at school, dressed plainly, and her parents never showed up for parent meetings. Chen Hao had never known her background, but when Zhou Shi began pursuing her obsessively—even giving up other women for her—he realized Wang Ying was no ordinary girl. Zhou Shi had said he’d only marry someone who could help his future.

Zhou Shi was proud; he could be promiscuous himself, but could never accept a wife with a history with Chen Hao. Though he insisted it was impossible, he was already wavering. Sensing this, Chen Hao pressed further, “There’s a folder on my phone with photos of me and Wang Ying. Want to see them?”

Zhou Shi took Chen Hao’s phone from his pocket, his voice icy. “Where’s the folder?”

Chen Hao replied calmly, “There’s a folder called ‘My Darling’ on the memory card, password protected.”

Zhou Shi opened the memory card and found the folder. His expression darkened. “What’s the password?”

Chen Hao shook his head. “Aside from intimate photos with Wang Ying, there are also some with my girlfriend. I can only show you part of them. Give me the phone and I’ll delete the other photos first.”

Zhou Shi was eager to see the pictures and wasn’t worried about Chen Hao escaping. He had Zhu Xiaodao guard the door, signaled the thugs to release Chen Hao, and handed over the phone.

After entering the password, Chen Hao, as Zhou Shi stared at the screen, suddenly kicked aside the nearest thug, dashed into the bathroom, and locked the door. He quickly dialed Wang Ying’s number and shouted, “Wang Ying, I’m in the bathroom of Room 818 at Diamond KTV. Zhou Shi is here, and he had the police called away. If I die tonight, it’s definitely because of him.”

The abrupt move caught Zhou Shi and his group off guard. Zhu Xiaodao and the thugs rushed forward to kick down the bathroom door. When it finally burst open, Zhu Xiaodao swung a bottle, intending to teach Chen Hao a lesson, but Zhou Shi kicked him from behind, knocking him down.

Zhou Shi’s face was grim. “You’ve won. I hope you can keep winning.”

He dared not do anything further to Chen Hao or Ban Qianqian. Now that Wang Ying knew about tonight, if anything happened to Chen Hao or Ban Qianqian and Wang Ying told Mayor Wang, not only would Zhou Shi be finished, but his father’s career would also be jeopardized.

Chen Hao ignored Zhou Shi. He strode over, kicked away Dong Xiaohui and Lily, and pulled Ban Qianqian into his arms, gently patting her back. “We’re safe now.”

Ban Qianqian’s pale face broke into a faint smile. She whispered, “I want to see your phone.”

Chen Hao laughed and cried at the same time. The little girl, barely out of danger, was already worried he might really have something going on with another woman. He brought his phone before her eyes. The folder contained only game screenshots. In the images, the male and female characters were either holding hands, gazing at scenery, or embracing. All the images had been edited with captions: so-and-so and so-and-so will never be parted…

Ban Qianqian’s face blossomed into a sweet smile as she saw the pictures. She had taken them herself in the game and edited them, starring herself and Chen Hao.

Chen Hao thought the edited pictures were too unconventional. Sometimes he swapped phones with classmates to play games and didn’t want to be teased, so he encrypted the folder. He hadn’t expected it to come in handy tonight.