Chapter 372: Taken Away
Chapter 372: Chapter 372: Taken Away
A human trafficking ring had attempted an abduction, and their targets were none other than the granddaughters of a high-ranking official. The matter was immediately treated with the utmost priority. Coupled with the swift confessions from the two captured men, the police mobilized so quickly that the rest of the gang members had no time to react.
Hei San was quickly apprehended. Following that, the police got more leads from him, prompting several of Beijing’s police bureaus to launch a joint operation. In one fell swoop, they dismantled a criminal organization involved in human trafficking, loan sharking, and selling contraband. In the process, they also uncovered the reason the gang had targeted Su Qing for abduction.
The police went directly to Beijing University to make the arrest, and their target was Xu Xianhui.
When the police arrived, it was Monday morning, and Xu Xianhui was in class. Before her morning class, she had purposely waited near Su Qing’s dormitory. When she saw Su Qing’s roommates head to class without Su Qing and Li Huan among them, her immediate assumption was that the two of them had been abducted over the weekend on their way home. Her heart instantly soared with joy. This meant she would no longer be saddled with debt; she could finally be free.
As a result, Xu Xianhui was in a pleasant mood all through her morning class.
But Xu Xianhui never imagined that the police would come to the university to arrest her.
"Xu Xianhui, please come to my office." Halfway through the class, Mr. Chen, Xu Xianhui’s academic advisor, arrived at the classroom to get her.
Xu Xianhui was utterly confused, wondering why Mr. Chen wanted to see her. But when she followed him into his office and saw two police officers waiting inside, her mind went blank. A terrible feeling washed over her.
Xu Xianhui was tempted to turn and run. ’The police are looking for me. This can’t be good.’
But Mr. Chen was one step ahead, shutting the office door. "Xu Xianhui, these two officers need to ask you about a few things."
Mr. Chen was baffled himself. The police had shown up in the middle of the morning asking for Xu Xianhui by name, but they hadn’t explained why. He had Xu Xianhui sit in front of the officers before asking, "Officers, may I ask what this is about?"
The police hadn’t explained the situation to Mr. Chen earlier because they were afraid Xu Xianhui would hear and try to flee. Now that she was right in front of them, they had no reason to conceal it. "Mr. Chen, this student, Xu Xianhui, is connected to a kidnapping case. We need to take her back to the station to assist with the investigation."
"What!" Mr. Chen was stunned. "A kid-kidnapping case? How is that possible? Officers... are you sure you haven’t made a mistake?"
’How could one of my students be involved in a kidnapping case?’
The moment Xu Xianhui heard the police, she understood why they had come. Her face went deathly pale. ’It’s over. Su Qing wasn’t kidnapped? And they even got the police involved?’
Xu Xianhui shot to her feet, panicked. "You’ve made a mistake! You can’t take me away! You can’t! You’ve got the wrong person!"
With that, she turned to leave.
One of the two officers was a woman. Seeing Xu Xianhui try to flee, she stepped forward, seized her by the shoulder and arm, and restrained her. "Xu Xianhui," she said in a cold, commanding voice, "you need to come with us to the station."
"I’m not going! I’m not going! Let me go!" Xu Xianhui was terrified. ’How did it end up at the police station? Weren’t those guys supposed to be powerful? How could they not even handle one little girl? And now they’ve dragged me down with them.’
"Officers, we still don’t know what’s going on, and Xu Xianhui is just a student. You can’t..." Mr. Chen quickly stood up as well. He figured Xu Xianhui must have just gotten mixed up in something, but the policewoman’s next sentence stunned him into silence.
"Xu Xianhui, you are a suspect for instigating kidnapping. You must come with us to the station." Seeing her struggle so fiercely, the female officer’s voice turned to ice. She took out her handcuffs and snapped them onto Xu Xianhui’s wrists.
In truth, the details of the case were already crystal clear. Saying she needed to "assist with the investigation" was just a courtesy to Mr. Chen. Once Xu Xianhui entered the police station, there was no chance she would be coming out again.
It was precisely because Xu Xianhui understood this that she struggled with all her might.
Mr. Chen stood in stunned silence for a long moment before looking at Xu Xianhui in disbelief. "Xu Xianhui, did you really instigate a kidnapping?"
"I—I didn’t! They’re lying! They’re lying! Someone’s trying to frame me! It’s them!" Fear sent tears streaming down Xu Xianhui’s face. "Mr. Chen, please, save me!"
"Xu Xianhui, just go with the officers to the station for now. If you’re innocent, nothing will happen. The police won’t frame a good person." Mr. Chen said, his expression conflicted. From her panic and desperate struggles, he could tell this was no simple matter. He suspected Xu Xianhui knew exactly what was going on; otherwise, she wouldn’t be fighting so hard.
"I’m not going! I’m not going! If I go, I’ll never get out!" Xu Xianhui was beside herself with panic, shouting desperately, "Mr. Chen, save me! Don’t let them take me!"
Mr. Chen sucked in a sharp breath at her words, looking at Xu Xianhui with a feeling of deep disappointment. She had skipped class and taken leave so many times before that he’d had to talk with her. Just last week, she had promised him she would start attending her classes and focus on her studies. He’d been happy about her progress for all of two days, and now this. This student was just...
"Mr. Chen, we’ll be taking her with us now," one of the officers said.
"Can I ask who she is suspected of trying to kidnap?" Mr. Chen asked hastily.
"I’m sorry, but that’s confidential. The case is still under investigation, so we can’t disclose any details."
"Alright." Mr. Chen sighed and nodded. He glanced at Xu Xianhui one last time, then said, "Officers, please let us know if there are any developments. After all, Xu Xianhui is still one of our students."
"Will do."
The news of Xu Xianhui being taken away by the police immediately sent shockwaves through Beijing University.
The buzz around Song Yufang’s assault case had only just died down. Now, just a few days later, another major scandal had erupted.
"Did you guys hear? Xu Xianhui was taken away by the police!" Liu Juan announced the moment she returned from outside the classroom, eager to share the gossip with her roommates.
"What? Xu Xianhui was taken away by the police? It’s not because of all the money she owes people, is it?" Chen Meizhen asked, shocked.
Su Qing was surprised too. She had no idea yet that the kidnapping plot against her was connected to Xu Xianhui.
"Is it that serious?" Li Huan asked quickly. "The police really took her away?"
"Really. I got the full story," Liu Juan said, nodding eagerly.
"My gosh, surely not." Li Huan blinked. "Did one of her classmates report her?"