The Republic of China: I, Xiangzi, a Hero in a Chaotic Era

She recalled the image of her father being led away between two young patrol officers, and a wave of immense fear gripped her heart again, her voice choked with emotion.

"My father... he got into this lawsuit just to teach that Zhao San who offended you a lesson! That damned Zhao San, he actually dared to sue the authorities!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jiaxiang's expression turned displeased. His previously calm gaze suddenly turned cold, as if a deep pool had instantly frozen over.

"So you're saying that it's my fault your dad was arrested by the police?"

Tiger Girl was jolted awake by that look, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over her head, instantly sobering her up.

She slid off the chair with a thud and knelt on the cold floor tiles, her hands flailing frantically, her face drained of color, revealing only immense terror.

"Director Liu, please calm down! It was a slip of the tongue! I absolutely didn't mean it that way! I've been terribly wronged! I... I'm just an ignorant woman, I lost my temper and said the wrong thing! Please, have mercy on me, don't hold it against me!"

Her forehead was pressed against the floor tiles, her voice trembling with a sob.

"Please, I beg you, for the sake of my father's past obedience to you. He's done everything you asked, risking his life to carry it out. Please, save him! I'm begging you!"

Liu Jiaxiang remained calm as he looked at Hu Niu's trembling body lying on the ground. His eyes were devoid of any emotion, only a cold scrutiny.

He waved his hand, the gesture carrying the impatience of someone in a superior position:

"Get up and speak. Since your father sent you to see me, he must have already told you what to do."

Tiger Girl felt like she had been granted a pardon. She hurriedly got up from the ground, her knees still throbbing.

She didn't bother to brush the dust off her clothes, and hurriedly reached into the inner pocket of her jacket, groping for a small bag carefully wrapped in oil paper.

With trembling hands, she peeled back the layers of oil paper, revealing two neatly folded banknotes printed with intricate patterns. She carefully held the two banknotes in both hands and respectfully handed them to the edge of Liu Jiaxiang's desk, her movements filled with utmost humility and pleading.

"Director Liu, this is what my father told me to do... to do to you. Before he was taken away, he secretly told me that only you could save him."

"Please, please help us smooth things over, pull some strings, and get my father out. We, the people from the car factory, will work like slaves to repay your great kindness!"

Liu Jiaxiang's gaze fell on the two silver notes on the edge of the table. He did not reach out to touch them, but simply tapped them lightly on the table with his fingertips, as if weighing their weight.

His gaze shifted from the banknotes back to Tiger Girl's face, which was filled with both hope and fear, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile seemed to appear at the corners of his mouth.

"Two hundred silver dollars, that's probably not enough."

Tiger Girl's heart sank.

Liu Jiaxiang leaned back in his chair, crossed his hands in front of his abdomen, and calmly watched as Hu Niu's face turned ashen.

"This case has gone directly to the police station; it's not just a regular street dispute. They want to bribe officials, pull strings, and get your father out of this mess."

He paused, then clearly uttered the rest of his words, each one as cold as iron.

"Your father is probably going to have to spend a lot of money."

Tiger Girl felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, and her hands and feet were ice cold.

But when she recalled the crucial words her father had whispered in her ear before he was taken away, her breath quickened, she grasped at the last straw.

She nodded vigorously, her voice slightly trembling with urgency:

"Understood! My father understands too! Director Liu, don't worry, this... this is just asking you to help find out some information, to see what stage the case has reached, what the department's procedures are, and which official is in charge."

"Once...once you make some progress, my father instructed me to go to the police station to see him! At that time, I will definitely...I will definitely present him with a generous gift! I will absolutely not let you work for nothing!"

Upon hearing this, the faint smile on Liu Jiaxiang's face seemed to deepen slightly, and a hint of understanding and barely perceptible satisfaction flashed in the depths of his eyes.

He nodded slightly, his tone carrying an almost approving tone:

"Hmm. Your dad is a seasoned veteran; he understands the ways of the world."

He raised his hand, picked up the white porcelain covered bowl on the table, lifted the lid, and slowly skimmed off the foam with the lid, his movements unhurried.

"Okay, you can go back now."

"I'll head to the police station right away to inquire. The officials there will at least give me, Liu, some face. At the latest, by evening..."

His tone was firm and left no room for doubt.

"I'm sure I'll get some news for you."

Tiger Girl's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down a little.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, she instantly lost her composure, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

She knelt down again with a "plop," kowtowing repeatedly in Liu Jiaxiang's direction, her forehead hitting the floor tiles with a dull "thump."

"Thank you, Director Liu! Thank you so much, Director Liu! Our Liu family will never forget your great kindness! I...I'll go back and wait for your news! Thank you! Thank you!"

She was incoherent, her voice choked with emotion and distorted.

Liu Jiaxiang waved his hand, a perfectly timed hint of impatience on his face:

"Alright, alright, get up. Go back and wait for news."

He stopped looking at Tiger Girl and turned his gaze to an open file on the table, as if this matter concerning Master Liu's life and death was nothing more than a trivial matter in daily official duties.

Tiger Girl kowtowed twice more forcefully before scrambling to her feet. She hastily wiped away the tears and sweat from her face, bowed deeply to Liu Jiaxiang, and then, with unsteady steps and a sense of relief, turned and left the office.

The heavy wooden door of the office closed gently, separating the inside from the outside.

Liu Jiaxiang sat upright in the large mahogany chair, his body motionless, his gaze still fixed on the lines of the case file, as if nothing had happened. The room returned to deathly silence, broken only by the occasional chirping of sparrows outside the window and the rhythmic tapping of knuckles on the table.

A few breaths later, the tapping sound stopped.

Liu Jiaxiang slowly raised his eyelids, his gaze fixed on the doorway where Hu Niu had disappeared. The corners of his mouth suddenly turned downwards, forming a cold, icy, and utterly devoid of warmth. In his eyes, there was no longer any trace of the composure or "appreciation" from before, only a deep pool of indifference and a condescending, knowing mockery of the prey's struggle.

"snort."

"Just a flock of lambs to the slaughter."

He leaned forward slightly, reached over and pulled the cord of a brass electric bell on the corner of the table, and tugged it twice.

The crisp ringing of the bell rang urgently in the quiet office and the hallway outside.