127. You might not believe it if I told you.

Chang Chao escorted the man named Li Yan into the police car. As the victim, Fang Chang'an also needed to go to the police station to make a statement, and Shen Chengyan, feeling uneasy, insisted on accompanying him.

Just as the two were about to get into the car, they saw Cheng Mengfei arrive on her electric scooter, with Shen Mo riding on the back.

"Fang Chang'an!"

Seeing him from a distance, Shen Mo, her small hands tucked inside her down jacket sleeves, waved vigorously and called out to him.

"Alright then, we'll head over first; you know where it is anyway."

Seeing this, Chang Chao gave a nod, got into the police car, and drove off.

As Cheng Mengfei pulled up on her scooter, she asked from a distance, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Teacher Cheng. Thank you for your concern."

Shen Chengyan hadn't been sure what had happened to Fang Chang'an and hadn't wanted his wife to come along, leaving her with only the vague message that "Chang'an might be in trouble" before rushing off with Chang Chao. But Cheng Mengfei couldn't sit still at home, and with a bit of prodding from Shen Mo, she decided to come along.

Shen Chengyan said, "Didn't I tell you not to come?"

"Do you think I could just sit there?"

Seeing that Fang Chang'an was unharmed, both the adult and the child breathed a sigh of relief. Cheng Mengfei stopped the scooter and walked over, looking him up and down to confirm he was truly unscathed, before asking, "What on earth happened?"

Shen Chengyan sighed and said, "He ran into a robber with a knife. It was my carelessness; I never imagined such a thing could happen in broad day... well, I mean, I didn't think this could happen."

"Wow!"

Shen Mo’s eyes widened, and Cheng Mengfei was also taken aback. She hurried over to inspect Fang Chang'an, even reaching out to pinch his arms and legs, and nearly wanting to open his clothes to ensure he was truly "intact."

"Hey, hey, what are you doing? I told you, I'm fine, really!"

Shen Chengyan quickly stopped his wife, and Fang Chang'an added helplessly, "Teacher Cheng, I'm really okay. The man just wanted money; he didn't intend to hurt anyone."

Cheng Mengfei said with lingering fear, "That’s still terrifying. How could such a thing happen?"

"It seems he’s a migrant worker who gambled away all his earnings and couldn't afford to go home for the New Year, so he took a desperate gamble. We’ll know the specifics after the interrogation."

Shen Chengyan briefly summarized what he knew, then looked at Fang Chang'an. "But tell me, kid, how did you talk him into letting you call me?"

"I just said I was there to deposit money and forgot the password. There was money in the account, and since he wanted the cash, he had to let me make the call."

Fang Chang'an kept his explanation brief and added, "It was all thanks to your quick thinking, Uncle Shen. Otherwise, the money would definitely have been stolen."

"If it was stolen, it was stolen. Is money more important than your life?" Cheng Mengfei glared at him. "From now on, you are not to go to the bank alone at night, understand?"

She then glared at Shen Chengyan. "And you, couldn't you have given him the red envelope at any other time? Why did it have to be tonight? We almost had a disaster!"

"..."

Shen Chengyan wanted to argue but held his tongue. He continued to ask Fang Chang'an, "You can deposit money without a password? And he believed you?"

"I told him it was a cardless deposit."

Seeing Shen Chengyan about to press further, Fang Chang'an said, "Uncle Shen, let's head to the police station first. I’ll have to repeat all this there. Teacher Cheng, you and Shen Mo should go home; it’s cold out here."

Shen Chengyan nodded and said, "Feifei, you take Mo back home first. I’ll go with Chang'an to the station to explain the situation."

Cheng Mengfei replied, "Why go home? I’m coming with you."

"Why do you need to go?"

Cheng Mengfei said indignantly, "My student was robbed. As his homeroom teacher, shouldn't I be informed of the situation?"

"..."

Shen Chengyan sighed and exchanged a look with Fang Chang'an. They both turned to look at Shen Mo, who blinked her eyes and asked, "You're not going to make me go home alone, are you?"

"Fine, let's all go then. Not that the police station is a particularly great place to be."

Shen Chengyan muttered helplessly, forced to bring along both the "big burden" and the "little burden."

Fang Chang'an’s bicycle and Cheng Mengfei’s electric scooter were left at a nearby small shop. Many onlookers had gathered, and seeing the group approach, they chimed in with questions about what had happened.

"Ran into a robber."

"The person has already been caught."

"We're heading to the police station now; is it alright if we leave the bikes here?"

Although public security was poor in those days, a robbery happening right in their neighborhood was still a rare event. The onlookers, having secured firsthand news they were already planning to share with others, were more than happy to watch the bikes.

Since they hadn't been there to stop the crime themselves, watching the bikes was the least they could do.

Shen Chengyan drove with Cheng Mengfei in the passenger seat, while Fang Chang'an and Shen Mo sat in the back. Ten seconds after starting the car, Cheng Mengfei urged, "Chang'an, although everything turned out safe today, remember this. Be careful in the future. Don't go to the bank alone at night without an adult, do you hear me? You’ve read enough books to know the saying: 'A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall.'"

"Yes, I’ll remember, Teacher Cheng."

"Good. Now tell me, how did you manage to stall him for so long?"

"..."

*Isn't that a rather abrupt change of topic?*

Fang Chang'an thought to himself, but seeing the curious expressions of the three in the car, he had no choice but to recount the events.

"You are so amazing!"

After hearing the story, Shen Mo's bright eyes seemed to shimmer with admiration and awe, as if she were hearing a plot from a movie.

"It's not that I'm amazing; it’s Uncle Shen and Uncle Chang who were impressive. Especially Uncle Shen—if you had reacted any slower or arrived any later, the money would have surely been taken."

Seeing Cheng Mengfei looking back, Fang Chang'an added conscientiously, "Teacher Cheng, I know, life is more important. But it’s better to save the money if possible, and because Uncle Shen arrived in time, they were able to catch the man too."

Shen Mo covered her mouth to giggle, but Cheng Mengfei did not smile. She looked back at him and sighed, saying, "You did indeed do well. You were calm and clever."

"But don't take such risks again. If he wants money, give it to him and call the police later."

"What if he had realized you were stalling, or if your uncle hadn't arrived in time, and the man had turned desperate and taken you hostage? What would you have done then?"

"You're still so young, with your whole life ahead of you. If something had happened over two thousand yuan, what would we have done?"

Cheng Mengfei and Shen Chengyan had no children of their own, so they treated Shen Mo like their own daughter. While their feelings for Fang Chang'an hadn't reached that level, they genuinely admired and liked him, and were truly shaken by this incident.

"I understand, Teacher Cheng. I definitely won't take such a risk again."

Fang Chang'an could feel their genuine concern and nodded emphatically. "Even I feel scared thinking about it now. Next time... well, there won't be a next time."

Cheng Mengfei smiled slightly and said, "It's best if you think that way. I was terrified the whole way here, afraid that something had really happened."

Shen Chengyan laughed, "I was scared out of my wits too. It’s a good thing Chang Chao was there; otherwise, I wouldn't have known how to handle it."

Fang Chang'an also smiled, "I only made the call because I remembered Uncle Chang was there. Otherwise, I would have just given him the money and called the police afterward."

The police station was in the southwest corner of the town. Shen Chengyan drove slowly, but there was no traffic, and they arrived in no time. The four of them got out of the car, and a police officer immediately came out to meet them.

There were eight officers at the town police station. Chang Chao hadn't finished his shift when he received the call, and hearing about the incident, no one had left even after hours. Now, aside from two on rotation, everyone including Chief Zheng Qicheng was inside.

Chief Zheng Qicheng knew Shen Chengyan. They exchanged greetings, and he ushered them inside, asking, "Old Chang is inside conducting the interrogation. Is this Fang Chang'an? He’s so young?"

Shen Chengyan smiled, "He’s Feifei’s student, just started middle school."

"Impressive! A true hero among youth, outsmarting a criminal!"

Zheng Qicheng, a man in his forties with a slightly stout build, looked quite kind. He invited them in, chatted for a few moments, and then had someone take the statement.

Fang Chang'an recounted the story in detail from beginning to end. Zheng Qicheng asked a few follow-up questions, and then Chang Chao walked out. They exchanged greetings without saying much, and they finished the statement.

Of the eight officers at the station, most ended up listening to Fang Chang'an’s story. When he finished, Zheng Qicheng gave him a thumbs-up, "Calm! Clever! You have a good head on your shoulders! You’ll definitely go far when you grow up!"

Fang Chang'an smiled shyly, "It was mostly because Uncle Shen and Uncle Chang arrived in time. Uncle Chang is very impressive; he rushed in and pinned the man down immediately."

Zheng Qicheng laughed, "Indeed, Old Chang did a great job apprehending the criminal this time! I will definitely report this."

Chang Chao hesitated for a moment and said, "It's all cleared up. He's from Daliuzhuang, working in Dongguan. After the factory closed for the holidays, he couldn't get a train ticket home, and he lost all his money gambling... it wasn't gambling in our town."

Zheng Qicheng seemed relieved and nodded.

Cheng Mengfei checked the time and glanced at Shen Chengyan. Shen Chengyan said, "Alright, Chief Zheng, if there's nothing else, we’ll be heading off."

"Oh, yes, of course."

Zheng Qicheng said quickly, "The suspect has confessed, and the case is basically clear. If there’s any further news, I’ll notify you immediately. Sorry to have troubled you to come all this way."

Shen Chengyan exchanged polite pleasantries, led his wife and the two children out, and Zheng Qicheng and Chang Chao saw them off courteously. They watched as the four got into the car and drove away.

As the taillights faded into the distance, Zheng Qicheng shivered, rubbed his hands, and walked back inside, saying, "Shen Chengyan and Cheng Mengfei both rushed over; they really care about this student."

Chang Chao replied, "His grades are quite good. I heard he ranked first in the whole school for a semester at the Second Middle School."

"Future university material, that explains it... weren't you supposed to be off today? How did you end up with Shen Chengyan?"

"Just happened to be there."

...

In the car on the way back, Shen Chengyan suddenly chuckled, "Come to think of it, Chang Chao should thank Chang'an for today. He's been a deputy chief for several years now; with a major credit like this, he should be up for a promotion, right?"

Shen Chengyan hadn't interacted much with Chang Chao in the past, but based on tonight’s performance, he had a good impression of the man. Although he looked a bit fierce and his tone was blunt, his professional competence was unquestionable. Once he heard Fang Chang'an might be in trouble at the bank, he drove like the wind and was the first to charge in and subdue the criminal.

"Isn't Chief Zheng quite good too?"

"That doesn't affect anything. Zheng Qicheng has done a decent job, cracking down on gambling and rural organized crime over the last two years, but he was transferred from outside."

Shen Chengyan said casually, "I heard that two years ago when the town police chief retired, the county had intended to let Chang Chao take over, but considering he was considered not stable enough and prone to impulsiveness, they brought in the more composed Zheng Qicheng instead."

"We don't need to worry about that."

Cheng Mengfei sighed and turned to ask, "Mo, are you still going to school?"

Shen Mo checked the time; it was already past seven. She tilted her head for a couple of seconds, glanced at Fang Chang'an, and said, "I won't go. If I go now, I'll have to come back soon. I'll just stay home and read."

Cheng Mengfei nodded. "Chang'an, don't ride your bike. You already have your school bag, right? I'll drive you to school now. Later, your Uncle Shen and I will go pick up the electric scooter and the bike. You can come pick them up tomorrow after your final class meeting—there are some things to discuss, and then you can ride them back."

Fang Chang'an smiled, "No need, Teacher Cheng. I’ll be heading back with people from my village after the class meeting tomorrow. Don't worry, our town isn't that chaotic; I’m just riding down the main street, surely I won't run into another robber?"

Cheng Mengfei thought about it and felt she was indeed being too cautious. She sighed for the umpteenth time that night and smiled, "I was really scared by this incident. Alright then, you ride carefully, and make sure no more accidents happen."

"I know, don't worry."

Shen Chengyan drove back to the bank, and Fang Chang'an rode his bicycle home. Cheng Mengfei couldn't drive, and Shen Chengyan was afraid she’d catch a cold, so he wanted her to go home first and pick up the scooter tomorrow. Cheng Mengfei refused, insisting he take Shen Mo home first while she went to check on the school.

Shen Chengyan had to listen to his wife, dropping Shen Mo off at her parents' house before returning to his own. Halfway there, he grew worried about his wife, fearing she might meet with an accident just like Fang Chang'an, so he turned back toward the school.

The town certainly wasn't that chaotic, but after such a violent armed robbery, everyone was a bit on edge, which was only natural.

Fang Chang'an felt the same way, cautiously eyeing everyone he passed on the way home. After all, "misfortunes never come singly." Fortunately, there were no further incidents, and he arrived safely back at the school.

Wang Ke was surprised that he was so late. She wrote her concerned question on a piece of paper and passed it to him. Fang Chang'an replied honestly: "You might not believe me, but I ran into a robber, and I had to take him to the police station before I could come back to review."

The young girl read his response, pouted her rosy lips, rolled her eyes at him, and went back to her studies, clearly not believing him.

At the same time, at the home of the elderly couple, the Shen family, Shen Mo held the phone and whispered mysteriously, "Sister Quyi, guess what happened to me just now? You might not believe it..."