Chapter 70: The Mute Girl Yun Shen
Each autumn rain brings colder days.
After three consecutive rains in Liaocheng, there were finally signs of clearing skies.
On Sunday afternoon, after finishing her tutoring session, Ruan Yu returned to her dormitory and washed the pile of jackets that had accumulated. The balcony was now draped with her clothes, the dripping water droplets resembling yet another autumn shower.
By the time she finished washing, the sky had darkened. She went downstairs to the cafeteria and brought back a steaming bowl of pickled vegetable noodles. Halfway through her meal, her phone rang.
It was Teng Hao.
They had just seen each other that afternoon. Teng Hao had been distracted while doing his homework, earning him a scolding from her. He had seemed upset when she left—what could he be calling about now?
Was he looking for a fight?
Ruan Yu answered the call, but before she could speak, Teng Hao’s voice came through first.
The moment she heard him, she jumped up from her chair.
Her three roommates all turned to look at her. Ruan Yu dropped her chopsticks, grabbed her bag, and rushed out.
Teng Hao said he had gotten into a fight and ended up at the police station—he needed her to bail him out.
A fight? Bailing him out? What kind of drama was this? And the worst part was the tone in his voice—he sounded completely unapologetic.
Ruan Yu felt a headache coming on.
Outside, the night had fully set in. She ran to the back gate, hailed a taxi, and hurried to the police station.
Jian Xiangxiang and the others messaged her in their dorm group chat, asking what had happened. Only then did Ruan Yu realize she had dashed out without a word of explanation. But how was she supposed to explain this?
She could only tell them that there was an emergency she needed to handle and not to worry.
The police station was brightly lit. In the lobby, a few drunk, burly men ignored the officers’ warnings and shoved each other around, looking like they might start brawling at any moment.
Teng Hao sat behind them. His face bore a few marks from the fight, but he still wore an air of "I’m the boss here," exuding an unyielding aura.
"Teng Hao!" Ruan Yu called out.
Hearing her voice, Teng Hao looked up at her.
"What happened?"
"I told you—I got into a fight. Can’t you understand?" he snapped impatiently.
"You think you’re justified for fighting?" Ruan Yu suppressed her anger and asked in a low voice, "Where’s your brother? Why didn’t he come?"
"No idea. I called and texted him, but no response. Probably busy. I couldn’t reach him, so I called you." As he spoke, Teng Hao turned to the officer nearby. "Officer, my sister’s here."
Sister?
Before Ruan Yu could react, the officer motioned for her to come over.
"You’re Teng Hao’s sister?"
Ruan Yu shot Teng Hao a glance. He subtly winked at her.
"Yes," Ruan Yu said.
"Biological sister?"
"No."
"Then what kind of sister are you?"
"Uh... a cousin."
"Do you have your ID?"
"I do." Ruan Yu handed over her ID and took the opportunity to ask, "What exactly happened here?"
"Teng Hao got into a fight with a neighbor, and the neighbor called the police."
"A neighbor?"
The officer pointed at Teng Hao. "For the details, ask him."
Ruan Yu turned to Teng Hao.
Teng Hao shrugged. "I didn’t throw the first punch. That guy definitely had something to hide—that’s why he was making a scene to intimidate people. But the more he tried to scare me, the more I wanted to take him down."
"Which guy?" Ruan Yu thought for a moment. "The piano guy?"
"No."
—?—
Teng Hao took a moment to organize his thoughts before explaining the whole story.After finishing his afternoon makeup class, Teng Hao practiced dancing in the studio for a while before heading home. Exhausted, he collapsed into bed as soon as he got back, but just as he was teetering on the edge of sleep, the sound of piano playing started up again from next door.
Still just a chaotic mess of notes.
Teng Hao grabbed a pillow and pressed it over his ears, trying to block out the noise, but the harder he tried to ignore it, the more it seemed to worm its way into his eardrums. After half an hour of this, the person next door showed no signs of stopping. Finally reaching his limit, Teng Hao's accumulated frustration exploded. He grabbed his jacket and stormed out.
The neighbor's door was tightly shut. Teng Hao stood outside, furiously ringing the doorbell.
No one answered.
The more urgent his doorbell ringing became, the more frantic the piano playing inside grew. His doorbell was angry; the piano responded in kind. It was as if the person inside was deliberately provoking him through the door.
Furious, Teng Hao started pounding on the door with his fists, but it had no effect—the piano only grew louder. Just as he was at a loss for what to do next, a black car pulled up behind him.
A man and a woman got out. The woman was dressed in expensive jewelry and appeared to be around Shen Bing's age, while the man wore athletic clothes and looked about Teng Hao's age.
Clearly, they were mother and son.
"Can I help you?" the woman asked Teng Hao.
"Auntie, I'm Teng Hao, your neighbor next door."
"I know. So, can I help you?"
"I don't need help—it's your family member who keeps causing trouble." Teng Hao pointed vaguely toward the second floor. "That piano is way too loud! Have some consideration, will you? Stop disturbing the neighbors!"
The woman exchanged a glance with her son before smiling apologetically at Teng Hao.
"I'm so sorry. My daughter hasn't been in a good mood lately and keeps acting out at home. I'll go stop her right away. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience."
Seeing her earnest attitude, Teng Hao didn't press the matter further.
He turned to leave, and the woman and her son quickly entered the house.
Confronting them directly had worked.
Just as Teng Hao stepped into his own yard, the piano next door stopped. He was about to feel satisfied when suddenly—a loud crash of shattering glass made him freeze in place. The left window on the second floor of the neighbor's house had been smashed open.
Something wasn't right.
The thought flashed through Teng Hao's mind, and he immediately turned back.
As he reached the neighbor's doorstep, the front door suddenly swung open. A long-haired girl in a white dress, barefoot, rushed out and collided straight into him.
Both of them froze.
Teng Hao tried to push her away, but she only clung tighter to his arm.
"Mm! Mm! Mm!" She shook her head violently, as if trying to say something, but no words came out.
She was mute.
"Yun Shen!"
The woman from earlier and her son came chasing after her.
The mute girl—Yun Shen—immediately hid behind Teng Hao, gripping his jacket tightly and letting out desperate, muffled cries.
In that moment, Teng Hao sensed that she saw him as her only lifeline.
"Yun Shen."
"What's going on?" Teng Hao instinctively blocked the woman's outstretched hand.
"She's my daughter," the woman explained. "Her mind isn't quite... normal. She didn't take her medicine today, so—"
"Mm!" Yun Shen cut her off, glaring fiercely.
Teng Hao grew even more suspicious."Come here, Yun Shen. Mommy will take you back to your room. You'll catch a cold dressed so lightly." The woman spoke softly, reaching out again.
The mute girl Yun Shen clearly recoiled from the woman's touch, retreating further behind Teng Hao.
"Auntie, she doesn't seem willing to go with you. Is there something else going on here?"
The woman's expression darkened, her tone turning sharp. "Ridiculous! What could possibly be going on?"
Teng Hao turned to Yun Shen and asked, "Can you write?"
Yun Shen nodded immediately.
"Then come home with me and write down what happened, okay? My house is right next door."
Yun Shen nodded again.
No sooner had they reached this agreement than the previously silent boy suddenly lunged forward.
"What the hell? Who do you think you are? Can't keep your nose out of other people's business?" He swung a fist at Teng Hao.
Teng Hao barely had time to dodge, taking the punch square on and nearly falling over.
"Damn it! I'm your granddaddy!" Humiliated for no reason, Teng Hao's blood boiled as he instantly fought back.
The two boys grappled fiercely.
Seizing the opportunity, the woman grabbed Yun Shen. The girl let out muffled cries for help, but Teng Hao was too busy defending himself to protect her. By the time Teng Hao had knocked the other boy to the ground, Yun Shen had already been dragged back inside by the woman.
Soon after, the police arrived.
Teng Hao didn't know what story the woman had told them, but the next thing he knew, he was being taken to the police station on assault charges.
-?-
As Teng Hao was recounting the incident to Ruan Yu, the interrogation room door at the end of the hallway suddenly opened. A female officer emerged, followed by the mother and son pair Teng Hao had described.
Ruan Yu's gaze fell on the boy who'd fought with Teng Hao—his face was bruised purple and green, clearly having taken a beating.
"Is Teng Hao's guardian here?" the female officer asked, looking at Ruan Yu.
"His sister came," another officer answered. "She looks pretty young."
The implication being that she didn't seem like a proper guardian.
"Tch." The neighbor woman sneered. "No wonder he's so wild—mother's bastard with no father to raise him."
Teng Hao's face flushed crimson.
"What did you say?!"
"I said you're a bastard! What? Did I lie?" The woman smirked. "Everyone in Huafu knows you and your brother are fatherless bastards!"
Teng Hao leaped up from his chair and charged at the woman like a madman, raising his fist—exactly what she wanted.
"Go on, hit me if you dare!"
"I'll tear your filthy mouth apart!"
"Do it! Do it!" The woman shoved her face toward Teng Hao.
"..."
The officers tried to intervene, but with both parties resisting, the scene quickly descended into chaos.
"Teng Hao!"
Ruan Yu rushed forward to pull him back, but the enraged teenager was putting all his strength into the struggle—there was no moving him.
In the scuffle, Ruan Yu was knocked to the ground.
Her elbow burned with pain.
As she tried to get up, someone steadied her from behind and pulled her into a protective embrace.
The scent was familiar. The feeling was familiar. Even the breathing was familiar.
Ruan Yu turned her head to see Teng Yi, who had somehow appeared at the police station.
He was actually wearing a suit today!
The suit and the shirt beneath were both blue—a deep, dark blue. His tie was pure black, slightly narrower than usual, hanging loosely in front of him. The look exuded elegance with a hint of rebellion—a perfect match for his dreadlocks.Heavens, who would have thought someone could blend a traditional suit with an unconventional dreadlock hairstyle so seamlessly?
What a god-tier combination!
Behind Teng Yi stood a bespectacled middle-aged man with a strong scholarly air, looking particularly upright.
"Teng Hao!" Teng Yi called out.
The boy, who had been roaring like a beast in the crowd with near-hysterical intensity, turned his head at the sound. The moment he saw his elder brother, his eyes reddened, and he looked as aggrieved as a child.
"Bro!"
"No fighting." Teng Yi released Ruan Yu and walked toward Teng Hao. "Come here."
His tone was light, carrying no reproach—instead, there was a hint of reassurance.
Teng Hao reined in his aggression, shook off the hands restraining him, and obediently walked over to Teng Yi, like a lost cub returning home.
"Bro, why didn’t you answer my calls?" the boy muttered softly, his voice thick with grievance.
The fearless, defiant person from moments ago had now shed all his armor, becoming almost unrecognizable.
"I was in a meeting and didn’t have my phone on me. Later, when I saw your texts and tried calling back, your line was busy," Teng Yi explained patiently. After speaking, he reached out and touched the smear of blood at the corner of Teng Hao’s lip. "You’re hurt?"
"I’m fine. That woman, she—"
"I heard everything." Teng Yi turned to the middle-aged man behind him. "Uncle Sun, I’ll leave the rest to you. Teng Hao’s fight is one matter, but that woman publicly insulting him is another."
The man surnamed Sun nodded, pulling a business card from his briefcase and handing it to the mediating female officer.
"Hello, I’m Sun Xianzhou, an attorney from Bright Law Firm. From now on, any matters concerning Teng Hao will be handled by me."
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