“There are… there are two charges?” Aunty An was in disbelief.
Nian Junting raised two fingers, “Number one, rape; number two, you never sought consent from the person before taking indecent photos of him. These are all criminal charges. The whole school knows that An Ning is harassing Mo Liuxi. If you won’t admit to it and want to take it to court, by all means. Even if An Lan is the one defending her, we have credible evidence. Don’t ruin your daughter’s reputation as a lawyer.”
Aunty An had nothing to say in response.
“Ma, don’t listen to him” An Ning shook her mother’s arms forcefully, “Mo Liuxi, don’t blame everything on me. You’re being vindictive now because Yan Su two-timed you…”
“Shut up,” Mo Liuxi was lashing out at An Ning violently.
Uncle An was trying to block him and now Aunty An was restraining him.
Mo Liuxi was so frustrated he kicked An Ning and she burst into tears.
“Ning!” Uncle and Aunty An were horrified and stepped forward to catch their daughter.
Mo Liuxi was faster than they were. He lunged and threw An Ning over his shoulder and ran toward the central area of the estate.
“Ma, Pa, help me!” An Ning was shrieking in terror.
“Mo Liuxi, let go of her immediately! Don’t make us call the police,” the couple shouted at him.
Mo Liuxi just ignored them and pushed An Ning into the pond in the middle of the estate.
Although the water was shallow, it was freezing cold in the dead of winter. When An Ning fell into the pond, she nearly fainted from the frigid temperature.
Uncle An was about to waddle into the water to save his daughter when Nian Junting stopped him, “Uncle, you’ll end up in the hospital if you go into the water at this temperature.”
“What should I do then?” Uncle An was panicking.
“The water isn’t that deep, she can climb out by herself,” Nian Junting said with utmost concern, “She’s screaming so loudly, she can obviously tolerate the cold.”
Uncle An was stunned while Aunty An shouted angrily, “Mr. Nian, stop speaking so calmly about other people’s business. She isn’t your daughter, you don’t care about her.”
Nian Junting nodded his head, “I don’t indeed.”
“…”
Aunty An’s throat hurt. Suddenly, Mo Liuxi rolled up the cuffs of his pants and stepped into the water.
Nian Junting said, “Look, even though he was venting his anger, he knows where to draw the line. He’s going down to rescue her now.”
Uncle and Aunty An heaved a sigh of relief. Just when they thought he was about to pull their daughter out, he kicked An Ning farther from the edge of the pond just as she was about to climb out.
“Mr. Nian, I thought you said he was going to rescue her?” Aunty An was hopping mad.
Nian Junting stroked his chin and said, “Yeah, this guy has quite a temper. He doesn’t respect me either.”
Mo Liuxi was still trying to subdue An Ning in the pond when he shouted over to Nian Junting, “Brother-in-law, just chill out, man. I’m not gonna drown her. I know where to draw the line.”
“B*stard, take your hands off her!” the couple was about to rush into the pond.
Nian Junting had a hard time holding them back, “Aunty, Uncle, you can’t go in there. He already said he knows where to draw the line.”
“Bullsh*t,” Uncle An cursed as Aunty An burst into tears, “Call the police, call the police now.”
Nian Junting nodded his head, “Alright, I guess all we can do now is call the police. Let them know what An Ning is exactly, let’s follow the court proceedings. She’ll probably have a hard time getting married once people find out about how she raped a young boy.”
