Chapter 604: Showdown at the Village: Justice or Chaos?

Stopping someone from destroying property on the spot counts as legitimate self-defense.

That army shovel crashing down on his head served as a warning, striking fear into the rest. Without that blow, this Mercedes would probably already be a pile of scrap. Zhou Can and Wei Fang would’ve landed in the hospital and Su Qianqian would’ve been detained by force.

Villagers from these remote, rough places are experts at pushing their luck. They take until there’s nothing left.

They’re every bit as dangerous as a pack of hyenas.

The man bold enough to smash the car must be someone with real sway in the village.

When trouble starts, people like him always become ringleaders.

He stirs up the crowd more than anyone.

Now that Zhou Can knocked him flat to the ground with one strike, no one knows if he’s alive or dead—it scared the other villagers out of their wits.

But if you think a setback will make them give up, you’re underestimating just how arrogant and overbearing clan power can be.

They stepped back, gripping their weapons and bunching up together, still facing off with Zhou Can.

“Don’t let that bastard get away! Our boy’s been hurt!”

Auntie charged out of the house, shrieking at the top of her lungs.

Su Jun limped out, hand clutching his stomach and leaning on the wall. The way he looked at Zhou Can was a mix of fear and deep bitterness.

A moment ago, before he could react, Zhou Can had dropped him with a single kick. The humiliation burned.

Getting beaten like that in front of his girlfriend—that’s something no man can swallow.

“Let me spell it out. Su Qianqian is an adult. Never mind that you and your wife are only her uncle and aunt—even if you were her parents, you have no right to stop her if she wants to leave. If anyone here still wants to throw themselves into this mess, be careful. You might end up flat on your back just like that guy—and don’t think you’ll get a single penny out of it either.”

Zhou Can swept his gaze across the crowd, fierce as a tiger on the prowl.

An undeniable aura of authority radiated from him.

With strength to back him up and solid financial power as support, he faced this mob of villagers without the slightest fear.

“Wei Fang, start the car!”

Every step Zhou Can took, army shovel in hand, forced the villagers to retreat.

That’s real presence.

He’d just taken down their leader with an army shovel in front of everyone. It was like charging through an army to strike down the enemy general. That kind of ferocity shook everyone to their core.

It was like when fierce Zhang Fei stood alone with his eight-foot spear on Changban Bridge—one man holding back ten thousand.

The Mercedes rolled onto the highway. Auntie saw they were making their escape and screamed on and on like a banshee.

But nobody here was foolish. They all saw Zhou Can was not someone to mess with.

Who’d risk their life for Su Jun’s family, just to end up sprawled on the ground like the guy who took Zhou Can’s hit? That would be a pointless death.

The Mercedes cruised easily onto the road, well on its way to a clean getaway.

After all this, Su Qianqian would probably never set foot here again.

There were fifty or sixty villagers in the crowd, yet not one dared step up against Zhou Can. Like wolves faced with a tiger, no one wanted to be the first to test him.

A police car suddenly roared up, blocking their path.

Turns out, the villagers had realized Zhou Can was fiercer than any backcountry thug. With one of their own hurt and unable to fight back, they’d called the police.

“We are… put down your weapon—now!”

Facing the police, Zhou Can stayed calm and cooperative.

He set down the army shovel and answered their questions.

After a brief inquiry, the police took over the Mercedes and brought Zhou Can and the others back to the local precinct for processing.

It was clear to everyone this was now considered a brawl.

In fact, it was a group brawl.

Once at the station, Zhou Can was cuffed. He sensed the situation was shifting.

He quietly signaled Su Qianqian to call Jin Yu Interactive’s legal team.

After all, a strong team of lawyers exists for exactly this kind of trouble.

With them, lawsuits become a lot more manageable.

Far easier than it ever is for regular people.

Still, Zhou Can rarely used them for personal matters. The legal department mostly handled disputes for Jin Yu Interactive—the artists breaking contracts, business disagreements, anything like that.

If something needed a lawsuit, they would never hesitate.

Entertainment companies are never soft-hearted when it comes to legal action.

“You bastard! You hurt my son, tried to steal away that girl—just wait until you’re rotting in jail!”

At the station, Auntie saw the clan’s power flexing, Zhou Can getting overwhelmed.

Drunk on her sudden advantage, she jabbed her finger in Zhou Can’s face and cursed him out.

Su Jun, meanwhile, played the victim when police arrived, claiming he’d been badly beaten by Zhou Can. Of course he was taken to the hospital for evaluation and treatment.

But their smugness didn’t last long.

Jin Yu Interactive’s lawyers sprang into action right away. They weren’t about to let their boss get detained.

They pressed hard to get him out.

“Mr. Zhou, we’re taking off your handcuffs now. But you can’t leave—you need to cooperate with us. If an investigation finds you broke the law, you’ll be dealt with, detained or charged as needed.”

The officer on the case spoke sternly to Zhou Can.

“Understood!”

Once the cuffs came off, Zhou Can waited quietly with Su Qianqian and Wei Fang for the lawyers to arrive.

They’d probably post bail so Zhou Can could go home first.

As he waited, bored, Zhou Can posted a status on social media.

“So this is how Da Cheng Village treats its guests. Consider me enlightened.”

It was just a way to vent.

Given his status, sharing something like that was risky.

Without a team of lawyers involved, he’d probably have been held directly.

That gave him pause.

He’d always heard about the power of local connections, that even a dragon can’t beat the local snake, but never took it that seriously—until now.

Experiencing it firsthand, he realized: locals always protect their own.

It’s like how people back their fellow citizens against outsiders.

Not long after posting, Zhou Can’s phone began ringing nonstop. Messages came in one after another.

Director Lou was the first to call.

“Zhou, are you alright?”

“Thanks for checking in, Director Lou. I’m fine now.”

It dawned on Zhou Can that he really shouldn’t post carelessly on social media.

“Good, that’s what I wanted to hear. You’re a pillar of our Emergency Department—let me know if you need help. I know some people who can put in a good word for you.”

Director Lou sounded clearly relieved.

“Thank you, I really appreciate it. If I need anything, I won’t hesitate to ask.”

As soon as he hung up, Zhou Can hurried to delete that status.

Even though it was only up for about ten minutes, a lot of people had already seen it.

His phone kept buzzing—people kept calling, texting—checking if he was okay.

Even old leader Cao Zhengguo called after seeing the post.

Zhou Can was honestly touched.

He’d always tried to help others, saving lives and building connections.

He never thought so many would step up for him when he was in trouble.

It made him realize how strong his network had grown over the years.

He took the time to answer everyone, explaining things and putting them at ease.

Still, that ten-minute post hit the precinct like a bomb.

Before long, calls flooded into the station.

Even the chief and the political instructor arrived in person.

No one expected that the young man they’d picked up for fighting would have this much influence.

People driving fancy cars never have simple backgrounds.

The police all felt a little anxious.

“Mr. Zhou, sorry you had to go through all this.”

The head of the station came straight to Zhou Can with an apology.

“We’ve figured out what happened—villagers from the Su family, led by Su Hongsheng, harassed their niece Su Qianqian for profit, trying to keep her from leaving. That’s illegal. Worse, they got other villagers to block the road and damage the car—also a crime. You only hurt someone in self-defense. The injured man just has minor wounds and will be fine after treatment.”

Clearly, the chief had done his homework on the way over.

They had sorted out who was right and wrong.

Even officials from higher up were calling about the case, piling on the pressure.

Resolving this fairly was critical.

“Chief, we need justice! Zhou hurt my son and other villagers. Su Qianqian is our adopted daughter—how can he just take her? If he wants to marry her, he has to pay a proper bride price, otherwise it’s a crime!”

Auntie’s mouth was still sharp as ever.

She was furious and bewildered, hearing the leaders side with Zhou Can and tell those who’d been beaten they were actually in the wrong.

What really broke her was seeing that fifty million yuan go up in smoke.

“Hmph—you’re Su Qianqian’s aunt, right? Mr. Zhou brought the bride price and drove all this way out of respect for you. First, you wanted 128,000, then you raised it to 168,000 and he agreed. Next, you demanded fifty million and half of everything Su Qianqian earns. Aren’t you ashamed?”

This was a real leader—he called it how he saw it.

With officials from multiple departments watching closely, fairness was non-negotiable. Anything else would be dereliction of duty.

Auntie hung her head, mortified.

Only now did she realize all those petty tricks had been uncovered long ago.

“You tried to force a huge bride price, then used violence to hold her here, even inciting villagers to mob Mr. Zhou and Su Qianqian. That tarnishes our reputation. If we punished the victim and let you off, that would be my greatest failure. We’re here to uphold justice and punish crime—don’t forget that.”

The chief’s rebuke was so satisfying that onlookers almost wanted to applaud.

Zhou Can, Su Qianqian, and Wei Fang all felt a huge sense of relief. The worst world is one without justice or fairness.

The rest was straightforward.

Zhou Can, Su Qianqian, and the others filled out the paperwork and left.

The damaged Mercedes would be taken to a repair shop and the person who smashed it would be expected to pay.

This confrontation finally made the Su family realize just how formidable Zhou Can truly was.

Now, everyone in the village knew Su Qianqian had married up. Her husband had money, power—and apparently serious fighting skills.

They’d picked a fight with someone totally out of their league. All they could do now was count themselves lucky they backed off.

At least being scared off by Zhou Can’s show of force kept them from further trouble. Look at the guy who smashed the car—he got nothing but a blow to the head and a big repair bill. Truly miserable.

And that was only because Zhou Can was generous—otherwise, they’d be paying even more and facing charges for destruction of property.

Which could have landed them in jail.

As for Su Qianqian’s uncle’s family, they finally got what was coming to them.

The most lenient sentence was three days in detention. Auntie and Su Jun each got fifteen days—the harshest penalty available.

I heard Su Jun and his girlfriend broke up right after.

That night, the car Su Jun drove had actually belonged to a car wash customer.

He’d taken it without permission.

After he was detained, the car was left at home and it all came out.

The owner found out and was furious.

The boss not only apologized to the customer but fired Su Jun on the spot, withheld his pay, and turned it over for compensation.

Su Jun’s girlfriend might have been just a small clinic nurse, but good women are in demand. She wasn’t going to stick around.

If Su Jun’s family hadn’t been so greedy, the marriage might have worked out.

Zhou Can had agreed to a bride price of 168,000 yuan. The Su family could have passed on 128,000 to help Su Jun get a wife, and having a celebrity sister like Su Qianqian would give them pride everywhere they went.

Su Qianqian is kind—she’d have helped Su Jun and their family if they’d just asked. A good life was right there for them.

But a greedy heart never knows when to stop.

The poorer and more backward people are, the less they see the big picture. Their values are warped—greedy, dishonest, lacking all sense of fairness.

They were dealt a winning hand, and still managed to lose it all.

There’s always retribution. Do enough wrong and sooner or later, it catches up to you.

Zhou Can brought Su Qianqian back for a marriage proposal. After all this, the two decided to cut ties completely with her uncle and aunt. They agreed to get married during the upcoming National Day holiday.

……

Back in the provincial capital, Zhou Can threw himself into work and study.

He was about to hit four years of official experience, making him eligible for the attending physician exam. With his abilities, passing was a certainty.

He had enough reputation and seniority at the hospital that once he passed, there’d be no shortage of attending positions waiting for him.

His graduate studies were wrapping up too. As soon as he graduated, he’d have a master’s degree nailed down—no more worries about education.

But Zhou Can aimed higher—he was already thinking about earning a doctorate.