Chapter 78: Liu Rulan: Xiao, you’re the easiest group I’ve ever managed

He Junhao stared at Wang Yan in stunned disbelief and blurted out, "Is your kid mentally disabled?"Don't get the wrong idea—he wasn't insulting her. It was genuinely a blunt question.

If the child had been very young, it might have been excusable—after all, very young kids can’t take care of themselves. But He Junhao had just seen the boy: seven or eight years old, taller than most kids his age, already at an age where he wouldn't ride the bus for free, and built like a small ox. When he snatched things and shoved people, he didn't act like someone unable to fend for himself.

Still, what if he actually was? They had to consider all possibilities.

Wang Yan exploded at He Junhao's words, pointed at him, and began to hurl insults and curses at everyone—from seniors to juniors, from men to women.

Officer Lin barked sharply, "Ma'am, please show some respect when you speak!"

He Junhao muttered under his breath, "Compared to the child, the parent's behavior is the real problem here."

Xiao He sighed. "Say less for now."

Wang Yan then fixed her attention on Ruan Ruan, as if Zhang Wanyue's family were the easiest target: "Yes! Your kid chased after my Peng Peng first, so your family has to take responsibility for this incident."

Zhang Wanyue rolled up her sleeve and fired back: "Your child grabbed our stuff—now you expect us to be responsible? When you were raising him, why didn't you think about being responsible for your child? Clearly your parenting is the root cause of all this! If you won’t take responsibility, what's the point of blaming us?"

Honestly, Xiao He's impression of Zhang Wanyue had always been gentle and quiet. He had been ready to have a few brothers step in and fight on her behalf, but he hadn't expected this incident to cross her bottom line. The normally soft-spoken woman raised her voice with fierce momentum, capable of arguing on her own without any help.

Xiao He felt embarrassed.

No wonder she's my master's wife.

Fuming, Wang Yan saw Xiao He standing by watching the commotion and got even angrier. She pointed at him and shouted, "Why didn't you save my son back then?"

Xiao He: "?"

Wait—how did this involve me?

He wanted to think, "Not saving him is not saving him—none of your business, that’ll make you furious, mwahaha." But he kept his mouth shut.

Because many of the bystanders recognized Xiao He, public opinion tilted in his favor. When Wang Yan launched her accusations, a few murmurs of disapproval rose from the crowd.

Those murmurs only stoked Wang Yan's fury. She thrust her hands on her hips and glared around at the onlookers: "What are you staring at? Mind your own business! Stop filming—no one is allowed to film, get out!"

But her words had little effect. A small fan of Xiao He even dared to complain, "We're just regular diners. This is a public place—you can't boss us around."

"Who? Who said that?"

Wang Yan's eyes bulged as she looked at the female fan, but Xiao He took a long stride forward and blocked her view. "You should take care of your own matters. Your child's situation isn't anyone here’s responsibility. Instead of wasting time arguing who's right or wrong with us, why not tend to your own kid first?"

This mother was something else: spoiling her child to this degree, yet in this moment she wasn't first concerned about her child's condition—she cared more about assigning blame and extracting compensation.

Is that what love looks like?

Maybe the child had become nothing more than a tool to satisfy her own emotional needs. As psychology often points out, overindulgence can be a parent's self-gratification rather than meeting the child's real needs.

When money or advantage appears, a child can be turned into a bargaining chip.

Such hypocritical affection is their fig leaf; once someone pulls it aside, they become mortified and outraged.

Sure enough, Xiao He's words set Wang Yan off: "Who isn't concerned about their child? Who, huh? I'm the one who loves him most in this world! I feed him, I house him, I give him everything! He's my whole life! It's you! You ruined everything first!"

A few officers blocked her and tried to calm her down with lowered voices: "Ma'am, please calm down."

Xiao He tugged at the corner of his mouth. He couldn't stand these self-indulgent speeches. He turned his head and noticed Teacher Song had stepped aside and was dialing his phone.

Xiao He guessed Song Zhe was calling Uncle Yan, the man he'd met before.

Sure enough, before long Officer Lin received a call from above.

On the other end came a cool, measured sentence: "Comrade Song Zhe once received a second-class meritorious service award in the army. He is one of our good comrades, a hero. Now that a hero's family is involved in this situation, we must handle it cautiously. Understand?"

Officer Lin instantly grew serious: "Understood!"

He hung up and his attitude hardened a few degrees from earlier: "Given the situation now, your family bears the primary responsibility."

The surveillance footage had been reviewed, evidence had been collected on scene, and there were eyewitnesses and material proof. The responsibility for the incident rested squarely with Wang Yan's family—undeniable.

Of course, if Wang Yan disagreed, she could always take it to court.

But even in court, with such conclusive evidence, the judges wouldn't be likely to side with her.

Wang Yan hadn't expected Officer Lin to be so firm; she stammered for a moment before turning her fury back on the restaurant staff: "What about the fact that their staff splashed my child with hot liquid? They have to take responsibility for that, right? Why is it that we're mainly responsible? They're rich—what's a little compensation to them?"

The landlady sneered: "The surveillance clearly shows our staff did nothing wrong. Our floors are non-slip and warning signs are placed according to regulations. In that situation, our staff had already taken avoidance measures; it was a reasonable act of self-preservation. Your child's injuries were the consequence of his own actions. Our restaurant fulfilled its duty; we cannot be held responsible for other circumstances."

"This is outrageous. The store splashed my child and yet refuses responsibility—how unfair!"

Wang Yan kicked her complaints into overdrive.

Xiao He rolled his eyes.

Running into someone like this was just bad luck.

At that moment, Liu Rulan's call came through.

"Hello, Sister Liu?"

Xiao He moved to a somewhat quieter spot and answered.

"Are you hurt?"

Liu Rulan asked from the other end.

The incident had attracted a large crowd; people swarmed around the restaurant, and because a fairly well-known actor had been involved, fans and passersby had already spread word online.

As his manager, Liu Rulan monitored Xiao He's online presence closely, so the moment the story began to heat up on the internet, she knew about it.

Xiao He lowered his voice. "Don't worry, Sister Liu. I'm fine."

"What's the situation over there?" Liu Rulan asked.

Xiao He relayed the general details he knew to her.

Liu Rulan frowned briefly, then smiled: "Xiao He, you really are the easiest batch I've ever managed."

What had started as a simple graduation-season vlog to stir up some buzz and maintain his modest popularity had unexpectedly turned into a spectacle. Xiao He apparently carried a knack for attracting chaotic incidents—wherever he went, trouble seemed to follow. He was performing well beyond expectations.

Liu Rulan felt both gratified and helpless.

Why can't things just go by the book? Now she had no room to maneuver.

"We're heading to the police station," Xiao He said.

"Okay, I'm on my way too. Don't worry about the online chatter—I’ll handle it."

"Thanks, Sister Liu."

After that, Xiao He and the others followed the police to the nearby station to complete the follow-up procedures.

Once the crowd dispersed, the story exploded online, spawning all kinds of news pieces and igniting heated debate across the internet