Chapter 22: He shot at me, and you're telling me to just let it go?!

Netizen A: [The richest man in Tanghai City goes on an autumn outing with his child, only to die in the wilderness and get eaten by a bear?]

Netizen B: [Hiss, that sounds like quite the story!]

Netizen C: [(Dog head emoji) That’s not just a story, it’s definitely an incident. I’d sooner believe I’m Qin Shi Huang than believe the richest man was eaten by a bear.]

Shortly after the topic hit the trending list, Zhu Qing’an immediately called Zhang Fan, her heart filled with anxiety.

"Brother Zhang Fan, are you alright?"

"Ye Long died in the wilderness with so many people. Did he give you any trouble?"

Zhang Fan feigned confusion.

"I'm fine. He died?"

"I really don't know, I wasn't close to him."

Learning that Zhang Fan was safe, Zhu Qing’an finally felt a sense of relief.

They chatted for a while longer before hanging up.

The trending topic disappeared quickly, and all news regarding the wealthy man’s death was wiped clean from the internet. It was easy to guess that the internal power struggle within the Zhang family had begun.

Zhang Fan didn't care about any of this; it had nothing to do with him. He made a call to Xiao Li.

"You went to the school for the autumn recruitment drive. Did you find anyone?"

"Brother Fan, after we helped you conduct the interviews, we selected the ten best candidates."

"They are all from the computer science department at Hai City University. When would you like to come and take a look?"

Zhang Fan nodded slightly.

"Alright, you guys keep looking for new projects. You don't need to worry about this one anymore."

"Got it!"

After hanging up and dropping his daughter off at school, Zhang Fan immediately headed to the office.

Ten young people, still carrying the aura of students, stood outside the office door, feeling somewhat nervous. After all, the compensation here was excellent—software development started at fifty thousand a month for only eight hours of work a day. As seniors looking for internships, none of them wanted to miss this opportunity.

Zhang Fan sat in the boss’s office and began calling names.

"Xu Wanying, come in."

A petite, cute girl kept taking deep breaths.

*Don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous.*

*I heard from Xiao Li that Zhang Fan is only a dozen years older than us.*

*He’s handsome and very open-minded.*

*Yes! I must make a good impression!*

She encouraged herself inwardly and pushed the door open.

***

On the other side of the ocean, Liu Yan was shopping for groceries at a supermarket.

On the surface, Liu Yan was dressed fashionably, giving off the impression of a successful female elite. In reality, her heart was in total chaos. The novelty of arriving in the United States had faded, and Liu Yan was anxious because she still hadn't received her green card. John claimed he had helped with the final paperwork, but the green card never arrived. Her nationality was also a distant, uncertain prospect.

Whenever she saw police on the road, Liu Yan didn't dare to get too close, fearing they might check her status. If she were discovered as an illegal immigrant, she would be immediately shipped off to a detention center. She lived every day in a state of constant, trembling fear.

Liu Yan picked up a radish and gritted her teeth.

"Forget it, anxiety is just one day, happiness is another."

"John wouldn't lie to me. He loves me so much he can't help himself."

"I will definitely get my green card and nationality."

Holding onto such thoughts, Liu Yan paid for her items, opened her social media feed, and felt as if the sky were collapsing.

*How is this fair?!*

*I’m here in the United States living in fear like a rat in a sewer, not daring to show my face, and this guy Zhang Fan gets to take his daughter on an autumn outing!*

*Having such a great time!*

A wave of bitterness washed over her.

Liu Yan couldn't help but comment: [You’re all eating GMO food. The radish I bought at the supermarket here in the US is all-natural. Go ahead and eat it; sooner or later you’ll end up sterile.]

This time, Zhang Fan didn't even bother with a "moron" reply. As they say, silence is the greatest form of contempt.

Liu Yan’s face flushed a deep red, and she felt incredibly hurt. It made her even more miserable to see that other comments ignored her entirely and only interacted with Zhang Fan.

After leaving the supermarket, a black man whose pants were hanging low and who had a bulging fanny pack approached her. He gave Liu Yan a greedy smile and greeted her in broken Mandarin.

"Hello, Chinese girl."

"You are the most beautiful Chinese girl I have ever seen."

Liu Yan hurriedly smiled and responded.

*This America really is different!*

*Although I don't like black men, that thing they have is, indeed...*

*He’s hitting on me—could it be that he thinks I’m so beautiful that he wants to... you know?*

*It seems I’m still very attractive; I’m a high-quality woman in any country.*

Just as Liu Yan was lost in self-intoxication, the man, who was smiling just a second ago, pulled out a handgun and shouted at her.

Liu Yan was stunned.

*What is going on?!*

Moreover, the man’s accent made it impossible for her to understand what he was saying, so she just stood there, frozen.

*Bang!*

As a flash of fire erupted from the muzzle, a sharp pain shot through Liu Yan’s shoulder. She looked down to see blood pouring out. Paralyzed by the intense shock, Liu Yan fainted on the spot. Before losing consciousness, she only saw the man snatching her wallet.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she finally woke up. Seeing John communicating with a white police officer, Liu Yan cried out in a panic.

"Honey, I’ve been robbed!"

"The robber looked like..."

The white officer, however, remained calm.

"We checked the surveillance footage."

"We know the robber’s identity; he has committed multiple robberies in the last three years."

"However, it’s not easy for us to arrest him."

John, knowing Liu Yan didn't quite understand, acted as her translator.

Liu Yan couldn't believe her ears and stared at the officer with wide eyes.

"What did you say?"

"He’s committed multiple crimes in three years, and you won't arrest him?"

"Isn't that just condoning crime!"

Such a thing would be unthinkable back home. Who would dare to commit robbery in China? Especially in modern China—if you dare to rob someone, you are guaranteed to be caught within hours! No suspense!

And don't even get her started on someone opening fire directly on the street. Who would dare? Does anyone think the Chinese police are just for show?

China’s crackdown on violent crime is incredibly severe; they are constantly fighting organized crime and evil. And yet, the American police were saying it wasn't easy to arrest a robber?!

*Is this not absolute bullshit?!*

Seeing Liu Yan look as if she were about to explode, the white officer frowned.

"You must be new to the U.S., right?"

"Next to our state of Florida is Georgia."

"That robber is from Georgia. We don't have jurisdiction over him, so we can only send a document asking their police to help."

"But their police don't want to offend black people; if they aren't careful, they’ll be labeled with racism. So, this guy has become a repeat offender who comes to our state of Florida to commit crimes."

After John finished translating, he added, "Yan, don't be angry. That’s just how it is in the U.S.; every state is like an independent kingdom."

"If the Florida police were to enforce the law across state lines, the repercussions would be very bad."

"Anyway, you’re fine, so let’s just let it go."

Liu Yan was stunned!

*Let it go?!*

*Someone opens fire on someone else on the street, and we just let it go?!*

If this had happened back home in China, and the police had dared to say "let it go"... well, the entire public opinion would have exploded. Yet here in the U.S., it was just going to end so carelessly? The perpetrator wouldn't have to pay any price, and as long as he was careful not to be caught by Florida police, he could just rob people at will?

Liu Yan felt her worldview suffering a severe impact.

Meanwhile, the social media post she made caused Zhang Fan, who was in the middle of his interviews, to laugh until he could barely breathe.

Xu Wanying, who was incredibly nervous after having just finished describing her skills and major, saw Zhang Fan laughing.

"B-boss, what’s wrong?"

Zhang Fan laughed heartily and handed his phone to Xu Wanying.

"Xiao Xu, look, this is my ex-wife."

"Look at this, it’s hilarious."

"Hahahaha."

When Xu Wanying saw the content of Liu Yan’s post, she couldn't help but lose her composure as well.