Chapter 153 - 152: Is the Way to Protect a Flower to Not Let It Bloom?

Chapter 153: Chapter 152: Is the Way to Protect a Flower to Not Let It Bloom?

The video wasn’t particularly long or short, but it captured the entire incident clearly. It was obvious that the man had attacked first without any provocation. As a result, the comments under the video multiplied at a visible rate.

[If this isn’t punished severely, it’ll become an epidemic.]

[That guy hit the girl in white first, which is why her friend smashed him with a bottle. What, was she supposed to toast him instead? /Cool]

[A lawyer said this could be charged as attempted murder.]

[It looks like the guy in the green shirt sexually harassed the woman first, and she rejected him.]

[The beating was so brutal my heart physically ached watching it through the screen.]

[Thank God for the young man and woman who stepped up at the end! They saved those girls!]

[Wait, is that my Miss Innocent?]

[Upstairs, you’re right! With that figure and those looks, it really is The Innocent Heiress!]

[These thugs must be brought to justice. Beating defenseless women so ruthlessly—it’s complete lawlessness!]

[I hope we get an update. They must be severely punished. Not a single one of these scumbags should be let off the hook.]

[A bunch of grown men beating a weak woman half to death... It’d be a crime against heaven if they aren’t punished! /Angry.jpg]

[Waiting for the outcome. Those guys are pure evil.]

[I’m just going to say one thing. Taking a step back, are you telling me these women are completely faultless? Hanging out so late at night—doesn’t that mean they’re asking for it?]

[What would it have cost her to just have a drink with him? If she had, she wouldn’t have been beaten. Isn’t she just playing hard to get?]

[I really don’t understand why people in the comments are blaming the girls. The video clearly shows it was the guys’ fault. Why are people calling the girls sluts or saying they were playing hard to get? Is this really the women’s fault?]

[I genuinely don’t understand the mindset of those blaming the victims. Is your own life just that miserable?]

[To be fair, Miss Innocent has been popping up on the internet way too often lately. Are we going to see her livestreaming and selling products next?]

[The person above is hilarious. Why don’t you do some research on Miss Innocent before you speak? The foundation she set up has already poured billions into charity, and so many people have posted videos thanking her for funding them. Do you really think she cares about the pocket change she’d make from livestream sales?]

[So what if Miss Innocent appears in the public eye? Anyone accusing her of wanting to sell products is brain-dead. I’m actually worried she doesn’t appear enough, yet here you are yapping away.]

[Honestly though, the guy next to Miss Innocent is seriously handsome. Is he the heiress’s boyfriend?]

[This must be dealt with severely! @KyoroPolice]

[This is utterly vile. I can’t believe things like this are still happening in this day and age.]

[I was there, but I was afraid of getting dragged into it, so I left. The ones who finally stood up were Miss Innocent and the guy next to her. I couldn’t do anything—if I hit them too hard, I’d be charged with affray and end up in jail, but if I couldn’t beat them, I’d end up in the hospital.]

[This is just like the dilemma of whether to help a fallen elderly person. It’s the same principle. You can’t blame the bystanders who didn’t help; you can only blame the perpetrators for being absolute scum.]

[I don’t understand the people bashing the girls. Can’t you see how badly they were injured? They might never fully recover. Is the only way to protect a flower to never let it bloom?]

...

Opinions were fiercely divided, with voices of support and opposition flooding the feed. Some blamed the women, while others condemned the men. Rian Sinclair pursed her lips as she scrolled through the comments. From what she could see, the internet was split right down the middle.

The incident was rapidly gaining traction online, though there was no telling if it would eventually be suppressed. With that in mind, she planned to go check on the situation with the man in green first thing in the morning.

The next morning.

When Ronan Ford heard that Rian was heading to the police station, he insisted on coming along. Although the incident was blowing up online, it was hard to gauge how fast it was truly spreading. He hadn’t had the time to report the matter to his superiors yet, preferring to see how the authorities handled it first before making a move.

The two of them arrived at the station and recounted the events of the previous night.

The female officer at the front desk frowned and shook her head. "Wasn’t this resolved last night? They said they were going to settle it privately and even provided a letter of forgiveness. Compensation has already been paid. The whole thing was closed yesterday."

Rian looked bewildered. They had issued a letter of forgiveness? She and Ronan exchanged a glance, both their eyes filled with confusion and doubt.

After stepping out of the police station, Rian fell silent for a moment before saying, "I need to go to the hospital and check on them."

Ronan nodded in agreement and drove them toward the hospital. Upon arriving, they inquired at the front desk. The male receptionist seemed highly sensitive to the matter, insisting they register before giving them the room number and letting them through.

Inside the hospital ward.

Rian saw only two girls lying in the beds, their faces completely wrapped in bandages. It was unclear where the other two were.

Just then, a voice sounded beside her. "Could you step aside, please?"

Rian turned around and met the girl’s gaze. It was the same girl who had remained conscious the night before. Upon seeing Rian, the tension that the girl had been carrying all night finally evaporated, and tears began to stream uncontrollably down her face.

Rian comforted her as they moved into the room. The girl first set down the items she was carrying, then found some stools for Rian and Ronan to sit on.

Rian furrowed her brows as she looked at the heavily bandaged girls in the beds. She asked gently, "Did you guys issue a letter of forgiveness?"

The girl’s head snapped up, her face filled with shock. "No! Who said we issued a letter of forgiveness? We have absolutely no idea about that! And there’s no way we’d ever issue one!"

Hearing this, Rian and Ronan exchanged another look. If the victims hadn’t issued a letter of forgiveness, then...

The girl was incredibly emotionally unstable now, repeatedly muttering that they could never forgive them, that they didn’t issue any letter, and that they never would. Seeing Rian comforting the girl, Ronan quietly stepped out of the ward, leaning against the wall by the door to wait for her.

A while later, the sound of the door opening broke the silence. Ronan looked up, meeting Rian’s eyes, and immediately asked, "How is it?"

Rian shook her head. "Her emotions were all over the place, but I managed to calm her down. There’s something highly suspicious going on here. It’s possible the police are colluding with that group..."

Ronan pursed his lips and said nothing. Rian didn’t finish her sentence either, knowing he perfectly understood what she was implying. Someone at the police station was in cahoots with the thugs and had forged a letter of forgiveness without the victims’ knowledge.

"Motherf*ckers! Which ward are those stinking bitches in? And that broad from last night—find her for me! Once we get our hands on her, we’ll drag her somewhere and f*ck her brains out!"

A loud, obscenity-laced male voice echoed from down the hall, occasionally interrupted by a nurse’s reprimands.

"Keep it down! This is a hospital; loud noises aren’t allowed. If you want to yell, take it outside!"

The man’s shouting would cease momentarily whenever the nurse scolded him, only to start right back up a moment later.

Rian listened to the approaching footsteps and turned to look at the newcomer. The person walking toward them also skidded to a halt.

"Oho, if it isn’t the broad from last night? What, came to visit those stinking bitches? Let me tell you something: there ain’t a person in this world who can lock me up! Around here, I am the law!"

The speaker was none other than the man in the green shirt from the night before. Today, he was dressed neatly in a dark green outfit, but his tidy appearance did nothing to mask the sickeningly vile nature lurking just beneath the surface.