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ears before clearing her throat and speaking smugly, “Why make
it so complicated? Here’s an idea, buy me a 50–gram gold bracelet and I might just give you a chance. Then, you can get on your knees, apologize to Jasmine and earn her forgiveness. Maybe I’ll even let you come back to university.” Then, they burst into another round of uproarious laughter.
Grandpa Miles gripped his cane tightly, forcing a smile as he said, “I don’t have a gold bracelet. How about a
silver one?”
Cynthia missed the sarcasm. Instead, she sneered and rolled her eyes at him. “Old man, do you think I’m stupid? Silver’s worth nothing!”
A guard who had been watching this unfold couldn’t take it anymore and unceremoniously kicked her in the
stomach.
“Ugh!” Cynthia cried out, falling backward onto the ground. Now, her shopping bags were scattered. She sat up and was about to scold me, but Grandpa Miles pressed my injury report against her forehead. “How dare you ask for a gold bracelet after what you did to my granddaughter?”
Cynthia glanced at the burly guard, suddenly losing her nerve and staying silent.
Jasmine instantly saw that the situation was not right. She took a few steps back, picked up the phone and called his father. “Dad, Yelena brought some poor relatives to university to cause trouble for me. They even have some medical reports. Yes, I’m right at the university gate. Hurry over.”
She hung up, her confidence visibly restored. “Hah! An old geezer with one foot in the grave trying to play the hero? What’s the plan, huh? Blackmail me for money? Let’s see who ends up in the grave first!”
Grandpa Miles didn’t react, almost like he was waiting for Jasmine’s dad to arrive. Sure enough, several black SUVS screeched to a stop at the gate less than ten minutes later. Three to five burly men in black suits emerged from each car.
Jasmine’s father stepped out of the lead car arrogantly, Beside him was a man who looked like someone important, possibly a government official. The man’s voice boomed with authority as he spoke, “Assaulting people at the university gate, huh? Don’t think I won’t have all of you arrested!”
Jasmine’s father twirlea walnuts in his hand, looking amused and disdainful. “It’s not that simple. You dared to threaten my daughter and I’ll make you pay a thousand dollars for emotional damages.”
The guard beside me began to reach inside his jacket, but Grandpa Miles stopped him with a gesture. He smiled indifferently as if everything was under control. “I’d really like to see just how deep your connections run. Let’s see if we can uproot every single one of them.”
Jasmine’s father’s twirling motion paused. His expression turned to scorn. “You’ve got a big mouth for someone at death’s door. If I weren’t worried about accidentally killing you with one punch, you wouldn’t even be standing
1 Be Your Pride
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here talking to me. Just wait until the police get here–you’ll be the one begging for mercy!”
Sure enough, when the police arrived, Jasmine played the same trick, giving a tearful account of how we had bullied her. The police naturally didn’t take her word for it, but taking us to the police station for questioning was unavoidable.
Just as they were about to pull Grandpa Miles into a police car, the guard beside him immediately pulled out his military officer’s ID. “We’re military personnel. You have no right to investigate us.”
Jasmine’s father leaned in for a closer look, momentarily startled before bursting into laughter. “A second lieutenant? That’s it? Do you know who I am? I just need one phone call away and you’ll be out of a job before
sunset!”
As soon as the words fell, several large trucks rumbled over from the corner of the alley. Behind the military vehicles, several police cars followed closely with flashing lights. A strong gust of wind swept across the ground, kicking up dust.
I looked up and saw an armed helicopter circling overhead. The hatch opened and a squad of armed soldiers descended. The scene looked like something out of a high–budget action movie. Before we knew it, we were surrounded by soldiers holding live weapons.
