Chapter 126
Chapter 126 - A Hypocrite
Ye Hao gently patted the girl's back, reassuring her, “Don't be afraid. I've chased the bad guy away.”
Clutching Ye Hao tightly, the girl whispered, “I'm scared.”
“I'm here with you. There's no need to be afraid,” Ye Hao murmured soothingly.
The girl was petrified with fear.
She shivered, repeatedly expressing her terror.
Ye Hao continued to console her.
Gradually, as time passed, the girl began to settle down.
Ye Hao released his hold on the girl.
Unexpectedly, the girl suddenly clung to him again, her voice piercing the air with a cry for help.
Ye Hao's expression darkened as he fixed his gaze on her and demanded, “Who put you up to this?”
The girl offered no reply, continuing to struggle.
At that moment, a group of five or six school teachers happened to walk by.
Hearing the desperate screams, they rushed over and found the girl on the ground, fighting fiercely.
“Stop!” they commanded, approaching Ye Hao.
The girl released Ye Hao and ran to one of the teachers, her face streaked with tears. Shaking, she accused, “He tried to rape me.”
“Ye Hao?” The teachers were taken aback upon recognizing him.
Ye Hao, having won first place in the National Proverb Championship for Riverdale College, was well-known among the faculty.
“Who is making you say these things?” Ye Hao pressed, his voice stern.
This chapter upload first at NovelUsb.Com
The girl scurried behind the teacher, stammering, “I'm scared.”
“Ye Hao, what is happening here?” asked the teacher, a note of disappointment in his voice.
“I have nothing to say,” Ye Hao responded, shaking his head slightly.
“Ye Hao, could there be some misunderstanding here?” another teacher ventured cautiously.
Ye Hao's reputation was at stake if the incident became public, and it was clear the teacher hoped to avoid such a scandal.
”Thanks for your concern, but I cannot let this go,” Ye Hao stated firmly, looking at the teacher. “Someone has orchestrated this scenario to set me up.”
Turning to the girl, he asked pointedly, “Isn't that right?”
The girl didn't answer, instead retreating further.
“Who is that man?” A teacher suddenly noticed a young man lying nearby.
The young man glared at Ye Hao with indignation and accused, “How could you commit such a vile act in broad daylight? You're nothing but scum.”
Ye Hao gazed at the young man and gently shook his head. “Don't you feel a twinge of guilt when you say those things?”
The young man's face registered surprise. He hadn't anticipated Ye Hao's ability to remain composed under such circumstances.
“Should I call the police?” he asked, reaching for his phone.
”Wait a moment,” interjected the two teachers. “We haven't fully investigated this matter. We can't rush to conclusions.”
If the incident came to light, it would spell disaster for Ye Hao's future and potentially tarnish Riverdale College's reputation.
“Teachers, are you trying to protect him?” the student asked, his voice tinged with distress. “Regardless, I'm going to call the police.”
The teachers fell silent, no longer able to advocate for Ye Hao. Shortly after, police cars arrived and escorted everyone, including Ye Hao, to the station.
Ye Hao answered all questions truthfully during his statement. Once finished, he was escorted to a detention cell.
It wasn't long before Zhang Cheng arrived. “Ye Hao, what happened?” he asked, managing a wry smile.
Ye Hao could have easily avoided arrest by presenting his certificate of officers; the local police had no jurisdiction over military personnel.
“How's the investigation going?” Ye Hao inquired.
“It's not looking good for you,” Zhang Cheng replied.
“Is there a chance I can turn things around?”
“Given the testimony and physical evidence, it seems unlikely.”
“Do you believe I'm capable of such a thing?” Ye Hao pressed.
“You have the martial arts skills to kidnap that girl undetected. Why didn't you subdue her in under half a minute?” Zhang Cheng was aware of Ye Hao's affiliation with the Martial Arts Bureau, which is why he suspected someone was framing Ye Hao.
”We'll follow the standard procedures,” Zhang Cheng stated.
“The story's already circulating online. If it escalates, I'll be in hot water too.”
“Handle it by the book,” Ye Hao insisted.
“What's your plan?”
“If things don't unfold as they've planned, I won't be able to draw out the person behind the scenes,” Ye Hao explained with a smile.
“Do you want me to look into it?”
“There's no need.”
“Okay,” Zhang Cheng conceded, dropping the matter.
A news story suddenly erupted across the internet, seizing the top headlines with the shocking claim: “National Proverb Championship Winner Accused of Raping a Girl in Broad Daylight.”
Students at Riverdale College were abuzz with the topic.
The campus forum was flooded with posts about Ye Hao.
“Ye Hao turned out to be such a lowlife.”
“He's absolutely repulsive.”
“Isn't it premature to jump to such conclusions?”
“Exactly. No one would commit rape in the middle of the day.”
“That girl isn't even as pretty as Zhang Lan. Zhang Lan has been after Ye Hao for a while.”
“And it's not just Zhang Lan. I've heard that Xu Mengmeng from Class Three is also chasing Ye Hao. Both of these girls are more attractive than the victim.”
“This has to be a setup.” Zhang Lan fumed as she scrolled through the online barrage of attacks against Ye Hao.
“It's definitely a setup.” Bai Hehua was so enraged that she threw her phone down, exclaiming, “They've been constantly defaming Ye Hao.”
Blinded by her own anger, Zhang Lan failed to notice Bai Hehua's rage.
“I need to see Ye Hao,” Zhang Lan declared, rising to her feet abruptly.
“I'm coming with you.”
Upon their arrival at the police station, Zhang Lan and Bai Hehua were informed that visiting Ye Hao was not permitted.
“Why not?” demanded Zhang Lan.
“Ye Hao is currently a suspect. He can only be visited by the prosecution and his lawyer,” the officer handling the case responded.
Just then, Tang Pianpian and a middle-aged man approached.
“I'm Ye Hao's lawyer. I need to see him immediately,” the man stated, presenting his lawyer's certificate.
“Come with me,” the officer acquiesced with a nod.
Tang Pianpian watched the lawyer depart, her thoughts heavy with concern.
She was certain that this was a case of being framed.
However, given Ye Hao's status, it seemed impossible that he would be in this predicament.
“Are you Tang Pianpian?” Zhang Lan inquired, stepping forward.
“Yes,” Tang Pianpian confirmed with a nod. “And you are?”
“I'm Zhang Lan.”
“Ah, so you're Zhang Lan,” Tang Pianpian murmured, “Ye Hao has spoken of you.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Bai Hehua interjected icily, “Zhang Lan is Ye Hao's girlfriend.”