Golden Scale [EN]: Chapter 22

28. Solid Evidence

　　Xue Nuo rummaged through the top drawer for ages but found nothing. She opened the second drawer and spotted a pack of new razor blades right on top, with an unsealed kraft paper envelope underneath. Picking up the blades, she saw half a photo peeking out, the other half inside the envelope. A glance was enough to make the girl blush. The visible half showed the naked lower body of a woman lying on a bed, her legs full and slender, her pubic hair dark and thick. “That pervert Tao-ge [older brother Tao, a term of endearment], he already has me, and he’s still looking at these kinds of dirty pictures, really.”

　　Driven by curiosity, Xue Nuo pulled the photo out of the envelope anyway. The woman’s face came into view, and the girl felt a wave of dizziness, staggering back two steps to sit on the bed. The woman’s sleeping face was sweet, with full breasts and a slender waist; it was her mother, He Liping. Xue Nuo froze for only a moment before jumping up again, dumping everything from the envelope onto the bed. There were more than twenty photos in total, all of He Liping in various naked sleeping poses. “This… this…” For a moment, she didn’t know whether to cry or be angry. The shock of finding her mother’s nude photos in her lover’s bedroom was immense. Just then, Hou Longtao came out of the bathroom. “Nuo Nuo, haven’t you found it yet…” His words stopped abruptly when he saw the girl standing in front of the bed with a large envelope in her hand, many of his “hidden” photos scattered on the bed.

　　”Tao-ge, what… what is this?” Xue Nuo turned her head, her eyes not filled with anger, but with infinite confusion and incomprehension. Hou Longtao quickly went over, snatched the envelope, and gathered the photos. “Nuo Nuo, don’t jump to conclusions. I can explain. You shouldn’t have seen these photos.”

　　”Shouldn’t have seen? What do you mean? I’m waiting for your explanation.” The girl’s voice trembled, tears already welling up in her eyes. “How could you… how could you do this? She’s… she’s my mother.” “Nuo Nuo, calm down. It’s not what you think.”

　　Hou Longtao walked to the window, leaning against the wall with a heavy expression. “Nuo Nuo, you have to believe me. I’m doing all this for your mother’s sake. Do you really think I would be so shameless as to secretly take nude photos of my beloved girl’s mother? If you really think that, you’ll break my heart.” Could he do such a despicable thing? Of course, he could. He was a low-life thug to begin with, but now someone else was doing it for him. But Xue Nuo really didn’t think that way. In her eyes, Hou Longtao was definitely an upright man, and there must be some inside story to explain why he had nude photos of her mother. Seeing that her lover had misunderstood her meaning, the girl became even more anxious, taking two quick steps to hug Hou Longtao from behind. “Tao-ge, that’s not what I meant. I’m not doubting you. I… I…” The thought that this might affect their relationship brought tears to Xue Nuo’s eyes.

　　Feeling the wetness on his back, Hou Longtao knew he had played his part well enough. He turned around and embraced the beautiful girl. “Nuo Nuo, you are the girl I love. I will never let anyone hurt you and your mother. Please believe me. I don’t want you to worry about this. I’ll handle it alone.”

　　”Tao-ge, what are you saying? Handle what alone?

　　You forgot? You said we’re not outsiders. We should share any difficulties together.” Xue Nuo’s expression was firm. She didn’t believe Hou Longtao would do anything to hurt her, and hearing him say this only strengthened her belief that her lover had a hidden reason.

　　”Nuo Nuo…” The man stroked the girl’s hair, his eyes filled with love. “Okay, I won’t hide anything from you. Didn’t you ask me why I didn’t want your mother to be with Hu Xuejun?” “Yes,” she remembered the main purpose of her visit today. “Are the two things related?”

　　Hou Longtao released Xue Nuo and took a cassette tape from the bottom drawer of the TV cabinet, putting it into the stereo. “You’ll understand most of it after listening to this, but there are some very unpleasant things inside. Are you sure you want to listen?” “Yes.” The girl walked over and pressed the PLAY button. “Longtao, is the money ready?” As expected, it was Hu Xuejun’s voice. “Give me the stuff first.” Hou Longtao’s voice also appeared. “Don’t worry, it’s all good stuff, every picture is clear, no worse than those in magazines. I’m only charging you 200,000 [currency unspecified, likely yuan], which protects your future mother-in-law’s reputation and lets you see photos of a beautiful woman’s bare ass. It’s a bargain.”

Xue Nuo realized immediately that Hu Xuejun was talking about her mother. “I won’t allow you to talk about her like that, you scoundrel. How did she offend you that you have to treat her like this?” Hou Longtao’s angry voice earned him a deeply grateful look from the beautiful girl. “Alright, Longtao, don’t give me that act. Look at these photos, you can see her slit, asshole, and nipples clearly. We’re all men here, don’t tell me you don’t want to fuck her. That woman looks great naked.” “Don’t assume everyone is as shameless as you. Enough nonsense, give me the negatives too.”

　　”We only agreed to buy and sell the photos. If you want the film too, add another 500,000.” “Hu Xuejun, don’t go too far.” “Too far? Think about it. If these photos are posted online or spread on the streets, with her name and address attached, He Liping will become very famous. ‘Promiscuous Mother,’ hahaha, I don’t think she’ll be able to handle being fucked a few times by those ignorant men. Maybe your lovely girlfriend will get dragged in too.”

　　”You bastard, if anything happens to Nuo Nuo and her mother, I’ll never let you go.” “Don’t rush to threaten me. As long as you honestly give me the money, I won’t go too far, right, son-in-law, hahaha. No matter what, I’m still going to marry that woman. After all, it’s nice to have such a beautiful cunt to fuck. And she loves me to death, each gets what they need, how great.” “Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Aunt He [term of respect]?” “Go ahead, but she won’t believe you. Even if she does, so what? She’ll be heartbroken. What good will it do her? Anyway, I’m almost tired of playing with her, and I’ve already gotten a lot of money from her. If you don’t say anything, I’ll pretend to love her and let her live in a false happiness. You don’t want to hurt her on purpose, do you?” “You… you won’t have a good end.” “Spare me the crap. I’m not wasting any more time with you. I’ll leave the photos here. You get the money together, and I’ll give you the negatives. Oh, and if you ever want to fuck your mother-in-law, it’s not out of the question

　　, as long as you let me fuck Xue Nuo’s tender cunt a few times. I haven’t been with a teenage high school girl yet, hahaha.”

　　Hou Longtao turned off the stereo. “I secretly recorded this, originally intending to use it as evidence to sue Hu Xuejun for extortion, but…” Before he could finish, Xue Nuo threw herself into his arms, crying. “Tao-ge, I’m… I’m sorry…” “What are you apologizing for?” “My mother treated you like that, I… I… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” “Silly girl, it’s okay, don’t cry.” He lifted the beautiful girl’s face and kissed her again and again. “I’ve already got the negatives. It’s okay.” “Let’s sue that guy.” “We can’t. Like Hu Xuejun said, your mother loves him so much. If she knew that man was just playing with her, she would be heartbroken. You saw your mother’s reaction last time I just mentioned it.”

　　”Then… then what do we do? Are we just going to let him keep deceiving my mother like this?” “I’m thinking of a way. I’ll never let him get away with it. Don’t tell your mother anything for now, understand?” “Yes, I’ll listen to you.” When Xue Nuo left, Hou Longtao asked her to take the photos with her. They were evidence, and they might be needed if they were to sue Hu Xuejun in the future, so they couldn’t be destroyed yet. But it wasn’t appropriate to keep them with him, a man. Xue Nuo not only had no reason to refuse but also thought he was being very thoughtful…

　　Not long after Xue Nuo left, Hou Longtao’s phone rang. “Hello.” “Tao-gege [affectionate term for older brother Tao], what are you doing?” Zhang Yuqian’s coquettish voice came from the phone. For the past three months, the two had been talking on the phone frequently. Hou Longtao used his shameless tactics, and Yuqian already had a great affection for him, so their terms of address became more and more intimate, as if they were a couple separated by distance. “Thinking of you.” “Get out of here, you smooth talker.” “How did you know? Did you secretly kiss me?” “Dream on.” “What? Can’t I dream? Really, when you come back, I’m going to give you a good kiss.” “Hehehe…” Yuqian’s silvery laughter rang out, truly melodious. “Keep dreaming.” “Qian-meimei [affectionate term for younger sister Qian], are you coming back for the New Year? I really miss you.” “I’m afraid not. I have to attend Winter School so I can graduate next June.” “Okay, I’ll wait for you.” “Tao-gege…”

　　He Liping was making dinner when she saw her daughter enter the gate. “Nuo Nuo, where have you been?” “I went to Tao-ge’s place.” “Hmph, I told you to stay away from him, but you just won’t listen. That person is no good.” She was still angry with Hou Longtao, scolding her daughter while stir-frying the vegetables. This time, Xue Nuo couldn’t take it anymore. Now, Hou Longtao was like a god in her heart. A few days ago, when she didn’t know the inside story, she could only offer a few words of advice when her mother spoke ill of him, but not too much. But today was different. She suddenly felt that her mother was being unreasonable, like a shrew.

　　”What’s wrong with Tao-ge? Isn’t he just saying a few bad things about Hu Xuejun? Aren’t you also speaking ill of him behind his back?” When He Liping heard her daughter talking back and even calling her fiancé by his name without any respect, she became even more angry. “You brat, where did you learn to talk back? Did Hou Longtao teach you?

　　” Xue Nuo was also angry, although she knew her mother was being deceived, she couldn’t help but think that she was on the side of justice, while her mother was on the side of evil. “Don’t target Tao-ge all the time. He’s the best man in the world. Everything he does is for us. You don’t know the truth, so don’t talk nonsense.” “Oh my, you brat, are you lecturing me? How old are you? Do you know what’s good and what’s bad? What kind of love potion did Hou Longtao give you that you’re turning your back on your own family? If this continues, what will become of you? I’m telling you clearly today, you’re not allowed to see him again in the future.”

　　”What? Why?” The girl began to get agitated. “You’re already in your second year of high school. You have one more year until the college entrance exam [Gaokao]. You should concentrate on studying. You don’t have time for romance, especially with a man of Hou Longtao’s character.” Xue Nuo’s face flushed with anger. She didn’t expect her mother to say such unreasonable things. If she really wasn’t studying hard, it would be understandable, but she was clearly in one of the top key high schools in the district, ranking among the top in the entire grade. After all, the girl was still a girl, and when she got agitated, she couldn’t control herself, throwing all of Hou Longtao’s instructions to keep it a secret out of her mind. “The person with bad character isn’t Tao-ge, it’s your good Xuejun. Tao-ge has suffered so much for the sake of the two of us. You’re biting the hand that feeds you. Take a look for yourself.” She took a kraft paper envelope from her backpack and threw it on the table. “I also listened to the recording of your good Xuejun using these to extort Tao-ge. If Tao-ge wasn’t doing it for you, he wouldn’t have to give Hu Xuejun money again and again.” Xue Nuo became more and more aggrieved, crying as she ran into her room.

　　He Liping was stunned, not understanding her daughter’s unusual behavior, let alone her words. She took out the contents of the envelope and looked at them. “Thunderstruck” was the best way to describe how she felt. Looking at the environment in the photos, it was her own bedroom, and there was a date on them, the day they returned from Black Dragon Pool. She then remembered that Hu Xuejun had brought a camera but didn’t take many pictures in the scenic area, and now she understood why. After a long time, He Liping came back to her senses, grabbed the phone, and dialed Hu Xuejun’s number. “I’m sorry, the number you dialed is out of service.” The woman instinctively felt something was wrong but still held onto a sliver of unrealistic hope. That night, neither mother nor daughter ate dinner… Hou Longtao received a call from Xue Nuo, learning that she had told her mother everything. Pretending to be surprised, he comforted her, telling her to find a way to reconcile with her mother. Hanging up the phone, he couldn’t quite believe his luck, having achieved his goal so quickly. He quickly notified Bao Ding, telling him to take action as soon as possible…

　　The next morning, He Liping went straight to the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] Equipment Command Technology Academy in Huairou. After inquiring, she found that there was no Lieutenant Colonel instructor named Hu Xuejun in the Aerospace Measurement and Control Engineering program. There wasn’t even anyone named Hu Xuejun in the entire school.

　　She then went to the bank where she had her savings. Although she was somewhat prepared, when the bank staff told her that her account had been closed a day earlier, He Liping was still stunned. It wasn’t until the people behind her started urging her impatiently that she left in tears…

　　Xue Nuo didn’t have classes today and returned home around 3 PM. Even after Hou Longtao told her to reconcile with her mother, she still had a knot in her heart

　　, and wasn’t ready to forgive her mother so quickly. This morning, she didn’t even say hello to her mother before going to school. Hearing the sound of someone opening the door with a key, she quickly sat down on a chair at the dining table, lowered her face, and pretended to be unhappy. He Liping walked in, didn’t greet her daughter, and went straight to the sofa, looking distraught. Xue Nuo held her breath and ignored her, suddenly seeing two lines of clear tears flowing from her mother’s dazed eyes. “Mom, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” In this situation, Xue Nuo couldn’t stay angry any longer. She ran over, knelt beside her mother, held her legs, and gently shook them. “Mom, it was my fault last night. Don’t be angry with me, Mom…” He Liping slowly turned her head, staring straight at her daughter. After a while, she seemed to realize her presence, reaching out to stroke her daughter’s soft hair. “Nuo Nuo…” “Mom, don’t cry.” The girl leaned forward, wiping the tears from her mother’s face.

　　Looking at her daughter’s pure and sweet face, He Liping couldn’t help but feel grief from the bottom of her heart. She tightly hugged Xue Nuo and cried loudly. “Nuo Nuo… Waa… It’s… It’s Mom… I’m sorry… I’m sorry to you… Waa… It’s all Mom’s fault… Mom is sorry to you…” Then, she revealed what she had discovered today. Mother and daughter were connected at heart, and Xue Nuo could understand her mother’s feelings, but she was powerless to help. “Mom, don’t say that. It’s not your fault. It’s that bastard Hu Xuejun…” As she spoke, she also felt a pang of sadness, and the two women hugged each other and cried bitterly.

　　Just then, there was a knock on the door. Xue Nuo got up, wiped away her tears, and went to open the door. He Liping went into the bathroom, washed her face, and when she came out, she saw two policemen sitting in the living room, and her daughter was pouring water for them. “Mom, this is Tao-ge’s friend, Li Baoding. Ding-ge [older brother Ding], this is my mother.” Xue Nuo put the water on the coffee table. “Hello.” Bao Ding stood up and shook hands with He Liping. The group sat down.

　　”Officer Li, what’s the matter?” “Auntie, Longtao and I are old friends. You can just call me Bao Ding. Longtao asked me to help him investigate a man named Hu Xuejun a long time ago. I shouldn’t have come directly to you. I should have told him the results first. But what I found out is beyond my control. I’m here today on behalf of the Municipal Bureau [Municipal Police Department] to talk to you.” When He Liping heard that it was about Hu Xuejun, she felt another wave of sadness, but listening to Bao Ding’s tone, she felt that the situation was quite serious, so she had to hold back her emotions. “I do know Hu Xuejun. He’s my fiancé. I don’t know how I can help you?”

　　”Mom, are you still calling that bastard your fiancé?” Xue Nuo said angrily. He Liping gave her daughter a painful look and turned to Bao Ding. “Bao Ding, just ask whatever you want. I already know he’s not a good person.” “The thing is, after our investigation, we found out that this Hu Xuejun’s real name is Hu Ergou. He’s from Datong, Shanxi, and he’s closely associated with a criminal gang that forces women into prostitution. We suspect he’s one of the key members.” Another policeman continued, “The gang’s main method is to seduce middle-aged women, then take nude photos to blackmail them for money. Once those women are no longer useful, they force them to sell their bodies. If they encounter someone who doesn’t listen, they often have dozens

　　, twenty gang members gang rape and abuse them, using extremely cruel methods.” He Liping and Xue Nuo exchanged glances, both feeling extremely grateful to Hou Longtao. If he hadn’t asked Bao Ding to investigate in time, they didn’t know what kind of tragic fate they would have suffered. The thought of being gang raped by dozens of people was worse than death.

　　”Hu Ergou is very cunning. He may have sensed our investigation, and he hasn’t shown his face in the past few days. This case is beyond what I, a police station chief, can handle, so I reported it to the Municipal Bureau. We found these photos in Hu Ergou’s residence.” Bao Ding said, taking out two photo albums from his bag and placing them on the coffee table. He Liping took one and opened it, finding it full of middle-aged women in lascivious poses on the bed. Hu Ergou didn’t have long-term plans for the first few women he seduced, so he would suddenly take out a camera during sex and immediately turn hostile, demanding money. Before meeting He Liping, he had also planned to use this method on her, but once he saw her, he was immediately captivated by her beauty and abandoned the idea of blackmail.

　　”The comrades from the Municipal Bureau have already found the victims in the photos, but they are all afraid of retaliation or too ashamed to speak up, so they can’t provide much help. One of them has already been driven to mental disorder. Because I have a special relationship with you, Auntie, the Municipal Bureau asked me and this comrade from the Criminal Investigation Department to come and see you,” he pointed to the other policeman beside him, “hoping you can provide some valuable information.” He Liping started from how they met, and when she got to the process of their falling in love and getting engaged, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness, and tears welled up in her eyes again. Seeing this, Xue Nuo quickly took over, telling them about the events that followed, including what she had discovered last night and today.

　　The policeman who was said to be from the Criminal Investigation Department nodded. “I understand. It’s probably because Hu Ergou saw that your daughter’s boyfriend had more value for extortion, so he didn’t target you all along. Now, due to our intervention, he had to flee, and he took your savings with him before leaving.” “By the way, please hand over those nude photos. Those are all evidence.” Before He Liping and her daughter could answer, Bao Ding interjected, “Those photos have already been destroyed. Longtao called me this morning and said that they had already been burned by Auntie in a fit of anger.”

　　”Is that so?” The policeman turned to He Liping again. “Yes.” Since Bao Ding said so, there was probably a reason, so the woman followed his words. “Alright, let’s end here. If we can catch Hu Ergou, we’ll notify you.” The two policemen stood up. “Can I use the restroom?” “Of course.” He Liping pointed to the restroom. After the policeman closed the door, Bao Ding lowered his voice. “Longtao told me that he didn’t want the police to use your photos as evidence, fearing that your reputation would be damaged if they were used in court. If anyone asks, you just say you burned them.” “I understand.” He Liping now really felt that Hou Longtao was truly thinking of her and her daughter in everything he did, and her guilt towards him was even greater…

　　Bao Ding and the others got into the police car, and the other policeman removed his serious expression. “Chief Li, did I perform well?” “Not bad, you’re a promising talent. Work hard with me in the future, and you won’t be disappointed.” Bao Ding patted the shoulder of the policeman who had just graduated from the police academy to encourage him…