Chapter Four: One Misstep, Countless Regrets

Anyway, since I had nothing to do after leaving, I wandered around for a while without a destination. Eventually, I decided to find an internet café and pass the time online. Back then, you didn’t need an ID card; the cafés would provide one for you, which was quite common.

As soon as I logged into QQ, I found a lot of messages—many friends had left me notes. But I didn’t pay them any mind; the most important messages were from my girlfriend, Xiao Juan. She was asking where I was, what I was doing, why I wasn’t replying, and a series of aggrieved emojis. Coincidentally, she was online at that moment. I quickly sent her a message: “Baby, what are you up to?”

She replied a moment later, “Just finished dinner and hanging out. Why are you only replying now?”

I told her, “I ran away from home and just settled down in Qingdao. I haven’t had the chance to message you yet.”

She was shocked.

Xiao Juan said, “How old are you? Why are you still so childish? Why did you run away from home?”

So I explained the whole story to her.

She laughed so hard she nearly choked.

I said, “You’re still laughing? I’m homeless now!”

She answered, “I miss you.”

I replied, “I miss you too.”

She asked, “Can you come to Shijiazhuang to see me?”

“Of course!” I said. “And if I come, I might not leave—I’ll just stay with you. Then we can have a bunch of kids and live a shamelessly happy life…”

She answered, “Get lost as far as you can! I’m not having kids with you—I haven’t even graduated yet!”

I said, “Then you can get pregnant first, and by the time the baby’s born, you’ll have graduated.”

She replied, “Are you kidding? I have two more years before high school, then college, then grad school—it’ll be at least seven or eight years.”

I said, “Fine, then I’ll just wait for you. I’ll marry no one but you!”

She answered, “Well, I’m not sure you’re the only one I’ll marry. Hehe…”

I said, “Don’t worry, baby. Even if I’m not rich, how could I let youth go to waste?”

She replied, “You’re such a tease. I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m going to bed. Bye!”

After our chat ended, I suddenly realized something: there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and even less a wife who falls into your lap for nothing.

I rummaged through my pockets—didn’t even have a thousand yuan to my name. Even if I somehow got the girl, could I support her? What could I give her, the life she wanted? She wants to go to college. What’s my level of education? Do I even have one? All I have is a silver tongue and some unrealistic dreams. At that moment, I felt a mixture of emotions—an overwhelming sense of pressure and inferiority.

Thinking of my father’s experiences, always a stepmother, I realized love needs a foundation, and above all, it needs money. My father is a typical example—having nothing, not even his own life, living in misery and achieving nothing. Am I destined to be the same, just a menial worker my whole life? Someone at the bottom rung of society? But then, where does money come from? Is making money really that easy? The more I thought, the more my head hurt.

In the end, I lost interest in being online and just wandered aimlessly down the street, just like my future—directionless and utterly lost.

Just then, I suddenly noticed a woman ahead, staggering as she walked, clearly drunk. Her attire suggested she wasn’t exactly a model citizen. Since we were going the same way, I trailed behind her.

Not long after, she suddenly squatted down and began vomiting uncontrollably. I saw she was carrying an expensive-looking bag. I figured there must be something valuable inside.

So, while she was distracted, I dashed forward, snatched her bag, and ran off in another direction as fast as I could. I darted into one alley, out another, and kept switching routes to avoid being caught.

I must have run several kilometers before I couldn’t go any farther. I ducked into Mohe Park, found a dark corner, and opened the bag. What I saw inside shocked me—wads of cash, a receipt for fifteen million, a bunch of women’s cosmetics, a mobile phone, and a business card reading “General Manager, Chief Financial Officer of Such-and-Such Company.”

I felt as if I was about to reach the pinnacle of life. Just that receipt alone was for fifteen million. Even if I only asked her for ten million, she’d have to pay—receipts can’t be replaced, that’s common knowledge. I kept the other valuables—phone, wallet, bank cards, jewelry. I didn’t keep the bag, nor her ID, driver’s license, or registration—all of which I threw into the river. Little did I know, this one action would cost me seven years of my youth. Looking back now, I regret it deeply.

The next day, I called her to demand ten million or I’d destroy the receipt. She was terrified and agreed to my terms, even offering to pay in cash.

Hearing that, I was overjoyed—on the verge of flying. I thought, from now on, I’d be a multimillionaire, able to have anything I wanted. I could practically see my name on the Forbes list.

The next morning, she arrived at the designated spot. I hid in the shadows, watching as she carried two large bags—which I assumed contained the ten million. I called her to walk onto the bridge and throw the bags down. As soon as she did, I rushed over and opened them, only to find they were full of clothes—no money at all. I realized I’d been duped. Suddenly, people rushed at me from both sides. I took off, thinking I’d fallen into her trap, but I couldn’t escape.

A dozen people pinned me to the ground. When they snapped the handcuffs on my wrists, I knew my life was over. At the same time, I felt oddly relieved—thankfully, it was the police. If it had been the underworld, I’d probably be dead for good…

And so, I was taken to the Huanshou Street Police Station, handcuffed and locked to an iron chair. There was a metal plate over my legs that could be locked in place, so the suspect couldn’t stand up.

After I was seated, the officer opened an interrogation record. Only then did it dawn on me how foolish I’d been—thinking I could get rich overnight with my intelligence, and make a name for myself, only to end up a prisoner.

An older officer began the questioning: “What’s your name?”

I replied, “Liu Jian.”

He asked, “Do you know what you’ve done?”

I said, “No.”

He said, “Of course, everyone who ends up here says they don’t know.”

He went on, “Let me stress, everything here is monitored and recorded. Everything you say is on record. Our law enforcement is open and transparent—no illegal procedures or forced confessions. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” I said.

He continued, “I’m Officer Zhou, in charge of this robbery and extortion case. Just answer my questions, got it?”

“Got it!” I replied.

“Name?”

“Liu Jian.”

“How old are you?”

“Sixteen.”

He looked up in surprise, but said nothing more.

“Place of origin?”

“Place of origin?” I echoed.

“Your home address, not your habits,” he said, annoyed by my feigned confusion.

“Heilongjiang Province, Nehe City.”

“Any prior offenses?”

“This is my first time.”

“Briefly describe what happened.”

I summarized the events, basically just as they occurred that night.

Officer Zhou said, “Let me clarify: the victim called for help and chased after you. This isn’t simple theft—it’s robbery!”

“But I was just stealing!” I protested.

“Even if your initial intent was theft, once the victim noticed and called for help, pursuing you to recover her property, and you didn’t stop, your actions became robbery, not theft. If you’d stopped when she shouted, or dropped the goods, it might have been attempted theft. But since you took the items and succeeded, then went on to extort the victim the next day, it’s even more serious.”

“Will I be sentenced?” I asked.

“You’re probably not getting out of this. How many years—that’s for the court to decide. I can’t say.”

Suddenly, I was numb. Was it really over for me? Would I be executed? Or locked up forever? At that moment, I truly felt deep regret.

Officer Zhou continued, “Were you alone?”

I said, “I’m not married. I don’t have a partner.”

Officer Zhou laughed.

“I meant, did you have any accomplices—not about your marriage prospects.”

“No, I was alone.”

“The stolen items—where are they?”

“They’re in a locker at a bathhouse.”

“Is everything still there?”

“Some worthless things I threw away.”

“Where did you throw them?”

“I think in some bushes.”

“Can we still find them? Take us to look.”

“I guess so.”

He turned to another officer and said, “Let’s leave it here for now. If anything’s missing, we’ll continue the investigation. Take him to recover the items, and in the afternoon, process him for detention and apply for an arrest warrant from the prosecutor’s office.”

The young officer nodded, “Got it.”

Officer Zhou hadn’t eaten yet. He took out a box lunch—braised pork with some ribs. I stared at it hungrily, and he noticed.

He asked, “Have you eaten?”

“No,” I replied.

He handed me the lunch. “Eat up—you need energy for the road ahead.”

That startled me so much I nearly dropped the lunch.

He smiled, “Don’t worry, I mean to find the items—not the other kind of ‘road ahead’ you’re thinking of.”

I asked, “Officer Zhou, will I be executed? How many years will I get?”

He replied, “Execution isn’t likely. As for the sentence, that’s for the court. You’re a minor, so it’ll probably be less.”

He went on, “Everyone makes mistakes in life. You’re still young. Remember—live honestly, don’t break the law. This is a society governed by law. There’s nowhere to run.”

That afternoon, escorted by police in handcuffs and shackles, I was paraded through the crowds. We passed long stretches of police cordon—there must have been thousands, if not tens of thousands, of onlookers, since the scene was in a busy area.

I heard all kinds of speculation: “What is it, a murder?” “Are they looking for a body?” “Whatever it is, it must be serious.” Some said, “He looks so young—what a pity. Why break the law?”

With my guidance, we searched for hours but couldn’t recover everything I’d thrown away. Perhaps someone else had picked some of it up. That afternoon, I was sent to Jimo Detention Center.

And so, I officially stepped behind iron bars, locked away behind steel doors and fences.