Chapter 12: Is She a Woman?

After the dinner gathering, Yan Xi felt more comfortable interacting with her colleagues. With the praise from her superiors for the program she hosted, the station finally had some motivation to improve the show.

The station often received various types of tip-off calls from the public. Some were pranks, while others genuinely provided news leads. For useful tips, the station rewarded the informants with news fees ranging from 100 to 500 yuan. However, due to the station's low viewership and limited budget, no one had ever received the maximum 500 yuan reward.

Recently, Yan Xi felt that the content of the program lacked excitement. Chen Pei suggested that if there were no good projects, they could do another show related to traffic regulations. After the first traffic-themed episode, it received positive feedback from many long-time viewers.

"I'll think about it," Yan Xi said, flipping through the crowd-sourced news tip-off record book. She came across a tip stating that a child in a certain community had been locked in their home by their parents, often beaten and left hungry. The tip suggested that the station expose the situation to help the child.

She noted down the address and said to Chen Pei, "Sister Chen, I want to check this out. If the news is true, we can save the child."

Chen Pei, who also had a child, felt a sense of sympathy upon reading the tip: "I hope it's not true. Sigh, go ahead, but be careful. Parents like that may not be easy to deal with."

In the past, a reporter from the station had exposed a restaurant using gutter oil, and afterward, their car was vandalized, and they were beaten up by thugs. They ended up hospitalized for two or three months.

"Don't worry, Sister Chen, I've trained in sanda for a few years," Yan Xi patted her smooth, fair arm. "I'll be fine."

"You're young, and you're so shameless when you boast," Chen Pei couldn't help but pat Yan Xi's arm. It was so soft and smooth, clearly a child spoiled by her family. How could they let her train in sanda?

After discussing the work process, Yan Xi took Zhao Peng and the driver to the community provided by the tipster.

When they arrived at the community, Yan Xi noticed that it was an old complex built in the last century. The building near the entrance was only six stories high, with green vines climbing up the walls. A few elderly people were sitting at a stone table chatting, while children ran around the yard, creating a lively atmosphere.

"Hello, Grandpa," Yan Xi walked up to the security booth and greeted the old man in charge of the gate. "I'm a reporter from Beijing Channel 8. Can I ask you a few questions?"

In old communities like this, the neighbors tended to know each other well, and gossip spread quickly.

The security guard looked Yan Xi up and down several times before suddenly grinning. "I watch your program. My wife and I both love it. The episode about lonely elderly people was especially touching. My wife cried watching it."

Yan Xi hadn't expected to have a fan, especially an elderly one. Still, knowing that someone appreciated her program moved her. Initially, she had become a host because she couldn't find a job she was passionate about and just wanted to gain some work experience. But hearing the old man talk so fondly about her program and its meaningful impact made her feel something indescribable.

Those in the media industry know that to gain fame and wealth, one needs to cater to young people because they are the main consumers and drivers of current public opinion. However, niche programs still need to be made, and someone has to make them.

After chatting with the old man and smiling, Yan Xi finally explained the purpose of her visit.

"Are you talking about the family on the fourth floor of Building 2?" As soon as Yan Xi mentioned it, the security guard immediately knew who she meant. "In my old age, I've never seen such irresponsible parents. The father is an alcoholic and gambler, and the mother is gone for days at a time. When she does come back, she beats the child. The child is almost four years old and hasn't been sent to kindergarten. Sometimes, the neighbors see the child starving and secretly give him food, only to be scolded by the parents. Last time, Mrs. Zhang gave the child a few apples, and that man blocked the door and scolded her for half an hour. How can there be such people in the world?"

"Did you call the police?"

"Of course, we called. The police came, but the parents promised things would improve for the child, and then everything went back to the same. This month alone, the police and the neighborhood office staff have come three or four times."

The residents of the community were all peaceful, law-abiding people, and no one dared to confront such thugs. Over time, no one bothered to intervene on behalf of the child.

Yan Xi felt a heavy heart. She and Zhao Peng stood outside the child's door, hearing the intermittent cries of the child. They knocked for a long time, but no one answered.

After waiting for a while with no response, Yan Xi raised her voice. "Little one, are you okay?"

She soon heard the sound of small footsteps. The child was crying and calling out that he was hungry. The cry grew louder, as if Yan Xi was his only hope and salvation.

"Zhao Ge, we should call the police," Yan Xi said, feeling deeply distressed at the child's cries. "I'm afraid something bad will happen to him."

A three or four-year-old child has no ability to take care of himself. If he encounters electrical appliances or tries to climb out of a window, it could be extremely dangerous. A guardian should never leave a child alone in such circumstances.

"Xiao Yan, if the child's parents come after you, you could get into trouble," Zhao Peng hesitated and advised.

"Their irresponsible behavior is wrong from the start. If they come after me, they can come," Yan Xi took out her phone, dialed the police, and explained her identity.

The police arrived quickly. They forcibly broke open the door, and Yan Xi immediately smelled a foul odor. The living room was in a state of disarray, with empty alcohol cans and mineral water bottles piled in the corner. Mosquitoes flew around the room.

The child behind the door was thin and small. His face was dark with tears, and his eye sockets were sunken, making him look like a pitiful monkey. He muttered about being hungry and thirsty.

Yan Xi quickly took out a bottle of mineral water from her bag, opened it, and offered it to the child. The child eagerly drank from the bottle, swallowing in large gulps. Fearing he might choke, Yan Xi gently patted his back. When the child paused and frowned, she instinctively lifted up his shirt.

The sight of numerous old and new wounds shocked everyone present.

"Officer, this child's parents are severely abusing him," Yan Xi took a deep breath. "We need to take him to the hospital for an examination."

The wounds were a mix of old and new, indicating that the child had been repeatedly beaten by his parents.

The child was quickly sent to the hospital, and the initial examination revealed that not only did the child have external injuries, but his left index finger was also broken, and he was severely malnourished. Sitting on the hospital bed, the child finished the nutritious porridge that Yan Xi had bought for him, clearly starving.

Yan Xi didn't know how long the child had been hungry, so seeing him still look unsatisfied after eating, she didn't dare give him more food. Instead, she handed him a toy she had casually bought from the street.

The child's bony little hand touched the toy and quickly pulled back. He looked at Yan Xi timidly, not daring to take it.

"Take it, this is a gift from your sister."

The child hugged the toy to his chest, not saying much. A toy that ordinary children had long outgrown was cherished as a treasure by this child.

A female police officer, seeing the child's reaction, couldn't help but tear up. She quietly said to Yan Xi, "Comrade reporter, we've found the father's whereabouts. We're about to arrest him."

Yan Xi gently stroked the child's head. "Can we follow and film the arrest?"

This wasn't a secret case, and after reporting to her superiors, the female officer agreed to Yan Xi's request.

The child's father, nicknamed "Big Monkey," spent his days gambling and having fun with local thugs. When he didn't have money, he would go home and beat the child. When he had money, he would spend it at bars and casinos. Since he left the house yesterday, he hadn't returned. His wife didn't care about the child either; she made plans to go out and left the child at home, casually sending him a text message.

Big Monkey had completely forgotten about the child while enjoying himself. He hadn't realized that his child had gone nearly a full day without food or water.

When the police arrived to find him, he thought they were there because of a burglary he had committed. Immediately, he turned and ran out the door. The police were caught off guard by his reaction and quickly chased after him.

"Catch him, don't let him escape!"

"Stop!"

Yan Xi had just gotten out of the car when she saw a young man with wild-colored dyed hair running out, with two uniformed officers chasing behind.

"Stop, don't run!"

Seeing this, Yan Xi bent down to take off her high heels and started chasing after him, throwing one of her shoes in an attempt to hit him, but missed.

Zhao Peng, startled by Yan Xi's reaction, followed with the camera, chasing after them.

"Damn it," Yan Xi sped up, and as she got closer to Big Monkey, she threw her microphone at him. This time, it hit him in the back, but he was determined not to stop and kept running.

The police officers, watching the petite reporter take off her shoes to help them chase the criminal, were both moved and embarrassed. If they couldn't catch him after all this, they would lose face.

"Damn!" Zhang Wang, seeing the scene of the police chasing the criminal from the window below, quickly called over some friends to watch the spectacle. "Come quick, there's a woman who took off her high heels to help the police catch the bad guy. She's a real hero!"

His friends, intrigued, gathered at the window to look. Yuan Yi, who was sitting near the window, also turned his head to look out at the street below.

On the pedestrian street, a woman in a light-colored, form-fitting dress was running barefoot. Under the brilliant sunlight, her legs appeared pale and delicate, which drew praise from the onlookers.

Yuan Yi frowned as he listened to their comments about her "legs being worth a year."

"She's still running!" Yan Xi threw her last shoe, hitting Big Monkey on the calf. He tripped and fell to the ground. Yan Xi took the opportunity to move forward and twisted his hand behind his back.

The police quickly caught up and handcuffed Big Monkey.

With his face pressed against the hot ground, Big Monkey was dragged up by the police, his sweat mixing with the dust, looking completely disheveled. He bared his teeth and glared at Yan Xi, cursing.

"Damn it, are you even a woman?!"