Li Xiaoli laughed as she pulled out her phone from her pocket, and then, in front of Liu Mengting, she made the call.
"Hello, Brother Wang, it’s Xiaoli... Yes, yes, he’s my brother! I actually called to ask you something. It’s about the student you guys arrested this morning from Tianjiao High School, what exactly did he do? Is it serious?"
As Li Xiaoli asked, she glanced at Liu Mengting, who pretended to be focused on eating her noodles but was actually all ears.
She still claims she doesn’t care about Tang Ming! As if that expression could fool anyone, Li Xiaoli thought with a silent chuckle.
"Oh, thank you, Brother Wang."
Li Xiaoli said before hanging up the phone.
"How did the questioning go? Is it serious?"
Liu Mengting asked, feigning nonchalance.
"Meng Meng, don’t worry, currently there’s no direct evidence linking Tang Ming to those two people’s deaths. The police can only charge him with car theft, and furthermore, if the Ma Family doesn’t report it, the police can’t prove whether the car was stolen by Tang Ming or given by Ma Gangjian."
Li Xiaoli said with a beaming smile, "And you say you don’t care about Tang Ming, but looking at you, it’s as if you’re about to cry."
Liu Mengting huffed and said,
"After all, Tang Ming is my bodyguard. It’s only right that I show some concern when he’s in trouble."
"Right, Meng Ting always makes sense,"
Li Xiaoli said cheerfully.
"What’s the matter? Are you, missy, so concerned about me and Tang Ming because you like him?"
Liu Mengting deliberately changed the subject.
"Yeah, Tang Ming is so good at basketball, he’s even called the slam dunk master at our Tianjiao High School. Plus, he’s responsible and skilled; he sent the Ma Family brothers to the hospital. It’s perfectly normal to like such a handsome guy,"
Li Xiaoli said, her face full of infatuation.
"Tang Ming isn’t bad, but he’s impulsive and doesn’t know his own strength. Besides, he’s daring. Anyone who likes him is asking for trouble,"
Liu Mengting counted off while drinking some juice.
"Meng Meng, you don’t know how popular Tang Ming is at our school. Just call out, and at least a dozen girls will come confess their love. They’re not afraid of bad luck; they like a guy who stands out and gives them a sense of security,"
"Really? They’re all girls with no taste!"
Liu Mengting scoffed, but for some reason, she felt a bit uncomfortable hearing that other people liked Tang Ming.
In the office of the Songlan City Police Patrol Squad, Captain Zhou returned and saw the interrogation room door closed, causing him to ask the officers in the office,
"Who’s been arrested now? Why is the interrogation room door closed again?"
In the office, several police officers were at a loss for words. Captain Zhou grew somewhat irritated, "Have you all lost your voice?"
The thick-browed, forty-something police officer stood up and said with a wry smile, "Captain Zhou, Lin Xue brought back a suspect from yesterday’s case on the mountain road. They’re being interrogated inside."
"Oh? With no substantial evidence on the mountain road case and forensics still conducting a detailed autopsy, isn’t it a bit hasty to arrest someone this early?"
Captain Zhou said with a sigh, "Lin Xue is too young and impulsive. In police work, you can never be impatient. No patience at all, how can she be a police officer?"
"Exactly, I tried to advise her, telling her to wait for the captain to return and decide, but she’s just too hasty,"
the veteran officer chimed in.
Captain Zhou, not pleased, knocked on the interrogation room door, after which it opened, revealing the face of the recording officer.
"Captain Zhou, you’re back?"
The officer laughed as he spoke.
Chief Zhou pushed open the door and walked in, only to see a weary Tang Ming, and at the desk, Lin Xue was interrogating him relentlessly, her questions sharply pointed and employing some underhanded inducement techniques.
Chief Zhou walked into the room and said in surprise upon seeing Tang Ming.
The recording officer sensed trouble and quickly left the interrogation room, leaving only Lin Xue, Tang Ming, and Chief Zhou inside.
"Lin Xue, what’s going on here?"
Chief Zhou pointed at Tang Ming and asked with an ugly expression on his face.
"Chief Zhou, Tang Ming is the main suspect in the mountain road case from yesterday. I brought him in early this morning for questioning, and so far..."
Lin Xue began to explain.
"Enough, this has nothing to do with him. Release him. And why didn’t you tell me about the arrest? Don’t we have any organizational discipline?"
Chief Zhou interrupted Lin Xue’s report, asking angrily.
Lin Xue said in astonishment, "Chief Zhou, the most important suspect in this case is currently Tang Ming. Even his lawyer can’t bail him out. Why are we releasing him? I really don’t understand."
"It’s an order, release him now."
Lin Xue’s eyes reddened, feeling wronged and on the verge of tears. The case clearly involved Tang Ming, but her superiors were ordering his release. She could not resist but had to obey the command, which naturally made her feel aggrieved.
With her sense of grievance making her want to cry, several curious officers came in from outside, promptly unlocked Tang Ming’s handcuffs, and then escorted him out of the interrogation room.
Chief Zhou glanced at Lin Xue and, as he walked out of the room, said, "I hope that in the future you’ll be more patient in your work, not so undisciplined. Do you even regard your superiors anymore?"
Chief Zhou returned to his room, took off his hat, and placed it on his desk, recalling what Lin Canghai had said to him days earlier in private, asking him to look after Tang Ming. This young man was also an officer dispatched by their department for a mission in Songlan City, working on a secret task. His identity must not be revealed, and he was instructed to cooperate and assist Tang Ming in completing his assignment.
"Director Lin really keeps his lips sealed, not even telling his own sister."
Chief Zhou mused to himself after sitting down:
"But, it’s normal, the people from special departments have high confidentiality, and since Tang Ming’s identity cannot be disclosed, it seems I’m the one who has to play the bad guy. I just hope this kid finishes his mission soon, so I can also take credit for helping him."
The door to the office was knocked, and Chief Zhou called out, "Come in."
The person who came in was Lin Xue with red-rimmed eyes; as soon as she entered, she said, "Chief Zhou, I don’t understand why we had to let Tang Ming go."
"You don’t need to understand this matter, just follow orders. In the future, you’ll see that what I’ve asked you to do is all correct,"
Chief Zhou responded, "If there’s nothing else, you can go."
"Chief Zhou, Tang Ming is highly suspect. If we let him go and he runs away, are you taking responsibility for that?"
Lin Xue raised her voice and asked.
"Enough, obey the command,"
Chief Zhou pointed toward the door and shouted:
"Get out! I will take responsibility! Didn’t you hear me clearly?"
Lin Xue left the room with a discontented look on her face, and Chief Zhou sat down heavily, looking out and saying:
"When special departments handle cases, can they disclose that much? Especially if they’re pursuing some international fugitive, secrecy is even more crucial. This girl has no tact. But, she’s also not bad as a righteous cop."