After the two police officers put Qin Kong in the police car, Officer Liu then turned to Tang Qing and said:
"Come, you two should come with me to the station."
He had seen Qin Kong talking passionately to Tang Qing earlier, and while Tang Qing seemed completely uninterested in engaging with him, since Tang Qing knew Qin Kong and was a ’witness at the crime scene’, it would be proper for them to go back to the station to give their statements.
Moreover, he speculated on why the Superintendent would personally call them, specifying that they should handle Qin Kong’s case ’impartially’? And who was the one who reported the crime to Zheng Xiu? A regular person’s call would never reach Zheng Xiu, and even if the county received a report, it’s impossible for the Superintendent to notify them. So, someone must have directly asked Zheng Xiu to step in.
So who was this person?
Or...was this a set-up by the Superintendent?
Due to his professional habit, he who was already meticulous in his thinking, was able to think of more than ten possibilities in an instant, and the possibility that Tang Qing was the one who reported was one of them.
Therefore, he intended to probe Tang Qing’s truth during the statement-briefing process. As long as he didn’t overstep, it would not be deemed unlawful. Nobody could pick any faults with it. If Tang Qing and Zheng Xiu had no relations, it would be fine. But if they did...he was only twenty-nine, he also wanted to progress.
"Okay Officer Liu, you lead the way, I’ll follow behind." Tang Qing agreed.
He did not know the cunning thoughts Officer Liu had, but even if he did, he would not think any less of him. Desire is the core of societal dynamics. Isn’t a person’s yearning to rise in position understandable? Isn’t flattery towards superiors acceptable? People who sacrifice their dignity for status are quite rational, just like fallen women who trade their bodies for money. Equal trade with no high or low, nobility or lowliness.
If one doesn’t have the ability to break the norm, stand out and rise above, yet wants to hold on to everything and only get, such a logic is comparable to that of a robber. Just like the righteous and evil paths, if one doesn’t want to walk on either, yet wants to claim the ’prizes’ from both as one’s own, then there is no basis for communication.
Human desires propel human actions.
"Hmm, drive slowly, there are many people here." Officer Liu warned before getting into the car. Tang Qing was not involved in the crime, so naturally, he did not fear that he would run away.
Seeing there was no more spectacle to watch, the crowd dispersed. The news of Qin Kong getting arrested would give them a lot to talk about for a while.
Tang Qing, driving Lin Jiaxue, followed the police car to the town police station to give their statements. He didn’t hold back any details, including his relationship with Qin Kong, and any lingering resentments. Although he was somewhat surprised when the police asked even about his relatives, he had nothing to hide.
The police officer, upon hearing that Tang Qing’s uncle turned out to be Qin Yugang, was taken aback. Their locality was under the jurisdiction of Qingyan City, part of the same system. It was impossible for them not to have heard of Qin Yugang, who held a position equivalent to a county director, with a promising future. He might soon rise to a deputy division-level post. This was beyond reverence.
Therefore, the attitude of the police towards Tang Qing instantly changed. At the same time, Officer Liu began to piece together the situation, guessing with a fifty percent chance that Tang Qing had reached out to Zheng Xiu to teach Qin Kong a lesson. As for the remaining fifty percent, it was attributed to the cautiousness of a law enforcer. Hard evidence could be fake, not to mention speculations.
Now that they know that there are two powerful figures backing Tang Qing, the police knew what to do.
However, within fifteen minutes, Tang Qing and Lin Jiaxue were warmly escorted out of the police station, — they were only missing a ’come again next time.’
As for Qin Kong, he was still in the interrogation room, honestly answering questions. Given his past record, detaining him for a while in the station would be a piece of cake. To show off a little, some people were already contemplating how to make this case ’more interesting.’
As the Superintendent had personally ordered it, they should be thorough, otherwise, how could they progress?
After leaving the police station.
Lin Jiaxue, who had been tightly gripping Tang Qing’s hand, finally relaxed and said, "Tangtang, that was too dangerous, I didn’t expect Qin Kong to have a gun. Good thing you didn’t get into a fight with him."
"Hehe, what’s there to be afraid of? Didn’t Officer Liu just say that there were no bullets in the gun? Besides, I’ve learned some combat skills from a fighting expert recently. Even if we had fought, I wouldn’t be afraid of him. If not for wanting to distance myself from this incident and avoid any revenge from him, I would’ve beaten him up long ago." Tang Qing patted Lin Jiaxue, indicating her to be at ease.
"Even if there were no bullets, you shouldn’t take risks. If you meet him in the future, don’t be impulsive. It’s dangerous." Lin Jiaxue immediately admonished him upon hearing this. Although Qin Kong didn’t have bullets, it was only a representation that he didn’t have them on his person, but what about his home? If Tang Qing harmed Qin Kong and Qin Kong had bullets stashed away, that’d be dangerous.
"Yes, yes, I’ll listen to you, I’ll just ignore him if I see him next time," Tang Qing quickly agreed. At this point, he couldn’t be stubborn or try to act tough. Until he can physically resist bullets, Qin Kong would be seen as high-risk.
"Hmm." Seeing Tang Qing agree, Lin Jiaxue sighed in relief. She didn’t think that Tang Qing not retaliating equates to him being weak. If someone was shot dead, that’d be the real disgrace. Safety is more important than pride.
Afterwards, the two purchased some New Year essentials, couplets, incense, firecrackers, tea, wine, ingredients, etc. It was a big assortment of goods, and Tang Qing had to make two trips to transport it all.