"Help my ass! You little bastards can’t go a single day without causing trouble for me. Get to the bottom of this—did you or did you not bring in someone with the surname Gu today!"
The person on the other end of the line was met with a torrent of curses.
The police officer who took the call was berated and felt aggrieved, but he sensed the caller might be someone superior and didn’t dare to offend. Hesitantly, he asked, "I’m sorry, may I know who this is...?"
Hearing this, the Deputy Director’s face turned ashen with fury, and he cursed loudly, "You can’t even recognize my voice? How many years have you been at the station? What’s your badge number? Do you just sit there eating your salary without using your brain? I’m Fu Yuanshan! Where’s Director He? Get him to roll over here and pick up the phone!"
Upon hearing the name Fu Yuanshan, the police officer was scared stiff, thankful that he had sensed the caller was a superior and hadn’t snapped back; otherwise, he would have been packing his bags right now.
He glanced at Liu Ming, who was sitting in the interrogation room, before nervously replying with his head raised,
"Director Fu, it’s you. My apologies, I didn’t recognize your voice; I had no idea you’d call. Director He has the day off today and has already left the station. Right now, only Captain Liu and a few of us are here. How about I have Captain Liu speak with you?"
Great, he’d been automatically dismissed. Li Wei, who was pretending to read the newspaper in the corner, shrugged indifferently, but his ears were attentively picking up every sound from the other side.
Fu Yuanshan on the other line was thinking: As if I know your bloody Captain Liu! Even if it were Director He picking up the phone, he wouldn’t be qualified! But he couldn’t worry about that now; the most pressing matter was locating that man surnamed Gu, for whom the entire S Police Bureau General Office was now in chaos.
"Then stop dragging your feet and get him on the phone right this instant!" Fu Yuanshan said impatiently.
"One moment, please." The officer tenderly set the phone down on the desk and tiptoed into the interrogation room, "Captain Liu, Director Fu would like you to take a call?"
Liu Ming was startled by this request, "My uncle? Why would he call now instead of my cellphone?"
The officer wore an awkward expression: "Not Director Hu; it’s Fu Yuanshan, the Director of the Police Bureau."
"Director Fu?!" Liu Ming’s pupils shrank, followed by a look of delight.
He had been hearing from his uncle, Hu Changlin, that the police precinct was considering pulling in some staff from their station. It was an opportunity for him. If he could secure a position in the precinct, he could transition from a temporary assignment to full-time and leave this lesser station behind.
Hu Changlin had mentioned preparing some funds and then through his mediation, make arrangements with the precinct director, and the matter would be set.
Liu Ming immediately thought that the thing his uncle was referring to might have gone through.
With that thought, he rushed out, snatched up the phone from the desk, and said eagerly, "Hello, Director Fu, this is Liu Ming. You wanted to see me?"
Fu Yuanshan thought to himself, who the hell are you, but asked, "I hear you’re the captain for Luwan District? Can you handle things?"
Liu Ming felt something was off. This wasn’t quite what he expected. Somehow, the script seemed wrong. But since it was the director speaking, he had to tread carefully and replied ingratiatingly,
"Yes, of course, I can handle it. Director He has the day off today, so I’m taking care of things. Just give your orders, and I’ll follow."
Liu Ming was clearly sucking up, and Fu Yuanshan had no patience for flattery from such a minor figure, cutting straight to the point,
"Well, since it’s you in charge, check right now—did your station arrest someone with the surname Gu today? If you did arrest him, release him immediately. You won’t be able to handle the consequences otherwise!"
Someone with the surname Gu?
Liu Ming quickly ran through his memory; he hadn’t heard about arresting anyone today. Li Wei had been sitting nicely in the office the whole day; there hadn’t been any police call. Almost instinctively, he replied,
"No, no one by the name of Gu was brought in today. What’s going on, Director Fu? Who is this person that even you’re getting involved?"
As long as no one from his station was responsible, at least his position was secure.
Fu Yuanshan, relieved to hear that someone with the surname Gu had not been arrested, softened his tone considerably. Seeing Liu Ming’s curiosity, he became less impatient, chuckling,
"If you didn’t catch him, that’s good; just focus on your work. I’ll tell you, just now there were calls from the commanders of the Military District of the Imperial Capital, the Deputy Minister of Propaganda, and the special forces. The whole general office is in disarray over this Gu fellow."
"Who knows which idiot caused this mess, but now a bunch of people are going to suffer for it."
"I’m telling you, when you’re outside, keep your eyes open and avoid trouble. No one will clean up your mess if you screw up!"
Liu Ming was about to reply with "Understood," when something struck him. He glanced back at the interrogation room, at the man who seemed oblivious to everything, chatting with the Old Granny beside him, and he went pale.
He had a sinking feeling, a premonition that the person Fu Yuanshan mentioned, the man with the surname Gu, might just be the one he had brought in.
Liu Ming sucked in a cold breath, feeling his whole body shiver. He forced himself to stay composed as he sought confirmation from Fu Yuanshan on the other end of the phone, "You’re saying...the man with the surname Gu is a man? How old is he?"
Fu Yuanshan, who was now gloating at the thought of who might have caught the important figure surnamed Gu, paid little mind to Liu Ming’s question and replied indifferently with a snort,
"How should I know his age; he’s definitely male, that’s for sure. The notice from above said his surname is Gu, and it seems he’s with an Old Granny and a child. Ah, why do you care so much? As long as he’s not at our station, all we need to do is watch the fun!"
As soon as Liu Ming heard there was an Old Granny and a child involved, his heart sank, and his face turned white.
Even if he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, he knew by now that something was very wrong.
The person he had brought in, who could mobilize forces from the Military District of the Imperial Capital, the Propaganda Department, and the special forces, obviously had an incredibly powerful background. Coming in with a few people, they were certainly high-profile individuals far beyond his paygrade to deal with.
No wonder they had been so calm even after assaulting an officer; no wonder they had obediently climbed into the police car. Liu Ming now felt like crying; he had truly kicked the iron plate this time!