He thought the lock was secure and was planning to make a hole in the window to check it out, but to his surprise, the lock fell off loosely as soon as his hand touched it!
Yuan Zhong subconsciously took a half step back, his right eyelid twitching. This was all too bizarre. He nervously swallowed hard and reached out to push the door open.
"Squeak..."
"Bang!"
"Don't move! Hands up!"
Before he could even see what was inside, the sound of the door opening was followed by a loud slamming of the door. By the time he realized what was happening, he was already surrounded by police and soldiers.
"Crouch down! Put your hands behind your head and drop your weapons!"
He had never seen anything like this before. Regardless of whether he understood or not, and regardless of what had happened, saving his life was the most important thing at this stage. He did everything he was told, crouching down with his head in his hands and obediently burying his head. As for weapons, he really didn't have any. He couldn't take them out and he couldn't throw them away.
"Comrade...I haven't done anything wrong, you must have made a mistake."
He used to do petty theft, but since Jiang Xiu was arrested, he hasn't done anything shady for a long time. He figured that even if he just came to buy a book through unofficial channels, he wouldn't be held at gunpoint.
"You didn't do anything wrong? What's in there?!"
These people were well-trained; while some were controlling Yuan Zhong, others had already gone inside to take inventory of the contents.
"Captain, most of the smuggled cultural relics and ancient books are here, but some priceless antiques have disappeared."
What cultural relics? What ancient books? And antiques?!
Yuan Zhong couldn't catch his breath. These were things he couldn't handle. He couldn't carry such a heavy burden. He thought of the people who had just arrived who told him to take their place. Were they trying to make him a scapegoat?
Thinking of this, his eagerness to explain made him suddenly stand up.
"This isn't me..." He had just stood up when a gun was pointed directly at his head. He didn't dare to move and weakly said, "I don't know anything. Smuggling has nothing to do with me. I was tricked into coming here. Those people are already gone."
"Even thieves don't admit they're thieves, so you better behave yourself!"
The captain circled around him, feeling that he looked familiar, but couldn't quite place him. He only knew that he had been following this smuggling case for a long time and couldn't let anyone get away with it!
At this moment, someone stepped forward and whispered something in his ear. His expression became even more serious, and he spat at Yuan Zhong.
"A man with a criminal record dares to claim his innocence? Take him away! If you can't get rid of him, I'll change my surname to his!"
And so, Yuan Zhong was inexplicably entangled in a smuggling case and taken to the police station.
Even though he repeatedly claimed he was scammed while buying books and knew nothing about it, the police evidence pointed to him...
The final conclusion is that even if he wasn't the mastermind, he was an accomplice!
Two days later, the police received an anonymous tip and within half a day, they had rounded up the smuggling gang. However, the people Yuan Zhong had contacted that day insisted that he was an accomplice, dragging him into the mess.
This is the first time he has been so terribly wronged. He may be suspected of committing a serious crime and could be deprived of his rights for life!
When the police interrogated him again, he pulled Jiang Wanqing in during the interrogation.
"I...I didn't break the law! Jiang Wanqing, that woman is also looking for the same book as me, she can definitely prove it for me, she definitely can..."
The police officer paused, his hand still holding the statement, and frowned: "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure! Please bring her here. I'm truly innocent. I still need to take the college entrance exam. I can't have such a serious criminal record."
Yuan Zhong almost burst into tears. He had no idea how things had come to this. He had no choice but to ask Jiang Wanqing for confirmation. If it weren't for Teacher Tang getting the information from her, he would never have risked going to the black market to buy books!
The police officers exchanged glances, seemingly considering whether to give him a chance to prove his innocence.
"I...I'm Jiang Wanqing's brother-in-law. Her husband is a battalion commander. You don't want to be held accountable, do you?"
In that critical moment, he instantly racked his brains to pull every possible connection he could to create an opportunity for himself. As long as it wasn't put in writing, there was no such thing as a criminal record, and he could continue taking the college entrance exam as if nothing had happened...
"Hiss... Do you know what you're saying? If she can't prove what you said, then you're guilty even more, do you understand?"
He knew that Jiang Wanqing was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, and that she hadn't been able to break him down several times. This time, he would play the victim and endure the humiliation to get her out of trouble. He would deal with the rest after the college entrance exam. It's always good to be flexible.
“I understand, you can bring her here.” Yuan Zhong clenched his fists.
When the police contacted Jiang Wanqing, she wasn't surprised at all, but she found it a little funny when she heard that Yuan Zhong was asking her to prove his innocence.
Why would he think she would help him? Besides, she was trying to eliminate any future trouble this time...
However, she still agreed to meet Yuan Zhong. When she arrived at the police station, she had just finished class and was carrying a small bag. She greeted the police politely.
"Comrade Jiang, he's inside. Come with me." On the way to the interrogation room, the other person reminded her, "This Yuan Zhong is very cunning. You don't seem like someone who hangs out with people like him. Be careful later, and tell the truth."
"good."
She smiled and said, "Of course I have to tell the truth. Otherwise, how can I let him go in and keep Jiang Xiu company?"
He'll never even step into the door of a university again!
The interrogation room was dimly lit. When the door opened, Yuan Zhong instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes, then slowly lowered it. When he saw her, hope shone in his eyes.
"Wanqing, you have to save me! Only you can prove my innocence. Please explain to the police!"
He asked for help but didn't act like one; his bossy and arrogant manner was his consistent style, even when he was sitting in the chair of regret.
She gave a sneer and said coldly, "I don't know what you want me to prove. We have nothing to do with each other anymore. If the police hadn't sent me, I wouldn't care whether you live or die."
“You…” Yuan Zhong was so angry he could hardly breathe.
"Getting back to the point." The police officer took out a piece of paper and asked Jiang Wanqing, "He said he learned from you that this book was related to the college entrance examination, which is why he went to the black market to illegally trade it. Is that true?"
Jiang Wanqing glanced at the note and shook her head: "No, I have no contact with Yuan Zhong. Comrade, you might as well ask him where he got the information, but it certainly wasn't through me."
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Yuan Zhong, who had been shouting just moments before, suddenly stopped talking, his eyes darting around. If he were to reveal that he had been spying on Jiang Wanqing through someone else, it would not only fail to exonerate him but would also worsen his crime.
He kept his lips tightly closed, and after a long while, he finally spoke, insisting, "It was you who told me. Jiang Wanqing, it's no use denying it. Do you dare tell the police that you don't want this book?"
"Of course I don't want it. Don't you know that this book has been officially certified as riddled with errors and has long been removed from the curriculum?"
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