Chapter 157 is not mentioned at all, yet it's everywhere...
Municipal Public Security Bureau, Tu Ju Office.
"Reporting to Director Tu, the armed SAS personnel have arrested more than 200 people who were involved in the disturbance, including 62 organized saboteurs. They also seized nearly 13,000 rounds of smuggled firearms and ammunition at a port and 13 illegal immigrants."
Director Tu was having a meeting with the key leadership team of Liancheng. He nodded slightly and continued, "...Liancheng is a pioneer in reform and opening up. Whether in terms of industrial scale or port throughput, it is second only to Shanghai, making it the second largest coastal city in the country. A few days ago, Liancheng published an article entitled 'Liancheng's Return and Reconstruction of the "Northern Port City," proposing that after Liancheng's return, it will conduct in-depth economic, technological, and cultural exchanges with Liancheng."
Our Liancheng government also wants to seize this opportunity and learn from the successful experience of other port cities to develop Liancheng into a "Northern Port City." Since the mid-to-late 1980s, we have had the right to directly engage in import and export trade, becoming a separately listed city with revenue and expenditure linked to the central government and not required to remit to the provincial treasury. This is a privilege, but also a strong economic autonomy. Liancheng Chemical Industry, Liancheng Steel Plant, and Liancheng Petroleum are all important industrial forces in China. We are also a crucial waterway hub connecting the Dongshan Peninsula and the Donghua and Xihua regions of Northeast China. Not only is it the closest port area along the Bohai Rim and Dongliao Peninsula to Northeast Asia, but it is also one of the bridgeheads of the Eurasian Land Bridge.
As the heavy shipping center of the "Northern Port City" is successfully built, echoing the Southern Port City, the city will gradually loosen its economic freedom and openness. Liancheng will become one of the wings of China's north and south, driving the inland economy, social sciences, and industry to take flight. However, some external forces are still trying to extinguish the flame of this dream before 1997, attempting to use various destructive crimes to snatch away its wings of takeoff.
In accordance with the opinions of the Party Central Committee and the Ministry of Public Security, effective immediately, we will take swift and decisive action against domestic and foreign organized crime, "dealing with them severely and without hesitation."
I'm making this clear today: as 1997 approaches, all leaders in Liancheng must cooperate with the SAS's crackdown operation. Anyone who neglects their duties, fails to cooperate, interferes, or even acts as a "protective umbrella" will be severely punished. Do you all understand?
......
Tie Si Lao Yi Street.
Zhao Qiqi drove his police car through the Fourth Railway District, making a detour around this area.
There weren't many people taking the opportunity to cause trouble on Old Street. Halfway through the demolition, Song Zhantao's incident happened, and those who were going to leave all left.
As Chen Zhenzhu turned left from the old First Street and was about to enter the new Second Street, she saw Lao Zhang and his colleagues guarding the intersection through the car window.
She quickly rolled down the car window and said, "Brother Zhang, you're still here? Why are there so many people?"
Old Zhang had been standing outside all day, looking tired but his eyes were still alert: "Don't worry, there's nothing wrong on this street. The reason there were so many people was because we were afraid someone might take the opportunity to retaliate. We're all relieved to see you safe and sound."
Chen Zhenzhu's eyes were filled with gratitude.
When Lao Zhang's colleagues saw Shen Zhenzhu in the car, they greeted her, "Section Chief Shen, have you caught the person?"
Shen Zhenzhu nodded: "We caught them. Thank you all for your hard work. I saw on the way that the riot had subsided. We circled around here and didn't find any dangerous people."
Hearing Shen Zhenzhu say this, Old Zhang's shoulders relaxed and a smile appeared on his face: "This matter is really like a tornado, it comes and goes as soon as it's over. Is everything alright in the city?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "It was mainly concentrated in a few places, with scattered cases in other areas. However, the situation was brought under control in time; otherwise, the extent of personal injury and property damage might have been incalculable."
Old Zhang leaned against the car window and said mysteriously, "I heard a 'special forces' unit has arrived? Have you seen them?"
Shen Zhenzhu lowered her voice and said, "I saw it, it's incredibly amazing. But I don't know the specific details. The bureau should issue us a document later."
“If they’re ‘regular troops,’ then we’re fine.” Old Zhang relaxed completely, smiled, and said, “We just received orders that we can withdraw, but we plan to stay a little longer. If you don’t mind the bumpy ride, you can walk from Second Street and see Sixth Sister’s Restaurant.”
As he spoke, Lao Zhang directed the others to open the cordon and let the vehicles pass.
"Perfect, thanks." Shen Zhenzhu had the same idea, so she went back into the car and turned it onto Xin'er Street.
"Hey, there are quite a few people in Sixth Sister's shop." Xiao Bai squeezed past Wang Yafei and peered at the commercial street next to Shen Zhenzhu. The commercial street was well protected by Lao Zhang and his colleagues. The closed shop doors were intact, and no incidents had occurred. On the contrary, many people had entered the area and were hiding in Sixth Sister's restaurant.
Seeing that they still looked anxious, Shen Zhenzhu noticed that Sixth Sister and Xiao Li, holding kitchen knives, were not sitting in the shop, but pacing back and forth outside the shop, looking around.
Zhao Qiqi stopped the car in front of Sixth Sister's shop, and Shen Zhenzhu said quickly, "Just two minutes."
She ran out of the car and hugged Shen Liuhe: "Mom, Director Liu told me that most of the troublemakers in the city have been arrested. Tell everyone not to be nervous."
When Shen Liuhe and Xiao Li saw that Shen Zhenzhu had returned safely, they felt an overwhelming sense of security.
Shen Liuhe first looked Chen Zhenzhu up and down, and found that she was unharmed, except that her hair was a little messy. She helped to smooth it down and asked, "Can you go out now?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Some streets have already resumed normal activities. Just now, the broadcast outside said that the lockdown would be lifted in half an hour."
"That's great!" Shen Liuhe pushed open the shop door and said, "Everyone, don't be afraid. Everything's fine outside now, so don't worry."
Shen Zhenzhu showed them her identification and said, "Many streets have been reopened. There are police officers and... our protectors everywhere. Don't worry, you can go home after a short rest."
"Oh my god, it's like a movie, so exciting!"
"Heh, the crabs I bought are still kicking their legs, that's good, they're ready to be stewed."
"We're relieved now that Pearl said so. It's almost lunchtime, and we were hoping to get a free meal at Sixth Sister's place, hahaha."
"Haha, that's what I thought too."
These words seemed to untie the rope of a balloon, and the tense and fearful atmosphere among the people sitting in the restaurant instantly dissipated, replaced by expressions of relief and joy at surviving a disaster.
Zhang Xiaopang crawled out from under the counter, grabbed Chen Zhenzhu's leg, and said, "Sister, have you caught 'Death Listener'? He's so scary."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Don't worry, he will never appear again."
Zhang Xiaopang jumped up excitedly, clapping his hands and shouting to Shen Liuhe, "Auntie! I want an extra chicken leg! You've been stewing it in the pot for ages, I can smell it already!"
"Did you cry from fright?" Chen Zhenzhu asked, bending down.
Zhang Xiaopang raised his hand, holding up the wooden gun that Brother Leng had made for him, and said, "I'll protect Auntie here. If anyone dares to bully me, I'll shoot them."
Shen Zhenzhu rubbed his big head: "Mom, give Zhang Xiaopang an extra chicken leg, you have to give him an extra chicken leg."
"Big sister, are you alright?" Shen Yuyuan and Li Lili ran out from the backyard and were relieved to see Shen Zhenzhu.
Upon learning of the disturbance, they all rushed to the commercial street to help.
Shen Zhenzhu almost blurted out, "Your Excellency... no, where is Manager Wu?"
“When we returned to the commercial street, Wu Fuwang and others were guarding the No. 1 store and the flagship store, shouting, ‘As long as the store exists, we live; if the store dies, we die.’” Li Lili said, “We just got off the phone. The No. 1 store is fine, and the flagship store has people from the mall protecting it. Nothing happened.”
"That's good."
After greeting everyone at the shop, Shen Zhenzhu was relieved to see that Yuan Jiangxue, Yuan Juan, Uncle Lu, and the other neighbors were all safe and sound.
She got back into the car, and Lu Ye said meaningfully from the front, "So fast? No rush, everything's settled."
Chen Zhenzhu hadn't reacted yet.
Zhao Qiqi said bluntly, "Now that things have come to this, why didn't you take a few steamed buns?"
Shen Zhenzhu noticed the hunger in their eyes; it was practically gleaming. Thieves never leave empty-handed; how could they possibly leave Sixth Sister's shop hungry?
Shen Zhenzhu quickly got out of the car again, rushed into the kitchen and devoured the braised beef and fried yellow croaker, then rushed back into the car.
Shen Liuhe angrily scolded from behind, "You took all the beef, what am I supposed to do tonight!"
Before the [illegible] even arrived, Shen Zhenzhu was robbed.
Shen Zhenzhu pretended to be deaf and dumb, and patted the back of the seat anxiously: "Drive quickly, drive quickly."
The way Xiao Li held the kitchen knife was kind of scary.
Wang Yafei watched all of this indifferently. She looked down at the baby still sleeping peacefully in her arms, and seemed to see a glimmer of family happiness.
"Is that your mother?" she asked.
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Yes."
A few minutes later, Shen Zhenzhu suddenly asked Wang Yafei, "Did you see those people who were hiding? Do you think they really have no chance to fight back?"
None of the residents of Tiesi Street are cowards, but when the situation became serious, they did not choose to confront the troublemakers face-to-face. Instead, they listened to the street broadcast and hid in Sister Liu's restaurant to avoid them.
“I think…” Wang Yafei lowered her head and said softly, “They may understand the meaning of peace better than we do.”
Chen Zhenzhu sighed, reached out and pinched the baby's soft little face, and asked, "Why didn't you choose to leave?"
Wang Yafei spoke as if she were talking about someone else: "We ran away twice and were caught and brought back. They made us take medicine and said we were sick. We also attempted suicide, but we were saved both times. They ruined us, and we only wanted to ruin them... ruin their status, their reputation, and their future... I...neither he nor I ever thought of making things this big."
Shen Zhenzhu said, "Then you'd better think about it carefully. Are some people genuinely trying to help you resist, or are they just using you to incite unrest?"
"..." Wang Yafei lowered her head and stopped talking.
Shen Zhenzhu didn't force her. Wang Xihua jumped to her death in front of Wang Yafei, and Wang Yafei's spiritual pillar collapsed. Perhaps she really should be given some time to calm down.
Upon arriving at the Criminal Investigation Brigade and getting out of the police car, Wang Yafei attracted a lot of attention.
As they walked up the stairs to the fifth-floor interrogation room reserved for the Major Crimes Unit, Wang Yafei was very cooperative.
Shen Zhenzhu rested temporarily in her office, planning to begin the interrogation in ten minutes.
Director Liu came to the office and said to Shen Zhenzhu, "The SAS will be taking her away later. As one of the masterminds behind this riot, we need to thoroughly investigate the criminal organization behind her."
Zhao Qiqi said somewhat indignantly, "How can we just hand over the people we finally caught to the SAS?"
Seeing that he was still acting like a clueless greenhorn, Director Liu said to Shen Zhenzhu, "Is half an hour enough for you?"
Shen Zhenzhu stopped the fuming Zhao Qiqi and said, "That's enough. Wang Yafei seems to be cooperating so far. I'll just ask her a few questions."
She had witnessed their crime, and Wang Xihua was the one who carried out the murders. The case was taken over by the SAS, and afterwards she was free of any trouble. Anyway, the fourth team had caught the criminals, and Zheng Ge couldn't possibly steal the credit.
Upon arriving at the interrogation room, Wang Yafei ate something and drank some water, and her condition improved somewhat.
However, the immense sorrow in his eyes was difficult to conceal.
"Have you figured it out?" Shen Zhenzhu sat down, with Lu Ye sitting next to her, and Xiao Bai and Zhao Qiqi sitting opposite her, taking notes.
Wu Zhongguo stood outside, holding a teacup and resting for a while, rubbing his shoulders as he waited for the SAS representatives to come and make contact.
“He must die.” Wang Yafei had truly come to her senses. She said in a low voice, “He was the one who contacted them all. Xiao Hua didn’t let me contact them to protect me. Who knew they would still try to kill me after he died?”
“That’s right. Wang Xihua guessed they would kill him to cover it up afterward, so he jumped off the building first. That was his way of showing his stance to them. However, they can’t evade responsibility with this kind of ‘social interaction’.” Shen Zhenzhu looked closely at Wang Yafei’s face; the swelling had subsided somewhat. She didn’t intend to pry into “their” affairs; that was the SAS’s job.
Shen Zhenzhu questioned Song Zhantao, Zhang Haijun, and Lu Mintao about the murders. Her suspicions were correct: Song Zhantao was lured to a location by Wang Xihua via phone, who lied and said Wang Jieyong had a new proposal that required a meeting. He was then murdered after the meeting.
Zhang Haijun was also murdered after Wang Xihua made a phone call, falsely claiming that someone wanted to expose Zhang Haijun's past crimes.
Lu Mintao's situation was different. He was shrewd and cunning, held a certain position in the company, and was biased towards Xu Lan and Wang Yafei. The only way to carry out the murder was to lure him to the "Wandering Cafe" through Wang Yafei's invitation.
“I did all the editing, and I made the phone calls.” Wang Yafei confessed to the crime without reservation. She said calmly, “It shouldn’t be said that he killed the person alone. I was also involved.”
“Wang Xihua hopes you live,” Shen Zhenzhu said.
Wang Yafei said, "But I can't go on living like this."
She paused for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling, and said, “I made a terrible mistake. When I saw so many people jumping off the roof, Xiaohua caused me immense pain, and they caused their families immense pain as well. Wang Jieyong’s stock has hit the daily limit down, and there will never be a chance for it to recover. The positive image he built led tens of thousands of people to buy his stock... Today there are people jumping off buildings, tomorrow there will be more, and the day after tomorrow there will be more... Xiaohua is just one of them.”
“You didn’t initially intend to die,” Shen Zhenzhu said. “What was your plan?”
Wang Yafei said, "The plan is simple: use public opinion to destroy Wang Jieyong, let everyone see the true face of the 'great philanthropist,' and they won't have time to arrest us anymore. As for Song Zhantao and the others, they deserve to die. Xiaohua and I will go to a place where no one knows us, even if we live together for a year, a month, or even a week, it will still be a win."
She looked up, staring into Chen Zhenzhu's eyes, and said, "Xiao Hua and I didn't do anything, but they don't believe me. Do you believe me?"
Shen Zhenzhu said, "I believe you have not done anything out of line."
Xiao Bai sighed softly from the side.
Wu Zhongguo knocked on the door and said, "The SAS people are here."
Shen Zhenzhu turned around and said, "Wait ten minutes, it will be ready soon."
Wang Yafei lowered her eyes and murmured, "Look, even a stranger like you knows we're clean, but they still don't believe us. All those years of beatings, insults, and imprisonment made it seem like we were something dirty and couldn't be exposed to the light. Shouldn't they be the ones who can't be exposed to the light?"
Shen Zhenzhu had no comment on this; whether she encouraged or opposed it, it was too late.
Wang Yafei wasn't seeking others' opinions; lost in her memories, she whispered, "Eleven years ago, in the summer, I went to Wang Jieyong's office to see him off. I bumped into Qian Hui there. He introduced her as the newly hired accountant at the bridge company; she was a single mother with a son. The boy came over later and gave me a big, red apple. It was so sweet. Even after he left, the space was still filled with that lingering, eternal apple scent... As our family's circumstances improved, I never tasted such a sweet apple again."
When I saw him again at the company later, he told me that he had never been able to buy apples from that year. He said his first love was apple-flavored.
But by then we no longer smelled of apples; instead, we were surrounded by a persistent, rotten stench.
Xu Lan secretly read my diary. She went mad, and Qian Hui went mad too. Xu Lan drove her car to hit Xiao Hua, and Qian Hui fed me medicine.
Wang Jieyong was a hypocritical devil; he forbade his son from getting close to me, yet he kissed me on the lips while drunk.
Xu Lan saw it but walked away. After that, the blind dates she forced me to meet were all disgusting.
I stayed with Xiaohua at the hospital, and Xiaohua stayed with me at the hospital. We are heinous criminals; even thinking about it is a sin, let alone taking that step.
Birth and death, death and birth. There's no escaping it.
We treat each other as the most precious treasure in our lives, yet we are forced to become trash in their eyes.
What did we do wrong? If we had a choice, we wouldn't want to be born.
In this life, we are forced to be buried in decay; in the next, I want to be intertwined with him for eternity, freely inhaling the sweetness of apples, so that our hair and fate will never be separated again.
......
Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and the interrogation room was silent.
The door was opened, and SAS personnel stood waiting in the doorway.
Wang Yafei said with a dejected expression, "They destroyed us, and we'll destroy them too... That's our motive for committing crimes. I can't apologize to the people we hurt; an apology isn't enough to make up for it."
"Sister Pearl," Wu Zhongguo reminded Shen Zhenzhu.
“There are extenuating circumstances, but the law cannot forgive.” Chen Zhenzhu stood up, walked to Wang Yafei’s side, and helped her up. “Tragedy is not a license for violence, and no one’s misfortune can be used to absolve an innocent person of their suffering. The scales of justice will not tip because of one party’s tears. Wang Yafei, I sympathize with your plight, but before the law, sympathy cannot be a reason for exemption from liability. Please remember, individual suffering deserves pity, but the dignity of the law cannot be trampled on. Personal misfortune can never be an excuse for innocent people to harm others and retaliate against society.”
"...Um."
Four people from SAS arrived, but Chen Zhenzhu didn't recognize any of them. She scanned the room and couldn't find any familiar faces.
Seeing that Wang Yafei was about to be taken away, Chen Zhenzhu called out to her, ran over, and whispered in her ear, "I think I also hoped to have a good mother in my past life, so it came true in this life."
"...I hope so." Wang Yafei looked at Chen Zhenzhu, whose head was quickly covered and she was taken down the stairs.
Shen Zhenzhu watched her leave quietly.
Wang Yafei and Wang Xihua never mentioned "love" from beginning to end, but "love" was evident everywhere.
From a personal perspective, Shen Zhenzhu wishes Wang Yafei and Wang Xihua a happy and fulfilling life together in their next life.
Having escaped the sea of suffering, I journey towards paradise.
Feelings are no longer taboo.
......
......
After watching Wang Yafei leave, Shen Zhenzhu instructed Xiaobai and Zhao Qiqi to write the case closing report the next day.
The long day was finally coming to an end, but instead of rushing to leave, she went to Director Liu's office and said, "Report."
"Well, what's meant to happen will happen." Director Liu was prepared when he saw her arrive, and first grabbed a handful of peanuts and put them in a small dish.
"I won't eat it." Shen Zhenzhu said stubbornly, lowered her head slightly, tucked her chin, and looked up at the shrewd Director Liu, asking, "Why didn't you choose me?"
Before she could finish speaking, Director Liu understood what Shen Zhenzhu meant: she was blaming the organization for not considering her as a candidate for the SAS.
Director Liu walked around his desk, closed the door, and tried to press her down to sit, but he couldn't get her head down immediately. He pressed her down harder, and Shen Zhenzhu finally sat down reluctantly.
“If Xiao Gu leaves, what will happen to the Major Crimes Unit if you leave too?” Director Liu said kindly, “You can’t leave the Major Crimes Unit empty, can you? Not to mention there’s Park Heung-sung. He just came to see me. He’s one, and you’re one. We can’t lose either of them.”
"He wasn't selected either?" Park Heung-sung had the same qualifications as Gu Yanzheng, so Shen Zhenzhu felt a little better if he wasn't selected.
Director Liu observed her expression, knowing she had taken his words to heart, and began peeling peanuts: "Besides, it's not like you can't go even if you're not selected this time. When you're needed to join the team, you have to obey orders. Besides, SAS personnel are coordinated from various units. Who would be willing to hand over all the truly capable ones at once? Everyone knows I have two right-hand men in the criminal investigation team, one is Xiao Gu, and the other—"
Shen Zhenzhu's expectant little eyes flew over.
Director Liu paused for a moment and then said, "The other one is Xiao Pu."
Chen Zhenzhu let out an "Oh," and then deflated.
Director Liu immediately said, "But after Xiao Gu is transferred, you will take over the fourth team and become his new right-hand man."
"I'm not leaving?" Shen Zhenzhu said in surprise, "Isn't there the Major Crimes Team Five?"
Director Liu hesitated for a moment and said, "We're short of manpower, not intelligence. Where am I going to find a whole fifth team for you?"
Shen Zhenzhu said "Oh," too embarrassed to say that she had even taken care of the Fifth Team's office.
Then he remembered that Gu Yanzheng was right next to him at that time, and he started chuckling again.
“Our criminal investigation team doesn’t conflict with the SAS. They are responsible for cracking down on organized crime, while you are responsible for major homicide cases. One is about striking hard, and the other is about law enforcement and restraint. They complement each other.”
"Then isn't Brother Zheng under your jurisdiction anymore?" Shen Zhenzhu asked.
"It's been transferred to the provincial department." Although Director Liu was unhappy about this, he felt a little better knowing that Director Tu was still with the provincial department, and they were still family.
Shen Zhenzhu listened to Director Liu's ramblings for half an hour and came out feeling utterly exhausted. She returned to the Fourth Team's office, her earlier weariness gone, full of confidence.
Upon entering the office, the first thing I saw was Gu Yanzheng sitting on the sofa. I rubbed my eyes, thinking I was seeing things.
Chen Zhenzhu called softly, "Brother Zheng?"
"Okay." Gu Yanzheng put down the materials and said, "I heard you went to Director Liu's place, so I waited for you. They went to Sixth Sister's place first."
When Gu Yanzheng saw that Shen Zhenzhu's once spirited expression had turned dejected, he felt a pang of reluctance.
"You know everything?"
"knew."
Chen Zhenzhu sat down opposite Gu Yanzheng: "Didn't we agree that I wouldn't be transferred until March?"
Gu Yanzheng said, "We had prepared everything before the Lunar New Year and planned to officially establish it in March. But because of this incident, the department has asked us to form the group ahead of schedule."
Shen Zhenzhu asked, "Then...when will you be back?"
Gu Yanzheng hesitated for a moment, then told the truth: "After 1997."
"I'll only be 94 this Lunar New Year, it's been so long since I've seen you." Chen Zhenzhu was a little sad, turning her head away to look at the snowflakes falling outside the window by the lamplight. She probably wouldn't gain weight this Lunar New Year.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Pearl: I feel a bit choked up again.
***
See you tomorrow, there are 100 red envelopes! [Let me see]
***
The director's statement referenced a city's 1990s planning document (found online and modified).
This is a fictional story with a completely fictional setting. Please do not take it personally. [Please!]
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