"But later you let her come back," Zhou Jinwei said.
"As I just said, our roots are here, in this country, in Wanghai." Cai Rongcheng leaned forward, one leg half resting on the ground, and said humbly, "Perhaps you also know that my family has made a little money from doing business recently, and we used this piece of land inherited from our family to build a new house.
Look at the materials, furniture, and daily necessities—they're all just average stuff. We're so poor. We've worked so hard our whole lives to come up with this little stuff, and we still live in a government-owned apartment in the city."
"You said, I'm over 40 years old. If I don't make some money, which girl will be interested in me and be willing to live with me?"
Chen Tinghan understood that this was Cai Rongcheng's confession, or rather, his quibbling, that today's dinner was not simple.
After a long silence, Lao Zhou looked at his long-time friend and half-teacher and suddenly said, "In a profession like ours, we can make money, but we can't go against our conscience."
"Absolutely not. This is legitimate business." Cai Rongcheng patted his chest and said, "Do you remember when we worked on a case together, there was also a person involved in the case who begged and pleaded for money from us?"
"I remember it very clearly," Zhou Jinwei said. "That boss was also involved with Wanghai Friendship. It seems that it was after that incident that Wanghai started having this Wanghai Friendship."
Cai Rongcheng said: "Oh, that's right, the boss's henchman was named Lu. He came to me with a box of money, a full 100,000 yuan. At that time, I didn't take a single cent of the 100,000 yuan!
Then again, who wouldn't be tempted by money? I'm not a saint, so I told you about this at the time and asked you to supervise me, just in case I made a principled mistake.
"Yes, I remember it very clearly. It was the beginning of my career," Zhou Jinwei said with emotion. "To resist temptation, relying solely on one's own integrity and conscience is far from enough. The best way is to publicize the fact that someone is tempting you, so that you can stop thinking about it."
He continued, “You know what else I learned from this?”
"oh?"
"I've learned that our enemies' tactics are ever-changing and pervasive. They can see through our weaknesses and tailor traps for us." Zhou Jinwei said with genuine emotion, "Look, how long has it been since we sat down and had a good heart-to-heart talk like this? We can't resist those temptations on our own. We need both sides to work together to forge a better understanding."
I've walked a long way, and the clouds and fog are thick, and I can't see clearly. I'm afraid I've gone astray."
At this point, the words had almost torn the window paper, but in the end it was just scratching the surface, which was unbearable. You Shenyu was also confused. The smile on the corner of his mouth gradually faded, and then he looked at Chen Tinghan, as if he wanted to ask him the truth with his eyes.
Chen Tinghan just gave him a calm look.
After a moment, Cai Rongcheng changed the subject again, not continuing what Zhou Jinwei had said, and said, "I've also realized something. Do you want to know what it is?"
Zhou Jinwei picked up the teapot, poured the other person a cup of obscure tea, and then said, "I used to love listening to your lectures."
Cai Rongcheng suddenly put his finger to the spout of the kettle and said, "It's not like I can teach you. I'm only a few years older than you, and you're doing better than me. Besides, it's okay to be ignorant. There are some things I only want to talk to you about."
The two drank tea, and Cai Rongcheng finally said, "It's not that profound, actually. I just think this guy is a real jerk. I've seen many people who did wrong things and were sent to prison by me. At the same time, I've also seen too many people who I couldn't get to. I was powerless to do anything."
Zhou Jinwei added: "For example?"
"For example, five years ago, I caught a burglar in the old city who injured and crippled a homeowner who was taking a break in a residential building. Do you know what he was ultimately sentenced for? Even though the property was recovered from his possession, there was no evidence to prove he broke into the house and injured anyone, and no one could prove he was inside the house at the same time as the robbery. So, the final verdict was theft."
"A tiny lack of evidence, a mistake that anyone could see with their eyes, allowed a heinous criminal to escape after serving less than a year. And what about that poor owner? He was on the verge of death, and even after spending all his money trying to save him, he became disabled. Even when I visited him last year, he still hadn't gotten over it, and I'm sure he never will for the rest of his life."
"Life is so unpredictable." Zhou Jinwei nodded and said, "But I still don't know what you want to say."
"I want to say that when I was young, I felt that as long as I put on this police uniform, I could clear the world of evil spirits and bring peace and clarity to the world. And I always believed this until that fifth year."
Cai Rongcheng said sadly, "But after that, I couldn't sleep well. You said that putting on a police uniform and having to follow so many rules, is there any point?"
"You made me feel bad when you said that," Zhou Jinwei said seriously, "Rules are more important than anything else. You taught me that."
"I know." Cai Rongcheng said, "I know the rules are definitely right, but what about outside the rules? What about those people we can't catch in uniform? What should we do?"
Zhou Jinwei said firmly: "If we can't catch him in uniform, then we can't catch him without a uniform, and we can't catch him."
At this point, Cai Rongcheng suddenly sat up straight, his eyes stern: "What if someone can avoid arresting this person and give this kind of person the retribution he deserves?"
"..." Zhou Jinwei looked at this completely different friend, colleague, and mentor in front of him. He felt that he was very unfamiliar, yet somewhat reasonable. He suddenly laughed at himself and said, "I was wrong. Money really can't buy people like you. So it's other things that can buy you."
"I can assure you with all my heart," Cai Rongcheng said, shaking a finger. "You won't find a single expensive luxury item in my house. Even my fiancée's gold and silver jewelry and cosmetics combined wouldn't exceed my salary."
"So you want to say you're right."
Cai Rongcheng said: "No, I have been doing this for so many years and have seen so many things in life. Who dares to say that what they do is absolutely right? But..."
"Wait." Chen Tinghan, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up. "Let me guess. You mean, although you can't guarantee that what you're doing is right, you can guarantee that you really want to do something that you know is right but couldn't do before."
Cai Rongcheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled happily and said, "Boss Chen really understands me, haha."
"I don't understand you." Chen Tinghan spread his hands and said, "I just guessed that if she wanted to convince you to betray your former self, she would use this statement to make you feel better."
"To make you forget what is appropriate, to make you forget your previous vows, so that you will accept her bribe completely."
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