Chapter 98: How did the arrest of Dong Chunling go about...?
Leaving aside how Dong Chunling explained Mingxi's situation to Li Xiangdong, let's first talk about Mingxi's side. She found Bai Ling and reported the situation to her.
Bai Ling hadn't expected things to go so smoothly. Dong Chunling had actually taken the initiative to approach Ming Xi, and she hadn't expected Ming Xi to be so quick-witted. Not only was she able to remain natural in front of Dong Chunling, but she also managed to lead Dong Chunling to bring Li Xiangdong to meet her.
Bai Ling raised an eyebrow and glanced at Ming Xi, thinking to herself, "No wonder Officer Li praised him so much; he's a natural-born criminal investigator."
I heard that Mingxi is currently working at the Women's Federation. Why don't you quit and come directly to the Municipal Public Security Bureau? Their Criminal Investigation Division is short-staffed.
Bai Ling remained silent for a long time, staring intently at Ming Xi, making Ming Xi feel extremely uncomfortable. She couldn't help but call out, "Officer Bai?"
Bai Antelope snapped out of her daze: "Ah, what?"
Mingxi: "Officer Bai, you still haven't told us what to do next?"
Bai Ling: "Oh, okay. Next, let's wait for Dong Chunling's news. Normally, Li Xiangdong will definitely agree to meet you, and he will arrange the meeting as soon as possible. On the day you meet, we will arrange for someone to accompany you the whole time, so you can rest assured about your safety."
Mingxi nodded.
Bai Ling continued, "When you meet him, try to probe him. Li Xiangdong isn't here for the money, so tell him that you can invest more, but you don't know him well and you're not comfortable with him, so you need to find a guarantor. And this guarantor can't be Dong Chunling. See how he reacts then."
According to their internal analysis within the police force, Li Xiangdong was just a small fry in the fraud gang, not a key figure; otherwise, he wouldn't have been sent out to make his presence known.
With Mingxi requesting a guarantor, Li Xiangdong certainly couldn't make the decision on his own.
He will inevitably have to contact other members of the criminal gang at that time.
Their people could then follow Li Xiangdong to find the criminal gang's hideout.
After listening to Bai Ling's plan, Ming Xi nodded seriously: "Okay, I understand. Don't worry, Comrade Bai Ling."
Mingxi left with her assurances, and the next day, she went to work as if nothing had happened, and none of her colleagues noticed anything amiss.
As Mingxi walked out of her workplace after get off work that evening, she saw Wang Na and Lü Ping walking side by side towards her.
Wang Na saw Ming Xi at this moment, waved to him, and pulled Lü Ping over: "Comrade Ming!"
Mingxi glanced at the two people opposite her and teased with a smile, "Why did you two come together?"
She emphasized that the words "two people," "together," and the implied meaning were all hinting at the relationship between Wang Na and Lü Ping.
Upon hearing this, Lü Ping's face immediately turned red, the blush spreading to his ears.
Wang Na, on the other hand, took Lü Ping's hand generously and said, "I haven't told Comrade Ming yet, but we're together."
Mingxi raised an eyebrow, saying that it wasn't entirely unexpected.
When Wang Na and Lü Ping met, she felt that the two were a good match and might even get together.
She smiled and said, "Congratulations! You two are a perfect match, a handsome man and a beautiful woman."
Wang Na smiled and said, "I still want to thank you. If you hadn't introduced us, we wouldn't have met."
As she spoke, she reached out and handed the net bag in her hand to Mingxi.
"This is a small token of our appreciation from Lü Ping and me to thank you."
Mingxi felt embarrassed to refuse, but she couldn't turn back, so she had no choice but to accept the gifts.
Wang Na thanked Ming Xi a few more times before leaving with Lü Ping.
Watching the happy young couple leave, Mingxi carried her net bag and headed home. Just as she reached the alley, she bumped into Dong Chunling, who was coming out of Li Xiangdong's house.
Dong Chunling's eyes lit up when she saw Mingxi: "Mingxi!"
She raised her voice and called out to Mingxi, saying, "I've discussed it with my boyfriend, and he's agreed to meet you. He's free tomorrow, so you'd better make time for tomorrow afternoon. After all, my boyfriend is a college student, and he's usually very busy, so it's not easy for him to find the time."
Mingxi rolled her eyes: "No, I have to go to work tomorrow afternoon. Let's talk about it after I get off work tomorrow night."
Dong Chunling was unhappy. She stuck out her neck, glared at him, and shouted, "What's wrong with you? My boyfriend and I agreed to take you with us when we make money. You're already getting a good deal, okay? Besides, my boyfriend is so busy. He finally managed to free up some time. What's wrong with you cooperating? Your work at the Women's Federation isn't a big deal. What's the big deal if you miss one day of work?"
"If you keep talking nonsense, I won't invest any more money."
Mingxi's words silenced all of Dong Chunling's nonsense.
Dong Chunling choked, and muttered under her breath, unconvinced, "If you don't want to invest, then don't. Do you think we need one more person to invest? People know how profitable my boyfriend's business is, and they can't wait to come to us with their money."
Mingxi: "What did you say?"
Dong Chunling: "No, it's nothing."
She pouted and said, feeling wronged, "If tomorrow afternoon is really inconvenient, tomorrow evening is fine too."
Mingxi: "Then it's settled. See you at the state-run restaurant tomorrow night."
Dong Chunling: "Okay."
The following evening, Mingxi arrived at the state-run restaurant with Dong Chunling at the agreed time. As Mingxi stepped into the restaurant, she was still looking around for Li Xiangdong's men when Dong Chunling raised her hand and waved in one direction before leading Mingxi forward.
When Dong Chunling reached the innermost table, she stopped. At the same time, the man sitting opposite her stood up.
Dong Chunling: "Mingxi, let me introduce you. This is my boyfriend, Li Xiangdong."
She turned her head and said with a smile, "Xiangdong, this is Mingxi from our alley, the one I told you about."
Li Xiangdong politely extended his hand: "Hello, Comrade Mingxi."
Mingxi extended her hand: "Hello."
Qianqian shook hands with Li Xiangdong, and when Li Xiangdong saw Mingxi's appearance, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
I never expected Mingxi to be so young and beautiful.
Li Xiangdong was momentarily stunned, and at that moment, Mingxi had already pulled her hand back.
Mingxi: "Can we sit down now?"
Li Xiangdong snapped out of his reverie and smiled, "Of course, Comrade Ming, please have a seat."
He pretended to be a gentleman and moved the stool on his side, gesturing for Mingxi to sit down. Dong Chunling saw this and pouted at Li Xiangdong unhappily.
Although she knew that Li Xiangdong did all this to get Mingxi to invest money, she was still unhappy to see Li Xiangdong give up the position that was exclusively hers to Mingxi.
Li Xiangdong gave her a reassuring look, indicating that it was all for money and that she should bear with it.
Dong Chunling was still unwilling. She turned her head and looked at Mingxi with a sharp gaze.
Mingxi pouted.
Damn it, that old hag has gone mad again.
She ignored Dong Chunling and Li Xiangdong, and went straight to move the chair to the other side of the table and sat down.
Li Xiangdong could only awkwardly lower his raised hand.
Dong Chunling, seeing this, gave Mingxi a knowing look, then sat down next to Li Xiangdong with satisfaction.
She gestured, "Come on, Xiangdong, sit down too. Let's sit down and talk."
Li Xiangdong took a deep breath and sat down as well.
When Mingxi arrived, her eyes had already scanned the state-run restaurant. She quickly spotted Officer Li, who was disguised and wearing a fake beard, at the table next to them, and Bai Ling at the table behind Mingxi.
The thought that there were many police officers watching her made Mingxi feel very safe.
She sat down, looking composed. Li Xiangdong spoke up: "Comrade Ming, I heard from Dong Chunling that you wanted to meet with me?"
Mingxi readily admitted, "Yes, I'm worried about you and want to meet you. Twenty thousand yuan is no small sum, and I can't possibly entrust it to a stranger I've never even met."
As she spoke, she feigned doubt and asked in a low voice, "Was what Dong Chunling told me before true, or something you made up? If I gave you 20,000 yuan, could you really double the money in a week? Is it really that fast to make money as a middleman? Then why don't I see other middlemen making that much money?"
Dong Chunling told Li Xiangdong everything yesterday.
She even told Li Xiangdong all the lies she made up about doing business in order to prevent Mingxi from getting greedy.
It's impossible for Li Xiangdong not to be surprised.
I never expected that Dong Chunling, that pig-brain, would actually come up with an excuse to lie to people.
Such a good excuse!
He can use this excuse next time he takes action!
Thinking of this, Li Xiangdong raised his eyes and gave Dong Chunling a meaningful look. Then he turned to Mingxi and said in a pretentious tone, "Our line of work is indeed very profitable, but not everyone can make as much money as I do."
"To reach my level, there are some secrets that cannot be told to outsiders."
Li Xiangdong stopped there and didn't continue.
The point is not to be too explicit; otherwise, the other person will have to guess. People always trust their own judgment, and no matter what Mingxi guesses, they will firmly believe it.
Since the words came from his mouth, their credibility wasn't very high.
Li Xiangdong crossed his arms, striking a pose that suggested he was unfathomable.
Mingxi cursed the loading in her heart, but on the surface she still cooperated with Li Xiangdong's performance.
She opened her eyes wide and covered her mouth: "I understand, I understand, you have your connections, right?"
Li Xiangdong was satisfied with her reaction. He nodded slightly and said, "It's good that you know about this. Don't tell anyone else."
Mingxi nodded repeatedly.
"Ahem." Li Xiangdong cleared his throat. "Now Comrade Ming can trust me without worry, right?"
Mingxi pursed her lips and shook her head: "No, I'm still not at ease."
Li Xiangdong gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly.
Didn't you just say you understood? Why are you still worried now?
Mingxi: "To be honest, I have money. If you really want me to give it to you, I can give you 30,000 or 40,000, if not 20,000. But money doesn't grow on trees, and I don't feel comfortable giving it to you directly like this."
Hearing Mingxi's confident tone, Li Xiangdong's eyes lit up.
He's caught a big fish!
His breathing became a little rapid.
As Mingxi finished speaking, Li Xiangdong frowned.
Mingxi clearly has money, and the fact that she believed what he said before proves that she's not a very smart person.
Li Xiangdong felt it would be inappropriate not to swindle such a naive and wealthy person.
Suppressing his excitement, he asked, "So, Comrade Ming, what do you want me to do?"
Mingxi: "I need you to find me a guarantor."
She said, "Find a guarantor and have me sign a guarantee statement. That way, even if I can't find you, I can find someone else to pay me back."
When the guarantor was mentioned, Li Xiangdong subconsciously looked at Dong Chunling beside him.
Dong Chunling was also willing, and she volunteered, "Then I'll vouch for Xiang Dong."
Mingxi shook her head: "No, I don't want you. I don't trust you. You don't have any money. Even if the business fails, you won't pay me back."
Dong Chunling was still unconvinced, but since Mingxi was telling the truth, she had nothing to say.
Mingxi looked at Li Xiangdong: "Is there anyone else who can vouch for you?"
Li Xiangdong was stunned for a moment. He thought to himself, "There must be people who can act as guarantors. I have no shortage of people. I can find someone to sign a guarantee contract, and then run away together. Mingxi won't be able to find anyone then."
No wonder they were brought here by Dong Chunling; they're just as brainless as Dong Chunling.
Li Xiangdong was secretly pleased with himself, but his expression remained unchanged. He simply said, "Well, it's normal for you to have this concern. After all, tens of thousands of yuan is not a small amount. Although I'm in business, I can understand you. How about this, wait a moment, I'll go back and find someone to act as a guarantor for me and sign a guarantee for you. That way you can feel at ease, right?"
Mingxi pretended not to see the disdain in his eyes and nodded naturally.
Hearing this, Officer Li, who was standing nearby, quietly looked up and gave Bai Ling behind Ming Xi a meaningful look. Bai Ling returned his gesture.
With the guarantee settled, Li Xiangdong couldn't help but inquire about the money: "Comrade Ming, I've already agreed to your terms, so what about the money you mentioned?"
Mingxi waved her hand: "No rush, why are you in such a hurry?"
Li Xiangdong thought to himself, "How can I not be anxious?"
He came here specifically for this money, so how could he not be anxious?
Mingxi: "I've already prepared the money. It's just 20,000 yuan. I've had it ready for a long time. Once you find someone to vouch for you, I'll give you the money right away."
Mingxi didn't feel it was inappropriate at all to deceive and scammers.
Li Xiangdong had no idea that Mingxi was fooling him. Seeing that Mingxi gave him a precise time, he felt relieved.
Seeing that Mingxi was beautiful and rich, he couldn't help but have wicked thoughts. He glanced at Dong Chunling and made up an excuse to trick her into leaving.
"Chunling, I suddenly remembered that the state-run restaurant doesn't have any soda. Could you go out and buy me three bottles of soda?"
Without much thought, Dong Chunling readily agreed. She stood up and, not forgetting to tell Li Xiangdong, "I'll be back soon."
Li Xiangdong nodded perfunctorily. After watching Dong Chunling's figure disappear, he moved his stool closer to Mingxi and leaned towards her.
Police officer Li and Bai Ling, who had been watching this scene, became tense upon seeing it, and Ming Xi's eyes also became wary.
Li Xiangdong leaned closer and deliberately lowered his voice: "Mingxi, you're so beautiful, I wonder if you have a boyfriend?"
Mingxi: "This doesn't seem to concern you, does it?"
Li Xiangdong chuckled and said, "Mingxi, you're really funny. Seriously, what type of gay man do you like?"
Mingxi remained silent, but Li Xiangdong didn't find it boring and continued to chatter on: "If you don't say anything, then let me guess. I think you must like cultured men, right? I don't know if you've heard, but I'm a college student majoring in Chinese Literature at Beicheng University."
Even if Mingxi was slow to realize it, she finally understood that Li Xiangdong was trying to seduce her.
Ugh!
Mingxi suddenly took a step back, and the leg of the stool she was sitting on scraped against the ground with a piercing "sizzle".
Li Xiangdong: "Mingxi, you..."
Mingxi: "What do you mean 'you'? Our relationship isn't close enough for you to call me by my name. You'd better be polite and call me Comrade Ming!"
As soon as Ming Xi said this, Li Xiangdong knew he had encountered a tough nut to crack. He quickly took a step back and raised his hands, saying, "Alright, alright, Comrade Ming."
He smiled and said, "I thought you were Chunling's friend, so we wouldn't be so distant. I didn't expect that I was the one who overstepped the line. I'm sorry."
He put on a convincing act, but Mingxi wasn't easily fooled. She kicked him hard across the street, and Li Xiangdong's expression immediately changed.
He clutched his knee, thinking, "Damn, what did this woman eat to grow up like this? How can she be so strong? I feel like my leg is going to break."
"Oops, did I accidentally kick you? I'm sorry, I thought I kicked the table leg." Mingxi apologized half-heartedly.
Since she's good at pretending to be stupid, then she'll play along with Li Xiangdong and pretend to be stupid.
Let's see what Li Xiangdong can say.
Li Xiangdong clutched his calf, grimacing but unable to utter a word.
Soon, Dong Chunling returned. As soon as she came back, she saw Li Xiangdong grimacing in pain and immediately went up to him with concern: "Xiangdong, what's wrong? What happened to your leg?"
Li Xiangdong gritted his teeth and said, "N-nothing, I just accidentally bumped my head on the corner of the table."
Dong Chunling: "Oh dear, how could you be so careless? Let me rub it for you."
In front of everyone, the two of them were sticking together like that, and Mingxi rolled her eyes.
After dinner, Mingxi left the state-run restaurant and walked home to the left on her own. Dong Chunling and Li Xiangdong walked to the right. Mingxi deliberately looked back and saw Li Gong'an following behind them as they left.
The only person Mingxi recognized was Officer Li.
There are probably still people she doesn't recognize.
However, this is not within Mingxi's concern.
With the task more than half completed, Mingxi breathed a sigh of relief, went home and slept soundly for a long time. She was full of energy when she went to work the next morning.
Bai Ling came to the Women's Federation to see her during lunch.
Bai Ling came here mainly to report the latest progress to Ming Xi.
“Yesterday we followed Li Xiangdong to the location where their gang was hiding. Based on our people's surveillance, we have a general understanding of the gang's situation. We will carry out the arrest on the day you go to sign the guarantee certificate.”
Mingxi asked curiously, "Weren't they saying this group was particularly cautious? Where are they hiding?"
Since Mingxi wasn't part of the public security system, Bai Ling couldn't go into too much detail.
I can only give a rough outline: "They forged letters of introduction and stayed at a guesthouse."
Police officer Li followed Li Xiangdong all night yesterday and eventually followed him into a guesthouse in the north of the city. While Li Xiangdong went upstairs, Police officer Li quickly went to the front desk to investigate and discovered that Li Xiangdong had registered there under a different name.
Not all guesthouses are so strict in their checks. Some guesthouses don't even check the letter of introduction. The guesthouse where Li Xiangdong stayed was relatively well-managed, but it still couldn't prevent him from being caught.
Li Xiangdong and his group carried forged letters of introduction, claiming they were here on a business trip. They were very generous, and the guesthouse did not suspect anything amiss.
It wasn't until Officer Li came to investigate that the guesthouse receptionist realized there was a problem.
It was only then that Officer Li realized what was going on.
No wonder Li Xiangdong and his gang hadn't been caught before.
It's because they've always lived in guesthouses.
When the police conduct investigations, they usually start by investigating rental properties where there is a mix of people. They tend to be more lenient with places like guesthouses where management is stricter.
In addition, Li Xiangdong and his group checked in on official business, with letters of introduction and a reason, so the investigating officers would usually have to go to the corresponding factory to verify the situation.
So they took advantage of the darkness in front of them and have been hiding until today.
However, all of that is in the past. Now, the Beicheng Public Security Bureau has investigated their whereabouts and quickly determined the situation of this gang.
The fraud gang consisted of seven people, including Li Xiangdong: four men and three women. One man and one woman were clearly the leaders, and the rest of the gang called the man "Big Brother" and the woman "Sister-in-law."
The remaining people were addressed by their first names.
The police dispatched a number of officers to follow the other members of the gang. The investigation revealed that, in addition to Li Xiangdong, the others also had their own targets for fraud.
They all used the same methods: luring the target into a trap by exploiting emotions, and then demanding a handling fee under the pretext that an inheritance had been frozen in a foreign bank.
Fortunately, the police discovered the situation in time, because several people had already been persuaded and were preparing to give money.
Having ascertained the details of the criminal gang, it's time to make the arrests.
That day, Dong Chunling led Mingxi and Li Xiangdong to meet, and the agreed meeting place was a shop facing the street on the pedestrian street.
The shop was almost finished being renovated, but it hadn't opened yet. Li Xiangdong appeared with a woman who looked to be in her thirties and introduced her to Mingxi.
"Comrade Ming, this is my guarantor, Sister Hua. This shop belongs to her."
Following Li Xiangdong's words, the woman called Sister Hua took out her keys from her pocket and opened the shop door.
There were still a few people busy packing things up in the shop. When they saw the group of people come in, they all stood up and greeted Sister Hua. Sister Hua smiled and explained to Mingxi, "Don't be afraid, these are all my shop employees. I hired them to help me with the work."
She said casually, "My business is so good that I can't keep up with the workload without hiring people."
"Comrade Ming, you see?" Li Xiangdong shrugged. "Sister Hua can support such a big store. With Sister Hua's guarantee, you should be able to rest assured and give me the money now, right?"
Mingxi nodded: "Okay, I brought the money. Let's go inside and sign the guarantee, then I'll give you the money."
As she spoke, she swung her bag around.
This was the secret code she had agreed upon with Officer Li and the others.
As Mingxi walked into the store, a team of police officers burst in the next second.
"Everyone squat down and cover your heads, don't move!"
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