Chapter 23 Suspension
On the way back, Ji Feng immediately called Jiang Bo and reported in detail the intelligence regarding Lan Renxuan's possible involvement with the gun. Jiang Bo was also quite shocked and immediately reported the matter to the bureau's leadership. The bureau's leadership then instructed Ji Feng to contact the Yishijiang police as soon as possible and launch a full-scale investigation into Lan Renxuan.
Han Tieyan's confession offered a glimmer of hope, like a glimmer of light in a thick fog, piercing the thick fog before him, even though these clues might not be directly related to Shen Zhaoran's case. Ji Feng acted decisively. On the one hand, he arranged for Xin Xiao to contact the Yishijiang police, requesting assistance in locating Lan Renxuan's whereabouts. On the other hand, while requesting the cooperation of the local telecommunications company in retrieving the Lan family's call records, he also reported to Jiang Bo his theory that the Lan father and daughter might know Lan's hiding place, hoping to obtain permission to summon the Lan family.
However, what Ji Feng hadn't anticipated was that, even with the gun involved, Jiang Bo remained steadfast in his usual caution, doggedly adhering to the principle of "evidence first." In the absence of definitive evidence, he firmly refused to take coercive measures against the Lan family, even refusing to even suggest a routine interrogation. Perhaps unwilling to dampen Ji Feng's enthusiasm, he reluctantly agreed to another interrogation of Lan Ruojin, repeatedly urging him to be careful with his wording and avoid provoking the other party.
After several previous failures, Ji Feng had already had certain expectations for this result, and of course, he felt helpless.
Meanwhile, the Yishijiang police launched a comprehensive search, but the reports they received were disappointing. As time passed, the case seemed to stagnate, each step becoming increasingly difficult. Ji Feng could only pin his hopes on the upcoming re-interrogation of Lan Ruojin.
When Lan Ruojin's cold and distant voice came from the other end of the phone, Ji Feng once again felt the resistance like the repulsion of like poles of magnets - still the feeling of being as cold as ice and keeping people at a distance.
Ji Feng even felt a little inferior, but his strong psychological quality and more than half a year of tempering told him that he should not be suppressed by her arrogance. The more she acted like this, the more it showed that there might be something wrong with her. She knew there was a tiger in the mountain, but she still went there!
At dusk, accompanied by the profound fragrance of ambergris and agarwood, Lan Ruojin arrived as promised. The intoxicating scent made one afraid to take a deep breath, as if taking another breath would be an act of treason. Even the wind, self-consciously circumventing, dared only to hold its breath and escort this wisp of extravagance. She stood before Jifeng, still cold and elegant, exuding an air of nobility that even time would bow and make way for.
Ji Feng adjusted his mentality and said, "Ms. Lan, we meet again." He sat on the chair, his eyes sharp, his tone low and firm, and every word revealed an unquestionable sense of oppression.
"Captain Ji, I believe you must have some evidence this time?" Lan Ruojin was not polite. He pulled a chair and sat opposite Ji Feng, his aura not inferior at all.
"First, let me explain that this time, just like last time, you are being questioned. Assisting the public security authorities in solving the case is the duty of every citizen. I hope you are clear on this point."
"Of course." Compared with the previous times, Lan Ruojin was obviously disdainful and dissatisfied.
"Where is Lan Renxuan?" Ji Feng went straight to the point.
"I don't know." Lan Ruojin answered calmly and decisively, seemingly without any fear.
"According to the public security organs' investigation and case handling procedures, we have conducted an in-depth investigation and have grasped the relevant circumstances."
Ji Feng paused, glancing at Lan Ruojin from the corner of his eye. He saw the same expression of indifference. He continued, "According to the Police Law of the People's Republic of China, citizens have an obligation to cooperate with public security organs in their investigations. Even if a person has not committed any illegal acts, they may not refuse the police's lawful requests on this ground. Therefore, if you have any information that we are not aware of, please be sure to disclose it truthfully to the public security organs."
"What happened to my brother? Did he commit a crime?" She smiled slightly, her tone soft yet frivolous.
"It is still unclear whether he has committed a crime, but he is suspected of it."
"What crime is he suspected of? Murder or arson?"
"This still needs to be investigated."
"Captain Ji, let me remind you that our Lan family is a law-abiding citizen. If unfavorable news about our Lan family gets out from the outside world and affects our normal operations, can you bear the responsibility?"
"First of all, we are following the rules and there is no violation. Secondly, we will not disclose any information about the case or the parties involved to the public until the facts of the case are clear. Please rest assured." Ji Feng also came prepared and was neither humble nor arrogant.
"You have repeatedly interfered with our normal operations and illegally monitored us. Don't think I don't know!" Lan Ruojin said angrily.
"Ms. Lan, let me repeat again, we have not violated any rules." Ji Feng was secretly shocked. She actually knew that we were monitoring them.
"Captain Ji, you called me here today just to tell me this? I told you last time that I'm very busy. Unless you have solid evidence, please don't harass us easily."
"Ms. Lan, I think you may not be familiar with the case handling process. If we have solid evidence, then we don't need your cooperation. Accordingly, it's not an interrogation."
"Captain Ji, may I ask, which case is your inquiry based on?"
"At least it's the case of Shen Zhaoran's murder."
"Captain Ji, did I hear you correctly? You don't suspect that my husband's murder is related to my brother? That's nonsense!" Lan Ruojin became more and more agitated.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Lan. Please calm down. Throughout history, criminal cases have been bizarre and all kinds of situations can happen." Ji Feng was also a little impatient.
"Unbelievable! This is nonsense!" Lan Ruojin said angrily.
"Ms. Lan, let me remind you that this is the Criminal Investigation Team. Please control your emotions."
"What's wrong with the Criminal Police Team? Can the Criminal Police Team slander us without any evidence? You are breaking the law while enforcing it. I'm going to sue you!" The conversation between the two began to become tense.
"Who said I have no evidence!" Ji Feng was already furious because he didn't get Jiang Bo's support, and Lan Ruojin's attitude made him even more angry.
"Produce the evidence!" Lan Ruojin's shouting almost swallowed Ji Feng.
"Your brother is involved in organized crime and suspected of murder!" Ji Feng's emotions were somewhat out of control.
"Lan Ruojin!" Gu Xiaozheng, who was standing next to him, couldn't stand it any longer and shouted angrily. Because it was already time to get off work, he and Ji Feng were the only ones in the office.
"Who are you? Who do you think you are? How dare you call me by my name?"
Gu Xiaozheng's shouting calmed Ji Feng down a bit. Reason told him that continuing the argument wouldn't achieve the desired outcome and would only infuriate the Lan family and make matters worse. With this in mind, he gestured his palm downwards to Gu Xiaozheng, signaling him to calm down.
"Ms. Lan, let's calm down. We asked you to come here to solve the problem, not to quarrel."
"I can't calm down!" Lan Ruojin continued to shout at Ji Feng.
"Xiao Zheng, pour Ms. Lan a glass of water." He winked at Gu Xiaozheng.
"I'm telling you, Captain Ji, it's too late. I'm going to sue you."
"Haha, then I want to ask you what you are suing me for?" Ji Feng's laughter to ease the atmosphere sounded more like a mockery to Lan Ruojin.
"I'm accusing you of breaking the law while enforcing it and suspecting people without any evidence." Lan Ruojin's eyes widened.
"Am I making random suspicions? My first question to you was where is Lan Renxuan? It's a normal inquiry, but you haven't given me a convincing answer yet." Ji Feng tried to slow down his speech and lower his voice.
"Convincing? Then let me ask, how can I answer you to convince you?" Lan Ruojin said coldly. Clearly, Jifeng's cooling measures hadn't worked.
"Your own brother has been away from home for such a long time, and you actually said you didn't know where he was? Is that a convincing answer?"
"Alright, you're still following my brother. I'll settle this score with you sooner or later!"
"Please answer the question directly."
"My brother is an adult. Does he have to tell me where he's going? What a joke."
"I remind you again, please answer the questions directly."
Lan Ruojin hesitated for a moment, looked out the window and said, "I've told your colleagues before, and I'll say it again."
"What?"
"I'm going to the countryside to collect antiques. Please remember not to ask the same questions again."
"Where exactly?"
"have no idea."
"Ms. Lan, I'd also like to remind you that your answers today are all on file. You will be held legally responsible for not reporting the situation. If you know something and don't report it, you could be suspected of harboring someone in serious circumstances. You'd better think it over carefully before you speak."
"Captain Ji, if I remember correctly, you said this was an inquiry, right? If it's an inquiry, then there's no coercion, and I have personal freedom, right?"
"Yes, but at the same time, citizens also have the obligation to cooperate with public security organs in law enforcement." Ji Feng understood that Lan Ruojin wanted to leave forcibly.
"Captain Ji, not only did you record it, I also wrote down what you said today. Can I go now?"
"Please sign the interrogation record." Although Ji Feng felt helpless, he was unwilling to lose in momentum.
Lan Ruojin signed the document unhappily, turned around and walked out the door, saying as he walked, "Captain Ji, there's going to be something interesting to watch next." With a bang, he slammed the door and left.
"Captain, this woman is too arrogant." Gu Xiaozheng said angrily.
"Let's see how long she can be so arrogant!" When he said this, he felt a little insecure.
What was to come would eventually come, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon. Before Ji Feng even got home, he received a call from Jiang Bo, and he had already made full mental preparations.
"Ji Feng, what on earth are you going to do?" Jiang Bo had obviously lost his composure. This was the first time in Ji Feng's memory that Jiang Bo had lost his composure like this.
"Captain Jiang, I was just asking questions normally, but she refused to cooperate."
"You... Jifeng, why don't you learn your lesson!"
"Captain Jiang, you'll understand clearly tomorrow when you read the interrogation record. She deliberately refused to cooperate with the questioning."
"Even so, how can we clean up this mess now? You've caused me so much trouble, and the director has criticized me harshly again."
"Captain Jiang, I will bear all the consequences alone..."
"Can you afford it?" Jiang Bo interrupted Ji Feng's explanation.
"Captain Jiang, I don't think I did anything wrong. I was just performing my duties normally."
"Performing duties normally? Let me ask you, did I remind you not to provoke the Lan family? Have you forgotten?"
"Do you know what Lan Xiting said to the mayor? He made up stories out of nothing, had a bad attitude, and violated the law!"
"They also said our city's business environment is poor. Their company wants to cancel all its branches in Lan Valley and move to another province. Do you know how much tax revenue this will lose?"
"You said you were responsible, but can you bear it?"
"Jifeng, I have no choice. The director scolded me and asked me to come up with a solution as soon as I get to work tomorrow. I can't protect you. Sigh—"
Jiang Bo didn't give Ji Feng a chance to explain and bombarded him with questions.
Jifeng listened quietly, and Jiangbo's voice also calmed down. He said slowly:
"You've been in Lan Valley for over half a year. I've been quite supportive of you, haven't I? I haven't said a word about you not dressing according to regulations, not paying attention to your image as a police officer, being eccentric and showing off your personality. Of course, you're diligent at work, but that's no reason for you to do whatever you want!"
"The mayor slammed the table with the director and ordered him to suspend you first. You must come up with further suggestions for handling the matter tomorrow. Jifeng, you should be more careful." Jiang Bo said in a tone of disappointment.
"Captain Jiang, I'm so sorry. I haven't even dealt with the trouble I caused you before, and now I'm causing you new trouble. You don't have to protect me. Just handle it however you want. I'll accept it. Just don't suspend me. I want to get to the bottom of this."
"Captain Ji, it's already this time and you're still bargaining. Do I have the final say? It was the mayor who asked for your suspension first and then pending further action." Jiang Bo said in a stern tone.
"I can accept punishment, demotion, even dismissal, and bonus deductions. I can accept anything, but I won't let Lan Renxuan go unpunished."
"Stop talking. I've made it very clear. My words don't count. Do you understand?"
"Also, you will come to the team tomorrow morning and hand over your ID, gun, and police equipment to me. Don't come to work yet. Stay home and wait for processing."
Ji Feng's hands were trembling slightly, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions. He felt suffocated, unwilling, wronged... all kinds of emotions intertwined together, turning into an indescribable grief and indignation.
The night was deep and silent. Jifeng sat alone in the dim light, his shadow stretched out long, as if reflecting his inner loneliness. He closed his eyes and tried to calm the waves in his heart.
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