I had already arranged a time with Wang Xiaoling, and her call at this time inexplicably made me feel nervous. So I avoided the crowd and found a relatively quiet corner before answering the call.
She asked me, "Are you available to take this call now?"
"I'm still attending weddings; it's a mixed bag of people."
After a moment of contemplation, Wang Xiaoling on the other end of the phone said, "If possible, I hope you can come to the Municipal Bureau immediately... or you can tell me a place and I'll come to you... even if it's just a private conversation, as a friend."
Why the sudden rush?
"An emergency has come up, and it's not convenient to talk about it over the phone. Let's talk when we meet."
"Okay... I'm at Dragon Shrine now, just tell me a place that's nearby."
“If Longkan won’t do, come to Yeyu Road in the ancient city. I have a friend who runs a teahouse here. I’ll treat you to tea.”
"Okay, what's the name of the teahouse?"
"Jiujiu."
...
After ending the call with Wang Xiaoling, I returned to the table and said to Yang Sisi, who was waiting for the wedding banquet, "I have something urgent to attend to and I have to leave right away... After you finish eating, take a walk around. I'll call you when I'm done."
"What's the rush?!...The wedding is about to start, can't we wait a little longer?"
I replied in a very serious tone, "I know we went all the way to Dali just to attend this wedding... but things are really urgent, and I don't have time to explain to you now. I'll contact you by phone later."
Yang Sisi's expression turned ugly. She frowned and said to me, "If you just leave like that... I'll be in a very awkward position!"
"No, there are so many people at the wedding, who will have time to look after us?"
As I spoke, I picked up my coat from the chair and left under Yang Sisi's resentful gaze... On the way, I passed by Ye Zhi's table again, and she looked at me with a puzzled look. After all, I was the only guest who left before the wedding started.
I knew in my heart that what Wang Xiaoling wanted to talk to me about wouldn't be a trivial matter, so I didn't care about that.
...
I hailed a taxi and headed from Longkan towards Yeyu Road in the ancient city. I started looking from the street and finally found the sign for "Jiujiu Teahouse" near the end of the street. The teahouse wasn't on the main street; it was hidden in a small alley, with only the sign hanging on a utility pole on the main street.
It was a very small teahouse, but it had a courtyard with two tea tables. Wang Xiaoling was sitting at one of the tables. To my surprise, she wasn't wearing a police uniform, which symbolizes her on duty; she was dressed in civilian clothes.
Perhaps to avoid suspicion, the teahouse owner closed the door and left after I entered; only Wang Xiaoling and I remained in the courtyard; indeed
Qie said that only the two of us were left in the entire teahouse.
I couldn't disregard Wang Xiaoling's identity, so with a nervous heart, I sat down opposite her. I spoke first, saying, "Just say what's on your mind. I'm mentally prepared. If it's something I can help with, I definitely will."
“Alright, then I’ll get straight to the point… We’re investigating Cao Jinbo… Initially, we contacted you just to find out about how he framed you in his attempt to force you to buy your inn… But things have changed, so we’re eager to get more information from you… You can speak freely, this isn’t a summons, and I won’t be taking your statement… We’re friends now, do you understand what I mean?”
Even though Wang Xiaoling said that, I still felt an overwhelming sense of tension. I even trembled a little. I couldn't describe the feeling besides tension, but it was definitely there...
Is Cao Jinbo, this villain, finally going to be dealt with?
...
Taking a deep breath, I finally spoke to Wang Xiaoling, "Before we talk, I have a question... Are you serious this time, or is it just a routine investigation?... Anyone familiar with Cao Jinbo knows how huge a network of interests he's involved in... Is the higher-ups really determined to take him down?"
Wang Xiaoling met my gaze and replied, "Let me put it this way... This current police chief was transferred from Guizhou and has been in office for less than a month. It's impossible for him to be involved in any shady network of interests... Moreover, you are well aware of the current situation... The country is determined to crack down on organized crime, and no matter how much resistance we face, those who should be punished will be punished... The central inspection team has arrived in the provincial capital and will be here soon to set up an anti-organized crime office... Therefore, we are under a lot of pressure now. For us, this is no longer a simple criminal case, but a political task... We need to give an explanation to the country, an explanation to the people, and, most importantly, an explanation to the victims..."
After a brief pause, Wang Xiaoling continued, "Currently, our bureau is still handling the investigation into Cao Jinbo... but it won't be long before we implement cross-jurisdictional investigations. We want to solidify all of Cao Jinbo's charges before that happens... This would be an achievement for our new bureau chief, and for me..."
I seized on the key point and pressed further, asking, "What does it mean to you?"
Wang Xiaoling's face was somber. After a moment of silence, she spoke to me, "I'll tell you about this later... Time is of the essence right now because once we implement cross-jurisdictional investigation, the police from another city will take over the case... This is a good thing in itself, as it can prevent any cover-ups... However, for us, our previous efforts might be wasted... We urgently need to open an investigation into Cao Jinbo, but we lack relevant evidence... In the past two years, he..."
He's been doing legitimate real estate business, and some evidence has an expiration date, so after his deliberate attempt to clear his name, it's difficult for us to find a starting point..."
“I can understand that. Cao Jinbo is a very cautious person... and during this period, he has been doing legitimate business. It is not easy to collect evidence of those long-standing misdeeds.”
"Yes, but we just received an anonymous tip..."
"Anonymous report?"
"Yes... This report says that he hired someone to commit murder in Thailand two years ago... and the person who went to Thailand on his behalf was his nephew, Cao Xue!"
(End of Chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
