Chapter 7 Video Arcade: Officer Jiang, we'll listen to you!
Everyone was waiting for Jiang Ling to begin mediation.
Jiang Ling turned her gaze to Qian Darong: "Qian Darong, come forward."
When Qian Darong's name was called, his legs went weak.
No matter how domineering he was, he was only fifteen years old and was still somewhat afraid of the police. The reason he had repeatedly failed to correct his ways before was because his parents always smoothed things over, leaving him no chance to reflect on his actions. Now, seeing even his parents suffer in front of Jiang Ling, Qian Darong was naturally apprehensive. He hesitantly walked out from behind his mother and crept to the interrogation table.
Jiang Ling's attitude was very serious.
"Name?"
"age?"
"gender?"
"Education?"
"Family situation?"
...
As a series of questions were asked, coupled with Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang's serious attitude, Qian Darong's voice grew softer and softer until it was barely audible, like a mosquito's buzz.
Jiang Ling asked, "Where do you usually go to play after school?"
Qian Zairong: "..."
Jiang Ling slammed her hand on the table and raised her voice: "Louder!"
With a loud "snap!", Qian Darong's body trembled, and he wished he could shrink his neck into his shoulders: "A video arcade, and a billiards room."
Jiang Ling pressed on, "What movies did you watch in the video arcade?"
Qian Darong's eyes darted around, and he was just about to spout some nonsense when Jiang Ling snorted coldly.
That cold snort made Qian Darong shudder again, and he forced himself to answer: "Hong Kong action movies, police movies, like The Killer and Operation Eagle..."
Jiang Ling: "Which video arcade?"
Li Zhenliang added at just the right moment: "Yes, once we've found out, we'll go investigate and collect evidence."
Qian Darong's face turned deathly pale with fright: "It's...it's the one next to the school. Please, please don't say my name, or Brother Hu will beat me to death."
Having spent a lot of time in video arcades, he knew some of the tricks of the trade. The owner, nicknamed Tiger, was said to have underworld connections and knew many ruthless locals. If Tiger found out that he had led the police there, Tiger might really kill him!
Jiang Ling: "If you don't want us to come to your door, then you'd better honestly tell us which movies you've watched."
Qian Darong was fat and couldn't stand the heat. The cramped environment of the interrogation room made his back soaked with sweat. He was so frightened by the two policemen that he almost lost his mind. His hands and feet were ice cold, and his sweaty clothes became chilly.
Seeing that he couldn't escape, Qian Darong had no choice but to reveal the videos he had recently watched. Just hearing the names made Qian Jianshe want to beat him to death! What were those things, "The Carnal Prayer Mat" and "When the Peach Ripens"? This kid doesn't study properly and spends all his time watching pornographic videos. No wonder he's eyeing Liang Qiqiao.
Jiang Ling: "How long did you stay in the video arcade?"
Qian Darong: "We just play for a bit after school, it doesn't last long."
Jiang Ling glanced at his restless hands: "Lying!"
Qian Darong had no choice but to tell the truth: "It starts at two hours, and sometimes it lasts all night."
Jiang Ling: "No one called me all night?"
Qian Darong lowered his head and looked at his toes, remaining silent.
Jiang Ling: "Why don't you go home?"
Qian Darong raised his hand and scratched his hair, a hint of annoyance flashing in his eyes: "My parents are always arguing, it's so annoying!"
Zhao Yanhong and Qian Jianshe's expressions changed, and they both scolded, "Da Rong, stop talking nonsense!"
Qian Darong raised his head, his eyes growing increasingly hostile: "That's exactly right! One of you is keeping a mistress outside, and the other is playing mahjong all night, what am I supposed to do at home?"
Qian Jianshe felt embarrassed: "What mistress? I was just working overtime."
Zhao Yanhong replied guiltily, "Didn't the nanny cook dinner tonight? You're such a big kid, why are you interfering with my mahjong playing! Can't I have my own hobbies?"
Qian Darong was provoked by Jiang Ling's barrage of questions and lost control of his emotions: "I'm not lying. I know everything! Dad, you're never home, you're having a wild time with that bitch in the finance department; Mom, you're useless, you don't dare to get a divorce, all you do is argue with my dad, and when you can't win, you cry. If someone calls you to play mahjong, you run away as fast as you can, and you don't come home all night. When I get home, the house is cold and empty, there's no one there!"
Qian Jianshe never expected that Zhao Yanhong hadn't taken care of the family while he was away. He was so angry that he cursed, "Zhao Yanhong, you can't even take care of our son. What use are you to me?!"
Zhao Yanhong endured it all, her face turning from red to white, then back to red. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and retorted without backing down: "You shameless thing, you keep a slut on the side and you still have the nerve to blame me? How many times have you ever cared about our son since he was a child?"
The interrogation room immediately became lively again.
The couple's argument carried through the thin wooden door into the corridor, giving the people on duty in the lobby a headache.
After dealing with the robbery case, Wei Changfeng returned to the police station and discovered that the fight between Qian Darong and Liang Jiushan was still not resolved. He frowned. Wasn't this matter just missing a signature? Why wasn't it over yet?
With that thought in mind, Wei Changfeng pushed open the door to the interrogation room.
A pungent, sweaty odor wafted over, and Wei Changfeng looked up at Jiang Ling, who sat upright at the other end of the interrogation table. She was intently watching Qian Jianshe and Zhao Yanhong argue, making no move to stop them.
Wei Changfeng asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"
Seeing Wei Changfeng walk in, Qian Jianshe stood up as if he had seen a savior: "Officer Wei, you've finally arrived. This new recruit under you doesn't know how to mediate at all, and now, the conflict is getting more and more intense."
Wei Changfeng looked at Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling responded slowly: "Only by exposing all conflicts to the public can we truly solve the problems."
Wei Changfeng seemed to be deep in thought.
This was the third time Liang Jiushan had reported the case to the police station. Although the two parties reached a settlement in the first two mediations and Qian Darong signed a guarantee, nothing had really changed, which left Wei Changfeng with a deep sense of powerlessness.
Jiang Ling is willing to take over, and judging from her reaction, she seems to be handling it with ease. So why not give the newcomer a chance to show her skills?
Thinking of this, Wei Changfeng nodded: "Okay, then you continue." After saying that, he closed the door and left without giving Qian Jianshe a second glance.
Qian Jianshe filed a complaint but received no response, which frustrated him, and he sat back down in his chair dejectedly.
Distracted by Wei Changfeng, Zhao Yanhong had no energy to argue anymore. She let out a cold snort and shut her mouth.
Jiang Ling asked, "Are you done arguing?"
Qian Jianshe could only reply, "We're done arguing."
Jiang Ling: "No, keep arguing."
Qian Jianshe looked up in disbelief, staring blankly at Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling said calmly, "You two have argued countless times, haven't you? Have you resolved the issues?"
Zhao Yanhong's eyes reddened: "No."
She had argued with Qian Jianshe countless times about his affair, but nothing had been resolved. Later, Qian Jianshe even escalated his behavior, only returning home on Sundays to spend time with his son.
Jiang Ling said, "Then let's keep arguing here until the problem is solved."
"No, no, no, we won't argue anymore. This is just a small conflict between my husband and me; we can handle it when we get home. Officer Jiang, let's deal with the children's dispute instead." Qian Jianshe was truly afraid of Jiang Ling. This interrogation room was stuffy and hot; if he stayed any longer, he might get heatstroke. How could he be in the mood for arguing anymore?
Jiang Ling sneered: "You think it's a domestic dispute between husband and wife? You're wrong! This is the real reason why Qian Darong keeps causing trouble."
Jiang Ling pointed at Qian Darong: "See? The children you've raised are averse to school, addicted to videos, fond of pornography and violent films, forming cliques at school, bullying classmates for a long time, and verbally abusing female classmates... Every single one of these things is trouble caused by you!"
Qian Jianshe and Zhao Yanhong exchanged a glance, then quickly turned their faces away.
Qian Jianshe forced a smile: "Officer Jiang, no, it's not that serious, is it? My son, Darong, is still just a child. We may have neglected him before. We'll educate him slowly in the future."
Zhao Yanhong, being a mother, felt heartbroken upon hearing her son express his dissatisfaction for the first time. She immediately agreed, "From now on, I won't play mahjong anymore. I'll pick up Darong from school every day." Video arcades are full of all sorts of shady characters; she couldn't let those things ruin her son's life.
Seeing his wife lower her head, Qian Jianshe also felt some regret. After all, Qian Darong was his only son, and he shouldn't have spent all his time with his mistress and neglected his son.
He sighed, "Alright, then I'll go with you to pick up our son."
Jiang Ling said earnestly, "The problem lies at its root. Qian Darong's deviant behavior stems from his family. I hope you will take this seriously to avoid future regrets."
Seeing that Qian Jianshe and Zhao Yanhong were no longer as arrogant as before, Jiang Ling focused her attention on Qian Darong: "If you're wrong, you have to admit it and you have to be punished. Can you report to the community committee every weekend and participate in two hours of community service?"
"Yes." Even his parents had given in, so how could Qian Darong dare to say no?
Jiang Ling: "Liang Jiushan suffered minor injuries. You will pay for his medical expenses. Do you agree?"
Qian Jianshe nodded vigorously: "Agreed, agreed. I'll take him to the factory hospital for treatment right away, and I'll cover all the expenses."
Jiang Ling: "We'll communicate with the school later and ask the teachers to organize a monitoring group to supervise Qian Darong's behavior. If anything seems amiss, we'll immediately report it to the school and the police station. Additionally, we'll conduct regular visits to the school. If we find Qian Darong bullying Liang Jiushan or speaking rudely to Liang Qiqiao, then..."
Before Jiang Ling could finish speaking, Qian Jianshe repeatedly assured him, "No, no. If Da Rong makes another mistake, I will immediately transfer him to a boarding school. I guarantee it won't affect Liang Jiushan and Liang Qiqiao's studies and lives."
Now that the topic has come to this, Jiang Ling looked at Liang Qiqiao and Liang Jiushan, her tone gentle: "Do you think this mediation is acceptable?"
Tears welled in Liang Qiqiao's eyes, but a smile played on her lips: "It's possible."
Liang Jiushan's eyes shone like stars: "Officer Jiang, we'll listen to you!"
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