Urban Crisis [Complete] - 20

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-24

Chapter Fifty-Two: A Stunning Woman with a Hidden Dagger, a True Man's Exhilarating Experience.

Jiang Dabing, suddenly struck by the loss of his daughter, found his already weakened body, suffering from multiple age-related ailments, unable to withstand the strain and
was hospitalized.

Four days after the fire, he summoned Tao Tieliang to the hospital.

Tao Tieliang had been hospitalized the night of the fire but was discharged the next day at Jiang Dabing's behest, responsible for cleaning up the fire scene
and working with the fire department to investigate the cause of the fire.

In the hospital's reception room, Jiang Dabing ordered his secretary and guards to leave, ensuring that no one was allowed to enter.
Only Jiang Dabing and Tao Tieliang remained in the room.

"Director, please accept my condolences and take care of yourself."

Jiang Dabing waved his hand impatiently and said,

"It's just the two of us here, so let's skip the formalities. Tieliang, you know how much I value you
. I've been observing who should succeed me for a long time. The three current deputy directors each have their own problems and
backgrounds, and they're not very reliable. Your education is higher than theirs, and your work performance is more outstanding, so you should be a strong contender
. I've decided to recommend you as one of the candidates for director. But my efforts alone won't be enough;
I'm afraid I'll need to speak to someone higher up or the municipal party committee."

"Thank you, Director," Tao Tieliang stood up straight from the sofa. "If this succeeds,
I will certainly live up to your expectations, and you will still be in charge of things in the bureau. Even if it doesn't, I will remain
loyal ."

"Sit down, sit down. I trust you. You risked your life to rush into the fire to save Yuexiu; no one else
could have done that . Yuexiu died; it was her fate. But your heroic actions have made me very happy.
Did you find any problems during the cleanup?"

"Director..." Tao Tieliang hesitated.

"Speak the truth. People in business are bound to have some flaws. Go ahead and tell me."

"Director, it is indeed a bit troublesome. You asked me to go to the site the next day to be in charge of the cleanup, and I already knew what to do.
The fire scene cleanup was entirely handled by me and a
few only cleaned the perimeter. As it turned out, a real problem arose. Nothing was found in Yuexiu's safe;
it was empty. This puzzled me. From the scene, it seemed that Yuexiu was trying to take something from the safe when she was
hit by a heavy object falling from her neck and burned to death. But I carefully checked the safe and its surroundings and
found nothing. This has been puzzling me. Most of the accounts and company documents were burned, so perhaps that cleaned things up.
A large safe was found in a warehouse on the second floor; it wasn't burned. I had it opened and found
US dollars in hundred-dollar denominations, totaling about seven or eight hundred thousand. Nothing else."

Jiang Dabing's face turned ashen, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Director, should we call a doctor?"

"Calm down," Jiang Dabing wiped his sweat with a tissue. "The most important thing right now is to stay calm. It's normal for Yuexiu to
have US dollars to import various electrical appliances. Never mind that, where are the items stored?
Have ?"

"Director, even if I were healthy, I wouldn't register these things. I've controlled
the smallest possible I absolutely won't leak any information. The items have been moved to an absolutely safe
place. You can rest assured."

Jiang Dabing said "Oh," and picked up a Zhonghua brand cigarette. Tao Tieliang quickly lit it for him with a lighter.

"Good, you handled it quite well. Your analysis just now made sense; Yue Xiumu would delay her escape by trying to open an
empty safe. Investigate discreetly who
touched Yue Xiu's safe before and after the fire. Perhaps someone took advantage of the chaos and stole something important. But don't
investigate openly, because neither you nor I know what was originally inside the safe. Those in the import business inevitably engage in
some underhanded dealings; it wouldn't look good if word got out."

Jiang Dabing frowned, coughed a few times, and continued,

"Tieliang, you understand without me saying it. Our Public Security Bureau absolutely cannot have a chain reaction like the Municipal Party Committee. When
Jiao Dongfang and He Qizhang had problems, the fire ultimately burned Secretary Jiao to a crisp. Do you understand?"

"If I didn't understand this, wouldn't all these years of following you have been for nothing?"

“Yuexiu mentioned it to me a few days ago, and you reported it to me as well. Chen Hu set a trap for Yuexiu, using
the pretext of exchanging US dollars, seemingly to investigate any connection between Yuexiu and the counterfeit dollars. Now it seems this matter is not simple.
Chen Hu seems to have his eye on Yuexiu. Do you think Chen Hu has any leverage over Yuexiu?”

“No, not really. I don’t think Chen Hu has anything. He’s just following the trail. He also knows some
things about . Chen Hu thinks that Yuexiu, being He Kedai’s fiancée, should also know some clues, which is why he
contacted Yuexiu through me. Chen Hu is after the counterfeit dollars, not Yuexiu; I’m sure of that.”

“Did Chen Hu mention anything else to you?”

“Sigh, he asked me if I had heard of someone named Wang Zhongwang in the cases handled by the Municipal Bureau. He said
Wang Zhongwang was a nickname. I said I had never heard of such a person.”

Cold sweat beaded on Jiang Dabing’s forehead again.

“Where did Chen Hu hear the name Wang Zhongwang from?”

He seemed to be saying he heard it from He Kedai. " By the way, he said it was Wang Zhongwang that He Kedai heard about from Yuexiu.
I guess that's why Chen Hu is interested in Yuexiu.

Director, have you ever heard of Wang Zhongwang?"

Jiang Dabing paused, then waved his hand and said, "Chen Hu is talking

nonsense

. If he really heard what He Kedai said, then He Kedai is also talking nonsense. Yuexiu
has no idea about Wang Zhongwang. Chen Hu is out of his mind. Don't pay attention to his nonsense. Tieliang, you
still need to clean up the fire scene. You need to investigate the cause of the fire from a criminal investigation perspective."

"I understand. I will organize another cleanup of the fire scene, leaving no blind spots."

"Hmm, very good, go ahead. I believe you can do it perfectly."

Tao Tieliang walked to the door, but was stopped by Jiang Dabing.

"Tieliang, Chen Hu arrived at the scene with you on the night of the fire, and he was the one who rescued you.
Could he have found something in Yuexiu's office? Taken something?"

"Well, it's hard to say." I was hit on the head and injured while rescuing Yuexiu, and I was unconscious for a while.
I don't know what happened during that time. Should I ask Chen Hu?

Jiang Dabing waved his hand.

"Come back, sit for a while longer. I was worried about you getting into trouble."

Tao Tieliang sat down on the sofa, gazing intently and listening.

"I know you and Chen Hu are old classmates and friends. What will you do if he doesn't cooperate with you on Yuexiu's matter
? Will you side with Chen Hu or with me?"

"I don't need to think about that. Everyone has their own interests, so of course I'll side with you."

"What if you offend Chen Hu and damage your old friendship for Yuexiu's sake?"

"I don't need to think about that either. If Chen Hu targets Yuexiu, he's targeting you. I can't just watch him
ruin Yuexiu."

Tao Tieliang's unwavering and sincere declaration pleased Jiang Dabing.

"Then I'm relieved. Tieliang, you must cherish and make good use of your friendship with Chen Hu. Even if
something , don't confront him directly; just be wary. Chen Hu's problem is that he's arrogant and doesn't know his own limitations
; he'll make a big mistake sooner or later. Okay, everything's fine now. Report to me immediately if anything happens. Chen Hu is rough on the outside but shrewd
on the inside; you must be strategic in dealing with him."

"Director, just remember one thing: I am utterly loyal to you, and I would die for a true friend."

"Good, Tieliang, I didn't misjudge you. I will arrange your future."

Tao Tieliang conducted three consecutive searches of the fire scene at the Forget-Me-Not Appliances Mall, but found no further clues or evidence detrimental to
Jiang Yuexiu .

During the investigation, he learned that Jiang Yuexiu escaped the fire in time. After running out of the appliance mall
, she suddenly shouted "Oh no!" and rushed back into the mall, returning to her office. This convinced
Tao Tieliang that Jiang Yuexiu had deliberately returned to her office to retrieve something from the safe, which was why the safe door was
open. Just then, she was struck by a falling object from the roof, lost consciousness, and eventually burned to death in the fire.

Jiang Yuexiu's risking her life to rush back into the fire showed that she fully understood that the contents of the safe were also crucial to
her life.

Tao Tieliang shuddered at this thought. What exactly was in the safe that caused Yuexiu to suffer such a
tragic fate? Who stole it, and when?

Tao Tieliang secretly rejoiced. The fire had increased Director Jiang's trust in him, paving
the way for a promotion.

As long as Yuexiu's reputation remained intact and Director Jiang was not implicated, he could quickly
reach the bureau-level rank and be on par with Chen Hu.

Chen Hu's promotion had always left him with a sour taste in his mouth. He

hadn't expected the fire to be so helpful.

He thought it over and over; the fire at the Forget-Me-Not Appliances Mall was an accident, and Jiang Yuexiu was dead;
she wouldn't be held responsible. As a businesswoman, Yuexiu possessing a batch of US dollars wasn't a big deal; at most,
it was a violation of foreign exchange control regulations, and besides, no one knew about it. If anything went wrong, it would be Chen Hu.

But Chen Hu hadn't called for days. Had he not noticed anything at the fire scene?

Tao Tieliang picked up the phone and dialed Chen Hu's office. He consciously made his voice a little rougher and said
,

"Is Director Chen there?"

"Stop playing games with me. What's up?"

"You recognized me?"

"Just like you recognized me. We're practically family."

"Last time the fire destroyed our meal, so we didn't eat well. Let's have another one, just you and me this time. You carried me out of the fire
, so I have to show you some appreciation."

"Tieliang, forget it. I don't have time;

I'm swamped." "Let me tell you, Chen Hu, don't put on airs. Six o'clock tonight, the same restaurant, see
you there ."

Tao Tieliang hung up the phone. Chen Hu is an impatient man. If he finds any clues at the scene, even if I
don't contact him, he'll come looking for me. I can't even get him to come out now, so he probably hasn't found anything.

Meanwhile, Chen Hu has been investigating the counterfeit dollars and suspects some kind of "King of Kings." If he's the one who
secretly took something from Yuexiu's safe, it'll be a real problem.

This kid has the time to commit the crime. I can't let the bureau-level position I'm about to get ruined by him; I have to deal with
him seriously.

At six o'clock that evening, Tao Tieliang arrived at the restaurant on time, but Chen Hu was nowhere to be seen. His pager went off, displaying a line of
Chinese characters: Too busy to go, sorry, Chen Hu.

Chen Hu hung up the phone and said to Zhou Senlin, who was sitting on the sofa,

"Tonight's been dealt with. But Tie Liang will still contact me. I wonder if he's really here for dinner,
or if he has something else to say?"

Zhou Senlin sneered,

"Chen Hu, you're holding a hot potato in both hands. Eating it is too hot; holding it is too hot to handle;
letting go is impossible. This dollar printing plate has become a thorn in our side."

After much deliberation, Chen Hu finally reported the discovery of the dollar printing plate in Jiang Yuexiu's safe to Zhou
Senlin . This was the third time the two of them had discussed this thorny problem together.

"Director Zhou, have you reported the matter of the US dollar printing plates to Secretary Fang?"

"No, let's wait a bit longer. It's not too late to report when we have more concrete evidence. This morning, Secretary Fang
convened a meeting with the top two leaders of the Public Security Bureau, the Procuratorate, the Fire Department, and the Court to exchange information. Director Jiang
also attended despite being ill. At
the meeting, Secretary Fang inquired about the fire at the Forget-Me-Not Appliances Mall, instructing that the cause be investigated and a city-wide fire safety inspection be conducted to prevent future fires. After the meeting, Secretary Fang told Director Jiang that the Municipal Party Committee
had approved Tao Tieliang's appointment as Deputy Director of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and the official document would be issued soon. Director Jiang said that was great; with Yuexiu's
death, he was mentally and physically overwhelmed. Judging from these signs, the Public Security Bureau hasn't yet reported the discovery of the US dollar printing plates in
Jiang Yuexiu's safe. So, let's not rush things; let's wait and see."

Chen Hu scratched his scar and said,

"What if they didn't find the other printing plate in the safe? What if the fire
melted ?"

"I've thought about this too, and I think it's unlikely that the dollar printing plates would have melted without leaving a trace
. You said the dollar printing plates were in a safe?"

"I saw it very clearly; the shape and size are basically the same as the printing plates I took."

"Since the printing plates were in a safe, protected by the safe, it's possible they were deformed by the fire, but
the possibility of them completely melting can be basically ruled out. I heard that Tao Tieliang and his men searched the fire scene
three or four times; they wouldn't have missed the safe, and of course, they wouldn't have missed the dollar printing plates. If they found them but didn't..."
" If there's a report, then there's a lot to it. Of course, there's another possibility: someone, like you, took advantage of the chaos
to steal the dollar printing plate from the safe, which is why Tao Tieliang didn't notice it."

"Who could have taken that dollar printing plate?"

"Theoretically, anyone who entered the fire scene could have done it. Tao Tieliang was knocked unconscious, and you
rescued him, so he couldn't have taken the printing plate. That night, firefighters, mall employees, volunteers, and possibly looters all entered the fire
scene
. So, the investigation is extremely difficult."

Chen Hu thought for a moment and said,

"Director Zhou, could it be someone connected to Jiang Yuexiu, such as someone who knew about the dollar printing plate, or even
someone from a criminal gang, who took advantage of the chaos to steal it?"

"That's also very likely. The Forget-Me-Not Appliance Mall is such a large operation; it's not necessarily Jiang Yuexiu
's sole business. There might be other shareholders. You should check with the Industry and Commerce Bureau." "If there are other shareholders, they should be able
to provide some clues. Whether the investigation into the US dollar printing plates should be handled by the Public Security Bureau or the Procuratorate
is up to Secretary Fang to decide. We shouldn't bring it up ourselves. It looks like a criminal case, and it's more appropriate for the Public Security Bureau
to handle it . If we intervene too early, it would be considered overstepping our authority. Alas, in today's society,
the phenomenon of power struggles and self-serving behavior among government departments is very common, making it difficult to coordinate interests. This trend has also spread to the public security, procuratorial, and judicial systems,
with each side blocking information and only wanting to curry favor with their superiors, afraid that others will beat them to it. In the end,
the criminals ; they escape while we're bickering."

Chen Hu stood up.

"Director Zhou, this really is a bit like in the movies, where the Kuomintang's Military Intelligence Bureau and Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics clashed, giving us
Communists an opening. Hehe."

"Stop talking nonsense. The nature of this is different. The Kuomintang was fighting factions, it was dogs biting dogs."

"Yes, yes. I was wrong. They were dogs biting dogs, we were chickens fighting chickens, the nature is different."

Chen Hu's humor did little to ease Zhou Senlin's tension. He said in a heavy tone, "

This is a hot potato. If we don't report the issue of the US dollar printing plates to our superiors for too long, we'll be committing
the error of concealing evidence. But if we report it, I'm worried the procuratorate and the police will clash, resulting in a lose-lose situation. I'm truly
in a dilemma ! Look at the fire you've been trying to put out—it's only getting bigger. If things go wrong, it won't be putting out a fire, it'll be playing with fire
!" Chen Hu

walked through the gates of Taiyang Insurance Company. He was greeted by Yang Yang, the company's deputy general manager, and
led to a luxurious VIP reception room.

Since becoming deputy director, Chen Hu had found his investigations increasingly inconvenient. The receiving unit was
always by its top two leaders, wasting much time on meaningless small talk. When he was a section chief, things
were much simpler; he could directly contact whoever he needed to, and the conversation could get straight to the point.

Yang Yang had his secretary serve cigarettes, tea, fruit, and souvenirs. This annoyed Chen Hu, and he couldn't help but
say,

"Mr. Yang, I don't have much time, and you're busy too, so I won't trouble you to accompany me. Could you please have Section
Chief Huang, who's in charge of claims, come over? I called him before I came and told him the purpose of my visit."

"Yes, yes," Yang Yang replied warmly, peeling an orange and handing it to Chen Hu. "Section Chief Huang said you were
coming. It's only right that we welcome Director Chen. Please
look after Huang is on his way." " Please, please have some tangerines. These are genuine Zhangzhou tangerines. I've already instructed the secretariat
to put two baskets in your car."

Chen Hu couldn't afford to get angry; the investigation required the other party's cooperation, and a strained relationship would be difficult to handle. He couldn't help but recall
the old saying, "Officials don't punish those who give gifts," which held some truth. In many situations, it was difficult to refuse gifts, especially
given the current trend of gift-giving among government agencies and enterprises. He had heard that a nationally designated poverty-stricken county in Northwest China had even established
a gift-giving office, headed by a deputy county secretary, and that gifts worth 960,000
RMB were given out annually!

Chen Hu told the investigator he had brought,

"Go to the secretariat in a bit and pay for the two baskets of tangerines. I'll cover the cost."

Yang Yang hurriedly waved his hand and said,

"Director Chen, you're being too polite. The tangerines were also a gift from another unit. If you pay, we
can't record it. Let's just forget about it this time, and don't do it again." Section Chief Huang

entered, carrying case files. He was in his early twenties, looking like a recent college graduate.

Yang Yang stood up, smiling, and said,

"Director Chen, you two talk. I'll take my leave now; I have other guests to attend to. Xiao Huang, you stay with Director Chen.
Goodbye , goodbye."

After Yang Ze left with a smile, Chen Hu cut to the chase:

"We want to investigate who filed a claim regarding the fire at the Forget-Me-Not Appliances Mall?"

Section Chief Huang took three forms from the case files and handed them to Chen Hu.

"The day after the fire, Wu Aikun, the chairman of the Forget-Me-Not Appliances Mall, came to our company and made
a claim for compensation. These are the forms she filled out."

"How long has the Forget-Me-Not Appliances Mall been insured with your company?"

"Less than six months. This time, our company is afraid of suffering heavy losses."

"Are you prepared to compensate?"

"We've inspected the site twice and will go again. If it was indeed an accidental fire, we will definitely compensate
."

"Is this Wu Aikun the chairman?"

"Ms. Wu is the chairman." "Jiang Yuexiu is the general manager."

"Could I take a copy of these forms with me?"

Section Chief Huang said with a troubled expression,

"We're in the verification stage, and to protect our client's confidentiality, taking copies isn't appropriate. You don't have any formal indictment
procedures; it's just a general inquiry. I'm sorry, it's not feasible."

"Okay, can I just click on the relevant information?"

"Alright. But please don't formally cite these figures. If it gets out, it will damage the reputation of our insurance company."

"Thank you." Chen Hu handed the forms to the investigator who came with him. "You copy this."

After copying, Chen Hu got up to leave.

"Thank you for your cooperation." Section

Chief Huang escorted him to the insurance company's parking lot. Chen Hu saw two large baskets of tangerines next to the car.

Chen Hu said apologetically,

"I'm sorry, Section Chief Huang. Please tell General Manager Yang that we have disciplinary constraints and really cannot accept them. Here,
let me carry them to the steps for you."

Chen Hu carried two baskets of tangerines to the steps of the building entrance and drove away.

"We're going to Meilu Garden. We'll talk to Wu Aikun."

Meilu Garden was an upscale community by an artificial lake. The Cherokee stopped in front of the community's stone archway. Chen Hu explained
the visitor's name, and the security guard made an internal call. Afterward, he said,

"Please register, including your license plate number."

After Chen Hu registered, the security guard let him through. The Cherokee drove slowly along the community's access road. All around were rows of
villas, some detached, some semi-detached. He had entered similar upscale communities more than once.

He couldn't understand whether the people living there were more upscale, or the villas themselves. Although people's
living standards had improved significantly since the reform and opening up, it was still far from the point where everyone could afford upscale housing with their legal income. He
discovered from the statistics of public complaints that cases of abuse of power in real estate were on the rise.

Developers acquire the land use rights of state-owned land at low prices, then give the completed houses to government
officials at low prices (or
even for free) as a reward; the relevant departments in charge of water, electricity, postal services, and public security forcibly demand the houses from the developers, threatening to cut off water, electricity, and postal services, and refuse to appoint local police officers if they are not given the houses; some people even use home purchases as
a means … Isn't it a huge irony that such a community is called a high-end community?

Lost in thought, Chen Hu stopped his Cherokee in front of a pink detached villa. Chen Hu thought that questioning a citizen with no
criminal suspicion seemed too serious. He told his assistant, “Don’t go up, don’t
frighten Ms. Wu. Stay in the car and wait for me.”

Chen Hu got out of the car, walked to the front door of the villa, and pressed the intercom.

“Ms. Wu, this is Chen Hu.”

“Please come in, please rest in the living room, I’ll be right down.”

The door opened automatically.

It was a sunny living room, nearly 100 square meters, large enough to host a dance party. What touched Chen Hu most was
the purple forget-me-nots in the vase, reminding him of the bouquet of forget-me-nots at He Qizhang’s tombstone.

Chen Hu sat on the sofa near the French windows. Ten minutes later, footsteps echoed down the wooden stairs.

He stood up; the young woman before him was Wu Aikun. He was secretly amazed. This
woman, dressed in a faded old military uniform and without makeup, radiated a stunning beauty in her simplicity. Simplicity and
nobility , innocence and maturity—many seemingly incompatible qualities
flowed so harmoniously and naturally in her every gesture.

"I'm sorry to bother you. My name is Chen Hu."

"Wu Aikun. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Please sit down, Inspector Chen." Chen

Hu was surprised again. How could Wu Aikun be so familiar with the internal titles of the procuratorate? In the procuratorate,
adding "section" or "bureau" after the surname is a simplified form of respect; adding "prosecutor" after the surname is the simplified, common
form . This form of address is used by everyone from the Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme People's Procuratorate to recent college graduates.
However, outsiders neither know nor use this form of address.

After sitting down on the sofa, Wu Aikun placed his hands on her knees, bowed slightly, and said,

"Prosecutor Chen, what can I do for you?" "

A few simple questions. This isn't an investigation, just a request for your assistance. You have the right not to answer."

"No, I'm willing to assist. Please speak."

"Thank you. Are you the chairman of Forget-Me-Not Electrical Appliances Mall?" "

Yes,

Miss Wu really likes forget-me-nots, so she named the mall after them, right?"

"A more novel name for the mall can attract customers' attention. Actually, forget-me-nots aren't particularly vibrant
or eye-catching, and not many people like them. What I like is precisely their unassuming nature. They're also
very resilient; even after blooming into a thousand flowers, they retain their original shape and form. The passage of time seems to have no effect on them."

"Miss Wu has excellent taste in flowers. My question is, where were you when the mall caught fire?"

"I was in Hong Kong. I received the call about the fire and returned the next day at noon."

"You were in Hong Kong?"

"You don't look like it, do you? I've lived in Hong Kong for ten years; I'm a permanent resident."

Chen Hu couldn't reconcile his old military uniform with that of a Miss Hong Kong.

Wu Aikun smiled slightly.

"You think my military uniform is strange, don't you? Girls on the mainland don't wear it anymore, so why are Hong Kong
women wearing it?"

"I'm sorry, it is a little strange."

"Not strange at all. I joined the army when I was nine, as an acrobat and dancer in the military's cultural troupe. Whenever
I come back , I always wear my old uniform; I like worn-out uniforms. A bit old-fashioned, right?"

'So that's how it is. Miss Wu, you haven't changed at all, which is commendable. So, you have many
acquaintances ?'

"Thank you. I miss my days in the army. I occasionally visit my former superiors and leaders, but I wouldn't say
I have many acquaintances. Now that we've met, I'll have a deputy director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau among my acquaintances."

Chen Hu smiled politely. He sensed an unassailable, compelling
aura in Wu Aikun's gentle tone.

"Miss Wu, what measures did you take after the fire?"

"I've already filed a claim with the insurance company. I'll wait for the fire assessment report before taking
any further action. Of course, I also need to attend Yuexiu's funeral." The mall's daily operations were overseen by Yuexiu. "Her
death was so tragic; it broke my heart."

"Ms. Wu, what do you think caused the fire?"

"That conclusion should be drawn by the fire department, the public security bureau, and the insurance company after a thorough investigation. I
cannot offer any specific opinions."

"I have no further questions. Thank you for your hospitality, goodbye."

Chen Hu stood up, shook hands with Wu Aikun, and said goodbye.

"Goodbye. Prosecutor Chen, we'll be old friends when we meet again."

Chen Hu returned to his office. Zhou Senlin went to Anling Prison to accompany the special task force in interrogating inmates,
leaving only Chen Hu in the director's office. Documents from the bureau office were on the table. Chen Hu picked them up and saw a prominent line in

the document issued by the Municipal Political and Legal Committee : Comrade Tao Tieliang was appointed Deputy Director (Deputy Director-General Level) of the Municipal Public Security Bureau. He excitedly picked up the phone and called Tao Tieliang's office. "Tieliang, congratulations!" "Likewise, let's celebrate together." " Tieliang, this time it's my turn to treat you to a meal. You approved the location, I'll treat. " Tao Tieliang pondered for a moment, then said, "Tonight, a bunch of guys in the bureau are going to rip me off. They won't let me off without spitting out some blood. You... "

" What are your plans for tonight?"

"I have to work overtime, nothing else."

"Okay. You can work overtime then. I'll deal with them and then drive to find you. Just the two of us, no outsiders.
How about eight o'clock, I'll come find you."

While waiting for Tao Tieliang, Chen Hu called Jiao Xiaoyu. Since Jiao Xiaoyu was transferred, he
had n't had time to meet her, only spoken to her a few times on the phone.

"Xiaoyu, you're still not off work?"

"Not yet, I'm too busy reviewing documents. Chen Hu, you haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"No. I'll eat with Tao Tieliang later. He's become the deputy director, I'm treating him to a meal."

"I know, I probably knew even earlier than you."

"Of course, you're in a higher-level agency, of course you're much better informed." "

Chen Hu, please congratulate Tao Tieliang on my behalf. " “

Okay, I’ll definitely tell him. Xiaoyu, let’s arrange a time to meet, okay?”

“Tomorrow I’m accompanying Vice Minister Ji on a research trip to the coast to prepare for the anti-smuggling conference. Let’s arrange it when I get back.”

Chen Hu said affectionately,

“Xiaoyu, I really miss you.”

Jiao Xiaoyu lowered her voice:

“Vice Minister Ji is here, goodbye.”

Listening to the voice on the phone, Chen Hu couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss. Was Xiaoyu really like a kite with a broken string,
gone and never to return? Every time they talked on the phone, her natural tone revealed a distance, perhaps because of that distance.
Chen Hu irritably lit a cigarette, took two puffs, and then extinguished it. What kind of life have I lived? Half my life I’ve only learned how to
catch bad guys, nothing else. I have nothing but a long list of criminal suspects.
No woman, no home, is this a human life? Even robots in science fiction movies have love, but I, a
living, breathing person, am all alone. Xiaoyu, can’t you hear the call of my heart for you?

It was past 8:30, and Tao Tieliang still hadn't arrived. Chen Hu thought the guy must have been drunk by his buddies
. Just then, his phone rang.

"Come down. I'm at the Anti-Corruption Bureau entrance."

"I thought you were passed out. I'm coming down."

Chen Hu hung up and quickly walked out of the room. Meeting his old friend eased his melancholy.

Reaching the door, he saw Tao Tieliang leaning against his Desert King SUV, smoking.

"I thought you were drunk."

"Let me tell you, my buddies are still drinking over there. I'll keep you company on an empty stomach. Get in your beat-up car, I
'll take you somewhere."

Tao Tieliang drove the Desert King in front, and Chen Hu drove the Cherokee behind. The two SUVs drove onto the neon-lit
highway.

They entered a park. Chen Hu thought, Tao Tieliang must have connections to be able to drive into a park.

The cars stopped beside a round pavilion. Chen Hu got out of the car and asked,

"Where is this? There's no one here. How are we supposed to eat?"

"This is a fishing area. It's closed at night. There's not a soul in sight, not even a ghost."

Tao Tieliang sat down on a stone bench by the water and placed two bottles of baijiu (Chinese liquor) on a round stone table.

"Sit down. This place is nice, isn't it? Absolutely quiet."

Chen Hu sat down, picked up the baijiu on the table, and looked at it, saying,

"Are you kidding me? This is a place for dating, not for eating."

Tao Tieliang took a paper packet from his pocket, placed it on the stone table, and opened it. It contained peanuts.

"Chen Hu, see this? Two bottles of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), one for you, one for me. You like to show
off, don't you? We'll drink it dry. Whoever doesn't finish a drop is a coward!"

"Drink it dry? You want to kill us both?"

"Stop talking nonsense, drink."

Tao Tieliang bit open the bottle cap with his teeth, staring at Chen Hu.

"Bite? Where are your teeth?"

Chen Hu bit open the bottle cap with his teeth, sensing something was wrong.

"Hmm, that's more like it. Let's drink three sips first. Don't try to cheat, drink it now or later, we both have to
finish it."

The two bottles clinked together. Tao Tieliang took three sips in a row, downing more than two ounces. Chen Hu had no choice but to drink
three sips , his throat burning. They had drunk like this once before in college, to bet on who
could hold their liquor.

"Chen Hu, do you remember when we drank like this in our sophomore year?"

"I'll never forget it. I missed three days of class. You want to go back to your old ways?"

Tao Tieliang stared intently at Chen Hu.

"Tell me honestly, how good is our friendship?"

"Tieliang, is that even a question? You're my best friend."

"For that, let's drink three more sips!"

Chen Hu watched Tao Tieliang swallow three sips, while he only took a small sip. He was worried that Tao Tieliang would be too drunk to drive,
and he would have to take him home; they couldn't both be drunk.

"We're not just old classmates and old friends, we almost became relatives. If Lingling hadn't died, you'd probably be my
brother-in-law , and I'd be your brother-in-law."

"Tieliang, what are you trying to say?"

Tao Tieliang suddenly burst into tears like a child. Chen Hu knew Tao Tieliang had a habit of crying when he drank too much , so he
quickly stood up, walked to Tao Tieliang's side, and put his arm around his shoulder, saying,

"Tieliang, today is your big day. You've been promoted to bureau chief, and I'm even
happier crying like this? You must have drunk too much."

Chen Hu reached for Tao Tieliang's bottle, but Tao Tieliang deftly took it away first.

"I haven't even had a drink yet, and I'm already drunk? Chen Hu, I cherish our friendship of so many years more than I cherish life itself
, don't you understand?"

"I understand, of course I understand. I cherish it just as much as you do."

Chen Hu also became emotional, his voice trembling slightly.

"Why did I leave my buddies behind to come here and drink with you? It's all because of our years
of friendship! I, Tao Tieliang, have always considered you, Chen Hu, as my own brother. Chen Hu, Chen Hu, our
friendship over these years hasn't been easy to come by! "

Tao Tieliang cried even harder. Chen Hu also shed tears.

"Tieliang, I owe you so much more. If it weren't for me, Lingling wouldn't have died... I'm so sorry, so sorry
to Lingling."

"Chen Hu, about Lingling's death, tell me, tell me, did I ever truly hate you?"

"No, you never hated me. You were a true friend to me."

"If Lingling were still alive, we'd be family. Lingling can hear us now,
do you believe me?"

"I believe you, I believe you."

"Drink, for Lingling, let's drink!"

Overwhelmed with emotion and grief for the deceased, Chen Hu and Tao Tieliang embraced and wept, each taking several sips of wine.

Suddenly, Tao Tieliang shoved Chen Hu away, crying and cursing,

"You, Chen Hu, are a bastard! You have no humanity whatsoever! You have no sense of kinship whatsoever!"

Chen Hu was stunned, not understanding why Tao Tieliang had suddenly become so enraged.

"You little bastard, you're playing dirty tricks behind my back. You caused Lingling's death, and now you want to kill me! Chen Hu, you're a heartless
scoundrel !"

"Tieliang, what nonsense

are you spouting!" "You're angry because I'm being promoted to deputy director?"

"Nonsense! I'm overjoyed!"

"Stop pretending! You went to the Forget-Me-Not Mall to put out the fire, and you didn't have good intentions! Tell me,
what did you find at the scene? What did you take?"

Chen Hu sobered up.

"No...I didn't find anything..."

"You're lying! You didn't take anything, how come Jiang Yuexiu's safe is empty? She wouldn't have
died for an empty safe! I was the first to rush to the safe, you were the second. I was knocked unconscious
at , which gave you time to commit the crime

." "Tie Liang, calm down. What did you find in the safe?"

"There's nothing in the safe! Tell me, what did you take?" Many thoughts flashed through

Yan Chenhu's mind. It seems that Tao Tie Liang doesn't know that I took the dollar printing plate. If
he knew, he would definitely tell. He didn't find another printing plate in the safe either. If he found the printing plate
on the back of he would naturally think that I might have taken the printing plate on the front of the dollar. Then the printing plate on the back must
have been taken by someone else. This matter cannot be told to Tie Liang truthfully for now.

"Tie Liang, you're drunk. I'll take you home."

Just as Chenhu was about to pull Tao Tie Liang up from the stone bench, he was hit hard in the chest. He staggered backward, and
Tao Tieliang lunged forward, delivering another heavy punch to Chen Hu's chest.

Caught off guard, Chen Hu fell to the ground. Tao Tieliang seized the opportunity to straddle Chen Hu, grabbing his collar with both hands and
yelling ,

"You bastard Chen, you're a two-faced scoundrel! You shake hands to my face, then stab me in the back! You'd better explain yourself today:
why did you interfere in the fire investigation? The mall fire has nothing to do with your anti-corruption bureau!"

"Tieliang... let me get up. If you don't let go, I'll get rough!"

Tao Tieliang slapped Chen Hu's face repeatedly, cursing as he did so,

"What can you do about it? You can arrest me as a corrupt official! I'd rather arrest you! You obstructed
the police, concealed evidence, and conducted an unauthorized search of the scene—any one of those charges is enough to get you three to five years in prison!"

Chen Hu suddenly flipped over, knocking Tao Tieliang off his feet. The two men fought back and forth, their faces covered in blood.

“Hey Chen, if I don’t teach you a lesson today, you’ll really think you’re the only good person in the world.”

Tao Tieliang’s skills were actually superior to Chen Hu’s, and having been a criminal investigator for so many years, he quickly subdued Chen Hu.
He pinned Chen Hu to the ground, making him face down, then used his left knee to press against Chen Hu’s lower back, and twisted Chen Hu’s left arm
behind his back.

“Tell me, what did you steal from Luo Yuexiu’s safe?”

Chen Hu was furious and shouted,

“Let me go!”

“Chen Hu, you’re too ruthless! You’re using an old friend’s future to save your own job
! By targeting Director Jiang, you’re targeting me! What am I supposed to do? Follow you to target Director Jiang? Or follow Director Jiang to target you? He’s
my superior, you’re my friend! How am I supposed to choose?”

Chen Hu’s right leg bent upwards, then suddenly pulled back, his leather shoe kicking Tao Tieliang hard in the lower back.
With a cry of pain, Tao Tieliang rolled off Chen Hu and couldn’t get up again.

Seeing Tao Tieliang struggling on the ground, unable to get up, Chen Hu gently helped him
up against a large tree by the lake.

"Tieliang, Tieliang, I'll take you to the hospital. Don't let it cause any serious problems."

Tears streamed down Tao Tieliang's face.

'You could have just kicked me to death and saved me from this mess! Chen Hu, I really didn't want to lose you
as a friend, but you forced me into this situation… God!'

"Tieliang, I cherish our friendship just as much as you do. But we both work in the public security and judicial system; principles
are paramount. Do you think we can just ignore them?"

"Hmph, principles? What do you have besides principles? Besides me, your staunch friend, do you have any other
friends ? No, you're a complete idiot. Not to mention others,
you even hurt such a good girl as Jiao Xiaoyu. Do you have any humanity? Any compassion? You don't even deserve to talk about principles." " You
went to see Wu Aikun this afternoon. What right does your Anti-Corruption Bureau have to
interrogate ? Let me tell you, you're conducting an illegal interrogation!"

Chen Hu was startled. How did Tao Tieliang know so quickly? "Chen Hu, you're like a blind cat trying to catch a mouse. You're just stumbling around. You'll be at peace

when you run into the line of fire . Do you even know who Wu Aikun is?" "Who is she?" "I don't need to tell you everything. Knowing a little is enough to leave you completely bewildered. Ten Jiao Dongfangs don't have the background of one Wu Aikun. Do you know whose goddaughter she is? Places she can go to, let alone you and me, even Secretary Fang , Secretary Jiao, and Mayor Lin can't just walk into them whenever they want. Miss Wu is all-powerful! You, kid , don't know anything about her. You went to her door with just the address and phone number you got from the insurance company. Are you tired of living? Are you just waiting to die?" "She's that powerful?" "Her power is yet to come." If she wanted to strip you bare, you wouldn't even have a chance to find a job again. Let me tell you the truth, she was going to call the police and report you. I pleaded with her to stop. I told her you're my buddy, honest and upright, and that's why she let you go.” “You and she are quite close?” “Not really, we met through Yuexiu. Have you seen my Mitsubishi Desert King?” “Yes.” “Wu Aikun gave them to the Municipal Bureau, ten at a time! I don't need to ask around, Secretary Fang definitely . If he did, he'd have you finished!” “Tieliang, we've been fighting like this for ages, I'll take you to the hospital.” “It really hurts. This kick shows how ruthless you are. Chen Hu, I've been more than kind to you, listen to me.”

"One sentence: Know when to stop. If you keep fighting corruption like this, you'll be the only good person left in all of China."

"I'll carry you."

"I really can't stand up."

Chen Hu squatted down, and Tao Tieliang wrapped his arms around Chen Hu's neck. Chen Hu carried Tao Tieliang on his back, walked to the Cherokee,
and put him in the back seat.

"Bear with it, we're going to the hospital. Leave your Desert King here for now."

The engine started. Chen Hu drove to a hospital. On a stone platform by the lake were two half-empty bottles of Erguotou ( a type of Chinese liquor).
Apart from them, no one knew that two friends had had an unusual fight there.
Chapter 53 Sudden Incident at the Memorial Service Amidst a Fire

Chen Hu didn't expect Zhou Senlin to attend Jiang Yuexiu's memorial service.

"You find it strange? I've worked with Director Jiang for over twenty years. Her daughter unfortunately passed away, so of course I should
go and express my condolences. A parent outliving their child, Yuexiu's death is a huge blow to him. Chen Hu, do you
think I shouldn't go?" “

Frankly, I think you'd better not go. Since Jiang Yuexiu has been hiding US dollar printing plates, she's
a suspect . You're the deputy chief prosecutor and head of the anti-corruption bureau; if you attend the memorial service, I'm worried
it will be detrimental to you once the case comes to light.”

Zhou Senlin said unhappily,

“I haven't retired yet, and you've just become the deputy director, and you're already trying to control me? Can you tone down your arrogance?
Don't be so aggressive.”

Chen Hu placed the tea he had just poured for Zhou Senlin in front of him.

“Director Zhou, if I don't tell you the truth, who else can I tell the truth to?”

Zhou Senlin smiled slyly and said,

“Chen Hu, I heard you got into a fight with Tie Liang, is that true?”

“No, that's not true.” "Chen Hu, his scarred face visible.

'An'an, look at you, you're not even telling me the truth.
There's no such thing as a completely honest person in this world. Your relationship with Tie Liang could potentially affect the relationship between the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Public Security Bureau. The two bureaus cooperate in
many ways; neither can function without the other. Besides, the Anti-Corruption Bureau is at the deputy bureau level, while the Public Security Bureau is at the bureau
level. Although you and Tie Liang are both deputy bureau levels, his position is slightly higher than yours. You need to be careful.
Chen Hu , if I make a big mistake and die, would you dare attend my memorial service?'

This question was too sudden. " Chen Hu hesitated for a moment and said,

"I will go."

"Not necessarily," Zhou Senlin took a sip of tea, "Hmm, not bad, you're starting to learn to lie
. You always have to tell a few lies. If you had said you wouldn't go, wouldn't that have made me lose face? People in officialdom
are most courageous when they dare to speak the truth at two different ages. One age is when they've just started working, like a newborn calf unafraid of tigers
; the other age is when they're about to retire, leaving officialdom, naturally they have fewer concerns, and the courage to speak the truth
returns. I have far fewer concerns now than before. You, on the other hand, are the opposite of me. When you started learning to lie
, I started learning to tell the truth. Perhaps this is what they call returning to simplicity."

Chen Hu stood listening to Zhou Senlin speak. Zhou Senlin pointed to the sofa and said,

"Sit down. Don't stand like you're giving a report. We're equals now, and I'm
uncomfortable ."

After sitting down, Chen Hu felt somewhat uneasy. Zhou Senlin's comment that he was starting to learn to lie made him a little
annoyed.

"Here's a confidential document from Guangdong, forwarded to me by Comrade Fang Hao. Secretary Fang instructed our Anti-Corruption Bureau
to provide assistance. Take a look first, then we'll exchange opinions and come up with a plan."

The document states that 300 Honda Accord sedans seized by a customs office were released after fines were paid and
transferred to the Horizon Hotel.

The arrested deputy customs chief confessed that He Qizhang, Jiang Yuexiu, and Jiao Dongfang had contacted him multiple times and
bribed .

The document explains that the car smuggling case was cracked because $50,000 of the $320,000 bribes received by the deputy chief
were counterfeit, but he was unaware of it.

Later, when he paid off the $50,000 in loans to overseas smugglers, the smugglers who supplied the goods discovered the counterfeit dollars.
They felt that the deputy chief had betrayed them by using counterfeit dollars and violated smuggling regulations, so they wrote
a letter to the government exposing him.

The document requests assistance in summoning Jiang Yuexiu and Jiao Dongfang to provide testimony and evidence, and in investigating the source of the counterfeit dollars.

After reading the confidential document, Chen Hu unconsciously reached for Scarface's wrist again.

"According to the details provided in the document, He Qizhang, Jiang Yuexiu, and Jiao Dongfang were involved in this Honda Accord
smuggling case. Director Zhou, it seems we were quite negligent in the past, focusing only on He Qizhang's cause of death and ignoring
other aspects."

Zhou Senlin smiled and said,

"Chen Hu, your greatest strength is your willingness to admit your mistakes and never make excuses for them. But
you need to be careful in the future; don't negate others in the process of negating yourself. The case is a collaborative effort; if you
readily deny everything about yourself, the other investigators won't feel comfortable. As the head of the bureau, you
must , lest you isolate yourself!"

A look of shame crossed Chen Hu's face; he deeply felt that he had benefited greatly from Zhou Senlin's earnest advice.

“He Qizhang is dead, Jiang Yuexiu is dead, only Jiao Dongfang is alive. The case also mentions counterfeit US dollars.
Could the counterfeit US dollars in He Qizhang's safe be from the same source as this batch of counterfeit dollars?
Do we not know if Jiao Dongfang has other accomplices with He Qizhang? Chen Hu, the investigation is far from over! I
'm retiring next month, and the heavy burden of continuing the investigation will fall on your shoulders. I originally wanted to leave you an easy task before I retired,
but I'm afraid that won't be possible.”

Chen Hu wasn't used to praising people to their faces. Although he was grateful for Zhou Senlin's concern, he didn't want to say
it . He scratched his scar and said,

“Director Zhou, there’s a Spanish folk song, ‘You, You.’ One line goes, ‘You led me
to the bottom of the well, then cut the rope and left, you! You!’ Please don’t lead me to the bottom of the well and then just walk away
.”

“That’s a good lyric. I still have to try to lead you to the bottom of the well before I leave. Are you going to the memorial service?”

“I’m going.”

“That’s right. The memorial service might be like a well; go down to the bottom and see.”

The memorial hall, which could hold three hundred people, was packed.

A black banner with white lettering hung in the center: Memorial Service for Comrade Jiang Yuexiu.

Wreaths were piled one after another under Jiang Yuexiu’s portrait and on both sides of the walls.

Zhou Senlin and Chen Hu entered the venue and were led to the front row by the reception staff. Chen Hu saw Mayor Lin Guanghan, Standing
Committee members Zhang Guangda, Kong Xiangdi, Qian Zhong, and others standing in the
first row, along with some other high-ranking officials, but Chen Hu didn't know who they were.

Tao Tieliang stood in the second row and nodded to Chen Hu as a greeting.
Everyone who had hosted Tao Tieliang's dinner that night was present, and Chen Hu recognized Deputy Director Zhang from the Industry and Commerce Bureau. Representatives from the district committee, district government, sub-district office, and police station where the Wuwangwo Electrical Appliances Mall was located also attended. The majority

of attendees were employees of the mall. Chen Hu couldn't help but recall that it was also in this very funeral hall that He Kedai held a memorial service for his father, He Qizhang, with almost no friends or acquaintances present. Mr. and Mrs. Jiang Dabing stood on the left side of the family section with their two children, their expressions sorrowful. The host of the memorial service was Tang Quansheng, the deputy general manager of the Wuwangwo Electrical Appliances Mall. He was a middle-aged man who announced the start of the memorial service in a low . "The memorial service for Comrade Jiang Yuexiu solemnly begins. First, on behalf of all the employees of Wuwangwo Electrical Appliances Mall, I would like to thank the leaders of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, as well as leaders from all walks of life, for attending the memorial service. I would also like to thank all the friends from Jiang Yuexiu's community who attended. Comrade Jiang Yuexiu heroically sacrificed her life while rescuing collective property at the fire scene. She has set a model for our times. Now, Ms. Wu Aikun, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Wuwangwo Electrical Appliances Mall, will deliver the eulogy." Wu Aikun's eulogy praised Jiang Yuexiu's dedication and heroic act of sacrificing herself to save collective property. Chen Hu 's attention was focused on Wu Aikun's expression; her constantly flowing tears and choked voice moved many people present, and the room was filled with sobs. Suddenly, a young man in his twenties stepped out from the crowd, walked to the microphone, and handed two pieces of paper to Wu Aikun. “Chairman Wu, this is Shen Dongyang from the TV department. We don’t usually have a chance to see you, so I have to take this opportunity to represent the 24 employees of the mall to submit our protest letter. General Manager Jiang Yuexiu suddenly and without cause fired all 24 of us and withheld our deposits…” Before the young man could finish speaking, three men rushed up, twisted their arms, and pushed him out. Chen Hu noticed that one of the three men was a policeman from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Brigade. The meeting room was in an uproar, and everyone was stunned by this unexpected turn of events. But Wu Aikun remained calm and continued reading the eulogy. “Comrade Jiang Yuexiu will live forever in our hearts…” The young man shouted at the top of his lungs: “You are abusing your power! Don’t think we don’t know about your illegal business! We’re going all out , I’m going to appeal! Appeal! You’re too corrupt!” Just as Chen Hu was about to move his foot, Zhou Senlin quietly pulled him back. "The memorial service continues. Next item: a farewell to Comrade Jiang Yuexiu's ashes." Wu Aikun's composure in handling this unexpected event convinced Chen Hu that she was a woman . Lin Xianhan and the others seemed unaffected by the incident at the funeral hall . He was the first to approach Mr. and Mrs. Jiang Dabing, shaking hands to offer their condolences. "Please accept our deepest condolences. Comrade Dabing, please take care of yourself." "Thank you, Mayor Lin, thank you. My whole family and I are very grateful that you could attend Yuexiu's memorial service." "You're too kind. I'm attending in my personal capacity, not on behalf of the municipal government. I watched Yuexiu grow up. Take care." Zhang Guangda and Kong Xiangdi shook hands with Mr. and Mrs. Jiang Dabing in turn, saying almost identical things, all indicating that they were attending the memorial service in their personal capacity. Qian Zhong grasped Jiang Dabing's hand and whispered, "Some people may have ill intentions." Jiang Dabing's voice was even lower: "Thank you. I know what I'm doing." When it was Zhou Senlin's turn, he grasped Jiang Dabing's hand and said emotionally, "Old Jiang, it's heartbreaking to see an older person outlive their younger sibling. Yuexiu, sigh! You know I'm about to retire. These past twenty years, you've had a very pleasant working relationship with me. I have to thank you." "Old Zhou, I'm also at retirement age. Will our friendship fade away with retirement? We should still contribute while we still can. Completely relinquishing our responsibilities would be a historical mistake! Promoting the wrong successor would be a historical punishment." Zhou Senlin understood that Jiang Dabing was subtly criticizing the promotion of Chen Hu, but he pretended to be confused and said, "You should trust Tieliang now. Okay, let's find an opportunity to have a good talk later. Take care, take care." After the bureau-level cadres shook hands to express their condolences, it was the deputy bureau-level cadres' turn. Although it was an unofficial memorial service, people still followed the hierarchical system. Tao Tieliang was the first to approach Jiang Dabing, took Jiang Dabing's wife's hand, and said softly, "Madam, don't worry, I won't let that scoundrel who disturbed the funeral hall get away with it." "Tieliang," Madam Jiang shed tears, "you can't be soft on such a hooligan who disrupts social order!" "Madam, I remember." Tao Tieliang shook Jiang Dabing's hand forcefully without speaking, and walked over with tears in his eyes. After passing more than a dozen deputy bureau-level cadres, it was Chen Hu's turn. "Director Jiang, please take care of yourself and accept my condolences." Jiang Dabing said calmly, "Thank you. Prosecutor Chen, you and Tieliang are old classmates and old friends. Mutual support is the most important thing. It's not easy to perform a solo act." "The public security, procuratorate, and court all work under the leadership of the municipal party committee. You are a member of the municipal party committee standing committee. If I have made any mistakes, please criticize me. Goodbye." After the memorial service, Jiang Dabing was admitted to the hospital again. He occupied six rooms. Besides the wards, there were one or two rooms each for offices, reception, secretaries, and guards. In the reception room, Jiang Dabing gave instructions to Tao Tieliang, who had been summoned. "This afternoon, someone will come to see you. Hand over Yuexiu's batch of US dollars to them. You don't need to say what it , just give them the metal box. Have you packed everything up?" "It's all packed and sealed. Director, will there be any mishaps?" "What are you worried about? Afraid of being robbed?" " I'm not worried about that. No one but me knows it's US dollars. I'm worried about something else. Because you're in a bad mood, there's something I haven't told you. I randomly took some of and secretly sent them to the bank for authentication. They found counterfeit dollars mixed in. Anyway, since the dollars are in my possession,..."

"I didn't report it to you because I was afraid you'd be upset. I'm a little uneasy about handing it over to someone else."

Jiang Dabing exclaimed in surprise, "Oh! Counterfeit dollars? How many?"

"I was afraid of making too much noise and attracting attention, so I only did a sample inspection, not a thorough examination.
I estimate that more than 20% of them are counterfeit. Is it appropriate for us to hand them over?"

"This situation is quite sudden. Does anyone else know about this?"

"Only I know."

"That's good. You rest here, I'll make a phone call." Jiang

Dabing left the meeting room. Tao Tieliang silently assessed the situation: Who would accept
this considerable sum of US dollars? Wu Aikun?

She was Yuexiu's partner and should be one of the owners of the Forget-Me-Not Appliances Mall; or
someone ?

Whoever it was, possessing so many US dollars in cash was abnormal, at the very least a violation of regulations regarding foreign exchange! The fact that
a significant amount of it was counterfeit made the problem even more serious. Could Yuexiu be involved in economic crimes?

What evidence did Shen Dongyang possess about Yuexiu's crimes that allowed him to dare to disturb the funeral hall and make
such outrageous statements ?

It seemed that to protect Yuexiu's secret, he needed to find two reliable brothers to interrogate Shen Dongyang and prevent the situation from
escalating .

Were Jiang Yuexiu's counterfeit dollars the same as the counterfeit dollars Chen Hu was investigating?

If they were, a confrontation between him and Chen Hu would be inevitable. This matter was of great importance, and he should
consult Director Jiang.

Protecting Yuexiu meant protecting Director Jiang; they absolutely could not allow the incident of Jiao Dongfang implicating Jiao Pengyuan to repeat itself with Jiang Yuexiu
!

"What are you thinking about, Tie Liang?" Jiang Dabing asked, closing the door behind him as he entered.

"I'm waiting for your guidance,"

Jiang Dabing said, sitting down on the sofa and offering Tao Tie Liang a Zhonghua cigarette.

"Have this. Yours is too strong. What's troubling you?"

"Chief, I sense a potential danger. Chen Hu has been investigating the origins of the counterfeit US dollars.
Since Yuexiu is He Kedai's fiancée, he already had suspicions about her. At the fire scene, Chen Hu
found and took something from Yuexiu's safe, something we don't know. I asked Chen Hu, but he refused to say anything.
At the memorial service, Shen Dongyang made some outrageous remarks, which Chen Hu also heard. If Yuexiu's counterfeit US dollars and the counterfeit
US dollars Chen Hu is investigating are the same thing, from the same source, Chen Hu is bound to make a big fuss, even to the point of no
return. Frankly, I'm worried that Yuexiu will drag you down and cause a chain reaction. That's what I was thinking about just now." “

Tieliang,” Jiang Dabing smiled meaningfully, “some methods arise with the increase of power.
When you reach that position, you naturally have the methods that position gives you. If you don’t reach that position,
even if you have the methods, you can’t use them. When I first started working, I often thought that the higher the rank of a leader, the smarter they were. Later, I realized
that this wasn’t always the case. People with high positions have more power and can mobilize more resources, so they are naturally
more adept at solving problems. In fact, it has nothing to do with whether they are smart or not. You were able to arrest Shen Dongyang because you are
the deputy director. Ordinary criminal police officers wouldn’t dare to arrest him without asking permission. Similarly, you can arrest Shen Dongyang as you please. If Shen Dongyang
were a representative of the National People’s Congress, you wouldn’t be able to arrest him; you would need the approval of the National People’s Congress before you can arrest someone. So,
methods are given by power. Your current power is still quite limited, so of course you have fewer methods. If I
expand your power a bit more, you will naturally have more methods.”

“Director, following you has truly been very educational.”

“How much you have learned from following me remains to be seen and will be tested in practice. ” " It's true that you've gained a lot of power
. Tie Liang, political struggles eventually come down to a battle for succession. Don't let me down."

"Director, if I disappoint you, you can get rid of me."

"Nonsense," Jiang Dabing glared, "'Get rid of'? We're not the mafia, how
can we use such a word as 'get rid of'? The ministry has ordered a crackdown on prostitution and illegal publications; you need to put in a lot of effort and achieve results quickly. Your friends
at the higher-ups will then speak up for you."

"Yuexiu, that iron box!"

"The higher-ups will send a police car to escort it. You hand it over to them, and that'll be considered completing your mission. Don't
concern yourself with this matter anymore. Of course, don't mention it to anyone."

"If you have nothing else, I'll be leaving."

"You'd better personally oversee Shen Dongyang's case. I don't know what that thug will say. It'll be better if you keep the case under your
control ."

"Yes. I'll be leaving then."

"Good, go ahead." After Tao

Tieliang left, Jiang Dabing let out a long sigh of relief. He was glad he had arranged a reliable
successor . He had just made a phone call in the hospital room and reached a consensus with his superiors to promote Tao Tieliang to
the top position of Director and Party Secretary of the Municipal Public Security Bureau in the short term. The other party said they would also assign Tao Tieliang a task
to test his loyalty and ability to manage the overall situation. If Tao Tieliang performed well, the other party promised to make
arrangements in the organizational system.

What task the other party wanted Tao Tieliang to do? He didn't ask. But one thing Jiang Dabing was clear about:
Tao Tieliang could only be a deputy director if he was only loyal to him; only if he was also loyal to his superiors could he sit on the director's throne.

At 2:10 p.m. that day, Tao Tieliang handed over the sealed metal box containing Jiang Yuexiu's batch of US dollars
to two riot police officers wearing helmets and fully armed. The metal box was then placed in the closed cell for serious criminals. The car.

Tao Tieliang watched the prison van drive away. He knew the person who needed the metal box was someone of importance, but he didn't know
who , and he dared not ask.

It was time to interrogate Shen Dongyang; this matter had to satisfy Director Jiang. He drove the Desert King to a secret detention center
under . He didn't put Shen Dongyang in a detention center, as that would involve many procedures and
make it difficult to control the scope. Putting him in a secret detention center was much more convenient: arrest first, interrogate later; if there were problems, detain him; if not, release him.
People with insufficient evidence were often detained here first, saving a lot of procedural trouble, and
those detained here wouldn't appear on the roster.

The Desert King stopped in front of a small courtyard house. There were no signs here; it looked like an ordinary
residential area .

Only two plainclothes policemen were on duty in the courtyard.

Tao Tieliang entered the north room and said to one of the plainclothes policemen, "Bring him here."

Shen Dongyang didn't even dare to blink, standing in front of Tao Tieliang's desk, trembling all over.

Tao Tieliang waved, signaling his assistant to leave.

"Shen Dongyang, were you beaten? If you were, tell the truth, and I'll take care of it for you."

"No...no...really, I wasn't beaten.

I can cover it up!" Tao Tieliang sneered inwardly. He knew Shen Dongyang was completely subdued. He had ordered Shen
Dongyang , but without leaving any external injuries, until Shen Dongyang himself said, "I wasn't beaten." This kid saying he wasn't
beaten meant he was completely subdued; he would answer any question.

"Good, you weren't beaten. Sit down, there's a chair next to you."

"Want a cigarette? Here you go."

Tao Tieliang handed Shen Dongyang a Marlboro and lit it for him.

Shen Dongyang timidly said, "Thank you."

"Are you from Dongyang, Zhejiang?"

"I'm from Dongyang." "

Dongyang is famous for its wood carvings. What are you doing here?"

"Working, and I wanted to see the world." "

Shen Dongyang, your question can be considered minor or major, depending on your attitude. What are you twenty-
four people accusing Jiang Yuexiu of?"

"Manager Jiang dismissed us without cause and withheld our deposits as sales clerks in the mall, five thousand yuan each..."

"I don't care about those matters; they fall under labor arbitration, not our jurisdiction. You're saying Jiang Yuexiu engaged in
illegal business ; what are you referring to? What evidence do you have?"

"This..." Shen Dongyang hesitated.

"Didn't you want to appeal? This is where you can file your complaint. If you can't provide a clear explanation, you
'll be committing defamation. I'm giving you a chance, so hurry up and speak!"

"I'll speak. But regarding this matter, I only suspect that the evidence was stolen. Can I speak even without evidence?" "Yes, you can

. This isn't a formal interrogation; it's you reporting the situation, like a citizen's visit. Don't hold back,
speak."

"It's like this, the situation at the time, I'm referring to that big fire, I remember it very clearly..."

The Forget-Me-Not Mall suddenly caught fire on the first floor. The mall's employee-led fire brigade tried to open the fire hydrants, but they were blocked
by the counters . Seeing the fire growing larger, Shen Dongyang ran outside with the others. He and the other twenty-
three laid-off employees, though their salaries had been suspended, continued to go to work as usual. Some wanted to get their 5,000 yuan deposit back before leaving;
others hoped the boss would change his mind and let them stay.

Shen Dongyang saw Jiang Yuexiu rushing down the stairs from the second floor, tripping on the last step on the first floor. He
quickly ran over, pulled her up, and escorted her out of the mall to the parking lot.

Shen Dongyang saw blood on Jiang Yuexiu's face and shouted,

"General Manager, you're bleeding from your head!"

Jiang Yuexiu stared blankly at the raging fire, muttering,

"How did it start a fire?"

Suddenly, Jiang Yuexiu cried out,

"Oh no! My dollar bill..."

Jiang Yuexiu turned and rushed into the fire. Shen Dongyang couldn't stop her and followed her in.

At the top of the stairs on the second floor, a counter collapsed, knocking Shen Dongyang unconscious. He lost consciousness and didn't know how long he had been
unconscious .

A burning pain roused him. He crawled out from behind the shelves and rushed into Jiang Yuexiu's office, finding her collapsed
in front of the safe.

Shen Dongyang jumped over the scattered, burning furniture and reached Jiang Yuexiu, shouting, "President Jiang!
President Jiang!"

Jiang Yuexiu didn't answer. Shen Dongyang took off his clothes and used them to extinguish the flames on Jiang Yuexiu's body. At that moment,
he inadvertently noticed the open safe door, reached in, and pulled out a US dollar printing plate—it was the correct side. Just
then , Tao Tieliang's loud shouts came from outside the door: "Yuexiu! Yuexiu! Where are you?"

Shen Dongyang hurriedly put the printing plate back in the safe and hid behind a sofa. The sofa also caught fire, and
Tao Tieliang rushed in but didn't see him.

Tao Tieliang rushed to Jiang Yuexiu's side, and just as he picked her up, a heavy object fell from the ceiling, knocking him unconscious and setting
him on fire as well. Shen Dongyang crawled out from behind the sofa, intending to help Tao Tieliang, when Chen Hu rushed in.

Shen Dongyang had to hide back behind the burning sofa. He saw Chen Hu put a printing plate into his pocket.
Then , three more people rushed in. Shen Dongyang saw Chen Hu and the others carry Tao Tieliang and Jiang Yuexiu out.

Shen Dongyang rushed from behind the sofa to the safe and saw another printing plate inside. He pulled it out and saw it was
the reverse side . He picked it up and started to leave.

Just as he reached the second-floor stairwell, he was struck hard on the head and fell forward. In his blurry vision, he saw a
man snatch the dollar printing plate from his hand, his figure disappearing into the flames. He struggled to his feet, went downstairs,
and staggered out of the mall.

After hearing Shen Dongyang's description of the fire scene, Tao Tieliang was secretly shocked. He hadn't expected the mystery of the safe to be solved
so unexpectedly. From a timeline perspective, Shen Dongyang's account was correct. He asked calmly,

"What was your purpose in putting out the fire? I mean, you rushed back into the fire with Jiang Yuexiu?"

"I wanted to gain Jiang's favor so she'd let me stay and continue working. Also, I heard Jiang call out for
my dollar printing plate, and I wanted to go see what was going on."

"You saw someone come in to rescue Jiang, and then you hid behind the sofa. Why?"

"First, I was afraid of being unable to explain myself. The safe was open; if money or valuables were stolen,
I'd be implicated. Second, I wanted to have the dollar printing plate; that would give me leverage.
The mall refunded my deposit before I handed over the plate."

"How can you be so sure it's a dollar printing plate? And how can you tell one side is the front and the other the back?"

"I've been doing wood carving in Dongyang for seven or eight years. I've done intaglio, relief, openwork, and three-dimensional carving.
Even though the dollar printing plate is metal and the lines are very fine, I can still tell. Two plates, one front and one back..."
"~The hundred-dollar note. The man who rushed in to save people the second time definitely took the front side.
The one I got, which was later snatched away, was the back side."

The front side of the hundred-dollar counterfeit dollar note is definitely in Chen Hu's hands; Shen Dongyang is an eyewitness. Chen Hu
, Chen Hu, I've finally caught you red-handed.

"Shen Dongyang, there are three people. Can you recognize them? The first person is the one who rushed in to save President Jiang and
was knocked unconscious. The second person is the second man who rushed in, the one you mentioned
who took a metal plate. The third person is the one who snatched another metal plate from you. If these three people were standing
in front of , could you recognize them one by one?"

Shen Dongyang thought for a moment and said:

“All three were men. The first one had his back to me; his height and build seemed similar to yours. The smoke
was too thick , so I couldn't see his face clearly and was afraid I wouldn't recognize him. The second one took something out of the safe, turned around,
and I was able to see his face clearly; I recognized him. The third one attacked me from behind; I
saw stars , and I didn't see his face clearly either.”

“Shen Dongyang, at the memorial service you said Jiang Yuexiu was involved in illegal trading; were you referring to the so-called US dollar printing plates?”

“Yes. US dollar printing plates aren't just for show; they're definitely used to print banknotes. US dollars can't be
printed in China; without a doubt, it's counterfeit dollars. That's a capital offense!”

“Shen Dongyang, do you think you can convict someone just by making up a story?”

“I regret it now, there’s no evidence at all. I was furious. The day after the fire, the vice president
announced the closure of the business, terminated all labor contracts, and refused to return the deposits. They’re so ruthless. I heard the leaders were
attending the memorial service, so I handed over a protest letter on the spot, hoping to scare them into returning the deposits they’d swallowed. I never
expected it to cause such a disaster.”

“Who did you tell about the so-called US dollar printing plates you found in the safe?”

“I knew this was a big deal, I didn’t dare tell anyone.”

“Really? Not even your best friend?”

“I swear it’s true. I don’t have any friends.”

“Have another cigarette, have some tea, the tea’s getting cold.”

Looking at Shen Dongyang, who was silently smoking, Tao Tieliang felt that heaven had eyes, easily
delivering such an important informant to his hands.

The long-standing mystery of the safe was solved, which would allow him to explain to Director Jiang and also allow him
to take . The most urgent task now was to ensure that Chen Hu never found out Shen Dongyang’s whereabouts.

Fortunately, Shen Dongyang wasn't detained in the detention center; otherwise, if Secretary Fang had given the order, Chen Hu could have found him by checking the
roster . Where would it be safe to transfer Shen Dongyang?

“Shen Dongyang, I didn’t record your statement today. You got a great deal. If I had
, and you can’t produce the US dollar printing plates as evidence, you would be guilty of framing someone. Be smart. You went out to
work to earn more money, don’t get involved in this mess. Forget about the safe and the US dollar printing
plates. Don’t mention it to anyone except me. Let me tell you, General Manager Jiang’s safe did indeed have
a lot of money and valuables stolen. You were at the scene, so you’re at least a key suspect…”

Shen Dongyang was terrified and knelt on the ground, begging,

“I really didn’t take anything!”

“You say you didn’t steal anything? Who will believe you? If you’re locked up, the case won’t be solved, and you’ll have to
suffer . If someone insists that you took advantage of the fire to steal, you’ll be sentenced. Seven or eight years later
, when you get out, you’ll still be a thief.”

Shen Dongyang’s head slammed against the ground, and he wailed.

“My parents are old, and I have a wife and children at home. My whole family depends on my work to support them.
Please don’t wrong me!”

“Then forget everything you saw. Stay here for a few days, and we’ll find you a way out later. Go down
, and don’t cry.”

Plainclothes police officers came in and took Shen Dongyang away.

Tao Tieliang said to another plainclothes police officer, “No one, no matter where they come from or
how high . No one can know about Shen Dongyang’s detention. If either of you
leaks the news, you’ll have to take off your uniforms immediately, and you can forget about wearing them again for the rest of your lives.”

“Yes, Director Tao.”

Tao Tieliang immediately drove to the hospital and reported the entire contents of Shen Dongyang’s confession to Jiang Dabing.

"Director, judging from all the signs, there might be two US dollar printing plates in Yuexiu's safe. Chen Hu took the
front plate, and the situation has gotten out of our control. Do you think Chen Hu might
use the US dollar printing plates to target us?"

"We? Who are you referring to?"

"You and me. Aren't they targeting Yuexiu because of you?"

"Tie Liang. Yuexiu is Yuexiu, I am me, and you are you. I understand your feelings, but we can't confuse our concepts.
Otherwise, we'll lose our composure. Using a daughter to implicate her father? He's dreaming. I doubt Chen Hu
intends to target me. Without orders from his superiors, he wouldn't dare to point the finger at me.
It's entirely possible he wants to use the US dollars as a breakthrough to expand his gains. Old Zhou from the Anti-Corruption Bureau is still the director; he makes the big decisions. He can't help but have reservations about me when dealing with Yuexiu
. Hmph, the US dollar printing plates in Chen Hu's hands are just scrap metal. His search and
taking away the plates were illegal. Did he have a search warrant? Did he have witnesses? None of the above. What he obtained
through improper means cannot be used as evidence.
He can't even defend himself by saying he put the printing plates in Yuexiu's safe. Therefore, it's
questionable whether Chen Hu dares to publicly present the printing plates as evidence. I think Chen Hu is holding a hedgehog in his hands; he can't
prove ."

"Chief, that's what I think too. So we absolutely can't let Chen Hu find Shen Dongyang. Shen Dongyang is an
eyewitness; he saw the dollar printing plates and he saw Chen Hu take one out."

"You handled it decisively, promptly, and meticulously. Chen Hu can't find Shen Dongyang. Now the priority is to track down
the whereabouts of the other dollar printing plate. I estimate that the person who snatched the dollar printing plate from Shen Dongyang has
some connections in Yuexiu. He premeditated the robbery or was planning to steal the dollar printing plates, and we can't rule out the possibility that he's connected to the fire at the
Forget- Me-Not Appliances Mall. If this person falls into Chen Hu's hands, that would be the real threat to Yuexiu.
Tie Liang, you must find this person before Chen Hu does.

" "Yes. Since this person was at the fire scene, he must have left some clues."

"You will conduct this covertly under the guise of investigating the fire. Hmm, an old friend of mine has expressed a willingness to meet you
. Wait for my call. He's not old, but his rank is higher than mine; he's coming to our city for on-site research." "If you manage to meet him,
be quick-witted and make a good impression."

"Then I'm off."

"Okay, wait for my call."

While Tao Tieliang was questioning Shen Dongyang, Chen Hu drove to the cemetery. He had a
photo of Wu Aikun that his assistant had secretly taken in his pocket. The forget-me-not sign at the electronics store, the
forget-me-not flowers he saw in the vase at Wu Aikun's villa, all reminded Chen Hu of the forget-me-not flowers he saw under He Qizhang's tombstone, and
the girl who gave the old man guarding the grave two thousand yuan to buy forget-me-nots.

He found the old man who looked after the graves without much trouble.

"Grandpa, I need to ask you something."

The old man seemed to have already forgotten Chen Hu, whom he had only met once. As he swept the fallen leaves on the grave path, he said,

"Looking for me? I know nothing about the living, I only deal with the dead."

The old man was not interested in talking to him. Chen Hu remembered that this old man was used to taking small change from others, so he took out
fifty and stuffed it into the old man's hand.

"Here, please accept this. I have something to attend to."

The old man looked at the bill in his hand and said slowly,

"The money is a bit little. Don't be stingy when spending money on the dead. Even when people are dead, their souls remain. If you're stingy, the spirits will haunt you.
Do you see? Every tomb passage is filled with wandering ghosts."

"Grandpa, have you really seen ghosts?"

"Of course. In my line of work, I've seen more ghosts than living people. To put it bluntly, I work for
ghosts given me fifty yuan, which tombstone do you want me to look after?"

"Grandpa," Chen Hu took out another fifty yuan and handed it to the old man, "I told you, I'm not asking about the dead.
Do you remember there used to be a tall tombstone and a stone pavilion on the slope?"

The old man accepted the money, a smile appearing on his face.

“It’s gone now. They built a TV tower and took up all the land. I saw it all clearly the day the tombstone was smashed. Tell me, why are
the living fighting over land with the dead? I just don’t understand this world anymore.”

“Sir, actually we met once. In that stone pavilion. Last time you said a young
woman gave you two thousand yuan, asking you to buy forget-me-nots to place in front of the tombstone from time to time. Is that true?”

“That’s in the past. The tombstone was smashed, so I saved the money for flowers. It’s only fair, it’s not that I didn’t want to buy them,
but the tombstone is gone, where am I supposed to put the flowers?”

“I have a photo here, take a close look. Is this the girl who asked you to take care of the tombstone?”

The old man took the photo from Chen Hu, looked at it for a while, and nodded, saying,

“That’s right, it’s her. She’s beautiful and generous. Do you know her?”

“Yes. Has she come back since?”

“No. The tombstone was smashed, who would she come to see?”

“Thank you, sir.”

Chen Hu returned to the parking lot. His intuition was confirmed, which pleased him greatly.

What exactly was the relationship between Wu Aikun and He Qizhang? What connection did they have that made Wu Aikun unable to forget
He Qizhang? Was she truly He Qizhang's lover? The Guangdong secret documents mentioned He Qizhang.

Jiang Yuexiu and Jiao Dongfang were suspected of smuggling Honda Accords, and Jiang Yuexiu was found to be possessing US dollar printing plates. Wu Aikun had close ties with both
He Qizhang Jiang Yuexiu; what role did she play?

With a series of questions in mind, Chen Hu drove back to the city.

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