So It Was Him
Xia Lei was brought to a police station next to the Forbidden City and questioned by the police officer who had handcuffed him. This police officer was surnamed Wang and his name was Wang Wei. Xia Lei found out that he was the chief of the police sub-division branch when he heard other police officers greet him.
“Do you know what you did wrong?” Wang Wei slammed his record book on the table in the interrogation room, his expression stern and his voice fierce. “You hurt an underaged girl. She is only seventeen. This is against the law and you may go to jail for it. How long depends on what the judge says, so you’d better have the right attitude.”
“It true that it’s wrong to hit others but I did it in self-defence,” said Xia Lei.
Wang Wei’s brows wrinkled. Those were not the words he wanted to hear.
Xia Lei ignored Wang Wei’s feelings on the matter and continued, “This started because my sister reproached that girl for throwing her sanitary pad on the floor in the toilet. That girl slapped my sister and my sister ran away but she followed her and brought more people with her too. I asked her why she slapped my sister and she told her peers to beat me up. Four young men attacked me. The ones in hospital would be my sister and myself if I had not retaliated. So what I did was in self-defence. I did not break the law.”
“I can’t help you like this,” said Wang Wei unhappily.
“There’s no need for you to help. I can get a lawyer if she sues and I can get witnesses. Surveillance cameras are everywhere in the Forbidden City too. You’ll know what the situation was like if you took a look at those tapes, won’t you?” said Xia Lei.
“Bah! Do I need you to teach me how to do my job?” Wang Wei was furious.
Xia Lei said nothing more and just looked at Wang Wei. He did not believe that a person he’d never met before would extend help to him. This Wang Wei accused him of breaking the law from the get-go and said that he could go to prison but did not ask about the cause and what had happened to end in that situation. What was he up to?
“I’m just saying it as it is. I have no intention of teaching you what to do.” Xia Lei maintained control.
“Looks like we’ll have to bring your sister in to assist in the investigation,” said Wang Wei.
Xia Lei’s brows wrinkled, “I was the one who hit someone. What are you bringing my sister in for? She is just a student and a victim.”
A sneer appeared in the corners of Wang Wei’s lips, “It’s just you saying that. Do you have proof? The girl is still in hospital and the injury report is still not out yet but her injuries seem severe. Your sister cannot be excluded when she’s involved in such a big matter, can she? Let me tell you, your sister may be detained as well and penalised by her school or even expelled.”
Anger sparked in Xia Lei’s heart, “What’s going on with you? Are you messing with me on purpose?”
“Watch your words. I am going by the book. Think carefully. I’ll get someone to bring your sister here, then take your statement.” Wang Wei got up and made to leave.
Xia Lei stopped him, “Wait. What do you want?”
Wang Wei grasped the table with both hands, put his face close to Xia Lei’s and said in a low voice, “Plead guilty.”
Xia Lei froze.
“Think it through. I’ll be back.” Wang Wei left the interrogation room.
Xia Lei sat quietly in puzzlement. This was not normal. The normal procedure would be for the police to investigate and monitor the situation and ask witnesses for their statements. It was wrong of him to beat them up but it was just because he went a little overboard in self-defence and it couldn’t be considered a crime. If a case like this was handed over to a judge the most punishment he’d get would be payment for medical expenses incurred, no detention, and definitely not jail. However, this Wang Wei implied that he had broken a law from the beginning and used Xia Xue to threaten him after seeing his stubbornness. He’d be a real fool if he couldn’t tell that a conspiracy was going on.
‘I’ve never seen this Wang Wei in my life and I have no beef with him. Why is he trying to frame me? It’s my first time in Jing-Du too, so who here…’ At that thought, Xia Lei was struck by something, ‘How could I forget? The Gu clan has its roots in Hai-Zhu but moved to Jing-Du after becoming more prosperous. It would be easy for Gu Ke-Wen to say the word and have someone cause trouble for me since I’ve come to Jing-Du. Could it be her? But the purchase order from Chi Jing-Qiu is very likely related to the Gu clan and I haven’t agreed to do processing for them yet. The Gu clan wouldn’t be likely to get me in trouble and shut me in prison, would they?’
The Gu clan was most suspect but there was no confirming it.
Who could it be if it wasn’t the Gu clan?
Xia Lei could not figure it out, and he moved his gaze to the window of the interrogation room.
The window was a special glass which allowed people outside to look at the situation inside but impossible for people inside the room to look out.
Xia Lei’s eye twitched and the glass window disappeared from his sight. He was used to using his left eye’s abilities to solve his problems now.
He saw Wang Wei standing in the corridor making a phone call. His eye focused on Wang Wei’s mouth and he lip-read his conversation.
“… guy is in my hands… No problem. You’re right, his weakness is his sister. He was at his wit’s end when I used his sister.” Wang Wei had a smile on his face, “Don’t worry. Once he pleads guilty I’ll get the doctor to exaggerate the injury report and make it more serious. A year’s sentence is no problem… Why be so formal, Xu Lang? You took good care of when you were in Jing-Du so how could I not help you?”
So it was Xu Lang.
Xia Lei understood immediately.
Xu Lang was stationed in Jing-Du before being transferred to Hai-Zhu and he held a high position too. With Xu Lang’s status, it was easy to get hooligans to make trouble for Xia Xue and force Xia Lei’s hand, then ask the ex-colleagues he was on good terms with to implicate him in a crime – the perfect ploy.
Xu Lang’s motives were beyond doubt. He had suffered a great blow to his reputation because of the incident in the great hall in East Wind Heavy Industries and his career had taken a hit too. Would a person of his spiteful character give up this chance for revenge? No.
“… Okay, so this is how it’ll go – I’ll get someone to bring his sister in. He will plead guilty because his sister’s future depends on it. I’ll hang up first and contact you later.” Wang Wei ended the call.
Wang Wei gestured and a police officer walked over to him.
“Take someone to Jing-Du University. Arrest a student named Xia Xue and bring her here to the station,” said Wang Wei, “Remember – use the handcuffs.”
“Putting cuffs on a university student? That’s… not good, is it?” said the police officer.
“If I tell you to put her in handcuffs, you put her in handcuffs. You do as you’re told, not waste your breath talking back!” said Wang Wei in annoyance.
The police officer nodded quickly, “Yes sir, I’ll go right now.” He left with quick steps.
Xia Lei had gone pale with anger in the interrogation room. When Wang Wei had talked about putting Xia Xue in handcuffs, Xia Lei had been so mad he’d not hesitate to rush out and bash Wang Wei’s head into the shape of a panda.
He was not worried at all about Xu Lang trying to get him into trouble via Wang Wei. His current additional identity as the consultant for Bureau 101 meant that a puny little sub-division chief couldn’t harm him! However Xia Xue’s future would definitely be affected if Wang Wei’s people went to Jing-Du University and arrested her. This was what worried Xia Lei the most – hurting him was fine but Xia Xue was out of bounds!
Xu Lang understood him well. Xia Xue was his weakness, his Achilles heel.
‘No, I have to find a way to get my mobile phone back and give Long Bing a call.” Xia Lei was very anxious.
Just as he was about to stop using his eye and cause some sort of commotion to make Wang Wei enter the room, a girl and a woman suddenly walked into the corridor from the other end, headed straight for the interrogation room.
When he saw their faces, Xia Lei let out a long breath of relief.
They were Xia Xue and Long Bing, the two people he most wanted to see at that moment.
Wang Wei looked at Long Bing and Xia Xue and spoke rudely, “Who are you? Is this some place you can just waltz into?”
The police officer who had gone off to arrest Xia Xue suddenly ran over from the opposite corner and pointed at Xia Xue, “Chief, she is Xia Xue.”
Wang Wei was surprised, “You’re Xia Xue?”
“Yes, I am. May I ask where my brother, Xia Lei, is?” said Xia Xue.
Wang Wei sneered, “Want to see your brother? You’ve come at the right time. I’ve ordered someone to arrest you but you’ve come here on your own to turn yourself in. Very good. Cuff her.”
Xia Xue was startled, “Why are you arresting me?”
The police officer who had been ordered to arrest her took out handcuffs and moved to cuff Xia Xue.
Long Bing pushed Xia Xue behind herself.
“Who are you? How dare you obstruct justice?” said Wang Wei angrily.
Long Bing spoke expressionlessly, “I am here to perform my official duties.”
“You’re here to perform… what duties?” probed Wang Wei.
“I am now in charge of this case. I’ve come here to take Xia Lei with me,” said Long Bing.
“Rubbish!” Wang Wei acted tough, “You say you’re in charge of the case, so who authorised it? Do you have the relevant permissions?”
Long Bing took out an official document from her handbag and held it in front of Wang Wei’s eyes.
Xia Lei’s eyes went to Long Bing’s document. Bureau 101 was not written on it. According to the document, she was a director from the National Security Agency.
This was Xia Lei’s first time seeing Long Bing’s identification document but he knew that it was just a cover. How many people in the whole of China actually knew about Bureau 101? Bureau 101 was so mysterious that even a ‘consultant’ like himself had never seen documents from it, let alone the small-fry chief.
At the sight of Long Bing’s identification, Wang Wei became nervous and asked tentatively, “This… What’s going on? Xia Lei only hit an underaged girl. This sort of case is… You… Why are you stepping in?”
“These are not questions you can ask. Cut the crap and release him. I want to take him with me now,” said Long Bing.
Wang Wei looked undecided.
Long Bing spoke indifferently, “You should be a smart man. If you take things too far you may have to issue tickets on the streets.”
Wang Wei’s face turned ghastly white. He turned and shouted at the police officer, “What are you still standing around for? Release him, quick!”