Chapter 19: A Turning Point Quietly Arrives

Late at night, Floral Shirt, who claimed to be Li Xing's brother-in-arms, was brought back to the Police Bureau. Soon after, Wang Daolin ordered his subordinate officers to start arresting people in the Zha'nan area. In one night, more than twenty "indirectly involved persons" were arrested or summoned for questioning, all of whom were "employees" of Changqing Company.

Was Wang Daolin daring to order the arrest of Changqing Company's people because the foolish Floral Shirt had confessed?

Actually, it wasn't that at all. In fact, after being sent to the Police Bureau, Floral Shirt had already realized these people weren't Li Xing's colleagues, so he chose to resist interrogation and refuse to disclose any details of the case. But this approach wasn't very effective.

Wang Daolin didn't need Floral Shirt's confession at all, because he had more than a dozen accomplices, all of whom were thugs kept by Changqing Company. These people usually relied on Li Xing's protection and acted very conspicuously. If the Police Bureau wanted to investigate, they would definitely find problems all over them.

Wang Daolin's purpose in doing this was simple - to put pressure on Li Xing and Changqing Company, using the shooting case, the vandalism and arson case, and the serious injury of workers case to make a big deal out of it. First detain people, then interrogate them - it was sure to work.

......

After Floral Shirt and a group of thugs and Changqing Company people were successively arrested, Li Xing had already heard rumors within the Police Bureau. At around 3 AM, he called Wang Daolin again, but the latter still didn't answer and openly hung up the call.

Li Xing was very agitated, and at one point even heard that Floral Shirt had confessed, telling Wang Daolin's people that they had ripped panties together.

This news directly upset Li Xing's endocrine balance. He didn't sleep all night and went to the office at around 7 AM the next day, wanting to see Wang Daolin. But the latter's subordinate officers said that Wang Daolin was going out to investigate cases during the day and wouldn't come to the office at all.

Without communication, there was no way to resolve the matter. Li Xing was finally forced to find a deputy director of the Dragon City Police Bureau to mediate.

......

Around noon, Wang Daolin's police car stopped in front of a teahouse. He got out of the car alone and walked up to a private room on the third floor.

Inside, a man in his fifties sat on a tatami mat drinking tea and waved at Wang Daolin: "Come, come, Old Wang, sit down!"

Wang Daolin took off his shoes and sat down on the tatami mat: "Director Guo, how come you're so free today?"

"There are no outsiders here, let's speak frankly," Deputy Director Guo surnamed Guo actively poured tea for Wang Daolin, pushing the cup over as he said: "Li Xing found me."

Wang Daolin smiled without saying anything.

"Hehe, Old Wang, do you really want to be at such odds with Li Xing?" Deputy Director Guo didn't mention the matter directly, only asked vaguely.

"If I were a bit taller, those three shots at the Cantonese restaurant last night would have blown my brains out," Wang Daolin paused before replying. "Director Guo, Changqing Company's people are acting too recklessly. Even if I don't pursue responsibility, just based on this shooting case alone, our Police Bureau has to investigate it thoroughly!"

"Li Xing said there's a misunderstanding in this matter."

"What misunderstanding? If it wasn't Lu Feng who did it, was it me or Su Tiannan?" Wang Daolin asked in return.

Director Guo fell silent.

"Su Tiannan was shot in the abdomen, I saw it with my own eyes, Director Guo!" Wang Daolin continued to add: "He's just quibbling. Before, he thought I wouldn't dare to move against Changqing, but now that things have gotten big, he wants me to let it go. On what grounds?"

"Li Xing has the support of the Fuzhou Chamber of Commerce and companies like Changqing Gang behind him. Personally, I suggest you still give him face and not make things too ugly."

"Director Guo, since we're talking about face, let me ask you this: Old Su Er and I are war comrades, does Lu Feng know this? Does Li Hongze know? Does Li Xing know?" Wang Daolin tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "They knew, but they still went all out against the Su family. Did they give me face? Did they even give me a heads up? Before, when I wanted Su Tiannan to meet his father, even the Smuggling Investigation Department refused me. Did I have any face?"

Deputy Director Guo fell silent again.

The room was quiet. After a long standoff, Deputy Director Guo took a sip of tea and said: "Then how about this, give me face, Old Wang."

"How should I give it, Director Guo?" Wang Daolin asked with a smile, neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Let the lower levels negotiate. If they can reach an agreement, that's best. If not... I won't interfere," Deputy Director Guo replied directly. "Before the negotiations, just keep the case at the level of the arrested thugs, alright?"

Wang Daolin thought for a moment, then picked up his teacup and replied: "Alright, since you've spoken, I'll definitely give you face. The rest depends on how Changqing handles it."

"Hehe, thank you, Old Wang!"

"You'll always be the leader," Wang Daolin flattered him.

......

In Zha'nan District People's Hospital.

Su Tianyu sat in a chair, fiddling with his phone.

Beside the hospital bed, Su Tianbei said in a low voice to his big brother: "Did you take my gun?"

"What gun?" Su Tiannan was confused.

"The gun I hid in the car is gone. Tianyu and I analyzed it, and it could only be you who stole it," Su Tianbei said very seriously. "Were you afraid I'd cause trouble with the gun, so you secretly hid it?"

"Are you sick?"

"Did you take it or not? Tell me the truth!" Su Tianbei demanded urgently. "I couldn't sleep all night because of this."

"...!" Su Tiannan looked at him speechlessly, and after a long silence replied: "With your intelligence, try not to play with Little Yu in the future. Otherwise, he could sell you and you wouldn't even know."

"What do you mean? What are you saying? Explain clearly!" Su Tianbei asked innocently.

"Don't talk to me anymore, my head hurts just looking at you."

"...!"

As the two brothers were bickering, the real man Bai Hongbo suddenly walked in: "Oh, Tiannan, are you feeling better?"

"Hehe, Brother Bai is here," Su Tiannan said, supporting himself on the bed to sit up a bit.

"It's alright, lie down. I came to tell you some good news," Bai Hongbo said with a grin. "A friend from the City Management Council called me, saying some leaders at the upper levels are very dissatisfied with Changqing Company's recent actions, and told us we can try to find some connections."

Su Tiannan was stunned: "What connections?"

"My friend said a new leader has come to the Management Council, mainly responsible for the future rural sanitation system construction in Dragon City, called Yu Jinrong. This person took the lead in criticizing some recent chaos in Zha'nan District at today's Management Council regular meeting, and explicitly said... Changqing Company's monopolistic practices have seriously affected the reputation of the Management Council, and even made the public label sanitation workers negatively," Bai Hongbo said with a smile. "My friend's meaning is for our four companies to go see this Yu Jinrong, after all, in some stance, his demands are the same as ours."

Su Tiannan was very happy to hear this: "This is good news! We must definitely meet him! I'll go with you."

"You're injured, you shouldn't go," Su Tianbei said with a smile. "Little Six and I will go."

"Make sure to negotiate well," Su Tiannan instructed.

"Understood!"

After chatting for a while, Su Tianyu, Su Tianbei, and Bai Hongbo left the hospital and went to Longkou District, preparing to meet Yu Jinrong after being introduced by someone.

......

In the afternoon.

In cell 403 of the Police Bureau's criminal detention center, a lean old man with a shaved head was boredly reading a pure love action novel.

Diagonally across from him, a newly arrived prisoner was being sized up by the cell boss: "What are you in for?"

"Vandalizing a garbage yard," the new prisoner, who was none other than Floral Shirt, replied.

"What's there to vandalize in a garbage yard? Internal fighting in the Beggars' Sect?" The cell boss joked. "Which area did you hit?"

"The Su family's garbage yard in Zha'nan."

As soon as he said this, the bald old man across from him paused: "What did you say? Whose garbage yard?"

"The Su family's in Zha'nan! What's wrong, you know them?" Floral Shirt replied carelessly.

"Bang!"

The bald old man flew up with a kick, hitting Floral Shirt directly in the face: "Everyone in the cell who knows martial arts, practice on him!"