Chapter 781

Wang Yan's third-class merit was widely spread, mainly because of the big scene he made at the police station entrance, where passersby filmed and shared it on their phones; the incident of him entering homes to catch a fugitive had only passed ten days ago, so people had grown somewhat indifferent but hadn't forgotten, and they still recognized his face, causing his reputation to spread once again.

The environment here in Fengdan Bali River is still quite unique; previously, several villages were connected, but after relocation, many people grew accustomed to living in Fengdan Bali River, and since developers built some resettlement housing, there are still many original residents, though overall, the majority are outsiders in their twenties and thirties who bought homes here or rented here due to relatively low rent while working in the city.

And the people from those former villages all knew each other, to some extent even had family ties. On the other hand, Dongning Village has been loudly demanding demolition every year, and many have chosen to buy houses in Fengdan Bali River; they're unsure when Dongning Village will be demolished, but they're certain it will be, so those with money feel confident buying homes—even if it takes ten or twenty years, they'll enjoy it now, and the accounts will eventually balance out.

Thus, Wang Yan's situation in Dongning Village wasn't just talked about in Xincheng Aofu; rumors about him spread throughout all of Fengdan Bali River. Even residents from other neighborhoods in Fengdan Bali River had added him on WeChat or called him to consult on issues.

This situation meant the people of Dongning Village had praised him to the skies, causing those facing difficulties to place part of their hope in him.

This time, he discovered a crucial clue that led to the rescue of two abducted children from Dongning Village, a shock greater than the previous arrest of the man who had stolen for years; since the theft didn't affect them personally, people outside Dongning Village had far less empathy. But the loss of a child—just thinking about it causes deep pain—they'd eagerly ask others for details, and retelling the story would distort it, yet simultaneously elevate Wang Yan's image.

Even among the various family-reunion support groups created by the two families whose children went missing in Dongning Village, those who learned of their ordeal hoped the families could help contact Wang Yan, asking him to review the surveillance footage; these children vanished in crowded places, and since Wang Yan could spot one, perhaps he could spot two too—they'd grasp even the slimmest hope.

But they didn't have all the surveillance footage; they were people from all over the country, and Wang Yan, a mere police officer at a small station, even if willing to help, couldn't cross vast regions to retrieve data.

And there was another major issue: Guangming District was manageable, since everyone was essentially one family, but once you crossed district lines, the nature immediately changed; they exhausted themselves and saw nothing, yet you—a lowly police officer—what are you doing? What's your meaning?

In fact, even the branch bureau staff were unhappy he found the problem in the footage; after all, they'd combed through it repeatedly without finding a clue, yet he spotted it—wasn't that saying their work was incompetent? If not for their own merits, Wang Yan would've faced nothing but cold stares whenever he went to the branch bureau.

Of course, if anyone dared give Wang Yan the cold shoulder, it'd become the drama of "The Little Cop Causes a Ruckus at the Branch Bureau"—Wang Yan could verbally annihilate them and make them feel the pain Cao Army Supervisor endured. Jealousy of talent is a serious vice; unless it's a critical moment, they're always frantic saboteurs—let alone at critical moments…

So Wang Yan refused; even a single case of cross-provincial document retrieval was beyond his ability, and even if he could, once he opened this door, he'd have no time for anything else—he'd spend his days in the station watching surveillance, since so many grieving families would come, how could he possibly handle them all? His superiors wouldn't be satisfied, nor would the families of the missing children—they'd question his competence.

Moreover, he himself was already overwhelmed with work and lacked the energy.

Work at Xincheng Aofu became easier; although Xia Jie's ability was still insufficient, she could now control conversations within thirty minutes. But the process wasn't pleasant, because she kept asking questions—once or twice was fine, but too many made people resentful, giving a sense of interrogation.

It was only because Wang Yan was standing by that Xia Jie's visits went much more smoothly.

Day after day passed, and before they knew it, a week of peace had gone by, and Wang Yan finally completed enhancing the surveillance footage from those four days.

Compared to the original clarity, faces were now roughly visible; to see them completely, one still needed to crop screenshots and enhance them further.

Wang Yan propped his chin on his hand resting on the desk and began watching the surveillance footage.

According to the Juan Sect records, Zhao Zhendong hadn't done anything substantial—just bought things, ate meals on the roadside; Wang Yan carefully reviewed the footage backward, and Zhao Zhendong's last appearance on camera was on the 12th morning—he looked nothing special, just strolling down the street with a cigarette in his mouth, seemingly in high spirits, until he vanished completely from the frame.

Of course, this revealed nothing crucial; Wang Yan continued patiently reviewing the video from all intersections on the 9th.

But this also revealed a problem: the old man who had confidently claimed he was the last to see Zhao Zhendong four days after his disappearance was wrong—his memory was fuzzy, yet he treated it as fact.

It was already past nine; Li Dawei, furious, returned with Chen Xincheng, plopped onto a stool, and drank water loudly, gulp after gulp.

Zhao Jiwēi, who was buried in paperwork, curiously asked: "What's wrong? Why so angry?"

"Don't mention it," Li Dawei sighed heavily. "Today, with my master, we handled a case where a seventy-year-old man harassed a woman with a child on the bus. The child had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital, but the old man? He just lay down on the ground and went to the hospital too, then extorted money from the woman's family. After a full checkup, he turned out to have had liver cirrhosis for years—so this was just a case of sexual harassment and fraud."

You say a seventy-year-old can't be detained—so you just watch him commit sexual harassment? That's not even the worst part; what's infuriating is that my master and I just went to his son's place to ask him to pick up his father—we can't be stuck with this old man. And guess what? The son denied being his father and handed us a piece of paper he'd written himself, severing all ties. He flat-out refused to take responsibility and even threatened to complain about my master and me. Boss Wang, tell me—is there such a thing in this world?"

Seeing Wang Yan look up with a smile, Li Dawei asked.

"Isn't that pure double standard?" Wang Yan smiled, watching Li Dawei's widened eyes. "So you think pushing your own father on the street is fine, but someone else not taking care of their father isn't? You have your reasons, but others don't?

Fine, I now accuse you: no matter what, Li Yisheng is your biological father—without him, where would you be? No matter the reason, you can't treat him like that. Look, you're getting flustered, your face is turning green—you're still criticizing others?"

This was exactly what happened in the original plot—he'd been a bastard his whole life, and when old and seriously ill, terrified of death, he started scheming to find his son to care for him. As Li Dawei said, if left in his hands for a while, Li Dawei would've been feeding him and cleaning his shit.

Seeing Li Dawei's expression, Xia Jie quickly nudged Wang Yan under the table: "Enough. I just don't get it—you usually speak so nicely, why are you so cruel when talking about these things?"

"Boss Wang is right," Li Dawei took a deep breath, calming himself. "I did wrong—I'll self-reflect. There must be something behind this; why would anyone sever ties with their own father? That old man was a scoundrel—when healthy, he was no good either. I need to investigate properly before deciding."

"See? Comrade Li Dawei can still listen." Wang Yan nodded approvingly. "As enforcers of the law, we mustn't jump to conclusions—we must have our own moral compass."

"You're full of big ideas," Xia Jie lightly slapped Wang Yan.

"Just tell me if it's useful—I did it, didn't I? This is called unity of knowledge and action."

Hearing Wang Yan's words, Yang Shu sighed from across the aisle; Li Dawei frowned and looked over: "What now? What's wrong with you?"

Yang Shu didn't say anything, but Cao Army Supervisor, sitting opposite him, flinched slightly, glancing nervously at Wang Yan; he didn't know what he'd done wrong, but he felt uneasy.

"Nothing," Yang Shu shook his head. He'd noticed Cao Army Supervisor's expression too—though secretly pleased, he didn't want more trouble, so he stayed silent.

"Speaking half a sentence is the most annoying thing—deserves execution. Come on, sighing like that means something's up—speak up, let us hear. Boss Wang's wise, let him help you out. Oh, I get it—is it about that case we ran into at the hospital today?"

Wang Yan smiled: "Go ahead—I'm not going to keep fighting with Old Cao forever? It's about the issue, not the person. One thing at a time. I have no ambition for promotion; someone like Old Cao? He's unlikely to rise either. We'll still be working together for another twenty years, right, Old Cao?"

Cao Army Supervisor smiled awkwardly, nodding repeatedly, while internally screaming curses at Wang Yan—you won't rise either, neither will your whole family…

"Yang Shu, just say it—it's fine," he urged Yang Shu to speak quickly, or else it'd become his fault again. He didn't want to relive that nightmare.

Yang Shu sighed helplessly; since it had come to this, he had to speak: "It's what Li Dawei mentioned—today, my master and I responded to a call about a seventy-year-old man walking his dog without a leash, scaring a child. The old man faked illness and went to the hospital, then his son, daughter-in-law, daughter, son-in-law, and a whole crowd descended on the hospital, demanding compensation from the couple with the child."

"I thought we should use legal means to protect the young couple's rights—they were frightened, suffered minor injuries, needed vaccines, and incurred expenses. If the old man isn't punished, won't he become even more brazen? But my master said we should just calm things down—he fooled the family in the hospital and let the matter drop. What do you think? How should we handle it?"

Yang Shu was an idealist—he always wanted to solve problems with law, which wasn't wrong, but lacked flexibility. Yet in the original plot, precisely this incident led Wang Shouyi and Cao Army Supervisor to tell Yang Shu that the world isn't black and white, that right and wrong aren't absolute—this was right, yet also wrong.

Because if there is right and wrong, black and white, then we must distinguish them—and right and wrong are determined by one's standpoint. As an enforcer of the law, it depends on where your standpoint lies.

Li Dawei shook his head: "Isn't this just like my case? He's over seventy—what can you do?"

"You can sue them, make them pay. Even if it's only three or five hundred, it'll teach them a lesson," Yang Shu said firmly.

"Big Shu, I think your idea's good, but reality doesn't allow it. Suing requires a lawyer, right? Costs money, right? You have to queue at court, right? Sure, you'll win—the court fees and lawyer fees can be included in the claim and forced onto the old man—but won't the couple have to sacrifice time, energy, and miss work?"

"Fine, even if you sue and win—what if the old man refuses to pay? Enforce it? Then he'll lie on the ground and fake illness again, like today—what can the bailiffs do? He's over seventy—if something goes wrong and he gets sick or dies because of this, who bears the responsibility?"

"And today, the old man's children caused a scene in the hospital—they're clearly seasoned scoundrels. What if they go to the young couple's home, their workplace, and cause chaos everywhere—hang banners on the street, livestream it? What can you do?"

"Arrest them for hooliganism? Don't even think about it—tomorrow it's trending nationwide, everyone's watching us. Even if we issue a statement, based on past experience, at least half the public won't believe it. And that's not even mentioning leadership—our chief will have to retire early, this bureau and others will be affected, and you'll be nearly finished too."

Zhao Jiwēi had walked half a month with Wang Yan, and though stubborn about merit, he was flexible on other matters—deeply influenced by Wang Yan, he considered problems relatively comprehensively, which Wang Yan found reassuring.

Cao Army Supervisor spread his hands: "See, Yang Shu? I told you your approach won't work. No matter how you handle it, it's a mess. Better to resolve it quickly, save time."

He spoke only because he saw Wang Yan smiling; otherwise, he feared being scolded. He was now certain he couldn't beat Wang Yan—the bodycam footage from the Xincheng Aofu arrest of Tang Hongyuan had been released; he'd watched the whole thing, especially how Wang Yan kicked the door clean off—he'd executed arrests himself, and sometimes couldn't even kick a door open, let alone knock it off.

"What do you think, Wang Yan?"

Yang Shu meant: you just said we must have a moral compass—so what's your answer now?

Wang Yan understood perfectly and smiled: "Jiwei is right—if you sue, all those things are likely to happen. Old Cao's approach, I think, is largely correct. I said we must have our own moral compass—not that we must always draw clear lines of right and wrong, because those lines can't be drawn; no one believes they're in the wrong when their interests are at stake. You understand this without me explaining further."

"In this case, the best solution is to let it go. Why? Because the couple can't withstand it. If you follow your suggestion and sue, the old man's family will cause chaos—and once it goes viral online, without doubt, the couple will face cyberbullying. The online tide will shift from condemning the scoundrel to asking why the couple won't let go of such a small matter—why not just give in?"

"It will turn into an attack on the couple—their phones won't stop ringing, their work won't stop being disrupted, they might even lose their jobs. Walking down the street, people will point and whisper; their families will be harassed, no peace. What then? Will you tell them to sue, to fulfill your ideal of protecting the people through law—then what will you do when they suffer cyberbullying?"

Yang Shu frowned: "But we can't let such a shameless old scoundrel run rampant like this?"

What is the fundamental reason for their arrogance? It's that people over seventy cannot be detained unless absolutely necessary. You must solve this problem. You must, at the legislative root, eliminate the space for elderly scoundrels to survive. You must devise a good solution that punishes such elderly people while protecting victims and law enforcers, prevents loopholes, and preserves the dignity and fairness of the law.

This is a major issue: under what circumstances can you detain, and under what circumstances can't you? If you detain someone and they die in custody, whose fault is it? And so on and so forth. If you don't solve this problem and let that couple file a lawsuit, then the old man doesn't need to do anything else—he just brings his whole bunch of children to lie down in front of their house, silent and still. Tell me, how do you solve it? Is the law effective? Can police mediate? But you certainly can't let them lie there like that—you must have a solution. How do you handle it?

So you should strive to climb higher, to propose legislation—that's the best way to solve the problem at its root. As for today's matter, the best solution is for that couple to suffer a small loss. It's just that there is no other way, just that helpless.

"But what if it were you? What would you do?" Yang Shu still wasn't convinced. Who would accept being lectured by someone their own age, by someone three years younger and with less education?

Wang Yan smiled: "That old man is such a scoundrel—he certainly won't bother getting his dog registered or vaccinated, right? First, send the urban management to seize the dog."

"But what if that old man throws a tantrum and fakes a collapse? What do you do then?"

"Take him to the hospital."

"Then his children will surely come to cause a scene, maybe post videos online, and even block the entrance to our station. What do you do then?"

"Charge them with hooliganism and detain them all. Then dig up dirt on them, amplify it, and prosecute them. People who've become habitual scoundrels—even those who dare to cause trouble at the police station—are thoroughly lawless. They're not clean."

"Impossible. The chief would never let you do that."

"Then let them cause trouble," Wang Yan shrugged indifferently. "That's the leadership's pressure, not mine. I don't care."

"But how do you handle the online public opinion? In the end, they'll definitely punish you."

"I'll apply to the bureau to livestream daily, debating them face-to-face, shifting the conflict. Those who speak recklessly, those who cyberbully—now's the time to use the legal weapons you mentioned. I'll personally sue them for defamation—one by one, every single one."

"As for my superiors punishing me—I followed regulations. Yes, I technically shouldn't have seized the old man's dog, but seizing it wasn't wrong, was it? As long as I hold this moral ground, what reason can they use to punish me? Just transfer me to Fengdan Bali River? I never wanted a political career anyway. But if they move me off the front line to some archive room to rot in retirement, then I'll definitely make a fuss."

"What if the old man dies because of this incident?"

Wang Yan frowned: "You studied law—how can you ask such an ignorant question? You must understand basic causality. I seized his dog according to regulations. He died because he was sick. Unless he died while I was seizing the dog, it has nothing to do with me. Even if he did die during the seizure, I'd only get a reprimand for failing to consider all circumstances."

Yang Shu had nothing to say, because the logic was sound, and there seemed to be no flaw. He asked naively: "Why can't I do what you just did?"

Wang Yan laughed: "No."

"Why not?"

"Because your shoulders are too narrow to bear it. Don't be stubborn, don't be naive—can your parents endure cyberbullying? Can you endure your past minor misdeeds being dug up and magnified? Do you have enough money to sue those who cyberbully? Can you really out-debate them in a direct confrontation? Can you handle misrepresentation, selective quoting, non sequiturs, and all that? Will your superiors care about you? Are you sure you have the courage to speak back to them? Or are you sure you have the courage to fight for yourself?"

Yang Shu fell silent. He had zero courage—he hadn't even dared to protest when Cao Army Supervisor dumped the blame on him. How could he possibly have such capability?

Wang Yan smiled and shook his head: "You took me seriously? Sure, I could do all that—but who wants unnecessary trouble? It just sounds satisfying, that's all—empty talk. It's too immature, too troublesome, too damaging."

"If I'd handled this today, I'd have made the same choice as Old Cao—except I wouldn't let the old man lie there faking death. After learning the facts, I'd immediately ask that couple to back down, to prevent the conflict from deepening further."

"First, resolve today's matter and don't give that couple more trouble. Then investigate the old man's family and try to get them all locked up. Without his scoundrel family, the old man can't act like a scoundrel anymore—he wouldn't even have the heart to walk his dog."

"Don't tell me this is wrong, that we should make the old man realize his mistake. You can never wake someone pretending to sleep. Think—does the old man not know his own wrongdoing? But he relies on his age and his children's influence, throws tantrums, acts like a scoundrel, and demands three parts of irrationality. Otherwise, why fake illness? Isn't he just trying to extort? As for his children—they've broken the law. What's wrong with arresting them?"

"You must know right from wrong, and act according to it. Black cat, white cat—if it catches mice, it's a good cat. In our enforcement, no matter the method, as long as it doesn't violate laws or discipline, if it solves the problem, it's a good method. Right and wrong are what you must grasp and uphold—but what you ultimately must do is solve the problem. Since you can't legislate, don't give that couple more trouble."

Yang Shu shook his head and sighed heavily. He understood—he realized his thinking was incomplete, too naive. But his mood wasn't good, because he discovered he was even worse than Zhao Jiwei. That was a sad realization. It felt as if, in Wang Yan's eyes, he, a man three years older, was still just an immature child—and the feeling was deeply uncomfortable.

"I'll ask you this—why do you think my handling of the matter was basically correct?"

Wang Yan had been smiling and chatting for a while, seeming in good spirits. Cao Army Supervisor had held back for a long time, and now, gathering courage, he voiced his lingering question.

"Old Cao, your mind is just too straightforward," Wang Yan said, making Cao Army Supervisor's forced smile turn even more awkward.

Wang Yan shook his head and continued: "I didn't insult you this time. You've been a cop for over a decade—how could you be so careless? According to Yang Shu's account, you just brushed the matter under the rug. Could you really suppress it? Don't you think? If the old man fakes death and his children storm the hospital, with this excuse, do you think they'll let it go? You didn't resolve the conflict thoroughly—you just wanted to get by—and now you're lecturing Yang Shu?"

Cao Army Supervisor smiled awkwardly: "I still don't quite get what you mean."

"Unless something unexpected happens, they'll be carrying the old man here to cause trouble in the next couple of days," Wang Yan said with the weary expression of someone dealing with an unteachable pupil. "Old Cao, if I were you, I'd investigate this family's background right now and find an opportunity to resolve the issue."

This was exactly how the plot unfolded—the couple suffered terribly. In the end, they did find the solution in the old man's family: his son ran a repair shop and was involved in organized crime, and there were drug users too—no one in the family was decent.

Wang Yan went on and on, pretending to be clairvoyant.

"Unconvinced?" Wang Yan watched Cao Army Supervisor's polite smile and shook his head. "It'll happen in the next few days—you'll experience it yourself."

Saying that, he stopped paying attention to the others, lost in watching the surveillance footage.

He wasn't just watching the footage—he pulled up all the files on Zhao Zhangyi's family. He wanted to see whether Zhao Zhendong had ever crossed paths with them, offended them, or discovered something that led to his murder.

But Wang Yan stayed up for two days and found nothing. He reviewed the case files again—still nothing. There was no need to request more detailed files from the branch bureau; generally, in cases involving personal grudges—what we call acquaintance crimes—the initial investigation already included the suspect.

He exhausted his mental energy, questioned many people, and spent nearly a month—still found nothing. Wang Yan decided to try the opposite approach: since everyone suspected Zhao Zhangyi, he'd go directly and ask him—first confirm, then look for evidence. If Zhao Zhangyi wasn't involved, even though he'd eventually die, they couldn't pin this case on him.

Though some might truly think that way, this approach was extremely difficult. After all, you need a complete chain of evidence—it's highly complex.

On the third morning, right after arriving at work, Wang Yan pulled Wang Suo to the flowerbed where bougainvillea swayed, and lit a cigarette.

Wang Shouyi exhaled a puff of smoke and asked: "What's this about so early in the morning?"

Usually, he was the one approaching Wang Yan. Now Wang Yan seemed to be seeking him out—he was quite pleased.

Wang Yan smiled: "I've been reviewing the floating corpse case these past few days."

"Huh? Any leads?"

"No. I just don't want to waste my time anymore," Wang Yan explained. "Every special task force has always suspected Zhao Zhangyi. All investigations over the years have focused on him. But so far, I've found not a single problem. I even enhanced the surveillance footage for four days—still nothing. I've also skimmed through the remaining five days—still no issues."

Wang Shouyi frowned, pondering Wang Yan's words: "Are you suggesting our investigation direction is wrong?"

"It's not impossible. Though in Dongning Village, eight out of ten things involve Zhao Zhangyi, there are still two left. And if you think back carefully, Zhao Zhangyi is such a big target—this is already the third round of investigation, and the task forces included veteran cops, even one led by the provincial bureau. With such overwhelming resources, how could a rural landowner like Zhao Zhangyi have such meticulous operations that not a single clue remains? Moreover, Zhao Zhendong's death location is suspicious. At that time, Zhao Zhangyi already had a construction company—what equipment did they have?"

"If they did it—even if out of anger—they wouldn't dump the body in the river. They'd pour it into concrete blocks or throw it into the sea. They had the capability to do so—they'd never give us a chance to find the body. No body means disappearance. Let's be honest—how many people go missing every year? Why would we care so much?"

If they did it, even if it was out of anger over something, they wouldn't dump the body in the river. They'd pour it into a concrete block or toss it into the sea—they have the means to do it, and they wouldn't give us a chance to find the body. No body means disappearance, and let's be honest, thousands go missing every year; how much attention could we possibly give?

Wang Yan smiled: "I want to ask Zhao Zhangyi."

Wang Yan smiled and said, "I want to ask Zhao Zhangyi?"

Wang Shouyi stared at him like he was an idiot: "Wait, are you not awake? Forget about alerting the suspect—would he even tell you? How did you even say that?"

"I have a feeling—I can tell. Boss, haven't you forgotten my abilities? Haven't I been avoiding drug and gambling cases these past few days? Can't you tell when someone's lying? And if I ask suddenly, without warning, his reaction will be the most genuine."

"I've got a feeling—I can tell. Chief, have you forgotten my abilities because I haven't been chasing drug users or gambling leads these past few days? I can tell when someone's lying. And since I asked suddenly, his reaction without warning was the most genuine."

"Do you think I'm joking about my Third-Class Merit?"

"This won't be easy…" Wang Shouyi murmured. "I told you before—we've had operations targeting them. If you go suddenly, he might misunderstand."

"I think it's fine. Think about it, Boss—I'm just a small-town cop. How could I possibly handle Zhao Zhangyi's affairs? Sure, I've gained a reputation for solving cases, but that's exactly why I'm going to see him—to solve this case. If I crack it, won't that be another Third-Class Merit? Young people strive to advance. I'm a bit unusual—so going directly to him is understandable."

"I actually don't think it's a big problem. Think about it, Chief—I'm just a small police officer at a precinct, how could I possibly handle Zhao Zhangyi's affairs? Sure, I've got some reputation for cracking cases out there, but the very reason I went to find him was to crack a case. If this case gets solved, wouldn't that be another third-class merit? A young man seeking advancement, and I'm a rather special person, so going straight to him is understandable, right?"

"Really?"

"You're the chief? Am I not the chief too?"

Wang Yan shook his head with amusement, patted his arm, "Look, Chief—I went to see him on my own. According to regulations, I shouldn't even know about any operation targeting him. If I didn't know, then I can't be blamed. Besides, what I'm asking has nothing to do with bribery or embezzlement—it's no big deal. Alright, it's settled. I'm calling him right now to set up a meeting."

"Hey, you little brat, you…"

Before Wang Shouyi could react, Wang Yan had already made the call.

Soon, Zhao Zhangyi's voice came through the phone: "Officer Wang, what a surprise—why are you calling me?"

"Oh? Director Zhao still has my number saved? An honor indeed."

"Officer Wang, don't say that. You're a good cop serving the people, and you handle community work here—of course we need to stay in touch. How about lunch at my son's Changle Restaurant? We can talk while we eat."

"No need. Director Zhao, where are you? I've got something to ask you."

"I'm still in the village. My wife and I never left."

"Then wait. I'll be there in ten minutes. Bye."

Wang Shouyi stared, eyes wide: "You talked to him like that?"

"What's so special about him?" Wang Yan shook his head with a smile. "Their little tricks? I'd actually be glad if he showed them off. The criminal gang he's tied to—I'm sure this is at least a Second-Class Merit. It's practically walking right into my hands."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm telling you, be careful."

"Got it. I'm going to ask now. Just wait for my update—it won't take half an hour."

Saying that, Wang Yan returned inside, put on his eight-piece gear, activated his bodycam, and pressed down on Xia Jie, who had also stood up: "I'm stepping out for something. I'll be back in half an hour. Stay here."

"I'll come with you."

"You shouldn't. I'll explain when I get back. Stay here—I'll be right back."

With that, Wang Yan patted Xia Jie's shoulder, went to the back courtyard, started the car, and drove straight toward Dongning Village.

Zhao Zhangyi had already been waiting at the intersection. When he saw Wang Yan pull over and get out, he hurried forward with enthusiasm: "Welcome, Officer Wang! It's been a while—you look even more spirited! Those two kids from our village? They're so grateful to you—you're a real detective! Come, come, come inside. I heard you like tea—my son just brought me some new high-quality leaves. You've got to taste them."

"No need. Just two questions." Wang Yan waved his hand, smiling at Zhao Zhangyi, and asked outright: "Did you have Zhao Zhendong killed?"

Zhao Zhangyi froze, momentarily stunned—he couldn't believe it. Had young people become this reckless?

He shook his head repeatedly, laughing bitterly, then sighed helplessly: "Officer Wang, how am I supposed to answer that? I'm a lifelong Party member, a law-abiding citizen—how could I possibly do something like that?"

"Enough with the self-praise. We both know the truth—you're law-abiding?"

Zhao Zhangyi had no shame. Wang Yan's bluntness didn't faze him—he just twitched his lips slightly.

Seeing Wang Yan staring at him, Zhao Zhangyi sighed as if exhausted: "Officer Wang, I'll be honest with you—Zhao Zhendong's death has nothing to do with me. I told the other cops the same thing, but they didn't believe me. They all think I did it. I'm truly wronged. For years, they've been picking at me. You think I'd bother killing such a lowlife?"

Wang Yan pressed on: "Did you have an affair with Zhao Zhendong's wife?"

"Absolutely not, Officer Wang! That's all rumor. How could I ever do such a thing?" Zhao Zhangyi refused sharply, his face flushed red, as if deeply insulted.

"Alright, calm down. Don't pass out from anger. I've been reviewing Zhao Zhendong's case, looked at it over and over—no leads at all. Got bored, so I came to ask you. That's all. Go back, drink more tea to cool off. I'm leaving."

Wang Yan patted Zhao Zhangyi's shoulder, gave him no chance to reply, turned, and got back in the car.

Zhao Zhangyi stood frozen, face ashen, chest heaving—this was too much. Watching the black car vanish, he let out a cold snort and turned toward home…

Soon, Wang Yan drove back to the police station. Wang Shouyi was waiting in the courtyard. As soon as Wang Yan got out, he rushed over: "What did you find out?"

Wang Yan shook his head: "Zhao Zhendong's death has nothing to do with Zhao Zhangyi. But Zhao Zhangyi did have an affair with Zhao Zhendong's wife, Xu Lirong. Combined with Xu Lirong's divorce from Zhao Zhendong and Zhao Zhangyi's character, I believe it was almost certainly rape—and that's why she divorced and fled to Jinan. Back then, Zhao Zhangyi was already known as a ruthless man, while Zhao Zhendong was a cowardly lowlife who wouldn't dare retaliate."

"And a man like Zhao Zhangyi would get a perverse thrill from toying with Zhao Zhendong—like a cat playing with a mouse. It gave him satisfaction. He'd never bother killing him outright. Even if Zhao Zhendong couldn't take the humiliation, they were only in their twenties then. Over all these years, something should've happened already."

"You can tell all this just from talking to him? Are you sure?"

Wang Yan had been around long enough—he'd seen countless people. This kind of trained observational skill—if he couldn't spot a lie, he'd be the one with the problem.

He said: "Not one hundred percent, but I'm eighty percent confident."

Wang Shouyi nodded, though he didn't fully believe it, and sighed: "So we might have the wrong investigation direction?"

"What can we do? Zhao Zhangyi's too obvious—who else would we suspect?"

Wang Yan recalled Zhao Zhangyi's expression then—genuinely wronged, genuinely hurt, with nowhere to appeal. Every time a special task force was formed, he'd live in terror, hiding his other dirty secrets, afraid that the case-breaking unit might turn into one targeting him.

"Isn't that even worse? And if you say this out loud, your superiors won't believe you. If the direction's wrong, what now? Where do we start? It's been ten years. Even if Zhao Zhangyi didn't do it, we've investigated so much to find the main issue—if someone else did it, we should've found traces by now and adjusted our approach. But there's nothing. Is this really going to become an unsolved case?"

"It's been eight years without a breakthrough. I'll study it again."

Wang Yan shook his head. Being a detective wasn't easy. He'd gone back and forth for a month, and in the end, he'd just gone straight to Zhao Zhangyi and asked outright—only then did he realize the investigation direction was wrong. If he hadn't asked, he'd have considered shifting direction by now too—but without certainty, he couldn't afford to scatter his focus. He had to be bold.

Zhao Zhangyi is probably still furious. Wang Yan deliberately provoked him—if the old bastard loses his temper and causes trouble, Wang Yan might just land himself another merit…