Chapter 800: Deng Jiajia

Wang Yan acted as he said, matching the fingerprints that same night, and by the next morning he brought Yang Shu to Wang Shouyi and Gao Chao.

After breakfast, by the garden bed in the backyard, Wang Yan smoked a cigarette and briefly outlined the situation: "Fingerprint comparison confirmed the identities of three people. They're all from Ping'an City—two from within the city, one from a rural township. Based on all this, I conclude…"

"Our Ping'an City has a counterfeit currency den," Gao Chao interjected, speaking with certainty.

"Old Gao's sharp—I thought exactly the same." Wang Yan chuckled, clapping Yang Shu on the shoulder. "This case was discovered by me and Yang Shu. Chief, Old Gao, I won't follow up—I'm letting Yang Shu take the credit. I won't ask for a third-class merit, but at least an commendation."

Though Wang Yan had spouted a lot of nonsense, hearing him speak so bluntly to his superiors, Yang Shu still lowered his head in embarrassment.

Seeing Yang Shu's expression, Wang Shouyi and Gao Chao exchanged a glance and nodded with smiles: "This was your case to begin with, and right now we can handle it ourselves—we don't need the Economic Crime unit. Let Yang Shu gain some experience and earn a merit; it'll help his future advancement. Yang Shu, you'd better work hard. Once you're at the city bureau, opportunities for merit are scarce—it's truly a case of too many wolves and too little meat."

"Yes, Chief." Yang Shu snapped to attention and saluted.

"Alright, you scared me half to death," Gao Chao patted Yang Shu's shoulder.

"All the data on those three people is with Yang Shu—study it. I'm going to freshen up." Wang Yan didn't linger, heading to the station's locker room to wash up.

After finishing his rounds and returning to his desk, Xia Jie had already brewed his tea. Watching him drink, she leaned closer and whispered: "Yesterday Li Dawei took Chen Ge home to sleep—he seemed to have run into something, drank a lot."

Wang Yan nodded, glancing at Chen Xincheng, who was rubbing his head nearby, then at Li Dawei, sitting across with a gloomy face, and whispered back to Xia Jie: "Probably something with his wife and kid—he's got nothing else to worry about. I remember Chen Ge got divorced; I heard someone mention it."

Gossiping helped deepen bonds; they chattered quietly, intimately.

Everything requires an adjustment period—hence the saying: first time awkward, second time familiar. One night's shyness becomes anticipation after two. Being watched as a spectacle once is embarrassing, but daily observation becomes normal. Xia Jie had adapted well, smoothly transitioning from girl to woman, and she was happy about it.

After chatting a while, Wang Yan called over Li Dawei: "What happened to Chen Ge?"

Li Dawei dragged a chair over beside Wang Yan: "My master's daughter went to work at a nightclub. My master's divorced—his wife and daughter both live with the second husband, who's rich and treats them well. But somehow, Jiajia went bad—she started hanging out at nightclubs with Hu Hun. Look how worried my master is. Last night I tried to bring her home, but she ran off."

"She's a grown adult—you can't just drag her back and control her freedom," Wang Yan shook his head. "Is she eighteen yet?"

"She is—otherwise the nightclub boss wouldn't dare let her in, even if he had eight lives."

"I know someone named Jiajia too—I don't know if it's Chen Ge's daughter," Xia Jie mumbled, then asked curiously: "Eighteen should be college age—why didn't she go?"

"My master says she didn't do well on the exam. She's an art student—didn't get into her dream school, so she's retaking it," Li Dawei sighed, turning to Wang Yan. "Yan Ge, you've got ideas—think of something."

Wang Yan shook his head: "This is Chen Ge's family matter—I can't meddle in someone else's home. You, as his disciple, should figure it out. I'll speak up if needed. But I suspect there's more going on—why would a good girl suddenly turn to nightclubs and Hu Hun?"

Li Dawei widened his eyes: "You mean she might've been abused? Otherwise, what else could it be?"

"I just said there's something going on—there must be a reason. I didn't say anything else. You need to handle this—girls have complex minds; who knows what's happening? If anything comes up, find me. I'm going out on rounds."

"Wait, wait—Yan Ge, I just thought of something. That nightclub's called Carnival, on Bar Street—it's our jurisdiction. Why don't you go check it out this afternoon? Talk to the boss? I don't have your clout or your shoulders—you're my big brother."

Wang Yan shook his head, smiling: "Everyone knows I've got clout—why go through all this trouble? I've been to Carnival during National Day holiday. The boss's name I don't know, but the manager's a woman named Zhang Jin. Walk in and mention my name. If she doesn't cooperate, call me—I'll shut down Carnival today."

He wasn't boasting—he truly had that kind of clout. His patrol schedule might've been leaked; he worked every third day, and whenever he was on duty, whether he patrolled Bar Street or not, the number of luxury cars there dropped by half. When he wasn't on duty, it turned into a car show again. That was his power—that was his weight.

He knew Chen Xincheng's story well—it was part of the original plot. Chen Xincheng's daughter Jiajia was molested by her stepfather, which drove her to the nightclub as a third companion. But she'd only just started—she hadn't actually served yet…

Li Dawei nodded vigorously: "Got it, Yan Ge."

Wang Yan exchanged a few more words with Xia Jie, then filled a thermos with hot water and headed out for rounds.

Compared to when he first started, his rounds were now much smoother, and resolving minor issues faster. This was because he now had immense fame—his past deeds were widely known; people just had to compare themselves to his past cases to understand what would happen to them.

As a result, Bali River was now very harmonious. Besides, those with conflicts to resolve were still a minority—who in their right mind would dump trash at someone else's doorstep? Even noise complaints between floors weren't that common. Nor were cases of parking space theft or first-floor residents demolishing load-bearing walls—they were rare.

If everyone were so unreasonable and inconsiderate, there'd be no need for prosperity, democracy, civility, and harmony—because before building a home, the Chinese would've destroyed themselves.

Most of his round time was spent learning household details: how many people lived there, their jobs, income, or checking for drug use, gambling, or prostitution—though catching them red-handed was impossible. In a community of five to six thousand, sometimes over ten thousand people, you'd inevitably find a few gamblers or drug users.

As for fugitives, the last time he made an arrest had been widely circulated—no one would dare risk it anymore. He'd even confirmed with them whether gambling was involved. So far, besides the one before, he hadn't seen another.

On another front, because community residents enthusiastically ran for building leaders and property committee positions—even if still far behind Fengdan Bali—it gave them a sense of ownership and accomplishment. Overall, the neighborhood atmosphere was quite good.

The simplest sign: people on the same floor now greeted each other with smiles; residents within the community felt a degree of closeness. Compared to the old days when neighbors barely knew each other and had nothing to say when passing on stairs, things were clearly much better.

But it was hard on the street and community staff—Wang Yan's visits were scheduled, and every household had to have someone home because building leaders were being elected. So many people took the day off to be present. And since building leaders required street and community staff to be present, they had to come.

Of course, this requirement was Wang Yan's own—property committees were residents' self-governing bodies and didn't strictly need street or community presence. But Wang Yan, to avoid future disputes, insisted on involving both grassroots organizations—no excuses allowed. So reluctantly, each sent one representative to join Wang Yan on his rounds.

With the police station, street, and community all present—and Wang Yan being dominant—he could easily resolve any issue. Neither street nor community leaders would be foolish enough to cause him trouble. These actions resolved many grassroots problems, further elevating Officer Wang's prestige—he was becoming Wang Qingtian.

Thus, the day passed. That evening, he took Xia Jie out for a lavish dinner, then drove her home since she wasn't on duty. Around eight, Wang Yan returned to the station.

He avoided taking leave whenever possible; for nearly four months, his work had been consistently packed. As for Xia Jie, he'd accompanied her thoroughly—she was both delighted and anxious, thoroughly fulfilled.

After all, they were both police officers—basic-level station cops—destined never to have the daily romantic intimacy of ordinary couples…

Just as he arrived at the station, Gao Chao, Yang Shu, Cao Army Supervisor, and others returned from outside.

"From your smiles, I can tell it's a big case," Wang Yan asked, swinging his eight-piece set.

Gao Chao nodded vigorously, motioning Yang Shu and Cao Army Supervisor to bring the arrested man inside, then declared loudly: "No wonder you're sharp—we'd never have thought to test fingerprints on the money; we'd have just checked the surveillance and moved on. After all, so many hands touch cash—you'd naturally give up. This case? It's huge. Today we tracked three people. We arrested this one—he's likely bought counterfeit bills through channels. The other two are the sellers and producers. We didn't touch them yet—brought this one back first to interrogate. The Economic Crime unit will arrive soon—we'll investigate thoroughly, then strike in the next two days. We asked a few questions on the way—the case likely involves millions. You've earned another merit."

Wang Yan waved his hand calmly: "I just gave a tip—what merit? But you, Old Gao, you need to push harder. You've been deputy chief for two years—do you want to go back as team captain or become chief? You've got to care."

Wang Yan waved his hand casually: "I'm just giving you a lead—what's all this talk about cultivation arts? But you, Lao Gao, you need to step up. You've been deputy director for two years now—do you want to be transferred back to lead a squad, or become director? You've got to pay attention."

Gao Chao frowned: "Besides, promotion isn't always good. Look at our chief—he's stressed over everything. Look at Luo's team—they're under constant pressure. Two days ago, someone died on Xianfu Street—still no suspect caught. Luo's nearly driven mad. Meanwhile, I'm fine like this—less responsibility, I can focus on real cases. Enough talk—I'm going to interrogate the suspect."

Gao Chao grumbled, "Besides, getting promoted isn't necessarily a good thing. Look at our director—he's worried about this and that every day. Then look at Luo's team—they're under constant pressure. Didn't someone die on County Government Street a couple days ago? Still no suspect caught. Luo's practically going crazy. Right now, I'm fine like this—no heavy responsibilities, and I can actually focus on solving cases. Enough talk—I'm going to interrogate the suspect. No more useless chatter."

Wang Yan smiled, strolling calmly into the building. He brewed fresh tea, processed the fingerprint matches, then sat before his computer replying to public inquiries.

At that moment, Wang Yan received a message from Xia Jie: Li Dawei had brought Jiajia home—he should buy some late-night snacks. She added that Jiajia could draw, so he should buy all kinds of art supplies. She also briefly explained how she met Jiajia: they'd once met at the Youth Palace. They were only four years apart and could talk easily, though she hadn't known Jiajia was Chen Xincheng's daughter.

With a task at hand, Wang Yan stopped working—he could reply to messages at home. He packed up, changed into civilian clothes, drove out to shop, and returned home before ten.

At the door, he happened to meet a man and woman leaving—Xia Jie and Li Dawei came out to receive the goods and introduced them as Jiajia's biological mother and stepfather.

This was part of the original plot—they'd come to take Jiajia away, but she refused. Li Dawei claimed he was a police officer, and the stepfather fell silent.

Wang Yan said nothing extra—just sized them up, nodded in greeting, and walked in. Such hypocritical scoundrels—he might've talked if he didn't know their deeds. But since he already knew what the stepfather had done, there was no point in talking. Solving a case with the answer already known was boring.

"Wang Yan, this is Chen Ge's daughter, Deng Jiajia. Jiajia, this is the rich landlord you mentioned—the police officer from Bali River, and Chen Ge's colleague," Xia Jie grinned with her tiger teeth, introducing them.

"Officer Wang? I know you. During National Day, I saw you inspect Carnival—I've heard plenty about you. Listen, don't you dare bully Sister Xia Jie, or I won't forgive you," Deng Jiajia firmly sided with Xia Jie.

"I know Officer Wang. During National Day, I saw you at the carnival, and I've heard plenty about you. Listen up—I won't forgive you if you bully Sister Xia Jie." Deng Jiajia firmly took Xia Jie's side.

"Oh, you're so unserious," Xia Jie slapped Wang Yan's arm and pulled Jiajia away. "Come on—he bought a ton of food. You didn't eat dinner—let's eat together."

Li Dawei and Zhao Jiwei joined them, and everyone sat at the table, unpacking the takeout.

Li Dawei and Zhao Jiwu beside him joined in, and everyone sat down at the dining table, unpacking the items they had brought back.

Wang Yan asked, "Jiajia, I noticed your mom seems really afraid of Yu Zhen?"

"My mom divorced my dad because he had no money. This guy has money—of course she's completely obedient to him." Chen Jiajia's tone carried clear resentment, but she clearly didn't want to say more; after answering, she changed the subject and started rambling about other random things.

She seemed happily to join Wang Yan and the others for dinner, then went back to the room with Xia Jie to wash up and sleep.

Since things had reached this point, whatever was meant to happen would happen anyway, so Wang Yan didn't press further. He drank a bit more with Li Dawei and Zhao Jiwei, chatted awhile, went upstairs to wash up, and buried yesterday.

But clearly, with Chen Jiajia staying here, yesterday was doomed to remain unburied.

In the middle of the night, Xia Jie opened his door like a ghost and walked in…