Chapter 801

Xia Jie walked into the room; since the curtains weren't drawn, she met Wang Yan's eyes directly, startled into a shiver, then impatiently slapped her modest chest and turned on the light.

"You're not asleep?" she said, walking over to the bed.

Wang Yan reached out and yanked her onto the bed, pulling her into his arms: "Can't sleep? Thinking of me?"

"Oh come on, don't mess around—it's already past one, there's something serious." Xia Jie struggled free, sat cross-legged on the bed, fumbled with her phone, and handed it to Wang Yan: "Look at this. Jiajia woke up terrified in the middle of the night—this is what she showed me. After I got her back to sleep, I came straight up to find you."

Wang Yan watched the video on the phone: it was the same clip from the original drama, showing Jiajia's stepfather molesting her. He watched the full clip, then checked the video's details—it had been filmed a few days before National Day, and in it, the stepfather hadn't succeeded, only groped for a while.

"What did Jiajia say? Did Yu Zhen actually get away with it?"

"No, it's just like in the video—happened many times. Lately, Jiajia feels Yu Zhen might try to go further. She had no choice but to run away and refuses to return, no matter what. She's too scared to tell her mom or Chen Ge, and doesn't know how to handle it, so she ended up working as a bar hostess at the Carnival? Luckily we found out early—if not, she might've given up completely. Wang Yan, you have to figure something out."

Wang Yan nodded: "Sleep. Tomorrow."

"Oh come on, we have to work tomorrow—stop fidgeting." Xia Jie frowned. "Besides, how can I sleep now?"

"You say you can't sleep, but you won't let me touch you—how contradictory."

"I'm being serious—what are you going to do?" Xia Jie slapped his arm impatiently.

Wang Yan smiled: "Since we're protecting Jiajia's reputation, we can't go through legal channels, so you think it's hard? Actually, the best solution would've been for Jiajia to tell Chen Ge the moment Yu Zhen first had improper thoughts. Even if Chen Ge considered Jiajia's situation, beating Yu Zhen badly—even breaking a leg—would've been justified. Our chief and Song Ju would've covered it up. After all, when a police officer's family is harmed, it's a major issue affecting the team—they'd definitely protect them. Some problems wouldn't escalate that far. That way, revenge is served, Jiajia could live with Chen Ge, and wouldn't have to live in constant fear. Now she's fallen behind in school, her mindset's ruined, and she's heading down the wrong path."

This case is similar in nature to the previous Zhao Zhendong case—except Yu Zhen hasn't succeeded yet, so there's still time. But with Zhao Zhendong, it was already irreversible—he was killed by Zhao Zhiye, no way to undo it.

Zhao's family is still doing okay. Because of Zhao Zhiye's arrest, neighbors started gossiping, so they moved. Zhao Weihong is also fine, still living as before. So far, Wang Yan hasn't heard anyone leak their family's business.

"She doesn't want to make her mom suffer—you have to say what to do now. We can't let Jiajia keep getting abused."

"I checked Yu Zhen earlier—he's suspected of drug use. Tomorrow we'll just arrest him outright. Then investigate his background—I still don't know what he does. If he's a corporate executive, notify his company. If he's a private businessman, send tax and business authorities to investigate him—problem solved."

"Even if he's not using drugs, I can just call tax and business authorities and ruin him. It's easy—nothing like you think. Honestly, from a police officer's perspective, ignoring Jiajia's connection to Chen Ge, I'd still prefer legal procedures. Yu Zhen's molestation, with video evidence, would easily land him three years."

"Though we can handle him now, legal punishment is harsher. Our actions might hurt him, but how much depends entirely on how weak his psychological resilience is."

Xia Jie thought: "Do perverts usually have poor psychological resilience? What do you think it'll turn into?"

"Who knows? I'm not a prophet. But he definitely won't be this rich anymore. Jiajia's mom will probably divorce him."

"Divorce him—how can she stay with someone like that? Her mom's terrible too, doesn't even care about her own daughter."

Wang Yan shook his head and smiled: "Do you think she actually knows?"

"Probably not—Jiajia didn't tell her…" Xia Jie stared at Wang Yan, mouth open. "You think she does?"

"Who knows? I just think she probably knows more than she lets on—she just chooses to ignore it. After all, Jiajia is her daughter, she sleeps in the same bed as Yu Zhen, and she doesn't work—stays home or goes shopping. How could she not notice? We didn't even meet Jiajia face-to-face and we suspected something's wrong—how could her own mother not sense it?"

Who knows? I just think she might know even more, but chose to turn a blind eye. After all, Jiajia is her daughter, and she shared a bed with Yu Zhen; moreover, she doesn't work—either staying at home or going out to spend money. Under these circumstances, how could she not know? Besides, we haven't even seen Jiajia, yet we can already sense something's off—how could her own mother not have noticed?

Xia Jie broke out in cold sweat. Just thinking about it was terrifying. Even from a man's perspective, some fantasize about similar scenarios—like the famous Ning Zhongze and Yue Lingshan—but if it's forced, unless someone's truly beyond-psychotic, even watching a "uncle" scene would be unbearable.

Xia Jie broke out in a cold sweat; just thinking about such a thing was terrifying. Even from a man's perspective, some might fantasize about similar scenarios—like the famous Ning Zhongze and Yue Lingshan—but if it involved coercion, only someone psychologically twisted beyond redemption could accept it; even watching scenes involving the Prince Uncle would be unbearable.

Wang Yan waved his hand: "Talking about this is pointless. We judge actions, not intentions. We're just guessing—no real evidence. I'm just reminding you: don't assume people are good, but don't assume they're evil either. Until we know more, Jiajia's mom is just a money-obsessed woman who lost herself."

"Enough. Don't dwell on it. Sleep. Tomorrow, tell Li Dawei and Chen Ge, explain our plan, and let the chief handle it."

He turned off the light, pulled Xia Jie close, and went to sleep. Of course, nothing sexual—it was too late, and after all that, they'd have to tidy up again. Wang Yan didn't mind—he was always diligent in this regard—but Xia Jie couldn't handle it. If they had fun today, they'd be drowsy at work tomorrow—clearly not good.

She slept soundly. The next morning, Wang Yan went out to buy breakfast. Over the meal, he said: "Jiajia, Xia Jie told me everything last night—I saw the video. This can't be kept secret. I'm glad you told her. Stay here as long as you want."

"Don't blame Xia Jie for speaking up—she cares about you. Besides, we're all cops here, and Chen Ge's a veteran—he has to know."

"After we get to work, I'll tell Chen Ge. I won't hide this from him. Don't worry—this scumbag won't get away with it. We'll find a way to deal with him."

Jiajia looked up: "I don't blame Sister Xia Jie. Before, I was the only one who knew. After telling her, I already feel much better."

Her voice cracked with tears—probably, as she said, the relief of releasing her burden.

"Wait, what's going on? Why are you crying? You're telling Master Chen? And dealing with someone? Yan Ge, Xia Jie, tell us!" Li Dawei looked utterly confused, eyes wide, desperate to know.

"We'll explain when we get to the station. Eat your breakfast. Learn from Jianwei—he doesn't ask questions."

"That's different—he's just watching a show. This is my master's daughter—she's my sister!"

"Enough. You'll find out soon. Eat." Wang Yan smiled at Jiajia, shifting the topic to painting and other light subjects to ease the mood.

He was genuinely accomplished in both calligraphy and painting. He started writing large characters to cultivate his spirit, then naturally moved into traditional ink painting. Later, with more money, time, and experience, he immersed himself in Eastern and Western art—his artistic cultivation was exceptional.

In fact, he excelled in nearly every form of leisure—eating, drinking, entertainment. With such a long life, it was inevitable he'd develop hobbies and master them. Now his skill board showed a long string of LV5s—impressive indeed.

After chatting over breakfast, Wang Yan drove Xia Jie and the others to the Balihe Police Station.

Chen Xincheng was a bachelor. Before this, he had nothing but work—his wife divorced him, the child went with the ex-wife, and even if he wanted a second chance, his exhausting police schedule left no room for romance.

Police officers marry easily—high social status, a stable job. But they're always busy, and the pay isn't great. Chen Xincheng's ex-wife married him for the prestige, then divorced him because he was too busy to care for home—and mostly because she loved money, and Chen Xincheng, as a grassroots officer, had none.

Police officers marry easily, given their high social status and a solid, government-backed job. But when they get busy, there's never an end to it, and their pay isn't that high in comparison. When Chen Xincheng's ex-wife married him, she was drawn to his respectable job; later, when they divorced, Chen Xincheng's constant work and lack of time for family were certainly one reason. But mostly, it was because the woman loved money—and Chen Xincheng, as a frontline police officer, had none.

Wang Yan didn't waste words. He called Wang Shouyi, who was smoking by the garden, then gathered Chen Xincheng, Li Dawei, and Xia Jie, heading straight to the conference room.

Chen Xincheng asked, confused: "What's going on? Why so formal?"

Wang Yan nodded to Xia Jie. She straightforwardly recounted what Jiajia had told her, then played the video for everyone.

The reaction was predictable: few fathers tolerate their children being abused—especially daughters, especially in this way. Chen Xincheng's eyes turned red. He slammed his fist on the desk and leapt up, ready to go kill Yu Zhen.

Li Dawei, who in the original drama learned this at midnight and spent the whole night awake before rushing out to beat Yu Zhen the next morning, reacted with equal fury.

To any normal person, this was unbearable—how much more so for a room full of cops?

Wang Shouyi was furious too—he'd known Chen Xincheng for years. This happened under his command; not being angry would be unnatural. But as chief, he slammed the table harder, stopping Chen Xincheng and Li Dawei from rushing out.

"Look at yourselves—do you still look like People's Police? Don't you want your jobs? What are you going to do? Go beat him up? Is that justice?"

Chen Xincheng suppressed his rage: "Chief, he's abusing Jiajia—am I supposed to just sit there? I'll kill him!"

"Chief, don't stop me—I don't need my master to move. I'll handle him myself." Li Dawei shouted, eager to go teach that hypocritical bastard a lesson…

The conference room erupted. Wang Shouyi scolded the furious Chen Xincheng and Li Dawei. Wang Yan and Xia Jie sat quietly watching. Xia Jie kept tugging Wang Yan's sleeve, urging him to intervene.

This anger had built up over time—shouting and venting would help. Without this release, they'd act impulsively later.

Only when Wang Shouyi's voice went hoarse did Chen Xincheng sit down, pounding his own head in self-loathing. Li Dawei sat back down, glared at Wang Yan, and snapped: "Yan Ge, don't just watch—say something!"

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow and said calmly: "Yu Zhen is suspected of drug use."

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow and said coolly, "Yu Zhen is suspected of drug use."

Just those few words drew everyone's gaze to him; Chen Xincheng, eyes red and voice hoarse, asked, "Really?"

"I provided our anti-drug squad with a list of over a thousand names, and not a single one has been wrong."

Chen Xincheng suddenly stood up: "Let's go, Dawei. Let's go arrest him."

"Why the rush? He's right there—do you think he'll run?" Wang Shouyi glared at the two, then turned to Wang Yan. "Keep going. What's the next step? In our station, you're the one who's best at pulling strings."

"You've got the wrong idea about me, Chief." Wang Yan shook his head with a smile. "There's nothing special to do. Since he's using drugs, we arrest him and follow standard procedure—max out the fifteen-day detention. Also, Chen Ge, what does Yu Zhen do? Does he work for someone, or does he run his own business?"

Chen Xincheng replied, "He runs a business—an internet company. Says he's got dozens of employees, but I don't know what kind of business exactly."

"Then once you bring him in, I'll call the Industry and Commerce and Tax authorities to investigate. Or even the Labor Bureau. Given our country's situation, a check like that will always turn up something."

"Then we can dig deeper into his drug use and see if it leads to other issues. Either way, just holding him for fifteen days, plus an Industry and Commerce and Tax audit, will already hit him hard."

"He's still using drugs. After we let him go this time, after all this upheaval, I'm sure he'll use again. Then we can follow him—and maybe catch the dealers. We can bring Yu Zhen back in and send him to a mandatory detox center for three months. If he never truly quits, he'll relapse after release—so we arrest him again."

"Go through this cycle once, and Yu Zhen's life is basically over."

"Good. Do it exactly as you said—legal, proper, compliant." Wang Shouyi chuckled and added, "But you're the one who has to make that call. Even I, even Song Ju—he's a district standing committee member—doesn't have your clout."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Wang Yan shook his head with a smile, then looked at Chen Xincheng. "Chen Ge, go arrest him. I'll make the call this afternoon. But you and Li Dawei, keep your emotions in check and watch your words. Of course, if Yu Zhen resists, forget I said anything."

"Thank you, Wang Yan. This is such a hassle for you—I don't even know how to express it…" Chen Xincheng tried to speak, but the words stuck in his throat.

He knew clearly: Wang Yan making that call meant taking responsibility. He knew even more clearly: right now, countless eyes were fixed on Wang Yan, waiting for a chance to trip him up. This kind of action was, to some degree, inappropriate. If Wang Yan had been enforcing the law himself and called in a complaint, that would've been fine—but this was different.

Wang Yan waved his hand. "It's no big deal—we're family. Since Jiajia was bullied, I couldn't just stand by. Go arrest him. Best to catch him at his company—it'll shake his staff's morale. Then, with Industry and Commerce and Tax checking him, his company will shut down. And Chief, you'll need to coordinate, right? He's rich—he probably doesn't live in Fengdan Bali, does he?"

"No problem. Go ahead. Watch your step." Wang Shouyi waved them off.

Chen Xincheng nodded, bid farewell to Wang Yan and the others, and left with Li Dawei, fists clenched. From Wang Yan's understanding, those two were probably already thinking how to provoke Yu Zhen into resisting arrest—so they could legally use a takedown technique.

Wang Shouyi turned to Wang Yan. "You really are sharp. If you hadn't mentioned his drug use, this case would've been impossible to handle."

"Same thing—Industry and Commerce checks, Fire Department checks, Labor Bureau checks—you can bury him. Chief, you're a veteran cop. You don't know these tricks?"

People with even a little power can make life hard for others—like a gatekeeper. But grassroots law enforcers like police? Their power is vastly greater. There are countless ways to crush someone.

Like now. Like yesterday, when I wanted to crush the Carnival. I didn't need to do anything else—just stand guard outside the Carnival every day, and stroll in every few days to get the job done. Even nastier: I could bring in the Fire Department. If their fire safety fails, they shut down. No one can object.

Especially now that Wang Yan's reputation is legendary. Even if the owner has connections, no one dares challenge him. Honestly, the most reckless man in Ping'an City right now is Wang Yan—though he's just quiet about it…

"I've got tricks, but I don't have your clout. After all, I'm just a small station chief. I can handle ordinary thugs and hooligans, but someone with real influence? That's tough. And we can't let Jiajia testify—that's why this is so hard."

Wang Shouyi smiled. "When they come back, I'll have Xincheng send you the company name. Don't forget to make that call. This needs your attention."

"Relax, Chief. Do you think I'm the kind who abandons comrades? I won't forget."

"Oh, by the way—you haven't heard yet? You've gone viral again. That video from two days ago, when you and Yang Shu went to the deaf-mute couple on Fengdan Bali Street to gather info—I saw it this morning. Honestly, your sign language was pretty convincing."

"What's that supposed to mean? How else was I supposed to communicate with them? Wave my hands around randomly?" Wang Yan shook his head with a smile. "Whether I'm popular or not doesn't matter—we're serving the people. Alright, Chief, I'm off to work."

"Go, go. Don't forget to make that call."

Wang Shouyi kept urging him, still uneasy…