Chapter 983: A Warning from Old Fan

When Lin Dongfan's car stopped at the entrance of the Jin Kou Branch Bureau, it was already 4 p. m.

Sunlight slanted in from the west, shining on the bureau's sign; those few characters were plated with a golden edge, bright enough to be dazzling.

Lao Ba got out of the car and pulled open the rear door.

Lin Dongfan stepped out, wearing a dark jacket, no tie, his leather shoes striking the steps with a thud-thud.

His expression was calm, but his eyes were deep, like a pool of deep water. The officer on duty at the entrance saw him, froze for a moment, then hurriedly stood up.

"Lin... Mayor Lin, how come you're here?"

Lin Dongfan didn't look at him, walking straight inside.

The duty officer reacted, hurriedly picking up the walkie-talkie, his voice trembling: "Chief Zhou, Mayor Lin is here! Mayor Lin has arrived at the bureau!"

In the reception hall, Su Qianqian stood in the corner, her eye sockets red, clutching her phone.

Seeing Lin Dongfan walk in, her tears welled up again.

"Mayor Lin..."

Lin Dongfan nodded at her, his gaze sweeping the hall and landing on the female officer at the front desk: "Where is your bureau chief?"

The female officer had already stood up, her face pale: "He's... in the office, I... I'll go get him."

"No need."

Lin Dongfan turned and walked toward the inner office area.

The female officer glanced at Su Qianqian following behind Lin Dongfan, incredulous! She never imagined that this Su Qianqian could actually summon Mayor Lin—truly unbelievable!

In the corridor, several officers saw Lin Dongfan and made way, some lowering their heads, some turning sideways, some even lowering their breathing.

When Zhou Haidong received the call from the duty officer, he was smoking in the office.

He smoked heavily, the ashtray already full of cigarette butts. He put down the walkie-talkie, his hand trembling. Why has Mayor Lin come here? Could it be for He Wei?

Thinking of this, Zhou Haidong's nerves tightened.

He hurriedly stood up, straightened his uniform, took a deep breath, and walked out of the office with a composed demeanor.

In the corridor, Lin Dongfan was already walking toward him.

The two faced each other.

They were separated by a distance of three or four meters.

Zhou Haidong's legs felt a bit weak: "Mayor Lin, how come you're here? You didn't even give advance notice so I could come down to meet you."

Lin Dongfan looked at him, saying nothing.

That gaze was calm as a mirror, yet Zhou Haidong saw his own embarrassment reflected in it.

"Where is He Wei?" Lin Dongfan spoke.

Zhou Haidong steeled himself to reply: "Mayor Lin, He Wei is suspected of extortion; we have detained her criminally in accordance with the law, the procedure is legal and compliant."

Lin Dongfan asked again: "What about Cao Shaozhen?"

Zhou Haidong's voice dropped lower: "Insufficient evidence, she has been released without charge."

"Insufficient evidence?"

Lin Dongfan smiled, a cold smile: "The victim has a hospital examination report, on-site video, and injuries on her body, and you tell me there's insufficient evidence?"

Zhou Haidong's forehead beaded with cold sweat: "Mayor Lin, the hospital report only proves that sexual relations occurred, not that He Wei was unwilling. The video... the video situation is more complicated; it's a routine He Wei preset beforehand. As for the injuries, they were also self-inflicted by He Wei to achieve her goal by any means."

He paused briefly.

Zhou Haidong then said: "Let me explain the details to you..."

He fully recounted the set of statements that Fu Xinping had prepared.

Finally he added: "That's the situation: in this case, Cao Shaozhen was indeed framed innocently, He Wei's extortion attempt failed, she became angry out of embarrassment and falsely accused Cao Shaozhen."

"Who taught you these reasons?"

Lin Dongfan stared coldly at Zhou Haidong.

Zhou Haidong's face instantly turned paler, he opened his mouth but couldn't speak. He was nervous like a grandson, not unwilling to speak, but afraid to.

Lin Dongfan stepped forward, now only an arm's length away: "Zhou Haidong, you're a veteran public security officer. You should know what the key evidence in a rape case is: the victim's identification, the injuries on her body, her immediate report to the police. He Wei has all of these. You say there's insufficient evidence—doesn't your conscience hurt?"

!!!

Zhou Haidong lowered his head, not daring to meet Lin Dongfan's gaze.

Lin Dongfan's voice wasn't loud, but each word struck like a nail: "He Wei, a recent college graduate working at a bar, was raped. She reported it, trusting the law. You, however, released the rapist and instead criminally detained the victim. Who taught you to handle cases like this? Tell me, I'm very interested in that person."

!!!

The corridor was so quiet you could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall.

Several officers stood at a distance, neither daring to approach nor to leave. Su Qianqian stood at the entrance of the reception hall, watching this scene, tears flowing uncontrollably.

At this moment Zhou Haidong also mustered courage, facing Lin Dongfan's criticism head-on.

He knew he had violated the principle of "law enforcement for justice," but he had never thought of admitting this mistake! Because this mistake involves suspicion of perverting the law for personal gain, he cannot admit it!

He thought, if he gritted his teeth and held out to the end, there might still be a way out.

Having thought this through in silence.

Zhou Haidong steeled himself to emphasize: "Mayor Lin, I fully understand your feelings, but our bureau also handles cases according to law. He Wei is suspected of extortion, the evidence is solid, while Cao Shaozhen truly was framed. This is our preliminary investigation conclusion; if you don't believe it, you can assign a specialist to re-examine the case."

!!!

Lin Dongfan stared at Zhou Haidong for several seconds.

That gaze was like a blade scraping across Zhou Haidong's face. Although his legs felt a bit weak, he gritted his teeth, showing no intention to retreat.

"Good!"

Lin Dongfan nodded, then gave a cold chuckle: "Handling cases according to law, right? Fine."

Saying that.

Lin Dongfan stepped forward two steps and firmly patted Zhou Haiping on the shoulder.

He also issued a cold warning: "Your black gauze hat stays on your head for now! If the facts aren't as you say, when He Wei comes out, you'll go in!"

"!!!"

Zhou Haiping sported a black line on his head, and at this moment he grimly felt that—one of his feet had already stepped into hell; whether he lives or dies is no longer within his control.

He just couldn't figure it out:

He Wei is nothing but a fresh college graduate; his family has been farming for generations, with no connections or influence! A nobody like He Wei, if you casually throw a brick on the street, you could knock out a whole bunch.

How could He Wei's case alarm Mayor Lin?

Is it because Fu Xinping that bastard acted too flamboyantly and overbearingly, provoking Mayor Lin's displeasure? Or is it that our ancestral grave lacks proper burial, fated to bring this calamity?

The more he thought about the things he couldn't figure out, the more his head hurt.

Zhou Haiping glanced at Su Qianqian behind Lin Dongfan, suddenly realized, and thought: Surely it's that woman's gaze filled with hatred; surely she's meddling from behind!

With her pure looks and impressive figure, Mayor Lin surely couldn't resist; they must have slept together for him to have such a close relationship that comes at the slightest gesture.

Damn it!

With his own backside not clean, he still has the nerve to pose as an honest official?

Thinking this,

Zhou Haiping meaningfully replied to Lin Dongfan: "Mayor Lin, although you're a leader, we all serve the common people! No one is a sage; who can guarantee they won't make even the slightest mistake? I dare not guarantee my cases are flawless—do you dare guarantee you'll never err?"

"Are you trying to bargain with me, or threaten me?" Lin Dongfan's eyes were like knives.

Zhou Haiping feigned calm, returning a faint smile: "I was just speaking offhand; you have the right to interpret it however you like—whatever you say it means, that's what it means..."

"Smack!!!"

Before Zhou Haiping could finish, Lin Dongfan had already swung a slap over.