Chapter 984

The clear sound reverberated in the hallway, like a thunderclap.

Everyone froze.

Zhou Haidong was slapped so hard his head jerked sideways, his glasses flying off the bridge of his nose. He covered his burning cheek, not daring to speak, his anger forced down despite its fury.

The police in the hallway stood frozen, some instinctively stepping back, others lowering their heads, afraid to look.

Su Qianqian also gasped, covering her mouth.

This scene left Su Qianqian excited, tears glimmering in her eyes; she never imagined Mayor Lin would, for ordinary folks like them, disregard his political image and publicly slap a corrupt official.

Where could one find such a good man?

Teacher Chu must be very happy, right?

As these wandering thoughts arose in her mind, boundless envy followed; Su Qianqian couldn't help fantasizing—if she could marry such a man, she would die without regret.

But when such a thought flashed through her mind, it was replaced by an inexplicable sense of loss and despondency.

Just as the ancients said: "The ruler was born before I, I was born after the ruler grew old"… Ah! Wrong—handsome and domineering Mayor Lin is not old at all; it should be "I was born after the ruler married."

Boundless regret surged in like a tide.

Su Qianqian stared blankly at Lin Dongfan, as if merely being able to quietly gaze at him a little longer would already be a great fortune in her unfortunate life.

Unfortunately…

At this moment, Lin Dongfan apparently didn't realize that his heroic bearing had already caused a newly graduated campus belle to fall for him.

At this moment, Lin Dongfan's eyes held no beauty—only a corrupt official.

He glared at Zhou Haiping: "Does that slap leave you feeling a bit unwilling? No problem—I'll give you a reasonable explanation shortly."

"!!!"

Zhou Haidong covered his burning cheek, head lowered, not daring to utter a sound.

Lin Dongfan turned and walked toward Zhou Haidong's desk, plopping down into the wide leather swivel chair, crossing his legs, and lit a cigarette.

Everyone stood trembling before him, as if awaiting the judgment of the grim reaper.

Lin Dongfan slowly exhaled a puff of smoke, then issued an order: "Go fetch the man named Liu Dawei."

"!!!"

Hearing this order, Zhou Haidong's nerves went taut with shock.

Liu Dawei was the officer in charge of the bar rape case; he had always been intolerant of evil, unable to tolerate the slightest fault, and naturally regarded Cao Shaozhen as a thorn in his side and a splinter in his flesh.

When Cao Shaozhen was previously released, Liu Dawei had been emotional, even once talking back to his superiors.

If Liu Dawei were to see Mayor Lin, it would be over! Given Liu Dawei's character, he would surely spill the whole truth; then this case could not be covered up no matter how hard one tried.

No!

We must absolutely not let Liu Dawei see Mayor Lin!

After much thought, Zhou Haidong steeled himself and told a lie: "Liu Dawei is out on a case in Jinxian County; he won't be back anytime soon…"

"Cough cough! Did I come at a bad time?"

Before Zhou Haidong could finish, the plainclothes criminal police captain—Comrade Liu Dawei—marched into the office with a step that showed no regard for kin.

In an instant, Zhou Haidong's face turned ashen as death.

Zhou Haidong glared fiercely at Liu Dawei, Liu Dawei couldn't even let out a fart; then Zhou Haidong himself was glared at fiercely by Lin Dongfan, and the whole office fell into dead silence.

Lin Dongfan looked at Liu Dawei: "You're Captain Liu?"

"Hello, Mayor Lin." Liu Dawei stepped forward, saluted Lin Dongfan, and replied respectfully: "I am Liu Dawei of the Criminal Police Unit of the Jin Kou Branch, the officer in charge of the bar rape case."

"Captain Liu, whether handling a case or speaking, seek truth from facts! Never be hasty for quick gains." Zhou Haidong gave Liu Dawei a cold glance, which amounted to warning him not to speak recklessly.

Without waiting for Liu Dawei's reply.

Lin Dongfan's grim reaper gaze already turned to Zhou Haidong: "Who let you speak? Step aside and stand!"

"!!!"

Zhou Haiping glumly closed his mouth, stepped aside, not knowing which way the turning point of fate would go; saying he wasn't nervous would be a lie, and if he took the wrong turn it would be a straight road to the eighteenth level of hell.

Lin Dongfan flicked ash into the ashtray, then slowly drew a puff, his spirit index instantly maxed out.

He directly asked Liu Dawei: "Captain Liu, you're the officer in charge of the bar rape case; tell me, what exactly happened?"

"Can I speak the truth?" Liu Dawei asked.

Lin Dongfan said: "Nonsense—if you dare utter even half a lie, tomorrow you won't need to come to work; you'll go back where you came from."

"Since I can only speak the truth, I won't hold back."

Liu Dawei turned his head and smiled at Zhou Haiping, as if saying to him: "Leader, I truly don't want to betray you, but I'm forced by circumstances, with no choice; please understand…"

Seeing Zhou Haiping's sullen look, he felt immensely satisfied inside.

"Cough cough!"

Liu Dawei cleared his throat.

Immediately thereafter he could not help but reveal the facts: "Existing evidence shows that Cao Shaozhen's rape of He Wei is true. The video was made by Cao Shaozhen himself having someone record it; the whole process was nothing short of heavenly‑towering sin! He first struck He Wei, then ordered someone to hold her down and forcibly pour alcohol! After plying her with drink, he sexually assaulted her."

"Just tell me the result—why was Cao Shaozhen released while He Wei was criminally detained?" Lin Dongfan stared directly at Liu Dawei.

Liu Dawei was also unable to quell his anger.

He turned his head to glance at Zhou Haiping, only to see Zhou Haiping frightened like a grandson, head bowed, trembling, not daring to breathe.

Old dog Zhou!

You fucking have today?

Today is your death sentence!

Liu Dawei cursed under his breath, then turned back to report to Lin Dongfan: "Today, I don't even know exactly what happened; Chief Zhou suddenly issued an order to release Cao Shaozhen and criminally detain He Wei. Chief Zhou's reason sounds plausible on the surface but won't withstand scrutiny. Saying He Wei attempted extortion and then counter‑accused Cao Shaozhen of rape is rather bewildering. If He Wei had engaged in extortion, where's the evidence?"

"You mean someone is now abusing power, practicing favoritism, and turning black into white?" Lin Dongfan asked.

Liu Dawei straightened his chest, giving a noncommittal reply: "I'm willing to guarantee with my future that He Wei was arrested unjustly! Please, Leader, make a decisive decision to right the wrongs!"

"I don't need your guarantee; I just want evidence." Lin Dongfan asked directly: "With the existing evidence, can it actually substantiate Cao Shaozhen's rape charge?"

"The evidence is solid!"

Liu Daiwei replied firmly.

Upon hearing that, Lin Dongfan didn't waste words, directly shifting his gaze to Zhou Haidong: "Are you going to take off this uniform yourself, or should I have someone help you take it off?"

!!!

Zhou Haidong's legs gave out, and he almost collapsed to the floor, but he quickly caught the edge of the desk, which allowed him to regain his composure, albeit embarrassingly.

His whole face had turned as pale as paper.

He tearfully pleaded with Lin Dongfan: "Lin... Mayor Lin... many things aren't as they appear on the surface, and I don't want it this way... I truly haven't abused my authority... in this matter... I was also just following orders from my superiors; please, give me a chance to explain..."

"Listening to your explanation is the judge's job; my duty is just to send you to see the judge!" Lin Dongfan shot Liu Daiwei a cold glance: "Handcuff him for me!"