1029 Perplexed and Smitten 89 (1/2)
It had never occured to An Xiaoning that humanity could be so twisted. \”You… you mean those two people pretended to commit suicide? You mean, it was a deliberate act?\”
\”Yes. I got goosebumps right after I heard about it. I think things are getting serious. However, it's not that easy to find out the truth with just his statement alone. I've reported this incident to the Chief.\”
\”What did Pan Zhenghui say?\” she asked.
Shaking his head, Ma Jianguo took a seat and answered, \”He told me and another colleague not to intervene.\”
\”What?\” An Xiaoning gaped.
\”That's why I'm telling you about it. I know you're very busy, but I really hope these things won't happen again in the future. However? I understand that the world is too vast and there are too many twisted incidents. It's difficult for one person to solve all problems.\”
The other three of her former colleagues broke their silence.
Zu Dong said, \”Team Leader, those people are out to harm others. Could you step in to help?\”
Gong Le chimed in, \”There are no outsiders here. I shall be brazen and say this. I have a feeling that the Bureau Chief might have received bribes. He might not seem like such a person on the surface, but who knows what his true colors are?\”
\”Team Leader, this may seem like it's someone else's affairs, but as the police, we ought to do something about it. We've discussed this amongst ourselves and we all think that things are going to get out of hand if we don't keep it within control. Perhaps one day, our children might suffer the same fate. Thus, Team Leader, you must intervene,\” said Ding Liang.
\”Since I know about it now, I can't ignore it. Rest assured, I'll do something about this.\”
\”Xiaoning, will you tell the Chief about this?\”
\”Not at the moment.\” An Xiaoning looked at Ma Jianguo and said, \”Don't tell him about it yet for the time being either. If he has really received bribes, wouldn't we be alarming him unnecessarily? How are we supposed to get the evidence we need then? We shall see what he says once we get sufficient evidence.\”
Ma Jianguo gave her a thumbs up and said, \”No wonder you were our team leader. You're so dauntless and motivated.\”
\”Forget it, I'm no longer your team leader.\”
\”But you always are, in our hearts.\”
\”Old Ma, you're such an expert at bootlicking.\”
\”I meant every word I said from the bottom of my heart. By the way, you said you wanted to get evidence. Shall we go with you?\”
\”You guys are busy enough with solving cases. How would you have the time to do it?\”
\”It's not like we don't get to get off from work.\”
An Xiaoning waved and said, \”Forget it, you guys must be exhausted from working endlessly every day. Just take a break after work. I'll call you guys when I need your help. Just give me the address of the site.\”
Ma Jianguo made an OK sign with his fingers and said, \”It's south of the bridge along the river below Mount Heyuan. You'll see that bunch of people once you're on the bridge.\”
\”Is this a widespread occurrence all across the country?\”
Shaking his head, Ma Jianguo said, \”I'm not sure about the other areas but it's not the case for all rivers in our country. Well, everyone's mentality is different, how could we compare all of them against the same criteria? At least we know that that bunch is up to no good.\”
\”Is that river near Mount Heyuan a tourist attraction?\” asked An Xiaoning, who had never been there before despite having heard of it.
\”Yes, yes, yes. It's a tourist attraction. Besides, it's summertime now. There'll be more tourists.\”
\”Got it. I'll go take a look when I'm free in the next two days,\” said An Xiaoning.
\”We can rest assured with that said, Xiaoning.\”
\”Alright, I'm leaving now. Continue working on your cases.\”
\”You're leaving so soon, aren't you going to sit here for a while longer?\” Everyone stood up one after another.
\”Nah, I'll contact you guys if there are any new updates or progress on this.\”
\”Alright, sure.\”