Chapter 16

The woman in the strapless top was just as shocked and furious as the woman in front of her. She stammered, “He’s not my boyfriend. I… I just met him last night!”

“Cut the crap!”

The female store clerk didn’t believe a word and cursed, “You just met last night, and you’re already all over each other? Acting all lovey-dovey? And he bought you a phone? Listen up, unless you pay for the phone, you little tramp, you’re not leaving!”

The woman in the strapless top wasn’t one to back down. She shot back, “Who are you calling ugly? I’m telling the truth! We met last night at a dance hall. He said his family recently got a huge payout from a demolition project—several million. He promised me 100,000 yuan just to spend the night with him.

I thought, okay, 100,000 yuan for one night isn’t bad, so I agreed.”

The female store clerk didn’t hear anything after the word ‘ugly.’ She exploded, “You little slut, who are you calling ugly? I’ll fight you!”

She lunged at the woman, clawing at her face. The two of them started brawling—scratching faces, grabbing at chests, and tearing clothes. The strapless dress got ripped, the shirt buttons were torn off—both of them ended up completely exposed.

The nearby men thoroughly enjoyed the scene, none of them stepping in to break up the fight!

Eventually, other store employees called the police. Soon, the officers arrived, led by none other than Officer Lin.

When Wang Tiezhu saw who it was, he was speechless. This was already the third time he had run into her this morning.

What a fateful encounter.

Or maybe just a cursed one!

Lin Qing noticed Wang Tiezhu as well but ignored him for now, focusing on handling the situation. She stepped between the two women and barked,

“What’s going on here? Both of you, stop right now and put your clothes on! What kind of behavior is this?”

Seeing the police, the two women finally stopped fighting, but neither backed down. Both huffed in anger, not the least bit concerned about being exposed.

The female store clerk pointed at the strapless woman and shouted, “Officer, this woman is in cahoots with that scammer! They stole two phones from my store, each worth over 10,000 yuan! Arrest her! Arrest her now!”

“You’re the scammer!”

The woman in the strapless top fired back, “Officer, I’m a victim too! I… I got tricked into sleeping with that bastard for nothing! I didn’t get a single cent, and now I’m being treated like a criminal? I… I want justice! Waaaahhh!”

She started crying, feeling utterly wronged. That bastard had exhausted her last night, and now she ended up in this mess.

“You slut, serves you right!” The store clerk sneered. “I don’t care! You and that scammer are partners in crime, so you’re paying for the phones!”

“Like hell I will!” The strapless woman snapped back. “You ugly bi—”

“Shut up, both of you!”

Lin Qing shouted, “One more word, and you’re both coming to the station with me! Now, one at a time. You—” She pointed at the store clerk. “Explain everything from the beginning.”

—–

Half an Hour Later

Standing outside the phone store, Lin Qing stared at Wang Tiezhu in silence.

Wang Tiezhu rubbed his cheek. “Officer Lin, why are you staring at me like that? I know I’m pretty handsome, but if you keep looking at me like that, I’ll get shy. Heh.”

“Pfft!”

Lin Qing spat, “Calling yourself handsome? You’re shameless! I was right about you—you’re like a bad luck magnet. Wherever there’s trouble, you’re there.

Tell me, why didn’t you chase after that scammer? He was right next to you! If you had caught him, all this could’ve been avoided.”

Wang Tiezhu rolled his eyes. “Lady, let me give you a reality check. One, I’m not a mind reader. That guy had a thick gold chain and a fancy ring—he looked like a rich guy! How was I supposed to know he was a scammer?

Two, even if I did suspect him, I’m not a cop. Catching criminals is your job, not mine. If I tried to stop him and he had a knife, what if he stabbed me? That’s game over for me.

So tell me, am I wrong? Heh.”

“Hmph, hypocrite.”

Lin Qing snorted. “Don’t think I didn’t notice. When I checked the security footage, I saw that scammer’s bag—one side of the zipper was open, and it was stuffed with newspaper. You saw it too, didn’t you? You must’ve suspected him right away.

If you had just warned the store clerk, the phones wouldn’t have been stolen.

You didn’t say anything because she mocked you earlier, right? Wang Tiezhu, I get it, she was rude, but this is a different issue. Can’t you tell the difference?

I used to think you were decent. But now? Ha!

I’ve lost all respect for you.”

Wang Tiezhu chuckled softly. This woman had sharp eyes. He calmly said,

“Officer Lin, I don’t care what you think of me. I live for myself, not for others’ opinions.

And don’t act all high and mighty, lecturing me about morality. I did notice the newspaper, but does that automatically make him a scammer?

It’s easy for you to talk when you’re not in my position. That store clerk insulted me first, and now you expect me to go out of my way to help her?

I’m not some pathetic bootlicker.

If it were you, would you have done any different? Hmm, Officer Lin?”

Lin Qing bit her lip, staring at Wang Tiezhu without a word.

He continued, “Besides, when it comes to catching criminals, I don’t act recklessly like you, Officer Lin. I use my brain.” He tapped his temple. “Understand?”

Lin Qing frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“Heh.”

Wang Tiezhu smirked, pulled out a small tissue from his pocket, and unfolded it. Inside was a tiny silver needle with traces of fresh blood at the tip. He handed it to her.

“Here, take it. This is the scammer’s blood. Run a DNA test and compare it with the criminal database.

That guy’s scam was top-notch—even I almost fell for it. A guy this skilled has probably done this many times before.

Chances are, he already has a criminal record. If you can match his identity, catching him will be a lot easier.”

Lin Qing was stunned. She took the tissue and asked, “W-When did you stab him? I didn’t see anything on the security footage.”

Wang Tiezhu replied, “Right after I saw the newspaper in his bag. But I was only suspicious at that point.

So I got a little sample of his blood. If he really was a rich guy, then no harm done.

Anyway, Officer Lin, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way. You take care.”

He turned and started walking toward his parked car.

“Wait a second!”

“What now?” Wang Tiezhu turned back.

Lin Qing hesitated, then said,

“Our department is recruiting auxiliary police officers. I think you’d be a good fit.

Are you interested?”