(2) Hiding

Shen Wanwan didn’t know how many people were guarding inside Room 302, but according to the building manager, there were three young men living there.

There were also hostages inside, and Shen Wanwan couldn’t rush in recklessly. She had the building manager knock on the door under the pretense of checking the water meter.

It was common to check the water meter in the kitchen, and since the building manager was a familiar face, he successfully tricked them into opening the door.

The living room was full of garbage. In addition to the man who opened the door, there was another man lazily lying on the couch, too lazy to even lift his eyelids.

The building manager made a “2” gesture towards Shen Wanwan, signaling that there were two people visible.

Then, the building manager led the young man out of the room. Taking advantage of the moment, Shen Wanwan lunged at him, covered his mouth, and pressed him to the ground.

The man on the couch yawned and got up. “Haozi, what’s going on?”

Before he could even see the doorway, Shen Wanwan, with a few local officers, rushed in.

After controlling the two men, Shen Wanwan immediately checked the other rooms. When she opened the door, she was stunned by the sight before her.

Two rooms were locked, each containing girls—seven in total. There was a 1.5-meter wide double bed in each room, and the seven girls were squeezed together on the two beds.

Their hands and feet were bound with rough ropes, and their mouths were covered with three layers of tape.

Shen Wanwan untied the ropes for them, and one of the girls shouted towards the window, “One got away!”

Shen Wanwan immediately went to the window and saw, not far away, a stumbling figure. She recognized him as one of the men who had been scolded by He Qing the day before.

She turned and ran outside.

—

Xiao Wei had been with He Qing for only three months, but in that time, he had earned more than he had in all his previous work combined.

The job was easy—just keep an eye on the women, occasionally strut around with the group, but generally, there was no need for physical confrontation.

This had led to his physical decline. After running for a few hundred meters, he was already gasping for breath and couldn’t run any further.

Xiao Wei thought for a moment. He had run fast earlier, and the people who barged in hadn’t seen his face. All he had to do was change into another set of clothes and walk slowly. Even if they caught up, they wouldn’t recognize him.

Xiao Wei immediately took off his oversized T-shirt and tossed it to a beggar by the side of the road.

The T-shirt was newly bought, and Xiao Wei felt a little regretful, but his life was more important right now.

He knew exactly what kind of business He Qing was in. There were a few girls who weren’t well-liked, and He Qing thought they were unprofitable, so she threw them to Xiao Wei and the others for amusement. There was nothing he could do about it.

Xiao Wei, now wearing a white tank top, tried to walk as steadily as possible.

He was already a considerable distance from Jinling Community and was heading towards the side of the road to hail a taxi.

However, as soon as he raised his arm, someone pressed down on his shoulder. A woman’s cold voice came from the right side, “Let’s go for a trip.”

Shen Wanwan’s trip almost caused a big mess in Xuzhou City.

He Qing wasn’t an ordinary person, she had been organizing women to sell their bodies for profit.

The girls who originally joined were all volunteers. Even though He Qing exploited them harshly, they couldn’t let go of the wealthy lifestyle. However, over time, things began to take a darker turn.

There were too many beautiful girls, and the tastes of the clients varied. Some clients didn’t like those who were overly flirtatious. Even though they had already reached this point, they still wanted “pure” girls, which was ridiculous.

He Qing kidnapped and controlled women, forcing them to make profits for her. The earnings didn’t go to the women but were pocketed by He Qing herself.

All they could get were three meals a day and a place to stay.

It was shocking that such a vile trade existed in Xuzhou City. The “clients” the girls testified about were often influential figures, which caused a huge uproar.

Shen Wanwan was hailed as a “hero” for saving them, and reporters rushed to interview her.

However, the criminal investigation team found themselves in an awkward situation.

Shen Wanwan had notified the team before going to Jinling Community, but no one showed up from the team.

This was an opportunity for them to gain credit, but now the situation was that while credit was earned, it couldn’t be publicly flaunted.

The director called Tao Jiang and scolded him harshly.

When Tao Jiang returned to the team, Xiang Dong sat at his desk, too ashamed to look up.

It was him who had received Shen Wanwan’s call, but he thought Shen Wanwan was just confused and didn’t take it seriously.

Even when the agreed time arrived, he didn’t go to find Shen Wanwan.

Now, of course, he was about to be scolded.

As expected, Tao Jiang singled out Xiang Dong, “Tell me, what happened?”

Xiang Dong glanced at Shen Wanwan, “Wanwan said she heard that He Qing was hiding people in Jinling Community and asked me to take a few people to help. It was only around five o’clock, and I thought she was just talking nonsense, so I didn’t go.”

Zou Guodong chuckled, “The opportunity for collective credit is gone, the cooked duck flew away!”

Xiang Dong felt incredibly embarrassed.

Zou Guodong wanted to tease him a bit more, “We could’ve shared some prize money and a meal, but now we can only watch Wanwan enjoy the glory alone.”

Tao Jiang shot him a glare, “Stop talking.”

Then he looked at Xiang Dong, “I’m asking you, why didn’t you go when Shen Wanwan asked you to help?”

Xiang Dong mumbled, “I thought she was just confused.”

“Why did you think that?”

“There was no evidence,” Xiang Dong said, “She suddenly brought up this matter without any proof, so I didn’t believe it.”

Tao Jiang said calmly, “That’s the problem. You are classmates, colleagues, and comrades who have fought together. Yet there’s no trust between you. What will happen when you face a ruthless criminal? What if she hadn’t been able to rescue the person today and ended up getting hurt instead? Xiang Dong, I want you to understand, personal glory is important, but we are more than just individuals—we are a collective.”

The calmer Tao Jiang became, the worse Xiang Dong felt inside.

Shen Wanwan thought that the blame didn’t entirely fall on Xiang Dong. She had only mentioned that she had tracked down He Qing to get information, but the team had actually sent people to monitor He Qing. Shen Wanwan’s story was likely not believed by many.

Shen Wanwan stood up and said, “Captain Tao, it’s my fault for not finding solid evidence, so it’s not Xiang Dong’s fault.”

Tao Jiang’s face hardened, and he coldly asked, “Does it matter?”

Xiang Dong froze.

Tao Jiang questioned, “When investigating a case, evidence is necessary to ensure the right person is caught, to ensure a successful prosecution, and that the criminal is properly punished. But I ask you, what kind of evidence is needed in a situation like this? Your teammate is in trouble and needs your help, and you don’t trust him, but you still want him to provide evidence?”

Tao Jiang’s words were sharp, and Shen Wanwan finally understood his point.

In her mind, people are multifaceted, and the workplace is like a battlefield. Even within the team, she couldn’t trust everyone 100%.

But their professions were different.

If even they couldn’t trust each other, capturing criminals and eliminating crime would become nothing more than empty words.

Xiang Dong certainly didn’t trust Shen Wanwan, but would Shen Wanwan trust him?

Shen Wanwan softly said, “Captain Tao, I understand now.”

Xiang Dong’s expression was complicated, but he nodded in response, “I know I was wrong.”

“This matter is over. Honor or no honor, I don’t care. Right now, you all need to focus back on Zhang Yingming’s case. Understood?”

As soon as Tao Jiang finished speaking, Zhu Jianhua suddenly stood up and kicked the chair behind him.

He coldly glanced at Tao Jiang, grabbed his thermos cup, and walked out.

Cui Luo sighed softly.

Although Shen Wanwan had gained credit, after further investigation, it was discovered that He Qing’s contacts with the individuals with criminal records were indeed unrelated to Zhang Yingming.

The main suspects they were currently focusing on were Liu Fanrong and Zhou Jianguo.

The investigation surrounding Zhou Jianguo had already begun yesterday. Based on his usual behavior, although he boasted loudly, he was actually a coward.

The key point now was whether Liu Fanrong had told the truth.

Had Zhang Yingming already been dead when Liu Fanrong arrived, or had he been the one to kill Zhang Yingming?

The case involving Qi Xia was not completely resolved yet, and Shen Wanwan was busy all day.

Fortunately, Qi Xia had cooperated, and the case was progressing smoothly without major difficulties.

Just before work ended, Shen Wanwan discovered two envelopes in her handbag.

The envelopes were not the modern kind, but instead bore old-fashioned, elegant designs that seemed more like something from the past century than from the 21st century.

Each of the two envelopes had a name on it: one was “Huahua,” and the other was “Beibei.”

Qi Xia’s parrot was named Beibei.

Shen Wanwan opened the envelopes, and inside each was a thousand yuan, along with a printed note that read “Task Bonus.”

The money was indeed of the old version, but printers were not yet so widespread.

Could this be the bonus for capturing the criminal by turning into a pet?

Shen Wanwan wasn’t sure. She asked around, but no one admitted to giving her the money.

The matter of her becoming Huahua and Beibei was something only she and the involved dog and parrot knew about. No one else could possibly know, so it seemed that this money was indeed a “bonus.”

If she could receive money every time, wouldn’t her dream of opening a store and buying a house come true soon?

Shen Wanwan happily went out and bought a pound of pig’s head meat.

This time, the Shen family didn’t dare bring up the issue of making Shen Zhuo eat more. Even Liu Cuixia had eaten several pieces of meat.

The more she ate, the better her mood became. The meat really was delicious!

Shen Zhuo, rarely, didn’t pile all the meat into his bowl, and after eating, he went straight to his room to study.

When Lin Yuying saw this, she wanted to go and light incense for the ancestors.

“Wanwan, look, Xiao Zhuo has really become obedient.”

Shen Wanwan hinted, “It seems the best way to educate him is to give him a good scolding.”

Liu Cuixia was upset for her grandson. “He’s your brother, why scold him all the time? He…”

“Mom,” Lin Yuying interrupted her reproachfully, “Look at how much Xiao Zhuo has changed now. Don’t spoil him anymore. It’s not easy for him to study well.”

Liu Cuixia sulkily fell silent.

It was just past seven in the evening when Shen Wanwan immediately lay down on the bed.

She had a feeling that tonight wouldn’t be calm either, so she needed to sleep early. Otherwise, she’d collapse from lack of sleep sooner or later.

But Shen Wanwan was a bit curious—if she were to go to a suspect’s house again tonight, who would it be?

Could it be Zhou Jianguo, the one she hadn’t seen until now?