Cannot Be Done

Officer Lan had stayed up all night. Coming out of the restroom with water droplets all over his face, he vaguely saw Tong Haojing coming down from upstairs in a daze. He realized Tong Haojing must have run into some trouble.

"Brother Lan, how did it go?" Tong Haojing took the initiative to greet him expressionlessly.

"His mouth was tight. He only admitted to using drugs!" Officer Lan gave a bitter smile and shook his head. He even suspected that Tong Haojing had exaggerated a little last night, but on further thought, that seemed impossible. The drug use was plain enough to see, which only showed how cunning Cuntoucao was.

Tong Haojing hurried downstairs. Just as he reached the stairway entrance, Ke Qian from the Household Registration Office blocked his path.

"Tong Haojing, why did you make such a scene and quarrel with the director? The whole station heard it!" Ke Qian whispered, clearly eager to lend Tong Haojing a hand.

"Oh, right, I was just about to ask you. Does Xiao Yanni have household registration or not? Why can't a real, living person like her get registered?" Still angry, Tong Haojing was not the least bit polite to Ke Qian. His voice was as loud as if they were arguing, startling her. Yet Ke Qian did not get angry. Instead, she began to comfort him.

"Do you know that household registration is a highly policy-driven matter? Just now, I was explaining the registration process to a woman. Take a careful look at the requirements. Don't handle things based on assumptions. Wait here..." Ke Qian immediately went to the Household Registration Office, fetched a book of answers on household registration policies, and handed it to Tong Haojing.

"Here, take it and read it carefully!" For some reason, Ke Qian was exceptionally enthusiastic. She was afraid this hot-blooded young man would completely fall out with the director.

"This..." Tong Haojing took the policy regulations. After storming off a few steps, he turned back and said, "Thanks!"

Soon, Tong Haojing put on his helmet and mounted his Prince motorcycle. He viciously revved the engine several times. The motorcycle let out wild sputtering roars, as if venting his resentment, then vanished in a flash toward Hongqiao Square.

Old Jiang contacted residents and businesses in Hongqiao Community to carry out publicity activities against organized crime, vice, drugs, and fraud. The event was held at Hongqiao Square outside Hongdu Entertainment City. The participating units included the community, the police station, and the city's anti-drug office.

By the time Tong Haojing reached the square, quite a crowd had gathered in the center. Old Jiang was giving a speech on a makeshift platform, while community volunteers handed out flyers among the crowd. Tong Haojing sat down beside Old Jiang.

An elderly man in the crowd whispered, "That thug has shown up again. That bunch of hooligans has turned the west side of town upside down! Last time, they swindled that woman so badly! That was money someone had saved for medical treatment. Later, with no money left to see a doctor, she hanged herself at home!"

Another elderly woman chimed in, "I heard he's even fiercer this time. He got into another fight at Hongdu Square. Us old ladies are on edge all day long. We can't even do our plaza dancing in peace."

Several particularly concerned women nearby asked, "Who got beaten? Who did it?"

It was clear that these whisperers were all enthusiasts of plaza dancing. They often danced until nine at night, and everything that happened in the square was right under their noses.

Seeing a cluster of people gathered in the crowd, Old Jiang secretly signaled Tong Haojing to go over and find out what they were discussing and where the news had come from.

Tong Haojing went over to the old man, and a large group of people gathered around him. Everyone began talking at once. Some even vividly described the appearance of a killer, frightening the elderly women present so badly that they barely dared breathe.

Tong Haojing listened carefully. The general meaning was, "There was a fight in the square. The thug was involved, and he even caused a woman's death!"

Tong Haojing's thoughts were in a mess. He wondered whether that woman could be the one who had been swindled by the Tangdu River. But then he thought that so much time had passed that it probably could not be her. Tong Haojing consoled himself, though in truth he also wanted to ease his own guilt.

"Ma'am, where did you get this news?"

"Just heard it from people. The whole west side of town is talking about it!" The old woman was missing several teeth, and air leaked through her words.

"Who was that woman? What was her name?"

"How would we know that? We only know she died horribly!"

Tong Haojing could tell that the old ladies in the square had only heard rumors and knew none of the actual details.

A little girl was playing in the square while holding an elderly grandmother's hand. Her sweet round face and childish voice suddenly made Tong Haojing think again of Xiao Yanni's household registration.

After finishing his speech, Old Jiang stood nearby smoking his old-brand Hongta cigarette. Tong Haojing asked, "Teacher Jiang, do you know about Xiao Yanni's household registration?"

Old Jiang looked somewhat startled. "I do. What, did Cuntoucao ask you to handle it?"

Tong Haojing hurriedly denied it. "No, he didn't!" He did his best to conceal his thoughts and gave a faint smile. Old Jiang had actually already seen through him. He felt it was time to remind Tong Haojing not to take on this "hot potato."

"Xiao Tong, Xiao Yanni deserves sympathy, but several household registration officers and several station directors have failed to resolve this matter. You mustn't try to be a hero! Director Tang hates this matter most of all. Deep down, he truly wants to handle it, but every application has been rejected for failing to meet policy requirements. It has given him endless headaches, and he has argued with Cuntoucao over it many times." Old Jiang spoke earnestly.

Tong Haojing sank into thought. In truth, he held one conviction in his heart: Xiao Yanni was a person. How could she be unable to get household registration? This matter could not possibly remain unresolved.

A musical ringtone interrupted Tong Haojing's worries. He heard Sister Feng, the director of the Women's Federation, say, "Officer Jiang, Xiao Yanni won't eat or drink. She insists on seeing her father. What should we do?"

Old Jiang said, "Well, I'll ask Director Tang for instructions!" He immediately made a call.

Director Tang said, "Cuntoucao has been placed in administrative detention. Come back and we'll discuss the specifics." Old Jiang realized Cuntoucao might have some other important circumstances that were not suitable to discuss over the phone.

Old Jiang did not rush to reply to Sister Feng. He was accustomed to handling urgent matters like this. Time could resolve certain thorny problems, and he had some unorthodox methods—namely, "cooling things down." Old Jiang remained calm, steady, and composed whenever problems arose. He was clearly a highly experienced veteran officer. Tong Haojing felt considerable admiration for him, but he still felt uneasy. Sister Feng's desperate, expectant gaze seemed to be fixed on Old Jiang. Why was he handling this so slowly?

By noon, a beautiful woman in a black short-skirt suit came out of Hongdu Entertainment City and pulled Old Jiang toward lunch. Old Jiang politely declined, saying there was urgent business at the station. The woman tugged him over to a corner, shook his hand, and said a few words. Old Jiang seemed to refuse twice, then said nothing more.

Tong Haojing caught a quick glimpse and had no idea what was going on.

"Come on, Xiao Tong. Sister Mei is being so hospitable, so let's go sit for a while. A routine inspection!" Old Jiang said as they walked, with Sister Mei leading the way. Anyone with a discerning eye could see this was merely a cover.

Once inside Hongdu Entertainment City, it was as though they had suddenly entered a night sky full of stars. Several clusters of revolving lights shone across people's faces, making it impossible to tell man from ghost. In the hall, a group of men and women twisted their waists on the dance floor, dancing to pounding rock music. Several fashionable young women deliberately thrust their hips high, leaving the young men and women utterly entranced.

"Let's go to the Trendy Room. Your boss is next door!" Sister Mei said.

Old Jiang's heart tightened. Could the boss be Old Tang, or... He did not dare think further. Turning around, he immediately tried to leave the hall. "Sister Mei, we won't sit down after all. We'll come another day!"

"It's fine. You do your thing, we do ours. We won't interfere with each other. What's wrong with that?"

Sister Mei held Old Jiang back. Unable to refuse any longer, Old Jiang said, "Sister Mei, Xiao Tong and I will sit in the hall for a while, have a cup of tea, then leave!" He found a dimly lit spot beside the bar and sat down with Tong Haojing.

Unable to persuade Old Jiang otherwise, Sister Mei went to the bar to attend to customers.

A man in black hurried nervously out of a private room and went straight to the bar. He leaned his head over the counter, as if reporting something to curry favor, and whispered to Sister Mei, "Sister Mei, I nearly got caught when I went to secretly record them just now!"

"You're so clumsy. It's fine as long as you weren't discovered. Now let's see if he still dares throw his weight around in front of us!" Sister Mei let out a sinister laugh. She took out her phone and sent Manager Xiao a text: "It's done!"

Old Jiang happened to overhear the conversation between the man in black and Sister Mei. He froze, and his expression changed drastically. Those venomous women with their kind faces must be plotting something. This really is a place where trouble brews. He vigilantly scanned the surroundings for surveillance cameras and the like. It seemed that one could never be too careful around others.

Just then, Old Jiang suddenly saw a familiar face. Qian Fu emerged from a private room with a dark expression, smiled at Sister Mei, greeted her, tossed her a flirtatious look, and left Hongdu Entertainment City. He did not notice Old Jiang and Tong Haojing sitting nearby because the hall was so dimly lit.

"What's going on? Is he the boss? Impossible! There must be someone else." Old Jiang rejected his own suspicion, but he could not tell Tong Haojing about this sudden point of doubt.

Tong Haojing, beside him, had also heard the conversation between the man in black and Sister Mei at the bar. But being inexperienced in the ways of the world, he did not think badly of it. Still, Old Jiang's change in expression caught his attention.

"Teacher Jiang, did something happen?" Tong Haojing asked.

"No... nothing!" Old Jiang hesitated. That hesitation stirred Tong Haojing's sensitive nerves even more. He became convinced that Old Jiang had discovered some secret.

"The lighting here is too dark. What if something happens?" Tong Haojing asked seriously.

"You've only just arrived. You'll gradually understand later."

Old Jiang realized it was time to leave. He got up, greeted Sister Mei at the bar, and headed outside.

"Aren't we conducting an inspection?" Tong Haojing asked, remembering what Old Jiang had said earlier.

As if he had not heard, Old Jiang said, "This is a place where trouble brews. We shouldn't stay long!"

The two left Hongdu Entertainment City. Only then did Tong Haojing notice that Old Jiang's forehead was covered in fine sweat.

"Xiao Tong, remember this: entertainment venues are places where trouble brews. Keep yourself clean, and never come to inspect them alone!"

"Understood, Teacher Jiang. I can't go wrong following your lead!"

After seeing that Qian Fu had been gone for a while, Old Jiang and Tong Haojing cautiously left Hongdu Entertainment City.

On the way, Old Jiang added, "That beautiful female owner of Hongdu just now was called Guo Meichen. She tried to give me something, but I firmly refused it. Remember! When dealing with entertainment venue owners, you must withstand the temptations of money and beauty. If your will is not firm, one careless step can lead you onto the path of crime."

Tong Haojing nodded silently. He had not remembered who the owner was. In fact, Old Jiang did not know who the real person in charge behind the scenes was either.