Secrets in the Mobile Phone

It was late. Tong Haojing returned to the police station and went to the cafeteria to get food. At this time, the police station should have been quiet. Besides Lu Tong, who was on duty, and two auxiliary police officers, the young officers born in the 80s and 90s had already been eager to go home, changed into their casual clothes, and left. However, he found Ke Qian there.

"What, Ke Qian, you haven't left?"

"My parents are on a business trip, and I'm home alone, so I'm grabbing a meal at the cafeteria!" Ke Qian casually made up a reason. In reality, her parents were home, and she had called her father ten minutes ago, lying that she was working overtime at the police station and would be back after dinner.

"Let me ask you something. I heard you put someone in a vegetative state and are now suspended for reflection, is that true?"

"Don't listen to others' nonsense, that's not true!"

"I knew it! That Lu Tong was talking so animatedly in front of me, saying all sorts of bad things about you. Just you wait until I see him next time, I'll deal with him!"

Tong Haojing could feel Ke Qian's unusual concern. Anyone with eyes could see that this concern went beyond that of a colleague or friend. However, Tong Haojing didn't feel anything for her; he only saw Ke Qian as a colleague, a sister.

Tong Haojing said, "Heh, heh, are you kidding?"

A moment later, the noodles were ready. Ke Qian insisted that Tong Haojing go first.

"How can that be? Ladies should go first. I'd rather obey than be polite!"

Tong Haojing took a couple of bites. Ke Qian stopped eating and watched Tong Haojing's eating habits intently.

"Ke Qian, you eat too!"

Ke Qian lowered her head shyly, hiding the fact that she had been peeking.

A moment later, Tong Haojing finished eating and tapped his bowl, making a clinking sound.

"Ke Qian, you eat slowly!"

Tong Haojing left the cafeteria and went back to his dorm. Ke Qian lost her appetite and left the cafeteria dejectedly, as if she had lost her soul, muttering curses as she walked towards the duty room...

Tong Haojing was alone in the single dormitory of the West City Police Station. The police station was no longer noisy. Most of the police officers had gone home for the weekend, with only the police officers on duty, Lu Tong, and the auxiliary police officers staying behind.

In the evening, the police station was empty.

"Knock, knock," someone knocked on the door.

Tong Haojing responded listlessly, "Who is it?"

"Me!" The voice belonged to Tang Changan.

"What do you want with me? Remember, I'm currently suspended!" Still angry, Tong Haojing felt as if he had a deep-seated hatred. His tone was heavy, showing no respect for Director Tang at all. Yet, he unconsciously opened the door.

"Still angry, huh?"

Tong Haojing lowered his head, looking at Director Tang with a huff, not even making eye contact.

In the single dormitory, the atmosphere was a bit awkward. Director Tang patiently found a stool and sat down, taking charge. He stiffly greeted Tong Haojing, "You sit too!"

Actually, Tang Changan had come to have a heart-to-heart talk with Tong Haojing.

"I didn't expect things to blow up all the way to the bureau. That wasn't my intention... Regarding the issues you mentioned, as the director, I feel very guilty. Some things are beyond my control... As you work longer, you'll gain understanding. You can't just act on impulse; you have to follow procedures and principles. That way, you'll make fewer detours, fewer mistakes, protect yourself, and then you can better serve the station. Remember, I'm not criticizing you today; we're just talking openly. I believe you can understand. You should never intend to harm others, but you must always guard against others!"

"Why did you suspend me? Did I make such a big mistake!"

Tong Haojing seemed to be venting his dissatisfaction. The director's words were quite sound. He feigned extreme anger, but his heart was beginning to soften. However, some previous mysteries remained a knot in Tong Haojing's mind; he couldn't find any convincing evidence from Tang Changan.

"...You didn't report your actions, leading to a major disaster..." "Have you heard the idiom 'a thousand-mile dike collapses from an ant's nest'? We can't be careless about small mistakes, especially for young comrades. Nip problems in the bud; good habits will benefit you for life!"

Tong Haojing fell silent.

"Take these few days to rest well, recuperate, and bring out the fighting spirit of a soldier charging into battle. The future will surely belong to you..."

Tang Changan, like a patient and wise elder, lectured for half an hour before leaving.

Tong Haojing stared blankly at Tang Changan's retreating back, feeling lost, his mind a complete blank.

In the police station cafeteria, the duty officers were calling out that dinner was ready. Tong Haojing had no appetite, but the exhaustion throughout his body made him desperately want to clear his head. He decided to take a shower. The coolness and warmth of the water made him temporarily forget his troubles.

Tong Haojing had a habit: whenever he encountered difficulties, he would lie in bed and ponder alone. This was his technique for dealing with vexing matters. It wasn't even eight o'clock yet, but Tong Haojing was already in bed, quietly recalling the day's events.

His mind was filled with Mei Tingyu's image. He thought about Mei Tingyu's successful career and how insignificant he, a police officer, was now. He took out his phone and played games for a while, but it was utterly boring. He then opened the photos and videos taken at Mei Tingyu's house that day in his album. Mei Tingyu's voice and smile captivated him; he watched them over and over again. By chance, he noticed a few pieces of paper on the coffee table. He enlarged them significantly, and the content became clearly visible—developing member performance.

Tong Haojing was greatly shocked.

The paper recorded the names of sales personnel developed in the past few days and the accounts of their membership fees. Tong Haojing's professional instinct made him immediately wonder if this was a pyramid scheme. He dared not think further.

Tong Haojing didn't dare to read on. He immediately jumped out of bed and opened his phone's search window, typing in "pyramid scheme." The phone's interface immediately displayed tens of thousands of results related to pyramid schemes, but Tong Haojing was most concerned about the definition and filing standards for pyramid schemes.

Although Tong Haojing did not graduate from a police academy or study law, through the systematic legal knowledge training before joining the police force, coupled with his diligent self-study, he had a rough understanding of some public security legal knowledge, which he applied skillfully in his practice. Seeing Mei Tingyu's paper by chance, he had a vague premonition. Tong Haojing was a little impatient but also feared that Mei Tingyu's situation was true. In this state of anxiety, his trembling fingers clicked on a link titled "What are the filing standards for the crime of illegal pyramid schemes?"

The content was dense. Tong Haojing scanned it, focusing only on the important parts. A legal interpretation and identification standard for pyramid schemes made him read it several times. He worried about not understanding it thoroughly and read it word by word—"Whoever organizes or leads pyramid schemes, under the guise of promoting products, providing services, or other business activities, requires participants to obtain membership by paying fees or purchasing goods or services, and forms levels according to a certain order, directly or indirectly using the number of people developed as the basis for calculating remuneration or rebates, enticing or coercing participants to continue developing others, defrauding property, and disrupting the economic and social order, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention, and shall also be fined; if the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years and shall also be fined."

The concept of pyramid schemes imprinted itself in Tong Haojing's mind. He immediately compared it with what he had seen. He could conclude that Mei Tingyu was, in all likelihood, involved in a pyramid scheme.

Tong Haojing was still a little uneasy. He reread the provisions related to the determination of circumstances...

Tong Haojing's mind was in utter chaos. What if it was true? Mei Tingyu was, after all, his classmate and someone he admired. If she were a pyramid scheme leader, she would definitely be held criminally responsible. How would he face Mei Tingyu then? How would he face Uncle Mumu? The more Tong Haojing thought about it, the more complicated, fearful, and terrifying it became. But as a police officer, his oath still echoed in his ears—"I volunteer to be a People's Police of the People's Republic of China, dedicate myself to the noble cause of public security, resolutely uphold loyalty to the Party, serve the people, enforce the law impartially, and maintain strict discipline. I will unswervingly be a builder and defender of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and strive to maintain overall social stability, promote social fairness and justice, and ensure the people live and work in peace and contentment."

He remembered that before joining the police force, every trainee had to recite the oath backward, and he was no exception. Moreover, he had been chosen as an outstanding student representative to read the oath on the main stage at the assembly. He was spirited, and his words were sonorous and powerful. He had made the most solemn oath, expressing his deepest feelings, in front of all the trainees and teachers.

Words must be followed by actions, and actions must have consequences. Righteousness and fearlessness. He could not break his word; he had no reason to ignore this lead; he could not pretend not to see it. He had to uphold the dignity of the law and promote social fairness and justice. Whoever committed an illegal act must be punished by law.

Should he expose his own kin, or pretend nothing had happened? Tong Haojing was engaged in a fierce internal struggle. However, he still held a sliver of hope. He decided to go to the West City Hotel, where Mei Tingyu had mentioned, to see for himself. He fantasized that what he saw would not be true. In his mind, Mei Tingyu was a kind-hearted, well-behaved girl. How could she have ended up on this path? She must have encountered difficulties outside, been bullied, and then given up on herself, rebelled against society, and fallen into the abyss of crime.

Tong Haojing unconsciously considered various possibilities for Mei Tingyu's going astray...

"Alas, what's the use! It's come to this. The path is chosen by oneself; one can only bear the consequences. There's no other way!" Tong Haojing sighed.

It was midnight, and Tong Haojing was still awake in bed. He only managed to sleep briefly at dawn. The sound of a police siren outside woke him up groggily. Tong Haojing sat up from his bed, feeling dazed. He thought there must have been a police incident in the West City area again. Just as he was about to put on his uniform, he suddenly remembered that he was still suspended.

After Tong Haojing left that day, Mei Tingyu slept all afternoon at home. She had no idea that the secret on that piece of paper had been discovered by Tong Haojing. The next day, Brother Zhou came to pick her up for work. She looked forward to Tong Haojing's arrival because she could see in his eyes that he was deeply in love with her. No man could withstand the torment on the edge of love; he would not be able to stand the loneliness and would definitely come looking for her. Mei Tingyu was very confident. However, she was still worried that Tong Haojing might see through her pretense. So, she called Brother Zhou and asked him to arrange for a few subordinates to properly conceal the company she had established. The key was to make Tong Haojing believe that she was a legitimate agent for health products.

Brother Zhou found it a bit tricky because deceiving a police officer was no easy feat, and based on his experience, he had no confidence at all. But thinking it was Mei Tingyu's request, he had no choice but to agree.

Mei Tingyu's prestige in the company was undeniable. It was normal for dozens of people to obey her commands.