The Secret in the Phone

It was late. Tong Haojing returned to the police station and went to the cafeteria for dinner. At this hour, the station should have been quiet. Aside from Lu Tong, who was on duty, and two auxiliary officers, the young officers born in the eighties and nineties had long since changed into civilian clothes and headed home for the weekend. Yet he found Ke Qian still there.

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

"My parents are away on business, and I'm home alone, so I'm mooching a meal from the cafeteria!" Ke Qian casually made up an excuse. In truth, her parents were home. Just ten minutes earlier, she had called her father and lied that she was working late at the station and would return after dinner.

"Let me ask you something. I heard you turned someone into a vegetable, and now you've been suspended to reflect on it. Is that true?"

"Don't listen to other people's nonsense. Nothing like that happened!"

"That's what I thought! Lu Tong was going on and on in front of me, saying nothing but bad things about you. Just wait until I see him next time—I'll teach him a lesson!"

Tong Haojing had already sensed Ke Qian's unusual concern for him. Anyone with eyes could see that it went beyond the concern of a colleague or friend. But Tong Haojing felt no stirrings in his heart. He only regarded Ke Qian as a colleague, like a sister.

Tong Haojing said, "Heh, heh, you're joking, right?"

Soon, the noodles were ready. Ke Qian insisted that Tong Haojing go first.

"How could I do that? Ladies first. But since you insist, I'll gladly accept."

Tong Haojing took two bites. Ke Qian stopped eating and stared fixedly at the way he ate.

"Ke Qian, you should eat too!"

Embarrassed, Ke Qian lowered her head, trying to hide the fact that she had been sneaking glances at him.

A little later, Tong Haojing finished eating and tapped his bowl, making it clink and clang.

"Ke Qian, take your time!"

Tong Haojing left the cafeteria and returned to his dormitory. Ke Qian lost her appetite as well. Looking dejected, as though she had lost her soul, she left the cafeteria and walked toward the duty room, muttering curses under her breath...

Tong Haojing was alone in the single dormitory at West City Police Station. There was no longer much noise in the station. Most of the officers had gone home for the weekend, leaving only Lu Tong, the duty officer, and the auxiliary officers behind.

By evening, the police station was empty.

Knock, knock. Someone knocked on the door.

Tong Haojing answered listlessly, "Who is it?"

"Me!" It was Tang Changan's voice.

"What do you want with me? Remember, I'm suspended right now!" Still furious, Tong Haojing sounded as though he bore a deep grudge. His tone was harsh, and he showed Director Tang no respect at all. Yet he still opened the door without thinking.

"You're still angry, aren't you?"

Tong Haojing lowered his head and glared at the floor, not even looking at Director Tang.

The atmosphere in the single dormitory was a little awkward. Director Tang patiently found himself a stool and sat down, acting as though he were the host as he stiffly invited Tong Haojing, "You sit too."

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

"I never expected this matter to reach the bureau so quickly. That wasn't my intention... As for the things you mentioned, as the station director, I feel guilty too. Some things aren't within my control... Once you've worked longer, you'll understand. You can't just act on passion and make assumptions. You need to follow procedure and principles. That way, you'll take fewer detours, make fewer mistakes, protect yourself, and better serve the station. Remember, I'm not criticizing you today. We're having an honest talk. I trust you understand. You must not intend to harm others, but you must guard against being harmed by them!"

"Why suspend me? What huge mistake did I make?"

Tong Haojing seemed to be venting the resentment in his heart. What the director said was fairly reasonable, and though he put on a show of great anger, the ice around his heart had begun to melt. Still, the earlier mysteries remained knots in his mind. He saw no proof in Tang Changan that could truly convince him.

"...You acted without reporting it and caused a major disaster..." "Have you heard the saying that a thousand-mile dike can collapse because of an anthill? We can't shrug off small mistakes. Especially for young comrades, we must nip problems in the bud. Good habits will benefit you for life!"

Tong Haojing fell silent.

"Rest well for the next few days. Recover your strength and bring out the drive of a soldier charging into battle. The future will belong to you..."

Tang Changan was like an elder patiently guiding him. He talked tirelessly for half an hour before leaving.

Tong Haojing blankly watched Tang Changan's departing back, as though his soul had left his body. His mind was utterly blank.

The officers on duty were calling everyone to dinner in the station cafeteria. 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 temporarily made him forget his troubles.

Tong Haojing had a habit. Whenever he encountered difficulties, he would lie in bed and think quietly by himself. It was his way of dealing with things that troubled him. It was not yet eight that night when he went to bed early and silently replayed the day's events in his mind.

Mei Tingyu's image filled his mind. He thought of her successful career and how insignificant he was now as a police officer. He took out his phone and played a game for a while, but it was unbearably dull. Then he opened the photos and videos he had taken at Mei Tingyu's home that day. Mei Tingyu's every smile and expression captivated him, and he watched them again and again. By chance, he noticed several sheets of paper on the coffee table. He zoomed in farther and farther, until the words on them became clear—performance in recruiting members.

Tong Haojing was shocked.

The papers recorded the names of salespeople recruited over the past few days, along with accounts of the membership fees they had paid. Tong Haojing's professional instincts made him wonder at once: Could this be a pyramid scheme? He hardly dared think any further.

Tong Haojing did not dare keep looking. He immediately sprang out of bed, opened his phone's browser, and typed in the words "pyramid scheme." Tens of thousands of related results instantly appeared on the screen, but what concerned him most was the definition of pyramid schemes and the standards for opening a case.

Tong Haojing had not graduated from the Police Academy or law school, but before joining the force, he had received systematic legal training. Combined with his diligence and eagerness to learn, he had become quite adept at applying legal knowledge in police work and had acquired a basic understanding of public security law. After accidentally seeing that sheet of paper belonging to Mei Tingyu, he had already vaguely sensed something. He was impatient to find out more, yet afraid that Mei Tingyu truly was involved. Uneasy, he used trembling fingers to open an article titled, "What Are the Standards for Filing a Case for Illegal Pyramid Selling?"

The contents were densely packed. Tong Haojing skimmed through them, reading only the key points. One explanation of criminal law and identification standards for pyramid schemes made him read it over several times. Worried that he might not understand it thoroughly, he read it word by word: "Those who organize or lead pyramid-selling activities in the name of selling goods, providing services, or other business operations; require participants to pay fees or purchase goods or services to gain membership eligibility; arrange participants into levels according to a certain order; directly or indirectly use the number of people recruited as the basis for compensation or rebates; entice or coerce participants to recruit others; defraud them of property; and disrupt economic and social order shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention, and may also be fined. Where the circumstances are serious, they shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of more than five years and may also be fined."

The concept of a pyramid scheme entered Tong Haojing's mind, and he immediately compared it with what he had seen. He could conclude that Mei Tingyu was most likely involved in one.

Still not fully reassured, Tong Haojing studied the provisions concerning the determination of serious circumstances once more...

Tong Haojing's heart was in complete turmoil. If it really was true, what was he supposed to do? Mei Tingyu was, after all, his classmate and the woman he admired. As the head of a pyramid scheme, she would surely be held criminally liable. How would he face Mei Tingyu then? How would he face Uncle Mumu? The more Tong Haojing thought about it, the more complicated, frightened, and horrified he became. But as a police officer, his oath still echoed in his ears—"I volunteer to become a People's Police officer of the People's Republic of China, devote myself to the noble cause of public security, remain loyal to the Party, serve the people, enforce the law impartially, maintain strict discipline, and unswervingly become a builder and defender of the cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, striving to safeguard overall social stability, promote social fairness and justice, and ensure that the people live and work in peace and contentment."

He remembered that before joining the force, every trainee had to memorize the oath backward and forward. He had been no exception. Moreover, he had been selected as an outstanding trainee representative to read the oath aloud from the stage at the assembly. Full of spirit, he had recited every word with strength and conviction, making the sternest vow that most fully expressed his heart before all the trainees and instructors.

A promise had to be kept, and action had to bear results. Righteous and unflinching, he could not break his word. He had no reason to avoid this lead, nor could he pretend not to see it. He had to uphold the dignity of the law and promote social fairness and justice. No matter who committed an illegal act, they had to be punished by law.

Should he put righteousness above personal ties, or pretend that nothing had happened? Tong Haojing struggled fiercely within himself. Yet he still clung to a shred of hope. He decided to go to the area beside West City Hotel that Mei Tingyu had mentioned and see for himself. He hoped what he had seen was not real. In his eyes, Mei Tingyu was a kind-hearted, well-behaved girl. How could she have gone down this path? She must have encountered some hardship outside, been bullied by someone, and then given up on herself, rebelled against society, and fallen into the abyss of crime.

Without realizing it, Tong Haojing imagined all kinds of possibilities for how Mei Tingyu might have gone astray...

"Ah, what's the use? Things have already come to this. She chose this road herself and can only bear the consequences. There's no other way!" Tong Haojing sighed.

At midnight, Tong Haojing was still awake in bed. He only drifted off briefly near dawn. When police sirens sounded outside, he sat up in a daze. Tong Haojing felt that another incident must have occurred somewhere in West City. He was about to put on his uniform when he suddenly remembered that he was still suspended.

After Tong Haojing left that day, Mei Tingyu slept at home for the entire afternoon. She had no idea that the secret on that sheet of paper had already 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 tell from his eyes that he was deeply devoted to her. No man could endure the torment of hovering on the edge of love. He would not be able to bear the loneliness forever; he would definitely come looking for her on his own. Mei Tingyu was very confident. But she was still worried that Tong Haojing might spot a flaw, so she summoned Brother Zhou and told him to have several of his subordinates carefully disguise the company she had established. The key was to make Tong Haojing believe that she was genuinely a distributor of health supplements.

Brother Zhou found it somewhat difficult. Trying to deceive a police officer was hard enough, and based on his experience, he had no confidence at all. But since Mei Tingyu had ordered it, he had no choice but to agree. Mei Tingyu's authority in the company was beyond question. Dozens of people under her command obediently followed her every order, and that was simply normal.