Zhou Jincai's hands were cuffed behind his back and stuffed into the rear seat of the car. Wang Yan waved over the two onlookers across the street. They were coworkers who had come with Meng Guangcheng.
"Get in, get in. Dongning Village is quite a ways from here, so I'll give you a ride back. And don't talk nonsense once you're in the car. Better yet, don't say a word. I've got a body cam here recording audio and video the whole time. One wrong thing said could easily get you into trouble."
After giving them that warning, Wang Yan had the two men get into the back seat, one on each side of Zhou Jincai. Shivering and chattering their teeth, they glared at Zhou Jincai with undisguised irritation. If this bastard had paid them, they would not have had to run around all day. Especially now that the temperature had dropped at night—they were freezing their asses off.
The two workers said nothing, but Zhou Jincai spoke up. "Officer, did you see Chen Mingsheng?"
"I asked him whether he could settle your accounts, but he gave me bureaucratic nonsense and kept dodging the issue. So I spoke with the station chief. This has to be handled impartially. No matter who calls, he can't be released. He has to be detained for no less than ten and no more than fifteen days, and his family and company must be notified. So stop pinning your hopes on him. His career as a manager is finished."
"He knows people in upper management. That construction company is part of Myriad Spring Group. You think notifying the company and his family will do anything? We're all men. Socializing outside is unavoidable. It's no big deal."
Zhou Jincai did not believe Wang Yan. He looked