"Do I still need to go to the Bureau with you?" Su Rui asked with a smile. "I have to get to the company before eight thirty."
Li Ruobing had told him last night that she would handle his onboarding paperwork.
So starting today, Su Rui was a shareholder of Mingzhu Company and the president of the Qiantang New Store.
A new official had plenty to deal with upon taking office. He did not have much time to waste here.
"No need. I just have a few questions." Peng Guoqiang rubbed his eyes and habitually pulled out another cigarette to light it. His gaze suddenly caught Su Rui's faint frown, and he gave an awkward laugh before stubbing it out. "Mr. Su, on the nineteenth... that is, last night, at 8:17 p.m., where were you?"
Su Rui raised his brows slightly. That was when something had happened to Lin Jiatao.
"Probably... I had just left Haochi Building and gone straight home."
"Haochi Building? Before that, had you been in contact with Lin Jiatao?" Peng Guoqiang asked again.
"Haochi Building was Lin Jiatao's base of operations. Of course I had contact with him. We discussed some matters in his conference room." Su Rui did not intend to hide it. "For around an hour."
"What did you discuss?"
"I had a fight with his son. We discussed compensation." Su Rui shrugged.
Peng Guoqiang paused, licked his dry lips, and abruptly said, "Mr. Su, do you know... less than ten minutes after you left, Lin Jiatao was shot."
He stared into Su Rui's eyes, trying to detect some change in expression. Even the slightest trace would not escape him.
At that instant, Peng Guoqiang became like a hunting falcon once more.
"Oh..." Su Rui's tone was flat. He did not even blink, and there was not the slightest ripple in his expression. "Did he die?"
"When most people hear news like this, over eighty percent are surprised, perhaps even cry out. Twenty percent change color and furrow their brows. Even someone with deep thoughts will show subtle changes in expression... such as raising their brows slightly, flaring their nostrils, or constricting their pupils. Those are instinctive human reactions that cannot be controlled." Peng Guoqiang's expression was grave as he said, word by word, "Yet I saw none of those reactions from you!"
"There are only two explanations. First, you already knew about it. Second, your facial muscles are stiff and unable to react normally!"
"Do I look like I have facial paralysis?" Su Rui asked, blinking.
"No." Peng Guoqiang shook his head, then continued, "So only the first possibility remains. You already knew about this! Lin Jiatao was shot, and you are highly suspicious!"
"Oh... suspicion. Can that convict me?" Su Rui tilted his head again. The smile on his face never faded, and his tone remained relaxed. "Or are you planning to take me back and detain me for twenty-four hours?"
The muscles in Peng Guoqiang's cheeks twitched. His fingers tightened slightly, and his knuckles turned pale.
"Officer Peng, let's be direct." Su Rui chuckled, pointing at the Body Camera on Peng Guoqiang's shoulder. "Turn that thing off, and I'll tell you something useful."
"During an operation..."
Su Rui impatiently waved his hand, his tone suddenly turning stern. "Officer Peng, are you really carrying out an assignment from the municipal bureau?"
Peng Guoqiang froze. His expression immediately darkened as he said in a low voice, "Of course I received orders from the municipal bureau to investigate Lin Jiatao's shooting!"
"What officer carrying out an assignment has the captain handling things outside while the Auxiliary Police Officer sits in the police car playing on his phone?" Su Rui pointed expressionlessly at a young man in the passenger seat of the police car, wearing a loose, ill-fitting uniform. "This 'Auxiliary Police Officer' here is a construction worker you dragged over to pretend to be your colleague on duty, isn't he?"
Peng Guoqiang's face turned deathly pale.
China's police system was strict. When investigating documents, officers generally worked in teams of two or more. It helped deal with emergencies and allowed them to supervise each other.
As for that young "detective" in the passenger seat, his hair was disheveled, his eyes were bloodshot from staying up late, and the corners of his eyes were crusted with gunk, yet he was enthusiastically playing PUBG.
Under normal circumstances, he would have been chewed out long ago!
"Investigating Lin Jiatao's shooting is your personal action." Su Rui stepped forward and pressed the Body Camera's power button. "Am I right?"
Peng Guoqiang's Adam's apple bobbed. He silently pulled out his crumpled cigarette pack again, pinched out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth.
Smoke curled through the air.
Peng Guoqiang gave a bitter laugh. "You can tell whether it's real or fake just from one Auxiliary Police Officer?"
Su Rui slowly shook his head.
Of course, that was not the only reason.
The incongruous "Auxiliary Police Officer" was only one aspect. More importantly, Lin Jiatao had been shot last night, yet he would not dare call the police!
Not only that, Lin Jiatao would do everything he could to conceal it and secretly transfer himself to a private hospital for treatment.
Because both the gun and the shooter belonged to Lin Jiatao.
Once it made the news, no matter who was behind it, Lin Jiatao would inevitably be implicated. If someone with ulterior motives dug deeper, they might uncover some unsavory matters within Lin Jiatao's company!
Being shot had only injured Lin Jiatao's leg. But if this matter escalated, the damage would be far more than skin-deep.
His power and certain people in high places allowed him to do some excessive, even lawless things in secret. But publicly, he absolutely could not expose too much. It would have an extremely negative impact on his company and family.
On top of that, Lin Jiatao had come from the underworld. He had never intended to resolve this through the police.
Su Rui knew Lin Jiatao too well. He would never swallow this humiliation in silence. Once Lin Jiatao recovered, he would use his own methods to take revenge!
Only then could he vent the hatred in his heart!
With those two facts combined, Peng Guoqiang's disguise collapsed on its own.
"Let me guess why someone who has always been so passive about work would care so much about Lin Jiatao's case..." Su Rui circled Peng Guoqiang like a king snake watching its prey, smiling soundlessly. "There are three possibilities."
"First! You want to change your attitude toward work, return to the core of the police force, and use this case to attract the attention of the Police Station's leadership."
Su Rui raised one finger. "But that possibility is unlikely, because this case is very complicated. If it is mishandled, the results could backfire."
Peng Guoqiang smiled, but it was a bitter smile of self-mockery. He shook his head without speaking, merely taking a hard drag from the cheap cigarette in his hand.
"Second, Lin Jiatao has private dealings with you. You took his bribes and worked for him!"
The moment those words came out, Peng Guoqiang's expression froze. Then the veins at his temples bulged, and fury gathered in his eyes. "Saying that is fucking insulting me!"
Su Rui did not get angry. His eyes narrowed into slits, and he smiled sinisterly.
"Then there is only the last possibility, Officer Peng... you want to use this matter to bring down Lin Jiatao?"
Peng Guoqiang's movements halted, and his expression turned bitter.
"Because the person who offended you back then, the one who cut off your career with a single stroke, was Lin Jiatao!"
Su Rui's voice rang out clearly, every word like a heavy hammer striking Peng Guoqiang's heart!
Smack!
The crumpled cigarette pack was thrown to the ground. Peng Guoqiang clenched his fists, the muscles between his brows twitching wildly.
Su Rui smiled silently. He leaned close to Peng Guoqiang's ear and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear. "If you had just told me from the start, why make things so troublesome?"
"I can help you."
Peng Guoqiang's pupils constricted.
At that moment, in two documents on Su Rui's personal computer.
In the file listing people he needed to befriend, the fifth entry in the first row—Peng Guoqiang's name—was marked in specially bolded text!
Before you continue