Confrontation

The air inside the private room seemed to freeze the moment the police pushed the door open, its density increasing dramatically, making it hard to breathe. The dishes on the table, which had been quite tempting, had now lost all their aroma, leaving only a cold, greasy feeling.

Although Monkey Li Jun had already given him a heads-up and he was somewhat prepared, when he actually faced the police officers in their uniforms, their expressions serious, the instinctive tension of an ordinary citizen still gripped his heart uncontrollably. His heart pounded, and his palms instantly became sweaty. He forced himself to calm down, stood up as instructed, his voice trembling slightly:

"Yes, it's me, I'm Hou Jun."

The lead officer, with sharp eyes, sized him up and said matter-of-factly, "Show me your ID."

The Monkey instinctively reached into his pocket, only to realize that he hadn't brought his ID card with him in his haste to leave that morning. Somewhat embarrassed, he replied, "Officer, I'm sorry, my ID card... I didn't bring it."

"Give me your ID number." The police officer didn't seem surprised and took out his police mobile terminal.

The Monkey took a deep breath, trying to keep its voice steady, and clearly stated its ID number. The police officer quickly operated the police terminal, the screen light reflecting on his expressionless face. The brief wait felt incredibly long; the Monkey could even hear the gurgling of its blood in its veins.

Soon, the police officer finished verifying the information, looked up, refocused his gaze on the Monkey, and announced in a serious tone:

"Hou Jun, we received a report that you led a disturbance at Ankang Hospital in Changyang District, disrupting medical order. The circumstances are serious. We now need to summon you to the police station for investigation according to law." His words were clear and standardized, carrying the cold, imposing quality of a state apparatus. "Please bring your essential belongings and come with us."

After speaking, he turned his gaze to Li Jun, who remained seated as steady as a mountain, even slowly picking at his food. His eyes were scrutinizing as he looked at Li Jun, then asked Monkey, "Hou Jun, was he among those who caused trouble at Ankang Hospital before?"

The Monkey's lips moved slightly, his throat feeling dry. According to Li Jun's instructions, he should immediately distance himself, but his inherent honesty and the pressure of facing the police prevented him from immediately recounting the fabricated "story."

Just as he hesitated, Li Jun spoke up.

He put down his chopsticks, picked up a napkin from the table to wipe his mouth, and then looked up at the policeman with a nonchalant, even somewhat sleazy smile on his face:

"Officer," he addressed him with a slightly gangster-like tone, "I was indeed present at Ankang Hospital before, that's true. But Officer, don't jump to conclusions."

He shrugged, making an innocent expression, but it looked particularly awkward on his fierce face. "This little brother and I," he pointed to the Monkey, "We were just visiting Patient, checking on his sister's condition. You say we caused trouble? What makes you say that? We didn't smash anything, we didn't hurt anyone, we just wanted to see the Patient, is that illegal?"

The lead policeman frowned deeply upon hearing Li Jun's evasive and obviously gangster-like explanation, clearly displeased with Li Jun manner. He stared at Li Jun, his tone becoming more forceful:

"Who are you? Please show me your ID."

"Sure, sure." Li Jun seemed to have been prepared, and readily took out his ID card from the inside pocket of his leather jacket and handed it over.

The police officer took the ID card, picked up the police terminal again, and skillfully entered the ID number into the system. This time, the information displayed on the terminal screen was clearly much more complex than the Monkey's simple identity information. The officer looked at the screen carefully, his expression gradually becoming more serious. The screen clearly listed Li Jun's less-than-honorable past records—disturbing the peace, intentional injury, illegal detention... a long list of criminal records, outlining the image of a dangerous figure who had long walked the line of the law.

After reading it, the lead policeman raised his eyes, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Li Jun, his tone now even more pointed:

"Li Jun, based on the information we currently have, we suspect you of involvement in the disturbance at Ankang Hospital in Changyang District, where you colluded with others to disrupt medical order. The circumstances are serious. Please come with us to the police station for questioning!"

Click.

Just as the atmosphere was tense and Li Jun seemed about to be taken away, the lock on the private room door clicked softly again and was pushed open from the outside.

A gentle yet undeniably present voice drifted in at just the right moment, breaking the almost frozen atmosphere in the private room:

"Sorry, sorry, there was a bit of traffic on the way, I'm late, I'm late."

As the voice spoke, a middle-aged man in a dark suit, wearing gold-rimmed Glasses, and exuding a refined and composed demeanor walked in. It was lawyer Zhou Wenyuan.

He entered the private room, his gaze quickly and precisely sweeping across the entire space—the stern-faced policeman, the tense-looking Monkey standing there, and Li Jun, still seated but with a cold look in his eyes. A perfectly timed expression of surprise and confusion appeared on his face, as if he were completely unaware of the scene before him. He asked, his tone natural:

"This is...? Officers, what can I do for you?"

The lead officer noticed another person entering, and one with an distinguished air about him, and immediately turned his attention to them. He stepped forward, remaining vigilant, and asked, "Who are you? Please show me your identification."

"Of course." Lawyer Zhou smiled politely and professionally, calmly taking out his ID card from his suit pocket. At the same time, he pulled a simple yet high-quality business card from his card holder, handing them both over with both hands. "This is my ID card, and this is my business card."

The police officer first took the ID card and then verified it again using the police terminal. After confirming that Zhou Wenyuan's citizen information was correct, the officer's gaze fell on the gold lettering on the business card.

The business card clearly displayed Zhou Wenyuan's name and his firm, "Junyue Law Firm," with the title "Senior Partner."

Upon seeing the name "Junyue Law Firm" and the name "Zhou Wenyuan," the lead police officer's heart skipped a beat!

The lead police officer's premonition instantly turned extremely bad. He realized that this seemingly ordinary "medical disturbance" case was probably far more complicated and murky than he had imagined. Taking the person away smoothly would likely not be so easy.

He raised his head and re-examined Zhou Wenyuan, his eyes involuntarily softening with a hint of seriousness and caution in his previous businesslike demeanor.