Questioning

After listening to the lead police officer's brief account of the incident—mainly about Hou Jun (Monkey) and Li Jun allegedly causing a disturbance and disrupting medical order at Ankang Hospital — Zhou Wenyuan, the lawyer, showed no surprise or panic.

He pushed up his gold-rimmed Glasses, his gaze behind the lenses calm and focused, as if he were analyzing a complex legal document.

Instead of rushing to defend his client, he directly addressed a crucial procedural issue, his tone calm yet undeniably precise:

"Officer, I understand. Now, I'd like to ask," he looked at the lead officer and asked clearly, word by word, "Did you two bring a summons or arrest warrant with you?"

(Note: In legal proceedings, a summons usually requires a warrant for detention, and an arrest warrant is required for arrest.)

The lead officer, clearly unprepared for the other party's immediate focus on procedural details, paused for a moment before replying, "There's no warrant for arrest. Our main purpose this time is to..."

"Without a legally valid warrant for a summons or arrest," Lawyer Zhou interrupted before the other party could finish speaking, his tone still calm but carrying the certainty of a legal professional based on the law, "Then according to the law, the nature of your actions should be considered questioning or inquiry. Regarding questioning and inquiry..."

His gaze swept over the relatively quiet private room. "According to the 'Regulations on Procedures for Handling Administrative Cases by Public Security Organs,' after identifying oneself as a police officer and stating the purpose of the visit, the question can be asked on-site; it's not necessary to go to the police station. Asking here is acceptable, isn't it?"

The lead police officer was taken aback by Lawyer Zhou's clear and logical arguments, which went straight to the heart of the procedure. A look of hesitation and unease flashed across his face.

In domestic judicial practice, the rights and roles of lawyers during the preliminary investigation or inquiry stage by public security organs are indeed incomparable to those during the court defense stage. They are far from being able to intervene, interrupt, or even dominate the interrogation process at any time, as depicted in some foreign films and television dramas. The core stage for lawyers is actually during the review and prosecution and court trial stages.

However, Zhou Wenyuan was no ordinary lawyer. The leading police officer had not only heard of his great reputation in the industry, but was also well aware of his intricate network and influence within the judicial system.

Such a person can often complicate matters with just a word or a phone call. And, most importantly, the procedural issues that Lawyer Zhou just pointed out are entirely correct!

Whether it's "interrogation" for the initial investigation of a public security case or "questioning" for general understanding, it can indeed be conducted on-site if the conditions are met, and it is not necessary to bring the person back to the station.

Taking him away is a matter of power; leaving him behind for questioning is a matter of compliance. Faced with Zhou Wenyuan, the lead police officer had to be even more cautious about the word "compliance."

He quickly weighed the pros and cons. Forcibly taking people away would have procedural flaws and could easily give others a handle against them, especially since the other party was Zhou Wenyuan. Questioning them on the spot, although less intimidating, would at least be procedurally sound and would allow for more room for maneuver later.

With that in mind, the lead police officer nodded, acknowledging Lawyer Zhou's statement. "Alright, the questioning can proceed here."

He then instructed his two colleagues behind him, "Xiao Zhang, Xiao Wang, take this Mr. Li Jun to an empty private room over there and wait a moment." He planned to question the two separately, which was standard procedure for handling cases.

Seeing this, Lawyer Zhou immediately gave Li Jun and Monkey a look that said, "Cooperate and proceed according to plan." Then he said to the police, "Since the police are conducting a questioning in accordance with the law, we will naturally cooperate. I will wait outside. My client can contact me at any time if he has any legal questions." He knew that lawyers did not have the right to be present during questioning or interrogation by the public security authorities (except in specific circumstances), which was stipulated by law and he had to abide by it.

After speaking, Zhou Wenyuan nodded slightly to the police officers, calmly left the private room, and gently closed the door behind him.

Seeing Lawyer Zhou leave, the lead police officer secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With this most troublesome person no longer present, the pressure of questioning would be much less.

He turned to the young police officer next to him who was taking notes, gestured, and asked in a low voice, "Is the body camera on?"

"It's open, Captain Li," the young policeman confirmed, taking out a notebook and pen from his briefcase to take notes.

The lead officer (Captain Li) gathered his thoughts, sat down again opposite the Monkey, adjusted the angle of his body camera to ensure a clear recording of the questioning process, and then began the formal questioning.

"Hou Jun, we are now questioning you according to the law. You must answer truthfully, do you understand?"

"I heard you clearly."

"Your name, gender, date of birth, ID number, registered residence, current address..."

The Monkey answered all the routine questions about basic population information truthfully, though its voice was a little nervous, it tried its best to remain clear.

Captain Li's questions began to focus on the core issue. "Did you go to Ankang Hospital in Changyang District this morning?"

"He's gone."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to see my sister; she's in the hospital."

Who went with you?

"Just... just me and Li Jun, Brother Li."

"What is your relationship with Li Jun? Why did he go to the hospital with you?" Captain Li's questions began to delve deeper.

The Monkey took a deep breath and, following the instructions Li Jun had repeatedly given him, replied, "Li Jun... he... he's my creditor. Last September, I borrowed money from him because my sister was sick and I urgently needed it. I haven't been able to pay it back. He... he came to the hospital with me this time mainly to see if what I said about my sister's serious illness was true, and whether he was trying to... try to renege on his debt." His voice trailed off at the end, carrying a perfectly measured hint of embarrassment.

"Creditor?" Captain Li stared into the Monkey's eyes and pressed, "How did you two meet? How much money did you borrow? Is there a written IOU?"

The Monkey answered according to the prepared answer, "It was through a friend's introduction. I borrowed... 800,000. The situation was urgent at the time, so I didn't write an IOU." This amount was roughly the same as the amount Lin Feng had promised and already paid for the Monkey's sister's medical expenses. The details matched and could withstand scrutiny.

When Captain Li heard that Monkey was still a college student, he specifically asked him to show his student ID. After carefully verifying it, Captain Li's attitude softened considerably. The identity of a college student from a poor family who had borrowed money to save his sister easily evoked sympathy and made his claims of "borrowing money" and "the creditor going to the hospital to verify" sound more credible.

During the subsequent questioning, Captain Li mainly focused on the specific actions taken at the hospital, whether there were any excessive actions, and how many people Li Jun brought. Monkey insisted that he was just visiting Patient. Although Li Jun looked fierce, he did not vandalize or injure anyone in the hospital. As for the men in black, he claimed that he was preoccupied with his sister at the time and did not pay much attention. He did not know whether Li Jun had called them or what.

The interrogation lasted for about twenty minutes. After taking the Monkey's statement and having him verify it, sign it, and put his fingerprint on it, Captain Li signaled to the young policeman to go to the adjacent private room and bring Li Jun over.

A moment later, the door to the private room was pushed open again.

Li Jun strode in, his face still bearing that nonchalant expression. He seemed to be there not to be questioned by the police, but to attend a regular dinner party. He glanced around the private room, then went straight to the spot where the Monkey had been sitting, casually pulled out a chair and sat down. He even crossed his legs and placed his hands on his knees in front of the two policemen, adopting a "go ahead and ask me anything" attitude.

In stark contrast to the Monkey's student-like nervousness and cautiousness, Li Jun exuded the relaxed air of a seasoned veteran, along with a subtle antagonism.

Seeing Captain Li Jun's demeanor, Captain Li's brows furrowed imperceptibly once more. He knew that questioning this man with a long criminal record would likely not be as smooth as he had with the college student earlier.