Chapter 26: Zheng Yi, Not Just?

It was the same police station as before. Hua Shi’er walked in with Chen Nian, running straight into the patrol officer who had taken him to the hospital last time. The officer recognized them and asked in surprise, "Why are you two here? Are you here to ask about the results of the previous case? It’s not that fast yet; we’ll call you when there’s an update!"

Hua Shi’er didn’t waste any time. He dropped a silk bag containing the weapons onto the floor and looked at the officer with a grin. "I’m here to report a crime."

As the bag hit the floor, it let out a metallic clatter, and the jagged shapes visible through the fabric made the officer realize something was amiss. He signaled a colleague over to inspect the contents. When they saw the bag was filled with machetes and other weapons, both officers’ eyes narrowed. "What on earth is going on?"

Hua Shi’er took out his phone, showed them the photo he had taken of Ma Qi holding a knife to Chen Nian, and then played the recording of the gang leader threatening to kill her.

After they finished listening, Hua Shi’er explained, "You all know this Ma Qi, right? He’s a well-known gang leader in Anqiao. Those three thugs who beat me up last time were his underlings. This time, he came to cut me down for revenge. Chen Nian happened to be there, and when they couldn't beat me, they took her hostage. I managed to scare them off with words. That counts as kidnapping, doesn't it?"

He pointed to the bag of weapons and added, "These machetes were the weapons they brought. Their fingerprints are all over them. I figured this was evidence, so I brought it all here."

The patrol officer was left speechless. Last time, because those three punks had robbed Chen Nian of fifty yuan, Hua Shi’er had reported them for robbery. Now, Ma Qi had tried to take revenge for them, only for Hua Shi’er to frame the entire incident as a kidnapping. He couldn't help but think: *This Liu Beishan is quite the talent.*

"Alright then. A gang involved in organized crime, armed hostage-taking... I’ll take you to the criminal investigation department."

The patrol officer transferred the case to the precinct's criminal investigation team. The officer on duty there was a young, handsome man with a name tag reading "Zheng Yi," who happened to be an acquaintance of Chen Nian.

As soon as they met, Officer Zheng asked in surprise, "Chen Nian, why are you here?"

Chen Nian pursed her lips and stayed silent, clearly not fond of this officer. The patrol officer who brought them in provided a brief summary of the situation. Upon hearing that it concerned a notorious local gang leader, the investigators immediately perked up and gathered around.

While a street-level thug like Liu Beishan was already on the police’s radar, Ma Qi was a far bigger fish. He had long been under suspicion, but he was too slippery, leaving the police with no concrete evidence or leverage. They had caught his underlings before, but they had never been able to touch him personally.

Now, the evidence had been delivered right to their doorstep. While it wasn't proof of his organized theft ring, armed hostage-taking was enough to constitute kidnapping. If the charges stuck, he would be behind bars for years. If Ma Qi were imprisoned, his band of pickpockets and thieves would naturally fall apart, allowing the police to dismantle the entire criminal network plaguing Anqiao. It was a major win.

An older detective with a resolute face and graying temples walked over, patted Hua Shi’er on the shoulder, and laughed, "Not bad, kid. You’ve learned how to use the law to protect yourself!"

Judging by his tone, it was clear this veteran detective knew exactly who Liu Beishan was. Hua Shi’er recognized him as Detective Lao Yang from the film—a good cop and a truly decent man.

In the original story, after Chen Nian accidentally caused Wei Lai’s death, Liu Beishan offered to take the fall. Officer Zheng Yi had only cared about the objective truth: whoever caused the death had to be held responsible and go to prison. He didn’t care about the moral nuances or the circumstances; he didn’t care if he ruined a good girl’s future or life. He only wanted the facts, and those facts dictated that Chen Nian should bear the responsibility for the manslaughter. Even though she was a top student who had scored 632 on the college entrance exam and had been a victim of bullying, in Zheng Yi’s eyes, she had to go to jail.

If this officer truly upheld "justice" as his name suggested, perhaps one could understand. But when Hu Xiaodie and Chen Nian had reported being bullied, Zheng Yi knew exactly who the culprits were, yet claimed helplessness due to various bureaucratic reasons. And yet, when it came to Chen Nian’s accidental killing of Wei Lai, he was relentless, refusing to accept any alternative, even when someone else confessed. It showed he cared only for the letter of the law, not the justice it was intended to serve. His name, "Zheng Yi," felt almost ironic compared to his actions.

Hua Shi’er had always despised Zheng Yi’s approach while watching the film; it didn’t align with the common moral belief that good should be rewarded and evil punished. But Detective Lao Yang was different. While he, too, was constrained by the law regarding school bullying, his words and actions during the aftermath of Wei Lai’s death suggested he was willing to turn a blind eye to help Liu Beishan and Chen Nian.

After Zheng Yi had relentlessly uncovered the truth, Lao Yang had remarked to him, "One was a top student, the other a street thug, and you were determined to drag them both down... You’ve certainly ‘matured,’ haven’t you?"

Though the last part was said with a smile, in context, it was clearly pointed. As a veteran detective, he respected Zheng Yi’s adherence to procedure, but their views on humanity and the definition of justice were worlds apart.

Hua Shi’er flashed a grin at Detective Yang. "Officer, I’m a good guy now. Even if I made mistakes in the past, I’m planning to turn over a new leaf. Don't look at me with your old prejudices!"

Lao Yang chuckled. "Quit the chatter. If you really do go straight, I’ll take you out for a meal!" He punched Hua Shi’er’s shoulder lightly and added, "Tell me exactly what happened. How did you manage to trap Ma Qi?"

Hua Shi’er recounted the entire ordeal—the ambush by the three thugs, his call to the police, the subsequent revenge attempt by Ma Qi, and the photo evidence. The investigators present looked at each other, stunned. This strategy... it was incredibly bold.

Lao Yang sensed something suspicious and asked seriously, "You took down a dozen of Ma Qi’s men who were carrying knives. If you’re that capable, how did you get beaten up by those three punks the other day?"

Hua Shi’er spread his hands. "How should I know? Maybe seeing a dozen knives triggered some latent potential in a life-or-death moment. Isn't that how it’s written in novels? There’s that stuff in mystery literature too—about a foreign woman who lifted a car with one hand to save her child. Maybe it was something like that."

Everyone looked at him with an expression that clearly said, *I don't believe a word of that.*

Lao Yang clicked his tongue. "Right. You read a pretty wide variety of books, don't you?"

He then questioned Chen Nian about why she had gone to find Hua Shi’er. Once the details were clear, he turned to Zheng Yi, who was taking notes, and asked, "Did you get all that?"

Seeing Zheng Yi nod, Lao Yang clapped his hands. "The evidence for this case is ironclad. These photos and the recording alone are enough to nail Ma Qi. Xiao Zhang, take these knives and process them for fingerprints. The rest of you, come with me—we’re making some arrests!"