Chapter 53

Song Shuang was indeed lying in a ward at the Medical University Affiliated Hospital, but this was just a strategy. In fact, she had only been frightened and had minor bruises, and there was no need for her to be hospitalized.

Zhu Pengpeng and Ling Zijie were also arranged to be hospitalized. Pengpeng's head was wrapped in bandages, and Ling Zijie's cuts from the glass had been treated with iodine. They were staying in high-end single rooms, and Song Jianfeng had arranged for police officers to guard the corridor, ostensibly for witness protection, but actually to prevent people with ulterior motives from coming to "visit."

Sure enough, after Song Jianfeng received a call from Mayor Jin, people began to visit Song Shuang one after another. It was clear that Mayor Jin had leaked the information, but none of these people managed to get in, and their gifts were even returned.

Jiao Shihong's arrest caused great concern among some people in the Department of Transportation. They feared being implicated and were frantically trying to find out why Jiao Shihong had been arrested, but to no avail. Some leaders were so anxious that they began to prepare their passports and valuables. Suddenly, a message came from Mayor Jin's side, stating that it was a general criminal case and had nothing to do with the project.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and continued to dig deeper. They learned that Jiao Shihong had sent people to cause a car accident, resulting in Song Jianfeng's daughter being seriously injured. Some people were gleeful, while others were worried, fearing that Song Jianfeng would use this as an opportunity to dig deeper and uncover more. They also feared that Jiao Shihong, being too timid, would spill the beans under interrogation, implicating everyone.

Therefore, the top priority was to send a message to Jiao Shihong, to make sure he knew the situation and didn't say anything rash.

However, the police department was Song Jianfeng's territory, and outsiders didn't even know where Jiao Shihong was being held, let alone how to send a message.

To everyone's surprise, Jiao Shihong was being held in the National Security Bureau, which was right next to the Public Security Bureau. Two plainclothes officers in their forties interrogated him, their eyes sharp and intimidating, clearly experienced experts. One of them handed him a cigarette and said, "Jiao Shihong, let me introduce myself. I am from the Economic Crime Investigation Team, and this is from the Anti-Corruption Bureau. We are not from the Discipline Inspection Commission. Do you know why?"

How could Jiao Shihong not know? For someone of his level, the Discipline Inspection Commission would usually be involved, conducting a double regulation to gather solid evidence before transferring the case to the judiciary. Now, without the Discipline Inspection Commission, he was directly arrested by the police and jointly interrogated by the Anti-Corruption Bureau, which meant they already had enough evidence. It was like holding a snail with three fingers—certain and secure.

His psychological defenses quickly crumbled, and he confessed to the police officers about his embezzlement and abuse of power in the road widening project...

The confession was delivered to Song Jianfeng's desk. He picked up the phone, "Secretary Ding, this is Song Jianfeng. I have important matters to report to Secretary Zheng. Can you arrange it as soon as possible?"

After the director finished his call, Secretary Shen, who had been waiting, said, "Should we set up a special task force to follow up?"

Song Jianfeng waved his hand, "No need. Follow the procedures for a general public security case. Don't escalate it to avoid giving others a handle."

"Understood," Secretary Shen nodded.

...

On Iron Slag Street, Hu Ying was still lingering in Liu Hando's room, unwilling to leave. Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Ma Ling brought a girl in, who was none other than Ma Qi from the E-Walkers. She was carrying a medical kit.

"Let me see. Who bandaged this? Wrapping a mummy?" Ma Qi said.

"I did. What's wrong with it?" Hu Ying snapped at her.

Ma Qi undid the bandages, examined the stitches, and frowned, "You'll leave a scar like that." She then took out surgical instruments to re-stitch the wound.

"Forget it, I don't want to suffer again," Liu Hando stopped her.

Ma Ling poked him on the forehead, "Always fighting. Can you ever stop? What was it this time?"

"Acting bravely," Hu Ying interjected.

"You'll end up killing yourself!" Ma Ling looked at him with a mix of frustration and concern.

"Scars are a man's badge of honor, no big deal," Hu Ying said.

Liu Hando laughed, "Where did you hear that?"

"It's from Saint Seiya. My brother often says it," Hu Ying said proudly.

Ma Qi re-applied the medicine and wrapped the bandages. Suddenly, they heard Bao Yumei downstairs calling, "Director Hu, what brings you here?"

Hu Ying quickly stood up, "Not good, the police are here to arrest you. Run!"

Everyone hurriedly stood up, but it was too late. Deputy Chief Hu Tiejun of Huafire Police Station, along with three officers, had already come up.

Liu Hando sighed and extended his hands to Hu Tiejun, "Cuff me."

Hu Tiejun didn't have handcuffs, "Liu Hando, you're quite something, causing trouble again. Come with me for an investigation."

Liu Hando was taken away by the police. Ma Ling and Ma Qi wanted to follow, but Hu Tiejun stopped them, "Niece, don't follow the crowd. This time, Liu Hando is in big trouble."

They went downstairs, got into the police car, and headed back to the station. As they passed Mei Jie's hair salon, Liu Hando glanced at the closed door and asked, "What happened to Mei Jie?"

"First detention, then labor re-education. Once the approval is granted, she'll be transferred to a labor camp," Hu Tiejun replied.

In the small courtyard of the hair salon, Xiao Yan turned on the tap and drank a belly full of cold water. She had waited for a day and a night, but her mother still hadn't returned. She was scared and hungry, and she didn't even have the strength to cry.

...

At the Medical University Affiliated Hospital, the door to the ward opened a crack, and Song Shuang asked cautiously, "Who is it?"

"It's me," Pengpeng slipped in, followed by Ling Zijie.

"Is there something wrong?" Song Shuang asked, noticing their suspicious expressions.

Ling Zijie said, "There's something I didn't tell you. The Liu Hando who saved us today is actually an accomplice of the madam. I think the professional term is 'pimp' or 'sex worker.'"

"Impossible! Liu Hando is not that kind of person!" Song Shuang rebutted without hesitation, "I know his character well; he wouldn't do such a thing."

Ling Zijie smiled awkwardly, "It's just a hypothesis, and I don't mean to belittle this profession. Any existence is reasonable. For those at the bottom of society, any job that pays is a good job."

Song Shuang shook her head, "No, he wouldn't do such dirty work."

Ling Zijie said, "Song Shuang, you still have a misunderstanding about sex workers. In some European countries, this profession is legal, and sometimes the government even hires sex workers to provide physiological comfort to disabled people. My words might not be appropriate, but Liu Hando does know the madam and the girl."

Song Shuang, being rational, thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll reserve my opinion. What do you want to talk to me about?"

Ling Zijie said, "I want to find them."

Pengpeng added, "Liu Hando got hurt for us; we should go visit him."

Song Shuang nodded, "Right, we should thank him." She picked up the phone and called her father, "Dad, I want to know which hospital Liu Hando is being treated in."

Song Jianfeng was taken aback and turned to his secretary, "Hongyi, where is Liu Hando?"

"He's at Huafire Police Station for questioning," Secretary Shen, who always had the latest information, replied.

"He's at the police station for questioning. Rest well and don't worry about these things," Song Jianfeng comforted his daughter and hung up. He was waiting for a meeting with the provincial party secretary to discuss important matters.

In the hospital ward, Song Shuang made a decision, "Let's go to the police station to find Liu Hando." She started changing her clothes, and Ling Zijie turned away politely.

"Are you in such a hurry?" Pengpeng was excited.

"Liu Hando hurt someone, and I'm afraid the police will be hard on him. He saved us, and we should save him," Song Shuang said, taking off her hospital gown and putting on a shirt.

Pengpeng and Ling Zijie went back to their rooms to change. When they reached the end of the corridor, they were politely stopped by plainclothes police officers, "Where are you going?"

"I've told my father. We're going to take care of some business," Song Shuang said and went downstairs. The police responsible for their protection had no choice but to seek permission from their superiors. The superiors, not daring to forcibly stop Song Shuang, instructed the police to protect her, ensuring no mishaps.

Thus, the three of them, under the protection of two police officers, took a police car to Huafire Police Station. Through the window, they could see Liu Hando, with bandages on his head and neck, and bloodstains on his pants.

The door was suddenly pushed open, and the police officers turned back in surprise. A girl around twenty rushed in, her voice trembling with tears, "Do you have any humanity? He's injured, and you bring him here for questioning. That's too much!" She burst into tears.

The two detectives looked at each other, puzzled.

The accompanying police officer whispered, "This is the daughter of Director Song. The man is her savior."

The detectives understood and smiled, leaving the room to them.

Song Shuang approached Liu Hando, tears in her eyes, "You fool, why didn't you reply to my WeChat?"

Liu Hando was being examined by her, being turned this way and that, almost undressed. He thought to himself, "Do we know each other that well?"

He didn't know that Song Shuang had been thinking about him every day, talking to him in her mind. In her subconscious, she had already formed a deep connection with Liu Hando.

Ling Zijie and Zhu Pengpeng also came in. Pengpeng scolded, "Liu Hando, why did you run away?"

"My car has no proper registration," Liu Hando said.

This simple statement almost made Zhu Pengpeng cry. Liu Hando's white two-door car was an unregistered, unlicensed black car. He was afraid the girls would use their influence to have the car destroyed, so he left quickly after saving them. This fact made the two girls feel both ashamed and sad.

"If your car has no registration, you could have asked me. I can have my father help you with it," Zhu Pengpeng said, stomping her foot.

Liu Hando grunted and took out a cigarette.

Song Shuang snatched the cigarette from him, "You're injured, you can't smoke."

Liu Hando took out another cigarette and lit it, looking at Song Shuang.

Song Shuang bit her lip, realizing that the Liu Hando in front of her was not the same as the one in her mind. The Liu Hando in her mind had long forgiven her, but the real Liu Hando still held a grudge.

"I'm sorry, we were wrong last time. We didn't mean to do it. I've already bought you a big motorcycle as compensation, parked in my garage. The license plate is already done, and it can be delivered to you tomorrow. You saved my life, and I will thank you. You're a veteran, right? I can help you become a police officer. If you don't want to, I can help you find other jobs. If you want to start a business, I can help you get a loan. I can help you with anything."

Song Shuang said all this in one breath. She had said it many times in her mind, hoping that Liu Hando would be moved, clear up his misunderstanding, and even become friends. This was the so-called "no fight, no acquaintance."

However, Liu Hando just glanced at Song Shuang and said, "Do we know each other that well?"

---

The page turned, and the advertisement began.

The page turned, and the advertisement ended.