Chapter 77

On the day of the interview, Liu Handong still wore the cheap black suit that Ma Ling had bought for him, with an Alpha M65 windbreaker from Taobao over it. He picked up his comrade Lin Lianan at six in the morning and they both rushed to the Provincial Police Academy for the interview.

The Police Academy used to be a Public Security College, covering a vast area with a tactical training base and a large playground. On this day of the police recruitment interview, all the students were on holiday, leaving only the staff to maintain order. No private vehicles were allowed to enter the campus, so Liu Handong parked his car outside and, with his credentials, entered the Police Academy with Lin Lianan.

The 450 candidates who had excelled in the written test and physical fitness test were about to face a rigorous elimination process, with two-thirds of them being eliminated. Only 150 would eventually wear the police uniform. At the moment, the candidates gathered in small groups, whispering to each other. The cold wind blew, and from time to time, neatly dressed police officers walked through the campus, drawing envious glances.

Everyone longed to wear the dark blue uniform, not for the sake of serving society or upholding justice, but because it represented power, authority, a fixed monthly salary, and benefits.

The candidates were led by the staff into the waiting room, where they handed over their phones and were given number tags, waiting for their interviews.

The first candidate entered the examination room nervously, and Lin Lianan suddenly became anxious, saying, "First Squad Leader, I need to pee."

"Go quickly," Liu Handong said.

"Come with me, to give me some courage," Lin Lianan said.

"Damn, look at you," Liu Handong raised his hand, "Report, going to the restroom."

"Go, but be mindful of the time," the staff member waved his hand.

The two hurried to the restroom, which was almost full. It seemed many were nervous before the exam, and they were relieving their stress at the urinals. Another tall and strong guy came in, unzipped his pants, and started urinating, splashing a few drops on Lin Lianan's shiny shoes.

"Damn, be careful," Lin Lianan stepped back.

"What did you say? Say it again," the guy was very aggressive, zipped up, and glared at Lin Lianan, who must have been a very arrogant person to act this way even in the restroom of the interview venue.

"I said, be careful, you splashed on my shoes," Lin Lianan looked at him, neither submissive nor arrogant.

"Say the first two words again," the guy was very impatient.

"What's wrong with adding a phrase? I haven't even asked you to apologize yet," Lin Lianan, who was also a troublemaker in the military, was not afraid of him.

"Damn, you're pretty tough, do you know who I am? I can make sure you don't pass the exam with just one word. Believe it or not?" The guy was about 25 or 26 years old, wearing a suit but not a staff badge, probably another candidate.

Liu Handong stepped forward: "If you were really capable, you wouldn't be standing here. Don't just talk big, if you want to fight, let's do it now. There are no cameras in the restroom, come on, I won't let you off."

The guy took a few steps back, nodded with a cold smile, "Alright, I'll remember you." He turned and left.

Lin Lianan sighed, "Damn, I feel so frustrated. If it weren't for the connections my family made, I would have beaten him up long ago."

Liu Handong said, "Don't indulge such scumbags. Today is a special situation, so we'll let him off. If we meet him outside one day, we'll deal with him."

Lin Lianan nodded, "Right, put a sack over his head and beat him up, then run away."

The two laughed and returned to the waiting room.

They waited until noon, and the interviews of the candidates in front of them were still not over. The staff provided boxed meals, and everyone ate and continued to wait. At two o'clock, it was finally Liu Handong's turn to enter the interview room.

In the interview room, a row of tables faced the candidates, with seven examiners sitting behind them. On either side were secretaries and supervisors, forming a three-sided encirclement that brought immense pressure to the candidates.

The chief examiner sat in the middle and asked the questions, while the others only scored without participating in the questioning. Liu Handong noticed that one of the examiners was Wan Xudong, which made him feel much more relaxed.

The interview questions were not particularly tricky and had no fixed answers, all aimed at testing the candidates' ability to respond to unexpected situations and their overall quality. Liu Handong answered fluently, and the interview ended after ten minutes, and he left through a side door.

A while later, Lin Lianan also finished his interview and came out, looking dejected, "I didn't answer well, I'm afraid I won't pass."

"Don't worry, do your best and leave the rest to fate," Liu Handong comforted him.

...

The interviews were over, and the scoring process began. The 150 slots for this police recruitment were officially to expand the riot police force, but in reality, they also served to solve employment issues for the children of police officers and to accommodate some unavoidable social connections. The head of the Political Department of the Municipal Bureau had already received dozens of notes on his desk, none of which he could afford to offend, so he had to weigh his options carefully.

A week later, the list of candidates who made it to the next round was announced. Liu Handong checked online and found that both his and Lin Lianan's names were on the list!

Liu Handong was overjoyed and immediately called home to report the good news. When his mother heard that her son had passed the police exam, she cried with joy over the phone, making Liu Handong's nose tingle. He resolved to do his best in this career for his mother's sake.

The second person he called was Ma Ling, who was also extremely excited, "I knew you could do it. I'm driving, so I won't say much. You treat us to dinner tonight."

"Call all our friends, we'll eat whatever we want, I'll treat," Liu Handong said confidently.

"Sure, I'll make you pay," Ma Ling hung up and started singing as he drove the bus.

Since the last incident, Liu Handong's relationship with the Huo family had improved significantly. He would often join them for meals, but he still had to pay rent, 80 yuan per month, no less.

He went downstairs to tell the landlady the good news. Bao Yumei, who was playing mahjong, smiled, "That's great news. If you need anything, you can count on me. We have a police officer in the family now."

"Sure thing," Liu Handong said proudly, then suddenly remembered an important person he hadn't notified yet, Song Shuang.

He called her, and before he could speak, Song Shuang said, "I saw your name online, congratulations."

"Thanks," Liu Handong said, but then ran out of words.

"Good luck, be a good police officer like my dad," Song Shuang encouraged him.

"Thanks," Liu Handong said again, politely ended the call, and didn't invite Song Shuang to dinner that night to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings. Liu Handong wasn't stupid and had a decent emotional quotient. He had dated in high school and could tell that Song Shuang had a crush on him. Honestly, she was a nice girl, but not his type, and their family backgrounds were too different. More importantly, he already had Ma Ling and couldn't accommodate anyone else.

That evening, Liu Handong didn't drive. He invited several comrades, including Lin Lianan, as well as Ma Ling, Ma Qi, Huo Lei, Huo Ying, and members of the Baozou E Clan Club like Tan Shuai and Shen Huawei, to a celebratory dinner at the Xiyinmen Hotel. They were all young people, and the gathering was lively with laughter and toasts.

After a few rounds of drinks, Lin Lianan went to the restroom and returned quickly, whispering to Liu Handong that he had seen the guy from the police academy who had caused trouble in the restroom.

"Which table is he at?" Liu Handong asked.

"He's in the restroom, taking a shit," Lin Lianan said.

"Let's go deal with him," Liu Handong stood up immediately. The two went to the hotel restroom, and Lin Lianan crouched down to check the shoes under the toilet stall, then nodded.

The restroom was empty. Liu Handong picked up the "beer bucket" from the corner, lifted it high, and poured it into the toilet stall. Half a bucket of vomit splashed down, and a loud cry of "Damn!" came from the stall.

Liu Handong and Lin Lianan barely held back their laughter, dropped the bucket, and quickly left the restroom, acting as if nothing had happened and chatting as they walked away.

About twenty minutes later, a group of people burst into the private room.

"It's him!" A guy with a strong smell of vomit and dirt in his hair pointed at Lin Lianan and shouted. It was the arrogant guy from the interview who claimed he could make anyone fail with just one word.

None of the people in the room were pushovers. Seeing the tension, they all stood up, picked up their beer bottles, and prepared to fight. Over a dozen people stood up, and the other side immediately backed down.

"Alright, you wait," the guys said with a show of bravado and turned to leave.

"What happened?" Ma Ling asked.

"I've been wanting to teach him a lesson," Liu Handong explained the situation, and everyone agreed that it was well done. Such people deserved to be dealt with harshly.

Tan Shuai said, "I know him, his name is Chang Jin. His family does business, and he has relatives in the police force."

Ma Ling frowned, "It's better to resolve conflicts rather than escalate them. After all, you will be colleagues in the future, and it's not good to have such a conflict."

"Beat him until he submits, that's how we did it in the military. Soldiers from Sichuan and Henan couldn't beat us Jiangdong soldiers," Lin Lianan said proudly.

Ma Ling kicked Liu Handong under the table.

"Let's not do it again," Liu Handong concluded, "In the future, think carefully before acting. Don't be impulsive, and remember the uniform and the national emblem on your cap."

Everyone whistled and cheered.

Liu Handong laughed, "In the future, be more careful and try to avoid fights. Low-level people solve problems with violence. Have you ever heard of big bosses personally fighting? Wang Shifeng, Long Kaijiang, Pi Tiantang, none of them would carry a machete and charge into battle."

Someone interjected, "That's not always true. The four major kings of Jiangbei used to often carry fire axes and machetes, leading the charge to raid places."

Liu Handong said, "That's an exception. Let's not talk about it. Let's finish the remaining drinks and go sing."

After finishing the drinks and paying the bill, the group, slightly drunk, left the Xiyinmen Hotel. Bright xenon headlights shone in their faces, and someone shouted, "It's them, beat them up!"

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