Chapter 44: The Confession

Gu Sanliang, wrapped only in a bathrobe, was taken away by the police. His stomach, bulging like a giant meatball, made him look extremely disheveled.

At the entrance of the Second Road Police Station, Gu Sanliang shouted, "I know your Chief Chen, we have a very good relationship. Could you please call Chief Chen over?"

The police officers all looked at Gu Sanliang, their eyes filled with ridicule. "Stupid pig, you don't know yet, it was Chief Chen himself who ordered us to bring you in."

"Stop your damn babbling!" A police officer kicked Gu Sanliang's buttocks, sending him off the car and leaving a black footprint on his white bathrobe. "Even if you know Director Ma, it's too late now!"

Gu Sanliang was secretly alarmed. Even the face of Ma Jinyou, the head of the Tianfu District Public Security Bureau, didn't work. Who had he offended? He had been thinking about it all the way, but had no clue. He even suspected that the problem might be with the 88th bath attendant he had chosen tonight, as he had heard that she was close to a local thug. Could he have fallen into someone's trap today?

"What are you looking at? Are you waiting for us to invite you in?" A police officer raised his hand and slapped the back of Gu Sanliang's head. These police officers from the grassroots station were used to being domineering. It didn't matter if you were just a section chief of the Health Bureau or even the director; if you were in their hands, you would be treated the same way.

Gu Sanliang lowered his head and walked in. His Achilles' heel was now firmly in their hands, and he could only take it one step at a time.

In the interrogation room, the police officer took out a stack of paper and a pen, placing them in front of Gu Sanliang. "Write down all the bad things you've done, and be honest."

Gu Sanliang knew very well what this meant. If he wrote it down, he would be finished, essentially handing over his life to the other party. They could do whatever they wanted with him, and he would be helpless.

"I really know your Chief Chen, we've even had drinks together," Gu Sanliang said, his tone pleading. He had no choice but to be humble.

"Are you not going to write?" The police officer glanced at him coldly. "No problem, I'll call your director to come and pick you up."

"No... no!" Gu Sanliang shuddered and stood up from the chair. There were many people in the bureau who had their eyes on his position. If his dirty deeds were known, they would crush him to nothing. "Comrade Police Officer, no, Big Brother Police Officer, please, don't call our director."

The police officer sat down at the opposite table, took out his watch, and checked the time. "I'm very busy, I'll give you one hour. If what you write doesn't satisfy me, I guarantee your fate will be worse than if your director came to pick you up."

"Big Brother Police Officer, can I ask who I've offended?" Gu Sanliang asked cautiously.

"Gu Sanliang, open your dog eyes and look clearly, is this a place where you can ask questions!" The police officer slammed the table and roared, "If you say one more word, I'll make you regret having a mouth!"

Who did he offend? You damn fool, you offended our Chief Chen, the police officer thought. This was a task given by Chief Chen. If you think you can get away with it, you're dreaming. If you get away, I'll have to guard the gate. Chief Chen is about to be promoted to deputy director. If I don't perform well now, the position of chief will be given to someone else. There are many people who want to show off.

Gu Sanliang opened his mouth, wanting to plead for mercy, but seeing the cold eyes of the police officer, he knew he was doomed. He sat down and thought about what he should confess. If he was called to the disciplinary committee, he could still resist, but now he had no chance. The evidence was already in their hands, and resistance would only make things worse.

The police officer ignored Gu Sanliang, lit a cigarette, and leaned back in his chair, smoking.

After about ten minutes, Gu Sanliang bit his lip, mustered his courage, and picked up the pen, ready to confess some of his carefully selected sins. There was no choice; if he didn't confess, he wouldn't get through today. The police station had not immediately handed him over to the Health Bureau, so it seemed they didn't intend to destroy him, but rather to teach him a lesson.

Gu Sanliang felt a glimmer of hope as he realized this.

"Write honestly, don't try to be clever, or I'll send you straight to the detention center tomorrow!" The police officer flicked the ash off his cigarette. He looked at Gu Sanliang as if he were a dead pig, and a very dead one at that.

An hour later, Gu Sanliang looked at the two pages he had filled, feeling a deep pain in his heart. Even these carefully selected sins were enough to get him a ten-year sentence if someone used them against him.

"Are you done?" the police officer asked.

"Y-yes..." Gu Sanliang's mouth trembled.

The police officer picked up the confession, glanced through it, and then slapped Gu Sanliang's head hard. "I didn't think you were so rotten to the bone. Did you confess everything?"

"Everything, everything!" Gu Sanliang stared at the confession, feeling a bit regretful and having an impulse to grab it and tear it up. "I held nothing back, I confessed everything!"

The Health Bureau's power, of course, couldn't match that of the Public Security Bureau, but it had control over medical institutions and the qualifications of medical personnel. Through this, Gu Sanliang had made a lot of money, and he had also taken advantage of some female nurses and medical students. He had done a lot of bad things.

"Sign your name and put a fingerprint on it!" The police officer threw the ink pad in front of Gu Sanliang. He looked at the confession and thought it was good enough; Chief Chen would be satisfied. He had earned his credit today.

Gu Sanliang's facial muscles twitched, and he finally mustered the courage to press his fingerprint on the two pages of the confession.

The police officer took it, folded it, and put it away, then waved his hand impatiently. "Alright, you can go!"

Gu Sanliang couldn't believe it was over so quickly.

"What are you standing there for!" The police officer roared again. "Do you want me to book you a cell in the detention center?"

Gu Sanliang shuddered and hurried out, not daring to say anything more, just in case the police officer changed his mind. He had to get out of the police station first.

He ran to the entrance of the police station, and seeing no one chasing him, he breathed a sigh of relief. He hailed a taxi and headed back to Huaxi Bay Bathhouse to retrieve his clothes and phone, and to find someone to help him get the confession out of the police station.

When he got out of the car, he couldn't even pay the fare. He said, "Wait at the entrance, my clothes and wallet are inside. I'll come out and pay you."

"That won't work, who knows when you'll come out!" The driver refused to let Gu Sanliang go. "I need to earn my fare. If I wait here for two hours, I'll have wasted my evening!"

"I'll pay you ten times the fare!" Gu Sanliang glared, thinking, "I'm a section chief, I can't be short of a few dozen yuan!"

"No way, if you go in and don't come out, I won't even get the few dozen yuan!" The driver, seeing Gu Sanliang in a bathrobe, feared he might be a runaway from a mental hospital.

Gu Sanliang bit his lip and took off a gold ring from his finger. "Here, I'll leave this as collateral. Is that okay?" He then rushed into the bathhouse.

When he came out dressed, the driver and the car were gone. Gu Sanliang cursed, feeling his luck had been terrible tonight.

But he couldn't worry about the gold ring now; his future and life were more important. He called Chen Long, trying to find out who he had offended. However, Chen Long's phone was always unreachable.

Gu Sanliang's heart sank. He was nervous, not knowing if Chen Long was deliberately not answering or was too busy to pick up.

He wiped the sweat from his face and continued calling. He reached out to several friends who had drunk with Chen Long before. They managed to get through to Chen Long, but he only said "uh-huh" without saying anything specific.

Despite the hot weather, Gu Sanliang felt a chill. He shivered, fearing the situation where he was tied to a time bomb, and the remote control was in the other party's hands. He would live in constant fear, not knowing when the bomb would explode, and who held the remote.

He flipped through his phone book and called another police station chief, subtly expressing his request and asking for help to contact Chen Long.

The chief, who had drunk with Gu Sanliang a few times and had some rapport, couldn't refuse. He called Chen Long and said with a laugh, "Old Chen, everyone knows you're about to be promoted. Just now, the Health Bureau's section chief, Gu Sanliang, called me, insisting on meeting you and offering to buy you a drink."

He didn't know what had happened and assumed it was related to the promotion.

"Others may not know, but you should. What promotion? It's all just talk!" Chen Long replied. "I'm at Li's Fish House. Tell him to come over."

"Old Chen, you're too modest. It's a done deal, it can't go wrong." The chief laughed. "Alright, I'll pass on your message."

After getting the message, Gu Sanliang hurried to Li's Fish House. He found out which private room Chen Long had booked and went there. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door, then pushed it open, his face beaming with a smile. "Old Chen, you have to help me this time!"

Gu Sanliang still harbored some hope, calling Chen Long "Old Chen" with a hint of familiarity.