Chapter 62

A few plainclothes officers escorted Zhang Qiu to the Xue Tangpo Police Station. No.1 High School was within the jurisdiction of this police station, unlike No.2 High School, which was right next to the Yuxi Branch, where cases were usually handled directly by the branch.

At the police station, a detective with a somewhat fierce appearance took over Zhang Qiu and began the interrogation.

"Kid, you've got some nerve! You dare to grope your female classmates! That's immoral and illegal, do you know that?"

Zhang Qiu was startled, wondering if his actions had been exposed.

It shouldn't be, he thought, and decided to see what the detective would say next.

"What are you talking about? I don't understand," Zhang Qiu replied calmly.

The detective chuckled, exuding an air of authority: "According to a report from a female student named Lin Lai..."

Lin Lai! Indeed! Zhang Qiu's heart skipped a beat, and a hint of worry crept into his eyes. He hadn't expected Lin Lai to have such resolve, willing to risk her reputation to expose him.

Zhang Qiu fell silent, and the detective smiled wisely, continuing, "Your eyes tell me that it's true. What do you say? Still not going to confess?"

Zhang Qiu remained silent, thinking about how to respond.

If Lin Lai had really reported him, it would indeed be a bit of a hassle for him.

"The young are so wicked. How will you be when you grow up? Therefore, for your own good, we plan to educate you for fifteen days," the detective said.

Zhang Qiu finally spoke up, "Wait, detention requires evidence. Otherwise, you have to let me go!"

"Hmph! You know a lot! It seems you are a lawbreaker, and your crime is even more serious! With your bad character, we will detain you for 24 hours even without evidence!" the detective said.

Without evidence, an interrogation must be completed within 24 hours. Usually, people are released after the questioning, but detaining someone for 24 hours before releasing them, while not illegal, is certainly considered harassment. Zhang Qiu found the situation a bit strange.

The detective continued, "Moreover, we have solid evidence."

"What solid evidence?" Zhang Qiu didn't believe it. The incident with Lin Lai had been a long time ago, and unless they had surveillance footage, there couldn't be any solid evidence.

However, on the bus, his actions appeared to be an accident and were not enough to constitute a crime. In the dormitory, who would go to the trouble of installing surveillance cameras? Installing cameras in such a private space would itself be illegal.

"The victim's personal testimony and the eyewitness testimony of Lin Lai!" the detective said smugly. With a victim's testimony and an eyewitness, it was indeed solid evidence.

But Zhang Qiu suddenly realized something and asked urgently, "Wait, who is the victim? Is Lin Lai the eyewitness?" Zhang Qiu was confused. Wasn't Lin Lai the victim? How could she be the eyewitness?

However, Zhang Qiu quickly understood. He had jumped to conclusions when he heard Lin Lai's name, assuming she had reported him for molesting her. Now, from what the detective was saying, it seemed to be different.

As long as the victim Lin Lai reported was not herself, it would be easy to handle, because Zhang Qiu had never done such a thing. The so-called victim didn't exist, and Lin Lai, as an eyewitness, was giving false testimony.

If he were convicted based on false testimony, in the past, when he was just a nobody, he might have had no choice but to let them play with him. He might have been detained for fifteen days, and his dignity would have been compromised.

But now, since it was false testimony, Zhang Qiu wasn't afraid.

"You must know who the victim is. To protect the victim's privacy and avoid upsetting her, we won't reveal her name. But the eyewitness, Lin Lai, you should know. According to our information, she is quite famous in your school," the detective said.

Zhang Qiu smiled faintly, "This so-called victim doesn't exist! I've heard that there are corrupt elements in the police force, and I never thought I would encounter one today. Who are you working for, deliberately trying to frame me? I'm not stupid, and I'm not a pushover! Think carefully before you act, or you might be used as a pawn!"

"Nonsense! You are slandering a state official, a people's police officer! Do you know, I've been handling cases for over ten years, and when have I ever acted out of personal interest?" the detective suddenly slammed the table and jumped up in anger.

"From your attitude, it seems you have some background! No wonder the chief assigned me to handle this case. Ordinary people can't handle you. I'm not afraid of people like you! I'll show you!" the detective said angrily.

The chief? There must be something fishy! For such a small case, even ordinary police officers wouldn't want to deal with it, but the chief suddenly took an interest. It was clear that Lin Lai knew the chief.

Zhang Qiu was thinking whether to call for help, fight his way out of the police station, or argue his case.

At that moment, Zhang Qiu's phone rang.

He looked at the caller ID, a number he recognized. He had once received a private business card with this number on it.

Zhang Qiu said calmly, "I'll take this call first," and answered it.

The detective was furious. The person who had brought him in had been too careless. During the interrogation, his phone should have been kept separately. Now, Zhang Qiu was holding his phone, which clearly indicated favoritism. The detective was even more convinced that Zhang Qiu had some background.

"Who allowed you to take a call? We are in the middle of an interrogation! Hang up!" the detective shouted.

At that moment, Zhang Qiu said, "Hello..." and was interrupted by the detective.

The voice on the other end immediately sounded displeased, "Zhang Qiu, who is talking to you?"

"Ah, it's Chief Wang! Sorry, I'm at the police station, being interrogated!" Zhang Qiu said, "The police officer won't let me take the call."

"Nonsense! Give me the phone, I'll talk to him!" the voice on the other end said.

Zhang Qiu handed the phone over, saying, "Here, take the call!"

The detective thought, "I'll see who this Chief Wang is," and took the phone. He said, "Hello," and heard a calm and serious voice, "Hello, I'm Wang Xiangdong! What crime has Comrade Zhang Qiu committed?"

"Who is Wang Xiangdong?" the detective was momentarily confused but loudly replied, "Someone reported him for molestation, and we are confirming his crime of molesting women and children!"

"Ah. Then give the phone back to Zhang Qiu, I'll talk to him personally! If he doesn't behave, I'll personally discipline him! If this is true, his nominations for the district and city 'Three Good Students' will be revoked!" Wang Xiangdong said.

This statement contained a lot of information, and the detective realized something was off. He tried to remember who Wang Xiangdong was.

After handing the phone back to Zhang Qiu, the detective suddenly slapped his head. The big boss of the Yuxi Branch was Wang Xiangdong, a deputy department-level official, far above his rank. This kid indeed had a strong background! The detective was even more convinced that Zhang Qiu had molested a female student.

He also deduced that the female student must have some background or connections, otherwise she wouldn't have gone to the chief.

This was clearly a conflict between powerful people. Although he hated evil, he wasn't stupid. To do more, he needed to keep his job and position. Without them, he wouldn't even have the chance to interrogate suspects, let alone fight evil.

His thoughts were rapidly changing.

At that moment, Wang Xiangdong was already asking Zhang Qiu, "Zhang Qiu, what's going on?"

"I don't know. I was in class, and then I was called here. They said I molested a female student, but they won't tell me her name, and I have no idea what they're talking about," Zhang Qiu said in a委屈 (wronged) tone.

When Wang Xiangdong heard that they wouldn't reveal the female student's name, he knew something was fishy. He had years of experience and had come up