Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 157 Accusations
"It's precisely because there's no evidence that I don't want to draw a conclusion so quickly," Lu Jingming replied calmly.

Director Wang, after careful consideration, agreed that this made sense.

After a long silence, he frowned and said, "Jingming, you're not usually impulsive. You should be more cautious about things without evidence."

"I understand." Lu Jingming's expression remained calm as he patiently recounted the cause and course of events.

Originally, Hua Hengchen had a conflict with the Pei family at the restaurant because Pei Dongmei was forced to drink with them at the dinner table. Lu Jingming saw that he was arrogant and domineering, so he wanted to bring him back to teach him a lesson. Unexpectedly, on the way back, the Pei siblings made even more serious accusations against Hua Hengchen.

"Is it possible... that because they had a conflict, the Pei siblings wanted to take this opportunity to escalate the situation?" Director Wang cautiously raised this new possibility.

His extreme caution was naturally for a reason.

If the case is indeed established, Director Wang will certainly not interfere. He knows better than anyone how to uphold fairness and justice. However, if there is an element of misunderstanding or false accusation, then things will be much more complicated.

That being said, it's not impossible that Director Wang made that claim.

After all, in the current environment, everyone's reception of information is biased, which leads to frequent reversals in trending public opinion.

Even when it comes to observing the situation or taking sides, one must be extremely cautious, let alone when it comes to solving a case.

Lu Jingming naturally understood what he was thinking. After a moment of thought, he said, "There may be subjective accusations, but they should not be false accusations, because initially, the siblings did not intend to accuse Hua Hengchen."

Wei Qingsong nodded slightly and took over the conversation: "I discovered it. I originally wanted to ask them why they had a conflict. During the questioning, I noticed that Pei Dongmei looked nervous and seemed to be hiding something. I felt something was wrong, so I pressed her for details, and the Pei family couldn't help but tell me what happened."

Pei Jiacai was still young and hadn't been in the workforce yet. Like a newborn calf, he was fearless. Seeing Lu Jingming and Wei Qingsong's fearless attitude towards Hua Hengchen at the restaurant, he believed they were good people and gained more confidence.

His accusations directly targeted Hua Hengchen and his father, and even implicated the entire Liyang Hotel—Hua Hengchen allegedly coerced and lured young women in the hotel into doing things they didn't want to do.

Director Wang still had some concerns: "This Hua family works for the Yan family in Bailiwan. How confident are you in their abilities?"

"If this matter is ultimately related to Bailiwan, what will you do, Director Wang?" Lu Jingming paused slightly, then asked instead of answering.

There seemed to be a hint of sharpness in his words, but it also seemed like an illusion.

Director Wang paused for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "If it really is related to the Yan family, then of course we should do what needs to be done. It's just that you young people are full of vigor, while I am willing but unable to do anything about it..."

To put it nicely, Director Wang's personality is that of a Buddhist, detached from worldly affairs; to put it bluntly, he's timid and hesitant.

"Every man for himself" is a proverb meaning that most people will remain silent unless their own interests are infringed upon. This is understandable. However, Director Wang's special status does not allow him to have such an attitude.

Lu Jingming sighed softly, but didn't say anything more.

"I will handle this case carefully and will not put you in a difficult position. However, if the Yan family is indeed involved in the end, I will follow the proper procedures and will not show any leniency to anyone. No matter who they are, no one is exempt from my considerations."

"I understand." Director Wang paused for a moment, then slowly exhaled. He had watched Lu Jingming grow up, so how could he not know what kind of person Lu Jingming was?

He's getting old after all. This world will only become better when it's handed over to young people like Lu Jingming.

However, he still had to remind him of what needed to be reminded, as he didn't want to see his beloved junior take unnecessary detours.

"Jingming, Songsong, have you heard of the Yan family in Bailiwan?"

Lu Jingming paused for a moment, then nodded calmly.

Wei Qingsong leaned back slightly, crossed her arms, and acted as if it were none of her business.

"The legendary Yan family of Bailiwan is a century-old family, with a vast and unshakeable fortune," Lu Jingming said indifferently.

“Yes, since you know about this, you should also know that even Mayor Shen probably has to treat the Yan family with extra courtesy.” Director Wang frowned deeply.

“In my eyes, there are no top-tier families, only ordinary people and criminals.” Lu Jingming’s lips curled slightly, and a hint of melancholy flashed in his deep eyes.

"I knew you'd say that. Fine, go ahead. I'll support you wholeheartedly if necessary." Director Wang paused for a moment, then sighed.

"Thank you, Director Wang." Lu Jingming was surprised that Director Wang didn't try to dissuade him further.

Director Wang chuckled twice, relieved: "What are you thanking me for? Yes, although I don't want to cause trouble, I haven't forgotten my identity. I may not do anything, but if I do, it must be something that is worthy of the people and the common folk."

He thought for a moment, wanting to say something more, but then remembered the strained relationship between Lu Jingming and Lu Changbai, so he swallowed the rest of his words.

The father and son have never been able to mend their relationship, and Director Wang also feels somewhat regretful.

In that instant, he truly felt that the father and son were so alike.

When they worked together, Lu Changbai said something similar.

In those days, the gap between officials and ordinary people was even greater than it is now.

The mayor's most beloved young master committed a serious crime and was personally arrested by Lu Changbai. At the time, many people advised Lu Changbai to let it go, but Lu Changbai refused. He not only brought the mayor's son to justice, but also brought down the mayor himself.

When Lu Changbai appeared in court, he said firmly, "This world has never belonged to high-ranking officials and the powerful. Whoever harms the rights and interests of the majority should be punished. This is the law I have learned."

They were both equally righteous in their hatred of evil, but in some matters, Lu Changbai ultimately made decisions that were difficult to understand.

Director Wang could understand Lu Jingming's feelings, but he didn't know why they couldn't calmly resolve their differences. They were father and son, yet they ended up acting like enemies.

The sky outside the window had darkened at some point.

Pei Dongmei and Pei Jiacai sat at the table with their heads slightly lowered, with steaming tea in front of them, but neither of them touched it.

Xiao Song grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "Don't be afraid or nervous, our Captain Lu is a very nice person."

“This…” Pei Dongmei suddenly stopped midway through her sentence, seemingly unsure of how to address Xiao Song.

After all, Xiao Song looked young, with a delicate and youthful face. She couldn't tell for a moment whether Xiao Song was an intern or a full-fledged police officer.

Xiao Song blinked, noticing Pei Dongmei's awkward situation, and grinned, saying, "My surname is Song, you can just call me Officer Xiao Song, no need to be so formal."

I originally intended to post it before midnight... but I made some changes, and there will be more updates during the day today.

Then, I'll probably write about this case a bit more subtly, because it feels quite sensitive. I'm just afraid of being blocked before.
Then, I lost my rhythm before and am feeling a bit lost now... I'm slowly going back to the previous content to try and get back into it.
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(End of this chapter)