Reborn in 97, I solved a cold case at the Municipal Bureau

Chapter 398 Suspension
Zhou Yi discovered that the people who walked into the Third Brigade's office were actually Jiang Biao, Qiao Jiali, and Chen Yan.

"Why are you back?" Zhou Yi asked in surprise.

Jiang Biao said, "Team Leader Wu told us to come back, saying there was something he needed to do."

Everyone looked at each other, wondering why they had been called back to the office all of a sudden.

Zhou Yi thought to himself that Captain Wu hadn't mentioned anything about it last night.

Besides, I'm not a member of the task force now, so I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I don't know if I should recuse myself.

"Oh, everyone's here," Wu Yongcheng said as he walked in and looked around.

"Captain Wu, Captain Wu, Master!" the crowd called out.

"I have something to announce," Wu Yongcheng said, closing the office door.

The four immediately tensed up, especially Zhou Yi. Wu Yongcheng's sudden announcement was probably not a good thing. Could it be that something strange had happened again in the Hongda case?
Wu Yongcheng, unhurried and following his usual routine, took out his cigarette case, lit a cigarette, and took two puffs before casually saying, "That's right, I've been suspended by Director Xie."

Jiang Biao nodded: "Oh."

Half a second later, he burst out in surprise: "What the hell?"

The other three were also surprised.

"Master, what's going on?"

"Nothing much, just like Zhou Yi, he was anonymously reported for arranging an internship for Lu Xiaoshuang," Wu Yongcheng said casually.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Biao instantly channeled Lu Zhishen, rolled up his sleeves, and cursed angrily, "Damn it, which despicable bastard does this kind of thing—giving birth to sons without an anus—if I catch him, I'll skin him alive!"

Wu Yongcheng had just taken a deep drag on his cigarette when he was choked and started coughing incessantly.

Chen Yan quickly stepped forward and patted his back.

Wu Yongcheng pointed at Jiang Biao and said, "Cough cough cough... Biaozi, what are you saying? Reporting is a right granted to everyone by law. How can you talk like a policeman? Be more careful in the future."

Wu Yongcheng knew that ever since Zhou Yi was reported, Jiang Biao had always believed that Ni Jianrong was behind it, so his veiled criticism was obviously directed at Ni Jianrong.

However, Zhou Yi noticed something fishy in Wu Yongcheng's reaction.

First of all, Wu Yongcheng, this old smoker who's practically a spirit of incense burners, has never been choked by his cigarettes. That's simply not true.

Secondly, Captain Wu's acting skills are indeed inconsistent.

"Anyway, Director Xie gave me face, so starting tomorrow, I'll be on sick leave. You all continue to work hard, follow the instructions of your superiors, and strive to solve the case as soon as possible and clear Lu Xiaoshuang's name, understand?"

As Wu Yongcheng spoke, he glanced at Zhou Yi.

He was referring to "you all," not the three of you.

Zhou Yi certainly understood what that meant.

Actually, he had already thought of it last night at Wu Yongcheng's house. The reason for anonymously reporting him was related to Lu Xiaoshuang's internship at the tax bureau, which is an objective fact.

But in reality, he didn't handle this himself, nor did he have any connections in the tax bureau; he sought help from Wu Yongcheng.

Therefore, the best way to clear oneself of suspicion is to pin the blame on Wu Yongcheng.

He thought of it, but immediately dismissed the idea.

How could I do such an inhuman thing? Without Wu Yongcheng as my mentor, even if I had a head full of advanced memories, I would be completely useless.

Moreover, the city's attitude is very clear: solving the case is the most important thing right now. The city leaders do not want to make things bigger or more complicated. Therefore, the letter of complaint against him only had an effect when the list of members of the special task force was submitted, since this list had to be sent to the province for approval.

If the blame is to be placed on Wu Yongcheng without conducting an investigation, then the whistleblowing process must be employed.

Furthermore, they cannot report it to the city government; they must report it to the supervisory department in order to initiate an investigation.

In that case, no matter what the final investigation reveals, Wu Yongcheng will have to be suspended from his duties.

This has impacted Wu Yongcheng's reputation and career.

Therefore, Zhou Yi would never do such a thing; he would never climb up the ladder by stepping on the shoulders of his comrades who had shared life and death with him!
But what he wanted, Wu Yongcheng also wanted.

The two met last night, and today Wu Yongcheng was suspended from his job due to an anonymous report.

Zhou Yi is 100% certain that Captain Wu reported himself!

His sole purpose was to extricate himself from the "relationship of interest" with Lu Xiaoshuang, the suspect. Only in this way could Qin Beihai recommend him for the special task force.

Zhou Yi understood everything behind it, and he was deeply moved. This trust was so profound.

But Jiang Biao didn't understand the hidden meaning behind this. He said he was still angry and wanted to go to the bureau chief to argue with him. He said, "I'm just an intern at the tax bureau. How much money can I earn? It's not even enough for some people to have a meal with public funds. Why the hell do you have to push me to the brink?"

However, Wu Yongcheng reprimanded him. After all, Jiang Biao was indeed fierce when he got angry, but he still listened to Wu Yongcheng.

"Alright, that's it for the suspension. Please give me some face and don't tell anyone. If anyone asks, just say I'm on sick leave because I'm not feeling well. Also, don't be too discouraged. Even if I'm not here, the case still needs to be solved. Lu Xiaoshuang is still waiting for us to clear her name."

That being said, Lu Xiaoshuang is now a suspect, Zhou Yi has been excluded from the task force, and Wu Yongcheng has been suspended. The morale of the Third Brigade has plummeted. Even Qiao Jiali couldn't help but sigh, "Captain Wu, you and Zhou Yi aren't here. What are we supposed to do? We don't have you as our backbone, and we don't have Zhou Yi's crime-solving abilities. Sigh..."

Wu Yongcheng took a puff of his cigarette and said, "Who said Zhou Yi wasn't here?"

One sentence left the three of them both surprised and suspicious. They looked at Wu Yongcheng and then at Zhou Yi, wondering what the two were up to.

Wu Yongcheng said to Zhou Yi, "In a little while, write a report to apply to join the task force, and then the rest is up to you."

The three were puzzled: could they submit an application at this point? The special task force had already been established; could they add people halfway through and not submit it for approval from the provincial department?

However, Zhou Yi immediately understood that Wu Yongcheng had considered the issue more comprehensively.

It would be more reasonable and efficient to submit the application yourself and then have Qin Beihai recommend you.

Zhou Yi nodded heavily, stood up and solemnly said to Wu Yongcheng, "Captain Wu, I assure you, I will solve this major case!"

Wu Yongcheng patted him on the shoulder, everything was understood without words.

"Biaozi, Xiao Qiao, Chen Yan, while I'm away, you must fully cooperate with Zhou Yi's work."

The three immediately replied, "Understood!"

Just then, the door suddenly opened, and a fat man stumbled in.

The atmosphere became slightly awkward for a moment. Shi Tao straightened up and said with a smile, "What a coincidence, everyone's here. Um, I went to the wrong room, I'll be going now."

As soon as he turned around, Wu Yongcheng blocked his way and closed the door behind him.

"Shi Tao, when did you learn to eavesdrop?" Wu Yongcheng sneered.

"No way, it's a misunderstanding. I really went to the wrong place. I had no idea you were suspended." Shi Tao chuckled.

Wu Yongcheng squinted and said, "Alright, I'm free now anyway, so I'll have to promote your good habit."

Upon hearing this, Shi Tao immediately became anxious: "No, Lao Wu, I was just joking."

“I just told Zhou Yi that if you need anything, just let me know, and my brothers in the second team will definitely help. You can ask Zhou Yi if you don’t believe me.”

Wu Yongcheng said to Zhou Yi, "You'd better remember what Captain Shi said."

Zhou Yi replied, "I've got it."

"Alright, you guys go do what you need to do, don't delay the case. If I don't leave now, the chief will see me and yell at me again."

Wu Yongcheng walked out of the office building with a cigarette in his mouth, and Zhou Yi followed behind him.

"Captain Wu." Zhou Yi shouted.

Wu Yongcheng stopped in his tracks, as he had anticipated.

Zhou Yi is such a shrewd guy, how could he possibly be fooled?

"Aren't you going to write the report yet?" Wu Yongcheng teased with a smile.

Zhou Yi didn't speak; all his unspoken words were condensed into the most simple and standard salute.

Wu Yongcheng waved his hand and said, "I've handed the people and the case over to you. Don't embarrass Hongcheng Public Security Bureau."

After saying that, he turned and left without waiting for Zhou Yi's reaction.

The hand that Zhou Yi was saluting behind him never lowered.

As Wu Yongcheng walked out of the municipal bureau, he realized that he only had a cigarette butt left in his mouth, so he reached out and took out the cigarette pack.

It turned out there was no smoke left inside.

The streetlights overhead shone down, illuminating the six words on the cigarette pack: Smoking is harmful to your health.

Wu Yongcheng chuckled self-deprecatingly and walked away.

……

Upstairs in the bureau chief's office, Xie Guoqiang looked at the anonymous whistleblower letter on the table.

The words on it are crooked and ugly, almost unbearable to look at.

His initial anger gradually subsided. He picked up the letter of complaint, glanced at it, and a look of sudden realization appeared on his face.

"What on earth is that brat Wu Yongcheng up to?"

……

Late at night, Zhou Yi returned to the empty office of the Third Brigade after submitting his application.

He dialed Qin Beihai's number.

(End of this chapter)