Era: Starting with the struggle to refuse being taken advantage of

Chapter 198 Late arrival
In the interrogation room, everyone was completely baffled, as if they were monks who had no idea what was going on.

Finally, Luo Haochuan, out of curiosity, asked Wang Chengpeng, saying:
"What's in the box? Could it be another photocopy of an IOU?"

"What you're doing isn't against the rules, but it's something we've already agreed to, so doing it like that is rather unethical."

After a pause, recalling Zhou Xia's shameless face, Luo Haochuan pursed his lips again and said:
"However, if it's dealing with scum like Zhou Xia, an eye for an eye, even if it's a bit immoral, seems to be justifiable."

Shaking his head slightly, Wang Chengpeng said with a smile, "This Zhou Xia is not worthy of making me lose face."

"The wooden box contains not a photocopy of the IOU, but the original IOU."

“During the negotiations, it was agreed that I would only need to return a copy of the IOU. Now I have also returned the original IOU. No matter how you look at it, Zhou Xia has come out ahead.”

"As for what just happened, it was just an accident. You saw where I was standing just now."

"To throw the wooden box to Zhou Xia, we had to pass in front of that woman, but we didn't expect this kind of accident to happen."

"But it's all good this way. I was originally feeling a little guilty for helping scum like Zhou Xia cover up the truth and deceive an innocent female comrade."

"It was a coincidence that Zhou Xia got the fate he deserved."

"Officers, Zhou Xia still owes me five hundred yuan, and I'll need your help when the time comes."

"How about this, everyone has worked hard today, I'll treat you to a late-night snack at a state-run restaurant as a way of thanking you for speaking up for me."

“You all saw Zhou Xia’s true colors this week. If it weren’t for your help, I really wouldn’t have been able to get away for a while.”

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's explanation, the police officers who had initially harbored some resentment immediately felt relieved about Wang Chengpeng's actions.

It was all a coincidence; Wang Chengpeng wasn't trying to trick Zhou Xia at all.

Moreover, even if Wang Chengpeng did it on purpose, he still protected an unsuspecting female comrade, saving her from harm by the scumbag Zhou Xia.

The way things have turned out can only be attributed to fate.

This week, Xia committed many unjust acts, and naturally, he was punished by a coincidence arranged by fate.

However, upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's plan to treat everyone to a late-night snack, all the police officers in the room shook their heads and said:

"Serving the people is what we should do, and it's not worth a late-night snack."

"Now that things are clear and Comrade Wang has no problems, please let Wang Chengpeng go back."

"He hasn't gone home yet so late; his family must be worried."

Faced with Luo Haochuan and the others' rejection, Wang Chengpeng gave a bitter smile and said:
"If I slink back now, I don't know what the villagers will say about me tomorrow."

"In fact, the reason I planned to treat you police officers to dinner was partly due to my own selfish motives. I hope you can help me with something within your duties."

"After all, I am the police officer you brought back from the village with great fanfare, so please go to the trouble of sending two people to escort me back as well."

"Then you can explain it to the villagers in the same village for me. Only then can this matter be considered a perfect solution."

"Of course, I can't trouble you police officers for no reason, so this late-night snack has no other meaning than a simple expression of gratitude from a member of the public."

"If you don't mind, I can also present you with a banner as a token of my gratitude."

Song Wenxin is a ruthless person; she immediately demanded that Zhou Xia leave with nothing.

Without Song Wenxin as a fat sheep to fleece, Zhou Xia will likely have a hard time raising the five hundred yuan. In that case, he will inevitably need the help of these police officers to put pressure on him.

Furthermore, since the Public Security Bureau needed to send officers back with him to help clarify the situation, Wang Chengpeng naturally wanted to give them some benefits in advance.

While it's certainly difficult to transfer personal benefits, treating someone to a late-night snack is no problem at all.

Of course, the biggest benefit wasn't the late-night snack, but rather the banner that Wang Chengpeng promised to send over.

While a banner may seem like a superficial thing, it actually represents honor and public recognition of one's work.

Often, this kind of thing is more tempting than real gold and silver.

After all, accepting bribes is illegal, but accepting banners is perfectly acceptable and can even become a stepping stone for promotion.

Sure enough, after Wang Chengpeng mentioned his idea of ​​presenting a banner, Luo Haochuan and the others hesitated, wondering if it was even possible to do such a thing.

Just as the group hesitated, a deep voice suddenly came from outside, saying:
"Comrade Wang, judging from your appearance, I know you must have already taken care of this matter yourself."

“I always said that someone of your character would never do something like extortion; there must be some kind of misunderstanding.”

The speaker was none other than Fan Guocheng, who had previously dealt with Wang Chengpeng.

But now he was nowhere near as listless as before; he was full of vigor and high spirits, clearly having recently encountered something good.

Although Wang Zhong acted swiftly enough, communication was difficult in this era, making it quite challenging to find someone.

When Fan Guocheng learned that he was going to help Wang Chengpeng, he agreed without hesitation.

He was worried about how to repay the favors he had received, and this time he just happened to have the opportunity.

Moreover, the person who spoke up was Wang Zhong, who had once saved him; he couldn't possibly ignore him, neither out of sentiment nor reason.

However, when they finally arrived at the Shanghe City Public Security Bureau, they did not see Wang Chengpeng being detained and interrogated. Instead, they saw Wang Chengpeng chatting and laughing among a group of police officers.

Fan Guocheng's intuition told him that his presence seemed somewhat superfluous.
However, since he was already here, and since he was willing to show his face in front of Wang Chengpeng, he could consider it as repaying a favor.

Looking at Fan Guocheng and Wang Zhong standing behind him, Wang Chengpeng's face lit up with joy, and he said:
"Comrade Fan, cousin, you two have arrived at just the right time. We can have a late-night snack together."

"I am so grateful to these police officers who care about the people for upholding justice for me today. Otherwise, I would not have been able to regain my freedom anytime soon."

"Especially since I will need to trouble the police officers to go to Wangjia Village to clarify things tomorrow, it is truly my good fortune to have met such good police officers."

To be honest, Fan Guocheng was probably a little reluctant to rush over to help in the middle of the night.

However, since Wang Chengpeng was willing to treat everyone to a late-night snack, Fan Guocheng had no objections.

In addition, Wang Chengpeng's words were cleverly worded, leading Fan Guocheng to mistakenly believe that the police officers from the Public Security Bureau had also agreed, so naturally he had no objections.

Although he is about to be promoted, he still needs to treat his superiors and police officers well.

At the same time, Fan Guocheng became increasingly curious about Wang Chengpeng's identity. Not only did his behavior and speech not resemble that of an ordinary person, but he could also get so many police officers to give him face and have a late-night snack with him.

Thinking this through, Fan Guocheng immediately nodded in agreement, saying:
"It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. Since that's the case, I'll accept it without further ado."

Fan Guocheng was surprised, as were Luo Haochuan and the others.

They also knew Fan Guocheng; he was a colleague who had recently made a great contribution and was about to be promoted.

Although the group came from different places, how could such a big matter as Fang Weimin's be known only to a small town like Hetian? Seeing that Fan Guocheng agreed to have a late-night snack without hesitation, they really couldn't refuse him.

It's just a late-night snack, plus the possibility of receiving a banner of appreciation. Making some connections with Wang Chengpeng isn't actually a bad thing.

Although this means they will inevitably get involved in the subsequent debt collection from Zhou Xia, it is their duty to fight for the people's rightful interests, so it cannot be said that Wang Chengpeng has coerced them.

Under Wang Chengpeng's skillful guidance, things quickly developed in a direction favorable to him.

Once Luo Haochuan understood this, he immediately nodded in agreement, saying:

"In that case, thank you for your kind offer, Comrade Wang."

"Keep it simple, we need to go back early after we finish eating."

"If Zhou Xia hadn't been so unreasonable, things wouldn't have dragged on for this long."

Things became much simpler after that. After a simple late-night snack, the group managed to build some rapport.

Considering that he still needed to deliver the banner tomorrow, Wang Chengpeng told Zhu Hong to go back and let him know he was safe, while he himself would only go back after delivering the banner.

After the three of them each booked a room at the guesthouse, the seemingly unbearable night passed quickly as everyone fell into a deep sleep.

……

While Wang Chengpeng slept soundly, some people found themselves unable to sleep all night because of him.

This person was none other than Zhou Xia, who had originally intended to bring him to his doom.

As it turned out, Song Wenxin's belated arrival was indeed a prelude to a fatal blow to Zhou Xia. She was just waiting for Wang Chengpeng to deliver the evidence to her by chance, and then she directly pushed Zhou Xia into an abyss of no return.

In the pitch-black night, a seemingly strong body, carrying some luggage, was actually driven out by the Song family.

The figure was none other than Zhou Xia, who had been kicked out by Song Wenxin.

As long as they have that IOU that records Zhou Xia's crimes, this live-in son-in-law Zhou Xia won't be able to cause any trouble in the Song family.

If it weren't for the need to save face for the Song family, Zhou Xia's fate would have been many times more miserable than it is now.

All that's left is for the two of them to go to the neighborhood office tomorrow morning to get their divorce certificate. Once they've done that, Zhou Xia will no longer be able to live off Song Wenxin and take advantage of her.

Although he wouldn't lose his job in the purchasing office of Hongqu Textile Factory, without Song Wenxin as his powerful patron, his life would definitely not be as good as before.

The night breeze brought a chill that made Zhou Xia shiver.

Especially the damp pants that hadn't been changed yet, which made Zhou Xia feel a chill down his groin.

However, Zhou Xia had no time to pay attention to the cold in his body; he was completely in a state of existential doubt.

He simply couldn't understand how he could end up being kicked out of his home when he hadn't done anything wrong.

In particular, Song Wenxin's fierce offensive seemed to have been prepared in advance, completely cutting off any possibility of him gaining any further benefits from the Song family.

No matter how hard Zhou Xia thought, he couldn't figure out the key to this, and could only grit his teeth and say:

"Song Wenxin, you barren, worthless woman, just you wait and see."

Even without the Song family as his support, Zhou Xia is still a worker, and still a hot commodity in the city.

On the contrary, Song Wenxin, this hen that can't lay eggs, will probably never be wanted by anyone again after her divorce.

Under the influence of the "spiritual victory method," Zhou Xia felt much better, and even the pent-up frustration in his heart dissipated.

However, at this very moment, he suddenly remembered Wang Chengpeng, the culprit who had ruined him, and felt completely unwell.

He felt that every time he saw Wang Chengpeng, nothing good would come of it. Not only would he lose money, but his body would feel completely drained, and his spirit would feel as if it had been hit by a truck.

That damned Wang Chengpeng, why didn't he just obediently be the one to take the fall? Instead, he keeps coming out to ruin my plans.

You think you're really capable, right?
Alright, I'll see who has the last laugh between us.

As long as I, Zhou Xia, am still a worker in a big factory in the city, and you are still a poor farmer with no connections, you will never be able to defeat me in your entire life.

Fueled by an unfounded confidence, Zhou Xia, in his fantasy, had already won, completely crushing Wang Chengpeng and Song Wenxin under his feet, and quickened his pace to return home.

Hongqu Textile Factory was not a small factory after all; it even had employee dormitories on site.

It was precisely because of this that Zhou Xia was not reduced to the point of being destitute and homeless.

Little did he know that the more confident and reckless he became, the more miserable his future would be.

……

The next day, Wang Chengpeng got up very early.

Due to his busy work schedule, Fan Guocheng returned to Hetian Town early in the morning, leaving only Wang Chengpeng and Wang Zhong behind.

After a quick wash and checking out of the room, the two went to a tailor shop that could customize banners.

Although making the banners was not simple, Wang Chengpeng promised them a large reward, and he completed the production of three banners in just one hour.

That's right, it's three silk banners.

Anyway, the banner doesn't cost much, so if Wang Chengpeng is going to give one, he should give one that truly touches the hearts of the Public Security Bureau.

"Enforcing the law for the people, with unwavering integrity."

"Solving cases with divine skill, enforcing the law with unwavering resolve."

"Enforcing the law impartially and serving the people with enthusiasm"

Especially on the last banner, Wang Chengpeng thoughtfully wrote the names of Luo Haochuan and Mao Weiming, suggesting that they would be very satisfied with the banner he presented.

Looking at the three simple and unadorned banners before him, Wang Zhong was somewhat puzzled and hesitated before saying:

"Cousin, sending three banners at once is a bit too much."

Wang Chengpeng shook his head slightly and said, "As long as it's doing good deeds and practical things, it deserves praise."

"Besides, how are these three banners exaggerated? Aren't they all true?"

"Alright, once these three banners are delivered, this matter will be completely over, and we can go back now."

(End of this chapter)