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

Chapter 261 Stirring up the storm
Manager Zhou's transformation perfectly illustrates what it means to have money to get things done.

After a brief discussion with the craftsman, Wang Chengpeng was able to describe every detail of the bracelet, and the last hurdle was thus resolved.

After weighing the gold, Wang Chengpeng ultimately chose to buy 22.5 grams of gold, with a final total price of 1125 yuan, which can be considered a huge sum of money.

After the full payment was completed, Manager Zhou smiled and saw Wang Chengpeng, the "God of Wealth," out of the gold shop before turning back with a stern face to urge the craftsman in charge of making the bracelet.

He had given Wang Chengpeng a guarantee, and Wang Chengpeng tacitly agreed not to pay the extra ten yuan per gram in processing fees.

If he doesn't do a good job, he'll really be in deep trouble.

Of course, the master craftsman must also get some benefits, otherwise he wouldn't be so willing to work overtime.

Today's workers are not like tomorrow's workers; those jobs are truly good, with both high pay and benefits.

Back at the Wang family home, during a meal, Wang Chengpeng briefly recounted the events of the day to his family.

Upon hearing that the bracelet cost over a thousand yuan, Wang Tieshan was dumbfounded and exclaimed:
"Son, this is a bit too expensive."

"Why didn't you just think of making a copper bracelet back then? It would have been almost indistinguishable from the real thing."

A fake that could pass for the real thing? Wang Chengpeng wouldn't dare gamble on something like that.

The act of substituting one thing for another, replacing the old with the new, already carries a great risk. If even the materials cannot be guaranteed to be the same, it is even easier to be exposed.

Thinking this, Wang Chengpeng softly comforted him:
"Dad, don't overthink it. As long as the money is well spent, then it's meaningful."

"Moreover, the high cost is in labor, not in materials."

"Since we're going to spend that much money anyway, we might as well spend it wisely and solve all the problems once and for all."

At this point, Wang Chengpeng smiled mysteriously and said:
"Besides, who said this bracelet was made for Zhao Yuju?"

"I just didn't want to alert her, so I left the bracelet with her for the time being."

“I have the purchase invoice and other proof of the bracelet’s purchase. Does she really think she can just deny getting it back?”

"Even if I don't pursue the charge of stealing a huge amount of money against her, I will consider it my mercy."

"Of course, under normal circumstances, it's definitely not necessary to do so."

"If she insists that she doesn't have the bracelet, then I'll have no choice but to put aside my own family ties for the greater good."

Upon hearing Wang Chengpeng's words, a hint of reluctance flashed in Wang Tieshan's eyes. In the end, he only sighed twice but said nothing.

Since he had already entrusted this matter entirely to Wang Chengpeng, he naturally couldn't hold him back and could only offer his full support.

At this moment, Liu Chunhua spoke up, saying, "My son did the right thing."

"They say that you'll suffer a big loss if you try to save a little money. It's really not worth it if you end up in big trouble because of saving a little money."

“Your father and I have all become workers in the sugar factory. Once the sugar factory develops, we will have wages and benefits.”

"We should save where we can and spend where we can, but we can't let our own family suffer."

"Besides, what my son said is right. It's not like we can't get the bracelet back. We're just keeping it there as a precaution."

"Spending a little more money is also a way of spending it on our own people."

Wang Meiyan then spoke up, saying, "When the bracelet is returned, could I wear it for a while?"

"At that time, I will be wearing the same bracelet as my grandma, and I will be able to feel her warmth."

From childhood to adulthood, Wang Meiyan never felt any love from her grandmother, Zhao Yuju.

That's why she had this idea.

However, it was her words that made Wang Tieshan make up his mind completely.

Only the person experiencing it knows whether it's hot or cold!

As Zhao Yuju's children and grandchildren, how could they not know what she was really like?
Since they've already severed the alimony arrangement, they don't need to spoil her like that anymore.

An eye for an eye. If she hadn't brought this upon herself, she wouldn't be in this state of being hated by everyone.

Seeing that this matter had been settled, Wang Chengpeng took the opportunity to bring up another matter:
"Father, Mother, Little Sister."

"I have some business to attend to in the next few days and I may not be back for a few days."

"You all go about your business first, I can take care of myself."

Wang Chengpeng is now quite old and has demonstrated his strong abilities, so his family has no objection to him going out from time to time.

They whispered a reminder to "be careful," and that was considered an acceptance of Wang Chengpeng's request to go out.

While Wang Chengpeng was busy with his own affairs, Zhou Xia's surrender was about to reach its climax.

Rewind to last night, when Zhou Xia went to the police station to turn himself in.

Hearing Zhou Xia's "surrender" that sounded like a shout, Chen Dayong was very puzzled. Could it be that committing crimes has become something glorious?
However, he also knew that this matter could not be taken lightly, so he immediately invited Zhou Xia into the interrogation room and carefully inquired about the specific situation.

Interrogation is a very important matter, and this time, in addition to Chen Dayong, Luo Haochuan also came to the interrogation room.

Upon seeing Zhou Xia, Luo Haochuan asked, speechless:

"Comrade Zhou Xia, it's you again?"

"I advise you to be kind to others. Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish. You never know when you will run into the line of fire."

With a wry smile, Zhou Xia nodded in agreement and said:
"Comrade Luo is right. That's exactly why I ran into trouble and came here to turn myself in."

"I believe you have heard about Bi Jun's situation, and we have been investigating the relevant circumstances."

"I turned myself in because someone instructed me to find Bi Jun to commit murder."

Zhou Xia's words were like a thunderbolt, exploding loudly in the small interrogation room.

Luo Haochuan asked, his voice trembling, "Comrade Zhou, are you sure you're not joking with me?"

"This is a serious crime of hiring someone to commit murder. Don't just admit to it casually. Besides, some crimes can't be admitted to just because you want to."

Others might not know about Bi Jun, but Luo Haochuan and the others in the same system certainly did.

They were scrambling to figure out what to do when Zhou Xia unexpectedly came to them.

With a cold snort, Zhou Xia said disdainfully, "Of course I won't admit to a crime that wasn't my fault."

"But this is something someone instructed me to do, so of course I have to admit it."

Seeing Zhou Xia's certainty, Luo Haochuan frowned and asked again to confirm:
"Are you sure you're not kidding me?"

Zhou Xia said speechlessly, "What good would it do me to joke with you like this?" "I'll talk, you listen, you take notes, but don't waste time."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Xia ignored the shocked looks of the two policemen and calmly began to recount the things he had done.

"..."

He recounted the whole story in detail, and at the end, Zhou Xia added:
“I committed such an unforgivable crime. Although I was only an accomplice, I still feel uneasy about it. That is why I turned myself in.”

“I don’t ask to be released without charge, I only ask that my crime be mitigated a little, considering that I have a good attitude in admitting my mistakes and have voluntarily surrendered myself.”

"Alright, lock me up wherever you want."

"As for catching the ringleader, that's your job as police officers, it has nothing to do with me."

After listening to Zhou Xia's account, although still in shock, her excellent professionalism allowed her to ask the most important question, saying:
"What you've said is just your side of the story. Do you have any supporting evidence?"

Zhou Xia casually tossed out a cassette tape and said with a smile, "Evidence? Of course I have it."

"This cassette tape is irrefutable proof that he instructed me. You can listen to it if you are interested."

"However, I advise you to treat this cassette tape well and make a record of it as soon as possible."

"You have to understand that the other party has connections everywhere. If we're not careful, this crucial evidence could be lost."

"After all, it's really not safe to leave the evidence with you. There was a case last time where a criminal destroyed evidence, so we have to be careful."

Luo Haochuan: ...? ? ?
Wasn't it you who destroyed the evidence last time? How dare you tell me this with such self-righteousness?

Although somewhat speechless, Luo Haochuan was a man who could distinguish between what was important and what was not, so he immediately asked Chen Dayong to bring over a tape recorder as a playback device for the tape.

As the tape began to spin, the conversation between Zhou Xia and Li Weiguo was soon played.

Upon hearing the domineering voice of the person speaking to Zhou Xia, Luo Haochuan and Chen Dayong's expressions immediately changed.

As police officers in the Public Security Bureau, they had quite a few dealings with the Revolutionary Committee, and often needed to cooperate to bring criminals to justice.

Therefore, they quickly made the most accurate judgment and determined that the person who was talking to Zhou Xia was actually Li Weiguo, a senior leader of the Revolutionary Committee.

It was only here that Luo Haochuan suddenly understood why Zhou Xia had turned himself in and why they had been told to be cautious.

Thinking this, Luo Haochuan immediately shouted excitedly:
"Dayong, this is a huge case, a case that will shake the heavens."

"Take the recorder and come with me. We'll go file the evidence now."

"If we do this well, we will all have accomplished a great feat!"

Although Zhou Xia spoke lightly, the logic and evidence presented were completely conclusive.

Furthermore, with the recording of the conversation with Li Weiguo, this can be described as a case that was both easy and extremely valuable.

How could Luo Haochuan not be excited about such an easy achievement?

However, due to his excessive excitement, Luo Haochuan overlooked the fleeting shadow in Chen Dayong's eyes.

Since communication exists, it is easy for interests to be exchanged, and Chen Dayong is a member of Li Weiguo's interest group.

Seeing his boss about to fall from grace, Chen Dayong was extremely worried.

No, I can't let Li Weiguo fall from power like that, otherwise where will I find such lucrative side income in the future?

Thinking this, Chen Dayong looked at the tape recorder in his hand, and an evil idea arose spontaneously.

It was clearly too late to notify Li Weiguo to take action at this point, but as long as the evidence in the recorder was destroyed, no one could prove that Li Weiguo was the mastermind, and only Zhou Xia would take the blame.

Thinking this, Chen Dayong began to steal glances at Luo Haochuan, who was walking ahead, but found that the other party seemed to trust him very much and did not show any intention of turning back to observe him.

good chance!
With a determined heart, Chen Dayong carefully pulled the cassette tape out of the tape recorder, just as Zhou Xia had done before.

However, since no one was watching Chen Dayong at this moment, he could act even more recklessly.

With a crisp snap, a small flame ignited.

A hint of madness flashed in Chen Dayong's eyes as he brought the flame directly close to the cassette tape.

Because of the material of magnetic tape, once it catches fire, it will not be extinguished for a while.

Moreover, Chen Dayong paid special attention to the two reels containing the cassette tape, ensuring that the recording was completely destroyed.

Feeling the flames burning brightly on the tape, Chen Dayong finally felt much more at ease and strode forward to catch up with Luo Haochuan, who was walking ahead.

The evidence room wasn't far, and Luo Haochuan quickly walked over, opened the door, and said:

"Brothers, this is a big case."

"Quickly file the evidence; everyone will get credit for it."

Upon hearing Luo Haochuan's words, the other police officers in the evidence room also became interested, especially Mao Weimin, who, being familiar with Luo Haochuan, immediately came over to inquire about the situation.

Because things went smoothly, Luo Haochuan was in a great mood and patiently explained:
"It's quite a coincidence that the person who came to report the case this time was an old acquaintance, Zhou Xia."

"However, he turned himself in after committing a crime, and it was a particularly serious crime."

"Everyone is troubled by Bi Jun's case, and sure enough, the accomplice quickly turned himself in."

"Not only that, he also brought evidence of the mastermind behind it all, which is practically a freebie."

The reason Mao Weimin was exiled to the evidence room was because of Zhou Xia swallowing evidence last time.

Although the main reason was Zhou Xia's viciousness, the police officer in charge of the interrogation was also implicated.

He wasn't severely punished, but he was still exiled to the evidence room.

Upon hearing Zhou Xia's name, Mao Weimin's face turned green, and he said:
"This guy has gotten into trouble again? He really doesn't respect the law."

“I remember that his previous slanderous accusations hadn’t even ended, and this time he’s involved in a case of hiring someone to commit murder.”

"Is the evidence he provided legitimate?"

Upon hearing the name Zhou Xia, Mao Weimin instinctively associated him with swallowing evidence whole, which is why he asked that question.

When questioned by Mao Weimin, Luo Haochuan patted his chest and assured him:
"Are you kidding? How could I possibly lose such important evidence?"

"Dayong, hurry up and bring up the tape recorder and tapes, so they can see for themselves."

Suppressing his guilt, Chen Dayong acted as usual and placed the items directly on the table.

But just as Luo Haochuan pressed the play button, he was instantly dumbfounded, because not a single sound came out of the recorder.

(End of this chapter)