Police officer Chen Shu.

With thin lips and a flushed face, he exhaled a breath of alcohol and shouted loudly in the crowd, attracting everyone's attention and stirring up their emotions.

Judging from his attitude, Chen Shu, who was watching from the side, was certain that the other party was just a nobody who had drunk some alcohol and was thinking he was someone important.

Although Chen Shu had already stirred things up, leading Ma Zhongyun's parents to pressure the other party to call the village officials, the other party's shouting was still a troublesome matter.

Chen Shu threw away the cigarette and was about to go up and flirt with him a few more times when...

The crowd outside parted to make way for a person who looked like someone influential in the village, and they entered.

This man was quite old and gave off a very solid impression. His slicked-back hair was probably dyed, as there wasn't a single gray hair in it.

The moment he entered, the entire room fell completely silent. The thin-lipped man also quieted down and stepped aside.

With this person's arrival, the situation indeed stabilized; it must be the village chief. It seems the previous step was the right one... Chen Shu thought to himself.

The man walked up to Xiao Yang, and the two chatted for a long time with their heads down. Then Xiao Yang led him to Chen Shu.

"Officer Chen, this is the village chief of Gajia Village."

Chen Shu nodded, extended his hand to shake hands with the other person, and nodded in greeting.

He didn't speak; in this kind of negotiation, speaking first is a disadvantage. He waited for the other party to speak so he could probe their strength.

The village chief said, "There was a celebration in the village tonight, and I had just finished drinking and returned home. I didn't expect someone to call me and say that the police were coming to our village to arrest people."

Chen Shu knew that the other party was also probing his strength.

He didn't mention what Chen Shu had said in front of everyone earlier: "As long as the village chief comes, Ma Zhongyun still has some way to deal with it." He probably knew that Chen Shu, as a policeman, would never let Ma Zhongyun, a fugitive, go!

However, Chen Shu was much more certain at this moment. Since he could become the village chief, he was a man who had seen the world and had some brains. He would never follow those drunk people and make a mess of things!

Fighting the Chinese police system for a villager who has already been taken away—that foolish, self-important thin-lipped man might do that, and so might the group of drunken young villagers next to him. But only this sharp-eyed village chief in front of us would do it.

I can't do it!

At this point, if we simply give the village chief some face and let him persuade the remaining villagers, the matter will be settled.

With the village chief here, judging from the imposing entrance he made, he's definitely someone who can keep things in check. Therefore, Chen Shu can now say some things, and even speak them a little louder:

"Ma Zhongyun beat a 20-year-old boy in Dongzhou City, blinding him in one eye!"

Chen Shu paused for a moment, looked around, and saw that the crowd was slightly agitated, but overall remained stable.

Everyone stared intently at Chen Shu, waiting for his next words.

"Do you know why? It's because Ma Zhongyun was late for work a few times, and the company deducted his wages according to regulations. As a result, at a company dinner, he got drunk and smashed the other person's eyeball with a beer bottle!"

"Therefore, Ma Zhongyun must return to Dongzhou to serve his sentence! We must take this man away today! No one can stop us!"

Chen Shu shouted this last sentence with unwavering determination and without hesitation.

The crowd erupted in a roar, shouting in their local dialect as they swarmed towards Chen Shu and his group from all directions!

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse. Xu Lei lost his balance and fell to the ground. Xiao Yang, his face ashen, retreated to Chen Shu's side and placed his right hand on the butt of his gun at his waist.

Chen Shu clenched his fists, his fingertips turned white, and his palms were covered in cold sweat!

He was betting that the village chief would definitely step in and stop it!

He also believed that Xiao Yang understood the basic skills of playing the good cop/bad cop in the police force!

He had to play the bad guy and shout out the worst decision. Only if either the village chief or Xiao Yang stepped forward and offered a way out could he "reluctantly" step down and offer a compromise.

This back-and-forth movement revealed the village chief's competence and Xiao Yang's status as a local policeman.

If the village chief or Xiao Yang uses this compromise to appease the villagers, everyone will save face, and the matter can be resolved.

"Quiet down, all of you!" the village chief shouted angrily, blowing his beard.

The crowd quieted down slightly, but the thin-lipped man continued shouting from behind, "This guy said he'd let Zhiyun go! Everyone heard that!"

"Shut up!"

The village chief pointed at his thin lips and cursed.

He walked a few steps to Chen Shu's side and asked in a low voice, "The villagers told me you have a solution?"

Chen Shu smiled inwardly, thinking, "That's exactly what I was waiting for."

"Village chief, you and I both know that this person can't be released. But if you vouch for him, I'll have Ma Zhongyun's parents come to Jiuping City tomorrow, and I'll let the family have a proper reunion for a day. After they've settled everything, I'll take my men back to Dongzhou."

The village chief squinted at Chen Shu. The conditions weren't particularly good, but given the police's previous firm stance on arresting him, it was a good opportunity.

Looking back now, it's not too bad.

The two finalized the details of Ma Zhongyun's parents' trip to Jiuping City over the next two days.

Within minutes, the matter was settled, and the village chief walked back satisfied. The smooth resolution of this incident further enhanced his authority in the village.

He shouted a few words, then pointed at his thin lips and cursed for a while, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

He led Ma Zhongyun's parents to Chen Shu and asked, "Shall I take them to Jiuping to see Xiaoyun tomorrow?"

Chen Shu nodded, and the two exchanged phone numbers.

On the way back, Xiao Yang was a little puzzled: "The village chief came over later, and everyone just chatted for a bit and that was it. Why did you have to jump out and provoke the villagers?"

Chen Shu took out two bottles of Nongfu Spring water from his backpack, handed one to Xiao Yang, and downed most of it in one gulp: "I mentioned earlier that I 'have a way to help Ma Zhongyun,' and that must have reached the village chief's ears, otherwise he wouldn't have come so quickly. He knows I left him a ladder, but it's not high, so he'll have to stand on it a little when he goes down."

Xiao Yang was also a very smart person, and he immediately understood Chen Shu's thoughts.

When they arrived at the Changhe bread truck, Xiao Yang got on first.

Xu Lei, who had been following behind, stepped forward and grabbed Chen Shu's arm: "Senior brother, I was wrong."

Chen Shu stopped in his tracks: "It's alright, just be more careful next time. By the way, how did those two manage to grab you? They didn't look like fast runners."

Xu Lei lowered his head: "I saw them fall to the ground and cry terribly. I thought I'd go back and tell them that this person won't be in jail for long..."

Chen Shu stared in disbelief: "You just told me you came from the countryside and knew all about these things? How could you still make this mistake?"

Xu Lei lowered his head even further.

Chen Shu adjusted his expression: "Get in the car first. Let me tell you about when I was your age, when I followed the older comrades to the Northeast to arrest people."

"Back then, I was just like you, too..."