Anti-gang campaign: Female bureau chief

"Did he say those words himself?"

"He said it himself. I have a recording of the call on my phone. I... I was suspicious, and I felt something was off, so I recorded it."

Jiang Ruolan looked at him for a long time, then stood up and said:

"Hand over the recording, and you can go home today. But remember, once you get home, act as if nothing happened today. Don't mention our conversation to anyone, including Fang Xuewen."

Qian Deming nodded repeatedly, feeling as if he had been granted a pardon.

After Qian Deming was taken away, Jiang Ruolan sat alone in the conference room, staring at the recording pen in front of her for a long time.

Fang Xuewen's voice was clearly identifiable in the recording, and the content was exactly the same as what Qian Deming said.

This clue points directly to Fang Xuewen—the deputy director in charge of public security and economic crime investigation. Before Jiang Ruolan was parachuted into Yi'an, he was one of the people in the municipal bureau who was closest to Fengmao Group.

But Jiang Ruolan didn't act immediately. She put the recorder in her pocket, stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the police cars and officers coming and going in the courtyard below, lost in thought.

Fang Xuewen called Qian Deming and asked him to clean the camera's hard drive. This wasn't a big deal in itself—camera maintenance was within the scope of traffic police's work, and as the deputy director in charge, Fang Xuewen's arrangement of related work was within his authority.

This recording alone can only prove that Fang Xuewen happened to arrange for camera maintenance before Chen Kexin was hit, but it cannot prove that he knew in advance that a hit-and-run case would occur.

If we were to take action against Fang Xuewen now, it wouldn't hurt him at all; instead, it would alert him. Since Shen Wangshan dared to let Fang Xuewen make this call, he must have already planned his escape route—Fang Xuewen could easily explain it as a normal work arrangement. As for why it happened to be the day before the incident, that was just an "unfortunate coincidence."

Therefore, this recording is currently unusable.

Not only should it not be used, but it should also be hidden away, and only used as part of a complete chain of evidence after more evidence comes to light.

Jiang Ruolan stood by the window for a long time, until the sky outside gradually darkened. Suddenly, she remembered something, took out her phone, and dialed a number.

"Zhou Pei, help me investigate the family situation and financial status of Fang Xuewen, the deputy director of the Yi'an City Public Security Bureau. Not only should we investigate him, but also his wife, children, and immediate family members."

Also, could you please find out who the former principal of Yi An No. 1 Middle School was, and where he/she has been transferred to?

"Chen Kexin was hit by a car?" Zhou Pei's voice was clearly filled with anger.

"Ruolan, you've only been here three days, and they've already attacked a fourteen-year-old child. These people are insane."

"It's not that I'm crazy, it's that I'm scared." Jiang Ruolan's voice was calm, but beneath that calm lay a chilling steel.

"They're afraid I might actually uncover something, so they're desperately trying to plug every loophole. But the more afraid they are, the more it proves I'm on the right track."

What kind of support do you need from the provincial government?

"Not for now. You can just gather intelligence for me from the outside, especially whether there are any direct interests between Shen Wangshan and Gu Changhe."

I always felt that the relationship between these two people was much deeper than we imagined.

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Ruolan returned to her desk, opened the nineteen case files, and began to review them again.

This time, she looked even more carefully, scrutinizing every clue and every name, as if searching for a needle in a vast ocean.

As night deepened, the lights in the municipal bureau were turned off one by one, except for the window of the bureau chief's office on the fourth floor, which remained lit.

That lamp shone alone in the darkness of Yi'an, like a spark that refused to go out.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, in a private room at the Golden Coast Club, the lights were dim and the air was thick with smoke.

Shen Wangshan leaned back on the sofa, twirling a wine glass in his hand, listening to Zhou Wenxuan report on today's achievements.

"All three things have been accomplished. The six people involved in the fight gave consistent testimonies, all stemming from a conflict over a parking space, and no other evidence could be found."

The burglary at Vice President Qian's house has also been reported, and he personally gave his statement, appearing to be a complete victim. As for Chen Kexin, the van has been burned, and the driver left Yi'an overnight; they cannot be contacted for the time being.

The news from the hospital is that the surgery went smoothly and he survived, but his right leg may have long-term effects.

Shen Wangshan slowly swirled his wine glass, the amber liquid rippling in concentric circles under the light. He asked:

What was Jiang Ruolan's reaction?

"On the surface, it seems like he's been bogged down by these three cases, spending the whole day running between the hospital and the traffic police station. But..." Zhou Wenxuan paused,

"She summoned Qian Deming in the afternoon."

Shen Wangshan's fingers paused for a moment:

"Did Qian Deming say anything?"

"We don't know yet. Qian Deming went straight home after leaving the Municipal Bureau. I had someone test him, but he didn't say anything except that Jiang Ruolan asked him about the camera maintenance. But I think this person might not be reliable."

Shen Wangshan was silent for a moment, then put down his wine glass and said:

"Qian Deming is a cowardly and weak-willed man. When it comes to a life-threatening situation, he can't withstand it."

"Make arrangements for him to go away and lay low for a while. Say the municipal bureau has arranged for him to attend a three-month training program in the province. Let him come back after three months, once things have calmed down."

"Understood." Zhou Wenxuan nodded, then said...

"Brother Shan, there's one more thing. Jiang Ruolan spoke with Chen Desheng at the hospital today, but I don't know exactly what they talked about."

But after Jiang Ruolan left, Chen Desheng said to his wife, "Maybe this time it really is different." This was overheard by my person planted at the hospital.

Shen Wangshan frowned. He picked up a cigar, but didn't light it, merely twirling it between his fingers. After a long while, he finally spoke:

"That sentence makes me more uneasy than those three cases."

Why?

"Because the three cases only keep her busy, they don't make the people trust her. But if the people start to trust her, then it will be a different story."

Shen Wangshan put the cigar in his mouth, lit it, and took a deep drag.

"Our greatest advantage is not money, nor connections, but the silence of this city. As long as the people of Yi An don't speak up, we are safe."

But if one day they start talking, then we'll be in real trouble.

He exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze piercing through it to Zhou Wenxuan across from him:

"Therefore, we cannot let her gain a foothold in Yi'an. The people may fear us, may hate us, but they cannot trust her."

Zhou Wenxuan adjusted his glasses and asked carefully:

"Does Brother Shan mean... we need to do something about public opinion?"

..................