Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 125 My Favorite Fruit is Durian

Zhengming District Public Security Bureau

Criminal Investigation Division, Division Chief's Office.

An elderly policeman with graying temples and a slingshot piercing his shoulder stood by the large floor-to-ceiling window beside his desk, holding a steaming teacup. Looking out at the misty rain, he smiled and asked:

"Li Meng, how's he handling the case of the assassination attempt this time?"

Li Meng, deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Division, sat on a single sofa by the door, wearing a pair of frameless glasses and a neat police uniform.

He unconsciously adjusted the frame of his glasses, frowned, and recalled: "His approach to solving cases was very different. Unlike us, who always focus on the suspects when a case comes out, he seemed to revolve around the victims, yet the cases still went smoothly."

Despite his calm exterior, he was actually handling the case with his emotions running high, something I could clearly sense the entire time I was with him.

As he spoke, he raised his head and looked directly at where the old policeman was standing: "Master, he is different from us."

The man whom Li Mengjing called "Master" turned around with a smile. The bright incandescent light in the room shone on his face, revealing him to be none other than the captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the branch bureau.
Li Meng then raised another question: "And I'm very curious, why did Professor Li from the Legal Department take on this case that was bound to be returned?"

Ren Guoqing's tone became slightly stern: "You've been a criminal investigator for so many years, and you still use a phrase like 'must retire'? Are you that certain in your heart?"

Seeing Li Meng lower her head, he calmly continued, "Because both of them have the common people in their hearts. It's not your fault for not understanding this; you're too young, promoted too quickly, and always busy with cases. Sigh, I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing."

He walked over to the long sofa next to Li Meng and sat down, gently placing his teacup on the coffee table. He changed the subject: "There's a rumor in the team that a security officer from the local police station will be parachuted into our Second Squadron as captain soon. Are you aware of this?"

Li Meng's eyes, hidden behind her glasses, flickered. She didn't shirk responsibility: "I was the one who blurted it out. The comrades in the team have a lot of complaints. Wen Zhao has been in the Second Squadron since graduating from police academy."

Ren Guoqing raised his left hand, stopping Li Meng's explanation: "That's why I had you follow him around in this case. He's your old classmate, and you already know his character. You've also witnessed some of his methods in handling this case. What, still have objections?"

Li Meng pondered for a moment: "He's been in the police station for so long, he probably doesn't have much experience and can't handle major cases. I'm afraid that when he arrives, the guys below won't be convinced, and that won't make it easy to get things going."

Ren Guoqing leaned back on the sofa, tapping his fingers lightly on the wooden armrest: "Then after a while, find a reason to throw a big case at him. Hmm, that would be good, to see if he's really suitable for our Criminal Investigation Department's work."

Li Meng immediately stood up. Her first thought was, "This is against the rules," and her second thought was, "Why does Master value him so much?"

Ren Guoqing: "You're nervous."

Li Meng realized she had lost her composure, composed herself, and asked, "Then what kind of case should we use? Murder, robbery, or the Water Step Black?"

"It's up to you."

Ren Guoqing picked up his teacup, glanced at the durian on the coffee table, and slowly began to drink.

Zhengming District Public Security Bureau, compound.

After sending Xu Long to the district detention center, it was already past 8 p.m. On the way back to Zhongshan Police Station, Chen Shu asked Zhu Chaoran to drop him off in the branch office's courtyard.

He knew what was going on in this case. The reason why Teacher Li from the Legal Affairs Brigade was willing to take it on was entirely because of his past good behavior and diligent handling of cases.

Otherwise, given his stubborn nature, he should have been kicked out of the office right then and there.

He first slipped into the lobby of the branch office building and glanced at the huge LED screen hanging on the wall, which displayed today's branch duty roster.

Shh, Teacher Li isn't here.

Chen Shu breathed a sigh of relief.

After staying up all night and working non-stop for two days, he was truly exhausted and wanted to go home and rest as soon as possible. However, he would remember some of the favor Teacher Li had done for him today, and keep some of it under his desk. Half an hour later, Chen Shu, carrying a large bag of two huge imported fruits he had bought from a fruit shop not far from the branch office, slipped into the Legal Affairs Brigade on the third floor of the branch office building.

Although it was already past closing time and there weren't many police officers left in the building, Chen Shu still decided to take the stairs to avoid running into acquaintances!
After all, it would be extremely embarrassing for someone who isn't a government employee to be seen carrying a bag of things to the branch office late at night.

"Chen Shu, are you here to review cases in the legal department?"

There are no coincidences in life.

At the top of the stairs on the third floor, Chen Shu bumped into Ren Guoqing, who was walking down from the fourth floor.

Chen Shu raised his left hand and scratched his head, his right hand, which was holding a large bag, awkwardly unsure of what to do: "Hey, Ren Da."

He dared not answer Ren Guoqing's question.

The astute Ren Guoqing immediately realized that the other party was not there for legal review because they did not bring the case files.

He was curious about what was in the black bag Chen Shu was carrying in his right hand, but he was too embarrassed to ask directly.

The only option was to take a roundabout approach: "Old Ma, who's on duty at the Legal Affairs Department today, is accompanying the Political Commissar to a meeting at the Propaganda Department on the second floor. I'm going there now. If you have anything to say, you can tell me, and I'll pass it on for you."

Ren Guoqing said he was "passing on a message," but his eyes were fixed on the black bag that Chen Shu was carrying in his right hand.

He and Zeng Hong, Chen Shu's mentor, had a long-standing camaraderie and had met Chen Shu several times when he visited the Zhongshan Institute.

Therefore, when facing Zeng Hong's apprentice Chen Shu, he did not put on airs as a leader; what he was thinking was reflected on his face.

However, Chen Shu didn't think so!
Li Meng, a criminal investigator, came to Zhongshan Institute early in the morning and inexplicably followed him all day.

When Chen Shu ran into the captain of their criminal investigation team again that evening, his heart skipped a beat, and he felt very uneasy.

He quickly waved his hand: "No need, no need, I'm not looking for Master Ma."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized something was wrong. Old Ma was the only one on duty at the legal affairs brigade that night; if they weren't looking for him, why were they coming over?

Sure enough, Ren Guoqing became even more interested upon hearing this, and simply walked up to Chen Shu in a few steps: "Oh. If you're not looking for Lao Ma, then what are you doing here?"

How can this be considered a righteous tiger?
He's clearly a cunning old fox!

At this moment, Chen Shu wished he could slap himself twice.

With a mournful face, he was about to confess and seek leniency when Ren Guoqing strode past Chen Shu and went downstairs.

"I'm in a hurry to find the political commissar, you go ahead and do your own thing."

Having narrowly escaped death, Chen Shu quickly dashed into the Legal Affairs Brigade's general office, stuffed a bag of fruit under Teacher Li's desk, and ran away without looking back.

……

Ren Guoqing sniffed, then continued walking with light steps towards the second-floor publicity area, muttering to himself:

"That kid bought my favorite durian, but didn't even share some with me when we met. Next time I go to Zhongshan, I'll have to have a good talk with Old Zeng."

(End of this chapter)