Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 623

office.

Chen Shu, Chen Chuan, Li Chaoyang, and Xu Chaofan, four close friends, gathered in the office to discuss how to handle the potential aftermath of the A_PARTY prostitution case.

During this time, Zhu Yiba knocked on the door, determined to get into the office.

This person really doesn't consider themselves an outsider.

Chen Shu knew Zhu Yiba's character. Although they hadn't known each other for long, Chen Shu had complete faith in Zhu Yiba's integrity. This trust stemmed from the camaraderie forged with the special forces soldiers on the front lines in southern Xinjiang, and this same feeling applied to Zhu Yiba, who had transferred from border defense.

Just as Zhu Yiba entered, it was Chen Chuan's turn to speak. He was shaking a thick stack of notes in the air, and angrily said, "I knew something was off about that old woman Zhao Feifei. Do you think a police chief would just stay holed up in the monitoring room and not come out when faced with a case that's bound to have a huge social impact? Is that even possible?!"
"When I first saw her in the monitoring room instructing Zhang Qing, Ma Bowen, and the others on how to take statements and conduct interrogations, I thought the old woman was a decent person, without any airs of a captain. But for the entire night, she didn't leave the monitoring room at all, not even showing her face in front of those main culprits."

"Up to this point, I hadn't noticed anything too serious. Then, when Zou Qing was entering the case information into the system on her office computer, you see, the old woman was in the monitoring room. These are clearly two separate offices, quite far apart. Yet, she knew the case information Zou Qing was entering. I'm guessing she must have secretly had someone watching the case system."

"I made a phone call and summoned Zou Qing to delete some unnecessary information. Do you know what information Zou Qing entered? She filled in the Public Security Brigade as the cooperating unit, and that old woman insisted that she delete it and not mention her name in the 'Arrest Process'."

"Why delete it? Why not mention her name? Isn't it because she has something to hide? What is she afraid of? As a police officer, a captain in charge of public security, what could she possibly be afraid of besides her superiors? Surely she wouldn't be afraid of retaliation from those pimps and brothels? I think that's utter nonsense! Ha, that old woman!"

At this point, veins bulged on Chen Chuan's forehead. He had probably never felt so aggrieved before. Even when he was in the Municipal Bureau, those guys with wheat ears on their hats never dared to bully him like this.

Xu Chaofan and Li Chaoyang both gasped in shock.

The former worked his way up to deputy director through years of hard work and late nights, while the other got promoted by taking advantage of the trend of younger cadres. In short, neither of them got promoted through connections, meaning that no one had guided them on the ways of officialdom.

Chen Chuan's platform is good because he works at the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and his family is well-off. His parents are willing to spend money to pave the way for him. Even though he is only a police officer now, what he has seen and heard since he started working is beyond what people like Xu Chaofan and Li Chaoyang, who spend every day working in the police station, can imagine.

Things are different now. Leaders genuinely enjoy cultivating relationships with wealthy police officers. In the past, everyone understood why leaders befriended businessmen. Now, with strict regulations cutting off that avenue, wealthy subordinates naturally rise in status, especially those like Chen Chuan who are indifferent to promotions and spend money as they please—they are particularly favored by the leadership.

As people spend more time together, their horizons naturally broaden. They learn things they didn't know, shouldn't know, or shouldn't know.

"Heh, that's why you can't have women around when you're working. They're either a hindrance or a jinx. I'm not trying to be mean, but even though I don't understand what you're saying, it doesn't stop me from looking down on you. Four perfectly capable men sitting here sighing and groaning, all because of one woman? Unbelievable!"

Zhu Yiba snorted, tilting his head back with an expression that made everyone present look like trash, but that didn't stop him from beckoning Chen Chuan with his finger, asking for a yellow cigarette to light.

While Zhu Yiba was smoking, and also to review the situation, Chen Shu recounted the entire incident to him. After listening to Chen Shu's account, Zhu Yiba looked surprised and said bluntly, "Only scholars like you can come up with something so ingenious. I could rack my brains and still not come up with anything like this. I find it strange that you have the energy to ponder this matter; why don't you focus on solving the case at hand first?"
"Things have come to this point, what else can we do? Release the people locked up below and send them back, or tell them we're sorry, everyone, we arrested the wrong people? I remember that our police have time limits for handling cases, right? If we mess things up, we'll be the ones to take the blame."

This is the essence of the saying "the one involved is often confused."

While Chen Shu, Chen Chuan, Li Chaoyang, Xu Chaofan, and others were still debating the clues behind the case, the straightforward Zhu Yiba pointed out the key point: if the case is handled well, everyone will still have room to maneuver; if subsequent cases are setbacked, it won't just be their special police brigade that loses face.

In society, only the Public Security Bureau is recognized as a major name.

When the time comes, they, who are only deputy section chiefs at the highest level, will be utterly enraged by the bureau chief. They can't afford to lose face like that.

Chen Shu immediately realized what was happening, and based on his years of experience in handling cases, he sorted out the details and then quickly arranged for the police to carry out the subsequent case-handling procedures one by one, and then dispersed the people.

Even Xu Chaofan from Dongming Police Station was conscripted by Chen Shu. After all, while his special police officers were skilled at training and arresting people, when it came to handling cases, they were no match for Xu Chaofan, a veteran police officer who had been promoted from the grassroots level, even if they stood in a row.

Because of his private involvement in the case involving his apprentice Yang Yang, Xu Chaofan still felt a little guilty towards Chen Shu. Therefore, he took on the task assigned by Chen Shu without hesitation and led the special police team to the case-handling area to re-examine the case.

Even colleagues within the same system, or even comrades in the same unit, are not allowed to inquire about cases they did not handle or assist in, according to regulations. Therefore, when Xu Chaofan approached Chen Shu, the latter readily provided the body camera footage and discussed Yang Yang's case with him, which actually meant that Xu Chaofan assumed some responsibility.

Police officers aren't Bao Zheng (a legendary upright judge), they aren't necessarily impartial and selfless. In this society, there will always be people who care and will lend a hand beyond the bounds. Such situations are common, and while they may be wrong from a legal perspective, they might not be wrong in other ways.

Chen Shu was no exception to this trend.

Because Chen Chuan was in charge of interrogating several key suspects in the case, Chen Shu kept him behind alone.

Just as he was about to open the statement of one of the main culprits, the bald boss, and prepare to proofread the organizational structure of the case with Chen Chuan, Chen Chuan reached out and pressed the statement onto the table.

"Shu, do you know why I, a police officer dispatched from a lower-level unit, got involved in this case? Why did I step forward to take statements from these main culprits?"

Chen Shu raised his head and stared at his old classmate.

(End of this chapter)