Restarting life by going to the countryside to support medical work

Chapter 605 Pressure
"Since it's just this one relationship, it's simple. You can turn yourself in to the Criminal Investigation Department and actively return the stolen money. It shouldn't be a big problem. Why do you need to come to me? You must have something else to say."

Luo Yang didn't believe that Shen Bin was such a simple person. If it were that simple, there would be no need to bother him. He glanced sideways at his wife's cousin sitting next to him.

That expression showed that she didn't believe a single word he said.

After his little scheme was exposed, Shen Bin smiled awkwardly, scratched his head, and said...

“Brother-in-law, I didn’t mean to hide it from you, but the other things I did had nothing to do with Chen San’s case.”

Upon hearing this, Luo Yang was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly understood what was going on.

“I understand what you mean.” He nodded and said, “You’ve committed other crimes, but they have nothing to do with Chen San. Are you worried that the police will dig up other things you’ve done and increase your sentence, right?”

"Hehe..." Shen Bin said somewhat embarrassedly, "Brother-in-law, it's fine if you say that, but I can assure you that I have never had anyone else's blood on my hands. I usually just deal in some scarce supplies. I really haven't done anything illegal. If you don't believe me, you can ask anyone to investigate me."

"Why would I bother investigating you? I don't care about the shady things you guys have been doing. Just tell me, what do you want me to do for you?"

He was, after all, his wife's cousin, and Luo Yang was willing to lend a hand if he could, but only if the crime he committed was not serious, and the embezzled money had to be returned.

Upon hearing that his cousin-in-law seemed willing to help, Shen Bin immediately perked up and hurriedly said, "Brother-in-law, could you please put in a good word for Director Li? Of course, I'm willing to return every penny of the money I got from selling Chen San's oil, and also..."

At this point, a look of pain flashed across Shen Bin's face, but after hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and continued, "Besides returning the money, I'm also willing to pay an additional 50,000 yuan in fines."

Luo Yang raised an eyebrow. Good heavens, how much money did they make? They're willing to pay a fine of 50,000 yuan without even asking.

"You've made quite a bit of money these past two years, haven't you!"

"Brother-in-law, I only earn money through hard work," Shen Bin said with a mournful face. "As you know, although my father has given up on me, he is still very strict in disciplining me. I only dare to secretly deal in some things in private, and I don't dare to use his name to ask others for a permit."

They usually buy things from others at low prices and then resell them at a slightly higher price, earning far less than those who can directly obtain police leads.

Luo Yang didn't believe his nonsense. It was true that his family was strict, but even with such strict discipline, it didn't stop him from messing around outside.

"I understand what you're saying. I'll let Yan Cheng know, but they'll still investigate if necessary. If you've done anything else wrong..."

“Brother-in-law, I understand. If I have any other problems, I will deal with them without hesitation. Even if I commit a capital crime, I will accept it.”

Luo Yang nodded indifferently. He was just telling Li Yancheng, not trying to help him escape punishment. He just wanted to see if there was a different way to punish him.

"Xiao Bin, let me make this clear upfront. I'll say what needs to be said, but whether Yan Cheng agrees or not is another matter."

"Yes, I understand, brother-in-law, I understand."

"And what's the story with your friend?"

Luo Yang turned his gaze to Meng Qingxiang, who was already getting anxious.

Seeing that the conversation had finally turned to him, the man surnamed Meng quickly gave Luo Yang a fawning smile, as he had been getting impatient listening to him for quite some time.

“Qingxiang’s situation is basically the same as mine,” Shen Bin said. “Brother-in-law, the old master of the Meng family was transferred from the south.”

The seemingly random sentence that followed startled Luo Yang, and it took him a moment to understand its meaning.

He was about to take up a post in the south, where he knew absolutely nothing and was unfamiliar with the place. Old Man Meng, on the other hand, had been transferred from there to Beijing. Although he had been gone for two years, he must still have many old connections there.

If Old Man Meng could introduce him to a few people, his first step in his work after arriving there would definitely go much more smoothly.

Just then, Meng Qingxiang spoke up.

"Brother Luo, the deputy director who ranks second in the organization you're about to go to is my wife's brother-in-law."

Luo Yang gave Meng Qingxiang a deep look, said nothing, just nodded, then got up and walked towards the door of the private room, saying as he walked, "Xiao Bin, after this is over, don't cause any more trouble. Go to work properly."

"Okay, I understand, brother-in-law. Don't worry, I will never dabble in things again."

Swish!
Luo Yang's words before leaving made Shen Bin's eyes light up, and he hurriedly responded.

He was happy, but Meng Qingxiang was dumbfounded. He stared blankly at the slowly closing door of the private room, and it took him a long time to react.

"Uh... Xiao Bin, your brother-in-law... about me..."

"Don't worry, my brother-in-law knows what he's doing. Just wait for good news." Shen Bin said with a smile before Meng Qingxiang could finish speaking.

"Alright, hurry up and eat, it's getting cold."

"Are you really alright?"

Meng Qingxiang pressed on, still somewhat uneasy.

"I can't say for sure whether there's anything wrong or not right now. My brother-in-law just said that he would talk to Director Li, but the police will still investigate. They mainly want to see if we've committed any other serious crimes and whether we're related to Chen San's murder case. As for dealing with things, to be honest, the police are too lazy to care about that. That's the job of the anti-crime office."

Hearing Shen Bin say this, Meng Qingxiang felt a little relieved and stopped asking questions. He picked up his chopsticks and started eating, but he was still worried and found the meal tasteless.

……

On the other side, after having lunch in the bureau's canteen, Li Yancheng took a car to the brigade headquarters. As soon as he arrived, he asked Section Chief Sun of the pre-trial department to bring Chen Xiangyang, who had been sent over on Saturday evening, to the interrogation room.

Having been forced to surrender for almost forty hours, Chen Xiangyang was finally about to be interrogated. After being brought out of the detention cell, he almost cried when he smelled the fresh air outside.

He was put into solitary confinement after being brought here by his brother on Saturday afternoon in a manner that was almost like escorting him.

Because of concerns that he might commit suicide, he had been strapped to a specially made chair and unable to move since he came in. Even going to the toilet was done at fixed times, and when he was sleepy and wanted to sleep, he could only hang his head. Now, he felt that he could finally be free.

As soon as he was led out of the detention cell, he opened his mouth wide and greedily took several deep breaths of fresh air. It was the first time in his life that he felt the sunshine was so wonderful.

But soon he was taken to an interrogation room not far from the detention cell and strapped to a specially made chair.

When he was brought in, there were already three people sitting behind a table in the interrogation room. He looked around and didn't recognize any of them; Li Yancheng was not there.

"Chen Xiangyang, let me introduce myself. My surname is Sun, and I am the head of the pre-trial section of the Criminal Investigation Corps of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. These two are my colleagues. When your brother, Chen Xiangtian, Deputy Director Chen, brought you here on Saturday afternoon, he said that you should voluntarily surrender and would actively cooperate with us to confess all the crimes you have committed. Now we can begin."

After Chen Xiangyang was secured in the specially made chair, the oldest-looking officer among the three sitting behind the table stood up, introduced himself, and asked him to recount the illegal things he had done.

After staring at Section Chief Sun for a while, Chen Xiangyang said, "Section Chief Sun, could you please give me a cigarette first?"

"Okay," Section Chief Sun nodded, took out a cigarette from his trouser pocket, and gestured to the guard standing behind Chen Xiangyang.

Upon seeing this, the guard stepped forward, took the cigarette and matches from Section Chief Sun, then turned to Chen Xiangyang, put the cigarette in his mouth, lit it for him with a match, and then returned the matches to Section Chief Sun before returning to his position.

Chen Xiangyang, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, took a deep drag. Having not smoked for two days, this one drag made him cough violently, his face turning bright red. It took him a long time to stop, but even then, it was as if he hadn't been coughing at all. As soon as he stopped, he started taking another deep drag.

Section Chief Sun didn't urge him; he just stood there, staring at him intently.

After only five or six puffs, Chen Xiangyang finished his cigarette. He spat the cigarette butt out of his mouth and took a deep breath before slowly saying, "Bring Li Yancheng here. I won't say anything until I see him. Even if I'm going to confess, I'll confess to him. You... hehe..." Before he could finish speaking, the interrogation room door was pushed open, and Li Yancheng walked in.

"I'm here, let's begin."

As soon as he entered, Li Yancheng spoke.

When he saw him come in, Chen Xiangyang was stunned. After a while, he swallowed hard and said, "Director Li... Hello."

"Well, didn't you say you'd confess to me when you saw me? Well, here I am, just as you wished. Let's get started, and not waste each other's time."

Li Yancheng walked slowly to Chen Xiangyang and looked down at him, saying...

Whether it was because of the change of location or something else, Chen Xiangyang felt that Li Yancheng today had a much more imposing presence than when he had seen him outside before.

Just looking at him made his heart clench uncontrollably.

After forcing himself to calm down, he said, "Director Li, I will definitely confess, but I don't know if you can handle it if I implicate too many people."

“This is not something you should worry about.” Li Yancheng waved his hand. “Just tell me what you have to say. First, explain what you have done, and then talk about other people. I have plenty of patience to listen to you slowly.”

As he spoke, he took out cigarettes from his pocket, first putting one in Chen Xiangyang's mouth, then lighting it for him, before lighting one for himself, and then turning around and throwing the cigarette pack onto the table.

"Take it yourselves."

Thud... Thud...

After taking two puffs, Chen Xiangyang held the cigarette butt between his teeth and said in a muffled voice, "I arranged for the theft of the Mengou grain depot, and I also arranged for the murder of those corpses in Langshi, but..."

He paused here, hesitated for a moment, and then continued, "However, I didn't do the case at the Artillery Bureau Detention Center. It was Old Song who took matters into his own hands. I never expected him to be so arrogant as to hire someone to kill someone right under your nose. If he had discussed it with me beforehand, I definitely wouldn't have agreed to him doing it that way."

As for the murder case in Mengou, I knew nothing about the woman's family or the police chief beforehand. I only found out from others and then asked Lao Song, who then told me.

Director Li, believe it or not, I only wanted money, I never intended to kill anyone. I had no choice but to do it this way.

"Don't rush to tell me your grievances. I'm not interested in whether you have grievances or not. Start from the beginning and tell me when you started arranging for people to target the Mengou grain depot?"

Murder is murder, no one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to do it.

Li Yancheng didn't care whether they had their reasons or not; what he wanted was the truth, the complete picture of the case, and the recovery of the embezzled funds. He had no interest in their infighting.

With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Chen Xiangyang sighed deeply and began to speak without hesitation.

In front of Li Yancheng, he couldn't muster the slightest resistance; he just wanted to finish his business quickly and get as far away from this guy as possible.

He started talking at one o'clock in the afternoon and it went on until almost five o'clock in the afternoon.

He has only confessed to the things he has done so far. It is unclear whether there are any things he did not confess. In any case, he seems quite sincere.

But later, when he started to recount what some people he knew had done, Li Yancheng listened without any change in expression, as if listening to a story, occasionally interrupting him to ask about some details.

The more they listened, the uglier their expressions became.

The information Chen Xiangyang provided was so explosive that cold sweat began to pour from their foreheads.

Too many people have been implicated; any one of them is someone they can't afford to mess with.

But when they saw the broad, solid back leaning against the table, their previously uneasy hearts suddenly relaxed.

Yes, they are police officers, people who maintain social stability. Why should they be afraid of those who do evil? Besides, when it comes to background, how many people can compare to their leaders?

They say it's good to take shelter under a big tree. They have such a big tree sheltering them from the wind and rain, so what is there to be afraid of? They can just focus on solving the case.

"Are you done? Is there anything you've forgotten?"

Seeing that Chen Xiangyang had stopped talking, Li Yancheng, who was leaning against the table, opened his mouth and asked.

"There shouldn't be any more." He talked non-stop for hours, except for a few minutes of rest when smoking and drinking water. Chen Xiangyang was exhausted, and his expression was full of fatigue.

He felt that he had said almost as much today as he had said in the entire first half of his life.

"Director Li, I know I have committed a capital crime. When my father asked me to turn myself in, I knew that my life was over."

I won't lie to you, I did consider running away, but... hehe..."

Chen Xiangyang shook his head with a bitter expression: "But my brother was probably worried that my running away would affect his future, so he actually personally escorted me here to turn myself in."

It's come to this, I know I'm not going to survive, so there's nothing to hide. I admitted to everything, I confessed everything. I won't take the blame for things I didn't do. As for the things I confessed others did..."

At this point, he grinned and said, "I'm not going to live anyway, so I'd love to bring as many people as possible to join me. But, Director Li, if you let the things those other people do go unpunished, I promise I'll sue you too when we get to court."

"You are free to sue whomever you want."

Li Yancheng glanced at him contemptuously, straightened up, and walked out of the interrogation room.

"Take him away. There's no need to lock him in the chair anymore. He won't try to kill himself now."

As soon as he finished speaking, he walked out.

Hearing that he would finally no longer have to sit in this specially made chair, Chen Xiangyang breathed a sigh of relief and raised his voice towards the door, "Thank you, Director Li."

His thank you went unanswered, but he didn't mind; he just felt much more relaxed.

He's been exhausted these past two years. He has to be careful not to expose what he's doing, maintain his relationships outside, and spend money to silence greedy people and build his own chain of interests.

It can be said that he walked on thin ice on the path of illegality and crime. After all, it is a crime, and if he is not careful, he will fall into the abyss if he takes a wrong step.

So he kept changing women outside in order to release the pressure in his heart.

Now that he had finished explaining, he felt very relaxed, a sense of ease that came from within and that he hadn't felt in a long time, as if he had returned to his childhood.

He felt relieved after giving his explanation, but all the pressure fell on Li Yancheng.

If it were just dealing with Chen Xiangyang's case, there wouldn't be any pressure, because everyone who knows understands that the third son of the Chen family is doomed this time. But just like the kid himself said, he's not willing to die like this, and he wants to take a few people down with him before he dies.

The people he implicated were far too numerous, and behind them lay an unseen web. Like pulling up a radish and bringing out the mud, if you investigated them one by one, who knows how many more people would be brought out.

If investigated thoroughly, this could very well become an unprecedented "earthquake," affecting not only many people in Beijing, but also many people from other places.

A new broom sweeps clean, is this his third such move?
Should we light this fire or not?
(End of this chapter)