Chapter 306: Chapter 307 Interrogation
Jinyuan Restaurant is actually a restaurant inside a hotel, but itâs also open to outside guests, serving only breakfast buffets. Song Xiaodong and his group picked some food and chose a seat by the window.
Chatting and eating, Song Xiaodong and Shen Yue seemed completely unconcerned about the forthcoming events. Initially tense, Liu Feiyan and Li Yuting soon calmed under their influence.
Now they were truly curious about who Song Xiaodong really was, possessing such confidence. But they didnât dare to ask; they could only wait and see how things would unfold.
When they were almost done eating, they saw a police car drive by. Song Xiaodong asked Li Yuting for Lin Zijingâs mobile number and then called it directly.
"Hello, Iâm at Jinyuan Restaurantâs entrance, tell those cops to come over," he said, then hung up.
Lin Zijing, phone in hand, was somewhat confounded. What was going on? Was he actually waiting to be arrested? She promptly relayed the situation to Shao Shuai who was equally puzzled. They had never encountered anyone this audacious, someone who didnât even consider the police.
When the police car returned, Song Xiaodong and the others were already at the entrance of the restaurant. The car door opened, and a middle-aged police officer in uniform emerged, followed by two younger officers.
"Are you Song Xiaodong?" the middle-aged officer eyed Song Xiaodong sternly.
With indifference, Song Xiaodong replied, "Correct."
The officerâs face darkened, "Then come with us to the station. Youâre suspected of intentional assault and we need you to assist with the investigation."
"No problem," Song Xiaodong agreed briskly.
"You all need to come and give statements as well," the officer looked at Shen Yue and the others. His demeanor, though, was beyond reproachâa picture of by-the-book execution of duty.
Nowadays, with surveillance cameras everywhere and individuals constantly wielding smartphones, the police also had to follow procedures to ensure they werenât caught out.
Li Yuting and Liu Feiyan were somewhat afraid, but Shen Yue took their hands and said, "Donât be scared, thereâs nothing to worry about."
The middle-aged officer was named Tian Huayuan, and he was Tian Haoâs uncle. After many years as an officer, he had developed some shrewdness. Seeing Shen Yueâs calm demeanor, he grew suspicious. But the thought of his nephewâs arm being incapacitated filled him with anger, and he was determined to deal firmly with whoever was involved.
The police van arrived at a station shortly after, where Song Xiaodong was taken to an interrogation room alone, while Shen Yue and the others were led to an office next door. They were just there to cooperate with the investigation, and hence, they were treated differently from Song Xiaodong.
Tian Huayuan signaled to the two officers who had accompanied them, and they followed Song Xiaodong into the interrogation room. Since the matter involved his own nephew, Tian Huayuan had to avoid the appearance of conflict, but he could still instruct his trusted subordinates to conduct the interrogation.
"Kid, do you know what youâve done?" the two young officers sat down, both wearing stern expressions.
"Isnât it just about disabling the arms of Tian Hao and Chu Kewei?" Song Xiaodong said casually.
A police officer immediately slammed the table and barked, "Kid, you really are arrogant, arenât you? Do you realize what youâve done is intentional assault, and it resulted in disability? Youâre in big trouble, this could easily get you ten or eight years in jail."
Song Xiaodong responded indifferently, "Donât think I donât understand the law, and thereâs no need to intimidate me here. You can tell those two guys that I can treat the arm, but if they think they can use this to make me treat them, thereâs no chance."
The two young police officers exchanged glances, both feeling somewhat overwhelmed. Judging from Song Xiaodongâs attitude, it was clear that he was an old hand at this and he was unfazed. It was very difficult to deal with such a person.
"Kid, you donât get to set the terms here; you donât have the right!"
Song Xiaodong let out a cold laugh and said, "Suit yourselves then. But let me remind you, if you handle this matter by the book, thatâs one thing. But if youâre harboring any bias... heh... finding a job these days isnât easy, especially for civil servants like policemen."
The two officers felt a chill run down their spines at Song Xiaodongâs laughter. Having worked for less than two years, they were of course well aware of how hard it was to get this job. Usually, when interrogating criminals, they were full of confidence. But the situation today was clearly problematicâit involved personal sentiments. If the matter stayed contained, it would be alright, but if it were to get out, they could very well lose their jobs.
"Now, tell us the whole process in detail!" Although the two police officers also wanted to suck up to Deputy Director Tian Huayuan, their jobs were more important to them, so they didnât dare to mess around. Most importantly, they sensed that the Song Xiaodong sitting opposite them was no simple character; otherwise, how could he be so confident?
Song Xiaodong cooperated and recounted the process. This made the two police officers even more anxious; clearly, they were dealing with someone fierceâten-odd thugs were no match for him, yet he remained arrogant. They really didnât know what this guy was about.
After recording the statement, they went straight to Tian Huayuanâs office. After looking it over, he frowned and asked, "Did you say what I told you to say?"
"He said he could fix the arm, but he wouldnât do it if pressured in this manner."
"Didnât you teach him a lesson?" Tian Huayuanâs eyes widened.
"Officer Tian, the crackdown is severe these days, and we think that guy is not simple. If we lay a hand on him, weâre afraid... something might happen."
"Fuck! Two good-for-nothings!" Tian Huayuan slammed the table angrily and stood up, saying, "Iâll do it myself."
Tian Huayuan entered the interrogation room, closed the door behind him, and then stormed up to Song Xiaodong. He raised his foot to kick Song Xiaodongâs leg, shouting "Kid... ah!"
Tian Huayuan intended to kick Song Xiaodong first, then speak. But his foot, aiming for Song Xiaodongâs leg, struck air, and the tip of his boot hit the iron leg of the chair. He managed to yell out two words before he could threaten further and then screamed in pain.
"Fuck your mother! You dare dodge? See if I donât beat you to death!" Tian Huayuan, furious, picked up a rubber baton from the corner of the interrogation room and started swinging it at Song Xiaodongâs head.
Song Xiaodongâs expression darkened, and although his hands were cuffed, he kicked up at Tian Huayuanâs abdomen. Tian Huayuan let out a muffled groan, and was kicked into the air, hitting the ground and not getting up for a long time.
"Kid, good job, you dare assault a police officer, now youâre definitely finished," Tian Huayuan pointed to the surveillance camera with a sinister smile on his face.