Lu Qingqing didn't want to miss this opportunity. She had to find out who was behind Tong Meng. Besides, those men with knives couldn't be taken away, and she needed to follow the lead to uncover more.
"Tong Meng, where are the people you brought back from the special task force?" As soon as she entered the police station, Lu Qingqing found Tong Meng and demanded the people.
"Oh. Sent to the interrogation room," Tong Meng replied.
Lu Qingqing walked towards the interrogation room without looking back. Tong Meng called out to her, "Lu Qingqing, this is the City Criminal Investigation Bureau, after all."
The implication was, don't treat it like your own home.
Lu Qingqing understood this, but so what? She believed that apart from Tong Meng, no one else would say a word here.
Lu Qingqing ignored her and continued walking. However, after a short while, she wrote something down.
"Where are they? Didn't you say they were in the interrogation room?"
Tong Meng slowly tidied up the items on the desk. "I said they were sent to the interrogation room."
"Liar, they are not in the interrogation room at all!" Lu Qingqing's voice involuntarily rose.
"You asked me where the people I brought back were? I said I sent them to the interrogation room. They were sent to the interrogation room when they were brought back." Tong Meng looked so innocent that Lu Qingqing really wanted to hit her.
This woman was clearly doing it on purpose.
"Then where are they now?"
"Released," Tong Meng said flatly.
"What? You let go of the people I arrested just like that? What right do you have to do this?" Lu Qingqing realized that Tong Meng was doing this deliberately.
"Lu Qingqing, I must remind you that this group of people is now under my purview." As she spoke, Tong Meng slapped the approval document from the judicial department onto the desk.
"After investigation, they were merely involved in a simple verbal dispute and were detained for a day or two. Besides, without the victim's accusation, they had to be released." Tong Meng smiled slightly. "Why don't you bring the victim to identify them?" httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Lu Qingqing admitted defeat.
"You want me to hand over Feng Si? Not a chance."
Too lazy to argue with Tong Meng, Lu Qingqing went directly to the judicial department to find Ren Xianli.
However, facing Lu Qingqing's accusations, Ren Xianli waved his hand impatiently. "Alright, stop talking. What decisions higher-ups make are not for you to question. Just do your own job."
"But my case is not finished yet, why should they be released?" Lu Qingqing reasoned.
"You say he beat someone, but where is the victim? The witness? The plaintiff?" Ren Xianli was displeased. "Since there's nothing, should we keep them in the bureau for the New Year?"
"Fine!" Lu Qingqing didn't want to argue further. "May I ask who gave the order for Tong Meng to go to the special task force to bring people?"
"Deputy Director Qiao," Ren Xianli replied.
Qiao Huali?
Lu Qingqing was surprised. Wasn't Qiao Huali the "good uncle" that Ouyang Wen mentioned? How could he have made such an absurd decision?
Half an hour later, Lu Qingqing walked out of Qiao Huali's office. According to Qiao Huali, the approval document was indeed his order.
When Tong Meng approached him, she said she wanted to practice her interrogation skills. Moreover, it wasn't a major case, so Qiao Huali signed it.
"What's wrong? Can't touch those people?" Qiao Huali looked at Lu Qingqing, full of confusion.
"Uncle Qiao." Lu Qingqing suddenly changed her address, which made Qiao Huali unaccustomed.
Seeing him looking at her, Lu Qingqing asked, "Can I call you Uncle Qiao? Like Hu Jia and Ouyang Wen do."
Qiao Huali was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. "It seems the rumors outside are true. You are really with Xiao Jia."
Saying that, Qiao Huali looked at Lu Qingqing seriously. "That kid is lucky to have found such a wife."
Lu Qingqing's face flushed slightly. She knew that Qiao Huali was someone respected by Hu Jia and his brother. Hu Jia had always said he would take Lu Qingqing to visit Qiao Huali, but at that time, because Lu Qingqing hadn't fully accepted the relationship, she always found excuses to decline.
But now, hearing the elder's approval made her happy.
"Go ahead, ying tou. Since you've changed your address, it must not be official business." Qiao Huali's tone became much more intimate.
"Uncle Qiao, this matter should have been discussed with you by Ouyang Wen when he returned, but he's been too busy lately, and with today's incident, I think it's fine for me to tell you."
"Today's incident?" Seeing Lu Qingqing suddenly become serious, Qiao Huali realized that what she was about to say was important. "Are you talking about me approving Tong Meng to retrieve people from the special task force?"
At that moment, Qiao Huali was a little unhappy.
Was such a trivial matter worth such a serious conversation? Couldn't I, a deputy director, inquire about the special task force?
"Uncle Qiao, please don't misunderstand." Lu Qingqing knew Qiao Huali was overthinking. "I want to tell you that we are investigating a shooting case from ten years ago, and we have made some progress."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Huali's expression improved slightly. He knew Ouyang was investigating the shooting case, and he had rejected several applications to reopen the case because of it.
As for progress, wasn't it just that wild man?
"However, I suspect there is a mole in the police force." This was Lu Qingqing's true intention.
"What did you say?" Qiao Huali stood up abruptly. "Qingqing, you can't just say things like that."
"Information about the wild man leaked without reason; when they went to arrest the members of the 'Two-Nine-Six' knife-wielding organization, they were followed closely; and I wanted to investigate the person behind the knife-wielding organization, and Tong Meng got approval from you, how do you explain all this?"
"So you suspect Tong Meng?"
"No one else."
Qiao Huali looked extremely solemn. "I heard from Ouyang Wen that Hu Jia doesn't know about the investigation into the shooting case."
"Yes!"
Qiao Huali nodded. "Alright, I understand what you mean."
Qiao Huali did not express his stance on the matter. After all, his position made it inconvenient to express an opinion without clear evidence.
"Don't worry, I will give your special task force as much autonomy as possible in the future." This was the only thing he could do.
Lu Qingqing was overjoyed. "Thank you, Uncle Qiao!"
Indeed, calling him Uncle was not in vain.
As she walked out of Qiao Huali's office, she ran into Tong Meng. They passed each other like they had the second time they met.
However, this time Lu Qingqing turned her head first. "Do you know what you are doing?"
"I know very well."
"You are a police officer, yet you are helping the knife-wielding people."
"You are a police officer, making groundless accusations."
Heh.
Lu Qingqing knew she was making excuses. "I'm warning you, the knife-wielding organization is likely related to the shooting case ten years ago, and they are probably Hu Jia's father's killers."
Tong Meng's pupils trembled. "Do you have proof?"
"No!"
Tong Meng was silent for a moment. "Then wait until you find proof."
Lu Qingqing stared intently into Tong Meng's eyes. She clearly saw a flicker of shock in Tong Meng's eyes. "Don't you want to solve that old case?"
Tong Meng smiled. "There are never enough 'wants'. If wanting something could make it happen, why would I be standing here?"
Lu Qingqing's words made Tong Meng recall her own regrettable past. Want? Of course, she wanted to!
If solving the case meant marrying into the Hu family, she would want it in her dreams.
If Tong Hua and Sixth Master could drop dead before her eyes, she would want it in her dreams.
If time could go back half a year, she would want it in her dreams.
But, she couldn't go back now.
Her innocence was gone, and she had helped Sixth Master do many things. She had killed people, let criminals go, and stolen intelligence...
Even if she wanted to, she couldn't turn back.
Lu Qingqing, however, did not understand Tong Meng's meaning. She simply thought that Tong Meng didn't want to help.
"Was it you who passed on the news of Feng Si's return?"
"Feng Si? What Feng Si?" Tong Meng retorted.
Heh, Lu Qingqing said with a sneer. "It's okay if you don't admit it. I will eventually expose the person behind you."
"Behind me?" Tong Meng looked back exaggeratedly. "It's peaceful behind me."