Attention Sir, I Have Your Heart Handcuffed!-Chapter 382 - 262: Behind the Dance Attire (2nd Update 1)
Police Station.
The night was deep, but Old Qiao’s office was still brightly lit.
His subordinates had all left for the day, but he stayed behind to work overtime. He claimed it was because he needed to write a report.
When everyone had left, Tang Yanqing brought two dinners into his office.
The two of them lowered the blinds on the glass partitions on all four sides.
Once that was done, they exchanged a smile, both feeling a bit awkward.
Old Qiao touched the "Mediterranean" bald spot on his head and cleared his throat: "If the people at the station saw the two of us actually together, they wouldn’t believe their eyes."
Tang Yanqing shrugged: "Or they might think we’re here to settle things once and for all."
Expressing the awkwardness made it dissipate. Tang Yanqing stepped forward and wiped the whiteboard clean, listing the clues of the Yanwu Square case one by one on it.
After finishing, he turned to Old Qiao and said, "These are the clues I’ve gathered, I’m giving you everything I’ve got, all written up there. Now, it’s your turn."
Old Qiao glanced sideways at Tang Yanqing and couldn’t help but laugh, "Good lad, I didn’t expect it. First, I didn’t think you had already gathered so many clues on this case; second, I didn’t expect that, since the case fell to our team, you would actually share all your clues without holding back."
Tang Yanqing leaned his shoulder against the whiteboard, slowly drawing a cigarette from his pocket and placing it in his mouth.
"You think I became a cop, solving cases for fame and fortune? If I were, I wouldn’t have bolted from that medal ceremony back then."
Old Qiao put his hands on his hips: "Then what for? To inherit the Tang Family’s legacy?"
"Psh!" Tang Yanqing took a deep drag and blew a large smoke ring into the air: "The Tang Family isn’t limited to just me; my brother is ahead of me, it won’t be my turn."
"I’m just in it to solve cases, to bring scum to justice one by one. Since you guys are in charge of the Yanwu Square case, I just hope you can catch the true scum soon. No matter if it’s your team or mine, as long as we can crack the case, I’ll help unconditionally."
Old Qiao couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow high and nod, "Good lad, worthy of being a descendant of the Tang Family. Maybe I, Old Qiao, really underestimated you before, thinking all your criminal psychology and behavior analysis stuff were just for show, only for fame and profit, not wanting to work earnestly."
Tang Yanxi nodded with a smile: "Understood."
Old Qiao then flew into action, listing the clues and evidence their team had gathered on the whiteboard as well.
Two teams, two ways of solving the case. Now, the clues generated by both methods intertwine, complementing and corroborating one another.
Tang Yanqing squinted at the intersecting points and lines on the board and quietly asked, "Old Qiao, what do you think is the biggest question, and also what we want most in this case?"
"The client list." Old Qiao squinted, "For a case like this, I’m not looking to catch just one criminal; I want to wipe out all those scum who prey on young girls. But now George can’t provide that list; he says he’s in China and doesn’t directly manage Yanwu Square, so he doesn’t have the exact client list."
Tang Yanqing nodded: "That makes sense. The person specifically managing Yanwu Square is someone else, called Father."
Old Qiao nodded: "But by the time I took people to capture the suspects at Yanwu Square, this person had already disappeared. The list has become a suspended case."
Tang Yanqing snorted: "Coincidence always has a hidden agenda."
Old Qiao narrowed his eyes: "So you’re saying... he got tipped off beforehand, and there’s an informant in our police who leaked the info?"
"If that’s the case, it’s easy." Tang Yanqing stuck his hands in his pants pockets, lowered his head to smoke: "Somebody’s reasoning is ahead of ours, they know exactly what moves we’ll make and when, so they prepared in advance."
"The business with Yanwu Square can temporarily stall, George can be caught, but as long as they still have that list, they can continue their operations anywhere, anytime. Plus those bigwigs’ weak spots will still be firmly held in their grasp."
Old Qiao was also stunned: "Who is this person?"
Tang Yanqing took a deep breath: "This is a question that can be reasoned using traditional criminal investigation methods: With George captured, who stands to gain the most?"
Old Qiao narrowed his eyes: "Huangfu Huazhang?!"
Tang Yanqing took one last drag, pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray: "And one more person, James."
"With George in trouble, the police would naturally suspect Huangfu Huazhang first. As it stands, whichever of George or Huangfu Huazhang falls, or even if both fall, then James can sit back and reap the benefits without lifting a finger."
It was George’s resolute actions that reminded him: to bring down a long-standing feud, George was willing to sacrifice himself, so for James, sacrificing a brother would be a much smaller price to pay.
Even Old Qiao couldn’t help but cry out in surprise: "No way? James and George are blood brothers!"
Tang Yanqing stood coldly, tilting his head to sneer: "Old Qiao, you should look at a piece of Chinese history: Nine Dragons Fight for the Throne. They are all biological brothers, and among them, there were also blood siblings."
Old Qiao gritted his teeth, "The urgent task now is to catch Father first. As long as we catch him, there’s a chance we’ll get the client list, or even find out who his real boss is from his mouth." As he spoke, Old Qiao immediately walked towards his desk, "I will issue an all-region notice right now."
An all-region notice is also a form of suspect identification, featuring an objective description of appearance: height, facial features, attire, mode of transport, etc.
Tang Yanqing shook his head, "This notice is of little use. Given Father’s personality, he will surely disguise himself and escape."
"Then, in your opinion, what kind of all-region notice should we issue?"
Tang Yanqing raised his eyebrows slightly, "I’m going to make a criminal psychology prediction, can you accept it?"
Old Qiao took a deep breath, "Alright. As long as we can catch him!"
Tang Yanqing folded his arms, "Add these points: 1. Strictly investigate all institutions and venues that have clowns or provide opportunities for clowns to perform, send all clown information to Guan Liang for comparison; 2. Check any sudden out-of-town or overseas performances by all music institutions in this city and register all involved personnel."
Old Qiao was somewhat surprised, "Clowns? Musicians?"
Tang Yanqing did not answer Old Qiao’s astonishment; after speaking, something seemed to stir in his mind.
He then turned around and grabbed his jacket, "You issue the all-region notice, I’ve got something to do first. Clean up the data on the whiteboard, remember."
.
Tang Yanqing carried his jacket out of the police station, and the night outside quickly enveloped him.
He stood on the steps facing the boundless darkness and lit a cigarette.
A few minutes later, he called Luo Xiansheng on his phone.
From Luo Xiansheng’s side, there was always the sound of a lavish and decadent atmosphere.
Luo Xiansheng chuckled lazily over the phone, "Yanqing? You didn’t dial the wrong number, did you? Could it be you have time to hang out with us tonight?"
Tang Yanqing chuckled lightly, "What? You make me sound like a monk. Even if I’m neglecting you all for the case, it doesn’t mean I’ve decided to quit having fun entirely."
Luo Xiansheng teased, "Then hurry back to the sea for fun while your shoes are still wet. There are plenty of mermaids here, come too late and they’ll all be taken."
Tang Yanqing bit his cigarette as he walked down the stairs towards his car, "Where are you guys? I’ll come over now."
Luo Xiansheng gave an address, and Tang Yanqing sighed, "There’s another police situation, a kid lost his cat. I’ll head over, find the cat first, should be able to get there in half an hour."
Luo Xiansheng laughed over the phone, "Alright, waiting for you, cat-catching hero."
Tang Yanqing hung up and then called Officer Gao Cheng, also telling Gao Cheng the address.
.
Half an hour later, Tang Yanqing arrived at "Tang Club" looking somewhat disheveled, his sweater covered in cat hair, small twigs, and dead leaves.
As he entered the room, everyone laughed at him.
Luo Xiansheng, holding a wine glass, greeted him, "Our Qing Guan’er went for a cat chase, but it looks like he’s the playful cat himself."
Tang Yanqing, not offended, posed a few times, letting them laugh it off. His eyes swept over the room, catching sight of the laughing girls who were trembling like flower branches.
Each was fair-skinned and beautiful—everything was available, including mixed-race beauties somewhere in the middle.
Tang Yanqing then asked, "...Meng Chuyan, which one is she?"
Luo Xiansheng widened his eyes, while Qiao Mufeng and the others burst into laughter.
Tang Yanqing was asking about none other than the East Asian girl involved in the rumored affair with Luo Xiansheng, which had caused quite a stir and made headlines.
Luo Xiansheng pulled Tang Yanqing aside and whispered with a sigh, "Don’t mess around. They can joke, but you should refrain. Don’t you understand my feelings? Why would I bring her out in the evening?"
"Really?" Tang Yanqing’s face showed a wicked smile, a carefree appearance, but his heart sank slightly.
Minutes ago, he entered "Tang Club" and called Gao Cheng first. Indeed, Gao Cheng said he arrived at Tang Club’s entrance five minutes after receiving Tang Yanqing’s call, and he did see the girl in the photo Tang Yanqing had sent. Gao Cheng pretended to be a little fan, rushed up to ask if she was Meng Chuyan and hoped for an autograph and photo.
Gao Cheng said Meng Chuyan smelled of alcohol, refused to take a photo or give an autograph, but gave him a hug.
