Chapter 24: They've Arrived! (Part Two)

When Zhang Wenhao’s parents rushed to the precinct, their son had already been sent to the Third Detention Center of River City.

The couple were anxious and restless in the precinct, repeatedly asking the police about their son's situation, but no one paid them any heed. In the vast police station, they could not find a single person who could tell them where their son was.

Zhang Xingping thought of an old friend who worked as a community officer at a subordinate police station—his only acquaintance in the force. He immediately took out his phone, called his friend, explained the situation briefly, and begged for help.

His friend was very concerned, but since he worked at a lower-level station, all he could do was call someone he knew at the precinct. Half an hour later, after much effort, he managed to extract some news and called Zhang Xingping back. As soon as he spoke, he said, “Xingping, your Wenhao is in deep trouble this time! I heard that last week at school, he seriously injured the son of District Chief Chen Ru from our New River District. The precinct chief is personally overseeing this case. Wenhao has already been sent to the Third Detention Center, and before the trial, he is strictly prohibited from meeting anyone from outside!”

“Trial?”

Zhang Xingping felt as if he had been struck by lightning on a clear day, stunned and rooted to the spot.

On the phone, his friend continued to urge him, “Xingping, stop wasting time at the precinct. They won’t pay any attention to you. If you ask me, you’d better figure out exactly what happened first, then see if you can pull some strings up above. If you delay and your son is sentenced, his whole future will be ruined!”

Although Zhang Xingping, a former soldier, was usually honest and upright, he still had a soldier’s spirit. He knew there must be something fishy about this; otherwise, the precinct wouldn’t have processed everything so quickly and sent his son directly to the detention center. The only thing he could do now was to go to the school and find out the truth.

After hanging up, Zhang Xingping said to his wife, “Let’s go to No. 1 High School.”

“Why go to the school?” Song Huafang was already beside herself with worry, desperate to see her son after hearing he’d been taken away by the police. Now that Zhang Xingping wanted to leave, her anxiety only deepened.

Zhang Xingping’s face was grim. “He’s not here. They’ve sent him to the detention center.”

“What?” All the strength drained from Song Huafang at those words, and she collapsed to the ground. Zhang Xingping rushed to her side, concerned. “Huafang, what’s wrong?”

Though countless police officers saw Song Huafang faint, not one came to check on her. Zhang Xingping pinched her philtrum and wiped the sweat from her brow, and only then did she slowly come around. But as soon as she recovered, tears streamed down her cheeks like rain, and she muttered, “Xingping, what are we going to do?”

Zhang Xingping’s heart ached for her. He tried to comfort her. “Huafang, don’t worry. Let’s go to the school to find out what happened. You know what kind of person our son is. He’d never do anything truly wrong.”

At that moment, a young policewoman emerged from the records room. Seeing Song Huafang collapsed on the floor, she hurried over. “Ma’am, are you all right?”

Song Huafang shook her head. “Thank you, dear, I’m fine.”

But the policewoman sensed something was wrong. Seeing Song Huafang’s exhausted expression and tear-stained face, she quickly said, “Please wait a moment.” She hurried back to the records room, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Zhang Xingping. “Sir, let your wife have some water. If there’s anything I can help with, please tell me.”

“Thank you.” Zhang Xingping looked at her gratefully. “Our child was taken from school by the police this morning, and within an hour he was sent to the detention center. We came to ask about it, but no one would talk to us.”

“How could that be?” The young policewoman frowned. “Here’s what we’ll do: take your wife to the records room to rest, and tell me what happened. Maybe I can help.”

Zhang Xingping also hoped to learn more about his son. Seeing the sincerity in the policewoman’s face, he felt a glimmer of hope and helped Song Huafang into the records room.

“Xiao Wu!”

Just as the policewoman was about to enter the records room, a middle-aged male officer called out to her and pulled her aside, lowering his voice. “Don’t get involved in this. Just send that couple on their way.”

“Why?” she frowned. “Even if they’re the suspect’s family, they have a right to know what’s going on.”

The man looked anxious. “Why won’t you listen? Stay out of this business. This case is being supervised by the higher-ups themselves!”

Her frown deepened. “So what if it is? I haven’t done anything wrong.” With that, she turned and went into the records room.

Inside, she asked Zhang Xingping and his wife a few questions, but Zhang Xingping didn’t really know what had happened either. He could only recount what little he knew.

The policewoman was indignant. “So what if he’s the district chief’s son? Even if your son broke the law, the proper procedures must still be followed. What they’re doing is lawless!”

Zhang Xingping sighed, unsure how to reply. Just then, his phone rang—it was Zhang Wenhao’s homeroom teacher.

Earlier, both parents had been at work when they got the news. It was Song Yanni who called Zhang Xingping right away. Just now, Li Nan had told Song Yanni what Zhang Wenhao had said before he was taken away, and Song Yanni immediately sensed something was off. She quickly called Zhang Xingping. “Brother Zhang, I’ve just heard some things from the students in Wenhao’s class. There’s more to this than meets the eye. Where are you now?”

“At the precinct,” he replied, and briefly explained what had happened there.

Song Yanni blurted out, “Then you and your wife had better come to the school. Wait, no! I think something’s odd with the school leadership today, too. Let’s not meet at the school. There’s a café called Island Coffee just north of the school gate. Let’s meet there!”

Zhang Xingping said urgently, “Alright, thank you, Teacher Song. We’ll come right away!”

After hanging up, he turned to the policewoman. “Officer, thank you. Wenhao’s homeroom teacher says there’s more to this, so I need to go right away.”

The policewoman quickly grabbed a pen, scribbled her number and her name, Wu Qingya, on a sticky note, and handed it to him. “This is my mobile number. If I can help in any way, please call me.”

Zhang Xingping put the note away, thanked her again, and prepared to leave. Wu Qingya saw the couple to the precinct gate, hailed a taxi for them, and then went back inside.

——

Although the recommendation votes have only increased by about twenty, here’s the third update as promised. Sigh. I’ll take a deep breath and keep writing. Thanks to the reader “Brain-Damaged Certified” for your reward—you’re the first to reward this novel. Thank you for your encouragement.