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CHAPTER 8
PART 1
The Public Security Bureau and the Criminal Investigation Division of Lishi were separated only by a wall. After the Monday morning briefing, Jiang Ming approached the Public Security Bureau Director Chen Xin and provided a detailed report on the Gong Yamei case and its connection to Tan Yong. After discussions with the Deputy Director and others, Chen Xin made a decision.
Later, Jiang Ming returned to the Criminal Investigation Division and asked Tan Yong to come to his office.
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"Old Tan, they've decided to suspend your investigation on these two cases," Jiang Ming got straight to the point after opening the door. "From today, I'll be in charge of these two cases. We're not ruling out the possibility of forming a special task force."
The result was within Tan Yong's expectations. Suppressing his anger, he asked, "Two cases? You mean they won't let me continue investigating the He Yushan case from two years ago either?"
"That's right."
"Are they planning to combine the Gong Yamei case and the He Yushan case for investigation?"
Jiang Ming shook his head. "No, currently, we haven't found any definite connection between these two cases."
"Then why won't they let me continue the investigation on the case from two years ago?"
Jiang Ming fell silent for a moment and said, "Perhaps Director Chen thinks that, after two years, there hasn't been any substantial progress in the investigation."
A sense of shame welled up within Tan Yong as anger surged through him. Halting his investigation into these two cases conveyed two different meanings: first, a lack of trust from the leadership, and second, questioning his investigative capabilities.
Regardless of which point it was, for Tan Yong, who loved his work as a detective, it was a great humiliation and a heavy blow.
In Director Chen's eyes, maybe if Jiang Ming were handling these cases, they might have been solved long ago. And what happened afterward might have been avoided.
Jiang Ming could see that Tan Yong's face had turned green. He could naturally understand how Tan Yong felt at this moment and tried to console him. "Old Tan, if you look at it from a different perspective, not having to handle these two cases is also a kind of relief for you. I know that these two years, this matter has been weighing heavily on your mind. But in investigations, sometimes having a different person with a different approach is necessary. So don't think too much about it. Director Chen's decision doesn't imply anything else, and I'm not sure I can definitely solve these cases."
Tan Yong knew that Jiang Ming was saying these words to comfort himself. He said, "So what should I do now?"
"For now, there are no other cases, so take a break. How about taking some time off or going on a trip? You still haven't used any of your 15 days of annual leave this year."
Tan Yong stood up from his chair, saying curtly, "Fine, I understand."
Back in his own office, Tan Yong felt an overwhelming sense of loss and distress. He remained silent for a long time. Li Bin noticed his mood and asked, "Old Tan, what's wrong? You seem off."
"Director Chen and Jiang Ming told me to suspend the investigation on these two cases," Tan Yong said gloomily.
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"Why?"
There were only the two of them in the office now, so Tan Yong explained the whole situation to Li Bin. When Li Bin learned that Tan Yong was about to inherit over 27 million yuan, he was naturally stunned, unable to close his mouth.
Then, he showed his lack of understanding, "Old Tan, why be upset about this? If I were you, I'd be ecstatic! 1.38 million a year is almost twenty times our current annual salary! This kind of luck is not something everyone has!"
Tan Yong glanced at him. "Not everything can be measured in terms of money."
"True, I understand. You're responsible, and you love solving cases. But in that case from two years ago, when the body was discovered, more than twenty days had already passed, and there were no clues or evidence at the scene. The victim was an out-of-town tenant with no connections to anyone. How could you possibly investigate such a case? Isn't it a good thing to be able to drop such an unsolvable cold case? Let Jiang Ming rack his brain over it. You can take this opportunity to get rid of that case; it's not a bad thing."
Tan Yong contemplated for a moment and found it difficult to find words because what Li Bin said had some logic to it.
"Especially, it's been two years now, and I don't believe Jiang Ming is a miracle worker who can solve this case. It's the same with the Gong Yamei case. You're so familiar with those 'family' members, and yet you couldn't find any flaws. What extraordinary abilities can Jiang Ming have?" Li Bin lowered his voice. "I think he's also been forced to take on these two cases, and the pressure might be greater than anyone else's."
"Yes, he said he's not sure he can solve these cases."
"But, two years have passed, and I don't think even Jiang Ming can solve such cases."
"But the problem is that Director Chen handed these tasks to him. At least it shows how much they value and trust him," Tan Yong said with a bitter smile. "As for me, after working diligently for so many years, I'm on the verge of losing not only their trust but also their favor."
Li Bin could understand Tan Yong's feelings. He patted Tan Yong's shoulder and said, "Don't think too much about it, Old Tan. In any case, you're wealthy now, so it doesn't matter whether you continue working."
After saying this, Li Bin returned to his seat. Tan Yong's thoughts, however, didn't stop, and he considered the last sentence Li Bin had said.
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At noon, when he returned home for lunch, Tan Yong suddenly asked his wife, "What do you think if I really inherit Gong Yamei's inheritance and quit my job?"
"Not being a cop anymore? I don't have any objections to that. Being a detective is dangerous, and every time you go out on a case, I worry that something might happen to you. If you don't want to do it anymore, I'll definitely support you. But the question is, do you really want that? Isn't this just a passing thought?" Dou Hui said.
"I do like being a detective, but if I lose the trust of my superiors and there are no cases to work on, what's the point of continuing?" Tan Yong replied.
"Oh? Is it really that bad?"
Tan Yong then poured out his grievances and frustrations. After listening to his story, Dou Hui naturally sympathized with her husband. After offering words of comfort, she made her stance clear, "If you're really feeling this stifled, I think you should resign. Making 1.38 million a year, do you even need to work? Enjoying your life early isn't a bad idea."
Tan Yong looked at Dou Hui. "Then what will we do?"
"Enjoy retirement life. You're not young anymore, nearly fifty years old. Consider it an early retirement. We can travel, explore the country, and then go abroad. After having our fill of traveling, if you want to do something, we can open a teahouse by the Yuehai Bay. We can sunbathe, play mahjong, and chat with customers. We don't need to worry about making money; just hire a few employees. We'll be absentee owners, chatting with customers, playing cards, and drinking tea. It'll be such a comfortable life."
Tan Yong fantasized for a moment about the leisurely life his wife described and smiled. "That does sound nice."
After a while, he said, "So, should we start living that way tomorrow? We can go on a trip. You choose the destination."
"Tomorrow? Are you planning to resign already? Maybe it's better to wait until you actually have the money, just to be sure."
"It's not a resignation, it's taking a leave. Jiang Ming suggested it, letting me take a break."
"Alright! I haven't been on a trip in so long. How about we go to the Jiangnan region? I've always wanted to visit Wuzhen and Zhouzhuang."
"Sure, I'll go with your choice."
So, it was settled. In the afternoon, Tan Yong and Dou Hui planned their trip and decided to start with Hangzhou as their first destination.
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Dou Hui called their daughter to inform her that they would be traveling for more than ten days. Tan Yali was very supportive, knowing that her parents hadn't gone on a vacation for at least five years.
She assured her mother that she could stay in the dormitory at school over the weekend with her two friends and not to worry about them.
Tan Yong booked plane tickets on his phone. Having been frugal, they found that the tickets for the preferred time slot were a bit pricey, so they booked the 9:40 PM flight for the next night.
Next, Dou Hui found their luggage, which had been unused for a long time, and started packing clothes and daily essentials. The two of them chatted and discussed how they would explore Hangzhou.
Tan Yong realized that, for various reasons, he needed to relax. During the process of packing their luggage, he seemed to release some of the burdens from his mind.
The next evening at 8 PM, the couple arrived at the Lishi Airport, having already eaten dinner. They checked in, queued up for security checks, and then sat in the boarding gate lounge waiting for their flight.
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Close to 9 PM, Tan Yong's phone rang; it was a call from Li Bin. Tan Yong answered, "Hello," but as he listened to what Li Bin had to say, his face changed dramatically, and he suddenly stood up, asking, "What did you say?!"
Dou Hui, sitting next to him, was startled and asked, "What's going on?"
Tan Yong didn't answer, walking aside to take the call. After a minute or two, he returned with a pale face. Dou Hui could tell something was wrong and asked, "What's going on?"
"It's not Yali..."
"Then who is it?"
Tan Yong looked at Dou Hui. "It's the 'family.' Something happened."
"What happened?"
Tan Yong noticed that many people around them were now looking in their direction. Hesitating for a moment, he said to Dou Hui, "We can't go on this trip; I need to go back immediately."
"What? What happened?"
"I can't explain it here, and Li Bin didn't make it very clear either. He's on his way to the scene."
"The scene?" Dou Hui's eyes widened in shock. "Has there been a murder?"
"Yes."
"Who died?"
Tan Yong didn't want to continue the conversation. Anxious as he was, he dragged their luggage toward the airport exit. Dou Hui followed behind and asked, "What about the plane tickets?"
"You deal with the refund."
"The plane is about to take off; can we still get a refund?"
"I don't care if we can or can't; we can't worry about that now!"
"It's over a thousand yuan per ticket, so two tickets are more than three thousand..."
Tan Yong turned to her, his eyes glaring. "Do you know what happened? Right now, you're worried about the ticket money? People from the 'family'..." Tan Yong glanced around and lowered his voice. "According to what Li Bin said, it seems like half of them are dead!"
"Ah..." Dou Hui covered her mouth in horror.
Tan Yong gave her another look before dragging the suitcase and hurrying forward. Dou Hui didn't dare to speak anymore and quickly followed.
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TL CORNER
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