When ordinary people are startled, they usually have their own side of the story.
It took Qi Tongwei a good while of explaining to convince the landlady that he was a good person. Yet, the moment the police arrived, the very same timid woman gave Qi Tongwei a thorough tongue-lashing.
Yes, she scolded him right in front of the police.
"You dog! Are you trying to get yourself killed? You nearly scared the life out of me!"
The landlady ranted for a full ten minutes, berating Qi Tongwei until he was completely drenched in verbal abuse. If the police hadn't stepped in because they couldn't stand to watch any longer, she might have continued for hours.
That wasn't the end of it; as he was leaving, she shoved two packs of cigarettes into his arms.
"Look, brother, I’ve got no filter when I talk, so please don't take it to heart."
Qi Tongwei looked at the landlady with a bizarre expression.
What was this? Paid venting? Do you take me for a prostitute?
He silently tucked the two packs of Da Qianmen cigarettes into his satchel and flashed a bright smile. "It's nothing, it's all fine."
Barring any surprises, the two would likely never cross paths again. Qi Tongwei wasn't about to hold a grudge against an old woman, let alone seek revenge. Ten minutes of scolding in exchange for two packs of cigarettes—he didn't consider it a loss.
He boarded the police car and was taken to the station, where he was led into the interrogation room.
An hour later, the Municipal Criminal Investigation Detachment Captain, Li Gang, arrived in a rush after hearing the news. He was received by Director Sun of the police station.
Li Gang was a man of impatient temperament. Without wasting time on pleasantries, he began verifying Sun Ping's identity, only proceeding to ask for details once it was confirmed.
"Tell me, Old Sun, how did your local precinct manage to catch this guy? I need to know so I can put in a request for your commendation."
Li Gang was genuinely envious, his tone laced with personal emotion.
Although it was claimed that all homicide cases in the country were solved, the *how* and the *how long* were always points of contention. This was especially true at a time when surveillance equipment wasn't widespread, the railway system was still imperfect, and rural populations were flooding into cities.
If a killer stayed put and played mind games, Li Gang had plenty of methods—the "Big Memory Recovery Technique," for instance. But once a suspect left the city, let alone the province, everyone was helpless; catching them was purely a matter of luck.
"Sigh, don't even mention it."
Old Sun looked dejected. Catching a fugitive murderer in his jurisdiction should have been a good thing, but the fact that he hadn't been involved in the process at all made it awkward. Under normal circumstances, a citizen should report the crime, then the police would arrive to confirm it, and finally, the arrest would be made. You provide the lead, I provide the manpower, you get the bonus, I get the credit—that’s how police and civilians should work together.
But look at Qi Tongwei; the bastard had done everything himself.
If Old Sun had known Gao Yuliang, he would surely have pointed at Qi Tongwei’s nose and said: "Don't say things that undermine unity, and don't do things that undermine unity! Why don't you listen to your teacher?"
Qi Tongwei: "Sorry, I really want to join the Ministry."
Old Sun recounted the events in full, then finished with a pained expression: "Old Li, you have to help me with this."
Li Gang’s eyes widened, his voice turning stern: "I’m warning you, don't make a mistake. Claiming credit for others' work is the privilege of the corrupt, not us."
"Sigh..." Old Sun slapped his thigh. "Where is your mind at? That's not what I meant."
"Then what do you mean?"
"I mean, the bounty for Sun Ping is 800 yuan. I’ll add 200 of my own to make it a thousand."
"And then?"
"And then..." Old Sun’s eyes darted around, and he chuckled, "I’ve already ordered my subordinates to print 500 copies of the wanted poster. To catch a criminal, one has to recognize the criminal, right?"
Seeing that Li Gang was no longer agitated, Old Sun struck while the iron was hot: "I have no other intentions. I just don't want to get reprimanded."
Li Gang was persuaded. While there was a suspicion of deceiving the organization, overall, it was a win-win situation, and he didn't want to be too rigid.
He hesitated, "But won't this corrupt the pure heart of a successor to the cause? It doesn't feel right."
"Not at all, not at all."
Old Sun waved his hand repeatedly. His subordinates had already reported that Qi Tongwei still had the two unopened packs of cigarettes in his bag, and on the way back, he hadn't stopped talking about the prize money. His heart didn't need corrupting—it was already black to the core. If he weren't so timid, Old Sun would have added another 500 yuan and claimed the station made the arrest himself.
Qi Tongwei: "You have a sharp eye for people."
...
Inside the interrogation room, Qi Tongwei rested his chin on his hand.
Reborn into this life, the greatest lesson he had learned was that one cannot have both the fish and the bear's paw. As long as things didn't go too far, he could forgo the credit—all he wanted was the money.
He had purposely acted greedy because he had zero faith in Director Sun. The man was a massive corrupt official who would embezzle 6 million by '99. He was bold enough for anything.
*Creeak.*
The door was pushed open, and Li Gang—a middle-aged man in plain clothes with a square face—walked in and sat opposite him.
Li Gang first scrutinized him with his gaze, then praised: "A hero among youths, full of martial spirit. Very good, very spirited."
Qi Tongwei gave a shy smile, though he was screaming internally: "Isn't this Director Li, the 'Crime Buster' of '99, the 'Big Tiger' of '04!"
After asking some basic questions, a flash of shame crossed Li Gang's dark face, but he quickly returned to normal and said sternly:
"This is the 800-yuan bounty for Sun Ping, plus a 200-yuan supplement from the Municipal Bureau, for a total of one thousand yuan. Thank you for ridding society of this cancer."
He pulled an envelope from his jacket, acting all official, not revealing a shred of personal intent. Even the 200 yuan from Old Sun was framed as a supplement from the Bureau.
He placed the envelope on the table and pushed it forward slightly. "Now, one last question. I hope you answer truthfully."
"Please, go ahead," Qi Tongwei said solemnly.
Li Gang waved his hand with a smile. "No need to be so nervous. I just want to know how you recognized Sun Ping, and through what channel."
"I saw it in the newspaper."
"Which newspaper? Which issue? Do you still have it? Can it still be found?"
After the barrage of questions, Li Gang was confident he had him in his grasp.
Qi Tongwei appropriately feigned a look of bewilderment, sneering inwardly: *First, throw out an unsolvable problem, then provide an easy solution. This is 'suppress first, elevate later.' Using interrogation tactics on Director Qi, are we?*
"I... I forgot... but I can go back and look for it."
The corners of Li Gang's mouth curled up. *Got him.*
"That’s a bit troublesome. I recall you’re still a university student with studies to attend to. You can't let your studies fall behind... The fact remains that you caught a murderer; that cannot be denied. If we keep harping on these details, it makes us look heartless."
"Take a look at this."
Li Gang took out a freshly printed wanted poster.
"You should be familiar with this. We have them posted at every major checkpoint. Have you seen this before?"
Qi Tongwei was absolutely certain this was the first time he’d seen the poster. What surprised him was that these two future big-time corrupt officials were so timid; they weren't looking to eat the meat, just to drink a little soup.
Qi Tongwei quickly seized the opportunity to step off the ledge. "Right, that's it. It was the wanted poster that helped me recognize Sun Ping."
"Excellent." Li Gang stood up with a smile. "It's all finished. You can go now. Oh, and we will send a commendation letter to your university. Keep it up, study hard!"