The security chief looked troubled. Their uniforms were completely different from police uniforms. If they arrested someone now, they might end up in jail themselves in a little while. Who would believe that someone who could stay in a five-star hotel didn't have some kind of power?
Moreover, these security guards were all retired soldiers. Luo Zhiping had been running around the hotel these past few days, acting as a pimp for Zhongchuan, and these guards had all seen it. They couldn't help but feel a bit disdain for this traitor, and their words were somewhat biased towards Peng Fei.
"You...do you still want to work here? I'm a district government employee, and Mr. Nakagawa is an important guest of ours. He assaulted a foreign guest. If you don't deal with this, you're all fired..."
Luo Zhiping was furious. Not only could he not get any benefit from Peng Fei, but these hotel security guards didn't even take him seriously. This made him lose face in front of Mr. Nakagawa, and he was so angry that he could barely speak.
The security captain, showing some responsibility, said calmly and respectfully, "I'm sorry, we really don't have law enforcement authority. I've already called the police; let's wait for them to handle it..."
"Damn it, what are you pretending to be so great for? You're just a pimp, aren't you? Are the Japanese so great?"
The security captain cursed under his breath. Their hotel was owned by a Hong Kong businessman with a very powerful background. Now that he knew Luo Zhiping's identity, he really didn't take him seriously.
Nakagawa, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up when he saw that Luo Zhiping seemed unable to resolve the matter: "Mr. Luo, you Chinese are too barbaric. If you can't handle this properly, I think... I'll reconsider the investment..."
"Who cares whether you're an investor or not..."
Luo Zhiping covered his almost numb cheek, forcing a smile, and said, "Mr. Nakagawa, please rest assured, we are a country ruled by law, and they will definitely pay the price for their actions..."
Luo Zhiping didn't care whether the investment would go through or not, but if the investment fell through, his so-called visiting scholar program in Japan would definitely also fall through. This would mean pleasing neither side. After thinking it over, Luo Zhiping took out his phone, walked a few steps away, and dialed a number.
To be honest, Luo Zhiping didn't really have any decent connections. Being able to serve as the translator for Nakagawa was a stroke of luck. He knew he didn't have the ability to influence the police investigation that was about to begin.
However, after several days of translation work, Luo Zhiping knew that the district leaders attached great importance to the Zhongchuan Investment project. If he couldn't do it himself, he would ask the leaders to step in. He called Director Ma of the Investment Promotion Office, who was a member of the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee and a person whose word was law in this area.
As Luo Zhiping embellished his explanation, Director Ma was indeed furious. In today's society where the economy takes precedence, everyone and everything must make concessions. Moreover, Zhongchuan's investment amounted to hundreds of millions of US dollars, which was a considerable amount of investment for a western city. Even the city leaders paid close attention to it.
Director Ma immediately dialed the phone of the district police station leader and gave some instructions. At the same time, he got up and rushed to the hotel, hoping that Zhongchuan would not withdraw its investment because of this matter. If such a thing really happened, he would definitely be implicated as well. After all, the Investment Promotion Bureau is the department directly in charge of attracting investment.
"Mr. Nakagawa, please rest assured, this heinous incident will definitely be dealt with..."
Director Ma instructed Luo Zhiping to appease Zhongchuan. The traitorous translator, who thought he had received imperial authorization, explained a few things to Zhongchuan, then turned arrogantly to Peng Fei and said, "Kid, if you dare to lay a hand on someone, I'll make you pay..."
"You guys keep an eye on him, don't let him get away. Mr. Nakagawa, shall we go put on our clothes first and check the injury in his mouth?"
Luo Zhiping spoke to the three people three times, his expression changing three times in a row. When facing Peng Fei, he was somewhat fierce but actually weak, afraid that Peng Fei might slap him again without a second thought. When facing the security guard, he had a threatening look. Finally, when he looked at Zhongchuan, he immediately put on a smiling face. The speed at which he changed his expression was astonishing to everyone.
Nakagawa nodded, his face ashen, and returned to the dressing room with Luo Zhiping. As a businessman, although Nakagawa would not reject the preliminary investigation because of this, he had decided to negotiate with the relevant departments on this matter, as he had always enjoyed a lavish lifestyle in China.
"Senior brother, you're back for a hot spring soak? What are you talking about?"
Zhuang Rui's voice came from the hot spring pool in the distance. Dr. Ren and Xiao Jia shook their heads. It was obvious that the other party was a local bully and had already called for reinforcements. Why didn't Zhuang Rui care at all?
Even the security guards looked at Peng Fei with sympathy. Although they knew these people were not simple, they could tell from their accents that they were not locals. As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake. Even if they tried to find connections, they would have to go through layers of pressure. They couldn't escape the loss now.
Seeing Dr. Ren and Xiao Jia's nervous expressions, Peng Fei couldn't help but laugh, waving his hand and saying, "Hehe, Brother Ren, Xiao Jia, you two go soak in the hot springs, I'll handle this..."
In recent years, whenever Zhuang Rui went abroad, something inevitably happened. As the only surviving member of the Ouyang family's outer branch, Ouyang Lei was afraid that something might happen to Zhuang Rui in China as well. Therefore, he had already made some arrangements. With the power of the Ouyang family, as long as Zhuang Rui did not commit murder, arson, smuggling, or drug trafficking, even if he bullied men and women in a small way, there would be no major problems.
"Zhuang Rui, you...you don't even want to make a phone call to find someone? Or...how about I contact the archaeological department in Xi'an?"
Back at the hot spring pool where Zhuang Rui was, Dr. Ren was still feeling uneasy. Watching Peng Fei walk into the changing room, he was afraid that Peng Fei would suffer a loss. After all, it was common for the police to take the law into their own hands in this area, especially after being given hints by certain leaders.
Unlike Xiao Jia and the others, Dr. Ren knew that Zhuang Rui ran the Dingguang Museum, which had been gaining popularity in Beijing in recent years. He thought that Zhuang Rui must have a powerful background to be able to open such a private museum in a prime location in Beijing. That's why he urged Zhuang Rui to make a phone call to find someone to settle the matter.
"Senior, it's alright. Besides, even if something happens, what good would it do you to contact the archaeology department?"
Upon hearing Dr. Ren's words, Zhuang Rui laughed. His senior brother was truly a talent cultivated in the ivory tower. Could it be that he had found a few archaeology experts to explain the history of human civilization to the police?
Chapter 1089 The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Power (Part 2)
"But...but I only know people in the archaeology department. Maybe they have some friends..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Dr. Ren frowned in worry. He usually spent his time either conducting research at the research institute or carrying out archaeological excavations in the field. Apart from his colleagues in the Department of Archaeology at Peking University, he had virtually no social connections. If he hadn't come to Xi'an with Professor Meng a few years ago, he probably wouldn't even have those connections.
"No, Brother Ren, it's alright, don't worry about it, just enjoy your hot spring..."
Zhuang Rui laughed when he heard this. He didn't expect that his bookish senior brother Ren would actually know how to pull strings and find connections. However, seeing Dr. Ren's anxious look, Zhuang Rui was still a little touched. He knew that this older brother was afraid that he would suffer a loss.
"Brother Zhuang, this...this is all my fault, it's all my fault..."
Listening to Zhuang Rui and Dr. Ren's conversation, Xiao Lei bit her lip. The girl felt that she was the one who caused this trouble, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
"Hey, what's it to you? They're the ones acting like hooligans, Xiao Lei. Don't forget... this is China, our own country. Are we going to let foreigners bully us?"
Seeing Peng Fei slap those two men several times, Zhuang Rui, who was in a good mood, suddenly became angry after Xiao Lei's words. He stood up from the hot spring and said relentlessly, "Let's go, no more soaking, let's change clothes. This isn't like the Eight-Nation Alliance era, where any foreigner can run rampant in China." Zhuang Rui wasn't a radical; there were many injustices in the world, and he couldn't do anything about them since he had no official position or power. But he wouldn't stand for his own people to be bullied. If the other party was truly abusing their power and couldn't distinguish right from wrong, Zhuang Rui wouldn't mind playing the spoiled brat and using his grandfather's influence.
"There they are, there they are, it's us, it's us..."
Just as Zhuang Rui stepped out of the hot spring, he heard the voice of the traitorous translator. However, he was missing four teeth, so his mouth was leaky and the sound he made was very strange. He pronounced "he" as "cha," which made Zhuang Rui and the others burst into laughter.
Following behind Luo Zhiping were four uniformed police officers, one of whom was a woman. Led by Luo Zhiping, they walked towards Zhuang Rui and the others.
Seeing Xiao Lei's pale face, Zhuang Rui knew the girl had never seen anything like this before. He turned away and whispered, "Xiao Lei, go back and change your clothes. It'll be alright..."
"No, I'm not leaving. They started it all. I'll stay here and make things clear..."
Xiao Lei tightened the towel around her body and stubbornly shook her head.
"Okay, but don't stand here, let's go to the lounge over there..."
Zhuang Rui nodded dismissively. If the other party was truly unreasonable, they would only pursue the person who laid the blows and accuse you of intentional assault, without caring about the reason behind it. The little girl was too naive and inexperienced.
The lead policeman, seeing that Zhuang Rui and the others weren't approaching, quickened his pace and called out, "Hey, you guys, stop right there..."
"Officer, you shouldn't talk about this here. It's freezing cold. Will you reimburse our medical expenses?"
Zhuang Rui pursed his lips, but managed to stand firm. Now he was facing law enforcement officers, and Zhuang Rui didn't want to give them any ammunition.
The lead policeman walked quickly, jogging up to Zhuang Rui. He frowned and looked Zhuang Rui up and down, but Zhuang Rui was only wearing swimming trunks and a bath towel, so it was impossible to tell anything about him.
"Hey kid, you've got some nerve! You hit someone and didn't leave, you just kept soaking in the hot spring?"
The policeman who spoke was about thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, with the rank of Second-Class Superintendent on his shoulder. He reached out to pat Zhuang Rui.
Zhuang Rui shoved the police superintendent's hand away and said, "Don't touch me. I can sue you for indecent assault even if you're a man..."
"You're accusing me of indecent assault? Ha, ha..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, the police superintendent paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, saying, "Sir, we received a report that you have been accused of intentional assault. I now require several of you to come with me to assist with the investigation..."
Xiong Jintian is the deputy director of the police station in the hotel's jurisdiction. Recently, there have been rumors that their director is going to be transferred. Xiong Jintian has been busy making connections to prepare for the promotion. After receiving a call from his uncle, Director Ma, he immediately realized that this was a good opportunity.
It is common knowledge that the west is poor, so attracting investment has always been a key focus of the government's work. Now that someone is sabotaging the investment promotion efforts, if I can go and stop them and strictly investigate and punish those bad apples, I will surely gain points with the leaders. And it would be only natural that my uncle would help me get the position of director.
However, Xiong Jintian wasn't completely clueless. He knew that law enforcement had to be based on reason and evidence. After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, he immediately changed his approach. The internet is so advanced these days, and there might be cameras pointed at this public place like a hotel. Director Xiong didn't want to give anyone a handle to use against him.
"Intentionally causing harm? Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about?"
Zhuang Rui shook his head and continued, "I am a law-abiding citizen. I only saw this person harassing my friend, and I also suspect that this Japanese man is involved in soliciting prostitution. I think... are you mistaken?"
Zhuang Rui's composure made Chief Xiong a little uneasy. Having been a policeman for more than ten years, he knew very well that even innocent people would feel guilty and afraid in front of the police. He had never seen anyone like Zhuang Rui who dared to argue with the police, especially since he was so young.
Before Director Xiong could speak, Luo Zhiping, who was hiding behind him, couldn't hold back any longer. Among the people in front of him, the man with the crew cut from before didn't seem to be there, and with state machinery around, Luo Zhiping's courage grew. He pointed at Zhuang Rui and shouted, "He's lying! He's the one who ordered us to be beaten! It was him!" "Did I beat you?"
Zhuang Rui shoved away Luo Zhiping's hand, which was almost pointed at his face. He didn't bother with this traitorous translator who was just trying to intimidate him. Instead, he looked at Chief Xiong and said, "Officer, I think you can check the hotel's surveillance footage first, and then come talk to me. You can believe what this guy says?"
"Baka..."
As soon as Zhuang Rui finished speaking, Nakagawa, whose face was swollen on one side, also spoke with a livid face. However, he was missing two teeth, and his native language was not very standard.
"Did you hear that? Mr. Nakagawa can testify against him; he's the one who ordered people to beat us..."
Upon hearing Nakagawa's words, Luo Zhiping jumped up as if he had received a royal decree.
"Sorry, I don't understand bird language..."
Zhuang Rui's words brought Luo Zhiping to an abrupt halt. Indeed, among those present, only Luo Zhiping himself could understand Japanese, which hardly qualifies as evidence.
"Chief, I think... let them change their clothes first before proceeding..."
The policewoman following behind Xiong Jintian saw that Zhuang Rui didn't respect the police at all. In addition, after hearing Zhuang Rui say that the Japanese were soliciting prostitutes, she became a little biased towards Zhuang Rui and his group. Although China and Japan have been friendly for decades, as long as you are Chinese, you don't have a good impression of the Japanese.
"Alright, Xiao Liu, you go with her..."
Xiong Jintian also felt that staying here was not a solution. Even if he wanted to take them back to the station, he would have to make sure they put on their clothes. Moreover, Xiong Jintian could sense that the young man in front of him was so calm, he must have something to rely on.
These police officers weren't like the ones in novels, all fools who would resort to vigilante justice without any investigation. Xiong Jintian wanted to find out more about the other party first, and then discuss with his uncle how to handle the matter.
"Director Ma, this is what happened. The assailant who assaulted the person has already fled..."
While Zhuang Rui and the others were changing clothes, Director Ma from the Investment Promotion Office arrived at the hotel. He, Director Xiong, and Luo Zhiping were watching the video of the incident. The video showed that Zhuang Rui did not lay a hand on the person who did, and Director Xiong had not seen the person who did.
Luo Zhiping chimed in, "Director Xiong, that man went to change his clothes, and it was the young man who ordered him to beat him up. He can't just run away, can he?"
"I asked you to take Mr. Nakagawa to investigate investment matters, not to cause trouble..."
Director Ma glared at Luo Zhiping and asked Director Xiong, "Have you verified the other party's identity?"
This is what Director Ma is really concerned about. If the other party is rich but powerless and just a tourist, then they can be given administrative detention and fined a little money, which should be enough to appease Zhongchuan's anger. But if the other party has powerful connections, then they might have to smooth things over and let the matter drop.
"They are several researchers and students from the Archaeology Department of Peking University, who came to Shaanxi to conduct surveying and exploration work..."
Director Xiong had his female police officers extract information from Xiao Lei, thus gaining knowledge of Zhuang Rui and the others' identities. Of course, he only knew the surface-level details, as that was all Xiao Lei knew.
"School staff and students staying in five-star hotels? And they even dared to assault people? This is outrageous! Director Xiong, you must thoroughly investigate this matter. Those who should be detained should be detained, and those who should compensate for losses should be compensated. We must provide a safe investment environment for the businessmen who come here to invest..."
Upon hearing the background of Zhuang Rui and his group, Director Ma's expression relaxed, and he immediately gave instructions.
Researchers at Kyoto University might still have some influence, since Kyoto University has indeed produced many high-ranking officials and social talents, but if you add the words "archaeology department," Director Ma doesn't take them seriously. He's never heard of any official who came from an archaeology background.
Chapter 1090 Arrogance
After Zhuang Rui and the others got dressed, they were taken by several other police officers to a small conference room in the hotel. Xi'an is a tourist city with a large number of foreign tourists, and this was not the first time that conflicts had occurred between Chinese and foreigners. They all had experience in handling such matters.
This is no longer the time when foreigners from the Eight-Nation Alliance ran rampant. Generally speaking, when dealing with such matters, the police will give foreigners some convenience while also taking into account the feelings of the Chinese people. Therefore, the police officers from those police stations did not treat Zhuang Rui and his group as hostile elements and kept a very loose watch on them.
In situations like today's, where the foreigners are clearly at a disadvantage, the usual outcome is that the Chinese citizen apologizes and is fined a small amount; no one pursues the matter further.
"Let's go, I'll go with you and apologize to Mr. Nakagawa..."
The reason Director Ma didn't show his face after arriving was because he was afraid that Zhuang Rui might have some connections, and that it would be difficult to deal with things if he showed up. Now that he understands the identities of Zhuang Rui and the others, Director Ma has no more worries. What he is thinking about now is how to appease Mr. Nakagawa's anger and keep the investment within his jurisdiction.
"Mr. Nakagawa, I'm so sorry. It was our mistake that caused you harm. I think... we will give you a satisfactory answer..."
After Director Ma arrived at the small conference room, he immediately went to greet Zhongchuan, said the words above, and then turned to Luo Zhiping, signaling him to translate.
"I express my outrage at this barbaric act of physical assault in your country, and I hope that the perpetrator will be punished by law..."
Upon hearing Director Ma's words, Nakagawa's tense expression eased slightly. He had never imagined that someone from this seemingly humble nation would slap him in the face in public. This gave Nakagawa a new understanding of the courage and spirit of the Chinese people.