Li Lei knew, of course, that some people in the station had already secretly made phone calls from the restrooms and gone out, but that was exactly the result he wanted—he wanted those leaders to come down. It didn't take long for several leaders from the branch office to arrive, including several deputy directors, and Director He was among them.
There were four or five cars and quite a few people. But only a few leaders entered the hall.
As soon as Wu Zhiguo saw Director He, he jumped up and ran to his side, crying and saying, "Uncle, I was beaten! By those two!" He pointed to Zhou Xuan and Li Wei, who were still being beaten, "They hit my car, damaged it, and then chased after me and beat me as soon as I got out. Uncle, you have to get revenge for me!"
Director He's face darkened, and he shouted, "What are you yelling about? Quiet down! This is a society governed by law. You can't be wronged!"
As he spoke, Director He glanced at Director Fu. Director Fu's face was grim, and he remained silent. Director He felt uneasy. He and the other deputy directors had been summoned by Director Fu, who said it was a direct call from a city leader. They didn't know what it was about until they arrived and learned that his nephew, Wu Zhiguo, had gotten into trouble. Although he was furious, he was still unsure of what kind of person Wu Zhiguo was. He knew Wu Zhiguo's character all too well, but seeing him now, covered in grime and blood, he felt somewhat relieved. If he seemed to have suffered a loss, then things would be easier to discuss. His only worry was whether the other party was someone with a powerful background!
Director Fu was furious. The call wasn't from a leader in the Municipal Bureau or the Provincial Department, but from Secretary Wei's secretary. The matter wasn't explained clearly; he was simply asked to handle it. What had Wei's subordinates done to cause trouble that had even alarmed Secretary Wei?!
When they arrived, they learned that the incident involved He Guangwei's relative. However, the other party was entirely composed of military personnel, which immediately made Director Fu's heart sink. Military personnel generally do not directly get involved with local authorities. Although there are many disputes, local authorities usually give in to the military.
However, the scene before them was not so simple. Although the person sitting in the chair was not wearing a military uniform, he possessed an extraordinary bearing and exuded a commanding presence.
Director Fu glanced at the soldiers behind him. Two of them had regimental-level uniforms. The man in his fifties looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place him. He hesitated for a moment.
When Deputy Director Jiang Dezhi saw that it was all his men, his courage naturally swelled. Although he looked somewhat disheveled, he quickly straightened up and saluted the several bureau chiefs. He said, "Chiefs, Director He, Director Yang, Director Wu, it's like this, we arrived at the scene after receiving the emergency call. There was a car accident. Of course, that part falls under the jurisdiction of the traffic police. We only handle reports of assault and injury, so we brought the two men who committed the assault back to the station!"
Li Wei immediately cursed, "I'll hit your mother's head! I won't talk about the cause of the car accident, but let's just talk about the assault. That bastard came over as soon as he got out of the car and slapped my sister across the face. Of course I wanted to fight him to the death! You arrested people, why don't you arrest that bastard back?"
Director He was humiliated. Li Wei kept cursing his wife's nephew with vulgar language. Although there were some military personnel present, he couldn't be too arrogant, could he? He immediately said, "Watch your mouth. This is a state institution, not a place for you to herd cattle!"
Li Wei cursed, "I'll fuck your ass! If you're going to show some respect, I'll respect you. Just look at your bastard nephew, I can tell you're no good either!"
He Guangwei trembled with rage and shouted, "You...you're so insolent!"
Li Lei also shouted at Li Wei, "Shut up!" Then he said calmly to Director Fu, "His name is Li Wei, he's my son. Although my son speaks rudely, what he said isn't unreasonable. If you want others to respect you, then you have to act like you're being respected. I saw this person when I attended your interrogation banquet."
Li Lei pointed at Jiang Dezhi and snorted, saying, "I didn't hear anything from the interrogation record, but I heard him say, 'If I say you have no problem, then you have no problem. If I say you have a problem, then you have a problem.' Is this your quality? Is this your work attitude?"
Jiang Dezhi's face flushed red, and he said angrily, "It's normal for me to swear when they don't cooperate!"
"Normal?" Li Lei said coldly, "Then let me ask you, even if those two had a dispute after the car accident, that's not illegal, right? Why did you arrest them both? And even after bringing them back to the station, they were still restrained. Do you even know the regulations for using torture instruments? Besides, without concrete evidence, you can't just take one side's words as the final result, can you? Why didn't you bring the bureau chief's nephew back for questioning as well?"
Jiang Dedu was immediately somewhat embarrassed. In the fight, Wu Zhiguo's facial injuries were more prominent. It was understandable that Shan Zu and his group had the upper hand. However, Di Ren only brought back the two of them, and Wu Zhiguo hadn't even mentioned it. This approach was indeed unreasonable.
He Guangwei immediately stepped in to smooth things over. After all, he was his wife's nephew, and he had to lend a hand at this crucial moment: "It's obvious that they didn't bring Wu Zhiguo back. Wu Zhiguo's face was beaten like this, so he should go to the hospital for treatment first. Whether it's a suspect or an ordinary person involved in a dispute, the first thing we should do when someone is injured is to ensure their physical safety and health. Only then should we assist in the investigation."
After saying all this, he remembered something else and quickly asked Jiang Dezhi to help Zhou Xuan and Li Wei get out of the way.
Jiang Dezhi quickly grabbed the key to unlock the lock, but Li Wei immediately kicked him, yelling, "You think my handcuffs are so easy to remove? You think you can just take them off like that? I told you when you locked me up that it's not so easy to take them off, you bastard!"
Jiang Dezhi was both embarrassed and annoyed, but with his superiors in front of him, he dared not lose his temper.
He Guangwei reached out and took the key, then stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "He's not qualified, so I'll unlock this lock for you!"
Li Wei raised his chin and spat, "Who do you think you are? You think you're so great? Let me tell you, I'd rather stick your face on my ass than have it on me!"
He Guangwei could no longer contain himself and angrily retorted, "Young man, where is your upbringing? Have you ever learned manners?"
"You—I'm telling you!" Li Lei waved to He Guangwei and said coldly, "I'm his father, and I taught him his manners. I've only ever taught him that people who deserve respect must be respected, and those who don't deserve respect are nobody's business."
After saying that, she added casually, "Unfortunately, you're not the kind of person who deserves respect."
Watching the father and son fight back and forth with these people, Zhou Xuan felt a little better. Then he thought of his sister and Fu Ying. He wondered if his sister was feeling better. The thought of the slap his sister received brought pain to Zhou Xuan's heart again. Damn it, he couldn't bear to watch that scene. If they weren't in China, Zhou Xuan would have wanted to simply turn Wu Zhiguo into thin air and make him disappear from the world forever!
Li Lei's words made He Guangwei tremble with anger, but he was helpless. He glanced at Director Fu, but Director Fu seemed not to see him. The other side's soldiers were all armed with guns. In a direct confrontation, he definitely couldn't win. He had never encountered such an embarrassing situation before. In any disputes, it was only because others gave him a lot of face. In any matter, as long as there was a little look or a hint, someone would take care of things properly!
Take Wu Zhiguo, my nephew, for example. That kid has caused a lot of trouble, but I've never shown my face before. His subordinates, who are close to him, naturally handle things well! Li Lei didn't care whether he was angry or not, and said to Director Fu, "The transportation department is also your subordinate unit. Ask them again how they handled this car accident case today, and what their opinions are."
He Guangwei said angrily, "Even if you are from the military, you can't interfere in our affairs. This matter should be handled according to the rules and regulations!"
Li Lei sneered and chuckled, "Heh heh, you're putting on quite the official airs. I can imagine what would have happened if it were an ordinary person. Is this what you call following the rules? Is this what you call acting in accordance with the law?"
Director Fu, deep in thought and undisturbed by their conversation, suddenly realized something and exclaimed, "You—so you're Li!" He quickly realized there were too many people in the hall, and immediately shut his mouth, pointing at several deputy directors, "Except for the three of you, everyone else, go outside and assemble in the parking lot. No one is allowed to come in without my order!"
Then he pointed at Jiang Dezhi and Wu Zhiguo and said, "You two wait at the main gate. Come in when I tell you to!"
After Director Fu spoke, none of his men dared to linger. They hurriedly left the hall and went to the parking lot outside. Wu Zhiguo and Jiang Dezhi didn't dare to ask any more questions and waited at the main entrance of the hall as instructed. No matter how arrogant Wu Zhiguo was, he knew that the person speaking was a director who was one rank higher than his uncle. He didn't dare to act like he did at the beginning!
Li Lei knew that Director Fu recognized him. He wasn't a local official; as the deputy commander of a major military region, his status and power were slightly higher than that of a typical provincial party secretary. However, military leaders weren't like local leaders, who were constantly on television and in newspapers and widely recognized. Although military leaders held high positions, their public appearances were infrequent, so it wasn't surprising that people didn't recognize them. But at his level, some newspapers or internal journals did feature him. Director Fu, being from the public security front, had a lot of contact with these kinds of people. He had felt that Li Lei looked familiar ever since they met, and now he finally remembered!
Volume One: The Lotus Buds Just Begin to Emerge, Chapter 249: The Slap Is Repaid in the Same Way
After the bureau chief ushered everyone else out of the office hall, he tearfully addressed Li Lei, saying, "I am determined to handle this matter impartially today. I will continue to promote the good aspects and correct the mistakes!"
He Guangwei didn't feel the same way. (.) Director Fu's words were clearly a show of loyalty to Li Lei, or a work report in his tone. Upholding justice? What justice?!
Li Lei hesitated for a moment, then remained silent. The other party had recognized him; let them handle this themselves. Besides, he had already called Wei Haihe. Presumably, with the pressure from above, the outcome was already decided. He was simply trying to satisfy Zhou Xuan.
Li Lei could tell that Zhou Xuan was a person who valued relationships and family ties very much, and didn't care much about money. The most important issue today was that his sister had been beaten!
After Director Fu said that, Li Lei pondered, He Guangwei was angry, the other two deputy directors watched from the sidelines, Li Wei was indifferent, and Zhou Xuan was expressionless; they all began to think about it.
At this moment, the director rushed in from outside, wiped his sweat, and reported to Director Fu, "Director, Director Chen and Secretary Wei's secretary, Xiao Yang, are here now."
He spoke softly, but everyone in the hall heard him clearly. Li Lei had expected this, and Li Wei and Zhou Xuan were not surprised. Director Fu had only come after receiving a call from Xiao Yang, but they did not expect Xiao Yang to come in person. And then there was Director Chen, their superior in the public security front. If it was not a major case, how could he possibly come in person?
Today's incident was just a minor traffic dispute, but it alarmed Director Chen of the Provincial Department and the Party Secretary of the Municipal Committee. And the other party was none other than Deputy Commander Li, someone he never imagined. Even if it was a small matter, it has now escalated into a major incident!
I just heard that the young man named Li Wei, who was being held captive and spoke very aggressively, is the son of Deputy Commander Li. Now everything is clear!
Although Director Fu hadn't yet figured out who was right and who was wrong, it was undeniable that Deputy Director He's nephew, Wu Zhiguo, had collided with Li Wei's car. The responsibility was still unclear, but it was obvious that the young master had met his match. He Guangwei hadn't figured things out yet, and based on what he'd seen at the scene, Li Lei could easily deal with him. With just a word from him, He Guangwei's future would be over! As soon as Xiao Yang and Director Chen entered the hall, Xiao Yang quickly greeted Li Lei, saying, "Deputy Commander Li, Secretary Wei is really busy and specifically asked me to come and supervise this matter on his behalf. Don't worry!"
Director Chen quickly said to Li Lei, "Sir, we will definitely handle this matter seriously."
Li Lei interrupted him abruptly, saying calmly, "Don't worry about my feelings, and don't let me influence you. Just do what you should do. I'm just watching from the sidelines. Here's what you do."