3: Chapter 3 An Xin, I'll eat these dumplings for you.

Zhao Yang called the two of them out, closing the door to the interrogation room behind him.

"Is he your friend? Then..." Li Xiang frowned and looked at An Xin with an inquiring gaze.

An Xin scratched his head and thought for a moment. "Let's ask if there's anything major first. If not, have him write a statement of guarantee and let him go. Xiao Zhao, take the cigarettes back; they're too expensive!"

"Yeah! There's no need for this." Although Li Xiang was a bit reluctant, he still stuffed the Huazi back into Zhao Yang's pocket.

Looking at these two, Zhao Yang felt a slight stir in his heart.

They were both good people.

One used twenty years of his youth and love to uphold the standards of being a decent human being.

The other used his life to fulfill his responsibilities.

He blocked their hands and smiled. "No, no, no, you've misunderstood. I don't know this person."

Li Xiang was stunned and shook the Huazi in his hand. "Then what do you mean by this?"

Zhao Yang pointed to the interrogation room. "Let me interrogate this man; I want to practice. You two can give me some pointers from the side."

The two of them realized his intention, but they still wanted to return the cigarettes.

After all, Huazi were too expensive; one pack cost more than a day's salary.

After declining for a while, seeing Zhao Yang's firm attitude, the two had no choice but to accept, while verbally agreeing to treat Zhao Yang to a meal next time.

The three returned to the interrogation room.

Li Xiang pulled up another chair and sat with An Xin on either side of Zhao Yang.

Gao Qiqiang was completely dazed, staring blankly at the handsome young man who had suddenly appeared, subconsciously swallowing hard.

Zhao Yang was also sizing him up.

"Name."

"Gao Qiqiang."

"Gao Qiqiang, that's a good name." Zhao Yang nodded. "Chewing dry coffee without sugar, I am the Big Brother Gao Qiqiang—that's talking about you, right?"

An Xin: "..."

Li Xiang: "..."

Zhao Yang ignored their strange looks and simply focused on Gao Qiqiang.

Gao Qiqiang looked like he had seen a ghost. Even his younger brother and sister might not know about his habit of chewing dry coffee when he was nervous; how did the officer in front of him know?

"Officer, I... I-I-I, I'm not some 'Big Brother'."

An Xin leaned in and lowered his voice. "Xiao Zhao, do you really know him?"

"I heard about him while visiting Jiuchang Street. He sells fish to put his siblings through school," Zhao Yang replied casually.

"Oh, no wonder," An Xin nodded.

Zhao Yang tapped on the table with a serious expression. "Then remember, coffee is meant to be drunk. You must add sugar when drinking coffee; if you don't, the consequences will be very serious."

Gao Qiqiang subconsciously asked, "What are the consequences?"

"It will be very bitter."

Zhao Yang spoke very seriously.

Gao Qiqiang: "..."

An Xin: "..."

Li Xiang: "..."

There was a dead silence.

A dozen seconds later, Li Xiang tugged at Zhao Yang's sleeve, pointed to the DV camera nearby, and lowered his voice. "Stop playing around, it's recording."

Zhao Yang gave a sheepish laugh, made an 'OK' gesture, and continued the questioning. "Gao Qiqiang, where did the injuries on your body come from?"

Gao Qiqiang quickly replied, "Tang Xiaolong and his group beat me."

"Did you fight back?"

"I... I did."

"Oh, then it's a mutual brawl; both sides share similar responsibility." Zhao Yang turned to look at Li Xiang. "Right?"

Li Xiang reminded him in a low voice, "The key is who started it."

"There's no surveillance, no third-party witnesses, and both sides have their own stories. Who knows who started it? So, a mutual brawl is the most accurate description." Zhao Yang looked at An Xin again. "Am I right?"

An Xin thought for a while and slowly nodded. "It seems... to make some sense."

Li Xiang felt something was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it for the moment.

Zhao Yang continued, "Gao Qiqiang, tell us what happened from the beginning."

Gao Qiqiang organized his thoughts and began to narrate.

It started because he wanted to keep his fish stall. Following the hints from the Tang brothers, he had gritted his teeth and bought a TV on New Year's Eve to give as a bribe. But the Tang brothers thought the gift was too cheap; they not only refused to help him keep the stall but also intentionally pushed and broke the TV. As a result, a fight broke out, and the Tang brothers called the police, claiming he had committed a home invasion robbery.

By the time he finished, An Xin's sympathy was already overflowing, and he wore a look of pity.

Zhao Yang remained expressionless and asked, "You say the TV is yours? How can you prove it?"

"I have the invoice!" Gao Qiqiang said quickly.

"Let me see the invoice?"

"It's... it's at my house."

Zhao Yang sighed and turned to An Xin. "A key piece of evidence is missing; we can't continue the questioning."

"Ah?" An Xin looked surprised. "Why?"

"If we can prove the TV is his, the nature of the case is one thing. If we can't, then the nature becomes very serious. Li Xiang, what do you think?"

Li Xiang pondered for a moment and nodded. "It really is quite different."

"Officer, the TV really is mine, I have the invoice to prove it!" Gao Qiqiang grew anxious. "You have to believe me..."

Zhao Yang waved his hand. "I only believe in evidence. Take me to your house to get the invoice back."

"No problem, Officer!"

"Wait!" Li Xiang quickly grabbed Zhao Yang. "You're going to his house? It'll be trouble if something happens!"

"How about... we go together? The invoice is very important for determining the nature of the case. A TV worth over seven thousand—that's a huge amount. If there's really no invoice, he'll be in for it."

Home invasion robbery involving a huge amount started at ten years.

"Hiss..." Li Xiang sucked in a breath of cold air. "Zhao Yang, it's just a fight, is that really necessary?"

"What if Tang Xiaolong refuses to let it go? We have to solidify the evidence."

"You're right! I'll go with you!" Li Xiang patted An Xin's shoulder. "An Xin, you stay here. I'll go with Zhao Yang to collect the evidence."

"Alright, be careful on the road."

Li Xiang wanted to handcuff Gao Qiqiang, but Zhao Yang stopped him. "There's no need. Could the two of us really let him escape?"

Gao Qiqiang was also afraid of his siblings seeing him in handcuffs and quickly said, "I definitely won't run! I'm innocent! I still have a younger brother and sister to support at home!"

Li Xiang hesitated for a moment but eventually put the handcuffs away.

Afterward, Zhao Yang drove the police car with Li Xiang and Gao Qiqiang in the back seat.

Just as they left the gates of the Public Security Bureau, Zhao Yang stopped the car and pointed at a man and woman squatting by the entrance. He asked Gao Qiqiang, "Are those two the brother and sister you mentioned?"

Gao Qiqiang looked over quickly and nodded repeatedly. "It's them! They must have come because they were worried about me."

"Let them get in the car," Zhao Yang said in a flat tone.

Gao Qiqiang was overjoyed and rolled down the window, shouting, "Xiao Sheng! Xiao Lan! Over here, I'm over here!"

"That sounds like Big Brother's voice!" Gao Qilan turned her head and showed a look of pleasant surprise. "Second Brother, look, it's Big Brother! It's Big Brother!"

"Big Brother!" Gao Qisheng recognized Gao Qiqiang and ran over, pulling Gao Qilan with him. "What happened to your face? Who beat you?"

"Brother, what exactly is going on?" Gao Qilan looked distressed, and tears began to flow.

Zhao Yang gave a light cough. "Gao Qiqiang, let them get in. I'll take you all back together."

Seeing the two of them shivering from the cold, Li Xiang swallowed his words of objection and patted Gao Qiqiang's shoulder. "Let one of them sit in the back and the other in the front. Get in the car first."

Gao Qiqiang hurriedly complied. Gao Qisheng rushed to sit in the back to ask about the situation, so Gao Qilan had to sit in the passenger seat.

Zhao Yang stole a glance from the corner of his eye.

Her rustic clothing Sealed her figure, but the girl was pretty and quiet, with fair skin and a gentle personality—she was the type he quite liked.

If she were to put on gold-rimmed glasses and become a mature beauty in the future...

Then he would like her even more.

As Zhao Yang was calculating in his mind, his gaze lingered on her face for a second too long just as Gao Qilan happened to steal a glance at him.

Their eyes met.

Gao Qilan felt as if she had been burned; she quickly lowered her head, her face turning red all the way to her ears, her small fists subconsciously clenching.

This officer...

Is really handsome.

Even better looking than a movie star.