138: Chapter 138 Role Playing

"Captain He! Captain He! It's him!" Wang Hao pointed his finger at Lin Ning, his voice so shrill it could shatter glass. "Brawling! He beat someone so badly they're in the hospital!"

The entire hall fell silent for a moment. Then, all eyes collectively landed on the loudly "accusing" Wang Hao. They looked at Captain He, then followed the direction of his arm to look at Lin Ning.

For a moment, Lin Ning was at a loss. What kind of weirdo was this? Why was he being so abrupt?!

He Changcheng's expression was grim.

He stared at Wang Hao for two seconds before looking past him at Lin Ning.

His hands were free, and his posture was relaxed. Meanwhile, Officer Wu Gao and Old Zhang maintained a safety distance of over two meters from him, their eyes signaling something.

He Changcheng's heart skipped a beat—something was wrong.

This was originally just a small trick to catch someone's weakness; he hadn't taken it to heart. If things changed, he wouldn't mind letting it go. But this idiot in front of him, fearing that others wouldn't know there was something fishy going on, had shouted it out loud, effectively putting him on the spot.

He Changcheng wished he could kick him to death.

"Attend to the informant," he said with a serious expression and a steady, business-like voice. "As for the suspect, follow the procedures according to the law and regulations."

To those who knew how to read between the lines, the message was clear.

Officer Wu Gao and Old Zhang exchanged a look and understood—Captain He hadn't said it explicitly, but his attitude was clear.

Just as they were about to step forward, Lin Ning, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, took a few steps ahead to the service desk.

"Call Bureau Chief Bai or Bureau Chief Zhao," he instructed the female officer quite rudely. "Just say Lin Ning from Yanjing is here for a 'visit'."

He Changcheng heard him loud and clear.

His expression changed, and he felt a strange sense of unease.

Lin Ning caught his expression out of the corner of his eye. Despite the heaviness in his heart, he found it somewhat amusing. These people... they just loved to overthink and make connections.

The interrogation room.

Officer Wu Gao questioned him about the incident in a methodical manner.

Lin Ning recounted the events, feigning a look and tone of suppressed impatience.

In his mind, however, he kept hypnotizing himself: I am a lost pearl of a big shot, I am a lost pearl of a big shot...

My life, which should have been bright and powerful... it's all because of damn fate. Now even a small-time punk can bully me.

I had to endure when I was an ordinary person, and I still have to endure after acknowledging a big shot. What was the point of acknowledging him then?

"Screw it!" Lin Ning had successfully brainwashed himself into a state of agitation.

Furthermore, he was truly angry deep down.

He had been low-key and honest enough, even more restrained than when he was in Yanjing.

Even with those three thugs today, he had carefully controlled his strength and angles. Aside from knocking them unconscious and causing some swelling on their faces, there were no other injuries.

Yet even after all that, someone still used such a disgusting method to mess with him.

Lin Ning had already deduced most of their plan. It wouldn't actually cause him serious harm, but within the rules, they could use those rules to lock him up for a few days and give him a criminal record at most.

F*ck!

He didn't care about his reputation in Yanjing, but he couldn't do that in his hometown. What about his mother? What about his sister?

The frustration and anger in Lin Ning's heart burned brighter and brighter. His gaze toward the two "red-named" policemen became increasingly fierce.

Dammit! Since I've decided to borrow someone else's authority, I might as well make a big scene. Bullying the weak and fearing the strong—it's the same from officialdom to the common folk. This is the root of human frailty.

He wanted to establish an image of someone not to be trifled with.

At this moment, Officer Wu Gao started asking for the second time.

Lin Ning's tone turned extremely hostile. "How many times are you going to ask? You've seen the body cam footage. What's not clear? Are you looking for trouble?"

"We still need to..." Officer Wu Gao maintained his formulaic tone.

"Need my ass!" Lin Ning crossed his legs and leaned back. His posture was lazy, but his eyes were like frozen ice. "Looking for trouble, aren't you?"

Then he stared intently at the camera in the corner. "Did you call your bureau chief? Trying to play me? Fine! I'm right here. Let's see what other tricks you have! F*ck you, I was being too nice to you!"

Lin Ning's sudden outburst made Officer Wu Gao, who was already apprehensive, even more tense.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen idiots acting tough, but with a guilty conscience and Lin Ning's air of confidence, he knew this wasn't some bluff or a fool who didn't understand the situation.

Lin Ning cursed a few times and then stopped. He began to "let things slide," leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed, watching the expressions of the two men opposite him with interest.

Five minutes passed.

The flame of impatience in his eyes burned brighter—it was the anger of being offended.

The door opened.

Bureau Chief Bai pushed the door open and entered, followed by He Changcheng.

Baiyin Namula, a typical Mongolian... elderly man. His withered, bark-like face didn't make him look like an official, but rather like a herdsman from the grasslands.

However, he possessed the characteristic ferocity of a Mongolian man, carrying a natural authority when he put on a serious face. As soon as he entered, the pressure in the entire interrogation room changed.

But in the next second, a smile broke out on that weathered face.

"Hahaha, Lin Ning," he walked over as if greeting his own nephew. "Don't be angry. It's all procedure. The comrades below were a bit overzealous; they should be criticized, but please try to understand."

With his first sentence upon entering, he set the tone for the situation.

It wasn't intentional targeting; it was being "overzealous" while carrying out procedures. Even if you went back to complain, it would be a work error, not a malicious conspiracy.

Lin Ning narrowed his eyes—a veteran of officialdom!

He didn't respond or stand up; he simply uncrossed his legs.

Bureau Chief Bai didn't mind. He turned to Officer Wu Gao and Old Zhang and said, "Procedures are for fairness and justice, not to make people feel targeted. A mistake is a mistake. Apologize to Little Lin."

Officer Wu Gao and Old Zhang immediately complied.

Lin Ning was noncommittal. His gaze moved past Bureau Chief Bai and landed on He Changcheng's face.

Bureau Chief Bai waved his hand, signaling Captain He to take Wu and Zhang out while he stayed behind to soothe Lin Ning.

In the hallway.

Officer Wu Gao leaned in. "Captain He, who exactly is he?"

Old Zhang said with a long face, "He probably saw through today's matter..."

He Changcheng waved his hand to cut them off, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

What could he say? Explain to them what a Red Tag meant? Say that Lin Ning was likely a relative of some big shot family in Yanjing? Dammit! He had enough of a headache already and didn't have time to explain the unspoken rules of the upper echelons to them.

"Go do whatever you're supposed to be doing." He dropped those words and turned to leave.

In his heart, he cursed that man named Zhao eight hundred times.

Trying to handle a nobody had brought such a big trouble.

Furthermore, could that trash still be used?

Lin Ning acted more normally toward Bureau Chief Bai. He wanted to pose as someone with a background, not a villain or cannon fodder, but he also put away the upbringing and politeness he'd had since childhood.

Listening to Bureau Chief Bai's pleasantries, he remained expressionless, only giving perfunctory responses. He let Bureau Chief Bai see his dissatisfaction, but also made it clear that this dissatisfaction wasn't directed at him personally and that he was still a reasonable person.

When they came out again, Lin Ning and Bureau Chief Bai looked calm, even chatting and laughing.

In the hall.

Wang Hui, Lin Jing, Wu Qingshan, and most of the relatives who had gone to the Lin family's house for dinner today were all standing there.

Leading them was Aunt, her voice loud and clear as she "explained the situation" to the duty officer: "...We just came to see what trouble Lin Ning has caused again, to see if we can help..."