84: Chapter 84 Wang Hao's Sophistry

The door opened a crack, and behind the safety chain, Shen Jianan's ID flashed before Wang Hao's eyes.

Wang Hao sized up Shen Jianan cautiously. Seeing she was a stunningly beautiful police officer, a smile immediately broke across his face, and he put on a nonchalant act. "Hey there, Officer Sister. I'm a law-abiding citizen! What are you looking for me for? I'm not here for solicitation; I'm here to get a room with my girlfriend. That's not against the law, right?" As he spoke, he intentionally glanced back into the room, trying to create an air of innocence.

Shen Jianan swept her gaze through the gap in the door into the room, then looked back at Wang Hao with an unquestionable authority that made him feel a bit guilty. She said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, we're not here to bust you for solicitation."

"Then why are you looking for me? I didn't call the police..." Wang Hao shifted his gaze to Shen Jianan's subordinate, feigning confusion.

Shen Jianan patiently explained, "It's like this: on Friday night at the International Finance Center, a fight broke out in the Armani store. We're here to get some information from you. Please cooperate." As she spoke, she scrutinized Wang Hao's eyes; though her tone was calm, it carried an irresistible force.

Wang Hao's heart began to panic, but he did his best to stay composed, putting on a bewildered expression as he replied, "A fight? What fight? I don't know anything about that. Officer Sister, did you get the wrong person?"

Hearing him say this and seeing his forced composure, Shen Jianan became even more certain of her judgment.

Her expression turned cold, and her voice carried an unquestionable authority as she said sternly, "Wang Hao! I am currently just gathering information from you. If you lie and refuse to cooperate, you will be held legally responsible!"

"No, Officer Sister, I really don't know... Yes, I did eat at the International Finance Center on Friday night, but it was just dinner! I never even went to that Armani store!" Wang Hao began to panic; his eyes flickered, not daring to meet Shen Jianan's gaze.

Shen Jianan signaled to her subordinate, and the male officer immediately showed him several photos, questioning, "Just dinner? Then how do you explain what's in these photos?"

The photos the male officer showed were screenshots from the mall's surveillance footage, including Wang Hao standing in front of the Chanel store looking toward the Armani store, and him entering the underground parking garage to get into Brother Dao's black Mercedes...

Seeing these photos, Wang Hao's face immediately flushed with panic. Shen Jianan shouted angrily, "Wang Hao! Open the door immediately! I've already said I'm here to gather information. If you cooperate, we'll talk here. If you don't, I don't mind taking you back to the station to assist with the investigation!"

"Uh, okay, okay, okay, I'll cooperate, I'll cooperate." Wang Hao had never dealt with this kind of pressure; intimidated by Shen Jianan, he immediately folded.

As he spoke, he hurriedly closed the door to remove the safety chain. Then he opened the door wide and stepped aside to invite Shen Jianan and her colleague inside, his voice trembling slightly with unease: "Officer Sister, please, please come in..."

Shen Jianan stepped into the room, and an unpleasant odor hit her. She couldn't help but raise her hand to cover her nose and mouth, her face full of disgust.

As she passed the bathroom, she saw the silhouette of a woman hiding behind the frosted glass door. Shen Jianan said firmly, "You in the bathroom, come out once you're done washing! Stop hiding, isn't it stuffy in there?"

"Didn't you hear Officer Sister calling? Get out here!" Hearing this, Wang Hao hurriedly knocked on the bathroom door. "Stop dawdling..."

Afterward, Wang Hao pulled over two chairs and invited Shen Jianan and her colleague to sit. However, his movements were hurried and frantic, clearly wanting to end the conversation with the police as quickly as possible.

Su Mo was utterly helpless and could only bite the bullet, slowly walking out of the bathroom, her heart thumping like fifteen buckets in a well—up and down in a mess.

Wang Hao pointed at Su Mo and introduced her to the two officers, "This is Su Mo, my girlfriend." Then he turned to Su Mo and urged, "Su Mo, this is Officer Shen, say hello!"

Su Mo swallowed hard, the corners of her mouth twitching awkwardly as she forced a smile at Shen Jianan and greeted her, "Hello, Officer Shen."

Shen Jianan scrutinized Su Mo. Seeing her appearance, she was quite a beauty, but she didn't seem like a good match for Wang Hao.

She thought to herself that this wasn't the 'short winter melon' from the mall surveillance that night. Had Wang Hao already changed partners? Thinking of this, she made an initial judgment about Wang Hao's character.

She scanned the room and saw the leftovers from Wang Hao and the woman's "great battle" in the trash can, immediately losing any desire to sit down.

She simply asked directly, "Wang Hao, I'll ask you one more time, and I hope you answer truthfully. Are you aware of the fight that took place at the Armani store in the International Finance Center on Friday night?"

"Mm," Wang Hao nodded in response, though he felt guilty inside.

Shen Jianan stared at Wang Hao with sharp eyes, as if she could see through his soul, and said sternly, "If you're aware, say you're aware. What does 'mm' mean?"

"I'm aware!" Wang Hao was startled by Shen Jianan's sudden sternness and immediately responded, his voice trembling slightly.

Shen Jianan was quite satisfied with Wang Hao's reaction and nodded slightly. "Good. Then please describe the situation that night for us, starting from how you discovered the fight in the Armani store." Her tone remained strict, without the slightest relaxation.

Wang Hao licked his dry lips and began to recall, "I... I just saw it by accident... I had just finished dinner and was walking past the Chanel store when I saw a bunch of thuggish-looking people enter the Armani store. I looked over out of curiosity, and then I saw a conflict break out in the store..."

Hearing this, Shen Jianan frowned slightly. "Is that so? But according to our review of the mall's surveillance footage, after you finished dinner at the Sinan Feast, you went to the Chanel boutique first, and only then did you look toward the Armani store."

Wang Hao's heart tightened, and he began to panic. "Uh... really? Then maybe I remembered it wrong... I drank a bit of alcohol during dinner, so it's inevitable that my memory would be a bit off... right, Officer Sister?" He tried to use a light tone to diffuse the tension.

Shen Jianan nodded noncommittally and then followed up curiously, "Fine, let's assume for a moment that you remembered wrong. Do you know the parties involved in the conflict?"

Wang Hao's eyes flickered, not daring to look Shen Jianan in the eye as he shook his head in denial. "I don't. I was too far away; I couldn't see clearly at all."

A playful smile curled on Shen Jianan's lips. "Oh? You couldn't see clearly? But from what I understand, you should be quite familiar with one of the parties. You even had a verbal spat at the Sinan Feast. After leaving the Sinan Feast, you even asked the Chanel clerk what that person bought, claimed to be the person's female companion's brother, and asked the clerk who paid, didn't you? Oh, by the way, he seems to be your classmate?"

Hearing this, Wang Hao put on a look of shock, while his heart was in a state of total turmoil.

He hurriedly fabricated a lie: "Ah? Could it be that the one fighting with those people was Qin Yi? No way, what a coincidence! Officer Sister, I really didn't know. Yes, I admit I had some words with Qin Yi at the Sinan Feast, but you can't suspect me of hiring someone to hurt him just because of that, right?"

Shen Jianan raised an eyebrow, her gaze toward Wang Hao becoming even sharper as she teased, "Oh? Hiring someone to hurt him? You said that yourself; I didn't! You've certainly provided a new line of thinking for our case..."

"You..." Wang Hao's expression immediately became panicked, and for a moment, he didn't know how to argue back.

The male officer beside her suppressed a smile and silently gave Shen Jianan a thumbs-up, thinking to himself: 'Captain Shen is amazing; she tricked this kid into revealing himself in just a few sentences.'

Seeing this, Shen Jianan continued to press, "Alright, enough with the 'yous.' Let's continue. According to our investigation, the thugs who hurt people that night were all under a man called Brother Dao. The leader's nickname is Qiangzai. Do you know him?"

"I don't!" Wang Hao denied it immediately without the slightest hesitation.

"Mm, then what about Brother Dao? Do you know Brother Dao?" Shen Jianan continued to press, her eyes piercing Wang Hao like sharp swords.

Wang Hao hesitated. The male officer had already shown him the photo of him entering the black Mercedes. If he said he didn't know him, wouldn't he be slapping his own face? At this moment, his mind was like a tangled mess, and he was at a loss.

Seeing his silence, Shen Jianan intentionally raised her volume and asked once more, "Answer me! Do you know Brother Dao or not?!" Her voice echoed in the room like thunder.

Wang Hao's heart trembled. He remembered his father's instructions and looked at Shen Jianan, feigning anger as he began to act like a rogue: "Officer Sister, what kind of attitude is this! I'm not a criminal! I don't remember knowing any Brother Dao or Qiangzai! Besides, I have no obligation to cooperate with your investigation. Until my lawyer arrives, I refuse to answer any of these questions! Also, I'm warning you, my dad is Wang Hongtai, the chairman of Hongtai Construction! If you dare to mess around, I'll sue you!"

Shen Jianan glared at Wang Hao. Although he was making threats, his expression remained tense, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

After a moment, Shen Jianan suddenly smiled, her voice carrying a hint of threat and inducement: "Haha, of course, you have the right to refuse to cooperate. However, I should remind you that if we find out you are indeed related to that conflict, you will have lost an opportunity to surrender and confess! Our police policy has always been 'leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist.' Think it over for yourself."

Hearing this, Wang Hao became even more frantic, his voice trembling even more from agitation, sounding very lacking in confidence: "I said, that conflict has nothing to do with me! If you have evidence, you can take me to the station. Stop trying to trick me with words!"

Hearing this, the corners of Shen Jianan's mouth curled up, and she let out a couple of sneers.

Then she pulled a business card from her pocket, placed it on the table, and said in a deep voice, "If you don't want to cooperate, fine. This is my business card with my phone number on it. If you remember anything, remember to call me. And remember: leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist!"

After speaking, Shen Jianan signaled to her subordinate, and the two turned to walk out the door.

As she passed Su Mo, Shen Jianan looked at her. Out of sympathy as a fellow woman, she offered a kind word of advice: "Your name is Su Mo? The one eating with him that night wasn't you. He's not a good man; you'd better leave him as soon as possible!"

After saying that, without waiting for Su Mo's response, Shen Jianan stepped out.

Once the two had left, Wang Hao slammed the door shut with a 'bang.'

Outside the door, the male officer asked, "Captain Shen, that kid Wang Hao definitely has a problem. Should we ask more?"

Shen Jianan shook her head, her voice filled with confidence and determination: "No need to ask further. That kid's fox tail has already been exposed. Send word down to have someone keep a close eye on Wang Hao. He knows we suspect him now, so he'll definitely make a move. Keep a close eye on him, and we should get something."

"Captain Shen is amazing, what a great move to startle the snake!" the male officer praised.

"Snake? You think too highly of that kid. At most, he's an earthworm! The real snake should be that Brother Dao!" Shen Jianan sneered, a flash of disdain in her eyes.

"Uh... Captain Shen, Brother Dao is already on the radar of the Criminal Investigation and Economic Investigation departments. If we rashly get involved and the Director asks, we won't be able to explain ourselves easily," the male officer reminded her with some concern.

Shen Jianan glared at the male officer, her face turning cold as she said sternly, "What? If our case involves that Brother Dao, can we just ignore it? Are you still a people's police officer?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I was wrong. I stand corrected, Captain Shen!" the male officer hurriedly nodded in agreement.

Shen Jianan said nothing more and continued walking forward with large strides, though the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up. She thought to herself gleefully: 'Hmph! Old Man Shen, you wouldn't transfer me to Criminal Investigation, so this time I'll definitely solve a major case for you to see!'

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