?244: Chapter 234: Talking Again   244: Chapter 234: Talking Again                                   “One, two, three, four”


    “One, two, three, four!”


    The sound of orderly footsteps running outside the window roused Jiang Yuan from his deep sleep.


    ncing out the window, he saw, as expected, a vast number of students running around the yground, the teaching buildings, or on some road.


    In such an environment, it was impossible to sleep; Jiang Yuan somewhat regretted having chosen to stay at Qinghe College’s guesthouse.


    If he had picked a hotel, he could have slept until noon and headed home refreshed and rxed.


    He got up, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and after a bit of tidying up, he headed downstairs and ran into Wei Zhenguo as well.


    Wei Zhenguo’s face seemed even darker, and he had drunk quite a bit the previous night.


    He still didn’t seem fully awake, walking at a slight angle, like a car with one misaligned tire.


    “Eating breakfast?” greeted Jiang Yuan.


    “Yeah, or I’ll get a stomachache.


    Can’t drink like that anymore.


    Those intellectuals coaxing you to drink, they kill you softly,” Wei Zhenguomented.


    “I need to learn Heng’s method of coaxing people to drink and use it when I get back; drink those bastards to death.”


    “We’re off the banquet table now, no need to call him ‘Heng,''” Jiang Yuan said, looking at Wei Zhenguo.


    “You’re the one who taught me to be humble.”


    “I’m not looking for a promotion anyway, what do I have to fear?


    You’re the one who needs to remain humble,” Wei Zhenguoughed, but he dropped the title “Heng” in reference to the principal.


    “Shall we go to the cafeteria for breakfast?”


    “Sure thing.”


    “Then let’s hurry up.


    Once the students finish their exercises, the cafeteria’s going to be packed.”


    “Alright then,” Wei Zhenguo sighed.


    “Howe there’s still morning exercise running in a university?


    It’s too noisy.”


    “Probably don’t want students to sleep in,” said Jiang Yuan.


    “Qinghe College must be the kind that enforces discipline strictly.”


    “Their walls are hollowed out, and they still enforce discipline…


    A detention center is where real discipline is enforced.”


    As they spoke, the two reached the cafeteria and, as expected, many teachers were walking in for breakfast.


    Jiang Yuan and Wei Zhenguo each got some food and had just sat down when a call came through from the district criminal police.


    Wei Zhenguo answered the phone while chewing on a steamed bun, giving a series of affirmatives: “Hello,” “Mhm,” “Oh,” “Not bad,” “Yeah,” “Awesome.”


    Jiang Yuan cidly filled his steamed bun with condiments, his face smeared with chili sauce.


    Having Wei Zhenguo there making a fool of himself, Jiang Yuan felt he could indulge in his meal a little more crudely without adding to the embarrassment.


    After a while, Wei Zhenguo hung up and said, “Caught the guy who stole the monkey.”


    “I guessed as much,” replied Jiang Yuan, putting down his bun.


    “Has he confessed?”


    “Basically.


    This guy’s got priors, knows the drill,” Wei Zhenguo spoke casually.


    As a detective, sometimes they actually prefer interrogating criminals with priors.


    Already schooled by previous experience, these repeat offenders often save a lot of talk, and their attitudes are somewhat morepliant.


    The ones shouting “I want awyer” or “I want to make a phone call,” or pretending to be deep with “I choose to remain silent,” are all inexperienced criminals who haven’t been to prison and don’t hit the books.


    Any criminal with a bit of reading under their belt would know that suspects can’t seewyers before interrogation, can’t make phone calls without permission, and the right to remain silent…


    doesn’t exist.


    So, during interrogations, when faced with a stubbornly defiant suspect, detectives often regard them with disdain.


    When they encounter a well-behaved, clever suspect who doesn’t make a fuss, the detectives’ eyes often glint with the excitement of an excavator at work.


    “Let’s go have a look, then,” Jiang Yuan wasn’t in a rush to go back.


    It’s better to see a case through from start to finish.


    Plus, everyone’s a bit curious at heart.


    Jiang Yuan also wanted to know what this fellow did with the stolen monkey.


    “Teacher Jiang Yuan,” a slightly plump girl with long hair cascading over her shoulders greeted him not far from the door.


    In the vocabry of older times, a plump girl with long, straight ck hair would be called ‘Big Bear.’


    Calling someone ‘Big Bear’ seems a bit impolite nowadays.


    In a nutshell, Jiang Yuan was also curious as he sized up the other person and said, “Just call me Doctor Jiang.


    It’s not appropriate to call me teacher.”


    “You’ve already been hired by my dad as a consultant, as Principal Heng’s private consultant, so there’s no problem using ‘teacher’ to address you,” the ck-haired, slightly chubby girl said, extending her hand.


    “Let me introduce myself, I’m Heng Qiongsi, the daughter of the principal of Qinghe College.”


    “Nice to meet you, the principal’s daughter,” Jiang Yuan suddenly thought it sounded like a book title.


    Heng Qiongsi said, “Doctor Jiang…”


    “Let’s stick with Doctor Jiang,” Jiang Yuan didn’t bother exining anymore.


    “Okay, Doctor Jiang,” Heng Qiongsi conceded, then continued, “I’ve brought a proposal with me and I hope after you read it, you can give some advice.


    Since it involves bidding, I ask that you keep the proposal confidential.”


    “Sure.


    But right now, I’d like to go see the monkey thief we caught yesterday.”


    “Then let’s go together,” Heng Qiongsi said agreeably, pushing a shared bike over from the side of the road and then blinking at Jiang Yuan and Wei Zhenguo.


    So the two of them each swept a QR code for a bicycle, and they pedaled off towards the police station.


    …


    The monkey thief’s name was Wan Zhiyuan, which sounded somewhat ssy.


    The guy wasn’t bad-looking either.


    Aside from his hairstyle being a trendy Tibetan Macaque style, also known as a punk hairstyle, he looked like a charming bad-boy that girls would go for.


    In other words, he had the type of appearance that was highly popr with young women.


    The detectives looked at him with annoyance—the world didn’t divide looks between the just and the wicked, so it could be said there was a mismatch in the distribution of resources.


    If this youngster hadn’t been so handsome, he wouldn’t havended those girls in jail.


    “How was he caught?” As they entered the police station, Jiang Yuan asked without hesitation.


    Heng Qiongsi followed suit, equally curious.


    “We have the capability to buy monkeys here, the only ones that would are Jianyuan, so we gave them a call to check, and sure enough, someone had called them before, asking if they wanted Hanuman Langurs.


    I got the phone number, passed it to the technical unit, and we found out where he stayedst night,” the detective handling the case said proudly.


    Even though it was a particrly straightforward approach, the fact that he had thought of it showed some experience.


    Jiang Yuan and Wei Zhenguo praised the detective, who puffed up with pride, and then invited them to the monitoring room to watch the interrogation video, fast-forwarding to thetter part.


    In the video, you could see Wan Zhiyuan with a look of dejection on his face, then suddenly rallying to say, “I want to report someone, I’m reporting the purchase of wild Hanuman Langurs, that counts as a merit, doesn’t it?”


    “It counts,” the interrogating detective said with an authoritative expression in the video.


    The detective in the monitoring room now wore a smug look, saying, “This just proves he knew dealing in Hanuman Langurs was illegal.”


    A collective knowing smile appeared on the faces of the police officers in the monitoring room.


    In the video, Wan Zhiyuan continued, “I’m reporting Yuan Yutang, a director of Jianyuan Company.


    He was secretly purchasing wild Hanuman Langurs.


    Hanuman Langurs are a national second-ss protected species.


    He bought them for fifty thousand yuan each, then billed thepany for several times that amount, making a hefty illicit profit!”


    The interrogating officer nodded, “Have you ever sold any to him?”


    Wan Zhiyuan clenched his teeth and said, “I have.”


    “How many times?”


    “Twice.”


    “How many?”


    “One the first time, two the second time.”


    “Exin in detail how you obtained them,” the detective asked.


    Under the detective’s insistence, Wan Zhiyuan detailed the process of selling the wild monkeys twice, before seeking confirmation again, “This should count as merit, right?”


    “Not necessarily,” the interrogating officer said, sounding slightly regretful.


    Unsatisfied, Wan Zhiyuan said, “What do you mean ‘not necessarily’?


    You just said…”


    “Don’t get excited,” the detective sighed.


    “Because Yuan Yutang is already dead.


    However, you still need to exin these two cases in detail…”