Chapter 2539 - 2603: Scatterbrained
If Li Yifei wanted to escalate things, he certainly could, as he was in the right, but this time he decided to let the guy named Feng go. The other party was quick to adjust, choosing not to get involved.
In the room, Li Yifei was chatting with Lang Wenqin. After just a few words, he found out a bit about her background. Li Yifei thought to himself that this girl’s guard was really low. It didn’t take long before he learned she was from Sichuan Province, just finished her senior year, and was only twenty-one, making her a bit on the younger side for her academic level. She was studying medicine and wanted to travel up north before graduating, with her first stop being Ning Province. She stayed in the provincial capital for a day and a half before coming to Dan City, hoping to see the border, and then ended up encountering this incident.
Through their conversation, Li Yifei also learned that she had secured a spot for continued studies. After this trip, she plans to go back to continue her education. Studying medicine is a matter of life and death, requiring one to learn as much as possible. Li Yifei expressed his admiration, as he used to get injured frequently, and even now still gets hurt from time to time, so he greatly needs doctors. Especially when he was an ordinary person, a bullet lodged in his body without proper medical treatment could result in serious damage and aftereffects, and if it hit a vital organ, it could even be life-threatening.
After offering some encouragement, Li Yifei asked her a few questions and found that this little girl could be adorably naive. On one hand, she knew a lot, while on the other, there were many things she didn’t understand. This aligned well with her identity as ******. But after a few conversations, Li Yifei realized that he really was an ’uncle’ now, experiencing a generational gap with today’s youth.
With lingering fear, Lang Wenqin quickly opened up and said, "Uncle, do you go on YouTube? What about A站?"
"Huh?" Li Yifei widened his eyes and instinctively shook his head, showing his confusion.
Lang Wenqin knew Li Yifei wasn’t familiar, and with a hint of disappointment, she shook her head and said, "Oh well, I was thinking of posting today’s events online tonight, it’s definitely something incredible."
"Online... it’s better not to, it’s not really a big deal. Of course, for you it must be a big thing, since this kind of incident is awful," Li Yifei replied.
Lang Wenqin nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yeah, those people are so hateful, I don’t even want to forgive them. If it was just a misunderstanding that would be one thing, but if something else happened, I..."
"What’s your plan next? Continue touring Dan City or move on to somewhere else?" Li Yifei shifted the topic. He could only hope she would slowly forget about today’s incident. Of course, Li Yifei had already asked Jiang Hu to investigate the follow-up, trusting that they wouldn’t deceive him. But whether Lang Wenqin would encounter similar situations again in her life, Li Yifei didn’t know. Overall, this society is not very peaceful.
As expected, Lang Wenqin’s attention was diverted. She bit her lip, seemingly pondering the question, and after half a minute shook her head. "I should continue, but I’m worried about the dangers. Um, I think I’ll just head home."
"Heading back as soon as you’ve just come out, doesn’t that ruin your plans?"
"I’m not very scared, but... I do need to be careful about my safety. After all, I’m studying medicine, which is quite tough as it is, with a combined bachelor’s and master’s taking seven or eight years. If I pursue a PhD after that... even becoming a doctor, there’s a chance of being killed by some lunatic..."
"The way you say that..." Li Yifei couldn’t help but laugh. This girl could talk endlessly, seeming a bit more emotionally stable now, which was a relief to him.
Once Jiang Hu stepped in, his team took over the investigation. Those two small-time thugs, the hotel security, and the manager couldn’t hold out and soon came clean, admitting they previously provided false testimony to frame Li Yifei.
With the situation clarified, Jiang Hu stroked his chin a few times, understanding the course of events. He suddenly developed a new perspective on Li Family Head, whom he had met for the first time. Someone with such a prominent status, visiting Dan City, would likely be welcomed by the top officials, yet he came quietly, stayed in an ordinary hotel, and was willing to take risks and help in an unfair situation. How many people could do that?
Jiang Hu asked himself if he would step in if faced with a similar situation. His sense of duty and years of knowledge dictated that he would. However, for a super-rich individual like Li Yifei, personal safety would likely come first... But on second thought, knowing that Li Yifei had retired from an elite special forces unit, dealing with a few hoodlums seemed easy, which made him feel at ease.
Admiringly, Jiang Hu went to Li Yifei’s room, laid out the case findings. It didn’t deviate much from Li Yifei’s guesses. The hotel, or should I say many hotels throughout Dan City, engaged in such illegal activities. This, of course, is unlawful. Guests often receive harassing phone calls, knocks on the door, and brochure cards. But in general, hotels don’t allow such people in. So, people like those two thugs who have a ’cozy’ relationship, or rather a cooperative one, with the hotel, perform advertising and recruiting. They know who’s alone in a room or if there’s a female companion and choose to ’advertise’ accordingly. Such guests are easier to approach...
Even if Jiang Hu didn’t say anything, Li Yifei understood these things didn’t just happen in Dan City or Ning Province; many cities across the country likely involved such illegal industries. These activities are like flies scattered in the air – when the police crack down, they disappear; but once the grip loosens, they may resurface, ever-present. And of course, it’s more likely that some police are complicit...
Such illegal activities also led to the emergence of thugs performing roles reminiscent of old-time madams. They gather women who willingly sell their bodies by offering so-called protection and job opportunities, sometimes even providing accommodation. These thugs are tasked with recruiting, leading to territorial claims, like the hotel Li Yifei stayed at being under the influence of those two thugs.
Not all women who sell themselves want to follow the thugs’ model since a large portion of their earnings goes to them, so some go solo, hence the term ’wild game’. The thugs’ responsibility is to deter wild game from stealing business in their territory, and they act ruthlessly, not hesitating to cause trouble if necessary.
The police typically don’t sympathize with the wild game in these matters, and the thugs being locals, have connections, and even partnerships with authorities. Hence, even if an incident occurs, there’s usually no significant consequence.
Lang Wenqin’s situation arose because she couldn’t find her room in her disoriented state and was mistaken by the local thugs as a rogue girl, hence the attempt to ’deal’ with her, which led to Li Yifei stepping in.
Even though Li Yifei had anticipated the situation, learning the truth still made him grunt heavily. He was angry yet somewhat resigned, angered by the infuriating nature of such matters, but resigned because situations like these were too commonplace. Even top-level officials can’t manage all of it; intense crackdowns are only temporary solutions, not permanent.
From an economic standpoint, where there is market demand, services will be provided... argh, why was he thinking about this stuff? Li Yifei stomped his foot, stood up, and said, "Director Jiang, sorry to trouble you. Since the investigation is clear, I have just one request: handle it severely. Even if you can’t eliminate such activities entirely, don’t let those pimps act so arrogantly!"
Not saying anything excessive or issuing strong orders, Jiang Hu breathed a sigh of relief. He was worried that Li Yifei would insist on pursuing the matter further. On second thought, Li Yifei’s implication not to probe further indicated his lack of intention to make this a major issue. So Jiang Hu said, "Mr. Li, please rest assured, I will investigate thoroughly, handle seriously, and eliminate such activities."
"That’s your responsibility, no need to report back to me. However, the police station chief and that thin officer, they not only have attitude issues but are potentially involved. Such people are even more detestable," Li Yifei stated sternly.
Jiang Hu nodded firmly, knowing that even if Li Yifei hadn’t mentioned it, he would deal with it harshly. As the bureau chief, having subordinates involved in such matters was a disgrace.
Having said his piece, Li Yifei didn’t make things difficult and said, "Well then, I’ll leave it to you. It’s late, I’m going back to rest."
Jiang Hu quickly replied, "Mr. Li, we’ve arranged a new hotel for you and the young lady and will send you there shortly."
"Hmm?" Lang Wenqin, who had been silent, glanced at Jiang Hu in surprise and then spoke up, "I just met this uncle!"
Jiang Hu was a little taken aback but swiftly explained, "It’s two separate rooms, but the previous hotel isn’t suitable, so I arranged another one!"
This explanation was redundant, and Li Yifei looked at Jiang Hu speechlessly. Without Lang Wenqin’s reaction, this guy might have actually arranged just one room. Li Yifei could guess from Jiang Hu’s subtle expression.
With this explanation, Lang Wenqin just chuckled. Li Yifei understood that her carefree nature was showing again. During their previous chat, he realized this girl’s thought process was quite spontaneous, or rather, she had a big heart.
A typical person wouldn’t act like this in front of the Chief of Public Security Bureau, especially since Lang Wenqin rolled her eyes. When Li Yifei looked over, she stuck her tongue out again, showing her ability to change expressions instantly was indeed impressive.
Regarding Jiang Hu’s arrangement, Li Yifei didn’t comment. Passing by the interrogation room, he saw the chubby policeman, who, upon seeing Li Yifei, immediately forced a smile on his chubby face. Li Yifei nodded at him but said nothing, as this chubby officer wasn’t too excessive during his previous response.