Noticing Li Yi’s gaze, Wang Anguo immediately said, “Brother Li Yi, Gangzi and I are here to ask for your help!”
“What kind of help? Go ahead, Brother Wang, tell me!” Li Yi said.
As he spoke, Li Yi also scrutinized Wang Anguo closely, noticing that he looked somewhat haggard, with bloodshot eyes, severely sagging under-eye bags, and thick dark circles.
It was obvious at a glance that he hadn’t been getting much rest lately; clearly, he was dealing with some troubles.
Wang Anguo sighed, then said in a low voice, “Brother Li Yi, I’ve offended someone and been relieved of my duties!”
“Who did you offend? How did you end up getting demoted?”
From Wang Anguo’s expression, Li Yi knew the person he had offended was no ordinary figure.
Otherwise, knowing Wang Anguo as he did, he wouldn’t have come to him for help unless the situation was extremely serious.
Wang Anguo paused briefly before saying, “The man’s name is Liu Dongping. His father holds a high-ranking position in the military—he’s someone we simply can’t afford to cross!”
“Liu Dongping… How did you end up crossing him?” Li Yi asked, frowning.
Li Yi was familiar with this Liu Dongping. His father was a founding general who still held a high-ranking position in the military. Although he wasn’t exactly a figure of immense power and influence, in the eyes of ordinary people, he was still someone with connections everywhere.
The main reason Li Yi knew about this “Young Master Liu” was that the guy was also on the state’s list of key targets for crackdown next year—a notorious “legal expert.”
Wang Anguo clenched his teeth and said, “A month ago, our station received a report from a young girl claiming she had been assaulted. She even accurately provided the suspect’s name and place of employment. After receiving the report, I immediately led a team to apprehend the suspect, Liu Dongping, for interrogation!”
“That bastard was incredibly arrogant after his arrest. Not only did he refuse to cooperate with the investigation, but he kept shouting that we had no right to interrogate him. He even threatened the victim right in front of us. Naturally, we weren’t going to go easy on someone like that, so we interrogated him through the night.”
“But unexpectedly, just as our interrogation was about to yield results, the military suddenly intervened. Citing Liu Dongping’s status as an employee of a military-administered classified unit, they demanded we release him.”
“What was even more unexpected was that, just as the military arrived to demand his release, that beast actually slammed his head against the wall, leaving it bloodied and split open. He then insisted that we had tortured him to extract a confession. After that, I was relieved of my duties by higher-ups, and it even dragged Gangzi and the others into trouble…”
After hearing Wang Anguo’s account, Li Yi couldn’t help but furrow his brow.
In fact, when Wang Anguo first came to Beijing, he had anticipated that this might happen. After all, this city of For-Nine has plenty of everything—except for one thing: officials.
Especially the sons, nephews, and relatives of high-ranking officials—they were as numerous as the hairs on a cow’s back. Moreover, a significant portion of these people had already become corrupt and degenerate, viewing themselves as superior to others and frequently committing acts that provoked the wrath of heaven and the indignation of the people.
Wang Anguo and Li Gang, however, were the sort who detested evil with a passion; once confronted with it, they would naturally not stand idly by, and a direct clash was only to be expected.
What he hadn’t anticipated, however, was that it would happen so soon.
After all, it had been only a little over three months since Wang Anguo and Li Gang had arrived in the capital…
“Brother Wang, did you guys actually torture that guy to extract a confession?” Li Yi asked earnestly.
“No, we’re not stupid. That guy comes from a powerful family. If we’d tortured him, we’d be the ones in trouble in the end!”
Wang Anguo continued, “What I didn’t expect was that the guy would be so sneaky—he deliberately framed us. If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve beaten the hell out of that bastard back then!”
At that moment, Li Gang chimed in from the side, “I wanted to beat the crap out of that bastard back then, but you, Old Wang, wouldn’t let me. Now you’re regretting it, aren’t you?”
Li Yi shot him a glare before saying, “Since you didn’t lay a finger on him, there’s still room to work this out. If you’d actually hit him, this situation would be much harder to resolve.”
Wang Anguo nodded and said, “Brother Li Yi, I know the other side isn’t just anyone. Even with the Jiang family backing you, this isn’t something that can be easily swept under the rug.”
“I’m not asking you to help me get my old position back. I just hope my impulsiveness doesn’t drag Gangzi and the other comrades at the station down with me!”
Li Gang immediately interjected, “Old Wang, we weren’t the ones in the wrong here. Why should we…”
“Gangzi, don’t say another word. You’ve been in law enforcement for years—you’ve seen all kinds of shady dealings. Let’s just say, when you’re under someone’s roof, you have to bow your head!” Wang Anguo said with a touch of resignation.
Li Yi frowned and said, “I think Gangzi is right. We didn’t do anything wrong. Why should we have to put up with this injustice just because he has a father who’s a government official?”
“But…”
“There’s no ‘but’ about it. Since I was the one who transferred you to Beijing, I certainly won’t let you get pushed around for no reason!”
Li Yi continued, “Here’s what we’ll do: After you get back today, keep gathering evidence of that Liu guy’s misdeeds, and make sure to protect the victim. Leave the rest to me.”
“Brother Li Yi, you need to be careful not to overreach yourself with this. Don’t let us drag you into trouble!” Wang Anguo said solemnly.
Over the past few days, he had gathered information about the Liu family from various sources, and the more he learned, the more alarmed he became.
In his view, even if the Jiang family had the power to stand up to the Liu family, they likely wouldn’t risk antagonizing them just for the sake of an outsider like him.
The likelihood of Li Yi relying on the Jiang family to seek justice for them was slim. He couldn’t let Li Yi end up caught between a rock and a hard place over this—that would be a grave mistake on his part.
“Brother Wang, I’ve got this under control!”
“That’s good…”
Li Yi smiled and said, “Brother Wang, Sister-in-law, Gangzi, it’s rare for us to get together like this. Don’t leave after lunch today. I’ll whip up a few dishes in a bit, and we’ll have a good drink!”
An Hong immediately said, “Let’s not rush into drinking just yet. There’s something else I’d like to ask for your help with!”
“What is it, Sister-in-law? Go ahead!”
“Hehe, it’s good news. I’d like to ask you to help me propose to someone!”
“Propose… to whom?” Li Yi asked, looking curious.
“Brother Li Yi, it’s for me!” Li Gang, a member of the group, spoke up.
“You?”
Li Yi then asked again, “Who’s the girl? Do I know her? And why do you want me to help propose?”
Li Gang’s face flushed, and he replied, “It’s Ling’er!”
“That Ling’er?”
“Yes, Brother Long’s own younger sister!” Li Gang replied.
Hearing this, Li Yi froze for a moment. His third sister’s husband, Long Zhanjun, did indeed have a sister named Ling’er, but Li Gang and Long Ling’er didn’t seem to have much in common. Why on earth was this guy suddenly asking him to go propose to the Long family on his behalf?
“How did you meet Ling’er? What’s your relationship with her now? Do you know anything about her family situation?” Li Yi asked.
“Um… well…”
An Hong, standing nearby, saw Li Gang stumbling over his words and immediately interjected, “Gangzi’s the clumsiest. I’ll handle this. He and that girl from the Long family are actually dating right now.”
“How they met is simple. A while back, a drunk customer caused a disturbance at the shop, so Nana called the police. Gangzi was the officer in charge of the response, and that young lady was there at the time—that’s how they met.”
“After that, Gangzi started dropping by the shop for meals every few days. Before they knew it, they got close, and then they started dating! BB囍TR”
Li Yi looked at Li Gang, who was as burly as a bear, and then thought about Long Ling’er’s petite, delicate figure. It was definitely a case of a petite girl paired with a muscle-bound guy.
“As far as I know, Ling’er is only 19 this year, right? You’re 27—that’s a full eight years older than her. How could you even bring yourself to date such a young girl?”
Li Gang’s face flushed, and he quickly replied, “Well, it’s not like I wanted to, but whenever I see Ling’er, I just can’t help but want to protect her.”
Hearing this, and picturing Long Ling’er’s petite frame and innocent face, Li Yi couldn’t help but shake his head. Faced with a girl like that, any man would probably feel an overwhelming urge to protect her!
Besides, Li Gang wasn’t bad off at all, whether in terms of family background or personal circumstances. Aside from being a bit older, he was actually a good match for Long Ling’er. There was no harm in him stepping in to propose.
With that in mind, Li Yi immediately asked, “Do my third older sister and her husband know about this marriage proposal?”
“They should know. Ling’er asked me to come propose—she said to take advantage of her brother being home and settle things sooner rather than later!” Li Gang replied.
Since it was Long Ling’er who had asked Li Gang to propose, Li Yi had even fewer reservations. He said right away, “Alright, then go back and get everything ready for the proposal. Give me a call when you’re all set!”
“Okay…”
Just as they were speaking, the sound of a car engine suddenly came from outside…
……….