In the evening, there was a knock on the door.
Shen Qingqing went to open it and saw Officer Wang. He looked at her with a complex gaze. "Someone reported that you bribed others and stole property."
"Me?"
Shen Qingqing was so angered she almost laughed. She turned her head and saw Madam Gao and a maidservant not far away. Madam Gao was squinting her eyes, looking at her rather haughtily.
The maidservant, meanwhile, kept her head down, silent.
Shen Qingqing asked meaningfully, "She said I bribed her?"
Officer Wang nodded. "Yes."
Shen Qingqing nodded, indicating she understood, and turned to the maidservant. She ignored Madam Gao and looked only at the maidservant. "You say I bribed you. Where's the proof?"
The maidservant remained silent. After being nudged by Madam Gao, she finally spoke, "I have a transfer record. Your assistant, Ke Lin, transferred it to me. I also have the call record and audio recording of our last conversation."
Shen Qingqing narrowed her eyes slightly. "Did the recording explicitly state that I used money to buy you off?"
"Not exactly, but you asked me to do things and then gave me money. That's proof!"
Madam Gao also said coldly, "The facts are all in front of you. Why won't you admit it? Do we have to make what you did public?"
Shen Qingqing asked, amused, "What did I do?"
"You gave me money and asked me to take the young master out. I don't know what you intended, but then you also asked me to steal household items!"
The maidservant accused.
Madam Gao snorted coldly and said, "Now you have nothing to say, right?"
She looked at Officer Wang.
"Officer, you can't let her off this time. She has broken the law. She must be punished by the law, sent to a place for re-education! Only then can she mend her ways!"
Officer Wang looked troubled. "This... Miss Shen, what do you have to say about this matter?"
Madam Gao sneered.
She knew Officer Wang would lean towards Shen Qingqing, but she wasn't worried. This was a fait accompli. Even if he favored Shen Qingqing, there was nothing he could do.
The final outcome wouldn't change.
"Are you sure I said that?" Shen Qingqing looked at the maidservant.
The maidservant's eyes flickered. She glanced at Madam Gao and gritted her teeth. "Yes!"
Shen Qingqing let out a laugh.
Not just the maidservant, but even Officer Wang and Madam Gao looked perplexed.
Had this woman gone mad from anger?
"What are you laughing at?"
"I'm laughing at how amusing you are." Shen Qingqing looked mockingly at the maidservant and Madam Gao. "You two, who went to great lengths to throw mud at me, have only ended up hurting yourselves."
The maidservant's face turned pale.
Madam Gao found it even more incredible. "Are you crazy? At this point, you can still laugh?"
"I just find you amusing."
Madam Gao snorted. "We're amusing? You'll know how amusing it is when you're locked up in prison. I'd like to see if you can still laugh then!"
Officer Wang said in a low voice, "Miss Shen, if you have anything to explain, you can tell me. As long as you are truly innocent, I will help you clear your name."
"Thank you."
Shen Qingqing thanked him sincerely.
Madam Gao snorted sarcastically. "I know you two know each other, but I've already informed the reporters about this. If there's any unfair treatment, I'll immediately tell the reporters."
This was a blatant threat.
Officer Wang's face immediately darkened. "Madam, we police officers handle cases based on evidence. We will never wrong a good person without proof. If someone has truly been wronged, we will seek justice for her, but we will also not let go of those who frame others."
His words carried a strong implication, making it impossible for Madam Gao to pretend not to understand. She sneered, "It's best if that's the case. I hope you don't wrong anyone, and you don't let a bad person go!"
Officer Wang said stiffly, "Naturally."
Madam Gao said coldly, "Don't try to stall for time. Let's resolve this as quickly as possible. I have many things to attend to and no time to waste here."
Shen Qingqing gave her a half-smile and turned to the maidservant. "Since you've said so, I'll have to present the evidence. But I want to ask you one thing: are you truly not regretting it?"
"No regrets." The maidservant glanced at Madam Gao and, in the end, gritted her teeth and said, "No."
"Good."
Since the other party was so determined, Shen Qingqing no longer wanted to drag things out. She simply said, "In that case, I'll have to bring in the person who gave you the money to confront you."
"That's your assistant. Even if you bring him here, he won't help us!" Madam Gao, now reacting quickly, exclaimed. "This is clearly a delaying tactic. If he comes and takes all the blame, wouldn't that make you the most innocent person?!"
"Whether it's true or not, we have to ask."
Shen Qingqing completely ignored Madam Gao and looked at Officer Wang. "What do you say, Officer?"
Officer Wang naturally agreed. "You're right. Everything requires both human and material evidence to be thoroughly investigated."
His words were logical and well-founded, leaving Madam Gao no room to retort. She could only wait with the maidservant for Ke Lin's arrival. During the wait, Madam Gao cast a mocking glance at Shen Qingqing.
"Just you wait. Even if he takes all the blame, it won't work. This time, you're going to prison for sure!"
Shen Qingqing smiled faintly. "That remains to be seen. What the facts are still depends on who arrives. Don't you think so?"
Madam Gao was furious and made a final threat. "Fine, then I'll see how long your tough act can last!"
Was she too calm?
Madam Gao felt something was amiss but couldn't find any possibility of Shen Qingqing turning the tables. She decided not to think about it further, believing Shen Qingqing was merely putting on a brave face.
Soon, Ke Lin arrived.
Just as Shen Qingqing was about to speak, Madam Gao stopped her. "You'd better not say anything to avoid suspicion of collusion. Officer Wang, you know how to question him, right?"
Officer Wang glanced at Madam Gao, thinking she was quite clever.
"I know. Ke Lin, please come with me."
To prevent Madam Gao from later claiming that Shen Qingqing and Ke Lin had colluded, Officer Wang took him to the interrogation room, while Shen Qingqing and Madam Gao sat in the observation room.
They could clearly see everything happening in the interrogation room.
Officer Wang asked, "Is Shen Qingqing your superior?"
"Yes."
"Are her affairs all handled by you?"
"Yes."
"She recently had dealings with someone named Wu Chunhua, and she had you transfer a sum of money to that person, is that correct?"
"Yes."
A flicker of surprise flashed in Officer Wang's eyes. He hadn't expected things to go so smoothly.
In the observation room, Madam Gao wore a triumphant smile. "I told you. Bringing him here would only be humiliating yourself. Because your assistant will surely reveal everything, and I won't give you a chance to collude."