"Ah Tu Ge!"
As soon as they got out of the car, Fan Jian hurried over. He knew very well that Ah Tu wouldn't handle such a situation and was afraid he'd say something wrong in front of the traffic police.
Ah Tu also visibly relaxed when he saw Fan Jian arrive. However, just as he approached, he was stopped by a fellow traffic officer.
"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
Fan Jian explained, "Hello, Officer. I'm here for my friend."
"Don't try to get friendly. He's suspected of driving without a license and suspected of stealing the vehicle. We've already called for police!"
The traffic police officer spoke righteously and didn't let Fan Jian get close. Li Chonglou, sensing something was amiss, pulled Fan Jian aside and asked.
"Does your friend have a driver's license?"
Fan Jian, anxious, replied, "Of course, he does. He's a simple person and always follows the rules in everything he does. Maybe he just forgot to bring it today."
Li Chonglou's brows furrowed immediately. He looked again at the traffic officer questioning Ah Tu ahead. The officer clearly had a communication device on his waist.
Nowadays, physical identification wasn't strictly necessary. As long as one had an ID card or could provide their ID number, it could all be looked up online. But these two traffic officers made no move to do so.
Li Chonglou then glanced at another man in a suit, who was clearly the owner of the other vehicle. Compared to Ah Tu, who was sweating profusely under questioning, this man stood there watching the scene with a hint of a sneer, like an outsider.
Understood.
Li Chonglou pulled Fan Jian aside. Ah Tu, not far away, looked very anxious seeing this, but the traffic officer was still questioning him.
"Give you one more chance to confess honestly. Did you steal this car? Where did you steal it from?"
"I've already said, I didn't steal the car. This is my car, I just lost my documents, I..."
"If you're still not honest, you can stay and explain it to the police."
On the other side, Fan Jian saw Li Chonglou intending to pull him aside and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Boss Li? Is something the matter?"
As he spoke, his eyes were still almost entirely on Ah Tu. Their relationship was clearly more than just ordinary friends.
Li Chonglou shook his head. "I know you're anxious, but it's no use being anxious now. These two are probably in cahoots with the car owner."
"In cahoots?"
"Look at the scene. Your friend was clearly rear-ended by someone else. And you said your friend has a license. Even if he didn't bring it, they could have checked it online. Why would they say something like this?"
Fan Jian's eyes widened, seemingly disbelieving. After all, in his mind, the police were guardians of the people.
This was generally true, but there were always bad apples everywhere, and it wasn't surprising they ran into one, especially at this time. The higher-ups were constantly suppressing information, giving ordinary people the impression of a society controlled by the underworld.
In such an environment, some rotten fish were bound to jump out.
"Then what should we do? My friend doesn't know anyone here, and I don't have many connections either."
Fan Jian was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. Li Chonglou smiled calmly, "Don't worry, leave this to me."
After saying that, he took out his phone and called Lin Qianqian.
After he explained the situation, a hesitant voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Are you sure it's just those two traffic police officers who are problematic?"
Li Chonglou said speechlessly, "Is it that much of a coincidence? I suspect this whole precinct might have issues. You can investigate; perhaps you'll find something useful too."
The line suddenly fell silent.
After a while, Lin Qianqian's cautious voice came through.
"Um, are you sure you don't have the Conan physique?"
"What?"
Li Chonglou didn't react immediately. Lin Qianqian didn't say anything further and hung up. It was only then that he understood what Lin Qianqian meant.
"Uh, why did she say that? I'm starting to doubt myself."
Li Chonglou couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and despair. Indeed, the major incidents that had happened recently were all related to him.
Like the poisoning incident at the club and the airport incident a couple of days ago, he was a key figure in both...
Today, he just wanted to pick something up and ran into this blatant disregard for the law. It wasn't much different from Conan, who seemed to attract death wherever he went.
After Lin Qianqian hung up, Li Chonglou knew the matter would likely be resolved. He reassured Fan Jian, "Your friend should be fine as long as his documents are in order. Let's just wait for a bit."
Just then, the man in the suit walked towards them.
"Are you two that guy's friends?"
He, and everyone else present, had seen the two of them try to break in earlier. As Fan Jian was about to speak, Li Chonglou cut in.
"What, is there something?"
Fan Jian was taken aback. Li Chonglou gave him a look, and the latter, understanding, remained silent.
The man in the suit sneered, "Of course, there's something. If you're his friend, it's easier to handle. My car needs at least thirty thousand yuan for repairs. Who's going to pay for it?"
Before Li Chonglou could speak, the man in the suit continued.
"Let me remind you, thirty thousand yuan covers the car repair, and this matter is settled. If you can't pay, then you can watch your friend go to jail!"
Li Chonglou smiled. "First of all, you rear-ended him. Are you uneducated, or am I? Going to jail for a traffic accident?"
The man in the suit's brow furrowed. "Are you pretending not to understand, or are you truly ignorant? Is this just a simple traffic accident now? Your friend is suspected of theft! No, not suspected, if I say he is, then he is!"
"Oh, I see."
Li Chonglou put on an expression of sudden understanding, and the man in the suit smiled. However, he then saw Li Chonglou's expression change to one of difficulty.
"But now it seems that even if I give you the money, my friend will still go to jail, won't he? Didn't the traffic police say so over there?"
The man in the suit's eyes lit up, and he said confidently, "Don't worry about that. As long as you pay, I can make them stop interfering! Your friend can leave now."
"Really?"
"Nonsense, do you know who I am? No, do you know who my boss is!"
Li Chonglou coughed lightly. "Who?"
The man in the suit was about to say, but then quickly thought better of it, changing his words. "Never mind, there's no point telling you. In short, I can make them do what I want! Pay up first!"
Li Chonglou smiled, picked up his phone, and sent the recent conversation to Lin Qianqian. Then, he said to the man in the suit.
"Sorry, we don't have the money either."
As soon as he said this, Fan Jian, standing beside him, became anxious and grabbed Li Chonglou's arm.
"Boss Li, I can pay this money, but please don't let my friend go to jail. He's an honest person and can't handle such accusations! How will he face his family back home then!"
The man in the suit stared at Li Chonglou angrily, "Are you playing me?"
"Thirty thousand is not enough now. It's sixty thousand!"