But all that remained for Lin Qianqian was a receding back.
Although the two had not spent much time together, Li Chonglou knew her character well. Lin Qianqian's greatest pride was her identity as a police officer. In this regard, Li Chonglou did not believe she would actually go through with it.
As expected, by the time he left the teahouse, Lin Qianqian had not said another word.
However, because of the delay caused by her, when Li Chonglou arrived back on the street, Wu Ping's figure had long since vanished into the vast crowd.
Li Chonglou stood there, his brow furrowed. It seemed this Wu Ping was far more complex than he had imagined, to the extent that even Captain Lin Qianqian of the police station had to personally track him.
"So, who exactly is tracking Ya Lili? Is this matter inherently complex, or is it just this person's background that is complicated?"
If it were the former, then the trouble would be immense. After all, Lin Qianqian was already involved, and someone who could make her act personally would certainly not be dealing with a minor case.
Although the person was now gone, there was still another clue: the "Brother Yuan" mentioned by Boss Jin. This made Li Chonglou think of Gao Yuan.
That young master who had spoken disrespectfully after the collision with him and Ya Lili.
"Perhaps this is genuinely related to him."
With this thought, Li Chonglou hailed a taxi and headed for the Honggang Sub-bureau.
It was because of Gao Yuan that almost everyone at the Honggang Sub-bureau had been replaced. Only the veteran officer Yue Fu remained there, having even become the head of the sub-bureau.
Li Chonglou's visit this time was naturally to find Yue Fu. Although Yue Fu had gone from a leisurely old officer to a busy head of the bureau, upon hearing that Li Chonglou had arrived, he immediately dropped his work and came out to personally welcome him.
"Mr. Li, why didn't you give me advance notice?"
Yue Fu's face was filled with smiles and his attitude was enthusiastic, as if they were old friends who hadn't seen each other for years.
After Yue Fu's warm escort, Li Chonglou was led to his office. Li Chonglou could understand Yue Fu's enthusiasm, as the latter had the former to thank for his current position, and this was precisely why he had come to see him.
"I want to ask you something."
Li Chonglou got straight to the point. Yue Fu replied readily, "No problem, as long as it doesn't involve classified information, I can tell you!"
Li Chonglou nodded and then inquired about Gao Yuan. Upon hearing this, Yue Fu's expression froze.
"Wasn't this person transferred to the General Bureau?"
"Can you help me check where he is currently detained?"
Yue Fu showed a hint of difficulty on his face, as checking this would require accessing the internal network, which meant he would be leaking classified information.
However, the look of hesitation did not last long. With a gritted teeth, he stated directly, "Wait for me here!"
Yue Fu had agreed. In fact, the main reason was that Li Chonglou was not asking for much, only wanting to confirm if Gao Yuan was still detained, or where he was. Yue Fu felt that even if this was leaked, it would not have much impact.
As a seasoned veteran, he naturally knew that some rules were merely written provisions. Having been in this line of work for so many years, he had developed his own way of handling things: as long as he could uphold his own bottom line, he could be flexible in his dealings!
In Yue Fu's opinion, adhering strictly to rules was often a bad thing, as society was one that valued human connections and relationships. Flexibility was the best way to cope.
A short while later, he informed Li Chonglou of the latest news.
"Gao Yuan was released without charge!"
The reason given was insufficient evidence! Upon hearing this news, Li Chonglou's brows furrowed. He could never have imagined that Gao Yuan would get away with it.
Could the forces behind him be even stronger than the Dragon Group?
After all, he had used his Dragon Group status to resolve this matter, yet now they couldn't even keep the person detained. Li Chonglou absolutely refused to believe that there wasn't someone significant manipulating things from behind the scenes!
Because if it were under normal circumstances, these people would have been sentenced swiftly, not released without charge!
Thinking of this, Li Chonglou felt that things were becoming increasingly unfavorable. But he soon remembered the two police officers who had been apprehended previously and inquired further with Yue Fu.
"I've also looked into the others. They have all been sentenced, only Gao Yuan was released without charge."
Yue Fu had done his homework, so he immediately answered Li Chonglou's question. Seeing Li Chonglou's solemn expression, Yue Fu suddenly said.
"Mr. Li, I know what you're thinking, but this matter might not be as complicated as you imagine."
Li Chonglou blinked in surprise and looked at Yue Fu.
"What do you mean?"
"As long as the person was careful and discreet when committing bribery, and no conclusive evidence could be found, the court cannot convict them. It's not necessarily that someone powerful is protecting him, as you might think."
Li Chonglou's brows furrowed slightly, as if contemplating the possibility of Yue Fu's words.
Seeing this, Yue Fu added, "Mr. Li, the court and our police station are two different departments. If it hasn't gone through the court yet, then it's possible as you think. But now that the court has personally ruled him innocent, it can only mean that the evidence truly cannot be found."
Li Chonglou finally understood Yue Fu's meaning and nodded.
He then left the Honggang Sub-bureau.
"Do I really need to talk to her about this? Or should I just let it be for now?"
On the way back, Li Chonglou was indecisive.
With Ma San's protection, Ya Lili would at least be safe for the time being, so this matter could be put aside for now.
If Li Chonglou wanted to continue investigating, the best way would be to find Lin Qianqian for information. After all, Wu Ping had been found at the teahouse twice in a row. No normal person would return there so soon. This meant that if Li Chonglou wanted to find Wu Ping, for now, perhaps only through Lin Qianqian.
Another option was to stay by Ya Lili's side. If the person came to track her again, he could intervene immediately.
However, this would mean that first, he couldn't be sure when the person would come out to track, and second, Li Chonglou did not have this time, as he had other matters to attend to.
Therefore, generally speaking, if Li Chonglou wanted to continue pursuing this matter, his only option was to go to Lin Qianqian.
But Li Chonglou really did not want to see this person at the moment.
"Forget it, I'll leave it for now. Let Ma San observe for a while."
After much deliberation, Li Chonglou finally decided to give up for the time being.
Moreover, this matter was clearly not simple. If he could avoid getting entangled in this mess, it would be for the best.