Hu Qing subtly pointed at Chen Yang, and Officer Zhou nodded imperceptibly. Chen Yang noticed this and inwardly sneered. Officer Zhou announced loudly:
"Dear students, your club president's phone is missing. We need to conduct a screening. Please understand! Don't misunderstand, we're not suspecting you; this is just a necessary procedure in the investigation."
After speaking, Officer Zhou gave Officer Li a look, and the two began their search. They symbolically checked the backpacks of two students, finding nothing. The two officers simultaneously approached Chen Yang.
"Open your bag!" Officer Li's tone was somewhat harsh, and a hint of wariness flickered in his eyes as he looked at Chen Yang.
Chen Yang, clutching his backpack, smiled and said,
"Officers, I just arrived, and I'm not from their calligraphy and painting club. Is a search unnecessary?"
"Enough nonsense! Everyone here is a suspect!" It was Officer Li, still speaking with a sharp tone. Officer Zhou, slightly older, stood aside, ignoring Officer Li's uncivilized enforcement behavior.
Officer Li reached for Chen Yang's backpack strap, saying,
"Give it to me! Otherwise, I can charge you with obstructing official business!"
Chen Yang slightly stepped aside, deftly avoiding Officer Li's hand, his smile unchanged:
"Officer Li, is it? I'm a law student. May I ask which law in our country stipulates that police officers can arbitrarily search a law-abiding citizen?"
"You…" Officer Li was speechless. Accustomed to his arrogance, he never expected that someone would dare to resist police enforcement and question him about legal provisions. Especially since Pingdan was just a county not long ago, its development was relatively lagging. The weaker the legal awareness in such places, the less likely Officer Li is to object when he goes out in his uniform. No one dares to question him.
Seeing the situation was getting out of hand, Hu Qing immediately said sarcastically:
"Hey, everyone's cooperating with the police inspection, why are you being treated differently? Why won't they let you search your bag? Are you feeling guilty? The club president's phone is in your bag right now?"
Shen Tu Fan also said with a cold smile:
"Chen Yang, if you really took my phone by accident, hand it back to me now, and I can talk to the police and let you off the hook! After all, we're classmates!"
Chen Yang didn't even lift an eyelid, just quietly stared at Officer Li, a faint smile even playing on his lips. At this moment, Officer Zhou stepped forward, first showing Chen Yang his police ID, then said solemnly:
"Sir, I am Zhou Yuan, a police officer from the Chengbei Development Zone Police Station of the Pingdan Comprehensive Experimental Zone. I suspect there are contraband items in your bag. Please show me your ID and open your bag; we need to conduct a routine check!"
Officer Zhou was far more experienced than Officer Li. Chen Yang was clearly familiar with the law and realized he might have fallen into a trap, so he refused to cooperate. Of course, they could use force, but Chen Yang was tall, strong, and muscular; whether the two of them could subdue him was uncertain, and doing so in front of others would be inappropriate.
Therefore, Officer Zhou opted for the safest approach. If they found the cell phone that had been placed in Chen Yang's bag, the case would be solved, and Chen Yang wouldn't even have a chance to argue. Officer Zhou stared into Chen Yang's eyes and said sternly,
"Please cooperate with the police!"
"Cooperate with your mother's balls!" a lazy voice rang out. The two officers' expressions changed, and they turned around to see a middle-aged man, shirtless and wearing only a white towel, standing not far away, arms crossed, looking at them with disdain.
The middle-aged man had a full, burly beard, and his shirtless upper body was covered with mottled scars, making him look shocking. He exuded an air of arrogance. Officer Li snorted coldly and strode over, muttering,
"Who the hell are you...?"
At this moment, Xu Guifa, whose face had already turned pale because of Brother Dao's appearance, almost lost his mind. He quickly grabbed Officer Li and said with a forced smile,
"Officer Li, misunderstanding... misunderstanding!"
Officer Li looked at Xu Guifa suspiciously. He thought to himself: Wasn't this a trap set by you, old man? Why did he chicken out first?
Xu Guifa quickly pulled Officer Li and Officer Zhou aside and whispered a few words. The two officers' expressions changed drastically, and their eyes were filled with awe as they looked at Brother Dao. After calming the officers down, Xu Guifa rushed to Brother Dao's side, bowing and scraping, and said with a fawning smile:
"President Qin! Why did you come in person?"
Brother Dao picked at his ear with his little finger and said with a sneer:
"If I hadn't come, my little brother would have been arrested as a thief..."
Xu Guifa's face immediately paled. He looked at Hu Qing, filled with regret. Hu Qing had told him that Chen Yang was just an ordinary college student, which was why he had agreed to help set up this scheme. Who knew it would alarm President Qin! It's important to know that President Qin is Chairman Ning's absolute confidant, and this trip is under the guise of the head office to inspect the resort's operations. For the past two days, Xu Guifa has been extremely careful in serving him, practically begging for his favor. He never imagined that for his nephew's trivial matter, he would offend his little brother…
If Xu Guifa had seen Chen Yang drinking and laughing with Brother Dao yesterday, he wouldn't have dared to do it even if he had ten or eight times the courage. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the VIP sanatorium last night, and when Hu Qing told him, he couldn't possibly connect a college student with President Qin.
Hu Qing was also stunned. He hadn't expected this bearded man to be so powerful; even his uncle, the head of the resort, had to be careful and fawn over him. Knowing things might be going badly, he quickly lowered his head, avoiding Xu Guifa's gaze.
Xu Guifa cursed inwardly, but his face was plastered with a smile as he said:
"President Qin, this must be a misunderstanding! Right… Shen Tu?"
Xu Guifa's gaze towards Shen Tu Fan held a subtle hint of threat. Shen Tu Fan wasn't stupid. Seeing the situation turning against him, he quickly seized the opportunity and said,
"Uh...yes, yes, yes! I remember now, I left my phone in the hotel room. It's not lost...not lost!"
The two police officers secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Guifa had just told them about Brother Dao's identity, and they were both terrified. Seeing Shen Tu Fan change his story, Officer Zhou quickly said,
"Good that it's not lost! Young man, be careful next time. Don't report every little thing. We police officers are very busy..."
After saying that, Officer Zhou raised his voice and said,
"Everything's alright now! Everyone, please go home!"
"Wait!" Chen Yang, who had been observing coldly, suddenly spoke up calmly to stop them. He then slowly unzipped his backpack and rummaged through it. After a moment, he pulled out an iPhone 4 from a hidden compartment. Chen Yang held up his phone, smiling at Shen Tu Fan, and asked casually,
"President Shen Tu, look closely, isn't this your lost phone?"
Shen Tu Fan glanced at it, then immediately avoided Chen Yang's gaze, stammering awkwardly,
"This…this…"
The students in the calligraphy and painting club immediately recognized the phone as Shen Tu Fan's. Seeing that Chen Yang had actually found Shen Tu Fan's phone in their bag, and that Shen Tu Fan was hesitant to admit it, everyone was greatly surprised.
Brother Dao's hawk-like gaze swept over Shen Tu Fan and the others, causing them to shiver involuntarily. Brother Dao asked casually,
"What's going on?"
Xu Guifa broke out in a cold sweat. He had tried to gloss over the matter and explain it to Brother Dao later. He hadn't expected Chen Yang to be so unforgiving, and judging from the situation, Chen Yang had known from the beginning that it was a setup. Now the situation had completely reversed, and he was becoming relentless.
Chen Yang smiled mockingly and said slowly,
"Mr. Xu, your General Manager Qin is asking you a question…"
Xu Guifa quickly wiped his sweat and stammered,
"This… General Manager Qin, there must be some misunderstanding. I think… perhaps this Shen Tu student accidentally…"
Chen Yang chuckled, interrupting Xu Guifa, and said,
"Alright! Mr. Xu, if I remember correctly, the villa I booked should have surveillance cameras installed, right…"
Upon hearing this, Xu Guifa's sweat started pouring out again. He gave a dry laugh and said… "This...it should...I think so!"
Chen Yang said confidently:
"I remember clearly, I left empty-handed last night. This bag should be hanging on the coat hook in the villa's living room. If my memory serves me right, there should be at least two security cameras in the living room that can see the coat hook..."
At this point, Chen Yang asked again:
"Mr. Xu, it's been less than twelve hours since last night, the surveillance footage should still be there, right?"
Xu Guifa was already pale. He knew that if he checked the surveillance footage, the waiter's actions from last night would be exposed. When he set up this scheme, he had completely treated Chen Yang as an ordinary person, so he hadn't even considered disposing of the surveillance video. Before Xu Guifa could answer, Chen Yang said with a mocking smile:
"I think if Mr. Xu hadn't made the call, the surveillance video would still be there..."
Upon hearing this, Xu Guifa recoiled as if electrocuted, pulling his hand back from his pocket to retrieve his phone. He forced a smile and said:
"Hehe...you're joking..."
Brother Dao's eyes were sharp; he now understood the whole situation perfectly. He said in an unquestionable tone:
"Xu, take us to the resort's control room!"
After saying that, Brother Dao turned to the two police officers and said:
"Could you two officers also be witnesses? This is very likely a frame-up criminal case. I'm formally reporting this to you on behalf of Chen Yang!"