Chapter 138: Manufacturing a False Atmosphere to Create a Grand Momentum

"Brother Gao, it's bad, something has happened." A sharp, urgent phone ring pulled Gao Jie out of a sweet dream. The moment he muttered a sleepy hello, an anxious voice blasted through the receiver.

Gao Jie glanced at the clock—it was eleven in the morning. Irritated, he shouted into the phone, "Who is this? Calling so damn early, are you out of your mind?!"

"It's me, Xiwen. The setup you pulled on Zhang Yong has been exposed!" Jiang Xiwen dropped the bombshell like a thunderclap, instantly snapping Gao Jie fully awake.

"What?!" Gao Jie gasped, his voice pitching up in panic. "Say that again!"

"Fang Sixiang—Fang Sixiang actually kept all the evidence proving you framed Zhang Yong. Fortunately, a police friend of mine uncovered it while interrogating him over another matter. We need to meet right now, go straight to the Yangjiang Hotel, find your father, and tell him everything. This is a matter of life and death!" Jiang Xiwen's tone was rushed and frantic.

"What the hell?! What is Fang Sixiang trying to do, trying to get himself killed?!" Caught up in the tension Jiang Xiwen had so masterfully stirred, Gao Jie completely lost his composure. He muttered to himself in a panic for a long time before finally snapping back to reality. "What kind of evidence does Fang Sixiang have? Is it serious? Why do we need to find my dad?"

Jiang Xiwen replied, "Extremely serious evidence. He actually has a security video of you impersonating Li Changtian at the China Merchant Bank to make that remittance. He said he pulled strings to get it the day after you went. On top of that, he's fabricated other photo evidence. We can use his forged photos to charge him with malicious framing, which is why we have to find your dad and get him to handle Zhang Yong's situation immediately..." Jiang Xiwen's words hit a few crucial points while remaining delightfully vague. The focal point was that Fang Sixiang possessed the video of Gao Jie making the fraudulent transfer; the ambiguous part was why having this video had anything to do with swiftly resolving Zhang Yong's predicament.

Yet, the mere mention of the video threw Gao Jie into absolute panic. He hurriedly asked, "Where are you? I'm coming right now, but how are we even going to see my dad? He's under isolation during the investigation!"

"Don't worry. Just hurry up and get dressed, then come to the restaurant at the Yangjiang Hotel. Enter through the back door and keep a low profile." Jiang Xiwen's tone softened at this point, carefully designed to steady Gao Jie's frayed nerves.

This psychological manipulation led Gao Jie by the nose, steering his subconscious step-by-step from shock to panic and finally to a semblance of calm. Guiding Gao Jie's emotional trajectory in such a manner was more than enough to make him temporarily view Jiang Xiwen as a trusted ally.

Before long, Gao Jie arrived at the Yangjiang Hotel's restaurant as promised. He maintained a high state of vigilance as he slipped inside, darting his eyes about like a spy.

"Xiwen, nicely done. You should change careers and become a psychologist. A few casual sentences on the phone had Gao Jie stressed out of his mind," Ning Yu chuckled, leaning against Jiang Xiwen in a corner of the restaurant. They had arrived early that morning, leveraging their police status to brief both the restaurant manager and the front desk manager under the guise of an active investigation. Naturally, they omitted any mention of the provincial inspection team, opting instead for a mix of intimidation and stern warnings to ensure strict confidentiality.

"Alright, Old Ning, I need to head over. Remember, wipe that expression off your face and look tense," Jiang Xiwen instructed.

Old Ning laughed self-deprecatingly. "Oh, come off it. I've been working undercover for years, I'm better at this than you." Only in front of Jiang Xiwen could Ning Yu truly drop his emotional armor. Even in front of Wang Wu, he still had to maintain the demeanor of a senior.

Before he could finish, Jiang Xiwen had already stood up and walked toward Gao Jie. The moment they met, he made a shushing gesture and whispered, "Brother Gao, over here. My police friend is right this way; he's temporarily detaining Fang Sixiang. In a moment, we'll change into delivery uniforms and sneak into your dad's room. I've already checked the room number."

Without giving Gao Jie a second to think, Jiang Xiwen grabbed his arm and led him over to Ning Yu, adding, "We don't have time for formal introductions. You two can get acquainted briefly now, and have a proper chat after we finish the business at hand."

Ning Yu looked them over and said with solemn gravity, "You're Gao Jie? Follow me." He only needed to play his natural role, projecting the image of a capable and decisive police officer.

"Right, okay." Gao Jie nodded vigorously. The surreal cascade of events—curiosity, tension, oppression—assaulted his brain all at once.

He was never a particularly steady person to begin with. No matter how clever his mind or how adept he was at scheming, under such pressure, the inherent volatility of his personality rose completely to the surface, making him easy prey for the environment meticulously crafted by Jiang Xiwen and Ning Yu.

The three of them entered a private dining room, where Ning Yu handed them the delivery uniforms he had procured in advance. "Quickly now, change into these."

Gao Jie took the clothes, the panic on his face gradually receding, replaced by a surge of excitement. Since Jiang Xiwen orchestrated this, he must have a way to deal with Fang Sixiang's video evidence. Seeking a breakthrough on the very edge of danger provided a thrill that felt like an entirely new, first-person experience—the kind of god-mode perspective usually reserved for movies.

Clearly, Gao Jie thrived on this kind of adrenaline. He found himself imagining the look of sheer astonishment on his father's face when he appeared in this disguise, followed by the praise he would receive once he and Jiang Xiwen successfully resolved the crisis.

Had Jiang Xiwen known what was passing through Gao Jie's mind at that moment, he undoubtedly would have shaken his head in pity: So even this spoiled brat and playboy desperately craved his father's approval; he was just another child starved for affection.

Once changed, the restaurant manager personally pushed a dining cart piled with covered silver platters. Wearing an expression of utter awe and obsequiousness, he told Ning Yu, "Officer, here is the catering cart you requested, featuring the signature dishes of our hotel's master chef..."

Jiang Xiwen smiled inwardly. Ning Yu's casual intimidation earlier had thoroughly terrified this manager, turning him into a willing, wholehearted accomplice from head to toe.

"Comrade, many thanks!" Ning Yu gave the restaurant manager a crisp salute. The manager flushed with excitement and babbled, "Officer, don't you worry at all. I will cooperate with you fully! I've dreamed of being a police officer since I was a child..."

"Damn it, this guy is really fucking long-winded," Gao Jie muttered in frustration, the first to break as the manager continued his endless stream of chatter, while the three of them finally slipped out of the private room.

Jiang Xiwen spoke in a low voice, "Brother Gao, we'll take the service elevator up. Your dad is in Room 1105. Room 1106 happens to be vacant, and my friend has already requisitioned it. We lured Fang Sixiang into Room 110—you'll see the whole truth in a minute."

"Got it!" Gao Jie nodded heavily, a flash of grim determination in his eyes. Jiang Xiwen couldn't help but sigh inwardly: What a fine kid. If he'd been properly raised from childhood, he might actually have made a decent cop.

The two of them pushed the dining cart into the elevator one after the other. Ning Yu watched the doors close as they headed for the eleventh floor, then took the guest elevator from the hotel lobby to join them. Inside Room 110, Qi Huanchang and Fang Sixiang were already waiting, everything having gone precisely according to the morning's blueprint.

Ning Yu was never a policeman who blindly followed protocol; he possessed an obsessive drive when it came to cracking cases, thriving on difficulty. Ever since he returned from his undercover assignment, the precinct had failed to assign him any substantive duties. Though his rank was remarkably high and the captain of the criminal police treated him with utmost respect, he was perpetually sidelined from active operations, reducing him to a resident idler—a deeply frustrating state of affairs.

This stifling stagnation persisted until the chief of police finally explained why no post had been arranged for him: official transfer orders had just arrived from the Ministry of Public Security.

In a few months, he would assume the post of head of criminal investigation at the Nanshen Municipal Police Bureau. Having accumulated countless merits during his time in the special forces and having just cracked a major case undercover upon returning to local service, the highest leadership at the Ministry had personally reviewed his dossier, pulled directly from the Military Commission, before deciding to dispatch him to Nanshen—China's special economic zone, where crime rates ran comparatively high.

Since Ning Yu's hometown was Yangjiang, having the chance to crack one final major case here before his departure meant he could bring down one more criminal and punish one more corrupt scoundrel for his hometown. Thus, even if this operation abused his authority and broke protocol, he deemed it a price worth paying. He had already verified Fang Sixiang and Gao Jie's entire conspiracy to frame Zhang Yong through the evidence provided by Jiang Xiwen; all that remained was to ascertain whether Gao Feng had been a party to it.

Jiang Xiwen and Gao Jie, accompanied by the dining cart, now stood outside the door of Room 1105. Jiang Xiwen pressed the doorbell, and a steady, deep voice echoed from within: "Who is it? What do you want?"

Gao Jie nearly blurted out "Dad," but Jiang Xiwen instantly stopped him with a sharp gesture, calling out, "Room service, bringing your lunch." The atmosphere had to be meticulously maintained so that the impending chaos could cloud Gao Feng's judgment. Gao Feng had risen to the position of director of the education commission; he was bound to be far less volatile than his son. Having this precious idiot of a son present would make fooling Gao Feng considerably easier.

"Come in..." The moment Gao Feng's voice sounded again, Jiang Xiwen turned the door handle, pushed the door open, gestured invitingly, and stepped aside. Gao Jie, thoroughly infected by Jiang Xiwen's cautious demeanor, dutifully pushed the dining cart into the room.