035 Processing

“Officer, it was just a dog I killed—do we really have to go this far?” Wei Mingzhe’s voice quivered slightly.

“A dog is personal property. You killed someone else’s dog, which constitutes intentional damage to private property. We’re simply handling the case according to the law,” Han Bin replied.

“I just couldn’t swallow this. That woman Li has gone too far—she bullies people,” Wei Mingzhe said through gritted teeth.

“Li Weina filed a false police report—that’s a crime too. I’ll handle her situation,” Han Bin said.

“Really? How will you handle it?” Wei Mingzhe asked.

“Take care of your own business first,” Han Bin said.

Wei Mingzhe was silent for a long moment before he spoke again. “If I confess, can you guarantee I won’t be detained?”

“As long as your attitude is good and you admit your guilt, it’s not a big deal. I’ll do my best for you,” Han Bin replied.

Wei Mingzhe took a deep breath. “Fine, I admit it. I killed the dog.”

Han Bin nodded. With Wei Mingzhe confessing, things would go easier for everyone, and the punishment could be lighter.

No matter how unwilling he felt, Wei Mingzhe ultimately gave in. To reach a settlement, he even took the initiative to apologize to Li Weina.

Li Weina, however, was not one to be trifled with; she pointed at Wei Mingzhe and let loose a string of curses.

“Enough with the insults. We’re here to resolve the issue, not to listen to you scold people,” Han Bin intervened.

“Li Weina, how do you want to settle this?” Cui Hao asked.

“You killed my dog, so you have to pay,” Li Weina demanded.

“How much?”

“Twenty thousand yuan.”

“You’re just trying to take advantage! How could a toy poodle be worth twenty thousand?”

“Our Zaizai ate the best dog food—there were toys, deworming medicine, vaccines, a kennel, treats, vet visits. Do you know how much it costs to raise him this big? And I’ve had him for years,” Li Weina shouted.

“And I gave him my affection—I treated him like family.”

“What do you say, Wei Mingzhe?”

“Her dog put my mother in the hospital. We never got compensation for the hospital bills, shouldn’t that be calculated as well?” Wei Mingzhe retorted.

“Is this true?” Han Bin asked.

“I just had it checked—yes, it’s true. The local police tried to mediate several times,” Cui Hao said with a helpless shrug.

For such cases, the police could only mediate. If mediation failed, they had no authority; the matter would have to go to court.

“How much were your mother’s hospital bills?”

“Nearly twenty thousand.”

“You’re really bold—just a few days in the hospital and you claim twenty thousand,” Li Weina snapped.

“You can spend twenty thousand on a dog, but a human life isn’t worth more?” Cui Hao countered.

“Li Weina, why haven’t you paid compensation?” he pressed.

“I have no money. If he wants it, let him sue me in court,” Li Weina replied.

“You’re just being unreasonable,” Wei Mingzhe shot back.

“Enough arguing. We’re here to solve the problem,” Han Bin said, waving his hand.

“This all started with the dog. Now the dog is dead, and the compensation amounts are about the same. Why don’t we just offset them and consider it mutual compensation?”

“I have no objection,” Wei Mingzhe said.

He knew there was little hope of getting the money back. Having killed the dog, he at least felt some relief.

“Officer, I can let the compensation go, but my Zaizai is dead—I can’t just let it rest at that,” Li Weina insisted.

“What do you want, then?”

“Detain him. He must be detained.”

“Detention isn’t up to you. It depends on the nature of the case, attitude of the accused, and the compensation issue. The police will decide,” Han Bin said.

Wei Mingzhe breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Han Bin with gratitude. Money could be earned again; as long as he didn’t go to jail, nothing else mattered.

“So my Zaizai died for nothing?” Li Weina huffed.

“Well, if you’d paid compensation earlier, would it have come to this?”

“How was I supposed to know he’d be so cruel?” Li Weina said, bursting into tears—but her tears were all thunder and no rain.

“Li Weina, I’ve solved the case for you and found the culprit. Now let’s deal with your issue,” Han Bin said.

“What did I do?” Li Weina asked.

“Filing a false police report.”

“But my dog was really killed by him,” Li Weina protested.

“We detectives protect citizens, not dogs. What you did was a false report,” Li Hui said.

“Fine, I’ll accept the punishment. How much is the fine?” Li Weina asked.

“Do you think the police care about your money?” Han Bin smiled coldly. “Cuff her. Detain her.”

“Detain me? On what grounds?” Li Weina exclaimed, jumping up.

“According to Article 25 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, those who file false police reports can be detained for five to ten days and fined up to five hundred yuan; if the circumstances are minor, it’s less than five days or a fine of up to five hundred yuan,” Han Bin said sternly.

“Officer, I won’t do it again. Please, let me off this once?” Li Weina pleaded.

“Cui, she’s yours to handle,” Han Bin said.

“No problem. She’ll quiet down once she’s inside,” Cui Hao replied with a smile—he’d seen her type before.

The other residents, not afraid of a bit of drama, chattered on the sidelines.

“Look at that—Li Weina called the police and ended up getting taken away herself.”

“She’s always causing trouble. Why not just ask the local police for mediation? No, she had to call in the detectives—see? Now it’s a big deal.”

“After this, our neighborhood should be peaceful for a while.”

“That young officer is impressive—he handles cases with real efficiency.”

“He usually deals with murder cases; sorting out a dog-killing is a walk in the park.”

…

There’s a golden window for solving cases; once it passes, a lot of clues and evidence can be lost. Detectives work around the clock once there’s a case. With a deadline, they might work overtime for a month, let alone twenty-four hours.

Of course, when there’s no case, they can take weekends and public holidays off.

Zeng Ping had already posted the duty roster in the group: Zhao Ming on Saturday, Tian Li on Sunday.

With no cases at hand, Han Bin could finally rest for the weekend, and he was delighted.

It was a rare chance to relax, so Han Bin decided he’d sleep in the next morning and wake up naturally.

…

The next morning, nine o’clock.

“Ding dong…” The doorbell rang, dragging Han Bin out of his dreams.

“Damn it.” Han Bin rubbed his head, annoyed.

He couldn’t figure out who would ring his doorbell so early. The person who came most often was his mother, Wang Huifang, but she never rang the bell.

Who could it be?

“One moment, stop knocking,” Han Bin called out as he put on his clothes, still bleary-eyed. He peered out through the peephole.

A familiar face appeared.

Han Bin opened the door, sounding irritated. “What are you doing here so early?”

“You’re not up yet?” Li Hui asked.

“It’s my hard-earned day off. I just wanted to sleep in, and you had to come ruin it,” Han Bin complained.

“I’m not here to see you. I moved in a few days ago, but because of the case, I haven’t had time to visit your parents. I happen to be off today, so I thought I’d come by,” Li Hui explained. He was carrying three things: fruit, yogurt, and free-range eggs.

“You’ve got the wrong place. My parents live in 601,” Han Bin said.

“So you live here alone?” Li Hui was surprised.

“I’m a detective—always out early and back late. I don’t want to disturb their rest,” Han Bin replied.

“And what, I’m not a detective?” Li Hui chuckled. “You have such a big place all to yourself. That’s a bit extravagant.”

“Sit for a bit. I’ll wash up and take you down in a minute,” Han Bin yawned.

“You’re something else, you know that? When I was looking for a place to rent, you never suggested I stay here. The rent would be cheaper, and it’s not like you’re using the space,” Li Hui grumbled.

“Hui, we’re colleagues—we see each other all day at work. Do you really think it’s a good idea to live together after hours too?” Han Bin laughed.

“You’ve got a point,” Li Hui muttered.

“Distance makes the heart grow fonder, right?” Han Bin said.

…

After getting washed up, Han Bin took Li Hui to his parents’ home.

When they learned he was Han Bin’s colleague, Han Weidong and Wang Huifang were delighted and warmly welcomed Li Hui.

Since Han Bin was off, Wang Huifang had already bought plenty of food—perfect for entertaining a guest.

After a while, Li Hui played chess with Han Weidong while Han Bin helped in the kitchen.

From the kitchen, he could hear Han Weidong reminiscing about his days as a detective as he played chess.

Han Bin peeked out and saw Li Hui listening intently, occasionally asking questions.

It was like the tale of Zhou Yu and Huang Gai—one eager to speak, the other eager to listen.