Chapter 33: The Female Marauder with a License

Xiao Ma was taken away to some unknown place.

A short while later, Zu Timing, his eyes shining with anticipation, called out “Officer Qu” and headed toward the door.

The young policewoman stuck out her tongue in embarrassment when she saw the most formidable figure approaching—the infamous Officer Qu Changfeng from the sub-bureau!

Qu Changfeng was a rare heartthrob in the police force, not yet thirty, unmarried, standing over six feet tall with a hairstyle reminiscent of Kris Wu’s. Even in uniform, he exuded a trendy flair, slinging a large shoulder bag diagonally across his body.

Leaning nonchalantly against the far corner of the lobby was a woman whose cold, striking beauty seemed to ward off any desire for conversation. But upon seeing Qu Changfeng arrive, even she put away her phone and let a graceful smile curve her lips.

Qu Changfeng was the police force’s most eligible bachelor—well-connected, young, handsome, wealthy, and resourceful. Naturally, he attracted the attention of all the women in the circle. It truly felt like a superstar’s entrance; every woman in the station, from top to bottom, had her eyes on him. Even Xiao Ma’s best friend, the shopkeeper’s wife, looked a little lovestruck, her eyes gleaming as she watched Qu Changfeng walk in.

“A real all-rounder!” someone in the station remarked, nudging the young policewoman. “Chen, wasn’t he from your school?”

The young policewoman, Chen, nodded slightly. “Yes, he was a few years ahead of me. By the time I enrolled, he was already a legend. Several athletic records were his and still hadn’t been broken when I graduated.”

“What a pity,” the older woman said with a smile. “You’re so attractive—if you’d been a few years older, maybe you could have had something with him.”

Chen rolled her eyes. “Forget it. His reputation on campus wasn’t great. I heard a lot of girls had to get abortions because of him. If it weren’t for his powerful father, who knows what kind of messes would have come up.”

Meanwhile, Zu Timing sidled up to Qu Changfeng and whispered to him for quite some time, chattering endlessly. But Qu Changfeng, clearly lacking patience, listened perfunctorily to a few sentences before finding an excuse to draw Zu Timing aside.

Afterwards, Qu Changfeng walked over to the beautiful prosecutor and struck up a lively, animated conversation. They chatted and laughed, obviously enjoying themselves. The prosecutor, though still interested in talking, glanced at her watch and gestured subtly to remind Qu Changfeng it was time to get to work. She also hinted: if you’re not convinced, we can settle it tonight at the club—let’s see who rules the night, the Prince or the Princess.

Qu Changfeng extended a playful invitation: “Zhen Yuqi, would you like to come in and observe?”

The prosecutor, Zhen Yuqi, shook her head. “No, that wouldn’t look good. You’re supposed to submit the investigation results to me. If I participate, it’ll be a procedural violation and the boss will tear into us.”

Qu Changfeng joked, “Let the boss go to hell. He knows this is my case—he wouldn’t dare say a word.”

Zhen Yuqi smiled and shook her head again. “No need. But one more reminder—not that anyone will die, but the real challenge in this case is drawing the baseline, because it could spark sensitive topics involving the Divine Clan.”

Qu Changfeng snapped to attention in jest, “Is this official guidance from your office?”

Zhen Yuqi punched him lightly on the shoulder, still smiling. “Cut the crap. When it comes to political sensitivities, you know the drill better than anyone. This is just a private warning.”

At that, Qu Changfeng’s brows furrowed slightly. Theoretically, the case had already been characterized, with Zu Timing going overboard, blaring “intentional injury” at every turn, which was not a good look. In theory, Qu Changfeng had never met the parties involved, had no personal grievances, and from an objective standpoint, the case wasn’t complicated—indeed, it leaned towards intentional injury, and the prosecution clearly saw it that way too.

If this had happened in a bustling downtown area, with extra witnesses or video footage stirring up public opinion, no one would be so naive as to call it justified defense; it would definitely be ruled excessive defense.

But now, things were tricky—there was no video, no extra witnesses. The only witness was a local from Haizhou, and Zu Timing had already labeled her a “shrew.” He’d even dug up old records to prove the shopkeeper’s wife was a troublemaker, with two previous incidents of causing chaos at the station.

This, in turn, affected Prosecutor Zhen Yuqi’s trust in the shopkeeper’s wife as a witness.

Under these circumstances, with no additional testimony, pressing the investigation toward intentional injury to accommodate the prosecution’s stance wouldn’t be out of the question—especially since the suspicion of intentional harm was already strong. Doing Zu Timing and Zhen Yuqi a favor was easy enough.

But Qu Changfeng had his own concerns.

Seeing his hesitation, Zhen Yuqi asked, “What’s the matter? Is something bothering you? I think this case is straightforward.”

Qu Changfeng frowned. “It’s not complicated. But you have to consider who’s working this case with me.”

At this, Zhen Yuqi’s eyes darkened as she recalled the powder keg that was Zhang Jing. Zhang Jing had been trouble for her more than once at work. Having come straight from the front lines of the Western Counterterrorism Unit, Zhang Jing’s professional habits—or perhaps war trauma—made her especially sensitive to members of the Cake Gang.

After a moment’s reflection, Zhen Yuqi ventured, “Don’t tell me Zhang Jing is coming over?”

Qu Changfeng’s expression turned complicated, and he nodded slightly, unwilling to say more. A playboy at heart, Qu Changfeng was interested both in Zhang Jing and in Zhen Yuqi—a subtle and delicate balance.

Hearing it really was Zhang Jing, Zhen Yuqi thought, Damn, this is trouble. With her involvement, the baseline of this case would become highly unstable.

As Qu Changfeng walked away, Zhen Yuqi watched him go, her thoughts still churning.

Zhang Jing arrived a bit later. As before, Zu Timing went over to brief her. Zhang Jing waved him off impatiently. “Enough, enough, spare me the details. Everyone knows what’s going on. It’s just that no one’s reined in the Cake Gang for ages—you all know what they’re like. The only people clueless here are the officers in your district.”

Zu Timing was furious but powerless to argue. Zhang Jing was someone Qu Changfeng paid close attention to; Zu Timing didn’t dare offend her.

Zhang Jing strode over to Zhen Yuqi. When the two beauties met, aside from inwardly envying each other’s looks and figures, their professional approaches clashed as well, and it took only a few exchanges for them to start arguing.

Zhang Jing, a true troublemaker by nature, soon resorted to personal attacks in her agitation. Seeing no one was filming, and the cameras were pointed elsewhere, she deliberately stepped on Zhen Yuqi’s foot and bumped her with her shoulder.

Zhen Yuqi nearly lost her temper, breath catching painfully as she leaned against the wall, shocked. “You actually hit me!”

“F*** you! You’re so weak you can’t even stand up straight, and now you want to play the victim? Get lost!” Zhang Jing waved her off dismissively.

Zhen Yuqi looked around in disbelief—this was supposed to be a law enforcement agency, yet it felt more like a bandit’s den.

By the time she regained her composure, Zhang Jing had already walked off with her briefcase. Zhen Yuqi chased after her, pointing angrily. “Just you wait—if you think you’ll get away with this, you’re dreaming. There will be consequences.”

Zhang Jing pretended not to hear. Before entering, she stopped by to speak privately with the shopkeeper’s wife, questioning her in detail.

Then Zhang Jing entered the interrogation room. “Qu Changfeng, you’re something else. You started interrogating before I even arrived. What result are you hoping to rush?”

Qu Changfeng quickly waved his hand. “No, no, you’ve got it wrong. There’s nowhere to sit outside, and it’s noisy. I just came in to warm up. Didn’t expect to get much. This guy doesn’t even have an ID—I still don’t know his name after all this time. He just rambles.”

Expressionless, Zhang Jing regarded Xiao Ma for a moment. “Did he threaten you? Coerce a confession?”

This was textbook language for prosecutors, but why were two police officers now using it to snipe at each other? Xiao Ma couldn’t make sense of it either and shook his head. “He didn’t coerce me or threaten me.”

Zhang Jing nodded slightly. “Good.”