Power and Wealth

At the police station.

Inside the room.

Dong Xuebing's bad temper flared up again, and he started to argue with the police officers, using foul language that was as offensive as possible. Anyone who knew him knew his skill in cursing, and he managed to make the young police officer look entirely powerless. As for Fang Wenping, Dong Xuebing had previously experienced her cursing skills firsthand. However, since Dong Xuebing was already doing the talking, Fang Wenping, maintaining her composure, chose not to speak. She stood there with a dark expression, arms crossed, clearly irritated. Both Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping were quite upset about the situation because they were being forced to hide out in the police station, even though it was the other party who was unreasonable, blocking the road, robbing them, and extorting money. It seemed absurd that a Sub-Provincial (Ministerial) level official and a Deputy Bureau Director level leader had to take refuge in the police station.

Fang Wenping didn't reveal her identity.

Neither did Dong Xuebing.

There was no need to show their credentials; doing so would only make them seem less authoritative. Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping cared a lot about their face, and their temper and handling of situations were almost identical.

The young police officer pointed at him and said, “Fine, you handle it yourself then.”

“No need for you to tell me that,” Dong Xuebing said, glaring at the young police officer, “What’s the point of you being so righteous when you’re not doing anything?”

The young police officer retorted, “If you keep cursing, I’ll detain you.”

Dong Xuebing laughed, “Detain me? I don’t believe you. Go ahead, try it. I’ll fully cooperate with the handcuffs.”

The young police officer glared at him, “You think I won’t?”

Fang Wenping couldn’t take it anymore, “You won’t catch the criminals, but you’re quick to catch us. What kind of police station is this?”

The young police officer snapped back, “Insulting public officials. What’s wrong with detaining you?”

Dong Xuebing pointed at the group of people outside, making a commotion, “Why aren’t you handling them? Just because there are many of them and you can’t handle it, do you take it out on us? Your attitude problem is massive. Where are your principles? What kind of attitude is this? You’re using your attitude as a shield for these criminals. It’s all about bullying the weak and fearing the strong. That’s your current face. Do you want to detain me? Go ahead. I’m waiting. If you don’t detain us, you’re all my grandchildren today.”

Detention?

What a joke.

Dong Xuebing had been detained by law enforcement so many times that he could count them on both hands. Whether domestically or abroad, he was a frequent visitor to police departments. It was a bit better now, but in the past, he was often arrested or sought after by the police. He was used to it and didn’t feel ashamed at all. When Dong Xuebing’s defiant spirit came up, no one could stop him. However, it was clear that they didn’t know who Dong Xuebing was. Otherwise, they would never dare to speak like that because every law enforcement agency or department previously detained Dong Xuebing usually regretted it. This young police officer had no idea who the person standing before him was, and he certainly didn’t know who the woman standing across from him was either.

Inside the police station.

Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping were not the types to tolerate this kind of treatment, especially given their backgrounds. They were figures who would cause headaches even in a place like Beijing. How could they endure such indignities?

Dong Xuebing was locked in a heated argument with the young police officer.

The older police officer, still mindful of the situation, was irritated by Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping's attitudes but wanted to avoid escalating matters further. It was getting late, and no one wanted to stay at the station longer than necessary. Everyone wanted to go home to their families. The older officer wanted to resolve the issue quickly rather than complicate things, so he intervened and said to the young officer, “Alright, let it go.”

“But he—” The young officer was angry.

The older officer addressed Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping, “Please understand our position. It’s not as simple as you think. It’s not just about handling it right away.”

Dong Xuebing said, “That just means your ability to handle things is lacking. I can’t control your limitations, but you can’t delay my business. My car is still parked at the square, and I planned to check into a hotel tonight. Now it looks like we’ll have to spend the night here.”

The older officer, trying to remain patient, said, “It depends on the situation. If they leave, you can leave now. If they stay, I can’t do much about it. Could you not take it out on us? These situations are hard to handle everywhere, not just at our station. All we can do is offer some level of protection. If you don’t want it, you can leave, but it's not our responsibility if something happens or there are consequences. We’ve done what we can.”

Fang Wenping coldly said, “Isn’t isolating us your duty?”

Dong Xuebing added, “These people are lawless. If they can extort and rob now, they’ll start committing worse crimes like robbery and murder in the future. How do you handle it if you keep turning a blind eye? I’m baffled. They’re holding sticks; did you see that? They’re demanding a thousand for something worth ten. Isn’t that robbery? And you’re too scared to act? What are you doing? It’s not that I’m being unreasonable or unsympathetic, but avoiding confrontation with criminals is your approach. The issue might be suppressed temporarily, but what about the previous victims and ordinary citizens? Are you only concerned with appeasing the criminals and ignoring the victims? Is this how you handle things?”

Suddenly, the door opened.

Two middle-aged men entered.

The older officer immediately said, “Director Zhu.”

“Who’s cursing? We heard it outside,” Director Zhu of the police station said, looking sternly at Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping.

The young officer was about to point at Dong Xuebing.

Dong Xuebing cut in, “I’m speaking here.”

Director Zhu scrutinized him, wondering who was so audacious.

The older officer was also quite helpless. He had never seen anyone in the police station speaking so aggressively. Both Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping were quite something.

“What’s going on?” Director Zhu asked.

The older officer explained the details of the incident to him.

Suddenly, the noise outside grew louder. They seemed to have discovered the windows, and the crowd outside gathered around, shouting and pointing at the windows.

The burly stall owner waved the stick in his hand aggressively and shouted, “Pay up!”

Inside the police station yard.

Other people joined in, shouting, “Get out here!”

“Didn’t you hear us? Get out here!” The shouting was loud and relentless, even within the police station. “Get out of here!”

Bang bang bang.

Bang bang bang.

Some were even banging on the windows.

Seeing things were getting out of hand, Director Zhu frowned at Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping, then quickly led his team outside to handle the situation.

Outside, the burly man recognized him, “Director Zhu.”

Director Zhu said, “What’s this about? Go back inside.”

The burly man, showing no respect, replied, “It’s not that I don’t respect you, Director Zhu, but don’t interfere with this matter today. Just get them out here.”

The older police officer said, “Do you know where this is?”

The burly man replied, “I know, but no one can say anything today.”

“Right, hand them over. We won’t kill them,” said another young man from the minority group.

A woman shouted, “Never seen anyone speak to us like this. Get those two out here. I’ll give them a lesson.”

The older police officer said, “This is getting out of hand. It’s late. Everyone, listen to me and go back home. Please, go back.”

The burly stall owner said, “We haven’t been paid yet. Why should we go back? Make them hand over the money. One thousand yuan, not a penny less. Otherwise, they’ll never leave. We have plenty of time to wait them out. We’ll make sure they never come out. Think we’re a joke? I’m going to show them who we are.”

The hostility was overwhelming.

Fang Wenping’s expression changed.

The noise was so loud that they could hear it inside the building.

However, Dong Xuebing showed no sign of distress. Instead, his expression grew eerily calm as he looked at the crowd.

About ten minutes later.

After Director Zhu and several officers had talked with the minority group outside, they returned to the room where Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping were.

“This is difficult to handle,” one officer said.

The young officer added, “They don’t plan to leave today. There was a similar situation where they guarded the place for two days. They have enough people to take turns. Director Zhu, what should we do?”

Director Zhu asked, “How much are they asking for?”

“It seems they want a thousand RMB for the bracelet,” an officer replied.

Director Zhu turned to Dong Xuebing and Fang Wenping and said, “You’ve seen the situation. Pay them for the bracelet first. One thousand RMB.”

Dong Xuebing looked like he was cleaning his ears, “What did you say?”

The young officer said sternly, “Director Zhu says to pay them first.”