Chapter 108 Chapter 106: Five Million Dollars

“Ye Chen, stop pretending!” Zhang Yantong snorted lightly and said, “You were indeed by my side that night, but your two friends were nowhere to be found.”

“So?” Ye Chen looked at Zhang Yantong with curiosity.

Ye Chen’s gaze struck Zhang Yantong deeply. She even wondered if she had been investigating the wrong lead. Yet, Zhang Yantong was determined to get to the bottom of it. She stared into Ye Chen’s eyes and said, “That’s why I have every reason to suspect that your people took the five million dollars!”

“Huh?!” Ye Chen was taken aback. “On what basis do you suspect that?”

“Hmph. After all, you suddenly dropped three hundred thousand to buy the hotpot city, and now you’ve spent over a million on renovations!” Zhang Yantong glared coldly at Ye Chen. “I’ve checked your personal accounts. There’s over a million yuan there. Explain to me where your money came from.”

“Oh, Captain Zhang, do you really think you’re the King of Hell, meddling in everything?” Ye Chen was stunned for a moment but then mocked sarcastically, “Even the emperor can’t control everything, yet here you are, wanting to know where I get my money?”

Ye Chen grew anxious. This woman was really stubborn, still digging into this issue. She had brought down Zhang Dadan, and now that the higher-ups had awarded her a third-class merit, she still insisted on hounding this matter.

“Ha…” Zhang Yantong burst out laughing until tears formed in her eyes. After calming herself, she glared at Ye Chen and said, “You bastard, just explain yourself and hand over the money. That sum doesn’t belong to you.”

“Do you ever stop? I said I didn’t take it!” Ye Chen was frustrated. He had already spent every penny. Now she wanted him to hand over the money? Might as well ask for his life. If anyone wanted to take his life, he’d fight to the death.

“Fine, then explain your money. Where did the funds in your account and the renovation money come from?” Zhang Yantong immediately pressed.

“I borrowed it from Mr. Li of Tianya Group, and also from the prince of the southern district!” Ye Chen casually threw out the explanation, clean and clear. He trusted Li Ruo to keep his secret, and as for the prince, many had witnessed him handing over three million on the spot. So Ye Chen was confident he could dodge this bullet.

Zhang Yantong frowned and quickly made a phone call—to Li Ruo. Li Ruo was smart and covered for Ye Chen but didn’t reveal how much he had lent him, which put Zhang Yantong in a tough spot.

“I already said the money was borrowed!” Ye Chen shrugged.

“Fine, I’ll have someone investigate that prince’s matter again!” Zhang Yantong snorted coldly and made another call. Ye Chen sat nearby, legs crossed, whistling, completely relaxed. He had feared Zhang Yantong might uncover something, but with Li Ruo covering for him, he had nothing to worry about.

The news from the police station crushed Zhang Yantong’s spirits. As expected, Ye Chen had led people to severely beat the prince and extorted two and a half million from him. This only made Zhang Yantong’s investigation even harder.

“Hmph. I advise you to behave in Jianghuai City, or you’ll meet misfortune sooner or later!” Zhang Yantong snorted and stood up to leave. Before walking out, she couldn’t help but say to Ye Chen, “Gambling and the underworld—stay away. The waters are too deep.”

“Thanks for your advice, Officer Zhang!” Ye Chen grinned, immediately picking up a juice nearby and said, “Officer Zhang, your orange juice!”

“No, it’s your orange juice!” Zhang Yantong said coldly as she left.

……

Inside the police station, a gray figure hid in the stairwell, clutching a phone and glancing around furtively before quickly slipping inside and making a call. The call went straight to the top lieutenant under Zhang Dadan. Although Zhang Dadan was in custody, many outside were still pulling strings and using every connection they had, and money was flowing freely. As a result, the case had no conclusion. The higher-ups intended to wait for things to cool down before conducting another interrogation—maybe sentencing him to ten or eight years, with medical parole pending. Ultimately, it would be quietly dropped.

“Big brother, today Zhang Yantong inquired about the five million related to Dadan!” the officer said nervously.

“Oh? What’s the situation?” a deep voice came from the other end.

“They’re investigating Ye Chen!” the officer replied immediately. “I accidentally saw Zhang Yantong’s secret files today and found out it was this kid and Feng Zixiao who betrayed us. And that five million was most likely taken by them!”

“Damn!” the voice on the other side smashed a vase in fury and said grimly, “No wonder Feng Zixiao had the ability to take over our hotpot city territory. Damn it, this must be reported to Dadan immediately. They really think Dadan’s dead? Keep watching and come back to me for a hundred thousand yuan!”

“Got it, thank you, big brother!” The young officer nodded eagerly, feeling elated. A policeman’s salary was barely two thousand a month, and even with some gray income, it was less than five thousand. Working for the underworld paid much better—ten thousand yuan for a single piece of information. He had already gotten over a million from Zhang Dadan’s men and had bought a flat and a ten-thousand-yuan commuter car in Jianghuai City. Everyone at the station envied him, thinking he came from a wealthy family, but he was from a working-class background. Nowadays, for a worker to buy a flat in Jianghuai City, they’d have to work day and night since the Revolution.

Just as the young cop stepped out of the stairwell, he ran into Zhang Yantong entering from outside.

“Xiao Chen, what are you doing in there?” Zhang Yantong asked curiously.

“Ah… I… went to get a broom to sweep the stairs!” Xiao Chen nervously looked at her.

“The broom’s by the stairwell, isn’t it?” Zhang Yantong frowned. Years of psychology training told her Xiao Chen was lying—he was hiding something.

Xiao Chen froze, then hastily said, “Ah, right, how did I forget?”

With that, he quickly left. Watching his retreating figure, Zhang Yantong felt a strange unease she couldn’t pinpoint. The past few days investigating Zhang Dadan’s case had left her exhausted, so she didn’t have the energy to analyze Xiao Chen’s behavior further.

Back in her office, Zhang Yantong opened her drawer and immediately noticed that her belongings had been rifled through.

“Damn it, who?!” She pulled out the files, eyes wide. This case was none other than Ye Chen’s. She recalled how an insider in the police department had caused the first raid on Zhang Dadan to fail, injuring over a dozen officers. A bad thought flashed through her mind. What was she to do?

Zhang Yantong fell silent, about to call Ye Chen, but then put the phone down. She snorted softly and said, “Bastard, if you die, it’s no concern of mine.”

……

A dark shadow entered Jianghuai City Prison. Zhang Dadan had received special treatment from the warden, granting him privileges others couldn’t have. He could receive visits almost anytime, without restrictions.

“Big Dadan, damn it, we finally found out who the traitor is!” The shadow wiped sweat from his brow, spinning the thick gold necklace around his neck.

“Who is it?” Zhang Dadan asked, surprised. Dressed in prison clothes with a buzz cut, he was playing with two jade balls. His fingers bore six gold rings, showing his wealth. Since his downfall, he had ordered his men to investigate, determined to recover the missing five million—it was his capital to make a comeback. Hearing the news, a gleam of delight appeared in his eyes.

“Ye Chen and Feng Zixiao, those two bastards!” The man with the gold necklace spat and said, “Big Dadan, what do you want to do?”

“Hmph, what else?” Zhang Dadan’s eyes sharpened as he said, “Make them hand over the five million, then chop them up and throw them at the foot of Xiangming Mountain to feed the wild dogs!”

“Yes, sir!” The gold necklace man nodded immediately.

“Damn it, who would’ve thought two insignificant scoundrels would screw me over so badly!” Zhang Dadan took a deep breath, nearly spitting blood. He hated them so much he wanted to rush out and settle the score with Ye Chen and Feng Zixiao immediately.

“Big Dadan, talk to the guards. Once you’re out, we’ll go deal with those bastards!” The gold necklace man gritted his teeth.

“Right. Bribe the guards more. We’ll need their connections here!” Zhang Dadan smiled wickedly. “There are a few skilled men in this prison. I plan to get out and use them to strengthen our position!”

“Got it!” The underling nodded without hesitation.

……

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