Chapter 24: The Aftermath of the Brawl

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Corridor.

"Coming, coming! Just handling some business!" Sun Yujie replied, continuing to try and brainwash Han Ling.

Han Ling looked at him and asked, "Would you like to hear my advice?"

Sun Yujie: "Oh? Go ahead."

Han Ling said: "First, Yang Rui and I are alumni. We met later at a film studio, and now we are colleagues in the same jurisdiction. It is perfectly normal, absolutely normal, to exchange contact information.

"Second, my relationship with her is entirely platonic, and it will remain so in the future.

"Finally, if you intend to pursue her, it is best not to interfere with her personal life. It will put immense pressure on her and make her suspect you have a pathological need for control. Once you are labeled that way, things will be very difficult for you later on."

Sun Yujie felt this made perfect sense and nodded subconsciously. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly denied it: "What... pursue? I'm just looking out for you, standing in your shoes."

Han Ling went along with him: "Thanks, thanks. I'm looking out for you, too."

Reminded by Han Ling, Sun Yujie allowed reason to overcome his impulsive emotions, and his IQ returned to its peak: "I'll listen to you."

The two returned.

"Go ahead and dial," Han Ling said, reciting his phone number.

Yang Rui looked at the two of them suspiciously, dialed the number, saved it, and said: "We're all in the alumni group, right? Let's add each other on QQ when we have time."

Han Ling nodded: "Sure. Well, you two get back to work... Oh, by the way, how is Tong Feng doing?"

Since joining the force, he had been in contact with Tong Feng a few times. After starting, Tong Feng had gone straight to the First Squadron of the Criminal Investigation Brigade.

The First Squadron, the major crimes unit—given Tong Feng’s personality and his original intentions for becoming a police officer, things were likely difficult for him at work.

Sun Yujie replied: "He's doing great. Deputy Squadron Leader Fang Zhou is personally mentoring him.

"Fang Zhou, you know him, right? Our senior. He holds the record for the highest total score in the provincial police recruitment exam, a record that hasn't been broken to this day. Zhang Yunhang doesn't even come close to him.

"Twenty-seven years old! Have you ever heard of a Deputy Squadron Leader that young in the entire province? I haven't."

Fang Zhou?

Han Ling accessed his memory. There was indeed such a person. He had occasionally heard about his exploits at the police academy. Even as a student, he had been outstanding, with top-tier abilities in every area.

Choosing to test for the branch bureau instead of the municipal bureau was likely a matter of personal career preference—he wanted to be rooted in the grassroots and handle cases directly and quickly.

Work at the municipal bureau was more focused on macro-guidance and policy formulation; they only intervened if a very serious case occurred in the city or if a county bureau couldn't handle a case itself.

A twenty-seven-year-old Deputy Squadron Leader was indeed impressive; he belonged to the "genius" tier and must have had exceptional ability.

Of course, there were extreme cases where a young criminal investigator in a squadron might be promoted to Deputy Squadron Leader at twenty-four or twenty-five due to major achievements, opportunity, or appreciation from superiors, but that was theoretically rare.

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Yang Rui also chimed in: "He's smart, highly capable, and decisive. He has solved quite a few cases over the years. Fang’s excellence isn't just known in Qingchang—he's ranked highly across the entire province."

Sun Yujie nodded in agreement, clearly holding Fang Zhou in high regard.

"Is he married?"

Han Ling’s focus had shifted slightly, as Sun Yujie showed no signs of jealousy while Yang Rui praised another man.

"I hear he is married." Sun Yujie naturally didn't know what Han Ling was thinking. "Hey, why do you care if he's married or not?"

Han Ling thought to himself that it was as he suspected.

If Fang Zhou weren't married, Sun Yujie would be in trouble. At twenty-seven, in his prime, and so outstanding—what competitive edge did Sun Yujie have in comparison?

He couldn't find any.

Even if Fang Zhou had no such intentions toward Yang Rui, the fear of comparison is real when looking for a boyfriend. Forensic examiners, evidence technicians, and criminal investigators deal with each other all day; there was no guarantee Yang Rui wouldn't eventually decide she didn't want to settle.

Fortunately, he was married.

However, Han Ling’s understanding of the relationship between Sun and Yang was shallow; perhaps Yang Rui already had a favorable impression of Sun Yujie.

"Just a random question. Well, I'm off. See you later." Han Ling turned and waved.

"See you."

"Let's hang out when we have time."

Yang Rui and Sun Yujie called out from behind.

Returning to the Wanglou Police Station with the injured party, Han Ling gave the injury assessment report to Zhu Yue, who then reported it to the deputy station chief in charge. Once all documentation was organized, it would be transferred to the branch bureau's Legal Affairs Brigade.

There was no longer a need to investigate this case. Zhu Yue, intending to train Han Ling’s professional skills and gain experience, handed most of the follow-up work over to him.

The woman was still looking for opportunities to seek forgiveness from Haozi. This matter was very important—important to both parties—but she didn't realize that such behavior would only increase Haozi’s anger.

With both emotional and physical betrayal, he had been wearing a very "green" hat.

According to the case facts, Haozi, who suffered "minor injuries," would face administrative detention, while the short man would face criminal detention and be sentenced in the future.

If the short man received forgiveness, Haozi’s administrative detention might not need to be carried out.

If Haozi provided forgiveness, the short man would have a high probability of securing a suspended sentence.

But there was a timing issue. The process for criminal cases was slow: from the police station to the branch bureau, to the detention center, to the procuratorate, and then to the court—it spanned a long time.

Yet, administrative detention was immediate and could not be delayed barring special circumstances. The public security organs could not pause the administrative punishment process for an unknown and yet-to-be-reached possibility of forgiveness.

So, would the short man offer forgiveness?

If he didn't forgive Haozi, both might end up ruined, but there was a possibility that after Haozi got out of detention, he might, for objective reasons, change his mind and choose to forgive the short man.

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If that happened, Haozi would have already served his detention, and the short man would inevitably have to pay a higher price to obtain a letter of forgiveness later.

Both parties were at fault—one in a public security matter and one in a criminal matter—so handling it wasn't simple.

Han Ling asked for their opinions.

Once he had calmed down, the short man realized he was in trouble and made his meaning clear: "If you forgive me, I will forgive you."

Haozi was still in a rage and his attitude was extremely firm: "Even if I go in for a few days, I’m not signing a letter of forgiveness!"

As such, there seemed to be no room for maneuver. If the short man wanted Haozi to sign a letter of forgiveness later, it would be even harder.

The police officer responsible for mediation in the station tried to get involved, but unfortunately, Haozi was still in the heat of the moment. It was unlikely he would budge within the twenty-four hours stipulated for the issuance of the detention order.

"He doesn't agree, what’s your stance?" Han Ling met with the short man privately.

The short man naturally wouldn't compromise: "If he doesn't sign, I won't sign."

Han Ling explained the stakes: "If you sign, there will be room for maneuver during future mediation. If you don't, once Haozi is detained, mediation will be extremely difficult."

The short man wasn't stupid: "If I sign and he decides not to sign later, what then?"

He was right. It was a gamble, but the short man was facing criminal punishment. Insisting on "simultaneous forgiveness" was unwise and easily led to the worst outcome.

Upholding the principle of considering both sides, Han Ling consulted with the legal officer and the mediator and proposed two directions.

First, administrative punishment could not be delayed, but the execution could be postponed after signing. Let Haozi sign the administrative detention order first; if Haozi changed his mind later and both parties reconciled, the order could potentially be changed or revoked through reconsideration.

However, this was only a "possibility"; there was no guarantee what the reconsideration body would decide.

Second, the most direct method: notify the relatives of both parties immediately to discuss the forgiveness matter as quickly as possible, reaching a consensus within the stipulated time for administrative detention.

The case lasted until the next day.

Once the relatives of both sides were involved, mediation became easier. Haozi eventually chose to compromise, and both signed letters of forgiveness.

Strictly speaking, public security penalties do not count as a criminal record, but they are stains left within the public security system and can be checked in certain circumstances.

At the very least, they wouldn't be able to obtain a "Certificate of No Criminal Record" anymore; they could only get a "Certificate of No Criminal Conviction."

Han Ling took the criminal detention report and submitted it to the branch bureau's Legal Affairs Brigade. After the deputy chief signed it, the criminal detention of the short man was carried out.

In the afternoon, Han Ling and another formal police officer from the criminal investigation team set off by car to deliver the man to the detention center.

With that, Han Ling’s task was complete. Subsequent issues were matters for the branch bureau and the procuratorate. The families would need to go there to consult on related matters, such as bail pending trial.

In a mutual assault case where one party sustained minor injuries, the victim was spared punishment, and the perpetrator was spared a prison sentence by paying a heavy price—this was already the best possible outcome.