20demayo Chapter 14 The Untold Story Between Ruan Ruolan and Li Wenbin
Chapter 14 The Untold Story Between Ruan Ruolan and Li Wenbin
Yau Ma Tei, Temple Street.
An inconspicuous street stall with a sign that reads "Chang Kee Seafood" hanging at the entrance.
Li Wenbin led Shen Shaofeng, guided by two old henchmen, through the narrow front shop piled with dried goods, and pushed open an iron door.
With a creak, a hidden world opened up inside.
The space, approximately 200 square feet, was arranged in the style of a traditional Chinese hall.
The four walls are covered with dark solid wood paneling, and directly opposite the main entrance is a huge rosewood altar table.
Inside the shrine, a statue of Mazu is enshrined, incense smoke rises from the incense burner, and an ever-burning lamp emits a red glow.
On either side of the offering table, there is a pair of high-backed armchairs, with intricate cloud patterns carved on the backs.
Ruan Ruolan, who was sitting in the armchair on the right, was smoking at the moment.
She still had her long, slightly wavy hair down her shoulders and wore a short suit jacket.
"MB (Lee Moon-bin), are you healed?"
"Thanks to Mr. Ruan, I won't die." Li Wenbin nodded slightly to her as a greeting.
Shen Shaofeng followed half a step behind him, nodding in acknowledgment as well, his gaze quickly sweeping over him.
Besides Ruan Ruolan, there was only her confidante Bai Tou and four bodyguards.
"sit."
A bodyguard pulled over two round wooden stools and asked them to sit down.
"And who is this?" Ruan Ruolan's gaze fell on Shen Shaofeng.
"Shen Shaofeng, my brother, is also with the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB)."
"Was it him who saved you at the dock?"
"Yes."
"You've come all this way today, not just to introduce me to this handsome young man, right? I've already repaid your favor at the pier."
Ruan Ruolan's words were clearly tinged with resentment.
Li Wenbin understood, and he took a deep breath: "Mr. Ruan, I've come here today to ask you for another favor."
"Oh? Have you forgotten how Fang Zhanqiang died?"
Ruan Ruolan suddenly slammed her hand on the armrest of the armchair: "What did you promise me back then? You said you'd only save the hostages!"
"Now he and all his brothers are dead. I haven't settled that score with you yet."
Li Wenbin looked a little embarrassed; he was indeed in the wrong in this matter.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Ruan, this was my oversight. I trusted the wrong person, but at the time I only wanted to arrest people and rescue Huang Jiahui. I never thought it would kill him."
Ruan Ruolan sneered, "Heh! If apologies were enough, what would we need the police for?"
"Oh, I forgot you're a police officer too. I'm so sorry."
Seeing that the negotiations were about to stall, Shen Shaofeng spoke up at the opportune moment.
"Mr. Ruan, I'd like to say a few words about Fang Zhanqiang."
Ruan Ruolan raised her eyebrows and looked at Shen Shaofeng.
"First of all, the boss was set up. The person who set him up was in a high position and had the goal of swallowing up the ransom and taking control of Huang Jiahui."
"Secondly, Fang Zhanqiang's plan to kidnap Huang Jiahui was playing with fire. Leaving aside offending Pan Junheng, the people behind the kidnapping are people even your Lao Wan might not be able to afford to mess with."
"So even if he manages to evade the police, he will most likely be silenced after the deed is done."
Ruan Ruolan narrowed her eyes: "You know quite a lot."
"Finally, that night, the person who called you to tell you 'Fang Zhanqiang is dead, there's a huge conspiracy behind it, be careful not to be used as a pawn' was me."
Upon hearing this, even Li Wenbin looked at him in surprise.
"Let's get to know each other again. Shen Shaofeng, trainee inspector of the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau."
"Ms. Ruan Ruolan, the Gangster Police Department has solved the Jiangnanlou assassination case."
"The mastermind is Zhan Jiang, a veteran of your gang. He has confessed and named several accomplices. The case has been transferred to the Department of Justice, and he will be charged with attempted murder and other offenses."
Ruan Ruolan was stunned. She stared at Shen Shaofeng, remaining silent for a long time.
After a long silence, she spoke again, her tone softening: "Sir Shen, although we don't like to involve the police in our work, I owe you a favor now."
"Tell me, what do you want me to help you with?"
"The boss needs to find three people: Hu Tianwen, Ma Guoqiang, and Chen Zhikun. They were previously undercover in other gangs, and now they need to be reassigned."
"But it's not convenient for us inside the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau right now, so we hope Mr. Yuen can provide a safe channel for the three of them to meet with us secretly."
Ruan Ruolan pondered for a moment before speaking:
"Damn, your brother here knows better than you how to deal with people in the underworld."
Li Wenbin gave a wry smile and did not deny it.
Even though he has risen to the rank of Chief Superintendent at this stage, he is still far inferior to the shrewd and domineering Deputy Commissioner of Police in later generations.
Ruan Ruolan stood up, walked to the statue of Mazu, picked up three new incense sticks, and respectfully bowed three times.
"Okay, I'll help you with this."
"You two come here at the same time tomorrow."
"Thank you, Mr. Ruan!"
Ruan Ruolan nodded, her gaze falling again on Shen Shaofeng: "Shen Sir, you're very interesting. See you tomorrow."
……
After leaving "Chang Kee Seafood", Li Wenbin breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Shaofeng, thanks to you this time. Ruan Ruolan is no simple woman."
"Indeed, other triad leaders would have been furious to hear about an undercover police officer, but she agreed without hesitation."
"Yes, we need to hurry, otherwise Cai Yuanqi will soon deport Huang Jiahui. By the way, are you sure he doesn't suspect you?"
"Not for now. My current identity is that of an undercover agent sent by Cai Yuanqi to keep a close watch on you. We must carefully plan how to proceed from here."
……
Another day passed, at the same location.
Hu Tianwen, Ma Guoqiang, and Chen Zhikun embraced Li Wenbin with great excitement.
"Boss, you've finally called us back!"
"Speak up, why all this secrecy and the need to meet at Old Man's headquarters? It must be a big case."
"I heard from outside that the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) seems to have been sabotaged by its own people. No one is doing anything at headquarters right now. What exactly happened?"
Although Hu Tianwen, Ma Guoqiang, and Chen Zhikun have nominally returned to the team temporarily, their gangster-like rough and tumble aura has not yet dissipated.
Li Wenbin gestured for them to sit down: "Alright, we can catch up later, let's get down to business now."
"We at the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) received a tip-off earlier..."
After hearing Li Wenbin's words, the three of them were dumbfounded.
Unexpectedly, the arrest of Kwai Chung's notorious Fong Chin-keung by the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) has uncovered so many shocking inside stories.
Only then did they notice Shen Shaofeng sitting quietly in a corner, smoking.
"My name is Shen Shaofeng, and I am a newly recruited trainee inspector. You have been undercover in other gangs for so long, thank you for your hard work."
Li Wenbin briefly introduced the four men to their identities and began assigning them tasks:
"Ah Wen, you're in the Yongzi gang of the 'Number Gang,' and you're familiar with those smugglers in Saigon. I need you to find out about the human smuggling ships that are preparing to smuggle people out of the international waters in the past week, especially those heading to Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and Indonesia."
"Young Master Kun, you'll be in charge of gathering information at the pier in Tuen Mun..."
"Keung-jai, you're in Hung Hing, I want you to keep an eye out for any recent cases of people suddenly transferring hundreds of millions in cash through underground banks..."
"The three of you will operate independently, maintaining single-line contact. Shaofeng is your new liaison!"
Shen Shaofeng added, "My three senior brothers, Cai Yuanqi has many eyes and ears, so you must act discreetly and not expose your identities."
The three exchanged glances and replied in unison in low voices, "Understood!"