Eating Melons in the Police Station

"Dad, I want to play on that." Little Tong tugged at Zhong Jin's hand, pointing to a distant inflatable castle. "There are so many kids jumping around inside."

Zhong Jin had initially planned to go home and change his clothes. The water from the fountain was dirty, and as someone with a bit of a germ phobia, it was hard for him to imagine getting filth all over his face and hair.

But then he thought about how busy his work kept him, and how rare it was for him to have the chance to take Little Tong out to play at this time. So, he agreed decisively, "Alright, let's go."

Little Tong opened her mouth, letting the wind in as she joyfully ran forward, her laughter echoing. In areas without traffic, Zhong Jin usually didn't stop her from running. Children needed to run and jump to stay lively. If she fell, it was no big deal. She'd eventually learn to be more careful.

At the inflatable castle, there was someone collecting fees. Little Tong stood at the entrance, shouting to Zhong Jin, "Hurry up, Dad! I really want to play!" She was so eager that she started stamping her feet, clearly impatient to join the fun.

Zhong Jin told the attendant to let her in first while he paid afterwards. He scanned the QR code and transferred 20 yuan. Just as he finished, his phone rang.

It was Gu Le calling. "Chief Zhong, there's been movement at Little Sun Daycare Center. But the situation is a bit complicated. Do you want to come back to the station?"

Zhong Jin glanced at his daughter, who had just taken off her shoes and entered the inflatable castle. She was falling all over the place, but her expression was pure joy. Her face was flushed, and her mouth stretched into a wide grin, ear-to-ear, if not for the ear protectors keeping it in check.

If he now called her away, how disappointed would she be?

Zhong Jin averted his gaze and replied to Gu Le on the phone, "Alright, I'll be there soon."

After hanging up, he pulled up his contacts and dialed Xiang Ruicheng, Xiang Zimo's father. "Do you have time now? Are you at home?"

Xiang Ruicheng wasn't very familiar with Zhong Jin, having only exchanged a few words when Zhong Jin had picked up Little Tong once. Zhong Jin's abruptness caught Xiang Ruicheng off guard.

"I'm at home, yes... yes, I’m free. Is there something I can do for you, Chief Zhong?"

"I'm at the musical fountain square near your house. Can you come over? It's urgent."

A police station chief speaking with such directness was enough to leave Xiang Ruicheng flustered. "Okay, I'm on my way right now."

Zhong Jin added, "Bring your son along."

After hanging up, Zhong Jin transferred another twenty yuan to the inflatable castle attendant, letting him know another child would be joining soon.

About ten minutes later, Xiang Ruicheng arrived, jogging with Xiang Zimo tucked under his arm. He was wearing flip-flops, rushing across the lit-up fountain square. If not for his regular exercise routine, the 30-something Xiang Ruicheng might have collapsed after just a few steps.

"Chief Zhong, what's going on?" Xiang Ruicheng leaned over, catching his breath.

Zhong Jin pointed to the inflatable castle. "I invited Zimo to play here." Then, turning to Xiang Zimo, who looked equally bewildered with his windswept hair, he said, "Zimo, the little sister is inside. You can go join her."

Upon hearing about the girl inside, Xiang Zimo eagerly ditched his flip-flops by the entrance and scrambled into the castle, leaving his father behind.

"I have something to take care of back at the station. Can you watch the kids for a bit? I'll come back to pick up Little Tong later."

Only after Zhong Jin's tall figure disappeared from view did Xiang Ruicheng regain his senses. He shouted toward the man who had vanished into the distance, "Hey, if you just wanted me to babysit, you could have told me! You nearly scared me to death!"

"Uncle Xiang, where's my dad?" Little Tong, her messy black hair a testament to her fun, leaned over the inflatable wall, looking outside. All she saw was Uncle Xiang, not her dad.

Xiang Ruicheng quickly switched to a warm, caring smile, trying to sound comforting. "Little Tong, your dad had to handle something urgent. I'm here, don't worry! Go back to playing. When you're tired, I'll buy you something to eat. Anything you want!"

"Fried chicken! And... bing bing cream." Little Tong no longer mispronounced "fried chicken" as "crunchy little chicken"; she had learned the correct term. But she still had trouble saying "ice cream."

"No problem at all! Go have fun, sweetheart."

---

At the police station, Gu Le was closely monitoring the surveillance feeds. As soon as Zhong Jin arrived, he zoomed in on a particular screen, pointing out the figure on it. "Chief Zhong, the man in the black shirt on the screen is Guo Qi, a security guard at Little Sun Daycare Center. About two hours ago, I noticed him calling Kong Yingqiu, Luo Jiahao's mother. The call seemed to be about meeting up. Kong Yingqiu hesitated but eventually gave him an address near a park by the hospital. Rao Shishi and the others have already gone to the location. The target is too far away to hear their conversation. Should we make the arrest?"

"Didn't Kong Yingqiu report this call to the police?" Zhong Jin asked.

"No, and she likely doesn’t realize her phone has been tapped. I suspect she’s deliberately avoiding involving the police, probably planning to use this situation as blackmail to extract money."

With nearly eight years of frontline investigation experience, Zhong Jin's gut told him that Guo Qi was just a pawn. If Kong Yingqiu cooperated, they might be able to uncover the person pulling the strings behind Guo Qi. But with Kong Yingqiu stirring the pot, the situation could quickly spiral out of control.

"Arrest them," Zhong Jin said decisively.

About half an hour later, Rao Shishi and a few other officers brought in two individuals.

As predicted by Gu Le, Guo Qi was indeed involved in throwing the drink. The police investigation led them to Little Sun Daycare Center, which had him panicking. Hiding at home for a day, he finally couldn't resist and called Kong Yingqiu, planning to settle the matter privately. But before he could say anything, the police had already apprehended him.

"Was it you who threw the drinks into Little Sun Daycare Center?" Zhong Jin asked.

Guo Qi, with his somewhat clouded eyes, nodded.

"Answer verbally: yes or no."

"Yes."

"From which location did you throw them?"

"From Changpu Road, at the third traffic light, I turned left and walked to the first fence of Little Sun Daycare Center. I threw in two bottles, one of Coke and one of Nutri-Express."

"What time did you do this?"

"July 26th, a Friday morning, around eight or nine o'clock."

Gu Le had already pulled up the corresponding surveillance footage on the computer, confirming Guo Qi's story. At 8:36 AM on July 26th, CCTV captured Guo Qi riding an electric scooter past the Changpu Road traffic light and entering the alley behind Little Sun Daycare Center.

Zhong Jin continued, "What did you add to the drinks?"

"I honestly don't know what it was. My wife sells braised meats at the market. To make the color look better, she uses some additives within allowed limits. I just grabbed some from her stall. I thought, since they're things people eat, they wouldn't cause any big problems. My intention was just to make the kids a bit sick, maybe have them run a fever for a few days."

Many braised meat stalls do add a regulated amount of nitrite to enhance color, which matched Guo Qi's explanation.

Guo Qi glanced nervously at the police officers' expressions, then attempted a shaky smile on his sallow face. "Officers, the kid... didn't get really bad, did they? After all, these are things people eat. They're allowed by the state. Could something really serious have happened?"

Rao Shishi pushed a document in front of him. "An intake of 0.2-0.5 grams of nitrite can cause poisoning, and in severe cases, it can lead to shock or even death. Here’s the literature. Take a look."

"I can't read," Guo Qi said, his anxiety clearly mounting at the mention of fatalities.

"Why did you add nitrite to the Coke and Nutri-Express and throw them into the daycare center?"

Although Guo Qi was slightly nervous now, he maintained composure and answered smoothly.

"I worked as a security guard at the Golden Sun Kindergarten. They paid well, 4,800 yuan a month. Later, when business declined, they laid off some staff, and I was afraid I'd be next. So I thought, if something happened at the Little Sun Daycare Center—the closest competitor—parents would stop sending their kids there, and our kindergarten would get more business. That way, I wouldn't get laid off."

After saying this, Guo Qi added, "Officer, I really didn't expect it to get this serious. I'm willing to pay for the children's medical expenses and compensation."

"Mmm," Zhong Jin replied, his expression grave. "This isn't just about compensating for medical bills anymore. Your actions have violated the criminal law, specifically the crime of releasing dangerous substances. Moreover, the victims are minors, a protected group. Not only is economic compensation involved, but a prison sentence is practically certain."

He fixed his gaze on Guo Qi's eyes and asked, enunciating each word, "So, Guo Qi, tell me who was pulling the strings. The sentencing criteria differ for accomplices and ringleaders."

Guo ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍Qi's usually calm eyes flickered with panic, but he stubbornly held his ground. "Officer, I did this all by myself."

Zhong Jin interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on them, pondering for a moment before speaking again to Guo Qi.

"Do you realize how full of holes your story is?"

"First, as someone who can't even read, your answers are too smooth and precise. Every detail fits perfectly, as if you've rehearsed them many times."@@novelbin@@

"Second, considering you'd risk poisoning for a 4,800 yuan monthly salary, it's clear you place great value on money. Yet, when it comes to compensating the victims' medical fees and damages, you promised too easily, as if someone else would foot the bill."

"Third, you dialed Kong Yingqiu's number. Who gave you her phone number?"

Guo Qi kept his head down, repeating the same phrase over and over: "I did it. No one instructed me."

"Fine, we'll lock you up and wear you down," Zhong Jin said, tossing his pen back onto the desk. The sharp click it made startled Guo Qi, who flinched.

There were several missed calls on his phone, all from Xiang Ruicheng. Zhong Jin returned the call, and after a few words, his expression changed. "Alright, I'll be right there. Which hospital?"

As he hung up, Zhong Jin hurried out, but Rao Shishi caught up with him. "Chief Zhong, what about Kong Yingqiu?"

Kong Yingqiu was getting tiresome.

"Just reprimand and educate her. Keep her here until tomorrow; you can handle it. I have an urgent matter. Call me if anything comes up."

Rao Shishi wanted to say more, but Zhong Jin had already dashed into the night. She opened her mouth, then tiredly yawned, turning to enter one of the interrogation rooms along the corridor.