CHAPTER 85: CHAPTER 81: HUH, YOU WANT TO COMPETE WITH ME? ARE YOU AS BAD AS I AM?

"Aoyama Xiu Xin!"

In the corridor of the investigation department’s floor, Aoyama Xiu Xin was blocked by a raging Asai Ayumi.

"Asai Police Chief." He ignored the strange looks from his colleagues and bowed slightly, neither servile nor overbearing.

Seeing the busy corridor, Asai Ayumi, holding back her irritation, coldly said, "Come to my office."

Aoyama Xiu Xin complied smoothly and followed her.

"You bastard!" Once in the office, Asai Ayumi stopped pretending and rushed up to him, grinding her teeth as she questioned, "What did you tell my brother?"

To think that he sold me out for a billion!

Damn! Am I only worth so little?

"Don’t be so fiery," Aoyama Xiu Xin said with a smile, looking at her and grabbing her smooth chin, "half of the money I asked from your brother is yours."

Asai Ayumi froze, her anger gradually subsiding as she realized this guy was merely playing her brother, and, feeling guilty from the misunderstanding, she put on a fierce face and said, "No way! That’s my family’s money, I should get at least seventy percent."

She was indeed very poor now; her previous savings had all been extorted by Aoyama Xiu Xin, and she had been paying for their hotel stays and meals.

"All of it will go to you, after all, this money was meant to serve as bride price to marry you," Aoyama Xiu Xin said casually. Bride price akin to dowry.

"Using my brother’s money to marry me, he would be furious if he knew." Eager to see her brother unable to maintain his stern face, Asai Ayumi quickly asked, "When are we going to see Yanchuan Xianyou?"

"I’ve already mentioned it to him, and he has agreed, if you have no objections, we’ll visit your house on the third to propose. No rush for the marriage, but let’s finalize the arrangements," Aoyama Xiu Xin told Asai Ayumi.

Though this barren land of hers had been developed many times by the unlicensed developer, Aoyama Xiu Xin, as they approached serious discussions of marriage, she still felt a shyness, looking down with a flickering gaze, "My leverage is still in your hands, you bastard. Can I even object? Would I?"

She didn’t want to marry Nipponjiro Erlang, and Aoyama Xiu Xin was not her ideal husband, but since he had her leverage, she could only marry under duress.

"That’s good then, I’m off to work, don’t delay me from serving the nation, serving Heavenly Locust!" Aoyama Xiu Xin left with those words under her annoyed gaze.

"Deputy Chief, good morning!"

When Aoyama Xiu Xin entered the murderer investigation department, everyone stood up and bowed in greeting.

"Good morning, everyone." Aoyama Xiu Xin replied with a smile, and when he saw Yoshikai Youzai, he was startled, "Did you not sleep at all last night?"

"I didn’t rest well," Yoshikai Youzai, with dark circles under his eyes, yawned in response.

"Don’t stay up too late," Aoyama Xiu Xin said, not knowing what he had been up to, and went back to his workstation.

Chief Jin Cheng Heiji, convinced Yoshikai Youzai was Aoyama Xiu Xin’s spy, scoffed and said sarcastically, "Yoshikai-kun sure has it tough."

"Chief Jin Cheng, you are also working hard," Yoshikai Youzai responded with a bow and then sat down.

Jin Cheng Heiji’s face darkened instantly.

Just then, several men in suits marched in, wearing badges from the Intelligence Crime Investigation Division of the Police Headquarters.

Seeing these men appear, everyone in the office changed their expressions, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The Intelligence Crime Investigation Division primarily deals with public servant bribery cases, so the presence of so many personnel indicated that someone was in trouble.

Everyone was uneasy, wondering if it might be them.

"Hello, I’m Deputy Chief Aoyama Xiu Xin from the murder investigation division, can I help you?" Aoyama Xiu Xin stood up and greeted the men, introducing himself.

The leading middle-aged man, efficient and composed, shook hands with Aoyama Xiu Xin and said, "I am Eguchi Nobumasa, chief of the Intelligence Crime Investigation Division. There’s been a report that Chief Jin Cheng Heiji accepted bribes, and we need him to cooperate with our investigation."

Wow!

The office instantly erupted in an uproar, and while everyone breathed a sigh of relief, all eyes turned to Jin Cheng Heiji.

"It’s impossible! This is definitely someone framing me!" Jin Cheng Heiji stood up abruptly after being momentarily stunned and vehemently defended himself.

"Chief Jin Cheng, calm down," Aoyama Xiu Xin glanced at him and then sternly said to Eguchi Nobumasa, "Chief Eguchi, may I ask if you have already obtained the relevant evidence, or if there are any documents issued by the prosecutor’s office or the Tokyo Metropolitan Public Security Committee? If you are just taking someone away based on some unfounded rumors, I am afraid I cannot cooperate."

The others in the office were all exhilarated upon hearing this; after all, who doesn’t like a leader who stands up for his subordinates?

Despite the known discord between Jin Cheng Heiji and Aoyama Xiu Xin, Aoyama Xiu Xin still protected him, showing a broad-mindedness!

At this moment, Jin Cheng Heiji looked at Aoyama Xiu Xin with a complicated gaze. He had thought his opponent would kick him while he was down, but he had not expected him to speak on his behalf.

This made him feel ashamed of his previous petty thoughts...

"I can understand Deputy Chief Aoyama’s emotions," Eguchi Nobumasa forced a smile on his face, then quickly resumed a serious expression, "but before we came here, we had already searched Chief Jin Cheng’s home. We found $500,000 in the ceiling of the bathroom, exactly the amount the whistleblower mentioned."

"Moreover, we checked the surveillance. The whistleblower brought two bags when he visited Chief Jin Cheng’s home that evening. According to him, one bag contained money and the other bag contained alcohol. Chief Jin Cheng accepted the money and let him take the alcohol back."

"This is a setup! This is framing! I clearly only took the alcohol! I didn’t take any money!" Jin Cheng Heiji screamed hysterically, realizing he had been set up, he was both shocked and angry.

"Chief Jin Cheng, calm down!" Aoyama Xiu Xin reprimanded him, then raised doubts about Eguchi Nobumasa’s words, "As Chief Eguchi mentioned, if the surveillance footage is still available, it means the whistleblower reported the incident shortly after delivering the money; this seems quite strange."

"The whistleblower’s explanation is that Chief Jin Cheng turned against him the day after receiving the money, becoming greedy and wanting more," Eguchi Nobumasa replied, then disdainfully glanced at Jin Cheng Heiji and said indifferently, "Moreover, even if the whistleblower meant to trap Chief Jin Cheng, the fact that he accepted the money is true. In our work, we don’t consider motives but focus on results and evidence."

"Okay, thank you for the clarification," Aoyama Xiu Xin’s face looked terrible. With a grim face, he said to Jin Cheng Heiji, "Chief Jin Cheng, there’s nothing I can do at this point; I really can’t help you. You should cooperate with Chief Eguchi and his team for the investigation. If you are innocent, they surely won’t wrong you."

"I know it was you! Idiot! It must have been you!" Jin Cheng Heiji stood frozen, then suddenly realizing something, he pointed at Aoyama Xiu Xin, gritting his teeth and yelled, his eyes reddened as he charged at him, "It must have been you, you bastard setting me up! Now pretending to be innocent, playing the saint after being a sinner!"

He completely lost control of his emotions.

"Thinking of assaulting an officer, are you? Stop him!" Eguchi Nobumasa ordered coldly, waving his hand as two subordinates rushed forward and tightly restrained Jin Cheng Heiji.

Eguchi Nobumasa then ordered, "Take him away!"

"Aoyama Xiu Xin! You scoundrel! You framed me! It’s true what they say, barking dogs seldom bite!" Jin Cheng Heiji struggled fiercely as he was dragged away, his face twisted in rage as he screamed hysterically at Aoyama Xiu Xin.

Aoyama Xiu Xin didn’t say a word, just watched with a face so grim it could drip water, coldly observing him.

Other colleagues from the murder department watched the scene, feeling that Jin Cheng Heiji had gone too far. After all, Aoyama Xiu Xin had just tried to help him, and now he was repaying kindness with ingratitude, biting the hand that spoke in his defense, truly the most heartless beast.

"Aoyama Xiu Xin! You will not die a good death! Your day will come too! You all fell for his hypocritical façade! No one else could have done this to me but him!"

"Aoyama Xiu Xin! Speak up! Say something!"

As Jin Cheng Heiji was dragged farther and farther away, his voice grew fainter until it finally disappeared completely.

"Deputy Chief Aoyama, I apologize for the disturbance," Eguchi Nobumasa bowed in apology, then turned to leave. At the doorway, he ran into Asai Ayumi, bowing slightly to her.

Asai Ayumi stepped aside to let him pass, then turned to Aoyama Xiu Xin and asked, "What’s happened?"

"Chief Jin Cheng is suspected of accepting bribes and has been reported by the bribers," Aoyama Xiu Xin explained tersely.

"That disgrace!" Asai Ayumi cursed instinctively, then suddenly thought of something, glanced at Aoyama Xiu Xin, and said, "Let’s all get back to work."

With that, she turned and walked away.

"Everyone, continue with your work, don’t worry about Chief Jin Cheng; I will keep monitoring his situation," Aoyama Xiu Xin said with a sigh to his colleagues.

Upon hearing this, everyone truly felt that Aoyama Xiu Xin had done all he could for Jin Cheng Heiji, and they found themselves even more convinced by their new leader.

Although Aoyama Xiu Xin maintained a calm demeanor, inside, he was already sneering. With such skills as Jin Cheng Heiji’s, trying to take him down was simply a fool’s dream.

Hah, thinking you can compete with me? Are you as cunning as I am?