Tiger Police

Chapter 298 Bookstore
Hu Pingtao replied honestly: "Not yet."

I am a newcomer, and it took me only ten minutes to get down to the bottom of the ditch. If I can really see something from the pile of wreckage, it is not a human being, but a god.

A smile finally appeared on Lu Xiaoxu's deathly stiff face: "I thought the police in the Mainland were much smarter... so I can feel relieved."

Although the words were harsh, they did not use a sarcastic tone.On the contrary, even a little self-deprecating.

Zhang Wanhe knew some of the inside story of this case, and asked, "Xiao Lu, what's wrong with you?"

Lu Xiaoxu frowned, and said reluctantly: "I have been investigating for a long time, but I have no clue. All kinds of evidence show that this is a traffic accident. The higher authorities want to close the case as soon as possible, and have urged it several times."

Hu Pingtao stared at him: "Do you think it was a traffic accident?"

Lu Xiaoxu was silent for a long time, and said seriously: "I know that driver. He is a very nice person. Regardless of his personality, he has been driving for decades. There is absolutely no technical problem, and he is also careful when doing things. cautious."

"I happened to be in charge of this case. I went to the hospital and asked him, and he said... when the incident happened, the brakes failed, and the school bus happened to be on the periphery of the road. He wanted to turn left and squeeze the oncoming car. It's much better to have a collision than to fall into a ravine. But the problem is... the steering wheel also had problems at that time."

Zhang Wanhe and Hu Pingtao looked at each other, seeing surprise in each other's eyes.

Hu Pingtao asked: "Could it be that the driver said that on purpose in order to shirk responsibility?"

Lu Xiaoxu was a little unhappy: "He is not that kind of person."

After all, Zhang Wanhe's age is here, and his qualifications are relatively old, so he doesn't have so many scruples in speaking: "This is weird. If there is something wrong with the mechanical system, why did it happen at that time?"

Lu Xiaoxu replied stiffly: "This section of the road is long and downhill."

Zhang Wanhe didn't think so: "From the urban area to here, there are three long sections of downhill ahead, which is unreasonable."

"The previous downhill section was not as steep, and the road conditions were much better than here." Lu Xiaoxu explained: "Xiaofengshan Scenic Area has only recently become popular, and although the road section is newly built, it basically maintains its original shape and has not been widened. "

Zhang Wanhe said: "But the inspection results of your police station show that there is no problem with the vehicle itself."

Lu Xiaoxu sighed in distress: "This is the crux of the problem. I trust the driver, but I can't convince others."

Neither Zhang Wanhe nor Hu Pingtao took his words well.

Cold field.

The overcast sky began to rain again.

Several people left the bottom of the ditch, climbed up the hillside, and got into their cars.

……

Zhang Wanhe sat in the driver's cab and did not rush to start the engine.He took out a cigarette, handed one to Hu Pingtao, stuffed another one into his mouth, lit it with a lighter, then leaned forward with his upper body lying on the steering wheel, silently watching the car parked in front of him. police car.

That was the car of Lu Xiaoxu and several other police officers.

Hu Pingtao took a puff of cigarette, held the cigarette in his right hand and flicked it out of the window, then leaned over to Zhang Wanhe, looked at the police car directly in front of him, and asked suspiciously: "Brother Zhang, do you know him very well?"

Zhang Wanhe said lightly: "That's right! I know his father."

There are so many meanings in this sentence.Zhang Wanhe didn't say "acquaintance" or "friend", only "someone's father".

Hu Pingtao was very knowledgeable and didn't ask any more questions.

"This kid is very stubborn." Zhang Wanhe swallowed, and explained slowly: "More than ten years ago, I just got my lawyer's qualification certificate in the United States, and I received a call from a young lady, asking me to rush back to help someone with a lawsuit."

Hu Pingtao nodded knowingly: "Lu Xiaoxu's father?"

Zhang Wanhe gave a "hmm" and continued: "Miss is kind-hearted. When she was young, she was full of love. It was a coincidence that she was driving with her friends and met a man on the bridge who was going to commit suicide by jumping into the river." The man. At that time, the lady had already driven past the man, and suddenly felt that something was wrong, so she quickly reversed the car and persuaded him to get off. "

"That man is Lu Xiaoxu's father... who owns a small restaurant. He wanted to expand his business scale and open two more branches, so he took out a loan shark and was cheated when he signed the contract. It's five times higher, and you have to pay in one month... I've seen people who are stupid, but I've never seen someone as stupid as him. It's clearly a pit, but I have to jump into it."

Hu Pingtao was enthralled and asked, "What happened next?"

Zhang Wanhe took a deep breath, feeling like he was complaining: "Actually, I don't want to deal with these crap things at all, but I can't do anything about it if the lady speaks. This kind of lawsuit is very difficult to fight, because the contract is written in black and white. Clear and clear. Hong Kong City is not like your mainland, as long as it is a normally registered lending company, it can operate legally. Although Lao Lu is suspected of being cheated, the main problem is still on him. As long as there is a slight Common sense, take the time to read the contract carefully, no one will be fooled."

Hu Pingtao was very shrewd: "That is to say, brother Zhang, you didn't win the lawsuit?"

Zhang Wanhe blushed a little at what he said: "I just got my lawyer's license at that time, and I didn't expect it to go wrong the first time... I had no choice but to find the lady in despair and tell her that I really couldn't help it. So... ...Alas... my life is a stain, a real life stain!"

"Then how did you solve it?" Hu Pingtao asked.

"Look for a friend on the road to settle it." Zhang Wanhe slowly exhaled smoke from his nostrils. He squinted his eyes with emotion: "I realized at that time that the law only applies to those who follow the rules. Sometimes, you tell others the rules. , people will tell you directly with their fists what the real rules are."

Hu Pingtao understood: "So you don't like Lu Xiaoxu?"

Zhang Wanhe nodded: "It's mainly because of his father. He is an ungrateful guy. Miss helped him so much, even if you don't want to repay him, you should at least thank him verbally. But he was lucky, and hid afterwards. , He couldn’t even see a person. He didn’t come out to reopen the restaurant that had been closed for more than a month until he found out about it. He only cared about making money for himself, and it felt as if this had never happened.”

Hu Pingtao shook his head when he heard this: "How come there are such people?"

Zhang Wanhe said contemptuously: "If I knew this was the case, I wouldn't have helped him if I was beaten to death. But the young lady is quite magnanimous. She said that the same rice can support all kinds of people, so let him go!"

As he said that, Zhang Wanhe raised his finger to the police car in front of him that had already started its engine and was turning around in a spacious place on the road: "Lu Xiaoxu has come to see the lady a few times, and bought some gifts with his pocket money to express his gratitude... At that time, he just 15 years old."

Hu Pingtao was thoughtful: "Very sensible!"

Zhang Wanhe nodded slightly: "He is still very promising. Later, he entered the police academy, became a policeman, and rose step by step, and now he is a senior inspector... Just that bastard father, who can have such a promising son, can be regarded as an ancestor. It smells great."

Hu Pingtao asked: "But Brother Zhang, you seem to have a big opinion on Lu Xiaoxu?"

"This kid is very stubborn. In your mainland terms, he is very stubborn!" Zhang Wanhe said: "Actually, I think there is something wrong with this case, but Lu Xiaoxu believes that someone deliberately damaged the mechanical system of the school bus, causing the vehicle to overturn."

Hu Pingtao's eyes shone shrewdly: "Brother Zhang, what is your basis?"

Zhang Wanhe flicked the cigarette butt out of the car. He was very addicted to cigarettes, lit another, and said while smoking: "I am a lawyer, and I only believe in evidence. There are capable people in every industry, and the police are no exception. The traces and evidence at the scene Collection inspection is a systematic and profound knowledge, and it is definitely not something that laymen and so-called reasoning experts can delve into with mere words or superficial questions. I have read the police inspection report on the wreckage of the vehicle, and the possibility of mechanical system failure is very low. In other words, the possibility of sabotage is almost zero."

After saying this, Hu Pingtao understood: "So on this issue, Lu Xiaoxu disagrees with you?"

Zhang Wanhe nodded: "I think the car accident was an accident. As for why Chen Miaoyun's daughter had a convulsion in the middle of the night, it should be related to her classmates."

Hu Pingtao asked: "Brother Zhang, do you think this is a coincidence?"

Zhang Wanhe said frankly: "The probability of coincidence is extremely low, but it does exist. All kinds of traffic accidents happen every day all over the world. Some people are killed and others are injured. It involves various types of malice, crimes, and framing. It is all coincidences." .”

Hu Pingtao couldn't help laughing: "You are looking at the problem from the perspective of probability!"

Zhang Wanhe said seriously: "I only believe in evidence and data."

Hu Pingtao was noncommittal about this: "I have seen the scene, let's go back!"

With a cigarette in his mouth, Zhang Wanhe squinted at him: "It's not even noon yet, why are you hungry?"

Hu Pingtao smiled and said, "It's about the same distance from here to the city. I guess someone will call me in a while."

Zhang Wanhe thought for a while and asked, "You mean Yao Xinqiu?"

Hu Pingtao nodded: "Seizures in the middle of the night have a great impact on the brain. Simply put, it means that you can't sleep well at night and you don't have energy during the day. She will definitely stay at home in the morning to catch up on sleep, and she will ask me out after noon."

Zhang Wanhe laughed "puchi", and raised his hand to support Hu Pingtao's shoulder: "You are quite confident!"

Hu Pingtao sat on the chair, and said in a joking tone: "A handsome man like me, with a good family background, and a rich relative like Sister Guo, is always the focus of attention no matter where he goes. !"

……

Around one o'clock, Yao Xinqiu called and asked Hu Pingtao if he had time to go to the bookstore together.

The bookstore she chose is located in a relatively remote location, but it is large and has an elegant environment.

She also dated a girl named Liu Ning, who seemed to have a good relationship.

As soon as Hu Pingtao in sportswear appeared, the two girls felt their eyes brighten up.

"I was planning to go out, but I didn't expect you to call. I pushed my friend away, thinking that it would be good to come to the bookstore to read books."

Hu Pingtao's voice is magnetic, his sentences are logical, he always has a smile on his face, and he looks very sunny and full of vitality.

Yao Xinqiu immediately regretted why he brought Liu Ning with him.She obviously felt that Liu Ning's attitude towards Hu Pingtao was too enthusiastic, and he spoke faster than herself.

"You are Xinqiu's cousin!" Liu Ning smiled brightly, even intending to reach out his hand.It's just because of his status and face, he still guards the last reserve.

Seeing this, Hu Pingtao politely stretched out his right hand: "Hello, my name is Guo Pingtao."

A faint smile flickered across his face, making her dizzy.

In fact, Liu Ning looks good and has a good figure.The shirt and heated pants are more attractive, far more than Yao Xinqiu who always wears long skirts.It's just that compared with Hu Pingtao, the age gap in appearance is a bit big.

She filled the gap with a very warm sentence: "I am Xinqiu's friend, let me call you brother too!"

The corners of Yao Xinqiu's eyes twitched twice, he hurried forward, touched Hu Pingtao's finger hastily, and explained in a hoarse voice: "Liu Ning is my elementary school classmate..."

Just these few words are rich in too many meanings.

Didn't go to middle school for some reason?

The family environment is not good?

Or... is it because of Liu Ning's own problems?
Hu Pingtao smiled knowingly, but didn't delve into it.He raised his finger to a bookstore not far away: "Let's go, let's go in first."

……

It has become a very common business model for bookstores and cafes to jointly operate.After all, not everyone who comes to a bookstore will buy a book.Half, or even more than the above people cannot be called "customers".They come here just to read books for free, or it should be said to be "immersed in non-monetary cultural edification".

Since it is opening a shop for business, customers cannot be turned away.The reason why merchants operate cafes is to supplement marketing revenue through this means-you can choose to read books for free, but you can only stand, or choose a secluded corner to sit on the floor.If you want to be in an elegant public area and have comfortable sofa booths, you must order a drink that is slightly more expensive than outside shops.

The three-story bookstore is in the shape of a ring.A grand piano is placed on the central platform on the second floor.Although the price is expensive, it is a second-hand product.This is also a business model of the merchant. Anyone who is interested can play it. The premise is that you have the skills and ability to ensure that you will not be despised by the people around you with weird eyes.

The first floor is the children's library.

Hu Pingtao took the two girls up to the second floor.They began to search for books they were interested in along the rows of bookshelves.

A person's interests can be seen from the list of books.

Liu Ning took a copy of "Campus Horror" from the bookshelf.

Yao Xinqiu chose a collection of Pushkin's poems.She has always loved this.

Hu Pingtao took a thick book from the foreign language counter.

Seeing this, the two girls gathered around curiously.

Looking at the foreign language on the cover, Liu Ning asked suspiciously: "It doesn't seem to be English?"

Hu Pingtao smiled and nodded: "This is French."

(End of this chapter)