Indeed, the entire bureau knew that Tang Jian had beaten his wife so violently that he broke his own hand, after which his wife sought divorce.
—
When Yu Yi was about to leave work, she received a phone call from Tang Jian’s colleague.
The caller said: “Comrade Tang Jian did not surrender his service weapon as regulations require during his extended sick leave, and even threatened civilians with it, which constitutes a serious disciplinary violation. The bureau has issued a punishment. We went to Lijing Garden this morning to demand he turn in his weapon and notify him of the disciplinary decision. However, he was not home and did not answer his phone. So we’re reaching out to you to ask where Tang Jian currently lives and how to contact him.”
Yu Yi furrowed her brow slightly: “I contacted him two days ago, and his phone number was still the same. To my knowledge, he should still be living in Lijing Garden and might be home in the evening.”
The caller said with slight disappointment: “Okay, if you manage to contact him, please tell him to come to the sub-bureau.”
Yu Yi agreed, and after hanging up, she began to think.
Tang Jian had said on the phone two days ago, “I’m waiting for you to come home.” He probably hadn’t left his original residential complex, and there was no reason to change his phone. Unless someone from the sub-bureau had already informed him of the disciplinary action.
He would definitely suspect that she had reported him to the bureau leadership, so he would come looking for her.
Yu Yi immediately took leave and left work early. She returned to her rented apartment. She first pulled the door, which was locked.
Does this mean Tang Jian hasn’t been here?
Yu Yi felt inexplicably uneasy. She slowly inserted the key into the lock and turned it, once, twice, and the door was still in the locked state she had left it in.
Gently opening the door, the room was dark in the night. With the streetlight shining through the window, she could only vaguely see the outlines of the sofa and coffee table. She reached out to touch the light switch by the door.
Her phone in her bag suddenly rang.
Yu Yi was startled and pressed the switch. The fluorescent light flickered a few times before the room became bright.
She closed the door and carefully searched the entire apartment, confirming no one else was present, before opening her bag.
During this time, the phone had been continuously ringing with an unfamiliar number.
Yu Yi answered the call.
“Feng Li. What have you been looking for so long? Looking for me?”
Yu Yi’s heart tightened. Could he see her previous actions? “How do you know I’m looking for you?”
“Your criminal investigator husband has equipment and tools,” Tang Jian said quite proudly.
Yu Yi was surprised: “What, reporting to the bureau? I never said anything.”
Tang Jian said with some confusion, “Xiao Hu told me that you went to our bureau the day before yesterday, talked to Director Wu for a long time, and my disciplinary action came down that same afternoon…”
“Tang Jian, think about it. I’m afraid of hiding from you, so how could I dare to go to your branch bureau? Moreover, our divorce is your private matter. Although there might be some conflicts, it’s not something that would lead to disciplinary action, right? Tang Jian, did Xiao Hu really say that? Have you told him about our divorce? And did you really receive a disciplinary action from the bureau?”
With this barrage of questions, Tang Jian couldn’t be sure anymore. Xiao Hu was his partner, often on missions together.
After Tang Jian’s hand was fractured, he had maintained contact with Xiao Hu, who reminded him about the bureau’s disciplinary action.
Tang Jian left home, filled with anger towards Feng Li, and drove to the rural farmhouse where Feng Li’s parents lived, kidnapping them while they were out for a walk.
Tang Jian thought, his left hand gradually dropping.
Yu Yi asked questions while slowly kneeling down. Seeing Tang Jian relax his guard, this was the moment she was waiting for. She suddenly leaped from a half-squatting position towards Tang Jian.
Tang Jian was startled and instinctively turned his gun, firing at Yu Yi’s approaching direction.
When Tang Jian began to turn his arm, Yu Yi stepped to the right, the bullet grazing her left arm and hitting the wall behind her. Before Tang Jian could react to fire a second shot, she was already in front of him, lifting his left arm with her left hand to point the gun upward, and striking the side of his neck with her right hand.
Tang Jian grunted and collapsed softly, the gun falling from his hand.
Yu Yi’s actions had been blocked by Tang Jian’s body, so Feng Li’s parents only saw him fire and then suddenly fall.
Yu Yi hid Tang Jian’s gun under the sofa, called the police, and notified Tang Jian’s bureau colleagues. Then she untied Feng Li’s parents, saying, “Mom and Dad, please stay in the bedroom and lock the door.”
Tang Yueying saw her left arm was bleeding and worried, refusing to go to the bedroom. Yu Yi looked down; Feng Li’s left arm was grazed by the bullet, but the wound was shallow with minimal bleeding. “Mom, don’t worry, it’s not serious, and I can’t bandage it now.”
“Because I want to send Tang Jian to prison so he can never harm you or me again. Mom and Dad, you must remember not to come out no matter what sounds you hear.” Yu Yi said this and gently pushed Tang Yueying into the bedroom.
Police sirens wailed, and loud knocking came from the door.
Yu Yi kicked Tang Jian; her strike to his neck was light, meant only to cause a brief unconsciousness. Tang Jian gradually came to, his head still dizzy. Hearing the knocking, he quickly tried to get up, anxiously searching for his gun. Turning, he saw Yu Yi sitting on the sofa and rushed to her, asking viciously, “Who called the police? Where’s my gun?!”
Yu Yi took a deep breath and suddenly screamed, “Help! Murder! Help!”
Tang Jian went mad, lunging to pin Yu Yi on the sofa, choking her and yelling, “I’ll stop you from calling!
At that moment, the door was forcefully broken open, and several armed police officers rushed in. Seeing Tang Jian attacking Yu Yi, they immediately pulled him away, restrained and handcuffed him.
Tang Jian shouted, “It was her! She knocked me out. She hid my gun…”
Hearing Tang Jian’s words, Feng Hongwei couldn’t help but rebuke him, “Tang Jian, how dare you say such things? You were the one who pointed a gun at me and my wife, kidnapped us here, and forced Lili to come, even shooting and injuring her! Officers, look, I still have rope marks on my hands.”
A police officer looked at Yu Yi, huddled on the sofa and trembling with fear, and asked with some sympathy, “You were the one who called the police?”
Yu Yi looked at the officer with tearful eyes, pointing at Tang Jian on the ground with her bloodied hand and said tremblingly, “He kidnapped my parents and threatened to kill them. I took the opportunity to knock him down, and he shot and injured me… When he fell, he probably hit his head. I called the police because I was afraid he would kill me and my parents. I made my parents hide in the room and hid his gun, waiting for you to come. I didn’t expect him to wake up and try to strangle me…”
Tang Jian shouted, “She’s lying!
She broke my hand and knocked me out. She’s framing me!”
The officer pulled him up and said coldly, “I think you’re the one who’s lying.”
Tang Jian was taken away, and Yu Yi and Feng Li’s parents also went to the police station to give statements.
