Power and Wealth - C.1617

Afternoon.

It was almost four o'clock.

Time ticked away, and the situation seemed to be escalating.

Hundreds of residents surrounded the alley, led by Auntie Zheng and a dozen elderly comrades. They pointed fingers at the five police officers and drivers and cursed loudly. People in Beijing were generally good at cursing, and with so many of them gathered, the air was filled with curses, filling the entire alley from front to back. The drivers didn't even have a chance to retort from ancestors to grandchildren.

"Idiots!"

"Move your cars quickly!"

"This isn't a parking spot for you!"

"Go park at your workplace instead of showing off here!"

"You're blocking our doorstep yet acting all tough!"

There was even a four or five-year-old girl being led by her mother, who innocently blurted out "idiot," earning herself a smack on the butt from her mother. In Beijing, from young to old, from men to women, almost everyone knew how to curse. It was just the way people talked here.

The curses kept coming.

The scene felt like being in a football stadium.

The drivers couldn't handle it anymore, their faces turning pale.

The police officers shouted anxiously, "What are you all doing?"

Seeing that a mass incident might occur, the older police officer worried. He whispered to the drivers, "Old Wang, Old Sun, how about moving the cars first to clear the road? Emotions are running high, aren't they?"

Old Wang glared, "These are Director Zhang's and other leaders' cars. It's not over just because they got kicked. If we don't resolve this, nobody is leaving."

Old Sun agreed, "Exactly, a bunch of troublemakers."

Hearing this, Sister Ci intervened. "Who are you calling troublemakers?"

A young man shouted, "That guy called us troublemakers!"

An elderly man, trembling with rage, shook his cane vigorously. "Is there no law left? You've been blocking us for two hours, and you still have the nerve to insult us!"

The scene became even more chaotic.

People pushed forward, eager to give them a beating.

Just then, the sound of police cars approached rapidly. Two police cars arrived, both from the Chengxi Sub-bureau. As soon as the cars stopped, five or six police officers got out. One of them even had a gun strapped to his waist. It was the reinforcement called by the traffic police earlier.

"What's going on?" The lead police officer asked.

The young police officer immediately went up and whispered to them.

The lead police officer nodded, furrowing his brows. "Understood."

Driver Old Wang seemed to know them, exchanging greetings before pointing at the shoe prints on the Audi. "It got kicked. Several cars have them."

The police officer nodded, "Who did it?"

Old Wang pointed to Dong Xuebing in the crowd. "Him."

The police officer glanced at him, nodding, then went to inspect the cars.

The traffic police might not have been intimidating enough, but the presence of the police officers seemed to be sufficient. As soon as the residents saw the police officers, especially one carrying a gun, the curses gradually subsided.

After a moment, the lead police officer shouted, "Everyone calm down. We've understood the situation. The person who kicked the cars, come over here."

Dong Xuebing smiled. "You calling me?"

The police officer looked at him coldly. "You can still laugh?"

The other side didn't give him a good look, so Dong Xuebing naturally didn't give them a good face either. He shrugged and said, "What's wrong with smiling? I’m in a good mood today, naturally, I'll laugh when I'm happy. What's the meaning? In front of you guys, I can only be serious and respectful. Am I unable to express any other emotions or expressions? You have broad restrictions, huh? You regulate robbery, theft, and parking; now even our emotions are under your control. The enforcement is stringent."

The lead police officer could tell that Dong Xuebing was a troublemaker, but he didn't show much reaction. He had seen plenty of people like him before. "You kicked the cars?"

Dong Xuebing nodded. "Yes, I did."

The police officer asked, "All three cars?"

"Yeah, I kicked all of them," Dong Xuebing replied.

The police officer nodded heavily, waved to his subordinates, and said, "Take him away."

The residents didn't expect that instead of dealing with the illegal parking first, the police came and wanted to take Dong Xuebing away. This caused an uproar.

"What are you doing?"

"Stop! Why are you arresting people?"

"The officials are protecting each other!"

"Is this the end of the world? What kind of public servants are you?"

Auntie Zheng and Sister Ci were furious. Dong Xuebing had stood up for everyone before and was a newcomer to the area. Naturally, they couldn't just stand by and watch the police take him away. Many people suddenly surged forward, protecting Dong Xuebing and blocking the path of the police officers.

"You want to arrest someone? Arrest me," Auntie Zheng snarled, pointing at them. "You think you're so powerful, huh? You protect each other, then arrest me if you dare!"

An elderly man hobbled over, shaking with anger. "If you have the guts, arrest me too!"

Everyone was furious. Clearly, the transportation department staff were first at fault. Everyone was trying to seek an explanation and fairness. But now, the traffic police ignored them when they came, and the police came and stood on the other side without even asking any questions. This was simply too arrogant.

Sister Ci scolded, "You're turning a blind eye to their illegal parking!"

The lead police officer justified himself, "Parking issues fall under the jurisdiction of the traffic police."

"And what can you handle then?" Sister Ci retorted.

The police officer pointed at the shoe prints on the Audi. "Malicious destruction of property. This is what we handle. Move aside and don't obstruct our law enforcement."

When it involved matters concerning their colleagues, they couldn't do anything. But when it involved ordinary citizens, suddenly they could intervene in everything. That was the essence of it. Seeing that they still didn't move, the lead police officer's face darkened. "I'll say it one more time. Don't obstruct our law enforcement."

The residents still didn't move.

But Dong Xuebing squeezed out by himself and looked at the police officer. "You can arrest me, but I want to ask, how will you deal with these several Audi cars?"

The lead police officer said, "That's not our responsibility."

Dong Xuebing retorted, "The road has been blocked for two hours, causing a serious disturbance to the residents' daily lives due to the honking. Isn't this something your public security department should handle? Oh, I see. The country and the law don't define your work scope, but whatever you want to do, huh? Today's been an eye-opener for me."

The lead police officer's tone was icy. "We will handle the issues one by one."

Dong Xuebing spread his hands. "Then handle them. Why have you been here so long without saying anything about moving the cars blocking the road? Is this your so-called handling? Are your eyes not working? Take a look back there." Dong Xuebing pointed towards the alley. "How many cars are blocked? Do you know how long they've been stuck? Some cars have been blocked since 2 p.m. this afternoon. How much longer do you plan to wait? Your time is time, but the time of ordinary folks isn't? The drivers of these three cars are all here. Neither you nor the traffic police have shown any intention to address this. After you came, you didn't even ask us, the residents, a single question. Is this your so-called fair and just law enforcement? This is your efficiency in action."

"They just don't want to deal with it."

"This is too much bullying!"

"Do you have a problem with our alley?"

"Have we offended you? We live honestly, yet they block the entrance with their cars. Even when law enforcement arrives, they don't care about us. Instead, they want to arrest our neighbors."

"This is outrageous!"

Everyone's anger had reached its limit.

The police officers looked at the lead police officer with questioning eyes.

The police officer also knew that this matter was not easy to handle. Too many people were on the other side, and they were all angry. If they mishandled it, it could quickly escalate into a mass incident. He also couldn't explain it to his superiors. So, he didn't order his men to arrest Dong Xuebing.

The two sides were at a stalemate.

The police officer tried to reason with them loudly.

However, the reasons spoken by someone who was already biased wouldn't be heard by the residents.

The three drivers still showed no intention of moving their cars. They just stood there, watching the commotion, as if the matter had nothing to do with them. They refused to budge, maintaining their arrogant demeanor.

Dong Xuebing checked the time, then clapped his hands lightly. Even he, who was usually calm, was getting angry today. He addressed the police officer, "Let's not waste time with words. I'll ask you one thing: Are you going to move your cars?"

Driver Old Wang had a bad temper. "What's it to you?"

Dong Xuebing nodded. "Alright, if you don't move, I'll move them for you."

With that, Dong Xuebing took out his phone and dialed a number: the secretary of his father-in-law, Xie Guobang.

Ring, ring.

The phone connected.

"Haha, Xuebing," came the laughter from Secretary Shen.

Dong Xuebing smiled faintly. "Brother Shen, where's my dad?"

"Secretary Xie is in a meeting. Hmm, what's up?" He knew that Dong Xuebing was calling for him. Otherwise, if it were about Xie Guobang, he would have called Secretary Xie directly. Dong Xuebing was Xie Guobang's son-in-law. There was no need for him to relay messages through a secretary.

Dong Xuebing said, "Well, I'm at Houhai. Several City West District Transportation Department vehicles have blocked our alley for a long time. The traffic police and the police have come, but they haven't resolved the issue. My car is also stuck there, unable to move. I asked them to move their cars, but they won't. You can hear the commotion from here. They're still blocking us, and the residents are angry. They're not taking it seriously and aren't handling the situation properly. It's quite arrogant."

Secretary Shen's face darkened. "Is this happening?"

The son-in-law of the top leader in Beijing was being treated like this. Who dared to disrespect them in Beijing?