Caught in his thoughts, Zhang Ziwen was brought into a room by two police officers. Judging by the setup, it must be an interrogation room. One of the officers motioned for Zhang Ziwen to sit on the wooden chair in the center of the room. The chair had a unique shape, unlike any regular chairs; it was probably specially designed for detainees. Once Zhang Ziwen sat down, the officers pulled two wooden boards from either side of the armrests together, clamping his body in place. His handcuffed hands rested on the boards. Other than a limitation in movement, it wasn't too uncomfortable. The officers checked the chair, found nothing amiss, and left the room.
"Well, those two cops weren't the ones in charge of questioning me after all," thought Zhang Ziwen. "Well, I did agree to a massage. I'll certainly answer all the questions they have for me."
Zhang Ziwen sat calmly on this specially designed chair, waiting for the questioning to start. He took the opportunity to examine the interrogation room. Apart from his chair, there was a desk about two meters in front of him. On it were a computer, a printer, and a desk lamp. Behind the desk were two chairs, probably for the two people who would interrogate him: one would ask questions while the other would record the answers on the computer. There was also a floor lamp next to the desk, probably meant to illuminate detainees during night interrogations.
Zhang Ziwen was relieved that it was morning, so he was spared the discomfort of the harsh light.
In a short while, he heard the sound of footfall outside. Two police officers entered the room, both in uniform. One of them was familiar; this was their third meeting. The first was in the massage parlor and the second in his dream. It was the beautiful lady cop known as Inspector Wu. Zhang Ziwen was stirred with a tiny thrill as she entered the room.
With Inspector Wu was a young male officer who looked to be in his mid-twenties, and quite handsome. He was carrying a large plastic bag. As soon as they walked in, he dumped its contents on the table. Clothing, wallet, cigarettes, lighter, wristwatch, mobile phone, and other items cluttered the table with a loud clatter.
"Damn, couldn't you be more careful? Just because they're not yours, you don't care about them!" thought Zhang Ziwen. Those strewn items on the table were all his belongings.
When he was restrained on the bed by several officers in the bathhouse the night before, he'd lost the ticket for his storage locker attached to his wrist. He had thought he'd left it in the massage room, but it seems the police had taken it.
The male officer moved Zhang Ziwen's belongings aside and booted up the computer to record the interrogation. Inspector Wu kept her gaze fixed on Zhang Ziwen, an intensity that bothered him. Psychological warfare, typical of cops' M.O. They would stare you down in this intimidating manner, unnerving you before launching their accusing questions.
"Damn, is that really necessary for someone like me who's just been caught in an unfinished sexual transaction?" grumbled Zhang Ziwen quietly. He tried his best to look nonchalant under Inspector Wu's gaze.
Zhang Ziwen didn't get a good look at Inspector Wu's face at the massage parlor. His only impression of her was that she was beautiful. Now seated facing her, he had a chance to scrutinize her more closely.
"Beautiful, truly beautiful," marveled Zhang Ziwen. Her short hair, cut to her earlobes, was shiny and jet black. Beneath her elegantly arched eyebrows were large eyes as clear as limpid pools, fringed with long lashes, delicate nose, and those luscious, rosy lips irresistibly inviting a tender kiss. She was a beauty unparalleled.
Zhang Ziwen's heartbeat quickened a bit. What a lovely irresistible heartbreaker this policewoman was! He wondered if she had a boyfriend. His mind started to wander as he soaked in her enchanting beauty, hardly remembering he was in an interrogation room and she was the officer conducting it.
Zhang Ziwen's gaze at the stunning policewoman softened and became more affectionate. Unfortunately, her beautiful eyes seemed colder than ever. Suddenly a hint of anger emerged in her eyes, growing more intense by the second. By the time he sensed something was wrong from her gaze, a grunt of anger already echoed in his ears, originating from the male cop.
"Damn, these two cops most likely saw my affectionate gaze as a lecher's leer," thought Zhang Ziwen who felt quite wronged. "Who wouldn't want to feast their eyes on a beauty? But the way the two cops were looking at him now, they'd almost believe he was a pervert, eager to rip him apart."
Zhang Ziwen couldn't blame the female officer and her male partner for their anger, given his history. He did not forget that he was brought in on a crackdown on vice. He quickly shifted his gaze and got serious, ready to cooperate fully with the officer's questions, hoping for leniency.
"Name!" The interrogation began. Inspector Wu's voice was pleasing to the ear, crisp, and resonant. The only downside was that it was icy with no warmth. Zhang Ziwen was too preoccupied evaluating the sound of her voice and forgot to answer.
"I'm asking you a question--what's your name?" Inspector Wu's voice got even colder.
"Zhang Ziwen." Zhang Ziwen came to his senses and tried to sound as sincere as possible.
"Age."
"23.....24 years old." A certain discomfort tugged at Zhang Ziwen's heart.
"Which is it? What do you mean 23, 24? I'll ask you again, how old are you?" Inspector Wu's voice was laced with not just the cold this time but impatience too.
"It's the 26th today, right?" Zhang Ziwen asked instead of answering.
"..... yes..... why are you asking? Did I ask you to ask anything? Your age!" Inspector Wu's voice was unmistakably angrier, probably because she inadvertently answered "yes" before.
"Ah..." Zhang Ziwen sighed. "24 years old, just turned, today is my birthday." Zhang Ziwen sounded quite dejected. This was definitely a bummer, spending his birthday in a detention center.
The male officer sneered, "Ah, what ah? Do you want us to throw a birthday party and sing you a birthday song? Just answer the damn questions!"
Damn it! Zhang Ziwen cursed silently, finding the remarks of the policeman Brother Shuai, who was sat next to him making notes, utterly offensive. From that moment on, Zhang Ziwen mentally categorized this handsome cop as a Brother Shuai type.
He's inhuman, Zhang Ziwen was angry, but he didn't glare at him, just disdainfully glanced at him and shook his head lightly. No manners, this was Zhang Ziwen's inner rant, although he didn't voice it out loud. He trusted the two policemen in front of him could understand his point. The Brother Shuai cop was furious and about to pound the table but the policewoman managed to stop him in time. Makes sense, who's ever heard of an interrogator losing control first?
"Nationality." The gorgeous policewoman continued with the monotonous procedure.
"Han."
"Where do you live?"
"84 Xianghe Road, Block 3, Unit 2, Floor 4, Apartment 8, Zhonghai City." Zhang Ziwen replied with an air of resignation, feeling the question was merely a formality.
"What's your job?"
"Unemployed." Zhang Ziwen managed a bitter smile. Here he was, a full twenty-four years old and still without a job. It was a bit embarrassing.
"Married?"
"Not married." Zhang Ziwen quickly added, "Haven't even got a girlfriend."
"I didn't ask you that." The policewoman shot Zhang Ziwen a glance.
The roll of her eyes made Zhang Ziwen's heart skip a beat. Even her disdain was enticing. Goodness, I like her.
"Do you know why you were brought in here?"
A beauty is still a beauty, so polite. They arrested me and still say 'please'. Zhang Ziwen sighed inwardly.
"No idea."
Even if he knew, would he dare to say it? Could he really say, 'I was about to enjoy some 'special services' when I was brought in?' Zhang Ziwen felt awkward.
"Really?"
"Really!" Zhang Ziwen replied firmly.
"Think carefully, why were you brought in?" The beautiful policewoman stared at Zhang Ziwen with penetrating, yet charming eyes.
Zhang Ziwen pretended to deep in thought, then after a while shook his head. "I simply can't remember. Could I have a smoke, please? It might help jog my memory."
I need a smoke. Recalling how in TV dramas, cops generally satisfy such minor requests during interrogations, Zhang Ziwen thought he might as well seize this opportunity.
The policewoman glared at Zhang Ziwen, a look which he interpreted as suggestive coquetry – making his heart pound. He thought, 'could I be falling for her?' It seemed unlikely, but he couldn't help it; she was irresistibly attractive.
Despite her displeasure at Zhang Ziwen's attitude, the policewoman signaled the policeman taking notes, Brother Shuai, to pass him a cigarette from the pack on the table - much to Brother Shuai's reluctance. He lit the cigarette for Zhang Ziwen.
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Dear brothers and sisters, all you need to do is click your mouse gently, vote with a bookmark, and it's all done. This would be such a big help for me, wouldn't it worth a consolation prize?