Panda Novel
Chapter 65
Chapter 65 City Bureau Leader Calls! Test Results Are Clear!
Lu Qin’s investigation by the police had caused an uproar in the Penguin group chat. Within minutes, hundreds of messages flooded in. Shen Muyan, having just finished inspecting the dining department, received a call from Fang Ya.
“My dear goddess, didn’t you see my WeChat?” Fang Ya asked anxiously.
“I was busy. What’s going on?”
“Lu Qin got taken away by the police! Haven’t you checked the Penguin group?”
Shen Muyan’s heart skipped a beat. She immediately ended the call and opened the group chat. Fang Ya wasn’t one to joke about such things.
Sure enough, the group chat was filled with news about Lu Qin being taken to the police station. After quickly piecing together the situation, Shen Muyan found it both absurd and worrying.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
An elderly man had reported Lu Qin simply because his food was too delicious, suspecting him of adding something addictive. While Shen Muyan believed Lu Qin was innocent and would likely be released soon, she felt she had to do something.
She scrolled through her contacts and dialed a number.
“Hello, Uncle Qin? I need your help with something…”
_______
Elsewhere, Chen Dahai also noticed the group chat chatter. He immediately picked up his phone and called one of his many connections in the Jiangcheng police force.
“Hello, Director Zhang? This is Chen Dahai…”
Even Maidejun and Mr. Rossi, after seeing the messages, started reaching out to their own networks to see what they could do for Lu Qin.
______
Chengnan Police Station was relatively quiet—it hadn’t seen a case in weeks. The station chief, enjoying the lull, was washing the police car. After finishing, he strolled into the lobby with a cup of tea, where he spotted Lu Qin sitting calmly, drinking water.
Curious, the chief approached him.
“Young man, what brings you here?”
Lu Qin glanced up at the middle-aged man in uniform, noting the two bars and two stars on his shoulder. He recognized him as the station chief.
“I’ve been reported. Someone suspects I’ve added illegal substances to the food I sell, so I’m here cooperating with the investigation,” Lu Qin explained calmly.
The chief was taken aback.
Adding illegal substances to food?
His mind immediately jumped to poppy powder—a substance that had caused several high-profile cases years ago. Unscrupulous vendors had added it to hotpots and barbecues, leaving customers hooked and craving more.
Excessive use of poppy powder could harm the body as severely as drug abuse. If that were the case here, this wasn’t just a food safety issue—it was a criminal offense.
The chief’s expression grew serious. This case needed thorough investigation. However, as he observed Lu Qin, the young man appeared entirely composed.
At that moment, a young officer approached.
“Hey, Xiao Zhang, tell me more about this case,” the chief instructed.
“Sure, Chief,” Xiao Zhang replied earnestly.
“This morning, an elderly man came to the station and reported that this Mr. Lu’s food was suspiciously delicious. He suspected something addictive might have been added to it…”
Before Xiao Zhang could finish, the chief’s phone rang. The caller ID made his expression immediately shift to one of seriousness.
“Hello, Director Zhang!”
The voice on the other end got straight to the point.
“Did your station detain a young man named Lu Qin today? Do you have solid evidence? Make sure you handle this properly—don’t make a mistake.”
The chief’s heart skipped a beat. It was clear from Director Zhang’s tone that he was on Lu Qin’s side. Any mishandling of the case would likely result in blame being directed at the station.
Glancing at Lu Qin, the chief felt a jolt of unease.
This young man hasn’t been here long, and he’s already managed to get the attention of Director Zhang? Who is he?
The speed was so fast!
Could there be some terrifying backing behind it?
Could he possibly be the son of some high-ranking officer?
Then again, the station chief quickly dismissed the thought.
How could the son of a high-ranking officer be running a street food stall?
Unable to figure it out, the station chief stopped overthinking and respectfully said into the phone, “Director Zhang, we didn’t arrest him, just invited him over for an investigation.”
“He hasn’t even entered the interrogation room, he’s sitting in the lobby, drinking tea.”
After saying this, the station chief hurriedly gestured to the young officer beside him, signaling him to prepare a good cup of tea for Lu Qin.
“Hurry up with your process. If there’s no issue, let him go immediately,” came the response.
The station chief promptly agreed, and the call ended. The young officer brought over a cup of tea, clearly surprised.
Who was this Lu Qin? Even a leader from the city bureau was calling to check on him. Both the station chief and the young officer glanced at Lu Qin again.
Lu Qin set the tea cup aside, equally puzzled. He had no connections in the police force, nor did he know anyone like Director Zhang. Just as the station chief put his phone back in his pocket, it rang again after only two seconds.
The station chief looked at the screen and saw that it was Captain Qin from the downtown precinct. Sweat broke out on the station chief’s forehead.
Could Captain Qin also be…
Feeling uneasy, the station chief answered the call.
“Old Zhou, did your station bring in a young man named Lu Qin today? What did he do?”
The station chief’s eyelid twitched. It was as he feared!
“Captain Qin, we didn’t arrest him, just invited him. We’re just conducting a simple investigation with Mr. Lu,” the station chief explained, wiping the sweat off his forehead.
This matter could be either big or small. He immediately called over the two officers in charge of the case.
“What’s the progress of the investigation?”
Seeing the chief’s serious and anxious expression, the two officers quickly replied, “The samples have already been sent to Xiao Zhang in the lab for testing. It’ll take about another hour.”
“It’s not like you’re testing some complicated chemical composition, like opium or something. Testing should take only a few minutes. Go push them to get the report out within 20 minutes,” the chief demanded impatiently.
After all, there were no other urgent cases at the station, and testing some food shouldn’t take an hour.
The two officers rushed to the lab to find Xiao Zhang. To their surprise, Xiao Zhang and a colleague were happily eating iced cakes and green bean paste.
The two officers froze.
“Why are you eating the samples?”
“Why don’t you try some? These snacks are amazing!” Xiao Zhang said, licking his fingers in delight.
“The chief ordered the report to be ready in 20 minutes! Stop eating!”
The mention of the chief snapped them to attention. Actually, the test results were already done, and the food had no issues. But the snacks looked so tempting that they couldn’t resist trying some. And after one bite, they couldn’t stop.
No wonder people reported it for being too addictive—it was truly delicious.
Since they had initially said the test would take an hour, they hadn’t been in a rush. Within 20 minutes, they quickly finalized the report and handed it to the chief.
Relieved, the chief walked over to Lu Qin, personally shook his hand, and apologized.
“Mr. Lu, we’re really sorry for wasting your time and affecting your business. The test results show no issues.”
With the chief’s apology, Lu Qin waved it off and said, “Can I leave now?”
“As soon as you sign the paperwork, you’re free to go.”
The elderly man who had made the report still couldn’t believe there was nothing in Lu Qin’s food.
“Officer, you must have missed something. How can food be so addictive? You have no idea how good his fried noodles are…”
The chief was speechless.
“If it’s delicious, isn’t that a good thing? Or do you prefer bad-tasting food?”
“This is the test report, still warm. Take a look—it can’t lie.”
The elderly man refused to look because he couldn’t understand it anyway.
“I’ve lived so many years and eaten more salt than you youngsters have eaten rice. I can’t be wrong!”
The chief and the other officers finally realized—this old man was as stubborn as a mule and wouldn’t listen to reason.