stonecrandall Chapter 48 Enhancing Relationships, Meeting Up
Chapter 48 Enhancing Relationships, Meeting Up
"Yeah, Lang-ge has been very proactive lately, he's not late or leaving early anymore."
Fish Head blinked, a look of surprise on his face.
Thinking about it carefully, there are indeed significant changes compared to before.
Although his behavior outside remains as domineering and shameless as ever, he is quite different when it comes to work.
Shen Lang remained calm, showing no sign of panic whatsoever.
I had already prepared for what others would think.
Although there are some differences in the details, people always change, don't they?
The saying goes, "A prodigal son returns," meaning that even the most wicked and evil people can suddenly repent and do good deeds.
Moreover, he hasn't changed much; he's just stopped being late or leaving early for work.
Even if you were to tell others that you changed your gender because your soul had been replaced by someone from the future, you would only be met with disbelief and ridicule.
People will just think it's nonsense, that they're just kidding them.
It's like walking down the street and someone comes towards you claiming to be Qin Shi Huang, promising that if you pay him 50 yuan, he will appoint you as a general after his imperial army conquers the world. Would a normal person believe that?
Therefore, Xu Dongyang and the others felt that the slight changes were not a big deal.
At best, it's similar to a naughty, bad student suddenly becoming studious.
Shen Lang took out a pack of cigarettes with beautifully printed packaging from his pocket and placed it on his desk.
He smiled meaningfully and said, "I just want to improve, you know. There have to be some changes, right? Patrolman, have a filtered one, try it~".
After saying that, he winked and even presented a gift to his superior in person.
He gave away the expensive cigarettes he bought from the merchant yesterday for a few copper coins.
Xu Dongyang picked up a cigarette from the table, raising an eyebrow: "Wow~ it's imported high-end stuff!"
Even the young people next to him stared wide-eyed.
It wasn't that I was surprised to receive a gift from the patrol chief.
In today's police stations, it's commonplace not only to offer gifts in person, but also to extort money while in uniform.
The reason for their surprise was that the imported cigarettes were expensive; their monthly salary as third-level police officers was only enough to buy five or six packs.
Shen Lang tore open another pack and distributed it to the others, laughing, "Come on, everyone, have a taste. I don't like imported cigarettes; they taste like swill."
The others' eyes lit up, and they rushed forward, took the cigarettes, sniffed them, and looked on with delight.
Regardless of the taste, the high price makes it worth trying.
Shen Lang threw the remaining half-packet on the table, telling them to take it if they wanted.
Then he took out a pack of "Hademen" cigarettes from his pocket and put them in his mouth.
When I was broke, I could only afford to smoke cheap cigarettes like "Old Knife" that cost a few cents a pack. Now that I have money, I naturally want to smoke better cigarettes.
It can be considered an upgrade from Hongmei to Yuxi.
He still prefers to smoke cigarettes with a stronger flavor.
In an instant, wisps of smoke filled the air, turning the office into a hazy mist.
Just as everyone was puffing on their cigarettes, a second-level police officer spoke up: "It's almost time, I'm in a hurry to collect the money!"
Then, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, he quickly walked out of the office.
However, judging from his walking posture and the aura he exudes, he seems more like a thug.
Everyone nodded in agreement, but made no mention of patrolling together.
Shen Lang patted him on the shoulder warmly and laughed, "The brothers' allowances this month depend on you!"
The young man in front of him, who looked even more like a thug than him, was named Chen Chuan.
Chen Chuan was different from the others; he did not enter the police station through normal channels.
Instead, he was recommended to the police station a year ago.
Despite his young age and only one year of experience, he started as a Level 2 patrol officer!
It wasn't some high-ranking official who recommended him to the police station, but a gang!
The French Concession Municipal Council went to great lengths to make money, openly allowing brothels, pleasure boats, casinos, and opium dens to operate in order to increase its flower tax revenue.
However, the owners of these businesses are not easy to deal with. They evade taxes for various reasons and cannot collect their money, which annoys the Municipal Council.
It was soon discovered that gang members were even more adept at extortion.
So they partnered with gangs and recruited gang members to wear police uniforms and collect taxes.
These police officers, recruited from gangs, were involved in robbery, extortion, theft, smuggling, and opium trafficking.
The collusion between the police and gangs instilled fear in ordinary people and also created a unique management model!
Therefore, Chen Chuan's task was not to patrol and maintain public order, but to collect the fees within his jurisdiction and then hand them over to the authorities for distribution as a stipend at the end of the month.
In fact, Chen Chuan wasn't the only one with a gang background; many people in the police station had intricate connections with gangs, just to varying degrees.
Even Principal Chiang, who now holds great power, joined a gang back then and formally submitted his apprenticeship application.
It was only after he became successful that he took the initiative to burn his apprenticeship certificate.
"Phew!"
Shen Lang exhaled a puff of smoke and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
He laughed and said, "Then I'm off to work too!"
Everyone in the office responded with smiles and great enthusiasm.
He would readily offer everyone a pack of expensive imported cigarettes, making it hard not to be enthusiastic.
Xu Dongyang accepted the whole pack of cigarettes, so naturally he turned a blind eye.
Even knowing that this guy has definitely gone somewhere to slack off, as long as there's no trouble in the area, I'm too lazy to bother with him.
Shen Lang, hands in his pockets, staggered out of the police station and turned to walk to a public telephone booth a few dozen meters away.
He squatted by the roadside, leisurely smoking a cigarette with a dangling lip.
With his eyes squinted and his body swaying, if it weren't for the police uniform he was wearing, you'd think he was a gangster!
A few minutes later, a man wearing a top hat, a long gown, and carrying a briefcase under his arm walked over.
He whispered, "You're pretty punctual."
Gu Yichen squatted down beside him and pressed down the brim of his hat with his hand.
To outsiders, it would at most seem like the police were looking for clues from informants.
Such things are common; every police officer has different informants.
As he took the cigarettes offered, he raised an eyebrow and teased, "Oh~ you've started smoking Hademen now!"
Shen Lang grinned and said, "I only made a little money thanks to you, my lucky charm. Whether I can eat three dishes and a soup every day from now on depends on you."
His smiling face made him look exactly like a money-grubber.
To outsiders, this wretched appearance is a result of being terrified of poverty!
Gu Yichen lit a cigarette, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then asked, "Any news?"
This was his biggest concern, and the reason he came to the French Concession so early in the morning.
Shen Lang exhaled a puff of smoke and nodded casually: "I have some news."
Gu Yichen raised an eyebrow and immediately promised, "As long as the information is accurate, the bonus will be paid in full!"
Although the bounty would be skimmed off layer by layer as it passed through the hands of those above, the bounty that finally reached him would certainly not be skimmed off again.
Shen Lang nodded, then turned and said seriously, "I found a Special Higher Police (STPD) outpost, but..."