Chapter 192: He Sacrificed Too Much for Drug Control

Chapter 192: He Sacrificed So Much for Drug Control

The Hong Kong Legislative Council has 90 members per session.

Among them, 40 are elected by the Election Committee, 30 by functional constituencies, and 20 by geographical constituencies through direct elections.

Everyone is well aware that five of these 90 members are undercover agents planted by British Hong Kong to cause disruption.

The Legislative Council chamber resembles a semi-circular chamber similar to the United Nations assembly. As representatives of the Hong Kong police force, Lei Jinwen sits in the center of the first row, and Jian Ruochen sits in the center of the second row.

Jian Ruochen only needs to lean forward slightly to communicate with Lei Jinwen, who sits in front of him.

The session begins at 11 a.m., with the first three hours dedicated to discussing laws related to finance and social affairs.

"After 1997, we aim to prevent money laundering by raising requirements for banking procedures. There should no longer be a large number of businessmen registering shell companies in Hong Kong to transfer illegal funds out of the city. Therefore, those who commit money laundering after 1997, knowingly breaking the law, will face stiffer penalties."

The entrepreneur speaking, with a resounding voice, was one who had previously dined with mainland officials alongside Jian Ruochen.

He continued, "Thus, we propose lowering the minimum for prosecution in money laundering cases..."

Every statement made during the session is recorded verbatim. Everyone speaks slowly, fearing that a single misplaced word could alter the meaning of their entire sentence and create legal loopholes.

This proposed law clearly affects the interests of the British government. Their reluctance to let go of Hong Kong stems from the region's immense wealth.

If anti-money laundering measures become stricter, how will they continue to extract wealth from Hong Kong?

Their representative argued, "Many entrepreneurs are present here. If procedures for foreign exchange transfers and company registrations become more cumbersome, it will ultimately harm Hong Kong's businessmen and ordinary citizens. We now live in a society that values human rights. I believe that adopting a 'better to wrongly convict than acquit' approach is incompatible with people's democracy."

"Do ordinary people not have the right to run small businesses? In my view, both raising the threshold for banking procedures and lowering the sentencing standards for money laundering are inadvisable, as they may unintentionally harm the public."

Jian Ruochen briefly shut his eyes.

The British are like this—when their arguments fall short, they resort to distorting concepts and paying lip service to democracy.

After the representative planted by British Hong Kong finished speaking, the chamber fell silent, save for the clacking of the stenographer's keys and the shutter sounds of journalists taking photos.

The entrepreneurs, unable to confront the issue head-on, immediately turned their attention to Jian Ruochen.

Noticing this, Jian Ruochen leaned toward his microphone and voiced his support. "First, overly lenient laws are a breeding ground for criminal intent."

"I find this proposal entirely reasonable. The concerns you raised are, in fact, without merit. Firstly, whether or not we lower the sentencing threshold for money laundering, ordinary citizens will not be adversely affected, as they generally do not engage in money laundering. Secondly, ordinary citizens would not invest millions of dollars into setting up a shell company only to see it be lost."

As soon as he finished speaking, laughter erupted throughout the chamber.

Those present were all shrewd operators. Everyone knew that lowering the sentencing threshold for money laundering was essentially a demonstration of loyalty to the mainland by the entrepreneur who proposed it.

At this moment, every piece of legislation represented the interests of a particular group.

They understood this, but they weren't sure if Jian Ruochen did.

After all, this young officer was too inexperienced—by age alone, he could be their son or even grandson.

But with this statement, everyone realized that Jian Ruochen understood perfectly.

Not only did he grasp the deeper implications of the legislation, but he also leveraged his youth to speak bluntly and quickly in support.

The legislator planted by British Hong Kong flushed red, momentarily unable to find any grounds to refute Jian Ruochen.

The session chairman called for a vote, and the bill passed with a landslide majority of 85 in favor and 5 abstentions.

By 4 p.m., the session finally proceeded to the "Drug Prohibition Law" and the "Dangerous Drugs Ordinance."

Jian Ruochen, clutching a thick stack of A4 papers, felt sweat beading on his temples.

This was going to be a hard fight.

He feared that his previously committed allies might renege at the last moment. Since other bills had already been passed, those who reneged on their promises would suffer no consequences.

Jian Ruochen raised his eyes to the cameras in front of him, his gaze burning, and began reading the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance line by line. Among the listed substances, Preludin and other controlled substances were prominently included.

Each clause and provision had been thoroughly debated, leaving no loopholes.

Without any hesitation, he made clear his determination and bottom line in one go.

When Jian Ruochen matter-of-factly stated that trafficking 50 grams or more of heroin or methamphetamine could lead to capital punishment, some of the wavering legislators were visibly shocked.

"This is too harsh!"

"Indeed, 50 grams is just a small packet—it could easily be used to frame someone!"

Some entrepreneurs had heirs who were spoiled trust-fund kids, and they knew all too well that their children might have experimented with such substances.

If the Drug Prohibition Law were this strict, could their children one day be executed?

How could that be allowed?

Fifty grams was far too small an amount.

One of them mustered the courage to speak up, "Mr. Jian, isn't 50 grams a bit..."

Jian Ruochen responded, "Mr. Wang, it is precisely because drug trafficking is rampant across Hong Kong that we need to enact more deterrent legislation. Drug trafficking is a business. When the criminal penalty—such as risking one's life—increases, the number of criminals will decrease, and so will the number of victims."

Mr. Wang felt a chill down his spine.

His son had started a business with friends, and he had no idea whether the foolish boy had been involved with drugs.

If he had...

Cold sweat broke out on his back as he stared fixedly at Jian Ruochen, who was seated in the second row.

What if he went back on his word and voted against this law?

As if sensing his thoughts, Jian Ruochen turned to look at him, his eyes calm yet icy. After a moment, he turned back to the small microphone in front of him and said, "With fewer drug traffickers, fewer people will be lured down the wrong path. Our descendants will thus live in a relatively stable and environment free from drugs. This achievement will benefit future generations."

Mr. Wang felt a deep dread wash over him.

It seemed as though Jian Ruochen's gaze had seen right through him.

Even without any obvious slip-up on his part, Jian Ruochen had precisely addressed his concerns with that response.

It also felt like a threat.

A threat that he either vote in support as agreed or face an investigation into his son after the session.

Wang Zhenming was drenched in cold sweat, too afraid to entertain any devious ideas.

Though the words seemed directed at him, they were actually meant for all the legislators who were having second thoughts.

The representative planted by British Hong Kong stood up again to oppose the motion, insinuating that abruptly cutting off drug trafficking would severely impact the economy. He also argued that the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance was too stringent and could hinder hospital operations.

He went on for a solid ten minutes without pause, yet not a single word sank in.

Everyone was still dwelling on that deceptively simple sentence:

—Our descendants will live in a relatively stable, drug-free social environment.

An achievement for the ages.

The phrase "an achievement for the ages" was enough to get people's blood pumping.

Who wouldn’t want a good reputation? Who wouldn’t think of their dozen-plus children?

The bill was passing through their hands. With only a year left before the handover, if they could manage their children and grandchildren well and clean up their family's reputation within this year, the benefits of these bills would far outweigh the drawbacks.

The Jiang family, big in education, was the first to express support.

Jiang Heting said, "I believe this bill is both timely and reasonable. Once it takes effect in 1997, it will serve as an anchor. If it fails to pass, it would truly be a loss for all Hong Kong citizens."

As he spoke, he got choked up, putting on a tearful and emotional performance that stunned all the legislators present.

Jian Ruochen glanced sideways. Jiang Heting’s eyelids drooped slightly, his face expressionless, the choked tone entirely produced by the trembling of his lip muscles.

Total act.

It seemed that men who survived in high-society families indeed had to possess some unique skills.

With Jian Ruochen leading the way and Jiang Heting playing along, the wavering factions in the meeting room quickly switched sides, resulting in a landslide victory in the vote.

The last two bills were only symbolically revised in wording and passed unanimously with 90 votes.

The British-appointed legislators had already given up resisting. They felt it was better to yield under these circumstances than to oppose Jian Ruochen, as doing so might leave a better impression.

When leaving the courthouse, the Police Force dispatched a special operations team to escort Jian Ruochen, fearing he might be targeted by drug dealers who had caught wind of the news.

This time, Jian Ruochen didn’t even show up for interviews with reporters. After work, he didn’t return home but stayed with Guan Yingjun at the Bauhinia Apartments.

The place was filled with decorated cops, security was strict, and the glass had been replaced with custom bulletproof panels, making it exceptionally safe.

This low-profile lifestyle continued until October 1996.

September 30th was a bright, sunny day.

Jian Ruochen passed the internal transfer exam, jumping a rank from Senior Inspector to Chief Superintendent.

Guan Yingjun prepared a table full of dishes to celebrate. The two drank a bit and, thinking tomorrow was a Sunday off, ended up rolling onto the sofa in a tipsy haze.

After all these years together, Jian Ruochen still hadn’t gotten used to Guan Yingjun’s straightforward, get-straight-to-it approach.

Breathing ragged, he placed a hand on Guan Yingjun’s neck, applying some pressure to pull the man’s head closer. "I’ve jumped two ranks in a year... Isn’t that too fast? Director Le said... next year, he wants me to become the Assistant Commissioner of Police. Can I... really?"

Jian Ruochen’s words came out in fragments.

Guan Yingjun didn’t respond. With a calm gaze, he pressed down on Jian Ruochen’s lower abdomen before leaning in to whisper in his ear, "You were born to soar that high. Sooner or later doesn't matter."

"But if I leave CID, we won’t be able to see each other as often during the day." Jian Ruochen grabbed his ear.

He grabbed for a while before feeling too out of breath. Collapsed onto the sofa, he wiped the sweat from his back onto a cushion, vaguely wondering why Guan Yingjun was going so hard today.

Too exhausted to speak, he stared blankly at the ceiling before finally snapping back to reality. "Get off me."

Guan Yingjun pretended not to hear. "I'm gonna miss you, but I can’t hold you back. We’re both the type who won’t sacrifice our careers for love."

As he spoke, he wiped away the fluid on his body—all of it from Jian Ruochen. "You had a lot today."

Jian Ruochen wanted to shove him off but lacked the strength.

Guan Yingjun finally gave in, grabbing his sweaty fingers and kissing them. "The Criminal Intelligence Bureau of the Police Force is short on a criminal psychology expert. Why don’t you come work with me instead of going to Director Le?"

When he looked up, his expression seemed pathetic.

Jian Ruochen stared at his trim waist and his strikingly handsome face under the light, his mind blanking for three seconds.

No wonder they say even heroes fall for beauty—it’s truly hard to resist! Who knew Detective Guan had the makings of a seductive concubine?

No way.

Every barrier is tough, but we'll get through each one.

In a daze, he muttered, "I might only be able to serve as an outside consultant for you."

Guan Yingjun carried him into the study and locked the door behind them. His eyes lifted, looking almost pitiful as he gazed at Jian Ruochen. "I'm gonna miss you. We’ll see so little of each other during the day from now on. Can we make up for it today?"

Jian Ruochen, both dazzled by his looks and overwhelmed by the intensity, nodded in a daze.

The next day, recalling Guan Yingjun’s pitiful act and the absurd vigor that followed, he decided that the Bauhinia Apartments’ tight security wasn’t entirely a good thing.

The study room perfectly embodied the saying, "No one will come to save you even if you scream your lungs out."

The soundproofing foam on the walls, the soundproof carpet on the floor, the spacious desk, and the cold, metal safe—all ended up serving an entirely different purpose.

If it weren’t for the fear of assassination by drug dealers after getting the new laws passed, he would never have followed Guan Yingjun back to the Bauhinia Apartments.

For the sake of combating drugs, he had truly paid a high price.