HLnovel 187. One prison VIP.
187. One prison VIP.
Bald Diao Zhen seemed particularly excited. He grinned, trying to smile, but the wound beside his mouth pulled at him, causing him sharp pain. He was in pain yet happy. The two became friends after their fight, and that evening, with bruised and swollen faces, they sat together for dinner, but the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
In the distance, Zhu Qingfeng and his gang stared menacingly at them. He gritted his teeth and said, "Don't think that getting on Diao Zhen's good side will protect you. Just you wait and see how I deal with you."
The day after Zhou Hongyi and Diao Zhen became friends, the ordinary outer cell underwent a large-scale renovation.
The warden adopted Zhou Hongyi's suggestion and first moved all the prisoners from the ordinary prison area to the playground, leaving some obedient prisoners inside to help with the moving.
There wasn't much stuff in the cell to begin with, so moving around was relatively easy. Following Zhou Hongyi's suggestion, he knocked down the wall between several cells to create a larger room, and thoughtfully added two more windows at the back to let in sunlight.
After that, for the first time ever, desks, chairs, and even sofas were brought into the prison. After a day of commotion, the prisoners were dumbfounded when they returned to their cells.
What's wrong with the warden? Why are they suddenly improving our living conditions? Is this even prison anymore? It's more comfortable than living at home. People coming in now probably won't want to leave.
However, these prisoners' joy was short-lived, as they received notice of a cell change. What used to be fifteen people per cell now had to be twenty; what used to be ten people per cell now had to be fifteen. For the lowest-ranking prisoners, their living conditions not only didn't improve, but actually became even more difficult.
Furthermore, Zhou Hongyi, the police chief who had only been there a few days earlier, was moved into a single cell with a sofa.
"Why? This isn't fair! Why can he have a big room all by himself, while we have to squeeze twenty people into a small one? We're all prisoners, why is there such a big difference?"
Seeing Zhou Hongyi's smug look, Zhu Qingfeng was furious and pounded on the iron gate to protest loudly.
Suddenly, several prison guards came over and used batons to tap his fingers gripping the bars, forcing the prisoners to back away. They yelled, "Shut up! You peasants, don't you know who you are? And who is Director Zhou? Even if we're all prisoners, there's a world of difference between us! Director Zhou pays the prison thirty silver dollars upfront for changing cells. Can you afford that?"
"What? You have to pay to go to jail? Thirty silver dollars, that's enough for me to live on for half a year!"
Zhu Qingfeng thought he had misheard, but when he saw Zhou Hongyi sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, a cigar in one hand and a bottle of liquor in the other, his mental defenses completely collapsed.
"It's true that different people have different fates. As long as you have money, you can have a more comfortable time in prison than others. What kind of world is this?"
Well, Zhou Hongyi not only moved into a spacious, bright, and comfortable single room, but also paid extra to have Manyu come to his cell to serve him.
"My little rascal, you're already in jail, and you still called me here. Can't you think of a way to get them to release you?"
Manyu nestled in Zhou Hongyi's arms, drawing circles on his chest with her finger with a hint of resentment.
Zhou Hongyi exhaled a smoke ring and laughed, "Go out? What for? It's too chaotic outside right now. You just need to keep an eye on the Paramount for me. I'm enjoying some peace and quiet here. When the time is right, I'll naturally go out."
"You're quite philosophical about it. The Paramount Ballroom is swamped with work, training staff, arranging shows, and dealing with all sorts of inspections. But you're having a blast being the boss."
Zhou Hongyi chuckled, kissed Manyu on the cheek, and said, "Don't worry, once this storm passes, I'll definitely give you a month of paid leave and reimburse all your vacation expenses. You can go wherever you want, even to Europe. Go out and see the world."
"Really? My nemesis, I'm not telling you this for the sake of a vacation. You know what I'm thinking."
Zhou Hongyi understood Manyu's feelings perfectly well, but due to his position, he couldn't offer her any emotional commitment. Maintaining the status quo was perhaps the best protection for her.
"I called you in today because I need your help with something. Please inform the blind man and Ah Gui to implement Plan B."
"Plan B? What is Plan B?"
Zhou Hongyi pinched Manyu's nose and said, "I didn't tell you to protect you. The more you know, the more dangerous it is. Passing this message on to them will be a huge help to me."
“I know you men are destined for great things. But you must also remember to ensure your own safety.” After saying this, Manyu hugged Zhou Hongyi even tighter, as if afraid that he might suddenly disappear.
The next morning, Zhou Hongyi, who didn't have to go to work, was invited to the warden's office and served with good cigarettes and alcohol.
"Hahaha, Director Zhou, you are truly my benefactor, my living god of wealth! Following your advice, I made some minor alterations to the cells, and last night more than a dozen prisoners privately told me they wanted to move to better cells, and they were willing to pay a considerable sum of money for it! Now, my brothers who have worked hard with me for a year can finally have some meat!"
Zhou Hongyi smiled politely and said, "Warden, your decision is truly wise. I was just offering a small suggestion. Since you trust me so much, Warden, let me show you another way."
"Oh? Director Zhou, please go ahead, I'm all ears."
Zhou Hongyi leaned forward and said, "Warden, making money off prisoners is only one aspect. Secondly, are you aware that the situation in Shanghai is currently very complex, with various forces vying for power?"
The warden nodded; he naturally knew this. He had also heard a little about the kind of people held in the high-security and special prison wards. In addition, with the Japanese army suffering repeated setbacks and getting bogged down in an endless war of attrition, even he himself would think about leaving himself a way out.
"I'm sure Warden has already guessed what I'm going to say. That's right, within your authority, provide those prisoners with some conveniences, even intelligence. Turn a blind eye to some of their private behavior. If the previous suggestion was to make you money, then today's suggestion is to make you pay with your life."
"hiss……"
The warden gasped, his smile vanishing instantly.
"Director Zhou, you must teach me! I've heard that you're doing very well in the Jing'an Second Branch, handling various forces with ease. As for me, the prison warden, although I don't have much power, I'm quite hated. The prisoners all feel that I'm persecuting them. To be honest, the underground killer 'Four-Faced Buddha' that caused such a stir in Shanghai recently terrified me so much that I couldn't eat or sleep. I was afraid that one night, in my sleep, that terrifying Four-Faced Buddha would appear beside my bed and cut off my head!"