The Police Report / Recollections of Meeting Her – Part 1
Tuesday, continued…
With Butler Ge’s words, both Hou Yi and Anna straightened up, though they remained close to each other. Hou Yi turned toward his bride, his voice soft as he asked, “Do you want me to sit next to you while you talk to the officer? Or would you prefer I sit across the room and stay out of the way? You can always call for me if you need support.”
Anna hesitated for a moment before answering. “Yi, I think the latter. I need to be strong enough to face this on my own. If I can’t handle it, how will I ever deal with Lu Jinhu and Yang Lin, or even face them in court without the strength to stand on my own?”
Before Hou Yi could respond, Butler Ge spoke up. “Young Master, Young Madam, Officer Mu Tong is here.” With that, Butler Ge stepped aside, and a young man entered the room.
“CEO Hou, Madam Hou, I am Officer Mu Tong. I’ve been informed by Assistant Wang that Madam Hou was assaulted at the Key Plaza Hotel, and you wish to file a report. Before arriving, I spoke with the hotel manager and security staff. They mentioned that they will provide a copy of the CCTV footage from the time your assistant indicated, but it will only be available tomorrow after they’ve had a chance to review it to protect the privacy of other guests.”
Hou Yi decided to speak before Officer Mu could begin his questioning. “Officer Mu, you’ll need to speak with my wife about what happened at the Key Plaza Hotel. I wasn’t there at the time. However, as Hou Enterprises holds a twenty-five percent stake in the hotel’s owning company, Assistant Wang is already arranging for a direct copy of the CCTV footage to be sent from the off-site backup tonight.”
He paused, glancing at Anna, who nodded in agreement, before continuing. “Despite my desire to stay by her side during this difficult time, my wife insists on handling this herself. I won’t deny her request, but I will be across the room, in case she needs me.”
With that, Hou Yi stood, shaking Officer Mu’s hand before moving to a chair across the room. He seemed to be distracted, but his attention remained focused on the conversation unfolding, ready to step in if needed.
“Hello, Madam Hou. I’m Officer Mu Tong. I’ve been assigned to speak with you regarding the assault. Since you’re not originally from here, we’ll record your statement on this device, which will generate a digital file that we’ll keep. I’ll also provide you with a copy on a USB drive when I leave. A typed version of this will be prepared, and you’ll be asked to sign the original. I’ll start recording now.” He placed a small device on the table, pressing a button that Anna assumed began the recording.
“This is Officer Mu Tong. I’m at the residence of CEO Hou Yi and his wife, conducting an interview in relation to an alleged assault on Madam Hou, wife of CEO Hou of Hou Enterprises. Madam Hou, can you please confirm your details for the record, including your nationality?”
“My name is Anna Jones. No, sorry—my name is Anna Hou now. My husband and I were married today at the Civil Administration Bureau, so it’ll take a little time to get used to my new name. I’m 26 years old, and I was born in Warrnambool, Australia. I’ve lived and worked in Melbourne as a lawyer for the last five years, so professionally, I’ll still be known as Anna Jones for now.”
“I see, Madam Hou. At some point, I will need a copy of your Australian passport and your marriage certificate, but we can handle that later.” Officer Mu paused, clearly noticing something in Anna’s statement. “I didn’t realize you were a lawyer. May I ask which area of law you specialize in?”
“My firm primarily handles commercial law, but there’s a generalist practice as well, since clients often face overlapping issues and don’t want to deal with multiple firms. The commercial team focuses solely on business matters, while the general team covers everything from family and criminal law to wills and estates, property law, and a few other related fields. I don’t specialize, but I typically handle criminal and family law cases.”
“Thank you, Madam Hou. Given your background, I’m sure you understand the legal consequences of making false statements to the police. However, because you hold dual nationality, I’ll need to formally advise you of your rights. As a foreign national, I’m required to give you a formal warning.”
“I must inform you that if you provide false statements, you could face criminal charges. These false statements could also be used against you in court, should any charges be filed. If charges are brought against the individuals responsible for the assault, your statement could be used as evidence. Given your dual citizenship, you are entitled to consult with a local lawyer or the Australian Embassy if you wish to clarify anything before we proceed. Do you understand this?”
“Yes, I do,” Anna replied calmly.
“Do you wish to exercise any of these rights?”
“No, I do not.”
“Very well. Madam Hou, could you please tell me what happened today at the Key Plaza Hotel?”
“After my husband, Hou Yi, and I collected our marriage certificate from the Civil Administration Bureau—oh, I remember, that event was recorded, so if you need a copy of it, we can provide that.”
“That won’t be necessary at the moment, Madam Hou.”
“Right. Well, after we got our marriage certificate, my husband’s assistant, Wang Long, picked us up and drove us to the Key Plaza Hotel where I had been staying, to collect my belongings. Yi, I’m sorry, but Hou Yi offered to come inside with me, but I insisted on doing this alone. When I entered the lobby, I ran into my former fiancé, Lu Jinhu, who had also gotten married today, but not before we had.”
“Mr. Lu was verbally abusive. He called me names, including ‘bitch,’ and demanded to know who I was with. I knew I didn’t owe him an explanation, so I refused to answer, wanting to avoid a confrontation between him and my husband, especially on such an important day. Mr. Lu’s actions were intrusive, and his invasion of my personal space made me feel unsafe. I made it clear that I wasn’t going to answer his questions.”
Anna paused, clearly shaken by the memory.
