Datang Foot Spa.
The next morning, after breakfast, Yu Bai announced at the table that she needed to move out before noon.
Zhou Hui paused in clearing the dishes, glancing up with a flicker of surprise, a trace of disappointment hidden in her eyes. “Why the rush? Is something urgent?”
Yu Bai pressed her lips together, her tone growing a touch heavier. “Yes, an important business deal.”
She crossed her fingers on the table, bathed in the morning light, a gentle smile on her face.
That soft smile pierced straight to the depths of Zhou Hui’s gaze, stirring waves of emotion in her heart.
After a moment’s hesitation, Zhou Hui couldn’t hold back. “Will it take long?”
Yu Bai’s expression faltered slightly. Lifting her eyes, she saw the careful reluctance in Zhou Hui’s face and nodded, exhaling deeply. “Yes, quite a while.”
“Then you…” Zhou Hui’s emotions ebbed and flowed, her throat tightening as she swallowed an inexplicable pang of loss. Holding her breath, she looked at Yu Bai. “Will you come back to stay?”
Yu Bai gazed into those eyes aglow with morning light, her lashes trembling, her heart softening. In a gentle voice, she said, “I might be leaving Pingling City for a while. No set return date.”
Hearing Yu Bai’s polite refusal, Zhou Hui took a deep breath and nodded faintly. “Alright, then. I’ll help you pack in a bit.”
Yu Bai smiled warmly. “Thank you, Officer Zhou.”
It wasn’t long before Yu Bai’s bodyguards pulled up outside Zhou Hui’s home. Yu Bai sat in the entryway changing her shoes while Zhou Hui leaned against the shoe cabinet, toying with a keychain, her eyes fixed entirely on Yu Bai.
After a moment’s hesitation, Zhou Hui said, “If you come back and the house renovations aren’t done, stay here with me!”
Yu Bai had just straightened up in her high heels, her gaze level with Zhou Hui’s. She leaned back slightly, her breath catching. “Okay.”
Yu Bai didn’t linger. She opened the door, slipped into the SUV, smiled, and waved to Zhou Hui, signaling the bodyguards to drive.
Zhou Hui watched the car vanish around the bend behind the trees, an unfamiliar emotion creeping into her heart.
Standing lost in thought at the front gate for a good quarter-hour, Zhou Hui finally reined in her feelings. She pulled out her phone to check the date, planning to head straight back to the City Bureau that afternoon.
~~~
Eight fifty in the evening, Shawan Dock.
Five or six cargo ships were moored along the riverbank. In the distance, small boats with lights patrolled the water, clearing debris. Nearby, street food stalls and seafood markets stretched out in a bustling row, thick with smoke, the scents of fresh seafood mingling with tobacco and booze to saturate the night air.
Narrow, cluttered alleys glowed with colorful bulbs spelling out hair salons, nail parlors, and tattoo shops.
Clusters of hair salon girls with multicolored dyed hair stood at the doorways, cheap lipstick framing puffs of cigarette smoke from their lips. They spoke in Mandarin laced with regional accents, hawking customers from the entrance and deftly fielding the men’s crude remarks.
Yu Bai strode through the alley with two bodyguards in tow, instantly drawing a chorus of leering whistles.
Her furrowed brow didn’t ease until they reached the main road.
The entire street was lined with foot spas of every variety—names and styles to suit any taste.
This was Pingling City’s infamous foot spa strip. After a round of street eats and drinks at the stalls, hitting a foot spa for a scrub had become routine.
Though Shawan Dock was an aging wharf that no longer ran passenger ferries—just the occasional cargo vessel—it thrived on the vibrant foot spa trade. It sustained seafood hawkers, noodle vendors, and hundreds of foot spa girls, while the shop owners raked in the profits.
Come nightfall, the area buzzed with energy rivaling downtown.
The six-story Datang Foot Spa stood out even among competitors known for serene atmospheres and skilled techniques.
Never mind the dated building or the massage quality—what drew the crowds were the foot spa girls, almost all fresh-faced teens whose skin seemed to drip with youth. Just standing there, dewy and vibrant, they were enough to make patrons drool.
Most customers came for that very reason: a foot rub with the bonus of special services on the side. Business boomed.
As Yu Bai and her group entered the lobby, it was packed. Customers in flip-flops, baggy shorts, and bare torsos crammed onto two- and three-seaters. Those without spots simply draped arms around foot spa girls in “Datang Foot Spa” work uniforms, leaning at the front desk, hands wandering freely over the young women.
Before Yu Bai could finish scanning the room, a man who looked like a server hurried over. “Sister Yu, you’ve arrived.”
“Mm.” Yu Bai gave a curt reply, then asked, “Has Third Brother arrived yet?”
The man stood by attentively and replied, “Third Brother is already waiting for you upstairs. Please follow me.”
With that, he stepped aside in a gesture of invitation, leading Yu Bai toward the elevators.
The guests in the lobby had grown impatient. Seeing Yu Bai walk in and get to go straight up, complaints erupted immediately.
“Hey! Hurry up and get me a room! I’ve been waiting half an hour. You said twenty minutes, and now you’re jerking me around? Believe it or not, I’ll smash this damn foot spa to pieces.”
“What the hell are you rushing for? I got here before you. If anyone’s going in, it’s me, damn it… Hey? Why can she go up? I just saw her come in from outside—not even two minutes ago?”
The server explained helplessly, “This lady is one of our VIP customers.”
“Fuck, even this shithole has VIPs? Bunch of crooks—you take the money faster than anyone… Hey! Get a move on! Shit! Don’t just stand there like a dead dog! Motherfucker…”
The elevator doors slid shut slowly, muffling the tirade from outside.
The elevator rose swiftly to the sixth floor. The server stepped out first and held the door open with utmost respect. “Sister Yu, please.”
Unlike the bustling lobby on the first floor, the sixth floor was hushed and serene, lined with small private rooms boasting excellent soundproofing.
Yu Bai was escorted to the door of Room 608. After a knock, two tall, burly bodyguards—one on each side—planted themselves at the entrance with menacing glares. “Good day, Sister Yu!”
Yu Bai recognized them as Third Brother’s men, named something like A-Zuo and A-You. She couldn’t quite recall.
Just then, a warm, gentle male voice drifted from inside.
“Is that Yu Bai? A-Zuo—bring her in.”
“Yes.”
Yu Bai stepped forward. But no sooner had her foot crossed the threshold than one of them—A-Zuo or A-You—blocked her path. “Sorry, Sister Yu. You can’t bring your bodyguards inside. Someone will arrange for them to wait in another room.”
Yu Bai started inwardly but kept her composure on the surface, saying nothing. She raised a hand to signal her bodyguards to stay behind.
She tried to step forward again, only to be stopped once more.
“Sister Yu, we’ll need to hold on to your phone for safekeeping.”
Yu Bai halted, irritation flashing in her eyes. She asked coolly, “Is this Third Brother’s order too?”
Her voice was soft, but loud enough for those inside to hear clearly.
Footsteps approached promptly from within. Qin Hua emerged, wrapped in a bathrobe, his gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.
He laid a gentle hand on Yu Bai’s shoulder and drew her inside with a warm smile. “Come on in.”
Yu Bai tamped down her anger and let him guide her into the room, though she stopped near the door. He made no move to go farther.
Her simmering frustration reignited. She understood perfectly what he wanted but had no intention of giving in.
Qin Hua studied her expression, his demeanor still mild and conciliatory. “Yu Bai, even if you won’t give A-Zuo and A-You any face, at least do it for Third Brother, won’t you?”
Yu Bai opened her mouth to respond, then glanced up and realized Qin Hua wasn’t alone. Aside from the few foot spa girls giving massages, two men reclined in the massage chairs.
One was Uncle Jiu.
The other was Shao Ze—the man she’d only seen in photos before.
She drew in a steadying breath and stopped resisting, handing her phone to Qin Hua.
Qin Hua passed it to A-Zuo and A-You, then flicked his hand in dismissal. His eyes turned icy as he ordered, “You’re done here. Guard the door. Don’t let any idiots get close to this room.”
When he turned back to Yu Bai, the chill vanished. He adjusted his glasses with a smile and made the introduction. “Yu Bai, this is Shao Ze. We may not have met face-to-face before, but we’ve tangled indirectly plenty of times. Say hello.”
It was Yu Bai’s first time seeing this young face up close—a face that shared a seventy percent resemblance with Shao Yuan, now laid to rest in the Martyrs’ Cemetery. For a moment, she was transfixed.
“Sister Yu, your reputation precedes you.” Shao Ze rose with a smile and extended his right hand. Yu Bai offered a faint smile in return and clasped it.
Qin Hua clapped Yu Bai on the shoulder from the side, his grin broadening. “A-Ze made it clear: one big reason for coming back to Pingling City this time is to thank you.”
Yu Bai blinked in mild surprise. “Thank me?” Her smile held steady as she turned her gaze to Shao Ze and arched a brow. “No contribution, no reward. I can’t recall doing anything that calls for thanks from Mr. Shao Ze.”
Shao Ze gave a slight smile and stood ramrod straight before her, his voice grave. “Whether Sister Yu remembers or not doesn’t matter. I, Shao Ze, always repay my debts. In the River Channel Murder Case, thanks to your help, I cleared my name fast. I’ll never forget that favor.”
Only then did Yu Bai understand why Qin Hua had sent her to the police bureau to assist with the River Channel Murder Case when it broke.
At the time, she had accepted Zhou Boyan’s invitation for one reason and followed Qin Hua’s advice for another—to interact more with the police.
She simply went with the flow, obtained permission from her superiors, and reported for duty at the station.
Looking back now, it all seemed designed to help Shao Ze clear his name.
Feeling like she’d been used as nothing more than a pawn, Yu Bai harbored some resentment. She let out a low, cold chuckle but said nothing.
Qin Hua had noticed that Yu Bai hadn’t shown him the slightest bit of respect since arriving that evening. Knowing she was upset, he pulled her over to a massage chair on the other side of the room, drew her close, and murmured, “Yu Bai, give Third Brother some face. Tonight’s business is genuinely important—for Uncle Jiu and the others too. How about Third Brother brings you tea and apologizes properly another day?”
