Chapter 6: ◎“She said she’d come down personally to pick us up.”◎

In the Red Club, Yu Bai sat before the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor, watching a video on her laptop. It was footage of the third murder case—the one that had briefly topped the hot searches yesterday before the moderators took it down. The clip had been sharpened for clarity, revealing every gruesome, bloody detail in stark contrast to the blurry version that had circulated online. Yu Bai had lost count of how many times she had watched the three-minute video.

Buzz—

Her phone vibrated on the table beside her. Yu Bai glanced at the screen, where an unfamiliar number was displayed. She frowned, hesitated for a moment, then pressed the answer button.

A cool, clear voice came from the other end. “Hello, Miss Yu. This is Zhou Hui. I’m at the entrance to the Red Club right now and need to ask you a few questions. Is that convenient?”

Yu Bai paused for several seconds, the corners of her mouth curving upward. “Of course it’s convenient, Officer Zhou. You’ve come all the way to my doorstep—if I said no, people would think I’m standoffish. Wait there. I’ll come down to meet you.”

Zhou Hui: “You don’t need to—”

Beep, beep, beep—

Zhou Hui: “…”

“What did she say?” Han Wei asked from beside her.

Zhou Hui turned to Han Wei with a mysterious smile. “She said she’d come down personally to pick us up.”

Zhou Hui still couldn’t quite figure out what Yu Bai was all about. For now, she would just have to deal with whatever came her way.

Ten minutes later, Yu Bai emerged from inside. She wore a suit tailored to perfection and exchanged a few words with the bodyguards flanking her. Then she stationed herself at the entrance, gave Zhou Hui and Han Wei a wave in greeting, and beckoned them inside with a crook of her finger.

Han Wei suddenly recalled the days from over two years ago at the Provincial Police University.

…

“Whoa, do you know how many guys’ dreams you’ve crushed by flaunting your romance so openly like this?” Back then at the Provincial Police University, Han Wei had exclaimed with exaggerated flair upon spotting a massive bouquet of roses on Yu Bai’s desk.

Yu Bai arched an eyebrow. “You one of them?”

“Of course. I was your number one admirer.”

“No, no, no. Big sis doesn’t want to earn a reputation for trampling the nation’s future flowers. You kids…”

Han Wei looked utterly incredulous. “Kids? Come on, Teacher, you don’t have to brush me off like that. I’ve already blown out my twenty-two birthday candles. This is prime time for talking marriage. Won’t you give me a shot, Teacher?”

Yu Bai shot him a look of pure disdain. “Give you a shot? No need to even think about it. Go hit the books, improve yourself every day. Have you even finished your credits in your own major, with you running over here constantly?”

The Yu Bai from two years ago had been completely different—like a whole other person. While Han Wei was lost in reminiscence, Zhou Hui had already walked up to Yu Bai.

“Come on!” Yu Bai said, tilting her head.

Zhou Hui shoved her hands into her pants pockets and strolled casually at Yu Bai’s side. Yu Bai was half a head shorter than her, but with heels on, they stood evenly matched.

“Where are we talking?” Yu Bai didn’t seem inclined to head back to her top-floor office. Zhou Hui glanced around at the surging crowd; there wasn’t a quiet spot in sight to sit and chat properly, so she couldn’t help but voice the question.

Rain had forced all outdoor activities indoors, and by evening, the place was in full swing. Waves of noise rose higher and higher, quickly swallowing Zhou Hui’s words.

Yu Bai might not have heard her. Her gaze landed on something nearby, and she raised a hand. A man dressed as a server approached with two flutes of champagne on a tray. Yu Bai instructed, “For the two officers.”

Zhou Hui refused without a second thought. “We don’t drink while on duty.”

Yu Bai hesitated for a moment, then turned to Han Wei with exaggerated surprise. “Does your boss always work her people this hard? What time is it, and you’re still not off the clock!”

Zhou Hui raised an eyebrow at her. “No need to act so shocked, Miss Yu. You worked at the Provincial Bureau before—you know police regulations as well as anyone.”

At the mention of the “Provincial Bureau,” something flickered in Yu Bai’s eyes. But she quickly reined it in, lowered her head, and let out an odd little laugh. She picked up a flute of champagne for herself. “Since you two officers are still on the clock, never mind.”

She took a sip, smacked her lips lightly, and said, “What does Officer Zhou want to ask?”

Zhou Hui raised her voice over the din. “We need some information about Wu—”

“Ah—” Yu Bai screamed beside her.

Zhou Hui whipped her head around to see a man in a suit had suddenly grabbed Yu Bai from behind. He was clearly drunk and was trying to kiss her while holding on tight.

Zhou Hui yanked the man away, pulled Yu Bai behind her, and drove a kick straight into his chest.

“Zhou Hui, don’t—”

“Aaaahhh!” The man, fueled by alcohol and off-balance from the kick, stumbled backward and plunged straight into the swimming pool behind him.

Yu Bai’s words of warning hadn’t even left her lips when she beheld the gruesome scene unfolding before her eyes. The hand she had just raised hung uncertainly in the air, unsure of what gesture to make, so she could only rub her forehead in helpless exasperation.

The man in the swimming pool clearly wasn’t much of a swimmer. The shock of being tossed in had sobered him up considerably, and he flailed desperately. “Help! Somebody help me!”

It took him half a minute of frantic struggling before he realized the water was only shoulder-deep. He clambered out onto the poolside in a bedraggled state, ready to unleash a torrent of curses—until he spotted Yu Bai. Suddenly remembering his earlier blunder, he blurted out, “Sister Yu, that was my bad—I was blind as a bat and offended you…”

Yu Bai kept her smile firmly in place. “President Zhang, I opened this club without any intention of selling myself. We shell out good money to hire all these women for our guests. So what’s this? None of them to your liking?”

President Zhang grew even more flustered at her words. “No, no, absolutely not! Sister Yu, I genuinely didn’t recognize you. I’d never dare make a move on you, no matter what.”

Yu Bai was usually shadowed by bodyguards wherever she went, but tonight there wasn’t a single one in sight. Instead, she was strolling along the poolside with one man and one woman in tow. To President Zhang, it looked like one guy monopolizing two women while occupying prime real estate without making use of it. Determined to get his money’s worth, he hadn’t thought twice before acting.

Yu Bai spread her hands in a gesture of mock helplessness. “It seems President Zhang isn’t all that sincere about doing business with us. In that case, our partnership ends here and now.” She made a subtle signal to the bodyguards who had been trailing them at a distance, her meaning clear: Get him out of here.

President Zhang bolted without a moment’s hesitation. The brief commotion left no mark on anyone present. Yu Bai’s mood appeared utterly unshaken, but she had no desire to linger. Turning to Zhou Hui, she said, “Let’s head upstairs.”

As the elevator ascended smoothly, Zhou Hui glanced sideways at her. “Your security measures leave a lot to be desired.”

She phrased it as a statement of fact, and it wasn’t just about this incident—she was also alluding to Wu Guojiang’s public harassment of that young woman.

Yu Bai didn’t deny it. “Red Club is a playground for the upper crust to unwind, but even there, you get the occasional bad apple. You can’t paint us all with the same brush, Officer Zhou.” After a couple of serious remarks, she leaned into her good looks and let her tongue run loose. “Why don’t you help us keep the peace around here?”

Zhou Hui: “…”

“Just kidding.” By then, the elevator had reached the top floor, and the doors slid open with a soft chime. Yu Bai flashed a warm smile and gestured for her to step out ahead.

This entire floor housed only Yu Bai’s office, with the door at the far end of the corridor. No one besides the bodyguards had ever been up here, so it was deathly quiet—no hint of the raucous noise from downstairs penetrated the space, thanks to expert soundproofing.

She pushed open the office door to reveal an interior styled in elegant retro European fashion. The desk, bookshelves, sofas, wine cabinet, wall reliefs, and every decorative piece adhered meticulously to the theme, exuding refined taste and understated opulence.

Yu Bai shrugged off the suit jacket that President Zhang had groped earlier and tossed it onto the sofa. She straightened her inner shirt with care—clearly, she did mind after all.

She had just finished adjusting her collar when she looked up to find Zhou Hui staring at her intently.

“What’s wrong?”

Zhou Hui fell silent for a long moment before replying, “Keep your bodyguards closer from now on.”

Yu Bai rolled her eyes inwardly. She wanted to point out that two people showing up at a place like this late at night—neither chasing women nor knocking back drinks, just a man and two women ambling by the pool and chatting—made for a suspicious picture no matter how you sliced it. Business owners avoided cops like the plague, and having bodyguards tag along would kill any chance of a real conversation.

In the end, though, she reined in her frustration and managed a simple, “Sure.”

“What would the two officers like to know? Fire away.” Settling into the sofa, Yu Bai steered the conversation to the matter at hand.

Han Wei spoke up. “We’re here to learn more about Wu Guojiang.”

“The Wu Guojiang Canal Murder Case—the victim in the second incident?” Yu Bai arched an eyebrow. “Haven’t I already cleared that up? Am I still under suspicion?”

Zhou Hui clarified, “No misunderstanding. We just want some details. Is Wu Guojiang a member of Red Club? His income level doesn’t seem high enough to afford patronizing a place like this.”

Yu Bai’s expression softened a touch as she considered her response. “I remember Wu Guojiang. He’s not a member of the club himself, but he was brought by one of our VIP members. We couldn’t very well turn him away at the door.”

“A VIP member? Who?” Zhou Hui pressed, showing no inclination to let the answer slide by vaguely.

Yu Bai smiled. “Yan Mingchang, the real estate developer from Guangming Real Estate Company. Wu Guojiang came a total of three times, always with Yan Mingchang. The last visit was the one your department investigated.”

“You remember that clearly?”

“What’s odd about it? He got me hauled into the police bureau—naturally I looked into exactly who he was.”

Yu Bai’s words were logical and well-grounded. From any normal person’s perspective, being hauled into the police station as a suspect warranted digging into the full story behind the incident. Besides, for someone like Yu Bai, checking out a person’s social background was hardly a challenge.

With her level of influence, whatever—or whoever—she wanted investigated, the intel would reach her faster than the police could manage. Those less-than-official channels and methods often delivered superior speed and results. Backing it all was a sprawling web of information that could put any desired details right in front of her with a mere gesture.

Zhou Hui thus asked, “Have you looked into him?”

The unspoken question: Did she have anything the police hadn’t uncovered yet, something she might share?

Yu Bai clearly wasn’t in the habit of sharing—or the type blessed with such virtues. She flashed Zhou Hui a knowing smile and said nothing.

“Does the club have surveillance footage?” Zhou Hui pivoted to a different question.

“Only the last month’s worth. Anything older gets automatically wiped, no backups. And it’s only in public areas—no cameras in the rooms.”

Zhou Hui nodded. That was about what she’d expected. For a private spot like the Red Club, having no cameras at all wouldn’t raise eyebrows either. Someone like Yu Bai, who didn’t mind ruffling feathers and was willing to hand footage over to the cops? That was one in a million.

Yu Bai paused, then picked up the thread. “You’re going to check out Yan Mingchang, aren’t you?”

“?”

She smiled. “I mean, his business isn’t exactly squeaky clean. Starting there might make your investigation go a lot smoother.”

Talk about using the police as pawns. A pretext to kneecap a business rival. Zhou Hui wouldn’t have pegged Yu Bai as some wide-eyed business newbie, but here she was, dropping hints bold as brass right in front of a cop.

Zhou Hui gave a cold laugh. “Thanks for the tip. We’ll look into it. No need for you to go to all this trouble, Miss Yu.”

Yu Bai had been a cop herself once, probably dealt with enough of them to shrug it off. She didn’t bat an eye at Zhou Hui’s jab—in fact, she poured a little more oil on the fire. “I’ve got some history with Yan Mingchang, sure. But telling the truth isn’t against the law, is it? All my methods and channels are above board, fully compliant with the national laws.”

Zhou Hui had no interest in debating compliance with her. She stood to leave. “That’s all for now, then. If anything else comes to mind, Miss Yu, feel free to reach out to the police anytime.”

Her eyes carried a clear warning: behave yourself. Yu Bai just smiled nonchalantly, meeting her gaze. “You bet.”

Zhou Hui frowned but held her tongue.

Once Zhou Hui and Han Wei were gone, Yu Bai shed the infuriatingly smug look she’d worn for the police. Her expression turned icy as she drifted to the window. Night had deepened, the crowds ebbing away as people headed home, sloughing off the day’s weariness. Wives had dinner waiting for husbands; kids finished homework and cut loose with play. Families crammed into cozy homes for a simple meal, basking in fleeting warmth. Day in, day out, they hustled through the city grind—for food, shelter, the daily commute.

They remained blissfully unaware of the shadows cloaking so many urban corners, indifferent to anything beyond their own worlds. Hardworking, honest, sticking to the script: study, advance, work, marry, kids. Life’s roadmap sharpened step by step, marching toward the finish line. Simple. Happy.

Others, though, were fated to teeter on the razor’s edge between light and dark. Driven by greed, frail resolve, or something buried deeper still, they veered from their paths—farther from the light, deeper into the void.

Yu Bai stared out at the settling hush of the night and let out a faint sigh.

She crossed to her desk, tugged open a drawer, and pulled out a file. Flipping it open revealed Wu Guojiang’s dossier.

She fixed on a particular page, gaze locked for minutes uncounted, growing ever colder. To his stern one-inch headshot, she murmured, “You got what was coming. No complaints there.”