One dance came to an end, seamlessly giving way to a second, then a third…
It was only when the music finally faded and the crowd began to disperse from the dance hall that Yu Bai released her hold, as if still savoring the moment. She stepped back half a pace, a note of regret in her voice. “Is it over already?”
Zhou Hui couldn’t tell if this was just more of the performance. She glanced around instinctively, but detected no hidden eyes watching from the shadows.
“Frank isn’t here,” Zhou Hui said, biting her lower lip. She stood a half-step away, her gaze deep and intense as she met the other woman’s eyes. “You don’t have to keep up the act.”
“Acting?” A flicker of surprise crossed Yu Bai’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it had appeared. She lowered her gaze with a smile, expertly concealing the fleeting melancholy that had stirred within her. Raising her brow lightly, she let out a soft sigh. “Right—we’re putting on a show. So let’s be good actors and see it through to the end. Those hidden eyes could be watching at any moment.”
All Zhou Hui saw was the captivating smile on the face before her. Yu Bai reached out and looped her arm through Zhou Hui’s, drawing far closer than any safe distance would allow. Tilting her head up slightly, she gazed at her with impossible gentleness. “So, where to now, my secret lover?”
Zhou Hui froze in place, the words she had meant to say dying on her lips.
Not waiting for an answer, Yu Bai proposed, “Shall we grab a drink?”
“Sure,” Zhou Hui replied, her voice a little muffled.
The courtyard was still thronged with people weaving in and out, their faces etched with insincere smiles as they chatted one another up. This was the cutthroat world of business and ambition, after all—a place where no one attended merely to show support. Everyone had an agenda, whether it was currying favor with the powerful or clawing their way to the top. Pure intentions were in short supply.
Viewed in that light, Yu Bai was committing fully to the role. She was doing the whole act, from start to finish.
Zhou Hui glanced down at the woman beside her. Her smile felt far more genuine than those of the others.
Releasing her arm, Yu Bai approached the long table and poured two glasses of wine. She handed one to Zhou Hui and raised her own with a soft clink—”ding”—her eyes brimming with warmth.
Zhou Hui couldn’t quite read her intentions. Staring into those fathomless depths, she felt an odd tension knotting in her chest. She downed half the glass without even tasting it, her mind elsewhere.
Yu Bai’s gaze settled on her, and she paused, a touch of surprise in her expression. She stepped closer, gently grasping Zhou Hui’s wrist to stop her. “That’s not how you drink wine, Officer Zhou.” With a sigh, she took the glass from Zhou Hui’s hand, beckoned a server over, and murmured a few instructions. Then she turned back, her voice softening. “Let’s head back to the room. This stuff’s strong—I’ve ordered some sobering soup.”
It was only then that Zhou Hui registered the fiery burn sliding down her throat. Her head grew heavier, a dull ache settling in. She shook it off once or twice, but it only made things worse. With a nod, she agreed to Yu Bai’s suggestion and followed her back to the room.
The rooms were on the second floor, reserved for overnight guests. Just as Frank had said, there were far more attendees than beds to go around—they’d been allotted only one room between them.
Zhou Hui’s steps were unsteady as she climbed the stairs, clinging to her composure until they reached the door. There, she leaned against the wall, pressing a hand to her forehead. Glancing at Yu Bai as she unlocked the door, she couldn’t hold back. “What was that? It hits like a truck.”
“Whiskey,” Yu Bai replied with a smile. She pushed the door open and guided Zhou Hui inside.
Seated on the bed, Zhou Hui began to recover a little. No longer quite so queasy, she took in the room.
It was a suite done up in a semi-traditional Chinese style, echoing the courtyard’s decor. The outer room held a pair of wooden sofas, a table bearing two jade ornaments, and a pair of antique scrolls on the wall—though she couldn’t tell if they were genuine. The inner bedroom featured a wardrobe, a double bed draped with a canopy, and a folding screen by the side. Zhou Hui had no idea what it was for.
“I’m going to change.”
Yu Bai walked over to the wardrobe, selected a robe, and let it trail past Zhou Hui as she turned gracefully and slipped behind the screen.
Ah—so that’s what it was for.
Zhou Hui’s gaze drifted to the screen. Made of thin gauze, it was inscribed with flowing calligraphy from Youyuan Jingmeng.
【To think that once these riotous colors bloomed everywhere, now surrendered to crumbling walls and ruined wells. Such fine moments and beautiful vistas—why must heaven spoil them… For you, my flower-like beauty, my years like flowing water, I have wandered everywhere in search.】
Zhou Hui’s thoughts were muddled, her mind sluggish. Her eyes traced the words, lingering on each one.
Suddenly, the red dress slipped from behind the screen. Snow-white skin flickered into view amid the poetic imagery of Youyuan Jingmeng. Zhou Hui’s breath caught sharply, a flood of emotions bursting forth like spring sunlight piercing the clouds.
Her chest heaved, burning fiercely. It wasn’t the first time she’d seen such a sight, but this time felt utterly different.
Because of that one kiss.
Zhou Hui realized with perfect clarity what had sparked the change.
She lifted her brow and glanced over again. The pent-up fire in her heart burst through the dam of reason like a flood unleashed. In that instant, she grasped the mysterious Eastern allure so often depicted in countless Western works throughout history—an Oriental woman forever brimming with unknowable attraction.
Yu Bai turned her head, her peripheral vision catching Zhou Hui’s gaze. She revealed the faintest hint of one arched brow, the outer corner of her eye drooping with a touch of seductive charm. She caught Zhou Hui glancing over yet again, unable to resist, and let her own half-lifted eye corner drift downward gently. An ambiguous smile curved at the edge of her lips.
A few minutes later, Yu Bai finally finished tying her robe and stepped out from behind the screen. Her long hair tumbled over her shoulders, her eyes shimmering soft as water. She walked to the bedside and said to Zhou Hui, “I’ll call you when the hangover soup arrives. Why don’t you get some rest first?”
Her voice melted into a puddle of liquid silk.
Zhou Hui’s eyelashes fluttered. She drew a deep breath, looked up, and said, “I’m not sleeping.”
Yu Bai arched a brow slightly. “Doesn’t your head hurt?”
Zhou Hui knew that if this kept up, she’d tumble headlong into it before the night was out. Gritting her teeth, she steeled herself against the enemy’s sweet temptations and drew another deep breath. “Isn’t there anything about tonight that you want to explain to me?”
“A kiss—what’s there to explain?” Yu Bai’s gaze never wavered. She stepped forward twice, closing the distance between them. Lowering her eyes, she reached out, her fingertip brushing lightly over Zhou Hui’s lips as she breathed out two words: “First kiss?”
Zhou Hui’s breath hitched. She swallowed hard, barely holding on to her self-control. With effort, she steadied herself and forced the words through clenched teeth: “You know that’s not what I’m asking about.”
“Oh. Not that.” Yu Bai reached out again, tapping Zhou Hui’s lips lightly. She gazed down thoughtfully, as if pondering deeply, then feigned confusion. “Then what is it?”
She was clearly teasing her on purpose.
Zhou Hui’s heart churned with frustration from the deliberate provocations—advance and she risked surrender; retreat and she lost ground. She hovered at the edge of an uncrossable chasm, trapped in indecision.
After a long moment, she screwed up her resolve, closed her eyes, exhaled sharply, and stood. Clarity sharpened her gaze.
The sudden approach made Yu Bai instinctively step back half a pace, but Zhou Hui pressed forward another step, then another, until she had Yu Bai pinned against the screen.
Unyielding, step by relentless step, her stance declared her intentions. Yu Bai raised a brow in surprise, a flicker of astonishment hidden in the corner of her eye.
Zhou Hui still wore her evening gown, her high heels amplifying their already stark height difference. With her back against the screen and Zhou Hui unmovable before her, Yu Bai found herself utterly pinned, unable to budge.
She suddenly realized she was the one caught in a no-win dilemma. Her emotions grew complicated in an instant.
Zhou Hui clearly had no such qualms. Her actions outpaced her thoughts for a split second, securing the positional advantage—but that didn’t mean she truly felt confident.
Pinned? Could she really hold her?
Each woman sized up the other’s strength in silence, both concluding the enemy was stronger and prolonged engagement unwise. Yet neither wanted to yield first, so they bluffed their way forward, faces swollen with false bravado.
Zhou Hui pressed on despite her nerves, seizing a moment of clarity. She lowered her head, eyeing Yu Bai coldly, subjecting herself to the same scrutiny.
She heard her own voice emerge icy and flat: “What were you looking for on the third floor? What exactly did Qin Hua send you here to find?”
The warmth of the moment evaporated, the air turning several degrees colder.
Yu Bai’s expression barely shifted. True to form, she slid her fingers onto Zhou Hui’s shoulder and tilted her head up. “Officer Zhou, couldn’t we treat tonight like a date?”
The words deflated Zhou Hui’s hard-built momentum, sending it plummeting to rock bottom.
“No,” she shot back peevishly.
It was all fake. What kind of date was that?
Seeing Zhou Hui like this for the first time left Yu Bai momentarily at a loss. She let out a helpless sigh. “Do we really have to talk business tonight?” Her fingers twined into Zhou Hui’s hair, twisting a few strands. Yu Bai cocked her head. “Besides, are you sure you’re still in full possession of your faculties?”
Yu Bai waited for the inevitable line all drunks spouted.
“I’m sure. I’m not drunk.”
The six words rang out with utter conviction.
Just as expected.
Yu Bai couldn’t help the smile tugging at her lips. She was about to play along and coax her when Zhou Hui continued, steady as ever.
“You, Qin Hua, and Hong Jiu brought Miao Deng back to the country, and right after, he was murdered—chopped up and dumped in the Dock Warehouse. The killing was brutal, sure, but do you really care that much about a business partner’s life or death? Locking everyone down to find his killer? I doubt it. We both know why Qin Hua brought Miao Deng back. He’s a drug synthesis expert. But Qin Hua hasn’t made a move in Pingling City yet. Let me guess—the drug formula’s gone missing?”
Zhou Hui’s aura grew heavier as she posed the question and answered it herself. “You suspect the goods are with Frank. You think he’s the real killer who murdered Miao Deng. That’s why Qin Hua sent you here to search for Miao Deng’s missing drug formula, right?”
Her reasoning was clear and airtight.
Yu Bai arched an eyebrow in disbelief. “Wow! You’re actually not drunk?”
In the next instant, Zhou Hui shook her head and slumped into her arms.
“…” Yu Bai let out a speechless chuckle. She shrugged, shoved the woman off her, and helped her lie down properly on the bed. “I told you the whiskey was strong.”
At 1:30 a.m., Yu Bai sat on the sofa in the outer room, propping her chin in one hand while idly toying with a lighter in the other. The banquet downstairs was still going strong, with faint voices drifting up now and then. The room’s soundproofing was top-notch; with the windows shut, almost nothing could be heard. Otherwise, the noise would have kept the entire floor awake.
Her gaze dipped slightly as she pocketed the lighter. She called toward the inner room, “Zhou Hui, you asleep?”
Only the sound of steady breathing replied.
Yu Bai rose from the sofa, stepped into the bedroom, and called out twice more—loud enough to be heard. She even gave the figure on the bed a nudge. The woman merely shifted a little but didn’t wake.
She was truly out cold, then.
A shadow passed through Yu Bai’s eyes. She changed her clothes and slipped out of the room.
The instant the door clicked softly shut behind her…
Zhou Hui slowly opened her eyes and sat up in bed.
