Chapter 9: ◎I Want All of Zhou Hui’s Information◎

Yu Bai paused for a moment before replying with rare seriousness. “No, I’m not.”

Zhou Hui studied her for a beat. “Give me your phone. I’ll leave you my number. If you run into any danger, call me right away.”

Rather than hand over her phone, Yu Bai offered a smile that was polite but not overly warm. “Officer Zhou already gave me her number last night. If anything happens… I’ll reach out for your help. Thank you, Officer Zhou.”

Zhou Hui recalled the call she’d made to Yu Bai outside Red the previous evening, but the woman’s demeanor sparked a nagging premonition: even in real trouble, Yu Bai probably wouldn’t come to her for assistance.

There was something enigmatic about Yu Bai. She was like a black hole adrift in the vastness of space—possessing an irresistible gravitational pull that drew others in, yet so acutely wary and suspicious that she’d erected impenetrable walls around herself, concealing whatever lay at her core.

On the surface, she came across as a savvy, worldly businesswoman, adept at navigating social intricacies. But after their few interactions, Zhou Hui sensed there was far more to her than that. Yu Bai’s lines were blurred and indistinct. Zhou Hui couldn’t discern whether she stood in the light or the shadows, or whose interests she truly served.

Zhou Hui nearly asked outright, Will you really seek my help? But she thought better of it and instead said to Yu Bai, “Why are you helping us?”

Yu Bai managed to keep up the straight face for barely two minutes before her playful side resurfaced. With a grin, she replied, “Safeguarding the nation and the people’s security is everyone’s duty. It’s an honor to assist the police in cracking a case. Once it’s solved, send me one of those commendation banners. I’d love to hang it on my wall at home.”

Zhou Hui felt a twinge of exasperation and shot back without mercy. “Then why didn’t you show that level of civic awareness last night?”

Yu Bai blinked her eyes with feigned innocence. “I was pretty shaken up last night—my head wasn’t in the right place. Surely Officer Zhou can cut me some slack! After all, regular folks like me don’t deal with criminals on the daily like you police do. Running into that public harassment stunt? I figured forgetting a few details was the best way to calm my nerves.”

“?”

Forgetting things to calm your nerves? Zhou Hui was utterly floored by Yu Bai’s unconventional coping mechanism.

She didn’t buy the excuse for a second. Last night, beneath Yu Bai’s unflappable facade, Zhou Hui had glimpsed flickers of genuine anger. Yet throughout their conversation, Yu Bai had remained sharp and composed, her responses airtight. She’d even steered suspicion toward Yan Mingchang. While he was largely cleared in the Wu Guojiang murder case, his company would now face intense scrutiny starting today—all thanks to the intel from this very woman who claimed to be emotionally compromised.

Sensing Zhou Hui’s skepticism, Yu Bai offered no further explanation. She glanced at her watch and looked up. “Officer Zhou, it’s getting late. Let me drive you home.”

Zhou Hui blinked in surprise. “No need. I’ll just grab a cab.”

Propping herself up from the table, Yu Bai rose with a smile. “Can’t have that. I invited you out, so it’s on me to get you home safe. If something happened to you on the way, I’d have to trek down to the Police Bureau all over again. Talk about inefficient.”

Zhou Hui couldn’t help but marvel inwardly at how Yu Bai managed to twist even a kind gesture into something that sounded faintly off-kilter.

With Zhou Hui not protesting further, Yu Bai pushed open the door to Room 207 and headed out, asking over her shoulder, “Where do you live? Far from here?”

Zhou Hui replied, “Number 255 Xize Street.”

“A standalone villa?”

“Century Villa District.”

“Century Villa District? That’s quite a haul from here.” Yu Bai was familiar with the neighborhood—a upscale villa community with lovely surroundings. She hadn’t pegged the little policewoman as someone quite so well-off.

Yu Bai piloted her massive SUV down the highway, the air purifier filling the cabin with a subtle lemon scent. Soft, relaxing music played, lulling Zhou Hui toward sleep in the passenger seat. Glancing over at her drowsy companion, Yu Bai quietly switched tracks to a thumping EDM banger.

The deafening beat erupted through the speakers. Zhou Hui jolted awake, blinking in confusion at Yu Bai, who was now gripping the wheel and grooving hard to the rhythm.

Zhou Hui: “…”

Yu Bai was the sort whose internal clock ran backward—full of energy come nighttime, with a nightlife as vibrant as it got. Pure trust-fund playboy vibes: every evening, she’d hit the town for some mischief, whether pounding drinks at a bar or holing up in a club to close deals that stretched into the wee hours.

The music only hyped Yu Bai up more until she noticed a pair of eyes boring into her. “What’s up, Officer Zhou?”

“…You’re speeding!” Zhou Hui said in utter resignation. She’d take a taxi any day over this.

Yu Bai felt not a shred of remorse. She flashed a casual smile, gradually easing off the accelerator. The deafening music faded away, giving way to the next track—a soothing melody. Yet Zhou Hui was wide awake now, sleep the furthest thing from her mind.

In a cheeky tone, Yu Bai asked, “Officer Zhou, why not catch a quick nap? We’ve still got a ways to go!”

“…” Zhou Hui suddenly found the woman before her utterly deserving of a good punch.

Yu Bai seemed immensely pleased with the outcome. Humming along to the tune, she was clearly in high spirits. Zhou Hui had no choice but to sit in the passenger seat, staring blankly ahead as she contemplated the absurdities of life.

They finally pulled into the neighborhood. Gazing at the villa district, Yu Bai let out a heartfelt sigh. “Officer Zhou, you’re one of the rich folks! Do criminal investigators in Pingling City really make that much?”

“It’s an old family house.”

“You live with your parents?”

Zhou Hui shot her a glance, then jammed her hands into her pants pockets. As they walked, she replied, “I live alone now. The Provincial Department relocated, and my dad went with them.”

Yu Bai pressed, “What about your mom?”

“We’re here,” Zhou Hui cut her off, pulling out her house key. “Come in for some tea?”

Yu Bai nodded without hesitation and followed her inside. “Sure.”

Zhou Hui: “…”

She flicked on the light switch with a click. “Have a seat in the living room. I’ll go put the kettle on.”

Bored, Yu Bai sank into the sofa and took in Zhou Hui’s home. The furniture was all uniform redwood, an old-fashioned radio sat on the dining table, and a telephone rested on the TV cabinet. Antiques older than Yu Bai herself dotted the space—classic trappings of a retired official’s household.

Her gaze swept across every corner of the room before settling on a photo atop the TV cabinet. It showed a young woman cradling a toddler, no more than two or three years old. The little girl sported two sheep-horn pigtails and beamed with infectious joy, her chubby cheeks bearing a clear resemblance to Zhou Hui’s. She must have been adorable as a child!

The woman appeared to be in her twenties, vaguely resembling the current Zhou Hui with her short hair and crisp, clean look. But her eyes—soft and brimming with maternal warmth—were nothing like Zhou Hui’s.

Yu Bai picked up the frame. The more she studied the woman’s gaze, the more familiar it felt, though she couldn’t place where she’d seen it before.

Suddenly, the woman’s face twisted into a grotesque snarl, morphing into a fanged monster with a gaping maw. It spun into swirling vortices before her eyes, dragging forth long-buried, fragmented memories like a tide of rust.

~~~

“Help—!” It was a child’s desperate scream.

“I will. I’ll get you all out of here.”

“Who are you?” The child stared with clear black-and-white eyes, bathed in the gorgeous glow of the setting sun. In the distance, the Great Golden Pagoda gleamed with resplendent gold.

“I’m a cop.”

~~~

“Cop? Cops are here… run…!” Panted voices echoed through the jungle. Dozens of guns snapped up in an instant, blood mist filling the air amid agonized screams.

“There’s a traitor among us. Find him…”

~~~

“Yu Bai?” Zhou Hui emerged from the kitchen with a tray of water. “You okay?”

Yu Bai jolted back to reality, shaking off the memories.

Zhou Hui handed her a purple clay cup. “Here, some boiled water. Tea this late might keep you up… Your face looks awful. You sick?”

Steam rose steadily from the cup. Staring at Zhou Hui through the haze, Yu Bai felt something lodged in her throat. She swallowed hard, her voice coming out hoarse. “I’m fine. Who’s the woman in the photo…?”

“My mom,” Zhou Hui said, cradling her own teacup. She glanced at the picture. “It’s from a long time ago. She’s been gone for years.”

Yu Bai forced the words out. “…Did something happen to her? An accident?”

“She was a narcotics officer. Twenty-five years ago, she died in the line of duty.”

“I’m sorry,” Yu Bai said, looking at Zhou Hui.

Zhou Hui set the photo down and patted her shoulder. “It’s okay. That was ages ago. There’s nothing I can’t talk about anymore.”

Yu Bai gave the photo one last look before following Zhou Hui back to the sofa. After a short while, she made an excuse and left. Zhou Hui walked her out, watching her head toward the garage. Something about her seemed off.

Inside the car, Yu Bai sat in a daze for a good five or six minutes. Then she pulled out her phone and dialed a number. “It’s me… I need everything on Zhou Hui—full dossier, including her family… Don’t ask questions. You know I can get it other ways… Send it ASAP.” She hung up.

Yu Bai sat there for a while longer before finally starting the car. The SUV cruised along the roads of Pingling City, the city’s neon lights scattering a riot of colors. The driver pushed the vehicle to its limit, taking advantage of the light nighttime traffic. Yu Bai heard the wind whistling past her ears, yet Captain Zhou’s words replayed endlessly in her mind.

~~~

“My mom—an old photo from a long time ago. She’s been gone for many years.”

~~~

“She was a narcotics officer. Twenty-five years ago, she died carrying out a mission.”

~~~

Could it really be the same person?

Yu Bai’s mind buzzed with wild thoughts. She simply pulled the car over to the roadside, rolled down the window, and lit a cigarette. The nicotine soothed her nerves. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat. Once the cigarette was finished, she flicked away the butt, draped her arm casually over the window frame, exhaled softly, pulled out her phone to send a message in the group chat, then headed straight to the bar to carouse with her rowdy friends all night long.

The next morning.

Captain Zhou hadn’t even stepped into the office when she heard the clamor of voices from inside. The moment she pushed open the door, the chatter flooded her ears.

“How could a wolf have carried her off? That’s too spooky…”

“…We went in with the local police, and the whole place was covered in blood. I… Captain Zhou!”

A sense of dread stirred in Captain Zhou’s heart. “What happened?”

“Wu Guojiang’s mother is dead.”

A heavy silence descended over the office.

“She was carried off by a wolf the night before last. We headed out yesterday and had just linked up with the local police when we got word of the incident at Wu Guojiang’s mother’s house. According to the nearby villagers, wolves often sneak into the village to snatch livestock, but there haven’t been any attacks on people in years. The old lady was probably getting on in years and left the doors and windows unsecured…”

Was it truly just an accident? No trouble for all these years, yet right after they tracked down Wu Guojiang’s mother, disaster strikes.

Captain Zhou’s heart sank. What were the odds? Wu Guojiang was no ordinary man; powerful interests surely lurked behind him, making his death all the more suspicious. Had he been taken out in a deal gone wrong among criminals, or was there some other secret?

Did it tie back to drugs?

What had begun as a straightforward brutal murder had spiraled step by step into this mess. Nearly every suspect—or even victim—they’d zeroed in on before shared direct or indirect links to narcotics. Events kept slipping further out of their control. Perhaps Yu Bai was right; the case ran deep with murky waters.

Seeing Captain Zhou staring off in silence, Han Wei asked, “What’s up, Captain? You’ve seemed out of it since you walked in this morning. Rough night?”

Captain Zhou came back to herself. “Nothing… You think this was an accident?”

Han Wei replied frankly, “Truth be told, no way. What are the chances? Son runs into trouble here, and boom—mom meets with an ‘accident’ over there. Talk about Wu Guojiang’s bad luck.”

Answering a different question entirely, Captain Zhou said to Han Wei, “Missing Xiao Zhao, the beauty from the Narcotics Squad next door?”

“?” Han Wei shot her a look of pure confusion. “I mean, I do miss Xiao Zhao—she’s so sweet and adorable—but… what?”

Captain Zhou snapped her fingers at him. “Today, you’re definitely going to see your crush.”