When Luo Yu slammed the door and left, his face was still cold and grim. But by the time he took the elevator down to the garage, he had regained his composure.
He glanced at his watch—10:30. He had been delayed for a while by You Mingxu and was now running close to his scheduled meeting time.
Luo Yu drove straight to a lavishly decorated bathhouse on the east side of the river. As a regular customer, a valet promptly took his car keys to park the vehicle, and an attractive attendant escorted him to a pre-arranged private room.
Though it was late at night, the place was bustling with business, with a steady stream of customers. Who would even notice Luo Yu walking among them?
His private room was at the very end. It featured an exclusive hot spring pool, a private sauna, dedicated massage services, and specially arranged drinks and late-night snacks.
As soon as Luo Yu entered, he took off his suit jacket and handed it to a young female attendant, gesturing for her to leave. Walking past the screen, he saw a man soaking in the hot spring pool. A young man knelt by the edge, scrubbing the man’s back.
Luo Yu smiled and said, “Brother Cao, how’s this place?”
The man in the pool, Brother Cao, nodded. “Not bad. The girls from Hunan are quite beautiful.”
The two exchanged knowing smiles. Luo Yu went to the adjoining room to take a quick shower, then returned wrapped only in a towel and stepped into the steaming pool. Brother Cao said, “No need for the scrub anymore. We have some matters to discuss. Everyone, leave.”
The attendant behind him replied respectfully, “Yes, sir,” stood up, and left.
Luo Yu casually glanced at the attendant—tall, with a slightly stooped posture, head bowed, and a refined, scholarly appearance. His demeanor was that of someone accustomed to serving others, humble and obedient.
With the outsiders gone, the two soaked in the pool. Luo Yu retrieved a bottle of red wine he had stored there, poured a glass for Brother Cao, and they clinked glasses.
Brother Cao smiled and asked, “Everything arranged?”
Luo Yu nodded.
Brother Cao said, “I’ve always heard Hunan is a place that breeds bandits—fierce and bold. Now I’ve seen it for myself. To lead the police around by the nose, only for them to arrive with a full force and find nothing… Hahaha, just thinking about it feels satisfying.”
Luo Yu smiled faintly, swirling the wine in his glass. “You all coordinated well, sacrificing a pawn to save the king. Without your side, the cops wouldn’t have fallen for it so easily.”
Brother Cao replied, “Naturally. Xiao Yun betrayed us, but her family is already under police protection. Still, they can’t protect them forever. Her entire family will die.”
Luo Yu remained noncommittal. The police would never imagine that the Yunnan side had secretly sent people over again, using Sister Yun as a decoy in a counter-scheme. This plan was Luo Yu’s idea, and both sides immediately agreed. Clearly, the Yunnan side was quite satisfied with him as the coordinator.
Thinking of this, Luo Yu smiled and said, “We take this transaction very seriously. Not just me, but Guo Feirong and Huang Long will also be there. You need to show sincerity as well.”
Brother Cao nodded. “Of course. Our key leaders will also come to personally escort the goods. Don’t worry, we value the Central China market highly.”
“Pleasure doing business.”
“Pleasure doing business.”The two men soaked in the bath, steamed in the sauna, had a bite to eat, and discussed the specific details of the meeting, including the number of people each side would bring, the location, and the method of cash payment. Luo Yu had just met with Xing Jifu and the others earlier that day, so he had a clear understanding of his side's bottom line. Both were old foxes, but they also kept the bigger picture in mind. Though each was cautiously strategic, the discussion proceeded quite amicably. As a result, the details of the major transaction scheduled for a few days later were largely finalized.
Brother Cao was set to return to Yunnan the next day to report back, so he stayed overnight at the bath center.
By the time Luo Yu left, it was already three in the morning. He picked up a lighter from the bath center, lit a cigarette, and opened the door of the private room. He saw a few scattered customers and some massage and scrub workers passing by. No suspicious faces in sight.
He left the bath center and drove off into the darkness.
—
Early the next morning.
You Mingxu had just arrived at the station when she saw Yin Feng getting out of his car at the same time. They exchanged a glance and headed upstairs together.
It was office hours, and the station was bustling with people coming and going. Still, he pinched the back of her neck. You Mingxu swatted his hand away, and he asked in a low voice, "Why didn’t you reply last night?"
You Mingxu was momentarily confused. "Reply to what?"
His gaze was intense. "My message."
Ignoring him, she quickened her pace up the stairs. With his long legs, he kept up easily, a faint smile playing on his lips.
As soon as they entered the office, they saw Jing Ping and Xu Mengshan were already there. Xu Mengshan was sitting behind a desk, and for some reason, his face looked unusually clean today, though he seemed exhausted. He let out a yawn.
Jing Ping was heading out and locked eyes with You Mingxu. Both paused for a moment.
Then, a look of understanding crossed his face, tinged with a hint of a smile.
You Mingxu smiled back.
"You figured it out too?" he asked.
You Mingxu nodded. "Where did you go yesterday?"
Jing Ping pulled a lighter from his pocket and tossed it to her. You Mingxu caught it steadily, took a look, and her mind quickly replayed the details, finally landing on the day she had first moved into Luo Yu’s house and found that same lighter from his briefcase. It was from the same bath center.
"You’ve been suspicious since then?" You Mingxu asked.
Jing Ping replied, "I kept it in mind and went to check the place out earlier. Later, when I suspected Luo Yu had another plan—likely a diversion—I pulled up the surveillance footage and found out he’d been back there recently. A wanted drug dealer from Yunnan had also shown up. Last night, they went again and met. Mengshan and I followed them."
Xu Mengshan, from behind, chimed in, "Thankfully Brother Jing saw through it. Damn, Luo Yu is downright sneaky—trying to play us for fools? Their real transaction location is in Dushan, in southeastern Guizhou."
They’d even uncovered the transaction location? You Mingxu’s spirits lifted, and she smiled. "Old Jing, you’ve really got skills."
Jing Ping glanced at her and Yin Feng. "Didn’t you two figure it out too? I’m going to find Lao Ding first; we can talk more later."
"Alright."
Jing Ping and You Mingxu went back and forth, their thoughts rapid and in perfect sync. Yin Feng, of course, was on the same page, but he couldn’t get a word in—nor did he want to. After Jing Ping left, You Mingxu entered the room, and Yin Feng followed, sitting down beside her. His expression was mostly unreadable, just calm and detached.You Mingxu and Jing Ping were discussing the case, never imagining this guy could get upset over such a thing. She asked Xu Mengshan for more details about last night and couldn’t help laughing when she heard they had posed as bath attendants.
“You know how to scrub people?” You Mingxu asked skeptically.
Xu Mengshan replied, “Hey, I just handled odd jobs. Brother Jing was convincing—he even scrubbed that Yunnan drug dealer. Don’t you think he’s got guts?”
You Mingxu said, “If that drug dealer gets caught someday and sees Old Jing again, he’ll be scared to death.”
The two shared a laugh, and only then did You Mingxu notice the unusual silence from the man beside her. Wasn’t he usually the most sarcastic one? Just as Xu Mengshan stepped out on some business, You Mingxu glanced at Yin Feng.
He was already looking at her, his gaze deep and unreadable, with no clear emotion.
You Mingxu asked, “What’s wrong now?”
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