Luo Yu slammed the door as he left, his face still cold and dark. By the time he reached the parking garage after taking the elevator, his expression had returned to its usual calm.

He glanced at his watch—10:30. You Mingxu had delayed him a bit, but he was still close to his appointed meeting time.

Luo Yu drove to an opulent bathhouse in Hedong. As a regular customer, a valet immediately took his car keys to park his vehicle, and a beautiful hostess led him directly to his pre-arranged private room.

Though it was late, business was bustling with a steady stream of customers. Who would notice one Luo Yu among them?

His private room was located in the innermost section. It had its hot spring pool, sauna, personal massage service, and separate arrangements for drinks and late-night snacks.

As soon as he entered, Luo Yu removed his suit and handed it to a service girl, waving her away. Walking past the privacy screen, he saw a man soaking in the pool. A young attendant was kneeling by the poolside, scrubbing the man’s back.

Luo Yu smiled. “Brother Cao, how do you like the place?”

The man in the pool, Cao, nodded. “Not bad at all. The girls from Hunan are indeed beautiful.”

They exchanged knowing smiles. Luo Yu went to the adjacent room for a shower, returned wearing only a bath towel, and joined the steaming pool. Cao said, “That’s enough scrubbing. We need to talk business. Everyone out.”

The bath attendant respectfully answered “Yes” and got up to leave.

Luo Yu casually glanced at the attendant—tall, head bowed, scholarly-looking, with hunched shoulders. His posture suggested someone used to serve others, properly submissive.

Once everyone had left, the two men soaked in the pool. Luo Yu retrieved some wine he kept stored there, poured a glass for Cao, and they clinked glasses.

Cao smiled and asked, “Everything arranged?”

Luo Yu nodded.

Cao said, “I’d always heard that Hunan was famous for producing bandits, that Hunan people were fierce. Now I’ve seen it firsthand. Playing the police for fools, making them bring a whole squad only to find nothing—haha, just thinking about it makes me feel good.”

Luo Yu smiled, swirling the wine in his glass. “Your side’s cooperation was excellent, sacrificing a pawn to protect the king. Without your setup, the cops wouldn’t have believed it so easily.”

Cao said, “Naturally. Little Yun betrayed us, but even though the police have her family under protection now, they can’t guard them forever. Her whole family will die.”

Luo Yu remained noncommittal. The police would never guess that Yunnan had secretly sent more people over and that Sister Yun was just bait in their counter-strategy. This plan had been Luo Yu’s suggestion, and both sides had readily agreed. The Yunnan side was satisfied with him as their point person.

Thinking of this, Luo Yu smiled and said, “We take this transaction very seriously. Not just me, but Guo Feirong and Huang Long will both be there. You should show similar sincerity.”

Cao nodded. “Of course. Several of our key people will come personally to escort the goods. Rest assured, we place great importance on the Central China market.”

“To our cooperation.”

“To our cooperation.”

They soaked in the bath, had a sauna, ate some food, and discussed specific meeting details, including the number of people each side would bring, the location, and cash payment methods. Luo Yu had just met with Xing Jifu and others today, so he was clear about his side’s cards. Though both men were old foxes, they kept the bigger picture in mind, and while each made careful moves, the negotiations went smoothly. The details for this major transaction several days later were settled.

Cao would return to Yunnan tomorrow to report, so he was spending the night at the bathhouse.

It was 3 AM when Luo Yu left. He took a lighter from the bathhouse, lit a cigarette, and opened the private room door to see a few scattered customers and several massage attendants walking past. No suspicious faces.

He left the bathhouse and drove into the darkness.

—

Early the next morning.

You Mingxu had just arrived at the bureau when she saw Yin Feng also getting out of his car. They exchanged glances and went upstairs together.

Though it was work hours with people coming and going through the bureau, he still managed to squeeze her neck playfully. You Mingxu swatted his hand away as he asked softly, “Why didn’t you reply last night?”

You Mingxu didn’t follow. “Reply to what?”

His eyes grew dark. “My message.”

You Mingxu ignored him and hurried upstairs. With his height and 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 sat behind his desk, his face unusually clean today though he looked very tired, and he let out a yawn.

Jing Ping was walking out when his eyes met You Mingxu’s, and they both froze.

Understanding dawned on his face, accompanied by a hint of a smile.

You Mingxu smiled too.

“You thought of it 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 and looked at it, her mind rapidly replaying details, finally returning to the day she first moved into Luo Yu’s home and found that lighter in his briefcase. It was from the same bathhouse.

“You’ve been suspicious since then?” You Mingxu asked.

Jing Ping answered, “Kept it in mind, scoped out the place early on. Later when I suspected Luo Yu had another plan, I figured it might be a diversion, so I checked the surveillance footage—turned out he’d been there again recently. A wanted drug dealer from Yunnan went there too. Last night, they both went and met. Mengshan and I followed.”

From behind them, Mengshan said, “Thank goodness Brother Jing figured it out. Damn, Luo Yu is sly as hell, trying to play us for fools? Their real transaction location is in Dushan, Qianxinan.”

They’d even discovered the transaction location? You Mingxu’s spirits lifted and she smiled. “Old Jing, you’ve got skills.”

Jing Ping glanced at her and Yin Feng. “Didn’t you two figure it out too? I need to find Old Ding first, we’ll talk more later.”

“Alright.”

Jing Ping and You Mingxu’s quick exchange of words showed their rapid thinking and mutual understanding. Yin Feng beside them clearly understood as well, but couldn’t get a word in, nor did he want to speak up. After Jing Ping left and You Mingxu went inside, Yin Feng followed and sat beside her. His face showed little emotion, just a slight coldness.

You Mingxu had been focused on discussing the case with Jing Ping, not realizing this guy could get upset even about this. She asked Xu Mengshan for more details about last night, learning that they had disguised themselves as bath attendants, which made her laugh.

“You know how to give people baths?” You Mingxu asked skeptically.

Xu Mengshan said, “Heh, I just did odd jobs. Brother Jing was convincing though—he even scrubbed that Yunnan drug dealer’s back. How gutsy is that?”

You Mingxu said, “When that drug dealer gets caught and sees Old Jing again, he’ll probably die of fright.”

They both laughed for a while before You Mingxu noticed the unusual silence of the man beside her. Wasn’t he usually the most sharp-tongued? Just then, Xu Mengshan left on some business, and You Mingxu glanced at Yin Feng.

He was already looking at her, his gaze deep and unreadable.

You Mingxu asked, “What’s wrong now?”