The private room in this club was quite luxurious, likely costing millions. Moreover, the soundproofing was exceptionally good. Sitting inside, I couldn't hear any commotion from the adjacent rooms.
Ke Yingying ordered several bottles of wine and told the manager in the lobby to send some girls over to keep me company. The manager, also a beauty, returned with an album, similar to a wedding album, with high-quality photographs of the girls, portraying them as captivating and radiant.
These girls were all tall, likely approaching 170cm with heels on. I flipped through the album for a while and found Chen Ling's photo, pointing at it. Ke Yingying nodded, gave the manager a two-thousand-yuan tip, and asked her to fetch Chen Ling.
…
After the manager left, I tossed the album aside and said to Ke Yingying, "How are they still operating so openly? Are all the elite police officers in Beijing on vacation?"
"I can't say for sure. Perhaps they have powerful connections. Master, are you here to find someone today, or to take this entire place down?"
Hearing Ke Yingying say this, I chuckled helplessly, "Old Ke, you really think too highly of me. This is Beijing. Even if I were a dragon, I'd have to coiled up here."
"Then we'll rescue the person and leave today."
…
The plan was going smoothly. Once we met Chen Ling, we'd have a brief chat and then get her out of this troublesome place. However, unexpectedly, the manager returned, a smile plastered on her face.
Ke Yingying's expression soured, exuding an intimidating aura. Usually, when she was with me, her plump face was full of charming smiles, but in front of outsiders, she was still very imposing. Ke Yingying glared, and the girl opposite her trembled.
"Are we out of money?"
"No, please don't think that. We have to follow the rules of business, right? A customer has already requested Chen Ling."
"No matter who it is, make them let her go."
"This… this…"
"You can't?"
"We really can't. Where is Chen Ling's room? You don't have to tell me, but I'll search room by room, and I won't be responsible if your clients get offended."
The manager didn't know what to do. She said helplessly that she needed to coordinate things and then left in a hurry.
…
As soon as the manager left, Ke Yingying's demeanor shifted like a mask. She immediately put on a smile. Looking at me, she asked with a grin, "Can you fight?"
"A little."
"That's good. If a fight breaks out later, you won't be at a disadvantage."
I was quite puzzled. "Are we going to fight?"
"Just kidding. I know the people who handle security here. According to the rules of the trade, if there's trouble, security will try to mediate first. If that fails, they'll resort to intimidation. But it's usually just a scare, after all, the law is in effect here. If force doesn't work, then they resort to softer tactics, reminding clients of privacy issues to avoid calling the police."
After listening, I gave Ke Yingying a thumbs-up. "You're very knowledgeable about this line of work."
"The head of security today is named Gerard, nicknamed 'Gerard the Black-Haired Hound'."
"You know him?"
"Not really, but I've had a few dealings with him."
This Gerard, the Black-Haired Hound, was nothing like I imagined. He wasn't a burly guy with most of his exposed skin covered in tattoos. Gerard was tall and slender, over 1.85 meters, bald, wearing glasses, a white suit, and a green striped tie.
"Sir, hello. About your issue… oh, isn't this Mr. Ke? What brings you here?"
After speaking, Gerard turned to the accompanying manager and said, "Go get my red wine."
"Should I call Sister Fen?"
Judging by Gerard's attitude, the manager realized Ke Yingying was no ordinary person and suggested calling their top girl, Sister Fen. But Gerard shook his head. "Mr. Ke has good taste in wine."
The implication was that Ke Yingying had no interest in Sister Fen.
…
"Black-Haired One, you've shaved off all your long hair after changing environments."
Gerard grinned and touched his bald head. "Mr. Ke, you still remember me."
"We're acquaintances, so let's cut the pleasantries. I won't play games with you. This gentleman…" Ke Yingying pointed at me, "…this boss is here for Chen Ling."
"Is Chen Ling with a client now?"
"Get him another girl. Isn't Sister Fen available?"
Ke Yingying had already investigated Chen Ling's background. She was a new girl, and her intentions were clear – she was here for me. Besides, Chen Ling and I had overheard earlier that Sister Fen was free. Girls who could handle such situations were usually top performers. Ke Yingying was right; swapping Chen Ling for Sister Fen would likely be acceptable to the other client.
"You don't know, this client is our VIP. He came with the boss a few days ago and was quite picky. We tried several girls, but he couldn't connect with any of them."
"His surname is Jiang…"
Ke Yingying pouted. "Do you really think I'm unfamiliar with this place? What kind of influence can someone named Jiang have?"
"His mother is an expert in the police force. Brother, that's all I can say."
Surname Jiang, mother a police expert. Ke Yingying was taken aback and looked at me. I frowned and asked Gerard, "Are you saying this person is Jiang Keyang?"
Upon hearing this, Gerard's face paled, and he became flustered and helpless, finally looking at Ke Yingying blankly. "And who is this?"
…
Ke Yingying didn't answer Gerard and asked me what to do. She had already guessed it; the police relative who this Bai Xue Club couldn't afford to offend was Jiang Keyang, the son of Teacher Wang Ren.
Jiang Keyang was Jiang Kexin's elder brother. He was in his thirties now and had a child in primary school. I had never met Jiang Keyang and had no impression of him. Occasionally, Teacher Wang Ren mentioned that her son was a decent, honest person, but that might not be true. I had only recently interacted with Jiang Kexin, a formidable profiler. That's beside the point, as her mother is a psychology expert; a mouse's offspring can dig holes, so it was understandable for Jiang Kexin to become a profiler. The problem was that Jiang Kexin also possessed uncanny lock-picking skills. She told her friends she learned it from her boyfriend, but Teacher Wang Ren lost a bet, and it turned out she learned it from her brother, Jiang Keyang.
The issue here is, how did Jiang Keyang acquire lock-picking skills? Teacher Wang Ren's husband wasn't a deputy bureau chief but a cadre in the culture and sports department at the section level. Teacher Wang Ren herself is a professor and a police superintendent. Their children wouldn't be lock-pickers, so this skill could only imply that Jiang Keyang had engaged in some form of theft. Now, we encounter Jiang Keyang in a place like this, and he's so brazenly indulging himself while married. The situation has become complicated!
"What do you think we should do?" I countered Ke Yingying.
"If it's Jiang Keyang, I suggest we leave it at that for today."
Gerard the Black-Haired Hound overheard this and chuckled obsequiously. "It's fine, you can pick another one. It's my treat today."
"I'll write him a note, to make him back down."
After I spoke, I looked at Ke Yingying. Ke Yingying looked at the bewildered Gerard and shouted, "What are you standing around for? Go find some paper and a pen!"
I wrote the note, while Ke Yingying and Gerard stood far away. I folded the note and handed it to Gerard, asking him to deliver it to Jiang Keyang's room. The note simply read: I am Tang Nan. I am here to take Chen Ling home today.