Jiang Hansheng glanced toward the still-sleeping Zhou Jin, and a quiet smile crossed his face. “Of course.”
---
Tan Shiming assembled his people and headed to Phoenix Fire Bar.
A number of men inside were affiliated with Lai San’er — they’d worked debt collection before, and now helped manage the bar.
The inquiry started smoothly enough. The officers were following up on details they’d already begun to establish, running further verification.
Then a man walked in.
He had striking, handsome features, but the smile on his face was the kind that didn’t quite belong anywhere respectable. He leaned against the bar as if settling in for a show.
“Officers, why not take them back to the station?” He lit a cigarette, unhurried and at ease. “Hard to run my business with all of you in here.”
The team presented their credentials and explained that this was a routine investigation, asking for cooperation.
The man nodded, affable. “Of course. Full cooperation.”
But from the moment he arrived, not a single person in the bar dared breathe too loudly, let alone cooperate.
Tan Shiming was informed and ordered the individuals with closest ties to Lai San’er to be taken back for further questioning.
He tucked his folder under his arm and walked to the bar, intending to deal with this man himself.
He hadn’t even spoken yet when the man recognized him first.
“The Major Crimes Unit captain handling this personally. Somebody must have done something serious.”
Tan Shiming’s brow settled into a firm line. “Who are you?”
The man extended his hand. “My name is Jiang Cheng. Captain Tan — can I buy you a drink?”
Tan Shiming declined, citing official business. But given what Hong Yun had told them the day before, Tan Shiming already understood: Jiang Cheng was no ordinary low-level operator.
He accepted the invitation to sit, and the two of them moved to the lounge area.
Tan Shiming went straight to it. “Do you know Guan Ling?”
“I do.”
“What was your relationship with her?”
“No relationship.” He raised a hand slightly, and a moment later a bar attendant appeared and set a drink in front of him.
“According to our information, the two of you were involved romantically. Are you saying you weren’t in a relationship?”
Jiang Cheng: “Depends how your department defines a relationship. If sleeping together a few times qualifies, then I’ve had far too many girlfriends.”
The men standing behind him broke into laughter at that, nudging each other with knowing looks.
Tan Shiming held Jiang Cheng’s gaze, his expression shading darker.
At that moment, Zhou Jin walked in.
She saw Jiang Cheng first. He saw her at the same moment.
The smile still lingering at the corner of his mouth deepened without warning. The sharp point of his canine tooth became more pronounced.
Zhou Jin shifted her gaze away calmly and met Tan Shiming’s eyes. At his signal, she sat down on the sofa.
Tan Shiming’s voice hardened. “Answer yes or no. Stop wasting my time.”
Jiang Cheng responded with mock gravity: “No. I have a girlfriend.”
His tone rose slightly at the end, as though the answer pleased him. His gaze drifted, slow and deliberate, and settled on Zhou Jin.