FY - 14

Si Wen had said he’d be gone for a while, and in a blink, three months had passed, with summer nearing its end.

During this time, he hadn’t sent a single message. If it weren’t for the money arriving monthly, Zhou Yan would have thought he was dead.

In the morning, Sister Hong called her, saying she had to go back to her hometown and asking Zhou Yan to manage things that evening.

Zhou Yan had never heard Sister Hong talk about her hometown, only that the manager had instructed everyone not to mention her husband, who was a gambler.

Just those two words were enough for Zhou Yan to understand roughly.

In the afternoon, she arrived early and changed in the dressing room.

Bubble Tea came to find her, wanting to switch shifts.

Zhou Yan finished dressing and came out: “Are you perhaps having other ideas? Why do you always pick the time I’m changing?”

Bubble Tea didn’t dislike Zhou Yan initially and was half-skeptical of the rumors. Mainly, Zhou Yan never got close to them, so she couldn’t really claim friendship with her. After the Fang Nana incident, she dared not get too close to her. “I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

Zhou Yan looked up at her: “Then talk to the manager. I don’t handle that.”

Bubble Tea was anxious: “I used to tell Sister Hong, but she’s not here today, and she’s not answering my calls. Zhou Yan, please just switch with me. I’m really in a hurry.”

Zhou Yan casually asked: “What’s the rush?”

Bubble Tea answered: “I’ve got an appointment with a doctor for a nose job.”

Zhou Yan found it novel and looked at her face again. Isn’t it already quite pretty? “What do you want it to look like?”

Bubble Tea showed her a picture: “Look, a Korean upturned nose.”

Zhou Yan only glanced at it: “Where did you find this doctor?”

Bubble Tea said: “A friend of mine knows him. This doctor used to run a hospital in Korea; he’s really amazing. My friend introduced me, and I can get a fifty percent discount. He’s only free today.”

Zhou Yan pointed out a logical flaw: “If he was doing so well running a hospital in Korea, why did he stop?”

Bubble Tea was stumped by the question, but she didn’t doubt it. She sniffed and said: “Anyway, it costs tens of thousands elsewhere, and I don’t have that much money. The sixty thousand from my virginity sale was spent on clothes and shoes long ago.”

Zhou Yan sneered: “Then you’re really something.”

Bubble Tea, emboldened, shook her arm: “Please, Zhou Yan.”

Zhou Yan couldn’t refuse her: “Alright.”

She handed her a piece of paper: “Write down the reason, and add a sentence: ‘Purely personal action, I will resolve any issues myself, Zhou Yan is not responsible.’“

Bubble Tea gritted her teeth and wrote it.

If she wasn’t in a hurry and didn’t want to be scolded by the manager, she wouldn’t have bothered negotiating with Zhou Yan.

As soon as she left, Zhou Yan went to the manager’s office, who was responsible for arranging the girls, and got a stamp.

The manager glanced at it, scoffed, and said disdainfully: “You’re quite the schemer.”

Zhou Yan saw him smoking and felt like one herself. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her pocket—a twenty-odd-yuan SuYan. She had been smoking it for almost five years and hadn’t gotten tired of it. In that sense, she was quite a consistent person.

“This matter of hers wasn’t reliable to begin with; I don’t need to create trouble for myself,” she said.

The manager said truthfully: “I believe there’s no affection between you two, but is there no mutual help as colleagues? If she had come to me to sign this, I would never have done it the way you did.”

“Then you’re quite loving and boundless.”

Zhou Yan said and left.

Mutual help? She had never asked any of these people for help.

On the contrary, everyone here wanted to squeeze something out of her. The word “mutual,” placed here, was quite ironic.

________________________________________

It seemed that from the moment Zhou Yan asked Bubble Tea to sign the disclaimer, she had already anticipated that something would happen to Bubble Tea.

Bubble Tea hadn’t returned since taking her leave, and it had now been over forty-eight hours. There was chaos within Candy.

Sister Hong returned yesterday. She heard that Bubble Tea had switched shifts with someone, and the boss, seeing that the person who showed up wasn’t the one he had requested, called her directly to complain. Dealing with matters in her hometown was already draining enough, and now Bubble Tea had openly violated discipline, forcing her to sweet-talk the client for ages. She was furious, making everyone at Candy tremble in fear.

In less than two hours, they had already held three meetings.

Men and women dressed in vulgar, alluring attire stood lazily in a line, revealing long legs and chests, their makeup avant-garde, all with blurred expressions.

Sister Hong asked again: “Who knows the name of the cosmetic surgery clinic Bubble Tea went to?”

No one answered.

The manager who had spoken so boldly two days ago couldn’t even lift his head when he saw Zhou Yan.

If he had truly signed Bubble Tea’s leave slip without any explanation, then he would have to bear the responsibility.

Zhou Yan stood in the crowd, her expression indifferent. She didn’t feel like she was being proactive; she was just selfish.

There were too many uncontrollable factors and uncertainties in this line of work. It was truly difficult for her to trust anyone, as she sometimes even doubted herself.

Another three hours passed, and even the owner of Candy was alarmed. Fearing that the situation would escalate beyond their control, they finally called the police.

________________________________________

At the Criminal Investigation Department, Zheng Zhi, hearing it was a task assigned from the higher-ups, felt a headache coming on: “Do we, the criminal investigation team, have nothing else to do? Spending all day handling domestic disputes, do we have to mediate every time someone’s dog fights with a cat?”

Sanzi tried to calm him down: “Captain Zheng, calm down. They can’t just ignore a distress call. We’re already short-staffed, and with daily police calls, we’re overwhelmed. We don’t have many cases lately, so occasionally lending a hand...”

Zheng Zhi didn’t let him finish: “Occasionally? What about the Dongsheng Pharmaceutical car crash last time, and the fight between the students at Experimental Elementary School? Wasn’t that just a few days ago?”

Wei Lian came out of the restroom and heard him complaining. He put on his police hat: “I’ll go.”

Zheng Zhi clicked his tongue: “No, you’ll spoil those people at the higher-ups sooner or later, big brother. We’re criminal police.”

Wei Lian and Sanzi walked out: “Criminal police, but first and foremost, people’s police.”

Before long, the police car arrived at the entrance of Candy.

Sanzi sighed as he looked at the neon sign: “Looks like we’re stuck with the brothel.”

Wei Lian chuckled: “Let’s go.”

Upon entering, Manager Huang of Candy came over, exchanged pleasantries, and briefly explained the situation, saying: “That’s the situation.”

Wei Lian: “Bring the slip; let me see.”

Manager Huang glanced behind him, “Bring the slip.”

Sister Hong quickly handed over the leave slip: “Officer.”

Wei Lian glanced at it: Zhou Yan, it was her again.

He looked up and scanned the men and women standing in formation in front of him: “Where’s Zhou Yan?”

Manager Huang and Sister Hong both looked around, helping to find her.

Zhou Yan stepped out herself, emerging from the formation, and stood in everyone’s line of sight.

Wei Lian held the leave slip: “You signed this?”

Zhou Yan: “Yes.”

Wei Lian: “Did she say where she was going?”

Zhou Yan: “She said she was getting a nose job.”

Wei Lian: “Where?”

Zhou Yan: “Didn’t say. Only that a friend introduced her, and the doctor used to run a hospital in Korea.”

Wei Lian nodded and said: “Take two items she’s used; we’ll collect DNA. Also, submit her identity information.”

He then turned to Sanzi: “You go collect them, and tell the higher-ups to check the surveillance footage.”

Sanzi nodded and went with Sister Hong to retrieve Bubble Tea’s personal belongings.

After giving the instructions, Wei Lian once again focused on Zhou Yan: “Given that the last person the missing individual was seen with was you, you might need to cooperate with the subsequent investigation.”

Zhou Yan had guessed as much: “Okay.”

Wei Lian didn’t think she truly understood: “That means being available on call.”

Zhou Yan’s tone was calm: “I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

Everyone held their breath. Was she looking for death?

Wei Lian’s brow furrowed slightly: “I’m not discussing this with you. Cooperating with the investigation is your duty.”

Zhou Yan glanced at the leave slip in his hand: “She wrote, ‘Purely personal action, I will resolve any issues myself, Zhou Yan is not responsible.’“

Wei Lian: “From my perspective, I would only assume you forced her to write that, and that her whereabouts are actually known to you. This is a reasonable assumption based on this leave slip.”

Zhou Yan: “Regardless of the fact that we kept to ourselves and barely spoke two words, what would be my motive?”

Wei Lian looked at her; he knew she had more to say.

Indeed, Zhou Yan continued: “Her bookings weren’t as many as mine, and she didn’t earn as much as I did. Do I need to take such a risk for someone who poses no threat to me? Am I that idle?”

Wei Lian was speechless.

“I will cooperate where necessary, but being available on call, I’m sorry, I can’t do that,” Zhou Yan insisted.

Wei Lian licked his teeth. This woman was truly surprising and delightful.

Actually, there was no such rule as “on call.” He had assumed these people were ignorant of the law and had just bluffed. He hadn’t even thought through his motive. But seeing Zhou Yan’s detached demeanor, he just wanted to do it.

He waved his hand: “Never mind, we’ll notify you when needed.”

After completing the procedures, the police car slowly drove away from Qizhou’s busiest street.

After seeing off the police, Manager Huang turned to Zhou Yan: “Zhou Yan, come here for a moment.”

Zhou Yan followed Manager Huang into his office.

Manager Huang sat down: “Zhou Yan, how many years have you worked for me?”

Zhou Yan stood before the “CEO’s” desk: “Over four years.”

Manager Huang nodded, opened the cigar box on his desk, took one out, lit it with his expensive lighter, squinted, and took a puff, saying: “Have you ever thought about becoming a leader or something?”

Zhou Yan didn’t speak; she was trying to understand what he meant.

Manager Huang held the cigar between two fingers, his posture so practiced it seemed he was born for cigars: “I see Yang Hong can’t handle it all alone. I’ll split off a portion from her and let you manage it.”

Zhou Yan didn’t understand this sudden promotion, but she knew that if she accepted it, her already precarious situation would only worsen. Sister Hong would undoubtedly see her as an enemy.

The people under Sister Hong had been with her for a long time, and if they were transferred to Zhou Yan, they might not be obedient; it was highly probable they would cause her trouble.

“I can’t manage it. Let someone else do it.”

Manager Huang seemed to have anticipated this outcome and wasn’t too surprised. He dismissed her.

The door closed. He called Dongsheng Pharmaceutical, telling them it didn’t work out; Zhou Yan refused.

Outside the door, after the “click” of the door closing, Zhou Yan suddenly understood, as if seven of her orifices had been cleared.

She should have realized something since Si Wen interfered with her work last time. He seemed, seemed unable to accept her smiling and chatting with other men anymore.

But he never used to care, did he?