It was the same club, Phantom, but it looked quite different during the day than it had at night. The floor was no longer littered with cigarette butts like it had been the previous evening. In fact, there was even a faint smell of disinfectant in the air.
Taking advantage of the fact that the place was nearly empty, He Shu had already made several laps around the entire club. By the time she returned to the cross-shaped stage, she spotted the young man sitting at the bar with a dark expression on his face.
He was dressed head to toe in trendy designer brands, wearing a baseball cap low over his brow. Nearly every finger sported a ring, and multiple chains hung around his neck. He looked thoroughly irritated, constantly fiddling with his phone and occasionally sending a text message accompanied by a few muttered curses.
“Not bad for a young entrepreneur, huh?” Zeng Yongjia leaned against the stage behind him, which came up roughly to waist height, and jerked his chin toward the bar. “That’s the owner of this place. Twenty-five years old, according to his ID. See that SUV outside? Costs over two million.”
“How do you know it isn’t his dad who’s the successful one?” Chang Bin smacked his lips. “The guy’s been giving us dirty looks ever since we got here this morning. And now some of the staff are showing up late, so he’s over there throwing things around and swearing like crazy. Not sure who he’s trying to impress.”
As they talked, the young man stood up. With both hands in his pockets and his chin tilted arrogantly upward, he looked down his nose at them.
“Hey. I contacted everyone you asked for. They’ll be here soon. If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.” He finished with a yawn. His complexion looked poor, and dark circles lingered beneath his eyes. He looked like he’d been up all night.
“You can’t leave just yet.” He Shu walked over and produced a search warrant, smiling.
“Perhaps the officers from the local station didn’t explain everything clearly. Your establishment is currently suspected of being connected to two homicide investigations. In addition to interviewing all employees, including yourself, we’ll also be conducting an evidence search of the premises. We appreciate your cooperation.”
The man froze. “Homicide? Holy shit…” He glanced over the warrant briefly, then suddenly looked up at her. He lowered his gaze again. Then looked back up.
He Shu paid no attention to these little reactions, instead signaling to Ding Qi and the others that they could begin collecting evidence.
By now, employees had started arriving one after another. Every single one of them looked exhausted. Most had only recently gotten off work, and some had probably barely made it home and laid down before being called back.
Meanwhile, Zeng Yongjia and Chang Bin began taking statements.
“Hello, Officer. What’s your name?” The young man adjusted his baseball cap, finally revealing the reasonably handsome face hidden beneath the brim the entire time.
“My name’s Lin Jinxuan. I’m the owner here.” He extended his right hand.
Looking down at the offered hand, He Shu tilted her head slightly and naturally clasped both hands behind her back. “My surname is He.”
“Officer He.” Lin Jinxuan didn’t seem bothered by the lack of a handshake. The impatience from moments ago had vanished completely. In its place appeared an almost excessive enthusiasm.
“You police officers aren’t anything like I imagined. You’re young, beautiful, and… why aren’t you wearing a uniform while investigating a case? That’s how it always is on TV, isn’t it?”
“Mr. Lin, we’ve discovered a type of glitter on both victims. We’ve confirmed it’s the same kind the dancers in your club use. After further investigation, we found that the body lotion used here is rather unique. It’s a product from the internationally renowned brand J&A. Using body lotion that costs several hundred yuan per bottle as an employee benefit package? That’s quite generous.” He Shu ignored his attempt at conversation and immediately steered things back to the case.
“Honestly, I’m not even bragging. A lot of the stuff here is unique in Jinghuai City!” Lin Jinxuan replied proudly. “Take that lotion, for example. It smells luxurious when you put it on. What’s that called? Atmosphere. It’s all about atmosphere. Once you’ve created the right atmosphere, customers feel like whatever they spend here is worth it.”
“So you mix glitter into the lotion?”
“Atmosphere. Atmosphere.” Lin Jinxuan raised his eyebrows twice. The meaning of his expression was obvious. “Officer He, ever heard of visual stimulation? Details determine success.”
He Shu chose not to pursue the subject further. “Do you recognize either of these two people?” She placed two photographs on the bar counter.
“So these are the two guys who got killed? That’s some seriously bad luck…” He looked like he wanted to keep joking, but when he noticed the slight frown on the face of the person beside him, he lost his nerve.
Pushing the photos back toward her, he said: “I definitely don’t recognize them. I’m not here at the club every day. Even when I do come by, I’m usually in the private rooms in the back entertaining friends.”
“Do you know which employees were dancing in your club on the night of May 12 and the night before yesterday?”
“I don’t keep track of that stuff.” He shrugged. “Whoever’s available, that’s who. As long as somebody’s up there on stage, that’s good enough for me.”
“There’s surveillance footage, right?”
“Of course there is!” Lin Jinxuan slapped his hand on the counter. Then, in an unusually helpful manner, he waved over a skinny man in his thirties standing across the room and waiting in line to give a statement.
“This guy’s the manager. He knows more about what goes on in the club than anyone else. Whatever questions you’ve got, just ask him!”
Turning to the manager, he added: “Just tell them whatever you know and cooperate with Officer He’s investigation!”
The manager nodded repeatedly and then led the two of them to review the surveillance recordings.
Unfortunately, the club’s surveillance system only retained footage for five days. As a result, part of the recordings from the night of May 12, when Nie Han was killed, had already been overwritten. The remaining footage from the early morning hours showed no sign of Nie Han.
According to the testimony of the elderly neighbor living across from Nie Han’s rented apartment, he had returned home shortly after ten o’clock that night.
Unable to find anything useful there, He Shu had the manager pull up the surveillance footage from the night before the second victim was murdered. This time, they actually found the victim on camera.
“That’s him.” He Shu tapped the figure on the screen and then showed the manager the victim’s photograph.
Holding the photo, the manager hesitated. After repeatedly comparing it with the video footage, he finally nodded. “Yeah, this really is him. He’s a regular here. It’s just that in this photo his eyes are closed and his complexion looks different, so I didn’t recognize him right away.”
“I always called him Brother Qiu, but I heard from other people that… his surname might actually be Ying.”
“Who is the woman he’s hugging? She’s wearing what appears to be one of your club’s…”
The manager squinted at the screen. “The angle’s not great…” he muttered. “Can’t see clearly…” After watching for a while longer, he spoke with less certainty. “I think it’s CC.”
“Is she here today?”
“No, she’s not.” He scratched his head awkwardly. “Actually, it’s like this. The dancers here aren’t permanent employees of our club. They take performances wherever they can get them. They don’t just work here. So the lineup changes almost every day.”
“Then was this dancer, CC, performing here on the night of May 12?”
“I’ll have to check the records…” The manager hurried over to a nearby computer and opened a spreadsheet. After scrolling through it and confirming the entry, he immediately nodded. “She was here. Definitely here.”
“Look, I’ve got the records right here. We paid her just under a thousand yuan for that night’s performance.”
“The police will need a copy of this footage.” He Shu pointed toward Zeng Yongjia, who was busy taking statements nearby. “And please give CC’s contact information to Officer Zeng over there as well.”
After the manager finished copying the surveillance footage, he hurried off.
Lin Jinxuan, who had stood behind them the whole time, rolled his eyes a few times. Seeing He Shu about to leave, he followed her immediately.
Trying to look effortlessly cool, he tossed back the strands of hair trapped beneath his baseball cap. Then he pulled out his phone and began casually twirling it in his hand. “Officer He, how about we exchange contact information? That way, if I suddenly remember some important clue after I get home, I can contact you right away.”
“…” He Shu remained expressionless.
Meanwhile, during a brief pause in taking statements, Chang Bin took a moment to enjoy some gossip. Raising his voice toward Zeng Yongjia in the distance, he called out: “Hey! Doesn’t that kid look a little suspiciously cheerful to you? The way he’s looking at Captain He seems off. You think he’s trying to hit on her?”
“Pfft…” As if he’d just heard the funniest joke imaginable, Zeng Yongjia couldn’t stop himself from laughing. The idea struck him as utterly absurd.
Hit on He Shu? Damn, this guy’s a genius.
“So what’s he asking for? Her phone number or her social media contact?” Chang Bin perked up instantly, looking thoroughly entertained. “What do you think? Will Captain He actually give it to him?”
“Definitely no-” Before Zeng Yongjia could finish speaking, his eyes widened at the scene unfolding before him.
Over there, He Shu had actually pulled out her phone and scanned the QR code on Lin Jinxuan’s screen. The two of them seemed to be adding each other as contacts.
Having gotten what he wanted, Lin Jinxuan seemed visibly excited. He stuck close to her afterward, practically glued to her side, chattering nonstop about this and that. He was incredibly noisy.
Finally, He Shu stopped abruptly. Turning to face him, she asked with complete seriousness: “Boss Lin, are you trying to hit on me?”
“H-Hit on you? That’s such a crude way to put it. Pursuing someone sounds much more elegant.” Lin Jinxuan gave an awkward laugh.
“I just enjoy making friends. Officer He, don’t get the wrong idea.”
“I didn’t.” The two simple words carried a deeper meaning.
As she spoke, He Shu’s gaze swept over him from head to toe.
By the time all the interviews and evidence collection were finished, it was already past noon. Without delay, everyone piled back into the police vehicles and headed for the bureau.
As before, He Shu was behind the wheel.
Zeng Yongjia sprawled in the passenger seat while chatting with Chang Bin in the back. “By the time we get back, there probably won’t be anything left in the cafeteria. Looks like it’ll be instant noodles again.”
Chang Bin stretched lazily. “Once this case is finally closed, we absolutely have to go out and have a proper meal.” Then he grinned. “And since Captain He just got here, we can call it a welcome dinner.”
“Sounds good.” He Shu agreed immediately. “I’ll treat.”
Having gotten the answer they wanted, the two men looked thoroughly satisfied.
Not long afterward, the police car pulled into the Municipal Public Security Bureau compound.
As the group headed back toward the office building, Chang Bin thought it over several times before finally speaking up to the figure walking ahead of him.
“Captain He, I’ve gotta say, you should be careful around that owner of Phantom Club. That kid definitely isn’t up to any good.”
Before He Shu could respond, Ding Qi, carrying his toolbox, immediately perked up. “What happened? I was actually working hard back there and didn’t notice anything.”
“It was when Captain He added him on social media. Sure, the guy’s decent-looking and has a little money, but you can tell just by looking at him that he’s spent way too much time drinking and fooling around. Captain He’s standards can’t possibly be that low, right?” Zeng Yongjia curled his lip.
He simply refused to believe anyone in the world could handle a woman like He Shu.
“You lifelong bachelor, what do you know?” Chang Bin shot back. “Didn’t you hear what I said? Even the most steadfast woman can be worn down by persistence. Didn’t you see how clingy that guy was? No wonder you’re still single!”
“Seriously?” Ding Qi chimed in. “Then all the unmarried young men in our bureau better watch out. Captain He’s obviously a premium asset. If some outsider swoops in and carries her off, where’s the dignity of the Criminal Investigation Division supposed to go?”
The group wasn’t exactly speaking quietly. By the time the discussion turned lively, they were practically shouting. As a result, the moment they entered the office building, they nearly collided with Ji Chen, who happened to be standing there with two other colleagues.
“Team Leader Ji…” Ding Qi greeted him enthusiastically.
Ji Chen responded with a nod. He Shu also raised a hand in greeting.
Unexpectedly, the man’s gaze swept over her briefly before he turned away and resumed talking with the others. Left hanging, she could only lower her hand and touch the tip of her nose. Then she obediently followed Zeng Yongjia and the others into the elevator.
Ding. The elevator doors closed and began ascending.
Ji Chen’s eyes darkened as he stared at the closed elevator doors. Then those handsome eyes narrowed slightly. A suitor? Exchanging contact information?