Fu Xueli woke up from her dream, feeling disoriented. She had that nightmare again last night.
The oppressive, repetitive cycle made her head ache. She got out of bed and opened the window.
A cool breeze carrying the scent of morning dew blew in through the open window. There was a calming incense in the corner of the hotel room.
It had been two months since she separated from Xu Xingchun that night. Though she hadn’t moved out of his house, Fu Xueli hadn’t gone to see him again after talking with Aunt Qi.
But she couldn’t help thinking back to that night.
Xu Xingchun pinned her down, watching indifferently as she struggled to breathe, gasping like a fish out of water. When her tears were flowing most heavily, he roughly pressed her against the sofa. He leaned in, looking both familiar and unfamiliar, his hoarse voice full of barely contained aggression, “Fu Xueli, I’m giving you one last chance.”
One last chance?
What was really going on between them? Fu Xueli rarely cared about others’ thoughts and didn’t like to think deeply about things. Now she couldn’t figure it out, feeling both heartbroken and confused.
She didn’t know what Xu Xingchun truly wanted, but also felt like she vaguely understood. For now, she just couldn’t reveal her true self to him.
The golden morning sun slowly rose on the horizon, and the sea breeze from Victoria Harbour blew against her skin. Fu Xueli rested her chin in her hand, staring blankly into the distance.
She was returning to Shanghai today.
Lin Fei was recently negotiating with a listed restaurant and entertainment company about merging stocks. This trip back to Shanghai was the last social engagement before the New Year holiday.
Fu Xueli had almost forgotten what she was supposed to do until someone beside her reminded her, bringing her back to reality.
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?” Tang Xin asked.
“I’m fine,” she replied softly.
Tang Xin frowned, “You’ve been distracted since yesterday afternoon.”
Fu Xueli brushed it off, “Maybe I’m just happy about the upcoming holiday.”
After a busy year, this was the only time to rest. The glamorous life of a celebrity wasn’t as easy as it seemed.
“You’re going back home for New Year’s Eve this year, right?”
“Yeah,” Fu Xueli played with the cigarette and lighter in her hand.
Tang Xin nodded, “You should spend time with your family.”
Night fell in Shanghai, nearing 7 PM, and the main roads were starting to get congested. Under the dark sky, this was the city’s high-end golden triangle area, with neon lights flashing and a vibrant nightlife.
Paradise – a famous high-end entertainment venue in this golden triangle area. Inside, besides being opulent and luxurious, there were no other words to describe it. It had several floors with a total of 48 private rooms.
Entering the lobby, a manager led the way. Tang Xin whispered, “The real estate circle has been quiet lately. A few days ago, the higher-ups told me that Director Fang plans to invest in several media companies. There should be many people from the industry here today, you…”
“What do you mean? I’m not that close to Director Fang,” Fu Xueli frowned.
Tang Xin sighed, “Miss, I’m not asking you to do anything. It’s Director Fang’s birthday today. When you go to toast him later, just say a few nice words and mention you’re representing the company.”
The people who came to Paradise were all wealthy and influential, generally very sophisticated. They wouldn’t do anything too vulgar, at least not there. Most of those who came tonight were like Tang Xin, trying to build connections. It was just a formality, with the real focus on business discussions.
Meanwhile.
“The major shareholder of ‘Paradise’, the top entertainment venue in Shanghai’s entertainment industry, is called Fang Chen, Fang Du’s younger brother,” Lin Jin frowned in the meeting room. “This Fang person owns dozens of real estate companies in Shanghai and B City, and is also the big boss of the famous nightclub ‘Paradise’. We’ve received numerous reports from the public since last month.”
Xu Xingchun stared motionlessly out the window, into the deep night.
This was the final meeting organized before the operation. Xu Tao put on his clothes and opened his holster. “The two people we caught at the gas station last time were tight-lipped, but according to the investigation, they were both Fang Du’s henchmen. Now, one or two nightclubs appear peaceful on the surface, but are actually places that accommodate drug use, organize prostitution, and gather people for gambling.”
A few months ago, when the new officials took office, Shanghai conducted a small-scale anti-vice operation. Because of the numerous reports received subsequently, the higher-ups formed a special task force. This was a joint operation of multiple police units including public security, criminal investigation, patrol, and special police, divided into several routes for surprise inspections.
The targets were Paradise, Famous Night, Flower City International, and Diamond Spring, four luxurious nightclubs.
11:00 PM.
The night grew deeper, and one police car after another sped silently on the road. Lin Jin opened the window slightly, letting in a rush of wind. He turned his head, looked at the speedometer on the dashboard, and joked, “Xingchun, I admire you the most. You can always keep a straight face while speeding, not afraid of death at all.”
“……”
Lin Jin sighed, “Ah, you’re really hard to communicate with. Talking to you always leads to awkward silences. Today’s operation is so interesting, not heavy at all. Relax a bit.”
Compared to other homicide cases, this anti-vice operation indeed wasn’t a major action.
Xu Xingchun rubbed his temples and said calmly, “Paradise, that nightclub has some issues.”
Lin Jin recalled, “If I remember correctly, wasn’t Paradise closed once before?”
“Yes,” a police officer behind them chimed in. “My previous bureau chief was transferred from here in October XX year. Before that, Paradise was already a key target. There were serious issues with prostitution, drugs, and organized crime. The higher-ups gave instructions and carried out multiple crackdowns, but for some reason, it was suppressed later.”
Lin Jin also remembered, “I recall now. Once that period of scrutiny passed, Paradise reopened with great fanfare, right? In other words, they reopened as soon as the previous bureau chief left. It was a kind of defiance, wasn’t it? Damn, they were quite arrogant with that move.”
The police officer nodded, “The leads we got from interrogating the people caught at the gas station last time all led to dead ends. Currently, we only know that Paradise definitely has a stable source of drugs, but we haven’t been able to eradicate it.”
In the world of pleasure and indulgence, surrounded by sensual temptations, a licentious atmosphere permeated everywhere. On the first floor of the private rooms, Fu Xueli stood by the piano with a glass of wine. A singer was performing Wang Fei’s song on stage. At some point, she had stopped enjoying such lively scenes and gradually grew weary of these extravagant social occasions.
How boring, Fu Xueli thought.
She laughed along with the people around her, though her expression remained somewhat cold.
In a corner not far away, on a dark red sofa, two people were kissing frantically. Without asking, it was clear they had just taken some kind of drug.
Fu Xueli turned her eyes away indifferently. The fruit-flavored wine wasn’t very strong, but her head was a bit dizzy. She casually put down the glass, the ice cubes inside clinking.
Fu Xueli looked at her listless self in the mirror, splashed some cold water on her face to wake up. As she pushed open the bathroom door and walked out, her phone vibrated with several WeChat messages.
She didn’t have time to check them as she reached the staircase corner.
Suddenly, a man came down from upstairs, trembling and about to fall. Fu Xueli was startled, then watched as he tried to stand up to continue down the stairs. But unable to stand steady, he had to crawl down on all fours. Still unable to descend the stairs, he fell again.
Damn, another drug addict high out of his mind.
Fu Xueli froze for two seconds, then walked around him in disgust, continuing forward. She picked up her phone and saw Tang Xin’s message.
[Where are you? Quickly find a way to sneak out. I just got news that the police are coming to investigate tonight. Our private room probably won’t be affected, but there are many reporters outside, quite a few paparazzi hired by rival companies. It’ll be big trouble if you’re photographed.]
Reading these lines, Fu Xueli didn’t know what to say.
She started to doubt her life choices, probably because her zodiac year was approaching.
A man who looked like a manager rushed past with a walkie-talkie, “Quickly notify everyone to clear out and relocate.”
Finding a hidden spot, she held onto the railing and looked down at the situation below.
Dozens of plainclothes officers rushed into the lobby. Paradise’s security guards were stunned as they saw the officers flash their bright badges. “We’re from the Public Security Bureau, conducting a routine inspection. Please cooperate.”
In just a few dozen minutes, all the girls who were singing and drinking in the private rooms were brought to Paradise’s lobby for investigation. The place was suddenly crowded with scantily clad young women.
Bad luck indeed, everything was going wrong. Screams filled the air. Fu Xueli had a massive headache. With the current chaos and so many police officers around, how could she leave? She hugged the wall, trying to minimize her presence, looking for a hidden fire escape to see if she could get out.
But after just a few steps.
“Wait, that woman in front, raise your head. What are you doing here?” a police officer called out to her. Fu Xueli lowered her head, standing still with her back to him.
Xu Tao and his team stopped, their eyes scanning over the woman with her back to them.
Her black hair was tied up with a glass hairpin, revealing her smooth, slender neck. She was thin, wearing a slender cheongsam with a light purple skirt hem, faintly visible with intricate golden patterns.
This appearance didn’t look like the typical party girls in Paradise. It seemed quite normal, just the behavior was a bit suspicious.
Fu Xueli’s blood rushed to the extreme, her back covered in cold sweat. Her brain was forced to spin rapidly, needing to find a plausible reason to leave quickly. But once she was recognized, it would be truly over.
“I…” She took a deep breath, swallowed, and almost wanted to run away regardless of the consequences.
The footsteps behind her drew closer, and Fu Xueli remained silent, her heart sinking.
It’s over, it’s over, it’s over.
In the next second.
Just before complete despair, she was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder. Fu Xueli’s body was pulled around uncontrollably, stumbling, her face colliding with a blue uniform shirt. Her figure was completely shielded by that person.
Fu Xueli was incredulous, her heart skipping a beat, goosebumps rising all over her body. But she didn’t resist. In an instant, she felt dazed, a familiar scent entered her nose, making her bones go numb and her legs weak.
Xu Tao was shocked by the bizarre scene before him, almost stuttering, “Xu- Xu Team Leader, what are you…?!”
After a moment of silence, the handsome police officer, as cold and unmoved as ever, said in front of them, “Sorry, this is my girlfriend. I’ll take her out first.”
“Oh… oh, okay, no problem.” Xu Tao wanted to say more but could only hold back at this moment. He was screaming internally.
What the hell is going on? Did we catch a family member during the raid?!
“I’ll be right back.”
The chest she was pressed against vibrated slightly as he spoke, his voice still calm. Fu Xueli felt like she had just escaped death, still very nervous. She was saved, held in his arms, her head buried in his shoulder, blocking all sight.
She raised her hand, slowly grasping Xu Xingchun’s clothes.
All six exits of Paradise were sealed off, with police guarding every elevator and staircase. It was crowded, probably with over a hundred police officers.
Twenty meters outside the main entrance, yellow police tape was set up, keeping onlookers at bay. Helmeted special police officers with guns formed a wall. There were buses for transporting detainees and police cars. This place… was already surrounded by a large police force.
How naive.
There was no way to sneak out.
It was too absurd.
Fu Xueli, with Xu Xingchun’s jacket covering her head, lifted it slightly to peek, shocked by the scene before her.
What were they planning to do with such a big operation?…
Xu Xingchun held her close as they quickly walked out, passing through without any hindrance. He nodded to some others and soon they were outside the police line.
After walking a few more steps in the dark environment, the person in front stopped. There was a group of police cars with their lights off, and a few police officers smoking not far away.
Fu Xueli felt uneasy.
She also stopped, taking the jacket off her head, not knowing what to say. She hesitantly opened her mouth, “…Thank you.”
“Did you touch1 anything?” Xu Xingchun, in his uniform, asked coldly and harshly.
Fu Xueli held her breath for a second, carefully asking, “What do you mean?”
Her dark pupils were bright, as if she had just been pulled out of water. Her crimson lips were like flower petals, half-open. At this moment, due to her disheveled state, she looked less glamorous and more innocently cute.
Being stared at like that, she suddenly realized what Xu Xingchun was asking.
“Did you touch anything?” he asked again, his voice heavy. Unlike his usually gentle and refined appearance, Xu Xingchun’s face was dark as he shouted angrily, gripping her shoulders, “I’m asking if you touched anything?!”
“No!” Fu Xueli blurted out. She was sweating profusely, struggling to answer, “Xu Xingchun, you’ve misunderstood. I’ve never touched that kind of thing.”
- T/N: Could also mean come into contact with something. ↩︎
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