"Xiao Fei, there are some things I need to confess to you!"
On the other end of the phone, Ping An's calm words nearly made Gao Xiaofei fall off his chair.
"What do you want to confess?" Gao Xiaofei asked calmly.
"Your aunt just called me and directly asked if I was with you, if we were that kind of relationship. I politely said no and hung up." Ping An's voice suddenly turned hysterical, "You scumbag! Why did you tell your mom that you don't like women, and have her call me!"
"..." Gao Xiaofei was utterly bewildered on this end of the phone.
"So, I want to confess to you that I like women." Ping An calmed down and then asked tentatively, "So, you also have to confess to me, do you really not like women?"
"Get lost!" Gao Xiaofei uttered the word softly and then silently hung up the phone.
The dark clouds were still like a tablecloth, covering a small patch of sky the size of a palm. The moon, which had only shown a sliver of light, was now secretly smiling, watching Gao Xiaofei staring blankly in his chair.
A gust of cold wind blew, rustling his hair, just like Ping An's words, continuing, continuing, continuing...
"What the hell is going on! Can't anyone normal help me!" Gao Xiaofei threw the plastic water cup on the table aside, cradled his head, and let out a tragic, no, a beautifully tragic wail in the small office.
Under the same moonlight, Ping An, in his pajamas, held a cup of Tie Guan Yin and sat on the sofa, leisurely sipping it.
Five minutes had passed since he called Gao Xiaofei. Mei Qian, who had just returned from her hometown under the cover of night, was holding a bowl of wontons, but hadn't eaten them yet. She just stared blankly at Ping An.
"You're so insidious. Your aunt's call wasn't about that at all. Why did you tease Captain Gao? He's a leader, after all," Mei Qian said indignantly.
"I wasn't teasing him. To be honest, I also want to know if he's really gay." Ping An frowned and took another sip of tea. "I'm 32 years old. I think about women almost every night before I sleep, especially in the morning. I really can't hold back. I don't care about saying it out loud, because it's a normal need. But Gao Xiaofei is two years older than me, his needs should be even greater than mine, but I've never noticed him having any needs in that regard. You tell me, his aunt called and chatted intimately with me for over an hour, going on and on about why Gao Xiaofei isn't looking for a partner. How would I know? Now that I think about it, I can't help but worry that Xiaofei might really be..."
"You're overthinking it," Mei Qian replied slowly, slurping her wontons.
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"Don't rest after you finish eating. Xiaofei will probably be here soon. Let him tell you about the case. You've been away these past few days, and it's exhausted him," Ping An said.
Just then, music drifted from the second floor. Needless to say, An Jing and Lin Dang had started their yoga practice class.
"So noisy! Alright, stop pretending to eat. With me here, you're not going upstairs. Let's go out and find Xiaofei for a drink," Ping An kicked Mei Qian and got up to change his jacket.
"I'm tired after a whole day, I want to go to bed early," Mei Qian made her last struggle.
"Hurry up, or I'll get the slingshot and shoot you!" Ping An threatened.
As a famous big city in the north, how could it lack the charm of nightlife? In the southeastern part of the Hechuan urban area, there was a large street lined with all kinds of flowers blooming in the green belt. During the day, it was just a simple thoroughfare, but at night, it was the most vibrant part of Hechuan. Various discos, bars, slow-rock bars, and KTVs along the street attracted young people from all over the city. The official name of this street was Youth Avenue, but people who came here liked to call it Flower Street.
An old-fashioned taxi stopped at the entrance of the street. The driver, with a hint of exhaustion, said to Ping An in the passenger seat, "We're here. 37 yuan! Scan or cash?"
"Master, aren't you going in?" Mei Qian asked from the back seat, looking a little strange.
The driver gave Mei Qian a look as if he were looking at an outsider and then asked Ping An in the local dialect, "Is your buddy from outside?"
"Yes, bringing him here to have some fun!" Ping An smiled and said to the driver.
"Oh! It's been a bit unsettled lately. You're bringing a stranger and two pretty girls. Be careful tonight," the driver kindly advised.
It turned out that just as Ping An was preparing to sneak out with Mei Qian for some nightlife, Mei Qian deliberately went to the restroom and then promptly called An Jing to inform her. This was how An Jing, who had been watching them with folded arms, blocked the door. After much persuasion, the four of them had agreed to go together!
This taxi driver clearly seemed like a good person. Seeing that the four passengers didn't look like regulars, he kindly reminded them.
However, the driver's kind reminder just passed through Ping An's ears, and he didn't take it seriously. He took out his phone and scanned the code to pay. The taxi driver, seeing that he still seemed a little worried, mumbled, "I heard there used to be a local boss around here called Brother Liu. He ran off recently, and the young punks in the underworld have no one to control them, so they're getting more reckless. For the past few days, there have been fights on this street almost every day..."
"Oh? The Brother Liu you're talking about is named Liu Zi? His full name is Ren Liu?" Ping An became interested.
"He seems to be called that," the taxi driver saw that Ping An still didn't take it seriously and even said the name, realizing he had said too much tonight, and quickly shut up.
After getting out of the car, Ping An and the other three slowly walked into Flower Street. To the rhythm of the music coming from the shops, they looked at the various luxury cars parked along the street. A few young men standing at the entrance of the nightclubs occasionally whistled at the well-dressed An Jing and Lin Dang. Ping An and the others didn't pay it any mind. Lin Dang, who was visiting such a place for the first time, tightly held An Jing's hand, feeling a little unaccustomed to it.
In front of a nightclub called "Bu Bai," Gao Xiaofei, dressed in a tracksuit, with a dark expression and hands in his pockets, stared intently at Ping An as he approached.
"Don't speak, I'll speak first."
"I'm sorry! I misunderstood you."
"If you want to blame someone, blame your mom for calling me for an hour."
"You really are unfilial!"
"By the way, do you really not like women?"
As soon as he saw Gao Xiaofei, Ping An immediately shut him up.
"Get lost!" Gao Xiaofei, not knowing what else to say, could only respond with annoyance.
Giggling, Ping An pulled Gao Xiaofei and strode into the club.
This nightclub was the largest on Flower Street. The owner was a few rich second-generation heirs who had beaten countless competitors on this street with their money, making it the hottest spot.
Ping An chose this establishment for a reason. On the way there, he had told Gao Xiaofei and Mei Qian that according to his reliable information, the "bouncer" of this place was Liu Zi. It was precisely because of this information that Gao Xiaofei and Mei Qian, two police officers who would have refused to come under any circumstances, were successfully tricked by Ping An with the excuse of "just taking a look."
The nightclub was very large. As Ping An and the other three entered, they happened to see an empty "circle seat" near the dance floor and immediately sat down.
"Honored guests, I'm sorry, but this seat has been reserved in advance. Could you please move to another place?" A waiter hurried over and said politely.
Hearing the waiter say this, Gao Xiaofei, Mei Qian, and the others habitually stood up, ready to leave. But at that moment, they suddenly heard Ping An say in an extremely arrogant tone, "Haven't they arrived yet? What's wrong with me sitting here for a bit?"
The accent was clearly provocative. Gao Xiaofei and Mei Qian looked at Ping An, who was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, with extreme disgust, wondering what this guy was up to.
"Brother, I'm truly sorry, please don't make it difficult for us. How about this, we'll give you a discount on your consumption tonight?" The waiter, seemingly used to such situations, was not flustered by Ping An's "troublemaking" and maintained a sincere expression.
"I don't want to!" Ping An raised his head and said arrogantly.
At this moment, Gao Xiaofei and Mei Qian were dumbfounded. An Jing glared at her brother with a deadly look, and Lin Dang also looked helpless.
"What's going on?" A well-dressed man in a black suit walked up to the table and quietly asked the waiter what had happened. After the waiter quickly explained the situation, the man, who seemed to have some background, instead of doing anything, waved his hand and said in a humble tone, "Customers are welcomed. If the gentlemen like it here, then let them sit. I apologize for the disturbance. Please be seated, we'll send over a complimentary fruit platter. Wishing you a pleasant time!"
The awkward situation instantly became pleasant again. Ping An took An Jing's hand and had her sit down, then motioned for the others to sit. He crossed his legs and continued to act fiercely.
"Ping An, what exactly are you trying to do?" Mei Qian asked in a low voice.
"Fishing," Ping An replied with a cheeky grin.
"You mean? Do you have new intelligence?" Gao Xiaofei instantly understood Ping An's meaning.
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"I'm just trying it out. If I catch something, great. If not, consider it a visit," Ping An said.
"Who are you trying to catch?" Gao Xiaofei asked seriously.
"I don't know. Whoever bites will be hooked," Ping An said with a smile.
"You think Liu Zi is involved?" Gao Xiaofei asked.
"When we interview a person or an event, we often approach it from both the front and the side to make the report appear realistic and persuasive," Ping An said. "Liu Zi is definitely not a small figure, at least not what he appears to be on the surface."
"No wonder you didn't ask me about the interrogation of Liu Zi today," Gao Xiaofei said.
"Hey, I'm not a police officer. You didn't tell me, so why should I ask about the interrogation? If you invited me to a case analysis meeting, I'd listen then. If you don't say anything, I won't ask proactively. This is a principle for me, and discipline for you," Ping An said. "It's the same old saying, don't try to guess my thoughts. Our goals are different, and our methods are different. We can each do our own thing."
"Then what about you tonight?" Mei Qian was a little confused.
"You interrogated Liu Zi and learned what you needed to know. It's time for me to learn something about Liu Zi in my own way," Ping An said, pointing to a bald, burly man in a corner of the nightclub and asking Lin Dang, "Among the people Liu Zi brought to Chen Nairong's dinner, was he there?"
"It seems so. The scar on his face is quite frightening. I remember it clearly," Lin Dang replied.
"Heh heh, the big fish I'm trying to catch tonight is him," Ping An said.
It was 11 PM. After sitting idly for more than half an hour, Ping An and the others had ordered a few bottles of beer and were watching the field, where music played at a moderate tempo. The dance floor was almost empty. But just after 11 o'clock, a piercing electronic music sound filled the entire venue. A DJ shouted in a strange voice, "Party hard!" and the whole place instantly erupted. The nightclub, which had been somewhat dull, was suddenly filled with a large number of customers. In the center of the dance floor, several scantily clad beauties started dancing.
"Now the nightclub is officially open!" Ping An said to Mei Qian, who looked curious.
"Sister, come dance something sexy for brother!" Ping An, as if he had had a few drinks, took out a stack of bills and shouted at a beautiful woman in a very short skirt on the dance floor. The beauty was quite straightforward, and as she danced, she swayed towards Ping An. With a high kick, she somehow landed on the table and, with great charm, danced her butt vigorously towards Ping An, Mei Qian, and Gao Xiaofei. Her short black skirt flickered up and down, revealing a lot.
An Jing's face was filled with anger, Lin Dang covered her face, Mei Qian's eyes were almost dizzy, and Gao Xiaofei stared at the spectacle with wide eyes. Ping An laughed heartily and tucked a few bills into the beauty's stockings.
The passion lasted for less than five minutes. Just as Gao Xiaofei was about to get a nosebleed, the beauty left with a seductive smile. An Jing grabbed her brother and Mei Qian's thighs with one hand each, making them both gasp in pain.
"Isn't this going a bit too far?" Mei Qian secretly glanced at the still angry An Jing and quietly asked Ping An.
"What are you afraid of? We're not being serious. If you're going to play, you should play properly," Ping An rolled his eyes and raised his beer, whistling at another beauty.
"But this is really going too far," Mei Qian said, a little timid and overwhelmed, to Ping An.
"It's fine, look who's here?" Ping An chuckled and pointed to a person wearing a trench coat and hat at the entrance of the nightclub.
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"Damn it, Director Yan! Why did you call him here?" Gao Xiaofei's face turned pale when he saw the person, who turned out to be Yan Qing.
"Old Yan, over here!" Ping An was still nonchalant.
It turned out that after Ping An and the others entered the nightclub, he had sent a text message to Yan Qing, which read, "I've discovered a major situation at the Bu Bai nightclub on Flower Street. Please come in plain clothes immediately!"
With just a text message, he had summoned Yan Qing, who had already dozed off.
"Ping An, what are you up to?" Yan Qing stood at the entrance of the nightclub, looking at everything as if it were a den of monsters and demons. He finally saw Ping An waving at him and quickly hurried over, plopping down. He then saw Gao Xiaofei and Mei Qian were also there. With a hint of anger, he said, "What exactly did you discover? If you dare to fool me, I'll skin you alive!"
"Don't rush, Director Yan. You'll see a show in a moment! And then wait for me to catch a fish!" Ping An said mysteriously.
Entering the establishment means being a customer, and customers have to spend money! A sharp-eyed waiter immediately rushed over with a plate as soon as he saw Yan Qing enter and brought him a glass of ice water.
"Sir, what would you like to drink?" Every guest must be asked about their consumption; it's the rule of the nightclub.
"A pot of tea for me!" Yan Qing, who was completely unfamiliar with nightclub culture, had clearly not entered the role of a customer yet. Facing the waiter's attentiveness, he was a little at a loss and made his request.
"Tea?" The waiter was first stunned, then immediately said, "I'm sorry, sir, we only serve alcoholic beverages here."
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"Alcohol? Oh, get me a bottle of Niulanshan Erguotou! And a plate of chopped cucumber and a slice of jelly!" Yan Qing said earnestly.
"..." If the waiter's expression could be expressed in words at this moment, it would be "If you weren't an old man, I'd think you were flirting with me."
"Get him a dark beer and a plate of peanuts," Ping An said to the waiter, unable to suppress his laughter.
"Okay, please wait!" The waiter left with a look of disdain.
Before long, a glass of dark beer and a plate of peanuts were brought. Yan Qing picked up the beer and took a small sip, then picked up a peanut, ate one, and took a sip, looking quite at ease.
"It's a bit noisy. How about I arrange for some technical investigation, and I can watch from the car?" Yan Qing said to Ping An after a while, feeling uncomfortable with the deafening electronic music.
"What, you brought a team with you?" Ping An said, a little surprised.
"I was really afraid of something happening, so I called a few people to guard outside," Yan Qing said impatiently.
Just then, a bottle-smashing sound suddenly came from a table not far from Ping An's in the noisy nightclub.
"Director Yan, the show is about to begin. You have to watch and listen carefully!" Ping An patted Yan Qing on the shoulder.
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At some point, at another table not far from Ping An's, a few young men were shoving each other. Ping An's unruly expression disappeared, and he began to observe intently.
"Oh, I'm smashing it today, I like smashing it, so what!" A person wearing a black leather jacket pushed a waiter and then smashed another bottle.
The commotion grew louder, attracting the attention of guests at various tables. People enjoying themselves on the dance floor also stopped their swaying.
"Slap!" The sound of a slap.
"Bang!" The sound of a bottle hitting someone's head.
Several people in security uniforms, carrying short batons, quickly moved through the crowd and approached the troublemakers.
"What is it! You want to fight? Do you know who I am!" The black leather jacket man, seeing the security guards surround him, was not afraid at all. He grabbed the waiter's hair and slapped him again. Behind him stood several burly men, all holding gleaming folding knives.
For a moment, the imposing security guards dared not make a move.
"Your Lordship! It's Your Lordship! What are you doing? Why bother with a waiter?" The manager in the black suit emerged, standing in front of the black leather jacket man, trying to smooth things over.
Ping An knew the person called "Your Lordship." His real name was Wang Jue, and he was the son of a certain leader in Hechuan City. Later, his father was investigated to the end and sentenced to life imprisonment. Initially relying on his leader father's status, Wang Jue had a good life in Hechuan and was once a prominent figure on Flower Street. Those in the underworld, out of respect for his father, called him "Your Lordship." After his father fell from power, he was beaten up several times by some local bosses. Frightened, he had been hiding in the internet café he owned in recent years, pretending to be a "turtle" and not daring to cause trouble outside. When Liu Zi was not yet arrested, he didn't even dare to fart when he saw him. Yet now, he was acting like a "boss" in this nightclub.
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"Who is this arrogant bastard?" Gao Xiaofei considered himself to know a bit about the "underworld" figures in Hechuan, but this person in front of him was unfamiliar. He casually asked.
"I heard he's been mixing with Brother Wan, who runs a bathhouse, these past few years!" Ping An replied casually.
"Brother Wan?" Gao Xiaofei looked at Ping An in confusion.
"Oh, it's Wan Chunsheng," Ping An said.
"Oh, that guy who peed his pants as soon as he was handcuffed during the anti-gang crackdown last time? That guy still has underlings? And he's still so arrogant?" Gao Xiaofei found it hard to imagine that a person he considered a petty hooligan could have such presence.
Meanwhile, the fight was still ongoing—Lord Jue showed no respect for the manager and slapped the waiter several more times.
"Wang Jue, don't be too arrogant. This is Brother Liu's territory. Even Brother Wan has to give him face," the manager said angrily, unable to stand it anymore.
"Let him, Ren Liu, come out! Stop messing with me. The latest news is that Ren Liu has been caught. He was greedy for Chen Nairong's money, switched bosses, and pledged allegiance to a new dock. He didn't get the money, and he was caught by the cops," Wang Jue said, panting, looking like he was here to stir up trouble for the onlookers.
"Who the hell said my brother switched bosses!" A burly man in a black sweater suddenly walked out of the nightclub and pointed at Wang Jue, saying, "You don't know anything. Chen Nairong was too greedy. Brother Liu went undercover and will be out sooner or later. If you dare to act recklessly today, Wang Jue, I'll twist off one of your legs in Brother Liu's stead."
"Oh, isn't this Brother Gui! Why are you here too!" The arrogant Wang Jue suddenly became submissive and walked out of the crowd to the burly man in the black sweater. He bowed deeply, stunning everyone.
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Seeing the other party being so respectful, the burly man was about to help him up when Wang Jue suddenly stood up and plunged a small knife into his chest.
The scene suddenly changed. The burly man was caught off guard and fell down. Wang Jue, hitting his mark, followed up with a kick to the burly man's inner thigh. The burly man cried out in pain, which finally made the stunned onlookers react. People took sides, made calls, and picked up weapons, preparing for a fight.
"Cruel-hearted and vicious, it's really not simple to be in the underworld," Ping An thought.
"Lie on the ground, hook the opponent's feet with your feet, spread them apart, grab their waist and twist, then you can win," An Jing thought.
"Illegal possession and use of controlled knives, gathering in public places to cause trouble, intentional assault of others, at least fifteen days of administrative detention..." Yan Qing thought.
The scene remained chaotic. The bald, burly man who had been the focus of Ping An's attention from the beginning reluctantly walked out.
"Wang Jue, get lost. Grandpa doesn't want trouble tonight," the bald man said slowly, helping up the man lying on the ground. "Even Boss Wan wouldn't be so arrogant."
"Damn you, Wang Jue, this isn't over today!" The injured man, being helped up, cursed.
"Brother Heshang, it's not that I'm not giving you face, but my Boss Wan accidentally left a luxury watch in Brother Liu's car last time. I just wanted to look for it tonight," Wang Jue said with a roguish air, not intending to back down, and teasingly said, "What a shame, Brother Liu, a man of great talent, ended up getting caught. Who should I ask about this now?"
"Bullshit! Brother Liu is voluntarily going to the hard labor camp for further study. He'll be out soon, and when that happens..." The injured man cursed, but his words were suddenly interrupted by the one called Heshang.
"Shut up! You go first!" Heshang directly covered the injured man's mouth and signaled his subordinates to help him away.
"Hard labor camp for further study? Ridiculous. What kind of status does Brother Liu have that he needs to go to a hard labor camp to improve his status? You guys really know how to make up stories," Wang Jue continued to provoke.
"Brother Liu's affairs are none of your business to inquire about, Wang Jue. What exactly do you want tonight? Make it clear," Heshang said, appearing very calm.
"What do I want? I want to take over Ren Liu's business!" Wang Jue said fiercely.