The weekend morning was usually a good day for sleeping in.
After solving the case of the murdered security guard, Mei Qian, for the first time, received a normal weekend leave from Qiao Yidan. This allowed Mei Qian, who already loved to sleep in, to lounge in bed shamelessly at ten in the morning.
An Jing’s belly was getting increasingly larger, making her movements more inconvenient. Since her unreliable uncle-in-law was out, the sensible Su Tang naturally felt for her aunt.
Early in the morning, Su Tang learned from her aunt how to make breakfast, then washed clothes, then watered the flowers and tidied the balcony, then juiced fruits, and then took her aunt out to bask in the sun and chat.
"If you have nothing to do, go out and play. I know your heart hasn't been at home for a long time," An Jing said, half-reclining on the balcony rocking chair, stroking her belly. She spoke with understanding, "Your uncle-in-law has been busy with cases and hasn't slept for days, don't blame him. You don't need to pretend to be diligent at home. The cleaning lady will arrive soon. You can leave if you want to, just remember to come home early tonight."
Su Tang liked this about her aunt the most – she was so understanding. Thus, she couldn't wait to walk out the door. An hour earlier, her dedicated junior, Zhang Xiao'ao, had already been waiting outside the residential compound.
"You smell very nice," Zhang Xiao'ao said, driving the car and gently sniffing the air. He smiled at Su Tang, who was sitting in the passenger seat.
"Hmph! When am I not fragrant?" Su Tang had used a new perfume today, and she quite enjoyed Zhang Xiao'ao's almost direct flattery.
"No, no," Zhang Xiao'ao shook his head and said, "I'm not talking about the perfume scent on you, but the scent you naturally have."
"Just drive your car properly. You're saying more and more outrageous things, as if you've smelled it before." Su Tang was amused by him.
"I have smelled it. When we fought last time, I smelled it for a long time," Zhang Xiao'ao stubbornly expressed his meaning. "It's like cream, and it smells very good."
"Shut up!" Su Tang's face instantly turned red. She hit Zhang Xiao'ao fiercely and said angrily, "You're not allowed to say such silly things anymore."
At the milk tea shop, Shi Han arrived even earlier than Su Tang had expected.
He was sitting in the only spot in the shop that was bathed in sunlight, occasionally taking a sip of milk tea and leisurely scrolling through Douyin on his phone.
"Ahem, you're quite early," Su Tang, after secretly touching up her makeup outside the door for a long time, finally walked into the shop unhurriedly.
"Su Tang, you're quite early today. Come back with me for lunch. I've developed new steamed buns, I guarantee you'll eat at least seven of them!" Gao Da, who was playing poker with Da Shu, Lao Yuan, and Lao Fang on another side of the shop, spoke to Su Tang before Shi Han could even greet her.
"Who cares! What do you mean by seven or eight? I don't understand!" Su Tang was annoyed. Why was Gao Da here too? He was such a gossip.
"If you don't want to come, fine. Da Shu, you three come with me. Your sister-in-law will make a lamb hot pot later. Anyway, it's the weekend, let's have some afternoon drinks, and then go for a bath." Gao Da ignored Su Tang and turned to Da Shu and the others.
"Dream on. It's settled then," Lao Yuan loved eating Gao Da's steamed buns the most.
Ignoring the group of old men, Su Tang elegantly walked to Shi Han, placed one hand on her chest, the other on her skirt, and sat down properly.
"It's quite lively here," Shi Han seemed like a friendly guy. Facing the nervous Su Tang, he was very relaxed and kept looking around at the milk tea shop's decoration.
"Ah, they're all elders. They come here to hang out when they have time," Su Tang replied politely.
"You're better than me. At 17, you can open a shop, and no one in the circle is gossiping about you," Shi Han said. "Having a good master is better than anything."
"What do you mean by that? Why can't I open a shop?" Su Tang asked curiously.
"It's stipulated by the association, isn't it? You don't know that?" Shi Han's eyes widened.
"Tell me. By the way, aren't you also a detective? Don't you have a shop?" Su Tang was even more curious.
"Detective is a vague profession. Officially, it's never been acknowledged but never forbidden. Ten years ago, detectives in the country, through legitimate means and under the guise of detective culture, established the country's only private detective association – the Detective Alliance," Shi Han said. "You shouldn't be unaware of this, should you? Your master is an auditor for this alliance."
"What? My master? You know him? What auditor?" Su Tang gradually became engrossed as if listening to a story.
"Ping An the Great Detective. Everyone in our circle knows him. Before I became a private detective, I even attended his training," Shi Han said. "However, Teacher Ping An doesn't like to interact with people much. I haven't had the honor of him knowing me. He rarely manages the alliance's affairs anymore. In the past two years, he even resigned his position at the alliance and devoted himself to being a journalist."
"Oh, I see. My master has this background," Su Tang said, blinking her eyes.
"According to the alliance's regulations, registered private detectives, under a non-profit model, must solve three major cases before they are eligible to open a shop. I don't have that qualification. Your shop is probably operating under your master's name, right?" Shi Han said.
"Oh, I guess so," Su Tang replied hesitantly.
"Alright, enough small talk. Let me introduce myself first," Shi Han said enthusiastically. "You already know my name. I am a postgraduate student at Shanhe University, the president of the Shanhe University Detective Club, and a privately registered detective with the alliance."
"Haha, quite impressive," Su Tang thought, listening to his well-established background. Besides bearing the title of Ping An's disciple, she had almost nothing.
"Qiao Weijia is my junior. Before looking for you, he came to me first, so I also know about the situation with Nian Xiaobei's disappearance," Shi Han said. "Qiao Weijia also told me your main alias. When we met yesterday, perhaps my approach was wrong, and I scared you."
Oh, so that's how it is. Su Tang finally understood why he knew her name as soon as he spoke. It was because her client had revealed it beforehand.
"Qiao Weijia commissioned me first, but he was in a hurry, so he also commissioned you. By rights, this should have been my case. You understand the principle of first come, first served, right?" Shi Han said.
"Oh, oh, I understand. I get it," Su Tang thought to herself, "This is bad. I seem to have snatched his case, no wonder he's come looking for me."
"However, this is also the first time I've encountered such a difficult major case. When I learned you were Teacher Ping An's disciple, I had the idea of joining forces with you to solve the case. It was a bit hasty, please don't mind," Shi Han said. "To be honest, I've also investigated Diana. Yesterday evening, I saw you set a trap for Diana and even mobilized a large amount of social resources. I realized that I couldn't catch up to you in this aspect. Whether it's me alone or you alone, neither of us can completely crack this case. Therefore, Detective Su Tang, let's join forces!"
She understood now. Everything was clear. This pretty boy, no, this handsome guy, was seeking cooperation. Su Tang was currently in a difficult position regarding the case. If he joined, she would have a helper, and the case would be easier to solve.
"Okay, I agree. However, since we are going to cooperate, we must have rules. For example, we cannot lie to each other about intelligence.
"No problem, that's fair. I can accept that," Shi Han said.
"Then our cooperation begins now." Su Tang was quite straightforward and immediately agreed to cooperate. "However, you must first tell me the intelligence you've gathered."
Zhang Xiao'ao was taken away by Gao Da, Lao Yuan, and Lao Fang to eat steamed buns. Da Shu, under the pretense of having a poor appetite, sent a "street bum" outside the shop to get him a Jianbing Guozi and sat alone in the shop keeping watch.
Su Tang had reached a preliminary agreement with Shi Han, and the two parties enthusiastically discussed exchanging further clues...
"According to my investigation, the company that Diana is backed by is called 'Zizai Trading'. The boss is Ou Fan, 56 years old, who spends most of his time abroad. The domestic business is handled by his 30-year-old son, who is the person Diana is currently relying on, Ou Erjian!" Shi Han said. "This Ou Erjian is not an honest businessman. He has successfully operated businesses in electronics and furniture in China through European market channels. A few years ago, he ventured into the entertainment industry. He doesn't make movies or promote stars; he only opened a training company. It claims to be a training company, but it doesn't train itself. Instead, it acts as an 'intermediary' for well-known foreign training companies, responsible for recommending and bringing outstanding domestic talents abroad for further study."
"Are the companies that cooperate with Ou Erjian all legitimate?" Su Tang asked.
"They are. I've investigated them one by one. The top ten star-making companies globally have long-term cooperative relationships with him. In just a few years, they have indeed cultivated quite a few stars," Shi Han said. "But there are also a few individuals, I mean a few girls like Nian Xiaobei, whose information disappears completely after going through his channels, as if they've sunk into the ocean."
"What's his relationship with Ma Delu?" Su Tang asked.
"Ma Delu is merely a small fry under Ou Erjian. His status is not even as high as Diana's," Shi Han said. "But Ma Delu also has his own little schemes. Generally speaking, he wants to legitimize himself, but both Diana and Ou Erjian hold his weaknesses and threaten him."
Saying this, Shi Han took out his phone and played a video. In the video, Diana was leading her subordinates in teaching Ma Delu a lesson. The video was short and silent, but this little bit of content was enough to explain the problem.
"You've found more information than I have, but how can you prove that Nian Xiaobei was done in by Ou Erjian?" Su Tang thought for a moment, not knowing what word to use.
"Because another girl has gone missing. Do you remember a girl named Wei Jiajia?" Shi Han said. "Think about it, in the modeling competition, who was number thirteen?"
"Yes, I remember. Didn't she have an episode? She even asked me to help her walk a show," Su Tang said.
"Yes, but after that show, she disappeared... " Shi Han said. "Her father found Ma Delu a few days ago. Ma Delu used the same old trick, producing evidence of the girl tearing up the contract, proving she went to another company. What company? I don't know. Coincidentally, at the exact time you were standing in for her on stage, she called her dad saying she was going for closed training!"