When Wan Boss finished speaking, Diana finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried that Wan Boss might resort to underworld tactics. While her background was strong, she still didn't want to offend the local power. Now that Wan Boss was willing to negotiate terms, she had at least a seventy percent chance of winning. To be honest, she knew very well that in Riverbend, in terms of commercial strength, besides the An Group, only CEO Ou could be called third; no one would dare to claim second.
"Since Boss Wan is also interested in this girl, then let's settle it with our strengths—May I ask what price Boss Wan has offered? Speak up and let your little sister broaden her horizons." Having gauged the opponent's strength, Diana gradually calmed down.
"Hahaha, little sister, do you take me for a fool? Clearly, my terms are better than yours. Why should I reveal my hand to you? This isn't how you play a match, is it?" Wan Boss happily took a puff of his cigar and exhaled a large smoke ring.
"Alright!" Diana cut to the chase and turned to Su Tang, "Big sister can see that you want to follow me, right?"
Su Tang feigned helplessness, nodded, and then silently lowered her head.
"Deal! For your sincerity, I'll go back and revise the terms," Diana said. "Boss Wan, I know you've made a lot of money relying on An Shi these past few years, but don't try to pressure me with An Shi. I'll settle this score with you sooner or later."
With the situation unclear, Diana, who had long wanted to flee, left behind a perfunctory remark and departed.
"Hoo—" Su Tang, who had been holding her breath, finally exhaled.
"Miss Su, how did you like my performance?" Wan Boss removed his hat, extinguished his cigar, and took off his sunglasses in one fluid motion. He stood up respectfully and said to Su Tang, "I had several more acts prepared, but she ran off."
"Boss Wan, please sit. I truly appreciate you helping me out today; otherwise, my plan would have been ruined," Su Tang said politely.
"Ah, I didn't intend to get involved in your affairs, but Old Yuan mentioned that you are investigating a case, and the missing girl might very well be..." Wan Boss said, uncharacteristically serious. "Although I'm not a good person, I do have a kind heart. I have two daughters myself. Putting myself in your shoes, if I can help you eradicate a societal tumor, I'd consider it a good deed, more effective than a million in merit money."
"That's right. This Diana is not easy to deal with. Don't let her act today fool you; she's actually quite ruthless," Da Shu said.
"Miss Su, let me tell you the truth. I knew about this Diana before. As Da Shu said, she's no good. To put it crudely, in the past, she was a 'pimp,' but she only served officials and influential people. Her business was small, but highly profitable, and she met all the top figures—Child, now that we're being frank, your master and I are half-friends. The reason I agreed to help you today has nothing to do with An Shi or Ping An; it's because your father, Su Xia, showed me mercy during the crackdown on crime, knowing I wasn't a true gangster. I'm grateful for that, so I naturally have no reservations this time." Wan Boss clasped his hands into a fist and then bowed vigorously to the upper left—a sign of utmost respect.
He continued, "Diana is not good, and the forces behind her are even worse. A friend of mine who does business in Japan once asked me to contact Diana. I didn't step in then, but I knew what my friend wanted to do by contacting her: to sell girls. Under the guise of entertainment contracts, they would lure people to Japan and then film those kinds of films."
"What kind of films?" Su Tang asked, captivated as if listening to a story.
How should I answer this question? Wan Boss looked at Da Shu with embarrassment. Da Shu nodded, leaned closer to Su Tang's ear, and whispered, "The kind of films on Old Fang's computer."
"Ah?" Su Tang disgusted, dug her ear.
"Ahem!" Wan Boss coughed awkwardly and continued, "Logically speaking, we're all minding our own business. Even if I knew something, I wouldn't have paid it any mind, as I'm not a police officer. However, if you're going to stir up this hornet's nest now, then don't blame me for speaking plainly—you're not qualified yet. If your master, Ping An, were willing to come out of retirement, then it would be something. But you, even with the support of the underworld and the police force behind you, it's still not enough. You won't be able to defeat them."
"Why? I've already caught this Diana and a Ma Delu. I've clearly made progress," Su Tang said unyieldingly.
"Hahaha, if you had come to me earlier, your achievements would have been much greater. With just a pot of tea, I could have gotten you a lot of information. For example, Ma Delu is just the 'front man,' and Diana is at best the 'connector.' Behind them is someone called CEO Ou. He is the key you need to investigate," Wan Boss said. "You can't even handle Diana, and you've deployed so many people, yet you haven't figured out their background—Forget it, let me ask you, what do you plan to do next? Do you know that your setup is a good one, but it's only just begun."
"This..." Su Tang was truly stumped.
"Girl, listen to old Wan for a moment. You are blessed. Relying on An Shi, you'll have endless wealth this lifetime. You have a master that no one dares to provoke, who can ensure your safety as you grow up. Child, do you know that the three old fellows under you, while they've helped you, have also offended many dangerous characters? Some people, even they, cannot afford to offend. But that's because you have a good master. Although he hasn't been involved in things for the past two years, that's just a tiger taking a nap," Wan Boss sighed and said. "Believe it or not, if Diana knew your true identity, she would flee the country overnight. But this is just the aura of your master. You are still too young to handle this."
"Yes, Old Wan is finally speaking the truth. Boss, why don't you ask your master to come out of retirement? Even if you just follow along and get some experience like last time," Da Shu also advised. "Honestly, seeing you take such risks makes me uneasy."
Her passionate fervor was doused thoroughly. For the first time, Su Tang had the thought of backing down.
They traveled in silence. Da Shu dropped Su Tang off at An Jing's doorstep and left.
An Jing's residential complex wasn't large. Su Tang walked to her door, but suddenly didn't want to go back in. She circled out of the complex again. She needed to think carefully about how this case should proceed. Should she really give up?
On the pedestrian street outside the complex, there were all sorts of snack stalls. Couples walked hand in hand, intimately.
Su Tang walked aimlessly, her mind still replaying the words of Wan Boss and the others. Was she truly not suited, or perhaps too young at this age, to be a detective? When she saw her master investigate cases, he was always thinking ahead, but he also endured a lot of hardship. Or perhaps, she should learn earnestly from her master how to solve cases. Otherwise, after painstakingly setting up a trap, only to have the target fall into it, and then not knowing how to proceed—how embarrassing would that be...
"Hmm, so what?" Su Tang's eyes widened, eager to hear the other party's intentions.
"Let's cooperate!" Shi Han revealed a sunshine-like smile. He was very confident that such a smile, to a seventeen-year-old girl, represented kindness and self-assurance.
"Hee—Ha!"
Shi Han did not receive Su Tang's answer. Instead, in his bewilderment, he watched helplessly as she executed a shoulder throw on him. After a two-second period of amnesia, he lay on the ground in disbelief.
"Generosity without reason is either a trap or theft! Scram!"
Su Tang clapped her hands and left without looking back.
"This girl, why doesn't she play by the rules!" Shi Han, who was disoriented from the fall, struggled to lift his head and shouted after the departing Su Tang, "I know Nian Xiaobei's whereabouts, but I don't have the influence or connections. Let's cooperate! Detective Su!"
Shi Han swore that the last four words, "Detective Su," were spoken with utmost sincerity.
Indeed, Su Tang stopped in her tracks.
"Tomorrow noon, Flower Street, milk tea shop. Come with sincerity, or I'll have Old Yuan and Old Fang give you a bath," Su Tang said coldly, and then left sternly.
Inside the complex, around a corner.
Su Tang looked around, saw that no one was nearby, and suddenly hit her right hand hard with her left: "So handsome! So handsome! How could you do that! What a sin! He must think I'm a muscle-bound brute, a violent maniac! Oh dear!"
Shi Han, who had been thrown to the ground, naturally didn't hear Su Tang's repentance. Watching her leave, he shook his head helplessly, took out a phone, and dialed a number.
"I don't know if I hooked her, but she's definitely interested," Shi Han said. "Unless she's not cut out to be a detective at all."