Chapter 18

Although the mall housing the Victoria’s Secret Slimming Bootcamp was always quiet, not far to the east lay a bustling little alley — a real local favorite in Jinshi City, often referred to as the city’s late-night canteen.

Every evening at sunset, the alley would come alive with thick plumes of smoke from open grills and mingling scents of various dishes filling the air. Hawkers and stall owners shouted their specials in rhythmic voices, creating a uniquely vibrant urban scene.

Led by Xiao Ping, Luo Jingyao made her way into the alley. They squeezed through the dense crowd and finally stopped outside a popular street-side food stall.

The kid coach scratched the back of his head, clearly a bit embarrassed. “The spicy stir-fries here are actually pretty good,” he mumbled.

“Then this place it is!” she agreed decisively.

They entered the stall one after the other and picked a relatively quiet corner in the back to sit down. Without hesitation, Luo Jingyao ordered several of the restaurant’s signature dishes.

People say you can’t criticize someone who’s feeding you. Across from her, Xiao Ping looked increasingly shy. “It’s just the two of us… you don’t have to go all out like this, Sister Luo,” he said timidly.

The power of free food was immediate — his way of addressing her had already shifted to a much warmer “Sister Luo.”

“It’s not too much. Since the interview yesterday, you’ve really looked out for me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have adjusted so quickly,” Luo Jingyao smiled sincerely. In the dim yellow light, the dimples on her cheeks twinkled, making Xiao Ping a little dazed.

A slight blush crept onto his youthful, slightly immature face. His thick eyebrows twitched as his not-so-big eyes awkwardly looked away. He stammered, “It… it was nothing, really.”

The two of them exchanged small talk — mostly meaningless but easy-going — until the dishes finally began to arrive one after another.

The rich aroma of spices and chili rushed up to their noses. Paired with ice-cold beer, it didn’t take long before Xiao Ping’s eyes began to glaze over.

“Sister Luo, you can count on me! No matter what happens at work from now on, just come to me!” he said, pounding his chest like a drum after barely half an hour into dinner.

Luo Jingyao nodded with a smile, glancing at the half-dozen empty beer bottles stacked near their feet. After double-checking and confirming there were only four, she rubbed her forehead with a complicated expression — she hadn’t expected his alcohol tolerance to be this bad.

Seeing that the timing was right, she casually asked, “Xiao Ping, what do you think of Boss Jiang? Easy to get along with?”

“Boss Jiang…” He frowned, clearly searching his memory. “She’s alright, I guess. Just kind of a dream-seller — always talking big. Also, she keeps a close eye on everyone. As long as she’s around, we can’t slack off.”

Really?

Luo Jingyao raised an eyebrow. If what Xiao Ping said was true, then perhaps Boss Jiang’s earlier behavior wasn’t specifically targeted at her — but rather, she treated everyone that way.

“How long have you been working here?” she asked again.

He seriously held up one finger and said proudly, “Over a year.”

Doing some mental math, Luo Jingyao raised her glass again, just to be sure.

When the number of empty bottles increased to six, she cautiously tested the waters. “I have a friend who used to attend our bootcamp. Her name’s Zhuo Meiling. Does that ring a bell?”

“…” Xiao Ping now seemed genuinely drunk. One elbow was on the table, and his hand was holding up his heavy head.

After several seconds — just as Luo Jingyao started to wonder if he had fallen asleep — he slowly shook his head.

Then, as if realizing something wasn’t right, he nodded instead. “Kinda remember… Zhuo Meiling… she was here for almost two months. I think she left early because of health reasons. Didn’t hit her target weight.”

“Now that you mention it, there was another student recently who dropped out early too. Didn’t even stay a few days.”

“Oh?” Alarm bells went off in Luo Jingyao’s head. “Do you remember that student’s name?”

Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried to recall, Xiao Ping just couldn’t remember. Finally, he waved his hand in frustration. “Totally forgot. We deal with dozens of students every day. I didn’t even get the chance to learn her name before she left.”

“I see.” Not wanting to raise suspicion, Luo Jingyao didn’t press further. She shrugged and casually changed the subject. “By the way, we get one day off a week, right? And usually nights are free too? Would it be okay to pick up a side job?”

“Why not? After hours, Boss Jiang’s got no control over us!” he said proudly. “Earlier this month, when our salary was delayed, she even had a few of us go out and take on side gigs together.”

“But don’t think nights are always free. Once you become a full-time employee, you’ll have to take night shifts — like room checks at the dorms and handing out supplements.”

That was a lot to take in, so Luo Jingyao focused on the most suspicious part. “Supplements?”

“Just… just multivitamins,” he muttered groggily.

And then, the next second, Xiao Ping collapsed face-first onto the table, out cold.

Still unwilling to give up, Luo Jingyao leaned over and lightly nudged his fuzzy head. “So what kind of side gig did you guys do with Boss Jiang?”

“Mm.” She replied vaguely, though a feeling lingered deep inside—this wasn’t over yet.

Even if those five men weren’t copycats, how did they end up involved with Huang Guifen?

“As for the rest, the police will handle the investigation. You don’t need to worry yourself over it, Coach Luo,” Lin Jiafan said again from the other end of the phone, still sounding uneasy.

“You should also have Pang Guangbuyi look into Boss Jiang,” Luo Jingyao replied cryptically, then hung up decisively.

Immediately, she quickened her pace and caught up with Xiao Ping, who was heading toward the restaurant. Flashing a bright smile, she asked, “Got a minute?”

“Wanna go out for a drink?”

Her invitation was met only with a few uncomfortable groans—clearly, the young man had already drunk himself into unconsciousness.

She stared helplessly at the top of Xiao Ping’s head for a moment before reluctantly accepting the situation. After paying the bill, she slung him over her shoulder and staggered to a nearby hotel. After dumping him into a room, she slipped the front desk clerk some extra cash and asked them to keep an eye on him before leaving.

Since the subway station was near the mall, Luo Jingyao retraced her steps. As she walked, she texted the information she’d just extracted from Xiao Ping to Lin Jiafan.

He replied quickly, saying he’d have Pang Guangbuyi look into the medical history of the two victims—this was indeed a blind spot the police hadn’t noticed before.

“Are you home?”

She stared at the four words that popped up in the chat window, her expression slightly conflicted.

In her mind, she pictured Lin Jiafan’s face—sometimes refined, sometimes exasperating—but in any case, not the type to fuss like this.

“Almost.”

As she typed out the reply, she was already back near the mall. Under the night sky, the tall building looked even more ominous than it did during the day. Streetlights cast shifting shadows on its dark walls, forming strange, haunting shapes.

Seeing this, she slipped her phone into her pocket and instinctively picked up her pace.

Even the most fearless can feel uneasy in such oppressive darkness. Being brave and being afraid of the dark aren’t mutually exclusive.

All she could hear were her own breaths and footsteps. After turning a corner, she finally reached the front side of the mall, from where the glaring lights of the distant subway station could just barely be seen.

But just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she suddenly heard a pained, labored breathing sound nearby.

Startled, Luo Jingyao slowed her steps and narrowed her eyes toward the source of the sound. There, slumped against the base of a wall, was a man.

His head was bowed low, his face obscured. He clutched his right arm and let out intermittent gasps of pain.

Under the faint moonlight, Luo Jingyao could just make out that he was wearing the dark blue uniform of the mall’s maintenance crew. Summoning her courage, she approached.

“Hello?”

The man seemed surprised anyone would be passing by at this hour. He quickly looked up.

His pain-distorted face was familiar—he was Brother Zhao, the maintenance worker who had recently fixed a spotlight at the training camp.

“Brother Zhao? I work under Sister Jiang—we’ve met before.” Luo Jingyao offered a friendly smile.

Recognizing her, his expression relaxed a little. “Out this late by yourself? You should be careful walking alone at night.”

“Thanks for the concern.” She responded politely, then asked with concern, “You don’t look so good—should I call an ambulance?”

“No need, no need.” Zhao quickly waved her off, only to wince when the movement strained his injured arm. “It’s an old injury from an accident. I’ll just take some medicine when I get back.”

“Where do you live? I can take you.”

He clearly wanted to refuse again, but after struggling to get up and failing several times, he finally gave a wry smile. “I also work as a night security guard at the mall. I live on the first floor.”

“Take it slow.” Luo Jingyao bent down and easily lifted him up.

Compared to Xiao Ping earlier, Zhao was both smaller and lighter, so helping him up wasn’t difficult at all.

With his directions, they entered the mall through a side door.

Immediately inside was a corridor separate from the mall’s main area. They followed it for a couple of minutes until they reached a door labeled “Storage Room.”

Next to it was a small, inconspicuous wooden door. Zhao pointed to it with a trembling hand.

“This is it. Thanks, Coach Luo.”

“It’s a mess inside, so I won’t invite you in for tea.”

Luo Jingyao didn’t insist. She gently let go of him and watched as he unzipped his outer jacket and pulled out a key from an inner pocket.

Suddenly, her eyelid twitched involuntarily.

Under the flickering sensor light above them, she caught a glimpse of the dark knit sweater he wore underneath.

Plain. Ordinary. Unremarkable.