Chapter 9

Luo Jingyao’s lips twitched slightly. Reason told her that this guy definitely had something up his sleeve, and she should hurry up and say no.

But the surge of curiosity deep inside her just wouldn’t go away.

She averted her gaze from the man across from her and clearly heard her own voice echo in the quiet interrogation room:

“Alright.”

Lin Jiafan wasn’t surprised by her agreement to the invitation. He simply nodded slightly.
“Then see you tomorrow, Coach Luo. We still have other work to follow up on tonight. I’ll have someone take you home shortly.”

“No need. The last train hasn’t stopped yet, so there’s no need to trouble Officer Lin.”
Luo Jingyao slung her backpack over her shoulder and left the room quickly before either man could respond.

Lin Jiafan frowned slightly and was about to say something when he caught sight of her bulky backpack and gave up on the idea.
The image of her breaking someone’s bone in a swift move earlier flashed through his mind. He figured there was no need to worry about her.

He turned around and called out to Pang Guangbuyi, who was still standing by the table, not quite recovered.
There was still a lot of work to be done.

Around 9 AM the next morning.

It was just the tail end of the morning rush hour. Luo Jingyao navigated her way through the throng in the subway station with great difficulty.
By the time she finally made it out, she felt an odd sense of having “returned to the light.”

She walked for a few more minutes following her phone’s GPS until a pointed-roof building came into view, with four large characters above it: “Da Han Spine & Bone.”
She couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes.

This whole situation started with a phone call she had received at home earlier that morning.
On the line was an officer from the Jinshi Public Security Bureau’s office, informing her that the leadership had arranged for her to give a physical training session for the Special Case Investigation Team—
but the location wasn’t at the bureau.

Still half-asleep, she barely managed to jot down the address:
No. 24 Qingsong Road, Binhai New District.

Once she arrived in front of the three-story pointed-roof building, she double-checked the address in her notes. Her last hope vanished.

Just as she hesitated about whether to call the bureau for clarification, she heard a comically exaggerated whistle behind her.

She turned to see Lin Jiafan and Pang Guangbuyi getting out of a jeep. That whistle had clearly come from the younger one—his lips were still puckered.

“Good morning, Coach Luo!”
Pang Guangbuyi waved with exaggerated enthusiasm, but the exhaustion from pulling an all-nighter was written all over his face. His once-bright eyes were now completely dull.

As they walked up to her, Luo Jingyao narrowed her eyes:
“Da Han Spine & Bone, and you want me to conduct a physical training session here? Really, Officer Lin?”
She forced a smile.

Lin Jiafan didn’t look the least bit guilty. He simply smirked.
“We’re kind of coworkers now. Today you get your class fee and a little time to relax. You’re welcome.”

Luo Jingyao clenched her hands tightly at her sides.
“So Officer Lin planned all along to investigate the place where Huang Guifen works. What do you need a physical coach like me for?”

“Huang Guifen causes scenes at the station often—we can’t rule out the chance she might recognize us,” Lin Jiafan explained calmly.

“…Then you’re asking the wrong person. I pinned her to the ground just yesterday. She probably hates me more than any of you.”

“You’re not here to interrogate her, Coach. What’s with the nerves?”
Lin Jiafan glanced toward the shop entrance, seemingly worried their group was drawing attention. He signaled Pang Guangbuyi to head inside.

This store operated as a bath and massage house. Customers needed to collect an electronic wristband at the front desk before entering.
As soon as Pang Guangbuyi walked in, he headed to the counter.

Once they were alone, Lin Jiafan turned back to her and resumed,
“Huang Guifen works in the women’s bathing section. You don’t need to confront her directly—just observe her work behavior.”

He added with a slight grin,
“A large-scale, real-life, immersive detective roleplay. I thought Coach Luo might be interested.”
Then, without saying more, he stepped forward and pulled the glass door open, gesturing for her to enter.

Luo Jingyao hated how smug Lin Jiafan looked when everything went according to his plan.
She wanted to turn and leave—but the image of that severed finger in the fridge still haunted her.

Before, it was fine not knowing anything. But now that she did… how could she do nothing?
She took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and marched right past him into the building.

Pang Guangbuyi had already picked up the wristbands. When he saw them coming, he quickly handed one over.
Luo Jingyao didn’t even bother with small talk and followed the staff’s directions into the women’s bathing area.

As her figure disappeared behind the marble walls, Pang Guangbuyi muttered worriedly,
“Boss, you think she can handle it? Honestly, I’d rather we just brought Pan Chang instead of taking this risk.”

Pan Chang was currently the only female officer in the Special Case Investigation Team.

“Pan Chang handles media relations and daily communications. Her face often appears in the news. Sending her would be worse than having you dress up as a woman,” Lin Jiafan said sarcastically, then turned and headed toward the men’s section.

On the other side, after Luo Jingyao entered the women’s section, the staff at the door guided her to a private bath suite.

This establishment was known for its high prices. Each guest had their own private room, designed to provide a strong sense of security.
Each room was about ten square meters, with a small wardrobe, a large bathtub, a standard-size beauty bed, and a full set of toiletries.

But she quickly found herself at a loss—
The women’s section operated on a zoned service model, and the staff member assigned to her room was a woman in her early forties with dark skin and a warm, sisterly demeanor.

Looking down the corridor, she could see a line of staff members dressed in identical uniforms.
With the overhead spotlights shining harshly, it almost looked as if they all shared the same face.

Left with no other choice, Luo Jingyao could only head into the bath first and wait patiently for an opportunity.

She started with a long, comfortable soak. During this time, she received no messages or pressure from Lin Jiafan’s side. At first, she thought about going upstairs to meet up with the two men, but just as she was about to leave the bath, her gaze landed on the price list posted beside the door—and she suddenly changed her mind.

Luo Jingyao pressed the service button on the wall and, when the staff arrived to ask what she needed, she requested a full-body spa treatment.

Soon, a technician in a light pink uniform—a bit younger than the other staff—knocked and entered the room.

“Good day, ma’am. I’m Beauty Consultant No. 23 from Dahan Spine & Bone, happy to serve you.”

With the woman’s warm and enthusiastic demeanor, Luo Jingyao obediently lay down on the beauty bed. The room was filled with the rich aroma of expensive essential oils, mingling with the lingering heat in the air.

At first, the technician only made some casual small talk. But once she realized that Luo Jingyao wasn’t the type to shut down the conversation, she completely opened up.

Within ten minutes, the technician had asked and learned about everything from Luo Jingyao’s extended family to even the name of her childhood pet dog.

Yet rather than feeling offended, Luo Jingyao was quite satisfied.

So, when their previous topic naturally died down, she casually turned over and reached for her phone, which had been sitting on the side the whole time.

Soon, the loud sound coming from her phone caught the attention of the technician, who glanced over while continuing to massage her back.

At that moment, the video on her screen just happened to cut to a shot of Huang Guifen’s face, twisted in agitation. As expected, a surprised and delighted “Oh!” rang out next to her ear.

“Miss Luo, what are you watching?” the technician finally asked after a few seconds, unable to hold back her curiosity.

“Oh? Just some random short video I came across. Looks like someone was causing a scene at the Public Security Bureau yesterday,” Luo Jingyao replied casually, as if uninterested and ready to scroll past the video.

“Hey—!” the technician called out instinctively.

“Hmm?” Luo Jingyao turned her head with a puzzled look and glanced at her screen. Half-jokingly, she said, “What’s up, Sister Fang? Don’t tell me you recognize her?”

The technician didn’t respond immediately. After examining the screen a few times, she finally nodded, lowering her voice even though there was no one else around.
“That woman causing a scene—she’s my coworker. She works here!”

“No way! Are you serious?!” Luo Jingyao widened her eyes in feigned shock.

Clearly satisfied with her reaction, the technician replied confidently,
“I’m sure of it! She’s had a hard life too. Her son committed a crime and died a couple of years ago. Now she’s all alone.”

“Doesn’t she have any other family?”

“Her parents passed away years ago, and she divorced her husband. After her son’s case, she was left completely by herself. It’s really tragic!” the technician said while kneading oil into Luo Jingyao’s back, shaking her head with sympathy.

Luo Jingyao nodded as if understanding, then asked curiously,
“From what you said, her son’s been gone for a while. So why is she suddenly going to the police now? Was he wrongly accused or something?”

“Oh, that I’m not too sure about.” The question seemed to stump the technician, who laughed awkwardly.
“But I remember when the verdict came out, she didn’t say anything about injustice. She just took some time off, then came back to work.”

“Ah! I remember now!” The technician suddenly slapped her thigh and raised her voice with excitement, as if she had just made an important discovery.

Huh?

Even though her heart was pounding wildly at that moment, Luo Jingyao didn’t break character. She looked up at the woman with a confused expression.