Chapter 249: Even the Wind Feels Warm

At night, Xiao Yu lay on the bed in his hotel room. He pulled out his phone and opened WeChat.

Xiao Yu: Studies show that guys really like it when their girlfriends are a little flirty with them. What do you think, sis?

A minute later.

Mu Qingwu: Do those studies mention that girlfriends often spend a lot of time shopping for guns? What do you think, little brother?

Xiao Yu: Emmm… Sis, I just realized that whenever I think of you, even the air feels sweet.

Mu Qingwu: Ha, do you think saying sweet things will make me forget how you flirted with me in front of the baby?

Xiao Yu: Sis, you’ve changed!

Mu Qingwu: Oh, really?

Xiao Yu: Yeah, like, when we’d just been married for a month, you’d say, “Little brother, I miss you a little.” Two months in, it was, “You better show up soon, or I’ll knock you silly.” Now that it’s been half a year… Love’s gone, hasn’t it?

Mu Qingwu: Ha, I’m not like that.

Xiao Yu: That’s girls for you. Sweet and fierce, all in one (hand-drawn puppy face).

Mu Qingwu: Are you being sassy with me? Want me to call Mom and have her wait for you at home?

Xiao Yu: Can we still have fun here?

Mu Qingwu: Sure, but only if you behave.

Xiao Yu: Sis, you’re my first girlfriend, my wife. I’ve never even dated a younger girl.

Mu Qingwu: Silly boy, instead of raising a girl, why not talk about real stuff with your big sis…

Xiao Yu: And then we’ll just go on about how great you are, right? You’re cool, you’re wise, you don’t fuss too much. Am I right?

Mu Qingwu: Haha, alright, enough, bad boy. Get some rest, solve that case, and come back soon. I and the baby will be here waiting for you, okay?

Xiao Yu: Alright, make sure Mu Qingwu takes good care of my sis and my baby.

Mu Qingwu: Got it, goodnight. Oh, and little brother, do you still remember what goodnight means?

Xiao Yu: It means I’d better behave while you’re not here. No troublemaking, just sleep… right, my dear sis?

Mu Qingwu: Keep that up, and maybe I’ll let you have another girlfriend someday.

Xiao Yu: If I believed that, I’d be six feet under before I knew it.

Mu Qingwu: Smart boy.

Xiao Yu: Sis, tonight’s air is so sweet, even the wind feels warm.

Mu Qingwu: Tastes like sugar?

Xiao Yu: Yeah. Goodnight.

Mu Qingwu: Come home soon.

Xiao Yu: I will.

He ended the chat with his wife, closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep with a smile…

***

Z City.

According to Shu Yuzhen’s confession, two and a half years ago, she’d been lured to this city by someone she met online. She ended up getting trapped in a pyramid scheme hideout, where they brainwashed her and eventually sold her off.

“Based on our investigation, we tracked down Shu Yuzhen’s so-called online friend from back then. His name is Tong Qing, male, 31, a local of Z City. He’s a bar scammer,” Wang Dong said, reading from his tablet.

When national security wants to investigate, they’ll find whatever there is to find. 

Using Shu Yuzhen’s old social media accounts and chat logs, they quickly identified Tong Qing as the suspect.

“A bar scammer?” Xiao Yu raised an eyebrow.

Bar scammers, or wine hustlers, were people who worked in high-end bars or clubs. They went online, chatting people up to make friends, then luring them to their bar to buy overpriced drinks. They earn a commission on each sale, and it was a pretty low-risk, high-reward gig. Both men and women do it.

Of course, to pull this off, you have to have a good face and smooth talking skills.

When Xiao Yu finally saw Tong Qing, he had to admit the guy looked the part. Tall, handsome, with a warm and friendly smile. Seeing him, you’d get that instant ‘best guy friend’ vibe.

Tong Qing was behind the bar, putting on a show with his cocktail shaker. A few girls around him were watching, clearly impressed. When Xiao Yu took a seat at the bar, heads turned to check him out, too.

Tong Qing noticed Xiao Yu and paused, staring at his strikingly handsome face before smiling. 

“What can I get you?” he asked.

“I’m on the job, no drinks for me.” Xiao Yu shook his head, smiling. “Police. You’re coming with me.”

“…”

Tong Qing froze, his expression shifting as he forced a smile. 

“Don’t joke around.”

“I’m not joking, and I don’t want to say it twice.” Xiao Yu’s smile disappeared. “Now, come with me—”

Before he could finish, a cocktail shaker flew toward his face.

Xiao Yu caught the shaker easily, placed it back on the bar, and stood up, heading toward the door.

Some people just don’t get it. You try talking to them like a human, but they insist on acting like a dog. Two special ops officers rushed behind the bar, grabbed Tong Qing like a sack of potatoes, and dragged him out.

Inside a van parked outside, Xiao Yu held up a photo in front of Tong Qing, who was sitting there pale-faced and terrified.

“Do you recognize this person?”

Tong Qing looked at the photo, eyes squinting with a mix of confusion and distant recognition.

Scammed too many people to remember? 

It had been two and a half years, so maybe his memory was a little foggy.

“Jiangnan Deepfeel, that was your social media handle, right?” No small talk. Xiao Yu’s tone was cold and direct. “Two years ago, you lured a lot of girls to meet up with you, then took them somewhere. Where’s that pyramid scheme hideout?”

Tong Qing’s face went pale. His whole body trembled.

“I don’t have time to waste. Got it?” Xiao Yu lightly patted Tong Qing’s cheek, his voice soft but chilling.

Tong Qing seemed like he wanted to resist, which wasn’t surprising. No criminal willingly admits to their crimes or gives up information so easily.

Soon, he was dragged out of the van.

Half an hour later, a special ops officer returned to Xiao Yu and Wang Dong.

“He really doesn’t know,” the officer reported. “Each time, he’d take the girls to a small motel, drug them, and then someone else would come to pick them up.”

Twenty-three minutes later, Xiao Yu stood in front of that motel and stepped inside.

Half an hour after that…

“I don’t know anything! All I know is the guy’s nickname is ‘Big Shuai.’ He’s a well-known thug around here. Every time he takes someone, he leaves me a few hundred yuan. That’s all I know, I swear!” 

The motel owner sobbed, hands raised, with a gun pointed at his head.

Five minutes later, Xiao Yu was reviewing the info.

Zhao Shuai, 33, local to Z City, with a record and a bit of a reputation—a neighborhood tough guy.

Xiao Yu put down the tablet. The police van started up, heading straight for a certain KTV joint.