At that moment, Han Xu was on night duty at the bureau. He yawned, stood up to stretch, when his phone rang. Seeing the number, he was genuinely surprised. “Hello, Han Xu, it’s… Tao Le.” Han Xu hadn’t expected her call, and upon closer listening, he noticed her voice was heavy with a nasal tone, perhaps she was sick? “Han Xu, are you listening?” Tao Le asked again.
“Yes, what’s wrong? Is there something urgent this late?” Han Xu thought that Tao Le wouldn’t contact him unless something extraordinary was happening, even in the past, they wouldn’t call over trivial matters, so his intuition told him something big was up.
“Are you busy?” Tao Le hesitated.
“Uh, I’m on night duty. What’s up with you?”
“I… I need your help,” Tao Le paused, “Can you spare some time?”
Han Xu checked his watch, “I can sneak out for an hour, no problem.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for you.” Tao Le added a few more words before hanging up, and Han Xu immediately grabbed the keys from his desk and rushed out of the office. No one could have guessed that a fierce battle was about to unfold.
The ‘Flower Among Flowers’ club was one of the most luxurious nightclubs in City B, attracting many high-society patrons due to its high costs and the recent introduction of so-called international resources. Despite its blatant operations as a brothel, it had never been raided, fueling rumors that its backing was formidable. Now, Tao Le stood at the club’s entrance, the flashing neon lights casting a shadow of loneliness on her face. Perhaps due to the deep winter, she had rushed out without gloves, shivering from the cold, trying to warm her hands by blowing on them.
Han Xu parked the police car across the street and spotted the shivering Tao Le. He hurried over, looking at her with reproach, “What are you doing standing out here in this freezing cold? Why didn’t you wait inside?”
Tao Le managed a weak smile, “It’s no trouble, it’s just as inconvenient to wait inside.”
Han Xu kept his brows furrowed, “Why are you here at a place like this?”
Tao Le didn’t answer, instead focusing on the bag in his hand, “Did you bring the stuff?”
