As the two women were wrestling, someone behind them spoke, their voice chillingly cold. “Comrade police, could you please pause for a moment?” Tao Leke was startled, slowly turning around to see a man in his forties or fifties sitting in the middle, nothing particularly special about his appearance except for his terrifying gaze that one dared not meet. The man stared intently at Tao Leke, his tone light, “If you’re here on official business, we’ll cooperate fully, but first, let me see your ID and documents.” Now Tao Leke panicked; she had no ID or documents, she was just impersonating a police officer. Seeing her hesitation, the man gave a cold smirk and signaled for the people around to close the private room’s door.
Tao Leke felt a cold sweat running down her back; what was happening? It felt like she was facing imminent death, not in jest. She stole a glance at Su Yiwen; his brows were tightly furrowed, his eyes unreadable. “What are you doing?” Tao Leke asked, trying to hide her fear. The man stood up, completely ignoring Tao Leke, walked past her to Su Yiwen, his voice flat, “Director Su, can you explain what’s going on here?” He then gave Tao Leke a very strange look.
Su Yiwen looked up, hiding the anxiety in his eyes, and gave a soft laugh, “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.” “Oh?” The man deliberately stretched out the word, “You don’t know this police comrade? That doesn’t seem right; she looks remarkably like your wife.” Su Yiwen stiffened visibly, his mind in turmoil, unsure how to respond, just looking at Tao Leke, his dark pupils darkening with more and more ink.
Seeing Su Yiwen silent, the man sneered, “Don’t tell me you’re afraid to acknowledge her.” Tao Leke felt the conversation taking a weird turn; the atmosphere in the room was heavy, especially around this man, almost suffocating. She hadn’t noticed earlier, but besides the men and women in the room, there were several black boxes on the long table in front of them, one of which was open, revealing neatly arranged stacks of pink banknotes. The amount in one box was unknown, but with the other boxes, it could be in the millions.
