Arrest

The figure at the window vanished. Liu Huisheng gave chase barefoot, but only the echo of frantic footsteps met her ears. By the time she threw open her door and rushed into the hallway, the person was gone.

“Who’s there!”

A memory flashed back with jarring force—the bright daylight of the present bled into the pitch darkness of a long-ago, deep alleyway. A demon with a knife waited at the end of that tunnel, walking toward her, step by agonizing step.

Her heart hammered like hooves against a war drum, yet her scalp felt ice-cold, as if ten thousand ants were carrying shards of ice across her skull. Every pore exhaled a deathly chill.

“Liu Huisheng! Liu Huisheng!”

Zhao Yu’s voice crackled from the phone, finally pulling her back to reality.

Her breath returned in a jagged gasp. She leaned against the crumbling brick wall, panting heavily.

Hearing her ragged breathing, Zhao Yu’s tone sharpened with panic:

“Were you spotted?”

Liu Huisheng stared blankly at the bricks, her pale lips trembling.

“No… I’m fine.”

Her feet felt as though they had been cast in concrete, weighing her down with dozens of extra pounds. Gritting her teeth, she dragged her numb legs back into her room, locking the door and bolting the window before drawing the curtains tight.

“Zhao Yu.” Her throat felt constricted; it took immense effort just to force out the air.

“I’m here. Was someone following you? Are you compromised?”

“Someone was there, but I’m not sure who. They’ve run off.”

“The suspect?”

“Unlikely. His factory shift hasn’t ended yet.” Moreover, she had never faced Jiang Feng directly; he had no reason to bug her room.

“For safety’s sake, get back to the station. Now.”

“No. I need to stay. I’m your inside eye.”

“Then I’m mobilizing the team now.” The sound of footsteps echoed through the phone; Zhao Yu’s voice shook with the movement of walking.

“Don’t. He isn’t back yet. If you move now, you’ll spook him.”

“I’m the Captain. Listen to me.”

Thud!

The sound of a car door slamming shut rang through the phone. Liu Huisheng’s expression turned arctic, her voice dropping to a dangerous chill.

“Zhao Yu.”

Just two words, yet they carried the weight of a long-established dominance. Zhao Yu’s hand froze on the steering wheel, her fingertips twitching.

“Don’t you know what the right thing to do is?” Liu Huisheng asked.

Zhao Yu, Zhao Yu, Zhao Yu.

Those syllables from Liu Huisheng’s mouth were like a queen’s imperial seal—heaven and earth itself must bow in response.

******************************

Their first kiss had been that winter.

By then, Liu Huisheng had grown used to the “little tail” following her—whether leaving class, heading home, or going to her part-time job, that shadow was always there, guarding her from a respectful distance.

“It’s so cold.”

Liu Huisheng hadn’t brought an umbrella that day. In her snow-white wool coat, the fine snowflakes fell like petals onto her voluminous hair, quickly accumulating into a soft, white crown.

She stopped walking. As expected, the shadow behind her stopped too.

Her lips curled into a beautiful arc. She turned around to confront the person hiding half their face behind a scarf.

“Following me in this weather… aren’t you freezing?”

The younger Zhao Yu had been hopelessly dense back then. Her 37°C mouth couldn’t get her -20°C tongue to move correctly.

“I am. But… a female student went missing recently. Everyone said to watch out for creeps, so I…”

Liu Huisheng’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “But following me every day makes you look like the creep.”

Zhao Yu lowered her head in shame. “I just wanted to protect you.”

“Hey,” Liu Huisheng called out.

“Mhm?”

“Don’t you want to hug me?”

“What?”

Zhao Yu looked up in shock. Ten meters away, Liu Huisheng stood with her head tilted, her beautiful almond eyes looking ethereal amidst the swirling snow under the streetlights.

The frozen tongue finally moved: “I… I don’t.”

Now it was Liu Huisheng’s turn to be stunned.

“Why? Didn’t you say you liked me?”

“Because you’re too beautiful. Like a deity. So sacred… I wouldn’t dare touch a god.”

“Did it ever occur to you that I purposely didn’t wear a scarf today, and I’m standing here specifically to wait for you?”

“No.”

“Did you think that this might be the first time I’m letting you hug me, and if you don’t come over, there might never be another chance?”

“I—”

“—Zhao Yu.”

One step. Two steps, kicking up flurries of snow. Then she was running, a believer racing toward a nun. She took off her own scarf and wrapped it around Liu Huisheng’s neck, carefully and gently looping it twice before tying a soft knot.

Liu Huisheng watched her. This girl, with her stunningly cool beauty, was acting like a common, dusty little wildflower—clumsy and sincere.

So, Liu Huisheng kissed her.

Yes—their first kiss had been Liu Huisheng’s move. A light touch of lips, like a dragonfly skimming the water, causing a sudden bloom of flowers in the heart.

*******************************

In an inconspicuous van across from the tube building’s market, the Major Crimes Unit was on standby.

Vice-Captain Qin Song looked worriedly at the calm building across the street, then at Zhao Yu.

“Boss, are you sure about this?”

“About what?”

“If we go in and catch the wrong guy, or if the profile is off… we’ll have blown the whole operation for nothing. We’ll be disciplined.”

Zhao Yu’s face remained unreadable, but her eyes were like river stones—veiled by mist yet shining with resolve.

“If there’s a disciplinary action, I’ll take the fall.”

Qin Song went silent. It wasn’t because someone else was taking the blame, but because he realized that Zhao Yu’s trust in Liu Huisheng was now unshakable.

[I’m going in. Signal: “This room is too messy” means GO. “I’ll do business with you another day” means ABORT.]

The signal was set.

Liu Huisheng stared at the screen, her finger hovering over the chat for a moment before exiting. She dialed the number and slipped the phone into her pocket, tucking a wireless earbud into the small pocket of her denim jacket. This allowed the team to hear her environment while their voices remained private to her.

No bugs, no high-tech gear—just the most primitive, effective method.

Knock, knock!

Her red-nailed fingers rapped against the peeling wooden door. It swung open to reveal the hulking man from the morning rush. He stood like a small mountain, crudely blocking the view.

“Well, if it isn’t the little beauty from this morning.”

The man let out a casual whistle. Inside the room, several male voices chimed in.

“What’s up? Looking for someone in our room?”

Liu Huisheng mimicked Ba-mei’s provocative slouch against the doorframe. She tilted her head, her dark red lips curling into a smirk as she narrowed her eyes and spoke in a high, airy voice:

“That’s right.”

The slender tone made the man’s resolve soften. “Who you looking for?”

“Whoever has the money.”

“Ooh—!” the men inside cheered.

The big man stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter.

“How much you want? With all of us here, you think we can’t scrape it together?”

For a woman of Huisheng’s beauty, they would have sold their furniture.

Liu Huisheng laughed softly, tossing her long hair back. She didn’t move. “Let’s talk price first. I don’t do business at a loss.”

“How much?”

“Five hundred.”

“That expensive?”

“And I only do one person at a time.”

“Ba-mei only charges two hundred.”

“She’s her. I’m me.”

The man scoffed and flipped on the rest of the dim bulbs. He turned to his roommates.

“Well? Five hundred. Any takers?”

“Too much!”

“I barely make that in a week, my wife would kill me.”

“Sister, give us a discount.”

“Not me, I’m out.”

“Let Jiang Feng go then! Hahaha! He’s a bachelor, he’s got nowhere else to spend his cash!”

At the mention of Jiang Feng, the room erupted in mocking laughter.

In the furthest bunk, a slender figure clutched the bedrail in panic. He stammered, “I… I can’t.”

The yellow light made everyone look like rusted iron. In the 39°C heat, within an airless room that felt like a steamer, Jiang Feng was still wearing long pants and socks.

Liu Huisheng’s gaze locked onto him.

“Whether you can or not, you’re coming to my place. This room is too messy.”

Zing!

The signal connected. Across the street, Zhao Yu threw the car door open.

“MOVE!“