“First, if they really hired a hitman, the killer would come for the payment. Second, if we’re lucky, the body hasn’t been dealt with yet, and we might be able to track down the murderer handling the body,” Jiayi looked up into Xu Shaowei’s eyes, recalling some of the more tedious situations she had encountered while working on cases with the team, and softly said:
“Don’t expect any particular situations, and control your emotions not to be disappointed. This is the job of a detective, just follow the instructions.”
Xu Shaowei nodded and, spotting a mobile stall passing by, waved to the elderly vendor and bought two skewers of candied hawthorn.
“Couples usually share one skewer.” Jiayi was somewhat concerned about giving themselves away.
“We’re the kind of couple that has money,” said Xu Shaowei.
“People don’t share a skewer because they’re short on money, do they?”
“Do you want to share one with me, madam?”
“…No.”
Xu Shaowei chuckled and continued munching on his own skewer.
As the wind blew around the corner, he instinctively stepped to shield Jiayi from it.
She noticed these little details and her impression of this ‘new teammate’ improved by a notch.
As Xu Shaowei raised his arm to eat, Jiayi noticed the watch he was wearing. It was understated in design, with a silver metal band and black dial, but unmistakably a Rolex, worth over twenty thousand—approximately two months of Xu Shaowei’s salary.
This guy really doesn’t hesitate to spend on himself… Is this the spending philosophy of a bachelor?
Teaming up for a stakeout was the quickest way to get to know your colleagues better.
After two days of surveillance, even though Jiayi and Xu Shaowei rarely discussed personal matters, their understanding of each other had fundamentally changed.
During this time, Jiayi also noticed that Xu Shaowei’s patience was quite limited. When she mentioned this to Brother Sanfu, he said he was the same when he was younger, suggesting that it’s common among men and that a few years would smooth out his edges.
Late the next night, just before midnight, Jiayi and Xu Shaowei followed Datou right after he got off work. Pretending to be a couple just killing time, they tried their best not to attract Datou’s attention.
Although Datou was the top assistant to the emerging tycoon Zhou Xinhui, he still dined alone at an old street-side shop eating fishball noodles after work.
In this small city of Hong Kong, many people don’t care much about so-called status. Even the ultra-rich might dine at street food stalls, and tycoons like Li Ka-shing routinely exercise in parks on schedule.
If this era’s Hong Kong had square dancing, wealthy middle-aged women would probably join in with enthusiasm.
Everyone lives openly and freely, unconcerned with nonsense about status, pretensions, or public images. Nothing is more important than ‘my own’ happiness.
Datou’s nightlife profoundly illustrates that wealthy people also prefer to live relaxed and carefree daily lives.
There’s no decadence—just eating, drinking, and the necessities of life.
After finishing his fishball noodles, Datou loosens his tie and ducks into a makeshift roadside stall, ordering two bottles of beer, a plate of peanuts, and a stir-fried crab. Cracking crab legs and sipping beer, he enjoys himself thoroughly.
Jiayi makes a mental note of all the spots Datou visits, planning to try out his street-side tastes once the case is closed.
After finishing his beer, Datou runs to a convenience store to buy ice cream and cigarettes. Leaning on the counter, he lights up a cigarette and casually chats with the young salesgirl while swiping his Octopus card and eating his ice cream.
No matter how rich, men still enjoy flirting and wasting time with pretty girls.
He doesn’t boast about being a top lieutenant for the big boss Zhou Xinhui, just shoots the breeze to display his knowledge and humor. Unfortunately, the salesgirl isn’t too responsive, often showing impatience as he holds up other customers.
Just as Jiayi starts to wonder whether the life of the wealthy Zhou Xinhui and celebrity actress Gu Xiaolan might be more distinctive, Datou leaves the store and walks back to his nearby community.
But as he passes an ATM booth, he discards the ice cream stick gnawed down to teeth marks and steps inside.
Across the street, Jiayi and Xu Shaowei, who have been tailing him, notice three people lurking near the ATM stand up and start looking around while edging closer to the booth.
Jiayi motions for Xu Shaowei to stay calm and then circles around to get closer, hiding behind a tree near the ATM.
She pulls Xu Shaowei next to her, posing as a couple hiding behind the tree to share an intimate moment, which, even if spotted, would not arouse suspicion.
Xu Shaowei looks down at the young woman standing in front of him, shorter by a head, her eyes fixed on the ATM. From this angle, her long eyelashes are clearly visible, each flutter detectable.
He tilts his head slightly away, forcing himself to focus on the three men moving toward the ATM.
Jiayi is worried that these three might be planning a robbery and coincidentally encounter Datou. She is considering what to do in case a conflict erupts.
If we don’t go out and apprehend those three robbers, although it would ensure the smooth progress of the case at hand, but…
However, if Xu Shaowei and I rush out to subdue the three robbers, the tail on Datou would be exposed, and afterward, he would surely become more cautious. Even if he had plans to contact a hitman, he might call it off. Then, capturing any leads from Datou’s side would become nearly impossible.
After a few tense minutes of surveillance, the worrying situation Jiayi feared did not occur.
The three ‘robbers’ did not rush into the ATM booth to rob it but instead stood scattered outside, waiting.
When Datou came out and saw these three, he didn’t look nervous but nodded slightly at the man with a ponytail among them.
They knew each other.
Jiayi immediately became all the more vigilant; this was the first time in two days of surveillance that Datou had interacted with unknown individuals.
Datou approached the ponytail, and the group, understanding each other’s gestures, nodded slightly and turned into a side alley, standing in the shadows.
Mawei and Datou faced each other, standing about a meter apart. Leaning against the grimy stone wall of the alley, Mawei cockily pulled his right hand from his pocket, palm up, making a ‘hand it over’ gesture to Datou.
Datou, clearly displeased, kept his hands in his pockets, clutching the bulging wad of cash, grumbled:
“We agreed on 400,000, now you want to raise the price? That’s against the rules. How are you going to stay in this line of work, Mawei?”
“Brother Datou, I had no choice, it’s tough killing people. A big fish’s life is worth more than just 400,000, right? I’ve got several brothers waiting for their share, I can’t be dipping into my own pockets to do your dirty work, can I?” Mawei tilted his head, his tone was polite, but his expression was defiant.
“Threatening me over the phone with calling the police? If you dare to do that, who would respect you afterward?”
“I had no choice but to threaten with the police, it’s a last resort.”
“You’re not afraid of getting caught if you go to the police? You’re the one doing the deed.”
“I’m just another expendable guy; a few years in jail and I’m back out. Besides, I’m not the mastermind here, but Brother Datou, your life and your boss’s life are way more valuable than ours, aren’t they?”
“Here’s an additional 100,000, making it 500,000 total. After this, don’t come looking for me again. Otherwise, I won’t admit I put you up to this. If you want to kill, go to jail by yourself, don’t drag me into it.”
“Don’t worry, Brother Datou, with 500,000, I’m satisfied. We’ll meet again if there’s more business,” Mawei stomped his foot, pulled out a cigarette pack, flicked out one and offered it to Brother Datou.
“No thanks, who knows if you’ve laced it with something?” Datou waved him off and pulled out the money to hand over to Mawei.
Mawei smiled and reached for the money, but Datou suddenly turned his hand away, meeting Mawei’s annoyed gaze with a fiercer stare, and said sternly:
“The police are watching closely these days. I told you, don’t come looking for me, don’t call me. If you do, you won’t be able to handle the consequences, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Boss Zhou has the best team of lawyers, you thugs don’t have that.”
“Relax, Brother Datou, all this fuss, are you going to pay up or not?” Mawei was getting impatient.
Datou grunted and finally handed over the money.
Because a person with a ponytail was keeping watch at the entrance of the alley, Yi Jiayi and Xu Shaowei couldn’t get too close.
Standing under a distant tree, Yi Jiayi kept her eyes on Mawei’s lip movements. Although she wasn’t professionally trained in lip-reading, some of her suspicions allowed her to understand most of what was being said.
The moment Datou handed the money to Mawei, Yi Jiayi slapped Xu Shaowei’s arm, “You take Datou, I’ll take Mawei! Go!” With that, she drew her gun and charged out like a cannonball.
Xu Shaowei hesitated for a second before catching on, drawing his gun and following her. He quickly overtook Yi Jiayi, entering the alley staggered one behind the other.
“Police! Freeze!” Yi Jiayi yelled, her gun instantly aimed at Mawei and Datou, catching them red-handed.
As they stormed the alley, the lookout at the entrance turned and shouted, “Retreat!”
As Xu Shaowei reached the mouth of the alley, he rammed his shoulder into the lookout, knocking him over since the police had the element of surprise. He then stepped on the lookout’s chest, pressing hard on his throat with his foot, his gun aimed directly at the back of Datou’s head, “Don’t move, or I’ll shoot!”
The lookout on the other side of the alley saw the police charging and turned to run.
Seeing his fellow run, Mawei instinctively turned to flee, but Yi Jiayi didn’t hesitate to fire a shot at the ground near his feet.
The loud bang made everyone flinch as the bullet hit the dirt, sending stones and soil flying, a powerful deterrent.
Yi Jiayi stepped forward, still holding her gun expertly, glaring at Mawei and shouted sternly:
“Don’t move!”
If he tried to run again, she would shoot him in the legs!
Realizing the serious intent in the female officer’s eyes, Mawei finally froze in place, raising his hands high, not daring to move.
Yi Jiayi quickly glanced at the person who had run off at the other end of the alley, then turned to Mawei and ordered:
“Lie against the wall, hands behind your back!”
Mawei, grinding his teeth and looking from Yi Jiayi’s gun to Xu Shaowei’s, struggled for a moment before reluctantly facing the wall and placing his hands behind his back.
Yi Jiayi moved swiftly forward, holstering her gun and pulling out handcuffs, clicking them onto Mawei with quick, efficient motions. After commanding him to kneel facing the wall, she turned and walked towards Datou.
Xu Shaowei’s gun remained steady, aimed at the back of Datou’s head, his foot firmly pressing down on the lookout’s neck, ensuring he didn’t suffocate while completely restricting his movements.
Indeed, what most intimidated them was the detectives’ guns in hand.
Yi Jiayi efficiently handcuffed Datou and the lookout, then patted Xu Shaowei’s leg, signaling he could lift his foot.
Xu Shaowei held his gun, glancing down at the female officer kneeling beside him as she handcuffed the lookout. He lightly rubbed the gunstock with his fingers and ground the tip of his shoe against the flesh beneath, before finally stepping back.
After Yi Jiayi had ordered Datou and the lookout to kneel against the wall like Mawei, she turned to see Xu Shaowei still holding his gun, his expression stern and fierce.
She frowned, walked up to him, and gently pressed on the side of his gun, slowly pushing it down, whispering, “Put away the gun, Xu Shaowei.”
A few seconds later, Xu Shaowei finally switched on the safety, slowly holstered his gun, and silently clipped it back to his waist holster.