On a dark, windy night, even electricity was rationed in the slums, while the wealthy district blazed with light. Stirring symphonies drifted from luxurious hotels, and neon illuminated one rotten soul after another amid the towering buildings.
After wiping the muddy water off his shoes, Gao Ming hid in the alley behind the Grand Duke Hotel with three crew members. Stinking garbage bins and scurrying rats surrounded them, but the place they were watching glittered with light. Sexy dancers strolled back and forth, their arms linked with impeccably dressed members of "high society."
"Don't let those suits and polished shoes fool you. Each one's dirtier than the next. There are no good people in this city. The bigger the bastard, the better the life." Jia Youzhi muttered enviously, his eyes practically trying to burrow into the dancers' loose clothing.
"Wipe your drool. At your age, you probably couldn't get it up anyway. Just enjoy the view." Ding Xiang squeezed in beside Gao Ming. "Director Li, my informant told me Bu Ming arrived at the hotel at five this afternoon. He hasn't left."
"You even have an informant here?" Gao Ming was rather surprised. In Li Sansi's memories, Ding Xiang was just a small-time actress.
Ding Xiang gestured toward the dancers with her chin. "My last job was pretty much the same as theirs."
Gao Ming asked no more questions and lowered his voice. "Let me go over the plan again. Once we get inside, we grab Bu Ming and extort—no, demand compensation for Wu Wei's emotional distress and the crew's lost working time. People are most vulnerable when they're naked. We'll have a small video camera with us. If he dares resist, we beat him up first, then send the evidence to his other lovers."
"Let's do it. I can't