Sister Lan

Relief washed over Lin Bin, and he nodded like a chicken pecking at grain. "Okay, okay! One day it is!"

Jiang Nan turned to the woman beside him and asked, "And who are you? Lin Jiajia's mother?"

The woman startled inwardly and forced a smile. "Sir, my name is Hu Mei. Lin the Third and I aren't married. He's divorced. I'm his... his friend."

Jiang Nan studied the woman named Hu Mei. She looked considerably younger than Lin Bin. She wore a cheap camisole and jeans, but the necklace around her neck was solid gold, and the designer handbag she carried looked like a recent purchase.

An unconscious coyness crept into Hu Mei's expression as she spoke. No wonder Li Xiaomei had said Lin Jiajia had been in low spirits lately. It looked as though Lin Bin had been devoting all his attention to this woman.

Jiang Nan said nothing more. He waved a hand, telling his men to let Lin Bin and Hu Mei go. Then he had Tang Fei drive him to Boss Li's shop and shared the news with Li Xiaomei. She remained skeptical of Lin Bin's story, but all they could do was wait until the following afternoon.

Meanwhile, Lin Bin had lost all interest in gambling. He took Hu Mei home, closed the door, and began discussing how to handle the next day's problem with her. Neither realized that someone had been inside their home.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Lin Bin said to Hu Mei, "Mei, why don't you call Sister Lan and see if she's finished with the girl? If she's done, we can go pick that little brat up tonight."

Hu Mei rolled her eyes at Lin Bin in displeasure. "Aren't you usually so full of yourself? Where was all that swagger just now? You couldn't even get us two days, and now you want me to ask Sister Lan for you. Are you even a man?"

Lin Bin pinched her breast. "Don't you know perfectly well whether I'm a man? You were there just now. You saw them. Are those people we can afford to cross?"

Hu Mei cried out in pain and irritably pushed Lin Bin's hand away. "We can't afford to cross them, but we can afford to cross Sister Lan?"

Lin Bin put an arm around her and coaxed, "Just call and ask. Didn't you say you and Sister Lan were on good terms? Besides, this was your idea in the first place. Now those people are asking for Jiajia by name. How am I supposed to explain it to them?"

Hu Mei immediately bristled and raised her voice. "Oh, so now you're dumping all the blame on me, Lin? Don't forget, you were the one who took the biggest share of Sister Lan's money!"

Lin Bin tightened his arm around her waist. "Come on, don't get upset. We've got no choice here. Just put up with it and call Sister Lan to ask. If they're finished with Jiajia, we'll pick her up right away. Otherwise, we won't be able to give those people what they want tomorrow."

Before Hu Mei could answer, Lin Bin added, "Haven't you always wanted a gold bracelet? Just make this call tonight, and once everything's settled tomorrow, I'll take you to buy one. I'll get you a gold bracelet heavier than an egg!"

Hu Mei's eyes shifted as she considered it, then she pulled away from Lin Bin. "Fine, fine. I'll make the call."

Elsewhere, Pei Zheng was reviewing the previous month's accounts at his private club. He closed the ledger and nodded in satisfaction, then said to the female manager sitting across from him, "You've done well these past few months. Next year, you'll be managing all the clubs in the South District. Keep up the good work!"

Joy flashed in the manager's eyes, though her expression remained composed. She bowed. "Thank you for your trust, Brother Zheng. I won't let you down."

"Mm. By the way, it's the Chief Commissioner of the City Police Department's birthday tonight. You've arranged everything, haven't you?" Pei Zheng asked.

The manager replied, "Everything is ready. I'm sure the Chief Commissioner will be satisfied."

"Good. I trust you to handle things. Commissioner Steven will be transferred back to the Federal Police Headquarters next year. His family's connections are important to my elder brother's political career, so make sure nothing goes wrong," Pei Zheng cautioned.

"Understood!" the manager answered crisply.

Pei Zheng rubbed his temples and waved a hand. "Go take care of things. Let me know when Commissioner Steven arrives. I'll need to put in an appearance."

The manager nodded, then rose and left.

Back in her office, the manager saw two missed calls on her phone. After checking the number, she called back.

"Xiao Mei, did you need something?"

"Sister Lan, I'm so sorry to bother you this late." Hu Mei's voice came from the other end.

Indeed, the manager was the very Sister Lan Hu Mei had spoken of!

Hu Mei sounded embarrassed as she stammered, "Um, Sister Lan, that girl named Jiajia I sent over a few days ago... well, can we pick her up now?"

Sister Lan recalled the small, skinny girl, then replied with some displeasure, "We agreed on three hundred thousand for seven days. It's only been four. Are you trying to back out?"

Hu Mei said apologetically, "Sister Lan, we wouldn't dare back out. Something unexpected came up. The girl's grandmother suddenly fell ill and died this afternoon. Her father wants her to come home and see her grandmother one last time."

Beside Hu Mei, Lin Bin's expression turned peculiar. It's your mother who's dead!

Sister Lan fell silent for a moment, then said, "How about this? We still have an important guest tonight. Come get her once tonight's business is over. I'll let you know tomorrow morning."

"Yes, okay, okay! Thank you so much, Sister Lan!"

Finally relieved, Hu Mei smugly waved her arm. "You heard that, right? We'll pick her up tomorrow morning. Don't forget the gold bracelet you promised."

Lin Bin planted a hard kiss on Hu Mei's cheek. "You're the best. Come here and let me have a taste!"

Soon, sounds that agitated the woman next door rose from the room again.

Meanwhile, Sister Lan received Commissioner Steven according to plan. He was a regular at the club, and she knew his tastes very well. Every time she hosted him, she catered to his preferences, and tonight was no exception.

After arranging everything, Sister Lan found time to return to her lounge for a short nap, instructing her staff to notify her if anything came up.

Some time later, a female employee woke her. "Sister Lan, something's happened. You'd better go take a look."

At the words "something's happened," Sister Lan was instantly wide awake. "What happened? Tell me, quickly."

The club's guests were all leading figures in White Cloud City, and offending any of them could have serious consequences. Even if her boss, Pei Zheng, could smooth things over, it would still damage his opinion of her.

"It's Suite 1."

Her subordinate's words sent Sister Lan's heart into her throat. The guest in Suite 1 was Commissioner Steven, the most important guest of the night.

Sister Lan cursed herself. Why had she gone to sleep at such a crucial time? Of course something had to happen right then.

"How is the guest? What happened?" Sister Lan asked urgently.

"The guest is fine!" Her subordinate's words let Sister Lan breathe a sigh of relief. As long as the guest was unharmed, nothing else really mattered.

"One of the girls we sent in is dead!"