When the fully armed police burst into the room, Yao Chen's subordinates waiting in the hallway were easily subdued—after all, the police had guns and claimed to be upstanding citizens.
With a kick, the door to the private room flew open. Inside, the dim light revealed a man pressing a woman down on the sofa, her skirt pushed up to her thighs, and even her underwear was vaguely visible. The delicate lines of her legs ignited a fire in the hearts of the men present.
Jiang Ye’s eyes fell upon the scene, and he cursed in his heart, “Shit.” The mission had failed! Yao Chen must have known ahead of time! How did the news leak out?
“Captain Jiang, long time no see,” Yao Chen said nonchalantly, rising from his seat. He slowly buttoned up his shirt, covering his toned chest, and smiled, “Such a grand entrance. Is the police organizing a team-building event?”
Facing dozens of dark muzzles, he remained unperturbed, his smirk radiating confidence and a hint of mockery. Team-building, my ass! Jiang Ye ignored him and, as he stepped through the door, he quickly signaled his officers to search the room.
In the brief moment it took for Yao Chen to utter those words, the officers had thoroughly searched the private room, but of course… they found nothing.
Yao Chen lit a cigarette, tossing the lighter back onto the table and leaning back with one ankle resting on the opposite knee. He watched the officers' fussing over nothing with a smile, “Captain Jiang is an old friend. If you’re here for team-building, I can give you a 40% discount on drinks.”
Jiang Ye ground his teeth, struggling to swallow the curse that had leapt to his tongue. “Yao, we received a tip-off that illegal dealings are happening here. Please come back with us to the station for questioning.”
“No problem, I’ll fully cooperate,” Yao Chen said as he flicked the ash from his cigarette and stood up calmly, appearing as if he were an upstanding citizen.
Jiang Ye's gaze drifted to the girl beside Yao Chen. Ever since he had released her, she had curled up on the sofa, silent and motionless. Jiang Ye noticed her vest and shirt buttons had been torn off, exposing her fair skin, but it was clear she was dressed in a waitress uniform. The girl hugged her knees tightly on the sofa, her complexion pale.
“What happened to her?” Jiang Ye asked.
Yao Chen glanced at Han Yanyan and replied, “Just a natural love, both parties agreed.”
“Agreed?” Jiang Ye scoffed, “From what I see, this lady didn't seem very willing.”
Jiang Ye waved, summoning a female officer disguised as a waitress from behind. He whispered to her, and she hurried to the front of the sofa, leaning down, “Yanyan? Yanyan?”
Han Yanyan looked up at her, and Jiang Ye noticed her pale face, with eyes as black as ink.
“Yanyan, are you alright?” the female officer said softly, “Don’t worry, I’m really a police officer. You can come with me to the station; you’ll be safe.”
Han Yanyan glanced at her, silently nodding. Her dazed silence fit that of a “victim.”
After searching the room, Jiang Ye’s team found no evidence. He realized this operation was a failure, but after planning for so long, he couldn’t let Yao Chen slip away so easily.
He signaled the female officer to help Han Yanyan leave first, thinking that even if they found no other evidence, if she was willing to cooperate, they could at least pin a charge of attempted assault on Yao Chen.
Unfortunately, the waitress didn’t cooperate at all. No matter how the female officer coaxed her, she remained silent, only answering “no” when asked if she had been forced. As for the surveillance cameras in the private room… those had conveniently “malfunctioned” during Yao Chen’s business talks.
When Jiang Ye returned from another interrogation room, he found Han Yanyan softly asking, “Officer, when can I leave? I have classes tomorrow…”
Jiang Ye was taken aback.
The female officer approached him, handing over a file folder: “Captain Jiang.”
Jiang Ye flipped through it, realizing the female officer had pulled up Han Yanyan’s records. He looked back at her, “You’re from S University? A student?”
Han Yanyan nodded, “I was just working part-time as a waitress…”
Jiang Ye asked, “Did Yao Chen threaten you? Don’t be scared, if you’re willing to testify, he can definitely be sentenced.”
Han Yanyan glanced at him. Though interrupted abruptly by Leo last time, she had absorbed the persona of “Policewoman Han Yanyan.” Jiang Ye was her superior, and she was quite familiar with him. He was the one who had asked her through her earpiece, “Are you ready?”
Han Yanyan refused to testify, denying any coercion from Yao Chen.
There was nothing Jiang Ye could do. Most women would opt for silence in such situations, and even more so for a young girl who hadn’t even graduated yet. He had to let her go but handed her a card, “This is my number, call me if you need anything.”
Han Yanyan watched him briefly before accepting the card. Jiang Ye was particularly struck by her eyes. They were deep and full of an intelligent beauty. She was truly a beautiful girl. He watched her slender figure leave, then lit a cigarette.
The female officer came over and reminded him, “Captain Jiang, no smoking in the office; the chief said—fines!”
Jiang Ye sighed and turned back to Han Yanyan's file, “You should reach out to her again. What a coincidence, she was there at that time. She must have seen or known something.”
The female officer replied, “I have my suspicions too. I saw those men go in, and when I tried to ambush her, she dodged a little too conveniently.”
At that moment, someone came over, saying, “Captain Jiang, Yao Chen’s lawyer has arrived.”
Jiang Ye clenched his teeth in frustration, “Got it.”
Han Yanyan didn’t leave the police station right away. She went to the restroom to wash her face. After the scare she had experienced that night, her face only just began to regain some color.
Looking up, she saw her pretty face in the mirror. Every “Han Yanyan” was young and beautiful, as if it was a fundamental requirement. Just like the current web novels, readers generally couldn’t accept an unattractive female lead.
She splashed water on her face. The water couldn’t fully remove her makeup, but thankfully, she had kept it light. The lipstick had been mostly smeared off by Yao Chen’s rough treatment, and since her mascara was waterproof, it wouldn’t turn her face into a mess. She assessed her reflection; though pretty, it wasn’t a flawless beauty.
Han Yanyan held a slight obsession with extraordinary beauty. She had written numerous female leads who were stunning, winning effortlessly due to their looks. She had always dreamed of experiencing that kind of breathtaking beauty herself, even just once.
Yet, as fate would have it, she found herself in Leo’s clutches. Well, there was no escape, and she had no idea how to get free. She’d have to make the best of it; all she wanted was to be extraordinarily beautiful, but until now, it had never happened.
She wiped the water off her face and left the police station. Stepping outside, she felt like cursing.
Although she had been in a short dress at the club, it was actually deep autumn outside. When pulled from the club, the female officer had lent her a vest to cover herself—Yao Chen had ripped off her vest and shirt buttons, leaving her exposed. Han Yanyan was only wearing a thin vest and had a pair of bare legs that shivered in the cold night wind. She checked her pockets; not only did she have no wallet, but even her phone was missing.
The police had cuffed their whole group and brought them to the station, with no time to fetch their coats or wallets. As for her phone, it had been in her vest pocket, likely left in the 812 private room.
Han Yanyan hesitated whether to go back to Jiang Ye and borrow some money for a cab, but she quickly thought that in this world, dealing with the police too much would likely hinder her plans against Yao Chen. Instead, she decided to take a cab back to Yao Chen’s “Jin Hao” club first, get her wallet, and then pay for the ride.
However, right outside the police station, no cabs could be found. Who could be coming in and out of the police station at this hour? The taxi drivers were reluctant to pick up passengers!
Han Yanyan crossed her arms and walked a bit further, trying to catch a ride. The area around the police station wasn't busy, and waiting for a while without seeing a single taxi, she spotted a black stretch limousine pulling up in front of her. Han Yanyan’s gaze sharpened.
Someone in the passenger seat got out and opened the door for her, and when she leaned in slightly, she met Yao Chen's eyes. A shiver ran through her as she heard him say, “Get in.”
Han Yanyan didn’t hesitate and slid into the car, taking a seat opposite Yao Chen. The interior was warm, and the sudden shift from cold to hot sent her sneezing twice.
Yao Chen glanced at her, biting his cigarette as he took off his suit jacket and tossed it to her. Han Yanyan quickly put it on, sniffing, “Thank you.”
Yao Chen held the cigarette and exhaled a cloud of white smoke.
Although it was a stretch limousine, the space was still limited. Han Yanyan immediately felt as if she couldn’t breathe.
Yao Chen clearly had no idea what a gentleman should be. Though dressed in a high-end suit, he was really a delinquent who hadn’t even graduated high school, rising from the streets to his current status. In the underground world of K City, he was already a king without a crown. Expecting such a person to behave politely and extinguish a cigarette in front of a woman was rather unrealistic.
Even in the car, he sat with one ankle resting on the opposite knee—a posture that showed an underlying dominance.
Fortunately, the limousine had two rows of seats facing each other, providing enough space. Han Yanyan sat with her back to the front, diagonally across from Yao Chen, not touching his knee.
The back seat was illuminated with soft light, not overly bright. Yao Chen scanned Han Yanyan from head to toe and asked, “What’s your name?”
“Han Yanyan,” she replied.
He nodded, opening the armrest compartment and tossing two bundles of cash her way: “Yours.”
One bundle fell onto the seat, the other onto Han Yanyan’s lap. The white cash contrasted with her fair skin, creating a striking image of a money-for-service exchange.