The entire economic investigation team from Haijing City Bureau arrived in Jinbei the day before the scheduled meeting, accompanied by two undercover agents from the criminal investigation team.
Before heading to Jinbei, Captain Han showed Ace the disguised photos of Lin Heyu and Yi Shi. Ace nodded repeatedly, affirming that they found the right people; their appearances were very convincing, especially the one in the Cheongsam next to them, whose beauty was stunningly alluring, even three points more beautiful than the real Airy.
When the group arrived in Jinbei and Ace saw the real person, he was immediately dumbfounded: “…Captain Han, where’s the woman pretending to be my sister-in-law?”
Captain Han pointed to Yi Shi: “Isn’t she right here?”
Ace looked completely confused, occasionally stealing glances at Yi Shi, finding it hard to connect the ordinary-looking officer in front of him with the person in the photo.
In the operation meeting room, Captain Han opened the projector and enlarged the map: “The time agreed between Ace and Tiger (the head of the money laundering group) is tomorrow at 7 PM, at the presidential suite on the top floor of the Mingjing International Hotel. I’ve already contacted colleagues on the Jinbei side; they will cooperate with us to set up a trap, aiming to capture Tiger in one go.”
“How many people will Tiger bring?” Yi Shi asked.
“According to our investigation, Tiger usually brings four bodyguards. He spoke to Ace again yesterday, and to show his sincerity, he also invited his brother Lion along.”
Two photos appeared on the big screen. On the left was a scruffy-looking man with an unkempt beard, but he was still within an acceptable range; on the right was a man with poor taste, dressed in an array of flashy colors, a walking eyesore. Captain Han cleared his throat: “I know you must be wondering how such a brute became the boss? Tiger does have some real skills, but Lion is just a complete waste of space. However, he is Tiger’s only family, and Tiger dotes on this brother.”
“No wonder he’s showing sincerity; bringing Lion is equivalent to exposing his weakness.”
“Then let’s target his brother; if we take Lion hostage, Tiger won’t be able to ignore it.”
In the meeting room, discussions flowed continuously, but Lin Heyu and Yi Shi remained silent. Yi Shi flipped to the next page and quietly said to Lin Heyu: “Tiger has a private helicopter.”
Lin Heyu pondered for a few seconds and replied softly, “Ace’s intelligence is problematic.”
The two of them put down the money laundering group’s materials and began to review Ace’s previous statements, examining them one by one, until Captain Han asked, “Lao Lin, what do you think?”
Lin Heyu didn’t rush to answer; instead, he countered, “When you captured King, what was his attitude towards Ace’s betrayal?”
“Ah?” Captain Han thought for a moment, “He was quite calm, saying he had been living a life on the edge and had long expected that one day would come.”
“Proper achievements can help reduce his sentence; why would he refuse?” Yi Shi asked.
Xiao Liu replied, “He just said he didn’t want to go; he’s given up on life, thinking he’d just rely on state support for the rest of his days and that he’d be in prison anyway.”
Lin Heyu and Yi Shi exchanged glances, their suspicions confirmed.
“Lao Lin, did you sense something was off?” Captain Han quickly approached him, “Quick, tell us what you found!”
“Ha, a cunning fox.”
__
06:13 P.M., Mingjing International Hotel.
“The presidential suite for the meeting is in the right room. Including the pinhole cameras inside and those on you, there are a total of ten cameras. We’ll be monitoring the situation in there at all times. Remember, once Tiger reveals the dark web key, we’ll close the net,” Captain Han handed a gun to Lin Heyu. “Yi Shi won’t be taking a weapon; we’ll keep it on you. I trust your shooting skills.”
Ace, crouching in a corner, suddenly spoke up: “Captain Han, this kind of negotiation requires honesty; both sides will search each other before entering the room. If they find guns, the negotiation can’t continue.”
“What if they resort to dirty tricks?!” Captain Han scolded, “Are you trying to harm Captain Lin?!”
Ace shrank into the corner, feeling wronged: “Captain Han, why are you doubting me? Look, since I’ve been captured by you, have I told a single lie? I even betrayed King; what more do you want?”
“Then we won’t bring it.” Lin Heyu said.
“Lao Lin! You can’t joke about this; if you get hurt, the higher-ups will eat me alive!” Captain Han pushed the gun into Lin Heyu’s hands, “Take it. If they refuse to negotiate, we’ll block the suite and bring them back for a slow interrogation.”
“If he destroys the key, even if you catch him, it will complicate subsequent investigations,” Lin Heyu pushed Han’s hand away, “We’ve come this far; it would be a pity to fall short at the last hurdle.”
Lin Heyu approached the corner, looking down at Ace: “What you said is the truth, right?”
Ace was shrouded in shadow, only his sharp jawline and piercing gaze were visible from his angle. A shiver ran down his spine, and he stammered, “Y-yes, it’s true, it’s all true.”
Lin Heyu grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up: “Xiao Liu, Xiao Xie, handcuff him and change his clothes.”
Soon, Ace was dressed in a suit, nervously glancing around, filled with curiosity towards the male officer disguised as a woman: “Yi Shi, are you ready?”
“In makeup, should be almost done.”
Just as he finished speaking, the bedroom door of the suite opened, and with a crisp sound, Ace turned around, stunned by the sight of the person in the cheongsam walking in.
?!
Among the people he knew, there indeed was a scammer who disguised himself as a woman to trick wealthy men. However, their disguises usually had some degree of awkwardness; facial contours or skeletal issues couldn’t be concealed, or they lacked a certain feminine charm. Yet none of them were like Yi Shi, whose looks, temperament, demeanor, and mannerisms perfectly aligned. If it weren’t for having seen him once before, he would never believe that the person standing before him was a man.
Lin Heyu raised his right hand slightly, and Yi Shi walked over, wrapping his arm around him. Compared to women, Yi Shi’s height was somewhat above average, and combined with the long legs exposed by his Cheongsam, it visually elongated his body proportions.
Captain Han snapped his fingers: “That’s right, Lao Lin, if you hug Yi Shi and he leans against you, it should create a good effect.”
Lin Heyu wrapped one arm around Yi Shi’s waist and pulled him into his embrace. Yi Shi obediently leaned against his shoulder, his ears slightly flushed, transforming from a sharp person into a delicate little bird. Captain Han clapped his hands in delight: “I told you! Thank goodness it’s Lao Lin; our office’s height ceiling. If it were the gardener instead, standing next to Yi Shi would look more like being kept by a sugar mommy.”
Time was running out, and everyone hurriedly communicated the final action plan. A colleague who had been monitoring the surveillance turned back: “Captain Han! The people are here!”
Captain Han squeezed to the front of the computer screen and saw six men walk out of the elevator, turning right towards the innermost presidential suite. It was the Tiger brothers and his four bodyguards.
The atmosphere instantly turned tense, and everyone returned to their posts, ready for action. Captain Han stood at the door, gripping the doorknob: “Lao Lin, don’t worry, the first floor is all our people; we will definitely do our utmost to protect your safety.” He looked at Ace, “You’d better behave yourself while playing your supporting role. If you cause any trouble, watch out for bullets!”
The door to the private room opened, and Ace was pushed out. He turned his head to look around; the waiters and cleaners were all police officers. The tight arrangement made him secretly gnash his teeth in frustration.
But it didn’t matter; as long as he entered the private room later, he would take control.
Lin Heyu, holding Yi Shi, followed behind. Ace seemed to think of something and turned back with a smile: “Captain Lin, Officer Yi, you should hide your earpieces too. If they accidentally show, there’s no way to explain.”
Yi Shi’s slender fingers tucked his long hair behind his ear, casually saying, “The earpiece is a small matter; it’s really hard to explain if the fox’s tail gets exposed.”
Ace’s heart trembled, and his smile turned awkward: “…What do you mean?”
“King didn’t dare to meet Tiger because he knew it was a one-way trip to a trap. You and Tiger colluded secretly to take him out, and his business would then be handed over to you,” Yi Shi said, the corners of his lips curling into a cold smile. “You and King have long been at odds; you took the chance when he was caught to frame him, and later, you planned to use Tiger to rescue you. Is the helicopter still parked on the rooftop?”
Cold sweat broke out on Ace’s forehead as he swallowed hard: “Officer, please don’t say that; Captain Han can hear you! I really plan to turn over a new leaf and seek leniency!”
Lin Heyu, who had been silent, spoke up: “Lion should not be the useless person from the rumors; on the contrary, with him around, the success rate of saving you would be higher. Both of you have been kept in the dark, thinking you would only face King and his lover tonight. What would their expressions be if they knew you brought police with you?”
“Even if you really managed to escape, the two brothers are being played around by you, and you would still end up in trouble.”
Ace’s face turned pale, his fists clenched as he weighed the pros and cons in a race against time. His seemingly perfect plan had been completely exposed, and since the police were already aware, did they dare to follow him into the tiger’s den without assurance?
An urgent voice from the earpiece interrupted him: “Lao Lin, the helicopter on the top floor has been controlled by us. Those criminals have no way to escape; just go ahead.”
“Okay, got it.” Lin Heyu glanced at Ace, “Don’t worry about stray bullets; we just got ourselves a shield.”
Ace was terrified and knelt down, begging for mercy: “I really don’t want to die! I was wrong; I will cooperate, I will!”
Yi Shi grabbed his collar, pulling him up: “You’d best remember your words, or you will definitely be the first corpse tonight.”
__
The tiger-catching operation at Mingjing Hotel was a great success. The heads of the international money laundering group, Tiger and Lion, along with all those present, were captured. Although there was a fierce gunfight in the middle, the police sustained no losses and managed to take them all down in one sweep.
“Wow, you guys really missed out not being at the scene; it was an amazing spectacle, comparable to a Hollywood blockbuster! Captain Lin and Yi Shi really didn’t bring guns, but they had other tricks up their sleeves! Yi Shi had a brooch; I thought it was just a decoration, but who knew he took it off and used it like a dagger, cutting Tiger’s tendons!”
“Exactly! When Lion saw Tiger was injured, he immediately pulled out his gun, and Captain Lin’s moves were too dazzling! He threw his suit jacket to disrupt their vision and then kicked Lion down; I didn’t even see how it happened before the gun was in his hand.”
“One of the bodyguards was really funny, trying to grab Yi Shi’s head! In the end, he got nothing and was thrown down by Yi Shi in a shoulder throw, and Yi Shi stomped on his chest with high heels; those heels are so thin, I felt pain just watching!”
“Two others planned to sneak attack Captain Lin, thinking they could take him down with a bullet, but they ended up lying on the ground, holding their legs in pain!”
“Later, in the chaos, Lion picked up a gun dropped by a bodyguard, and guess what? The gun was empty; the magazine had been taken by Yi Shi!”
“When we burst in, the floor was littered with people. Captain Lin and Yi Shi stood in the center, and I thought of a few big words: history, mystery, husband, wife!”
“It was so thrilling, Captain Lin is amazing, Yi Shi is amazing! I copied the surveillance footage; you guys hurry and watch during lunch! Let’s scream together!”
As the economic investigation team described the scene vividly, the criminal investigation team couldn’t wait until their lunch break to use the projector to enjoy it. The large office echoed with cheers, applause, and excitement. The two movie stars sat calmly in the middle of the crowd, as if it had nothing to do with them.
In the midst of the noisy stereo, Lin Heyu said softly, “The Cheongsam looks pretty good.”
Yi Shi’s face flushed slightly, and he awkwardly touched his ear: “…It was a gift from Captain Han.”
“Only one piece?”
“Three pieces.”
Another round of cheers erupted. Lin Heyu squeezed Yi Shi’s fingers, leaning close to his ear: “Wear it for me to see tonight.”
“…Okay.”