Chapter 60: Deception

"Ah Xiang, is the meal ready?"

"It's ready, Brother Sen, just one more dish..." Ah Xiang replied from the dining room, her voice crisp and cheerful.

"I've been waiting for this all afternoon. Lunch was just something to tide me over, but tonight I really wanted to taste Ah Xiang's cooking," Zhou Sen said, rubbing his stomach as he walked toward the dining room.

Bai Yulan was helpless. Stuck with such a shameless man, she couldn't get rid of him; now the two were deeply entangled, like grasshoppers tied to the same rope.

"Ah Xiang, this chicken stew with mushrooms is delicious. The soup is simply exquisite..." Zhou Sen praised Ah Xiang's cooking endlessly, saying it was no less than the dishes made by a restaurant chef.

"If Brother Sen likes it, then have some more," Ah Xiang replied happily, scooping rice from her bowl.

Bai Yulan, annoyed, set her bowl down with a clatter and said sourly, "I'm full. You two enjoy your meal."

"Don't go. You ate so little, that's not enough. Eat a bit more—it's cold out, you need to eat more to keep warm," Zhou Sen said.

"Mind your own business!" Bai Yulan retorted angrily, stood up, and left.

"She's angry again?" Zhou Sen watched Bai Yulan's graceful figure as she departed and whispered to Ah Xiang, "Ah Xiang, do you think your Sister Lan is jealous?"

"Brother Sen, I've never seen Sister Lan so upset before. Be careful," Ah Xiang giggled.

"I'm not afraid. I'm not sharing a room with her anyway..." Zhou Sen raised his voice deliberately, finding it amusing to provoke Bai Yulan.

Hearing this, Bai Yulan gritted her teeth in silence. She knew the man was teasing her; if she responded, she would fall right into his trap. She endured it.

"Ah Xiang, what about Wu En?"

"Don't worry, Brother Sen. I sent dinner to Brother Wu En early this evening," Ah Xiang replied quickly.

"Good, good..." Zhou Sen ate happily. With Bai Yulan refusing to eat, he didn't want the dishes to go to waste.

After dinner, Zhou Sen helped Ah Xiang clear the table. Taking the opportunity, he coaxed quite a bit of Bai Yulan’s past out of Ah Xiang.

From now on, they would be comrades in the same trench; it was only right to learn more about her.

What he learned was surprising: Bai Yulan's ancestors had been military officers in the late Qing Dynasty. Such a delicate young woman had practiced martial arts since childhood, which explained her unyielding character—it was inherited.

The saying goes: scholars become poor, warriors become rich. After the fall of the Qing and the family's decline, Bai Yulan lost her privileged status. No matter how skilled in martial arts, it couldn't compare to foreign guns and cannons.

Her family ran a security escort agency for a while, transporting goods for others. In these times, escorting goods was hard-earned money, but the world was full of bandits...

Bai Yulan's father was too upright; after one disastrous job, he lost everything—his family fell apart and his daughter was sold to a pleasure house at twelve.

Bai Yulan’s misfortune was even worse than his own. He was adopted by kind-hearted old Anthony, a White Russian, but she had no such luck. Before she met Old Ma, she struggled at the bottom, living a life worse than pigs or dogs.

For a girl to remain self-reliant in such circumstances, relying on her own abilities and finally meeting Old Ma, who recognized her worth, was truly remarkable.

Her blemishes were insignificant; most were beyond her control.

Reflecting on his own situation, he wasn’t much better off—their fates were surprisingly similar. Perhaps this was destiny.

"Brother Sen, are you going home tonight?"

"Yes. Once I can move into that room, then I won't leave," Zhou Sen chuckled, his meaning clear.

"Brother Sen, I've only been with Sister Lan for a short time, but I can tell she doesn’t really dislike you," Ah Xiang said.

"Is that so? What do you know, little girl? She’s just putting up with me because she has no choice," Zhou Sen laughed. If Bai Yulan truly disliked him, she wouldn't accept his money.

"Brother Sen, I'm not that young. Girls my age in the countryside are already married with children," Ah Xiang pouted.

"You’re still young. Not fully grown yet. Having children so early is like walking twice through the gates of hell. Better to wait until you're at least twenty," Zhou Sen replied.

Ah Xiang blushed fiercely. Fortunately, she was used to Zhou Sen’s odd, “improper” remarks; otherwise, she would surely have branded him a shameless scoundrel.

"Time to go!"

Although he wanted to stay, reason told him he had to return. If those monitoring him noticed he hadn’t come home, they would definitely investigate.

No matter who they were, he’d pretend they didn’t exist.

...

Leaving through the back door of the Fragrant Pavilion, Zhou Sen soon detected the familiar scent—someone was tailing him, and it was her...

He frowned slightly but kept walking toward home.

Step by step, the follower kept up, all the way to Gaoshi Street, where the scent gradually faded. Apparently, she knew he was going home, so there was no point in following further.

His house was bugged, he was followed outside—clearly, they regarded him as someone important.

Was this “priest” really so critical?

They wanted to use him, yet kept everything secret, never telling him anything. The Japanese were really not straightforward.

"Master Vasim, shall I make you a cup of hot milk?"

"No need, Irina. Go to bed, I'll handle it myself," Zhou Sen refused.

"All right, Master Vasim, rest well," Irina bowed slightly and returned to her room.

"Lucy, Lucy..." Zhou Sen called twice. The little creature was off playing somewhere, not giving him any surprises tonight.

He didn’t worry; the little one was clever, nothing bad would happen.

After discovering the bug in Anthony’s study, he no longer intended to go in, but then realized that avoiding it would only arouse more suspicion.

So he had to enter the study, but be careful about what he said, and about listening to the radio at night.

If the Japanese had installed the bug, and he listened to Russian broadcasts at night...

That was troublesome.

If the Japanese asked, how would he explain such odd behavior? Two nights in a row, at the same time, listening to a Russian radio story.

It looked suspiciously like secret communication.

Yet he had no idea what the story meant or what it was about—how could he explain?

Should he listen tonight?

Zhou Sen hesitated.

Anyway, things were as they were. Worrying about the inexplicable would do no good; better to sleep and wait until the Japanese came to him.

If they truly suspected him, they would have arrested him already. Since they hadn't, it meant it hadn't reached the worst point.

Life and death are fated, wealth is in the hands of heaven.

At worst, he would die—a world without "Zhou Sen" was hardly significant.

He went to his room and fell asleep.

...

Dao Wai, Zhengyang Police Station.

"Little Zhou, I knew it was you! Hahaha!" The newcomer greeted Zhou Sen with a big hug.

This was Zhou Sen's classmate from the police academy, Hei Wentao. The surname Hei was rare, but did exist.

"Hei, about what I told you on the phone—what’s the situation?" Zhou Sen asked unceremoniously.

"No problem. I can take you there, but not for too long. You know, I'm just a lowly clerk," Hei Wentao agreed readily.

"All right, once I settle things, let's have a drink at Houdefu at noon?"

"Been waiting for you to say that! Should we call Old Wu and the others? You rarely come by," Hei Wentao suggested. Old Wu was also their classmate, assigned here after graduation, all working as rank-and-file officers.

They weren't lucky enough to have rich adoptive fathers like Zhou Sen. Without connections, all they could do was slowly accumulate seniority.

"Agreed. Let's gather at the end of the year—we haven't eaten together in ages," Zhou Sen said. Despite some friction and unpleasantness among classmates at the academy, except for those who tried to curry favor with the Japanese, relations among the others were pretty good.

After graduation, those assigned elsewhere had naturally less contact, but the camaraderie was still there. Zhou Sen's original self wasn’t a top student, but had decent relations with others. As an excellent graduate, he didn’t face much opposition.

That was probably one of Zhou Sen's few virtues.

"Let's go, I'll take you," Hei Wentao said warmly, leading Zhou Sen toward the detention room. As a member of the judicial division, no one stopped them.

They went straight to the cell holding Luan Yuanhui.

"This guy, has he been interrogated?" Zhou Sen asked.

"He’s confessed to what he should, but keeps his mouth shut about the rest," Hei Wentao chuckled. He'd seen many like this—backed by someone, even if arrested, usually no one would make things too difficult.

"Has anyone sent word?"

"I'm not sure. Seems like Liu from the police division sent word not to make trouble," Hei Wentao whispered.

"Liu Deshui?"

Hei Wentao laughed. Zhou Sen could use that nickname freely; he wasn't part of Zhengyang Station. If the locals dared say it, they'd be in trouble.

"I'm going in. Watch the door—don't let anyone in," Zhou Sen instructed.

"Don't worry."

Zhou Sen entered. He saw a man in his thirties sitting on a straw mat, with hay underneath.

"Luan Yuanhui?"

The man looked up, surprised to see Zhou Sen—he clearly recognized him.

Zhou Sen might not be a regular at the Fragrant Pavilion, but he was a well-known figure in Bingcheng’s pleasure district. As head guard of the Fragrant Pavilion, Luan Yuanhui was bound to know him.

"Your situation is known to Chairman Su. But for now, he can’t use his connections to get you out. You know, if Bai Yulan finds out about your ties with him, all his plans will fall apart. So you’ll have to endure a few days here, but the old man won’t let you suffer—he’ll take care of your sweetheart," Zhou Sen crouched down and spoke quietly.

"Sweetheart? What sweetheart?" Luan Yuanhui was stunned. He had no idea what Zhou Sen meant.

"Isn't Sister Yan from the Fragrant Pavilion your sweetheart?" Zhou Sen asked in surprise.

"Impossible! That woman Yan Yuyan could never be my sweetheart," Luan Yuanhui denied.

"Luan Yuanhui, Chairman Su hates lies above all. Everyone outside is talking about your relationship with Yan Yuyan. If you don't give a reasonable explanation, how can he trust you?" Zhou Sen’s gaze was sharp as he pressed, "Yan Yuyan has already gone to Qunfang House to join Qin Xiong. What about you?"

Luan Yuanhui was dumbfounded. How could this be? He was interested in Yan Yuyan, but she looked down on him, a mere 'muscle man.' How could they be involved?

"Luan Yuanhui, as long as you can prove you have nothing to do with Yan Yuyan, Chairman Su can get you out of here in no time," Zhou Sen straightened up, looking down at him.

"Young Master Zhou, Officer Zhou, how can I prove it?" Luan Yuanhui panicked. He knew how dark the station was; without someone greasing the wheels, he could die here and no one would care, especially as he was now branded an 'arsonist.'

"Who ordered you to set fire at the Fragrant Pavilion?"

"Chairman Su..."

"Hmm?"

"No, not Chairman Su—it was Qin Xiong, eldest son of the Qin family..." Luan Yuanhui was quick-witted and immediately changed his tune.

"That's just words. Write down the process, sign and stamp it!" Zhou Sen nodded slightly. It felt good to play the villain.

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