Red Light

Stand your Ground

Upon arriving at the hotel, Zhang Zihao went to the bar to get a beer and a soda. Lin Cheung found them an out of the way table.

"I think it was a good day. We may have found a central point. Don't you think?" Zhang Zihao asked before sipping his beer.

"I think so. Yes." Lin Cheung was excited. "I think we should discuss this a bit later with the head office."

"That seems reasonable. They usually know more than we do anyway." Zhang Zihao laughed. It wasn't long before his phone went off. Putting his beer down, he answered.

"Wei?"

"I'm here if you want a ride." was Nie Huaisang's cheerful reply.
-----

All three men were quite excited about the laundromat. The Spider's hunch that everyone has to do average errands seems to have paid off. Poring over a map, they had created a red circle with the laundromat in its center.

"If we are right, he is somewhere in this area." Lan Wangji tapped the map. For the first time, he felt like they were at least closing in on Yiling's location. He looked expectantly at Nie Huaisang. "Now what?"

Nie Huaisang gently wafted his fan as he thought. "I don't think Yiling is working off the streets. Your trip out as Chen Li and Huang Feng may have been unsuccessful for that reason. As a male, he's considerably more rare and consequently more visible if he's on the street. Nothing for you to see if he's not there to begin with."

This possibility made Lan Wangji feel much better about the debacle of that night.

Nie Huaisang continued. "That leaves a brothel or one of the windows." He looked at the detective. "In your report, you said he was attractive."

"Beautiful." Lan Wangji interrupted. "I said he was beautiful."

He cleared his throat.

Nie Huaisang smiled internally and added that little tidbit to his mental file on the detective. "Sorry. He's beautiful. The best way for him to be used as a money maker is for him to be seen. The streets are dangerous. That seems to leave the window locations. He's seen and has the ability to lock the door for additional safety..." The Spider was tapping his closed fan in his hand again. "I think we look at the windows. You are known to be at a convention. Everyone in that part of town saw you asking questions. It will be no big surprise if you go down to 'enjoy the night life' so to speak."

Lan Wangji's face went cold. "No. Won't."

For the first time, Yu Bin piped up. "You could just be accompanying me, your young wayward friend, to keep me out of trouble since I insisted we go. Would that be okay?"

"I don't have to hire anyone's... services?"

"Of course not, sir. I'm not hiring anyone's services. We are just going to see what the wild side of Beijing looks like. If I get propositioned, I'll 'entertain' the idea but won't go through with it. You can drag me away and scold me. Be as stiff and stern as you like. It should give us a great cover." Yu Bin was enthusiastic. He didn't want to have to be Chen Li again.

"I agree with Yu Bin. This has fantastic potential. We have two more nights for us to use this cover. Everything really starts hopping around ten but most of the windows have dancers shortly after dusk. Go after the dinner hour. It's pretty common for 'tourists'."

Finally, Lan Wangji nodded albeit reluctantly.

"I know you don't like this, sir, but we have established identities. That's something in our favor. If we're just guys at a convention, wandering around looking in the windows fits right in. No additional effort on our part. Casual clothes and we are all set." Yu Bin was earnest in his defense of the idea.