0073 073 Scattered to the ends of the earth
Pei Youwen drove the two girls back to Tu Mi's residence, and then left alone.
Qi Shuyao was almost entirely nestled in Tu Mi's arms, absorbing a comforting scent and warmth.
Tu Mi now lives in an apartment building, still in the old town, across the street from the abandoned city building, Da Long Apartment.
Her little room was on the fourth floor. The room had a very complicated structure. The ceiling was very high. At the bottom was a stove, next to which was a small recliner. Above her head was a long table. Stepping on the table was a small desk. Stepping on the desk was a bed. Next to the bed was a small bookshelf, filled with the books that Qi Shuyao had told her about in the hospital.
Tu Mi didn't say anything, but helped her take off her clothes, pushed her to climb onto the top bunk of the bed, took out a medicine box from under the bed, lifted her skirt, and gently treated the wound on her knee.
Qi Shuyao could no longer hold back. She rushed over and hugged Tu Mi's neck tightly, bursting into tears.
The girl gently patted her back with her soft little hands, quietly and patiently letting her vent. After she cried until she was exhausted, the girl even held her head and fed her water.
They squeezed together on a small bed, their bodies pressed tightly together, their hearts intertwined. As dawn approached, Qi Shuyao finally composed herself. She wanted to say something, but Tu Mi held the back of her head and pressed her head against her shoulder.
"It's okay, go to sleep, get a good night's sleep, and then we'll talk slowly."
The day Tu Mi returned to the dance hall was the first day of December.
Two years had passed, and Manager Chen's temples had grown white hair. His eyes no longer held that aggressive light; instead, they had become gentle. When he saw her again, he even had tears in his eyes.
They were packing up; the dance hall was already closed.
Manager Chen took Tu Mi's arm and sat down to talk to her about the past.
“The Lin family is not as fragile as outsiders imagine, nor are they completely controlled by the Pei family. For example, this dance hall is a place that Pei Yuzhou’s son frequents, but his father doesn’t know that this is Lin family territory, and I am also a member of the Lin family.”
The girls in the dance hall didn't care about these complicated details, only Tu Mi was slightly shocked. Manager Chen next to her continued...
"However, everything has its end, and this place is no longer of any use."
He placed the ballroom key in Tu Mi's palm and turned back to his office.
That night, everyone came down to the ground. She stood at the back waiting for Manager Chen to come out, but heard screams outside.
Jiulixiang was the first to rush over. In the place where Tumi had fallen, Manager Chen was now lying there, his head broken in two.
She walked over quietly, covered Jiulixiang's eyes with her hands, stared at the bloodstains on the ground, confused and unable to describe her feelings.
Her phone rang; it was Qi Shuyao calling. She hesitated for two seconds before answering, only to hear a hoarse male voice on the other end.
Hello, may I ask who you are?
"You are... Tu Mi?"
"Mr. Qi? Isn't this Yao Yao's phone?"
"It's her phone."
"Do you know where she is?"
"She's somewhere else right now, so we won't be seeing each other for the time being. But there's something I'd like to ask you for help with, is that alright?"
"What's up?"
"Re-contact Pei Youwen."
"good."
The next day, Tu Mi didn't go out; she stayed home with her and told her about what had happened during that time.
"My phone is with him now? Why did he ask you to contact Pei Youwen? Why did you believe him so readily?"
"I just go by instinct. I don't think Uncle Qi is a bad person. He's still your father, so he definitely wouldn't hurt me."
"he……"
"Don't worry, I'm very good at judging people, I've never made a mistake."
"How are you so amazing?"
"If you're not strong enough, you'll lose your life."
"What are you doing."
"I opened a dance hall on the ground floor and took in those girls. Now I'm the boss lady. Aren't I amazing?"
She leaned close to Qi Shuyao, deliberately exaggerating her expressions to make her laugh, and rubbed her chubby little face, unable to put it down.
"By the way, what was it that you and I wanted to talk about on the phone last year?"
Tu Mi's smile froze for a moment, then she waved her hand.
"It's nothing, just everyday family matters. I don't even want to talk about them anymore. Anyway, I'm free now, and this kind of life is pretty good. Why bother with all that?"
"So what kind of people come to the dance hall now?"
"Actually, it's not called a dance hall anymore, it's called a club. I took some money, and Uncle Qi gave me some money. It's quite high-class. The people who usually come and go are either rich kids, like Pei Youwen before, or celebrities from the entertainment industry who secretly go on dates."
Qi Shuyao suddenly sat up straight, grasping Tu Mi's hand.
"Which celebrities have visited? Do you recognize one named Song Yusheng?"
“I’ve met Song Yusheng before. She’s often brought here by her agent, but I’ve only seen her once or twice in the last few months.”
"Tell me when you see her again."
"good."
As darkness fell, Tu Mi went out to the club. Standing downstairs in the apartment building, she looked out the fourth-floor window, put the key that had been locked inside the door into her pocket, and turned to leave.
A car came to pick her up, and after getting in, she skillfully dialed the phone number pinned to the top of her chat list.
"Uncle Qi."
How was your day?
"No one from the Guan family showed up today, but we've received word that the Sui family's business has been re-established, and some people are using my connections as intermediaries."
"Okay, keep an eye on it."
"Uncle Qi, what have you been busy with lately?"
"Check people."
Qi Yu said two words and hung up the phone. The car arrived at the clubhouse entrance, and another night of singing and dancing began.
Qi Shuyao, left alone at home, curled up on the bed. She put her hands inside her clothes and rubbed her swollen and aching breasts, but her eyes were fixed on her phone. She had been gone for a day, and her grandparents must have found out long ago, but they hadn't even called. Was this something they expected?
There's no use thinking about it now. All she can do is pray that they will treat her daughter better because of that tiny bit of blood relation.
Everyone else had left work, but Qi Yu remained calmly seated in his office, opposite Lao He, who was also working overtime.
He worked overtime for more than half a year and finally took stock of all the Guan family's belongings, with the last item being the people.
“Guan Xiang has developed countless downlines, and those downlines have their own downlines. He can hide anywhere, and he may not even be in the country anymore.”
Old He tossed the folder onto the table and leaned back.
"It's a laughing stock that the whole world would laugh at us. The entire group was wiped out, but the mastermind got away."
Qi Yu straightened the documents he had thrown aside and added fuel to the fire.
“It’s not just Guan Xiang who has run away, there are other things too.”
He pulled another document from the locked drawer beside his leg and handed it to Lao He.
"What is this?" He was even a little hesitant to take it.
"No one knows this data except you and me. According to the statements and data provided by relevant personnel, it was found that the most valuable batch of all the treasures in the Guan family has disappeared. It's a small matter that the items are gone, after all, they can be hidden anywhere, but the next page..."
Following his instructions, Lao He turned to the next page of the paper.
Qi Yu continued,
"The Guan family developed countless junket operators. After swindling all the nouveau riche, those who received compensation for demolished properties, and corrupt officials who suddenly became wealthy, they began to target small business owners. They used every means at their disposal, and almost no one could win at gambling. At first, they would let you taste some sweetness, and then you would invest more and more until all your assets were tied up, your debts doubled, and you could no longer pay them back. Decisive people would jump off buildings, while those who couldn't quit gambling would lose their entire families, handing over their wives and children to the casino to pay off their debts. The casino would divide these people by gender and age. The beautiful wives would be pushed out to serve customers, while the average ones would stay inside to be used by the employees. Daughters would be divided into adults and minors, and almost all of them would be beautiful girls in their prime. The casino's internal affairs were often inseparable from prostitution. Those who liked children would push the minors in, those who liked young girls would push the girls around twenty years old, and those who were a little older would be treated the same as their mothers. Sons were even simpler. Most of them would work as casino staff, doormen, or bodyguards. The remaining beautiful ones, or those who could satisfy other needs of customers, would also be treated the same as the girls."
"Those beasts."
"This is just the normal procedure, but I compared the missing persons and death toll data with the people on site back and forth, but the numbers didn't match up."
"More or less?"
"Few, much less."
"you mean……"
"Just like the construction site in Linxian District, if everything were as normal, those large and small pieces of corpses would have disappeared from this world without a sound."
"Then tell me, where can someone die silently, without leaving a trace?"
"Crematorium, construction site, garbage dump, a mountain no one goes to, or, a hospital."
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