Chapter 346: A Chance Waltz

"What did you say? You had lunch with Yan Tong today, and he even tried to recruit you?"

In the large office of the Ciyunshan Police Station, which housed a statue of Guan Gong, Chen Tong smoked a cigarette and frowned as he looked at Wang Yan, who was sitting opposite him.

"That's right, Uncle. I didn't give him an answer, but Yan Tong isn't a fool; how could he not know I was refusing? He spoke softly but carried a hard message earlier, giving me a warning. Now that I'm being unappreciative, Uncle, based on your understanding of Yan Tong, what kind of moves do you think he'll make?"

Chen Tong pondered for a moment and sighed. "He might have you transferred away from me. If it's not being sent off to guard the reservoir, it'll be a transfer to some godforsaken place."

"I think so too, Uncle. Can you protect me?"

He was only a low-ranking plainclothes officer. In the power struggle between chief inspectors, his role was significant, yet not quite enough. Because his only connection in the upper echelons was Chen Tong, he relied on and helped Chen Tong. He did know quite a few foreigners, and he could even speak to the current superintendent of the Ciyunshan Police Station. But that was only when they were chatting idly without any business at hand. If real business needed to be done, nothing would get accomplished without shelling out real money.

As for Chen Tong, he had reached his position in Sham Shui Po by climbing the ranks himself. Although this recent promotion was a leap forward, he still lagged behind Yan Tong in terms of the resources he controlled and the connections he could leverage.

Therefore, facing Yan Tong's suppression within the rules—where a higher rank crushes those below—he had no way to resist. Perhaps the only thing he could do was kill Yan Tong tonight, but that was clearly an unwise and reckless act. If he killed Yan Tong, he couldn't escape suspicion; if he killed all five of them, he'd have even less of a chance. The key now was how deep Yan Tong's hatred for Chen Tong ran, and how much effort and resources he would spend on this suppression. If it was within Chen Tong's tolerance, there was still room to maneuver; if it exceeded it, he could only be sent away.

"I don't know." Chen Tong shook his head and let out a long sigh. "It depends on how much resentment he holds against me. But don't worry, I'll go around and pull some strings in a while, send some money, and get the word up there first. We can't just let Yan Tong push us around. But if Yan Tong really puts in the effort to break us, Ah Yan, don't blame your uncle. You know that even though I'm currently in the spotlight, I'm still a bit short of being able to go head-to-head with Yan Tong."

"I understand, Uncle." Wang Yan nodded to show he understood. "And don't worry, Uncle. Even if I get transferred, I'll still handle the affairs in Sham Shui Po well. Through our operations in Ciyunshan over the past six months, it's been proven that our methods are indeed effective. We can make money, do right by the citizens in our jurisdiction, and have an answer for those above. I've already had Zhu Zai check the situation in Sham Shui Po. Once it's clear, I'll go talk to those big brothers first. Once I've talked it out with them, you can step in and do what we did before, and it'll be fine."

In reality, according to common sense, no matter what was said between the two, the result was what mattered most. If he were really driven away by Yan Tong, then a rift would inevitably form between him and Chen Tong, even if he didn't overthink it, Chen Tong would still dwell on it.

But he, Wang Mou, was loyal and righteous, knowing how to repay kindness. Even if his leader couldn't protect him, he would still do what needed to be done. No matter what others said behind his back, on the surface, they would definitely give Wang Mou a thumbs up. He was popular because he was trustworthy and reliable. People cursing him as a big idiot or a fool behind his back was human nature, but being willing to interact with him and do things for him was also human nature; the two were not contradictory.

Hearing such loyal words, Chen Tong let out a long sigh, feeling quite moved. His cloudy old eyes revealed nothing but affection as he stepped forward and patted Wang Yan on the shoulder. "Ah Yan, don't worry, your uncle won't forget you. Even if you're sent to guard the reservoir, as long as I, Chen Tong, have a share, you, Wang Yan, will have a share. If I can't protect you this time, don't be discouraged; I will definitely help you find a way."

"Thank you, Uncle. Then I'll go do my work." Nodding, Wang Yan turned and left the office.

He believed Chen Tong was telling the truth; after all, one shouldn't forget the well-digger when drinking water. Moreover, Chen Tong's ambition had been reignited, and he was spending money to seek the position of Sham Shui Po chief inspector; the one who gave him confidence was none other than Wang Mou. Even if he couldn't be saved, Chen Tong had made it clear that the money he was owed would still be there. The bond couldn't be broken, and resentment must not be allowed to grow.

Everyone knew that Wang Mou had fallen on hard times, but he wasn't someone to be pushed around. He hadn't been propped up by Chen Tong; he had fought his way up himself. Without Chen Tong, he could still fight, and no one would dare look down on him. But conversely, a man who could only rely on his own brute strength was also a tragedy.

But clearly, Wang Yan was both cultured and martial; he had no such tragedy. He wasn't afraid of guarding a reservoir; otherwise, he would have wasted his years.

He said he was going to work, but he had nothing to do. He didn't stay in the police station either, instead going out to wander around his jurisdiction. Of course, he wasn't wandering aimlessly. After all, as the most popular uniformed officer and the most popular plainclothes detective, Wang Mou's prestige in the Ciyunshan jurisdiction was very high. Although he hadn't been here long, he had indeed solved many troubles for the people here, and many took pride in knowing him.

Of course, he didn't come out to wander for no reason; he also solved some people's problems along the way. In the process, because everyone knew Officer Wang had always been generous and easy to talk to, those who were familiar with him couldn't help but chat a few words. Ordinary people were always curious about lives they didn't understand, and when they met someone easy to talk to, they couldn't help but ask around, especially when it was Officer Wang, a player famous in both the underworld and the police force.

So whenever someone asked about his recent situation, Officer Wang would sigh and lament his bad luck, curse Yan Tong as a big idiot, explain his own encounter, and embellish Yan Tong's past stories. A lone hero fighting against injustice was thus established in Ciyunshan. Gossip always spread faster and further than serious news, and gossip about a somewhat legendary figure was even more talked about. He believed that within three days, all of Hong Kong and Kowloon would know the news that he was about to be dealt with because he had offended Yan Tong for his loyalty to Chen Tong.

Of course, he wasn't using this to force Chen Tong's hand, because it really wasn't worth it. His goal was to make Yan Tong pay a greater price to retaliate against him. After all, he had already offended him, and knowing the man wanted to break him, making him feel disgusted in return was just a matter of convenience. Any loss to the enemy, even if he didn't gain from it, was a win.

Moreover, by riding this wave of popularity, when he went to Sham Shui Po in a while to deal with those big gangsters, others would know he was loyal and righteous. When doing things, you have to let people know and let people see. Otherwise, working himself to the bone and offending a bunch of gang leaders just for Chen Tong wouldn't be worth it.

As for whether Chen Tong misunderstood or not, even if he didn't force Chen Tong's hand, Chen Tong was already backed into a corner and had no choice.

And where did his confidence come from? It was nothing more than doing again what Lei Luo had done. Originally, his comeback relied on the support of Bai Fanyu. On one hand, it made Yan Tong back off and stop targeting him; on the other, it provided money to help Lei Luo rise to power. As for him, he certainly couldn't bow to Yan Tong, nor did he need Bai Fanyu to pull strings; he just needed Bai Fanyu to provide the money to support him.

It was also because his business hadn't taken off yet, and he didn't have much money in his hands. Although the daily turnover was not small and he had a hundred or so workers under him, even adding the black money he had, it wasn't enough to satisfy the greedy foreigners.

He was quite confident in the area of pursuing women; after all, having more experience and even more energy was just a normal thing.

And Zhu Zai's way of doing things, as far as it went, was always reassuring. At five in the afternoon, Zhu Zai swaggered into the police station and found Wang Yan, who had also just returned not long ago.

"Brother Yan, there's news. My friend just called me. Bai Yuechang is at a restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui, eating with her friends. Should we go?"

"Nonsense, of course we're going. Didn't you also say I should find a partner and get married? What, no confidence in me? Think I can't pick up a girl? Or is it that a big tycoon's daughter can't be provoked?"

Zhu Zai smiled awkwardly. He had indeed thought that, but of course, he couldn't say it. "Of course not, Brother Yan. You're so handsome, I'm sure once you make a move, she'll be head over heels for you and insist on marrying you. It's just that I heard this afternoon that you offended Yan Tong and are about to be dealt with. Shouldn't we be thinking of ways to protect ourselves now, Brother Yan?"

"Think of ways?" Wang Yan shook his head. "He's a chief inspector, and a top-tier one among the Chinese inspectors at that. He invited me to dinner today, and his underlings are all inspectors. What do I have to fight him with as a tiny plainclothes officer? No men, no money. Besides swallowing this insult, what other way is there? But Chen Tong also said he would protect me, though I estimate the hope isn't great. He's had a grudge with Yan Tong for a long time. If he had that much capability, he wouldn't have waited until he was almost retired to reach the position of Sham Shui Po chief inspector. When your strength is inferior to others, besides accepting it, what else can you do?"

"How about we take care of... Yan Tong?" Zhu Zai secretly made a knife gesture with his hand across his throat.

"Wow, Brother Zai is so bold now, talking about taking a life just like that?" Amidst Zhu Zai's embarrassed awkward smile, Wang Yan slapped him on the back of the head. "If I could, would I need you to remind me? Use your brain, will you? If I kill Yan Tong now, wouldn't I be the prime suspect? Wouldn't that be blatantly telling everyone that I killed Yan Tong? A gentleman's revenge is never too late, understand? The one who laughs last is the winner."

Zhu Zai rubbed the back of his head and nodded repeatedly. "Then let's go quickly, Brother Yan, otherwise who knows where they'll run off to after they finish eating. I've prepared a car, it'll be faster to get there."

"Not bad, well-prepared and thoughtful." Wang Yan patted him on the shoulder. "Let's go, let's see if she's my dream lover."

The two left the Criminal Investigation Unit and went downstairs. Outside the police station, just as they were about to get in the car and leave, Lei Luo came running over, leaning on the car window. "Brother Yan, what are you doing? I heard you offended Yan Tong?"

"I did offend Yan Tong, but it's nothing, you don't need to worry." Wang Yan waved his hand. "I probably can't go to Sham Shui Po with you, just follow Uncle and do your work well."

"Does Uncle have no way? After all, you have so many merits, can't he help out?"

"Yan Tong has great power. If he really wants to break me, Uncle can't stop him either. Don't worry about me, I have my own arrangements for how to deal with it. Even if I'm suppressed by Yan Tong, I'll be able to stand back up before long. Alright, go back and keep Ah Xia company. Her belly is getting bigger by the day, you're going to be a father, you need to be by her side. I heard prenatal education is good, when you have nothing to do, go back and read to Ah Xia's belly, or listen to some music, start cultivating from the womb."

"Really? Then I'll start when I get back, and I'll have my little sister do problems by Ah Xia's side, haha..." Speaking of Ah Xia and the unborn child, Lei Luo had a happy smile on his face. "Brother Yan, what are you and Zhu Zai going to do?"

"Finding you a sister-in-law." Wang Yan waved his hand with a smile. "Alright, set your mind at ease, wait for my good news, I'm off."

Watching the small sedan disappear, Lei Luo turned and walked toward home, his mind unable to stop wondering what kind of sister-in-law he would find for him...

Tsim Sha Tsui, in a Western restaurant with a large storefront where a neon sign read 'Yami Restaurant', passionate and ambiguous music filled every corner. The air was filled with the smell of tobacco mixed with women's perfume, which wasn't very pleasant, but under the stimulation of emotions, this smell was enough to be ignored. In the empty space in the middle, men and women were dancing together, and all around were scattered tables where many were eating and drinking. Most of the diners were in their twenties, dressed quite well, and spoke with full confidence, showing that their family backgrounds were also quite good.

This was a rather popular Western restaurant.

"Brother Yan, is that your dream lover?" In a corner, Zhu Zai, while eating a medium-rare steak, looked at the woman in the middle of the dance floor wearing a white polka-dot dress, hair draped over her shoulders, with beautiful red lips and youthful invincibility, and asked his big brother beside him.

"Not bad, that's her."

Wang Yan remembered this scene clearly; it was the scene where Lei Luo and Bai Yuechang first met. Actually, thinking about it, it was normal. In the current Hong Kong and Kowloon, there were only a few places where rich people hung out; if it wasn't this place, it was that place. As for Lei Luo being able to bring Bai Yuechang back to the police station at that time, it meant the location must have been within his jurisdiction; otherwise, let alone now, even later it would have been a dispute between two police stations. But the current Ciyunshan really didn't have any high-end places. But Lei Luo only met Bai Yuechang two years later, maybe it was already there by then.

He patted Zhu Zai on the shoulder. "You did well this time, can't let your brothers work in vain. You decide how to reward yourself, just go to the accountant and take the money."

Giving Zhu Zai the leader's exclusive right to 'reward and punish' was mainly because he didn't want to get involved with those players who weren't even gangsters. So, holding onto Zhu Zai, having someone to do things was enough.

And to be honest, it didn't matter if Zhu Zai opened a hall or set up his own camp outside, as long as he was loyal and could get things done. It was just that for now, Zhu Zai seemed quite happy being the general manager of Long Teng Tea Drinks, maybe he would really go straight in the future.

"Is it really her, Brother Yan? What do you plan to do?"

"What to do? Of course, go straight for it." As he spoke, Wang Yan drank the wine in his glass, wiped his mouth, and amidst Zhu Zai's stunned gaze, walked straight toward the beautiful figure dancing on the dance floor. And in the process of moving, he very flirtatiously coordinated with the rhythm of the music, arms bent, hands clenched, feet stepping, moving closer to the inside bit by bit.

His body's flexibility was excellent; as long as it was a movement a human body could make, as long as someone could do it, then he must be able to do it too. And he had also studied music slightly; although not proficient, his control over the rhythm was there. Most importantly, he had learned some dance himself and knew it. From ancient times to the present, from China to abroad, although not proficient, he could still make a few moves. Coupled with a good body and a relatively strong sense of rhythm, his dance steps were very natural and beautiful.

Zhu Zai never expected that this mainland boy who had only been in Hong Kong for two years would actually know how to dance, and dance very well. When he heard "go straight for it," he thought he was going to be a hooligan and strike up a conversation, but now it seemed that besides courage, this big brother had many other things he had underestimated...

In an era where the police and gangsters were one family and everyone was a hooligan, and there was no good policeman like Officer Wang who was so prestigious and considerate of the citizens, a beautiful woman playing outside would inevitably attract some young men whose hormones were stirring and whose brains were filled with lust. Adding that some young men had some background, knew some people, had something to rely on, called themselves tough, and made some bad moves was inevitable.

So as a beautiful young girl, Bai Yuechang often faced troubles that would appear out of nowhere. Although her biological father was a big tycoon in Kowloon Walled City, with money, power, and status, and although she was his only daughter, doted on heavily, many knew not to provoke her. However, many who knew not to provoke her didn't know what she looked like specifically. She couldn't just shout "I am Bai Fanyu's daughter" everywhere she went; that would make her a fool.

Naturally, Bai Yuechang felt very annoyed. She had come out to have a happy time with her good friend, but there would always be flies buzzing over to disgust people. Her body danced with the music, flexibly dodging the young man in front of her who was ill-intentioned, bold, and had lust in his eyes. But she was a weak woman, there were many people on the dance floor, and the space to move was small. After a few moves, her hand was grabbed by that man, forced to dance along with his movements, unable to break free for a moment.

People here were dancing ballroom dance, but they weren't professional talents; they were just young people following the trend and dancing casually, with no standard of judgment. And fashion, under the trend, had a regional limitation. Or to put it another way, after the trend of fashion reached Hong Kong, after several developments and evolutions, it slowly evolved into a unified local style that was different from other regions.

People here were dancing just like that, a set of dance steps that gradually spread and were recognized by the public. No matter how it changed, it was still a waltz, with some small movements from other dances added, and some dance steps changed. Wang Yan had been watching from the side for a while, and he had basically mastered the rhythm, pace, and movements, and could keep up.

There was one movement that hadn't changed. That was the man and woman holding hands, stretching their bodies toward each other, and then the next movement was the man and woman's intertwined arms wrapping around, embracing the woman into his arms while spinning.

At this moment, Bai Yuechang and that man were in such a posture, just waiting for the next beat of the music, and the two would embrace. Looking at the ill-intentioned look in the man's eyes opposite her, Bai Yuechang secretly prepared to teach this man with lustful courage a lesson.

But just as the two bodies had just stretched out and the next beat was about to arrive, at the critical moment when the man was a little happy because he was about to take advantage of the beauty, a pair of slender hands suddenly appeared, lightly tapping on the man's arm. The man only felt his arm go numb and couldn't help but let go. Then, a man who looked thin but had a tall body appeared. He quickly grabbed the soft hand, preventing Bai Yuechang from falling due to her body's imbalance.

Everything happened in a flash, too fast for anyone to react. It was also at this time that the next beat sounded. Following the force transmitted from her hand, Bai Yuechang was a little stunned, but her body automatically rotated with the dance steps, landing in the arms of the new dance partner.

Regardless of public aesthetics, regardless of personal aesthetics, in Wang Yan's eyes, Bai Yuechang was a beauty, so he embraced the beauty. At the same time, he bumped the little hooligan who was taking advantage away and stood in that position.

Of course, he didn't do it on purpose. If he really did it on purpose, with his Iron Mountain Lean, with that kid's skinny physique, one hit would at least leave him half-dead.

Ignoring the kid who was bumped quite far away, Wang Yan embraced Bai Yuechang, not taking the opportunity to take advantage, but let her go on the next beat, then reached out and pulled her, one hand supporting her slender waist, the other hand intertwined with hers, dancing with the music.

"Hero saves the beauty?"

Bai Yuechang, who had come to her senses, looked in surprise at Wang Yan holding her, gracefully dodging the sneak attack from the kid behind just now, and once again bumping him flying far away. Good skills.

The two were very close, but because of the height difference, her orchid-like breath only reached his chest.

Wang Yan lowered his head slightly and spoke faintly in her ear: "People say beauties love heroes, do you?"

"That also requires the one standing to be a hero."

Feeling the small hand groping at his waist, Wang Yan applied a little force to the hand supporting her waist, making her press against his chest, taking advantage: "You're not honest."

"Are you a plainclothes officer?" As she spoke, she struggled hard, but didn't encounter any obstruction, and the two returned to the distance just now.

"Not until you've touched my gun."

"They're coming over, what are you going to do? Draw your gun?"

Wang Yan lowered his head again and whispered in her ear, feeling her body tense up: "Up to now, my gun hasn't been drawn even once."

Facing her big eyes, he raised his eyebrows. Not all dirty jokes are likable; more often, they are insults to women and desecration of women. But considering the era's background and Miss Bai's background, she had heard worse than this. The key was who said it.

With the music, the two exchanged positions, looking at the eight people surrounding them, led by the young man he had bumped twice just now, who were driving away the surrounding crowd.

He smiled faintly, and the hand holding the beauty's slender waist applied force again, coordinating with the force of their intertwined hands, making her feet step on his high-end custom-made leather shoes.

"Beauty, you dirtied my shoes, I don't mind. If you really feel bad and want to compensate, then I hope it's a beautiful date next time."

Bai Yuechang was controlled by Wang Yan and couldn't break free, so she simply gave up resistance, dancing like a puppet with Wang Yan's movements: "Has anyone ever said you're shameless?"

"Coming from a beauty's mouth, I have always taken it as a compliment to me. And you are honored to be the first beauty to praise me like this. Of course, being able to get the praise of a beauty like you is also my honor."

As he spoke, amidst her wide-eyed surprise, Wang Yan turned around, and the hand intertwined with hers bent its arm, knocking down the person who tried to come over and hit him with an elbow. Then, his gorgeous dance steps landed accurately, spinning at his fingertips, and as he stepped back, his heel hit the man's face.

A miserable howl sounded, ruining the beautiful atmosphere set off by the passionate and ambiguous music.

"Actually, I took a fancy to you a long time ago."

"You know me?"

"Of course, Kowloon Walled City big tycoon Bai Fanyu's only daughter, Bai Yuechang." Wang Yan dodged the incoming attack, his face full of a spring-breeze-like smile: "Let me introduce myself, my name is Wang Yan! The Wang of Emperor! The Yan of 'words become law'!"

"So pretentious..." Bai Yuechang looked disgusted, her eyes full of 'how come you haven't been beaten to death for being so pretentious'...

Understandable. Strictly speaking, she was also a tough girl. Her father was rich and powerful and spoiled her, so of course, she wasn't an ordinary weak woman. Being a bit unrestrained was normal. Of course, if it were an ordinary person, the reaction at this moment would mostly be screaming, then loudly making noise, reminding him to be careful of this or that. Or hiding in his arms, scared to death, not even daring to look at the surrounding environment.

"No, it doesn't work, that's called pretentious. Look at the situation now? Don't you think you're ruining the atmosphere?" As he spoke, he flexibly dodged the incoming stool.

Bai Yuechang curled her lips. She had to admit that this man with a decent appearance was devastatingly handsome at this moment. Although her dialogue was fluent, she knew her heart was beating rapidly.

At this moment, time and space were infinitely elongated. Amidst the music echoing in the air, the two of them danced through the crowd of people attacking them. Tables flipped over and hung suspended in mid-air, the crowd around them panicked and scrambled to hide, and men wailed on the ground. All of this served as a backdrop for the man pressed tightly against her—the man with a smile at the corners of his mouth, sharp, well-defined features, and eyes as bright as a galaxy of stars. Confident, overbearing, charming...

"I see worship in your eyes."

"No, I don't." Bai Yuechang came to her senses, her face flushed with shyness, denying it without thinking, changing the subject: "You still haven't said how you know me."

"That was a beautiful afternoon, at the corner of Rainbow Road, a beautiful woman was smiling so brightly, she... it was that moment's figure that made me think of her day and night, unable to sleep. Finally, after some searching, today I came here, and seeing you dancing here, I recognized you at a glance, it was you. What about you, what do you think of me?" Wang Yan boasted shamelessly, expressing his sincerity.

"Not much, full of flowery words, sounds like a lie. Men are all the same, only knowing how to lie to women, so bad."

"I once heard a saying, the more beautiful the woman, the more she lies. I think you are beautiful enough, so everything you say is a lie, so are you moved to death? Like this beautiful encounter of ours, I am sure the whole world can't find a second one." Not letting her speak, Wang Yan continued: "Don't deny it, I understand everything. Now, you go rest for a while, I'll solve these blind young men."

As his voice fell, the music just ended. He let go of the dizzy Bai Yuechang, and as her friend ran over to support her, he didn't forget to kick the kid who had stubbornly climbed up and tried to sneak an attack again, knocking him down.

Standing in the center of the field, looking at Bai Yuechang, whose face was flushed and whose eyes were like silk, he was very sure that he had already hit her heart. No one could remain calm in the face of such a romantic encounter with heroism.

He was very satisfied with the pretentiousness he had performed today. Counting the past, this was definitely the most graceful pretentiousness he had ever performed, the one with the highest level.

Of course, one shouldn't forget the well-digger. Regardless of whether the person in charge of the music here was scared away or did it on purpose, he had to express his gratitude. Just because this passionate and ambiguous music was the key soul of this pretentiousness... ===== CHAPTER 347 =====