Chapter 154 – Do You Think I Should Call You Lan Yujun… or Rose?

10:00 PM.

The night had deepened. The real nightlife was just beginning in countless bars across the city.

With deliberate traffic control and the growing lateness of the hour, the flow of people and vehicles on this central city artery was gradually thinning.

At this moment—

Several private cars, all filled with people, had already parked in a public parking lot less than a hundred meters away from the Red Rose Beauty Salon, ready to act at any moment.

The officers from Xiangcheng’s Criminal Investigation Division, along with heavily armed special forces, were waiting in these vehicles.

The reason they weren’t using police cars or SWAT vehicles was simple: to avoid alerting the head of the drug trafficking organization. Any leaked information from the public could cause Rose to awaken and escape, ruining the operation.

Even though it was likely that the drug lord’s attention was primarily on Poison, and might not notice an operation in Liangxi City in time, it wasn’t a risk worth taking. Using unmarked vehicles and hiding in plain sight was undoubtedly the most reliable approach.

Lin Tian, Gao Chao, and the others were the closest to the target.

They were in plain clothes, staking out a convenience store beside the beauty salon, ready to respond at a moment’s notice and evacuate any customers from the salon.

Lin Tian held a walkie-talkie in his hand, through which a voice came clearly via speaker:

“Ms. Dong, Mr. Su.”

“Please have a seat in the private room for a bit and enjoy the freshly prepared fruit platter. I’ll go check with Sister Tang now.”

“See if she’s available at the moment and has time to assist Ms. Dong.”

Hearing this, Lin Tian immediately looked at Gao Chao beside him. He didn’t say anything, but gave a small nod, signaling that everything was proceeding as planned.

Gao Chao, who usually wore a deadpan expression without much change, silently clenched his fists.

To him, solving crimes was the most important thing in life—and now, with Rose about to be apprehended and a five-year-old unsolved case on the verge of being cracked, it was impossible to describe the complexity of emotions in his heart.

—

At the same time—

Inside the private suite of the Red Rose Beauty Salon—

Dong Qin sat on the sofa, feigning fatigue, her eyes half-closed in a show of weariness.

This was to emphasize her urgency to get cosmetic work done and her supposed exhaustion from work.

As for Su Ming—

He had flawlessly blended into his assumed role. It wasn’t just a shift in demeanor—he had even nailed the minor habits of the character he was playing.

Like now—

Su Ming acted like someone unfamiliar with luxury, glancing around the high-end suite with curiosity, occasionally nibbling on pieces of fruit offered by the attendant.

He appeared nervous, timid, and out of place.

But in reality—

He was carefully surveying the room’s interior and facilities, checking for hidden cameras, bugs, or even remote-detonated bombs.

Having experienced the failed arrest of Zhou Shirui, Su Ming had become much more cautious when dealing with members of this drug ring.

No matter how confident he was, he would never let his guard down again. He was determined to prepare for any predictable mishap.

After his inspection—

Su Ming identified not only the obvious ceiling camera, but also two or three pinhole-sized hidden cameras and several audio bugs.

It was clear—

These “eyes and ears” weren’t just for resolving disputes with unsatisfied customers. Their primary use was gathering intel on wealthy female clients.

Most of the human-skin masks Rose crafted likely imitated these rich women. To impersonate them perfectly, knowing their details was crucial.

Despite discovering all the surveillance, Su Ming wasn’t alarmed—instead, his excitement only grew.

The more bugs and cameras there were, the more likely Rose herself would show up.

Still acting naturally, he popped a couple more fruit pieces into his mouth and didn’t say much to Dong Qin.

One minute.

Two minutes.

…

As the third minute was about to pass—

There were two knocks on the private room door. Su Ming’s eyes sharpened slightly before quickly returning to normal.

Dong Qin, who’d seemed to be resting, also sat up straight.

After a short pause—

The doorknob turned. Rose entered with a radiant smile, her bangs still slightly damp from a recent facial mask.

“Ms. Dong, why are you here so late today? Busy with work again?”

“Or maybe…”

“You just finished a little workout with this handsome young man here and needed to come relax?”

As she said that last part, Rose—her face flawless and without blemish—winked suggestively at Dong Qin, clearly hinting at something.

Su Ming instinctively looked up at Rose, then shyly turned his head as if embarrassed.

But inwardly, he was already calculating the best moment to make the arrest.

From the tension in Rose’s posture and the slight bulge at her waist, she was clearly still cautious—likely carrying a gun. Rushing in now would still carry significant risk.

Wait.

He had to wait a little longer.

Dong Qin shook her head, clearly not professionally trained but still a skilled actress, and replied with mock helplessness:

“Boss Tang, what workout are you talking about? Don’t make stuff up.”

“He’s my new assistant, helping me manage both work and life. Since the company grew, I can’t handle everything on my own.”

“Lately, there’s been a lot of movement in the U.S., which has made it really hard for us to maintain our physical stores.”

“I finally managed to close a big deal today, and now it looks like another company might steal it. Can you imagine how stressed I am?”

“I’m so anxious I swear I’ve gotten more wrinkles in the past few days. That’s why I rushed over to get a lift.”

“Tomorrow’s another day full of nonstop meetings and negotiations.”

Hearing Dong Qin’s complaints—so similar to those in the past—

Rose visibly relaxed. She walked a few steps further into the room, opened a drawer at the workstation, and began putting on rubber gloves while saying in a soft tone:

“Ms. Dong.”

“There’s no need to push yourself so hard. As long as we have enough money, that’s all that matters. What’s really important is your face.”

“If you get wrinkles because of your company, that would be a huge loss. Us women, we rely on maintenance, you know?”

“You’re lucky you caught me now. In a bit, I won’t be free to do your lift.”

“Ms. Dong, go lie down. I’ll get the tools ready and help you right away.”

This relaxed attitude from Rose—

Made Su Ming’s eyes flash with intensity for just a second. He stood up and said:

“Ms. Dong, I’ll leave you to it, then.”

“I’ll go make a call to our business department and check tomorrow’s meeting schedule.”

Dong Qin didn’t say much. She simply waved her hand, signaling him to go.

But her muscles had secretly tensed, ready to leap toward Rose at any moment.

Rose, smiling brightly while prepping the tools, turned her head toward Su Ming and said playfully:

“Go on, handsome.”

“I’m sure your boss doesn’t want you to see how ugly she looks during a face lift.”

“Go wait outside. I should be done in about an hour.”

Su Ming didn’t say another word.

He just scratched his head in feigned shyness and slowly stood up from the sofa, casually choosing a path that passed right by Rose.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

…

As Su Ming drew closer and closer to Rose, Dong Qin was finding it increasingly hard to control her expression and movements—she was nearly ready to leap up and assist at any moment.

Seven steps.

Eight steps.

Nine steps.

…

At that moment, Su Ming was already standing behind Rose.

Then a voice—

suddenly cold as ice—whispered into Rose’s ear:

“Tell me, should I call you Lan Yujuan? Or… Rose?!”