Chapter 46: Phoenix City Jewelry Store

Captain Zhang turned his gaze to Wang Donghe.

Wang Donghe shook his head slightly. "From my analysis, Sister Feng should be the third-ranking member among the Five Tiger Generals. Her position can't possibly be higher than Tiger Bro's."

"That makes it all the more puzzling," Lin Xiaosu said. "Is there perhaps a missing piece in Tiger Bro's spending ledger?"

Wang Donghe frowned, momentarily at a loss for words. In modern society, income and status are closely linked; in any organization, those with higher positions typically earn more. This is even truer for criminal organizations—the higher your status, the greater your earnings. There was no reason for Tiger Bro to have less than Sister Feng. So where was the problem?

Zhou Mei spoke up. "Tiger Bro's assets are all right here, clear and appraised, the account balances match—I believe these figures are precise. Only one thing remains opaque: the mistress he keeps. No one knows how much he spends on her. The other three male Tigers also keep mistresses—again, no one knows the details. Only Sister Feng does not keep a lover. Could that be why Sister Feng appears to be more extravagant personally?"

Could that be it? In most cases, it was true! Men grow poorer when in love! Women, on the other hand, do not need to spend much in relationships (except for their bodies), so their money remains freer. Even in criminal organizations, maintaining mistresses would inevitably siphon off assets.

Lin Xiaosu smiled faintly. "Officer Zhou, that might be the key. It's necessary to find out how much these four mistresses have received from the Four Tigers, and where they've spent it."

Sun Yang was dumbfounded. The conversation had circled around, only to land back where it started. He had secretly hoped this Lin fellow would get a scolding for proposing such a monumental investigative task; if Captain Zhang took it to heart and assigned it to him, Sun Yang would be in trouble. As fate would have it, Captain Zhang had already assigned this task to Wang Donghe three years ago. With the work already done, Sun Yang's burden had lifted, and he felt a wave of relief—only for Lin Xiaosu to bring the matter up again. If Captain Zhang gave him the job, he'd be in for more suffering. Was Lin Xiaosu here just to make his life difficult? He admitted he had been a bit impolite when they first met, but was this really necessary?

Wang Donghe's brow knit further. "Captain Zhang, while thoroughness is vital in investigations, pursuing too many side issues can interfere with the main case. Do you really think it's necessary to expand the scope further?"

Captain Zhang’s thick brows furrowed; he, too, was momentarily undecided. Three years had already been spent investigating the Five Tigers. And now, to investigate the four mistresses as well...

Lin Xiaosu offered, "How about this: there's no need to delve into every detail of the mistresses’ personal lives. Just focus on the main thread—find out where their major expenditures go, and that's enough."

"In that case, it's feasible. Donghe, Sun Yang, get on it immediately!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Yes, sir!"

Both responded in unison.

Lin Xiaosu stood as well. "It's late, I'll head back."

"Alright, thank you for your hard work. Once we have news, I'll have Zhou Mei contact you," Captain Zhang said, rising to see him out.

Zhou Mei wanted to accompany him, but Lin Xiaosu declined. "No need—you didn't sleep at all yesterday. Get some proper rest tonight. I'll see myself out."

He left.

In the reception room, Captain Zhang chuckled. "Heh... still such a considerate young man."

"'Considerate'?" Zhou Mei burst out laughing. "With just a few words, he’s got Wang Donghe and Sun Yang working overtime all night. I bet those two don’t find him considerate at all."

Three days later, gentle rain was finally replaced by a vast expanse of clear skies. As soon as the rain stopped, summer’s breath swept in.

In the morning, as soon as the Fengcheng Detective Agency opened its doors, Zhou Mei’s black car pulled up at the roadside.

She got out and entered the agency.

Miao Ruolan, carrying a tangle of complicated feelings, went to pour her some tea.

Her mood was largely shaped by the events of three nights ago—when she’d settled the final payment with Sister Zhuang, and Lin Xiaosu and Zhou Mei had gone out shopping, returning only at dawn. She hadn’t dared to ask him anything, but a quiet sense of disappointment had taken root in her heart. For the past two days, she’d felt inexplicably glum...

And now Zhou Mei was back—and not in uniform, but dressed like any woman meeting her boyfriend for a date...

Had they really taken that step?

Zhou Mei accepted the teacup from Miao Ruolan, raised her eyes, and said, "The task you and Captain Zhang set three nights ago is already preliminarily complete. Here are the results."

She handed a sheet of paper to Lin Xiaosu.

At those words, Miao Ruolan’s heart suddenly raced—three nights ago? The very night he’d gone shopping with Zhou Mei! A task from Captain Zhang? So that night, they weren’t out as a couple, but working on a case? Was that really true? If it was, she’d be so relieved. She didn’t know why, but the heaviness in her heart suddenly eased by half.

Lin Xiaosu took the paper, scanning it quickly. His eyes lit up at once.

"What do you see?" Zhou Mei asked.

"Let me ask you something," Lin Xiaosu replied. "If you were given ten million, what would you do with it?"

Zhou Mei answered, "I’d probably save five million, buy a house, get a nice car, and spend the rest on luxury goods to experience a wealthy lifestyle."

"So buying luxury goods comes third in your spending priorities."

"Exactly."

"And you, Ruolan?" Lin Xiaosu turned to Miao Ruolan.

She shook her head. "I could never have ten million, so I’ve never thought about it."

"Think about it now, just for a moment."

"I’d save it all… Oh, I’d give half to my brother to help him get married, and live off the interest from the rest," she said.

"So you definitely wouldn’t spend it all on jewelry?"

With wide eyes, Miao Ruolan replied, "Jewelry is just decoration—you can’t eat it or wear it. If you can afford it, buy a piece or two, but to spend your whole fortune on it… that’s crazy!"

Lin Xiaosu laughed. "Sister Feng spent almost all her money on jewelry, and these four mistresses did the same—almost everything they had went into jewelry. Ruolan calls that crazy! It’s plausible for one person to be obsessed, but for five women in the same case to be equally obsessed, that’s not just a quirk—it’s a red flag!"

Zhou Mei’s eyes shone. "You think this is the chain of illicit profit transfers?"

"Exactly! There are two types of black-market money chains: horizontal and vertical. The horizontal chain opens a separate channel at the source; the vertical is more subtle, transforming the chain to cloak illegal dealings in legitimate transactions."

"You suspect they’re laundering money through jade and gemstones?" Zhou Mei exhaled.

"Yes. Do you know why? Because jade and gemstones have no fixed price. They’re just rocks dug up from the earth—the cost of a worthless stone and a priceless jadeite is the same. Their value depends entirely on the market, not on the cost."

Zhou Mei lifted her teacup, thinking for a long moment. "Normal women may love jewelry, but it’s usually a third-tier priority. One person being obsessed is fine, but five women connected to the same case being equally obsessed really is suspicious. Still, even if it’s money laundering, it’s hard to prove. Their transactions are all out in the open, and everyone knows jade prices are wild, but as long as people accept them, who’s to say what they’re truly worth? If they resell them, someone might even pay more."

Lin Xiaosu said, "True, but you’re overlooking another link in the chain."

"What’s that?"

"Profit transfer is not the goal—it’s a transaction," Lin Xiaosu explained. "Since it’s a transaction, there must be goods moving as well."

"Goods?" Zhou Mei’s heart pounded. By ‘goods,’ it was obvious he meant drugs…

"Have you never been able to trace where those goods circulating in Fengcheng's black market actually come from?"

"That’s right!"

"Let me remind you: the jewelry stores in Fengcheng process and sell their own raw stones—their source is the country of Blueface," Lin Xiaosu said.

Zhou Mei’s teacup trembled in her hand.

In a moment, a closed loop formed in her mind.

Fengcheng sits at the crossroads of three provinces, with convenient transportation. That’s why it’s a hub for the black market. But how did the contraband get here? No one had ever traced it. Now, a clear path seemed to appear.

The jewelry stores in Fengcheng specialize in raw stone cutting and processing to make jadeite jewelry. The biggest advantage of this model is that it gives customers great confidence in authenticity; there’s no chance of acid washing or counterfeiting—if you have doubts, you can even watch the entire process from stone cutting to polishing in their workshops. That’s why their business is booming. Not only the wealthy women of Fengcheng, but even those from Jiangcheng flock here to buy.

As a business, it’s a huge success.

But as another kind of business, it’s also very convenient.

The raw stones come from Blueface, which is itself a drug kingdom. Their trucks openly transport raw stones across the country as part of legitimate trade. If someone smuggled a little extra cargo in, who could ever detect it, if they were clever enough? This solves the most difficult problem of transporting black market goods.

And as for the money, which is the biggest challenge in selling contraband, the logic completes itself here as well.

No need for conventional bank transfers or eye-catching cash transactions—they launder money through perfectly legitimate jade sales.

Anyone wanting a cut of the black market had to take great risks—Old Ghost-Eye No. 7 included. But as a jewelry store, could he not easily claim the largest share? Sister Feng and the four mistresses serve as legitimate conduits, sending money right into his account.

The five women, based on the amounts traced so far, have already funneled nearly a hundred million. Who knows how many others are doing the same?

Lin Xiaosu slowly raised his gaze. "Check when they last received a shipment."

"We just checked—there was a batch of raw stones delivered to the factory the day before yesterday," Zhou Mei replied. "You mean—?"

"I mean, perhaps we should pay a visit to this famed jewelry store of Fengcheng!"

"The two of us?" Zhou Mei asked.

"Ruolan should come too," Lin Xiaosu said. "It’s been a dream of mine for years—one day, when I’m rich, to take two beautiful women shopping for jewelry..."