Special Forces Medic-Chapter 744 - 711: A Woman Who Sells Smiles but Not Her Body

"You... you can't push me too far." The manager glared angrily, staring harshly at Shi Shuai. The cultivated image of a beautiful lady now displayed a couple of wrinkles, greatly damaging its allure.

"You're the manager here, right? Take them back." Xu Ming ordered, preparing to wrap up the operation.

"Why is everything so loud and chaotic here? What kind of behavior is this?" Suddenly, a few people emerged from another area of the venue. Xu Ming recognized the familiar sound of an authoritative voice, guessing it was some important official. He looked in the direction of the voice.

"District Chief Yao!" It was easy to identify who it was, something beyond his expectations.

"Oh, so it's Director Xu working here!" Yao Zheng glanced at the interior, where things had calmed down a lot. "Have you discovered anything?"

"I wasn't aware District Chief Yao was here. I must apologize if I disturbed you earlier." Xu Ming changed the subject, avoiding a direct response to Yao Zheng's question.

"I was just discussing some matters with a few managers, so it wasn't much of a bother. I just came over when I heard some commotion." Yao Zheng waved his hand, and the bodyguards behind him stepped aside. "I just came out and heard Director Xu saying he was taking someone, which surprised me. I frequently come here to relax and know well that the business here is legitimate, so why is there a problem today?"

This was clearly siding with them; Xu Ming couldn't afford to offend Yao Zheng face to face, so he politely whispered a few words in Yao Zheng's ear. The latter immediately stepped back in shock. "Is there something like that?"

"The contraband has been found, and I had no choice."

"If that's the case, Director Xu, please continue with your duties. Let's discuss this elsewhere." Yao Zheng took the lead into the elevator, clearly signaling his intention to stay hands-off, leaving the manager in an awkward position.

"Alright, your shield isn't protecting you anymore. Isn't it time you came with us?"

"Wait, I'm not the owner here. I know nothing about this."

"Come in with us first, and take all the girls with you," Xu Ming ordered. Whether they could fit in the station or not, they'd take them first and deal with it later. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The whole group was crammed into a van and taken back to the police station. The overnight interrogation was divided into several parts, with Xu Ming separately taking the manager of 'Phoenix Tail' into the office while the rest were allocated to Shi Shuai, beginning in separate rooms.

"Give me a glass of water." The manager asked Xu Ming for water. She was trembling slightly from nerves. With Yao Zheng's brief appearance, she thought he might speak for her, but he had simply left with a flick of his hand, clearly indicating he didn't want to meddle. She bowed her head, her mind in turmoil.

Putting the glass in front of the woman, Xu Ming sat opposite her with a softened demeanor. The office desk had been replaced with a smaller one, so the two were close enough to see the powder and mascara smudges on her eyelids. As they say, pretty women don't hold up to close scrutiny, and indeed, this saying is apt.

"I don't know about the sale below, you can't blame me for this, right?"

"Would they dare sell without your permission? The manager of 'Phoenix Tail' is quite a fierce character; none of your girls could dare defect. The money you collect from them isn't insignificant. With such little profit under you, it's easy to guess your oppressive methods." Xu Ming's words left the woman speechless. She glanced at him, drinking water. "How much commission do you get from Xiao Mei when she pushes drugs to clients?"

"Don't falsely accuse me, I didn't take money from her. Her backer is very powerful, do you think I'd dare?" The obvious jealousy and women's jealousy is quite intriguing.

"So, you knew about her selling drugs to customers. Not reporting it is an added crime."

"Oh my god, Director Xu, don't scare me like this. Anything I know, I'll tell you. If I don't know, there's no point in forcing me, right?"

"Then start from the beginning, and it's best not to lie to me. Your people probably hate you and might say something I don't know about. You're aware of that."

"In your hands, how could I dare lie?" The woman crossed her legs, took a sip of water. "Xiao Mei has been with me for a long time. She joined when I took over, transferred from elsewhere. She was only nineteen. Her personality's quiet, doesn't compete with other girls. Initially, she had few clients due to her unpleasant demeanor and often drove clients away. Yet somehow, she managed to support herself financially, living in the apartment across the street, genuinely selling smiles, not her body."

"Where did she get the money to support herself?" Xu Ming was curious about this too. According to the woman, Xiao Mei's involvement in drug-selling dates back a while, but factually, Guo Guo started drug dealing only recently, for about half a year. If not the hardware store, there must be another base.

"I really don't know, maybe she saved up from her previous work outside!" The woman chuckled. "It was about a year ago that clients began seeking her out actively. In our industry, this isn't unusual — some girls are slow to warm up, some men like the aloof ones. Xiao Mei's situation was peculiar, with her clientele rapidly increasing to a variety of people. To outsiders, this might not look like much, but to veterans like us, it's clear. I privately confronted her, but she was tight-lipped. With no choice, I warned her not to overstep her bounds on my turf. A girl selling only smiles with a steady clientele — putting two and two together, it was clear it was either for her looks or for the drugs, so I threatened her that stepping out of line would mean reporting her."

The woman let out a helpless laugh twice, people in the world of dust have their own rules and codes. Each brothel owner has their methods, and the woman in front prohibited drugs and narcotics. She wouldn't touch them nor let her girls get involved, as her heart was in the right place. Getting involved in this trade makes one hard to lift heads, and further getting into drugs would ruin the life, making even marrying cleanly difficult.

"I still remember Xiao Mei then, her disdain and sarcasm, the contempt in her eyes. She never saw me as anything, though I always thought her part of us."

"How did you find out she was selling drugs to customers? Why didn't you report it then?"

"Xiao Mei has a man keeping her outside. Sometimes she'd go out for two to three days every couple of weeks, and no one would look for her. But once, a client, seemed to be a first-timer, asked for Xiao Mei upon arrival. He insisted on leaving if he couldn't see her and refused all other girls I recommended. Later, I took him to a room and found out about this incident. Unfortunately, I didn't have stock on hand, so I called Xiao Mei. I don't know what was said over the phone, but the customer left."

"And afterwards? Was there any further contact with Xiao Mei?"

"Yes, I approached her to advise her, but she wouldn't listen, so I asked her to leave 'Phoenix Tail'. However, she showed no signs of leaving, which surprised me." The woman requested another glass of water from Xu Ming, warm water could warm the stomach. Her eyes lifelessly fixed on a point. "I think it was on the third day after exposure that she approached me, hoping to expand the operation. I refused and urged her to leave 'Phoenix Tail'. Subsequently, few people came looking, and 'Phoenix Tail' then was chaos, with fewer clients daring to visit, almost ruining business, and I nearly lost everything. From then, I realized, compromise was my only survival route."

"You could've called the police."

"Call the police? The ones causing trouble were the police. Where should I report it?" The woman smirked at Xu Ming. "Zhao Soldiers were the ones leading the inspection team, able to find anything imaginable. The police are surprisingly skilled at planting evidence, finding things in every corner, even on customers. It's unpredictable. Eventually, I found Xiao Mei. She could operate here but shouldn't drag others into it. I watched with open eyes pretending to see nothing, as long as nothing untoward happened."

"Why did she choose to stay here? There are plenty of clubs in the North District, not just yours, right?" Xu Ming questioned Xiao Mei's motives, finding it curious.

"'Phoenix Tail' has another owner; I'm merely a contractor for this place. When I signed the contract, it was for five years. I've never met the boss behind it, only knowing he's quite influential. If you look closely at the permits on the wall, you'd realize everything can be done here, and when I took over, each girl had certification, meaning a legal business. Hence, if you arrest someone under prostitution charges, you're really hitting a brick wall. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian.com for recommendation votes, monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)