Jiangcheng, Tingtang Road.
Inside an adult store called Pleasure Peak, a pale-faced high school girl stood frozen, overwhelmed and unsure of what to do.
"Full service costs 9,900 yuan. For the initial investigation, a 1,000 yuan deposit is required."
A cigarette dangled from my lips as I examined the girl. Her small, delicate face looked even more innocent in her school uniform. She was thin, almost frail, yet her chest was surprisingly full for her frame.
Under my gaze, the girl grew increasingly uncomfortable.
"I only have seventy yuan with me… Can I pay the rest later, when I have the money?"
"Seventy is fine. Leave it on the table. I'll get back to you in three days."
"You're not a scammer, are you?" she asked, half-skeptical. The money in her hand was soaked with nervous sweat.
"Entrusted with a task, I see it through. Honesty, efficiency, discretion, and integrity — that's the motto in this line of work. What you just said? That was a direct insult to my professional standards."
I snatched the cash from her hand and waved her out the door.
At this point, I wouldn't blame anyone for misunderstanding me. A grown man in an adult shop, taking money from a teenage girl — it sounds bad. Real bad.
But that's not what this is.
My name is Gao Jian, and while I technically own this adult store, that's just a front. In reality, I'm a private investigator.
Missing persons, body retrieval, corporate espionage, counterfeit busts, infidelity cases — any non-litigation mess you can think of, I take it on.
Now, back to the girl — Xia Qingzhi, a high school student from Jiangcheng No.1 High.
She came to me with something… bizarre.
"My brother, Xia Chi, went missing a week ago. I think… he might've been killed." She looked terrified the moment she stepped through the door.
"If it's a criminal matter, you should go to the police," I replied disinterestedly. High schoolers don't have money — or so I thought.
"I tried. None of it worked. No one remembers my brother. Not my family, not the school. Even the government registry has no record of him. It's like he was erased. Like he never existed at all."
"You're saying the only memory of your brother… is in your own head?"
She didn't seem like she was lying — and that was the scariest part.
"Yes. Everyone else has forgotten him. I'm the only one who still remembers."
I lit another cigarette and took a deep drag.
If she was telling the truth, only two possibilities existed: either something supernatural was at work, or she was suffering from a severe psychological disorder — maybe dissociative identity disorder, and "her brother" was just a fractured personality.
"Did he act strange before he disappeared?"
If I wanted more information, I had to go along with her story for now.
"That night, a week ago… he went to audition for some live-streaming platform. He never came back."
She pulled a crumpled card from her pocket — looked like one of those shady flyers pasted to light poles or stuck in public bathrooms.
"Want to be famous? Want the adoration of millions?"
"Become a signed host at Netherworld Live! Start your own livestream channel."
"All you need is courage, talent, and time."
"Turn your dreams into reality — without leaving home!"
"Netherworld Live? What a name."
I turned the card over. Interview hours were listed as midnight to 3 a.m., and the address? 44 No-Light Road, Basement Level 4, Room 444. Those numbers… they weren't exactly friendly.
"You think I'm lying too, don't you?" she said, on the verge of breaking down. Her eyes were full of despair and fear.
"No. No one has the right to judge before investigating."
Even if it was just for seventy yuan, I had to play it straight. I hadn't had a client in two months. And with vending machines taking over the adult product business, this shop was bleeding money. If things didn't pick up soon, I wouldn't be able to pay the rent.
So I took the case — and that brings us back to where this all started.
Netherworld Live. Livestreaming has been the craze these past years — cooking, gaming, sexy dances — all fair game. But with a name like Netherworld, who the hell knew what kind of content they were pushing?
"Maybe it's livestreaming the dead?" I muttered with a smirk.
I sent Xia Qingzhi off. Having a schoolgirl hanging around an adult store for too long wasn't ideal, especially since she wasn't even eighteen yet.
Just as she pulled aside the heavy curtain — one I'd repurposed from an old army coat — she ran straight into a woman. And not just any woman.
A goddess.
"Sorry!" Xia Qingzhi squeaked, covering her face with her backpack and fleeing the scene.
"Even high schoolers buy your stuff now?" the woman said in a smooth, familiar voice.
"Whether they buy or not is none of my business."
She was stunning. High heels framed snow-white ankles. Her calves were tight. A lace dress fluttered lightly in the air. Despite its modest cut, her body's curves were impossible to hide. Her face was masked by a pair of sunglasses and a medical mask, but her aura… unmistakable.
I've learned not to pry. People who come here often have secrets. As long as they pay, I don't ask questions.
She was dressed head-to-toe in designer labels. The handbag in her hand? A Louis Vuitton from Paris — probably worth more than my entire annual rent.
"How can I help you, miss? Everything's on clearance — going-out-of-business prices. Everything 20% off."
"I'm not here to shop. I'm here to find someone."
She pulled down her mask and shades.
"Gao Jian, it's been five years. You haven't changed a bit."
The cigarette slipped from my fingers.
"Ye Bing?"
She was my first love. Back at the police academy, we were always top of the class — neck and neck.
Then I got expelled for being entangled in a serial murder case. She, with the help of her new boyfriend, finished school and went abroad to study.
"Five years, and you've turned into a full-blown goddess."
I lit another cigarette. "You changed your number, cut all ties. I thought your plane went down over the Pacific."
"Still the same sharp tongue, I see. I admit I handled things badly. But I don't regret my choices."
She smiled. Mature. Composed. She had that energy that made men weak in the knees.
"Oh? So why are you back? Want to rekindle our old flame? Relive the glory days?"
I stared boldly at her body. No shame.
"I wanted to talk, but… seeing your current situation, maybe there's no need."
She didn't wait for a reply. Instead, she pulled a bank card from her bag and placed it on the counter.
"There's 100,000 yuan in this. Take it as compensation for how I left things. Gao Jian, we're not kids anymore. It's time to let go of the past."
"My wedding with Jiang Shao is in three days. Century Garden. If you have time, stop by. I don't know many people in this city anymore."
She said it as casually as if she were discussing the weather. But behind her calm tone, I caught the subtle disdain and disappointment in her eyes.
I said nothing. Just inhaled another drag.
"Keep your card," I finally said. "I'll be there in three days."
I didn't even notice when she left. I just sat there, chain-smoking an entire pack until my lungs felt scorched.
What was there to be angry about? She could casually toss out more money than my entire net worth. No use sulking or exploding. Better to focus on the job.
I placed the wrinkled card Xia Qingzhi left next to my computer. It was the only case I'd gotten in two months. The client was young. Possibly unstable. But I couldn't afford to mess this up.
Because I needed the money.