And, as it happened, Jiang Cheng looked down on Liu Li.
Just as Liu Li was plotting her next move,
Qiu Yihe had already stepped out of the restroom.
She watched the corridor while feigning embarrassment, shuffling toward the sink.
Part of her delay was shyness; the main reason was the search.
Liu Li realized she couldn't pry anything useful from Jiang Cheng,
so she turned and walked toward Qiu Yihe.
Qiu Yihe was using the angle to scoop water and rinse her mouth.
Before she could spit it out,
Liu Li was already standing beside her.
The instant she saw Liu Li, Qiu Yihe's gaze turned uneasy.
Liu Li was the key target she had to approach on this mission.
Covering her mouth, she spat the water and awkwardly greeted, "Manager Liu."
When Liu Li ignored the greeting and glanced instead at the stall door Qiu Yihe had left,
Qiu Yihe became certain something was off with this place.
After that single glance, Liu Li faced the mirror,
her eyes locking onto Qiu Yihe's reflection.
Seeing Liu Li stare,
Qiu Yihe lifted her gaze to the glass.
The mirror revealed a faint tattoo on her neck:
a poppy inked with special pigment, visible only under certain light.
Whether by accident or design,
Liu Li suddenly braced one hand on the counter and tapped the mirror with the other.
Her fingertip landed exactly on the badge reading "Lin Wan" at Qiu Yihe's chest.
"You're the new employee?" she asked abruptly.
Qiu Yihe noticed the move but showed no reaction,
even managing an apologetic look.
"Yes, Manager Liu."
Though Liu Li knew she and Jiang Cheng had been fooling around inside, she still turned sharply to scrutinize her.
"What are you doing in the men's room?"
At that, Qiu Yihe glanced nervously toward Jiang Cheng,
her face flushing scarlet.
"I… I…" Her ear tips burned; fingers twisted the hem of her uniform,
creasing the fabric into suggestive folds.
This was Qiu Yihe's first encounter with Liu Li,
and under that viperish gaze
she felt a chill of dread.
Had Jiang Cheng not followed her in—and actually done what they'd done—she feared she might have blown her cover.
Embarrassed as she was,
Qiu Yihe knew
her top priority was convincing Liu Li they'd simply been having a tryst,
not stealing intelligence.
With that in mind, she let her knees wobble,
grabbing the counter to reveal the marks Jiang Cheng had left while pressing her against the stall wall.
Liu Li didn't miss those tiny details,
yet she remained cautious,
sweeping her gaze upward
and fixing it on Qiu Yihe,
dissecting every flicker of expression.
Her stare, snake-like, lingered on Qiu Yihe's reddened ears and swollen lips.
Only when she spotted the residue at the corner of Qiu Yihe's mouth
did her vigilance slacken.
A suggestive smile curved her lips.
She leaned in and sniffed near Qiu Yihe's face.
Years of drug use had left her nose hypersensitive to bodily scents.
Instinctively, Qiu Yihe shrank back,
a move meant to expose the love-bite on her neck.
Right then she felt grateful for Jiang Cheng's earlier roughness;
without those fierce actions
she couldn't have improvised so convincingly.
Once Liu Li caught the scent of sex, her wariness melted away.
A husky laugh rumbled in her throat, the gold crown on her molar glinting under the light.
"Looks like you enjoy your thrills…"
"Sorry, Manager Liu…" Qiu Yihe's voice trembled,
tears still clinging to her lashes.
As she spoke, her tongue unconsciously swept the corner of her lip, tasting the tell-tale trace.
Only after licking did she realize how wanton the gesture was;
her face flamed as though about to drip blood.
"Naughty little thing, picking places just like I did in the Golden Triangle…"
Though most of her suspicion had faded,
Liu Li still tested her one more time,
cutting herself off mid-sentence, just as she had suddenly spoken Thai to Jiang Cheng.
She tossed out half-truths to watch Qiu Yihe's reaction.
At the mention of the Golden Triangle, Qiu Yihe genuinely shivered—
not an act.
The name of that narcotics den held innate terror for any Anti-drug Police Officer;
too many predecessors had never returned from that path.
Still, Qiu Yihe masked it well,
turning the involuntary tremor into a mortified sob.
"…Sorry, I really didn't mean for things to turn out like this…"
Seeing no trace of pretense on her face,
Liu Li's remaining caution eased.
Seems she'd overthought it.