Chapter 29 - What A Player!

Halia followed the receptionist through the door into a secondary courtyard. This courtyard was smaller than the one she saw when she first entered, but it looked much more luxurious and private.

Sitting in the middle of the courtyard was a man drinking some tea. He had his back to Halia, so she couldn't see him properly, but he was the only person there, so she was sure he was her handler, Sean Qin.

"Mr. Qin, Miss Feng has arrived," the receptionist said before she turned and walked back out the door.

Halia stood awkwardly behind the man, unsure of whether to sit down or to start a conversation from where she stood.

"Come, join me, this tea is good," the man said as he took a sip of tea.

Halia was relieved that the man broke the silence first, so she quickly walked around and sat down opposite him at the round stone table. But...as she looked up, she felt her heart race.

It was the man from the cemetery!

Her handler...was Sara's lover!

Halia felt overcome with emotions, like she was meeting a long lost friend. As she stared at the man, her eyes began to get teary. That was right, she still had Sara's memories.

"Is everything OK?" the young man asked.

Sean Qin was a refined-looking man who appeared to be in his early thirties. His hair was slicked back, he wore a suit and he had a set of perfectly straight and white teeth. He looked more like the heir of a rich conglomerate than a handler from the SPU.

"Oh, I'm fine, something must have flown into my eyes," Halia said as she wiped her tears.

The man quickly handed her a tissue and poured her a cup of tea. "This is top quality Longjing tea. The owner here knows me, so I come to this courtyard to gather my thoughts every now and then. From now on, if I send you an emoji of a leaf, it means we are meeting here. Always make sure you are not being tailed. Give me your phone, I'll enter my phone number."

Halia nodded as she handed over her phone.

"Here is the complete background story we have created for you. I worked with the captain to write this out. Read through it and familiarize yourself with it. This will be you for the next few months," Sean said as he handed Halia a file.

Halia opened the file and read through it.

"I heard you already met Jackson before, that's why they selected you for this mission," Sean confirmed.

Halia nodded.

"Well, every Friday night Jackson Wu frequents a particular club in the Houhai area. If I get you a job as a bartender there, will you be able to get his attention?"

Halia smiled, "I'll do my best."

Halia had grown up drinking Baijiu (Chinese liquor) and other types of alcohol with her father. It was something he had always been interested in and it naturally brushed off onto his daughter. So, Halia had no issues being a bartender, she even had a few tricks up her sleeves.

...

A few nights later, Halia arrived at the club dressed in a pair of short black ripped jeans and a white cropped top. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun with a few loose strands just hanging above her collarbone. Many of the bars and clubs in the Houhai area were upmarket and fancy, but this particular club was young, fresh and hip, so the staff did not have any uniform. Because of the casual vibe, a lot of foreigners visited this place.

Jackson had actually just returned to China from France, where he studied for a few years, so he preferred places like this. Plus, this was where he met with some of his foreign clients.

That particular night, Jackson was meeting with Remy Durand's​ henchman. Jackson had yet to meet the French fugitive in real life, but this was his second meeting with the henchman. Jackson had to impress the henchman to get to Remy, so he decided to take him to his favorite club.

The two men arrived at the club around midnight and were seated in a VIP booth at the back. The music was pumping, the lights were flashing and people were dancing. As soon as they sat down, a bottle of Moutai Baijiu was placed in front of them. Moutai was the most expensive liquor in the world, so the henchman was immediately impressed.

Of course, some women that were near the two men spotted the expensive bottle and it quickly drew their attention.

"Hello handsome, is that Moutai, I've always wanted to try it?" one of the women asked Jackson seductively as she sat down beside him. The woman had thick makeup on and she was wearing a tight black dress with a low-cut front. Her b.r.e.a.s.ts were fairly big, but they definitely looked plastic.

Jackson had seen his fair share of women like this, but they did not interest him; he preferred natural beauty. On the other hand, the henchman's eyes immediately lit up, especially when he saw her b.r.e.a.s.ts.

The woman realized Jackson wasn't interested, so she moved to sit next to the henchman instead.

The henchman was a young french man with blonde hair and blue eyes. He wrapped his muscly arm around the woman's shoulder and handed her a shot of the Moutai, and she happily accepted.

Jackson leaned back and shook his head with a smirk.

At that moment, Jackson's men arrived. The same three that had visited him at the hospital. They had brought along five women with them, hoping to interest the French man, but they were a bit too late, he was already occupied.

The three men each grabbed onto one woman and pushed the remaining two towards Jackson. "Boss, I guess you get two tonight," the heavier man laughed. The two women immediately sat down and started pouring Jackson some Moutai. Jackson smiled and accepted the drink.

Not too far away, at the bar, Halia had finally spotted Jackson. As she watched the two women pour him drinks, she felt slightly annoyed. One woman kept leaning into his ear and whispering to him, while the other had her hand on his knee and it was slowly making its way up his thigh.

"What a player," Halia humphed. "I can't believe I felt bad about catching him..."