Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 387 Nightclub Girl Disappears

Inside the Shu-style Steakhouse on Lianhua Road.

Chen Shu, Chen Chuan, and Yan Chenxi were checking their belongings, preparing to pack up and leave the restaurant, when suddenly a dark shadow covered the table.

"Hello, are you the police? I want to report a case. My roommate has gone missing." A woman in her early twenties, with heavy makeup and a rather avant-garde and revealing outfit, shuffled up to Chen Shu and asked softly, looking down at the ground.

"Yes, we are police officers."

Chen Shu's seat was next to the corridor, and he was currently the closest person to the woman. He looked up and sized her up for a while, subtly sniffing the cheap perfume that had suddenly appeared in the air, wondering why these nightclub women would be at a steakhouse in broad daylight.

For some reason, he felt that this woman should be questioned by Chen Chuan, the "Prince of Nightclubs." He then gave Chen Chuan, who was sitting inside, a wink, offered his seat, and whispered, "Chen Chuan, you go."

"Damn, does this mean they think I'm better suited to dealing with them? I haven't been to a nightclub in ages." Although he was internally complaining, Chen Gongzi, his eyes shining, knew that Chen Shu was giving him a chance to practice.

However, he was indeed very interested.

"Young lady, don't rush, sit down and talk slowly." At this moment, Yan Chenxi, who was also a woman, got up and made room for the flustered young woman after her brother left.

"What's your name? Who is the missing person to you?" Chen Chuan took out a pen and paper from his jacket pocket, recalling the interrogation skills he had learned at the police academy ten years ago, and asked seriously and professionally.

“My name is Gu Xiaoxue. The missing person is my colleague, Sister Hua. She hasn’t been home for several days.”

"Going home? Do you live together?" Chen Chuan frowned, pointing out the information revealed in the other person's words.

Women who work in nightclubs cannot possibly live with their families. Their homes should be dormitories or rented accommodations.

Chen Shu looked at Chen Chuan with some surprise, thinking that this kid was not bad and had some analytical ability.

Yan Chenxi, who was sitting next to her, took a new cup, poured some lemon water into it, and gently placed it in front of Gu Xiaoxue.

"Oh, right, right. We live together in the Maple Leaf residential area on Xicheng Road."

Have you contacted Sister Hua's family? Maybe she went home, or maybe something urgent happened?

“I don’t have her family’s contact information, but I know she definitely hasn’t gone home! Usually, if anything happens, Sister Hua will let me know. If it’s really too late, she’ll send me a WeChat message.”

Most missing persons reports are filed by family members or relatives. Although Gu Xiaoxue and the "Sister Hua" she mentioned were clearly from out of town, cases reported by friends are still extremely rare.

"Have you made the call? Is this 'Sister Hua's' phone still powered on? What's her real name?"

Gu Xiaoxue held the water glass on the table with both hands, her emotions running high: "We all call each other by nicknames, so I don't know her real name. I called her the next morning, but her phone was off. I thought she was still working, but three days have passed and there's still no response. I'm worried something has happened to her!"

Yan Chenxi's fair face flushed slightly, her eyes fixed on the water glass on the table in front of her, clearly understanding the meaning of "still working" in Gu Xiaoxue's words.

Sitting opposite him, Chen Shu, who had a clear view of everything, thought that Director Yan was quite adorable. He then realized that now was not the time to think about such private matters.

"Ahem." He coughed a few times, then straightened his posture and asked, "What do you and Sister Hua do for work?"

"We both work at Jade," Gu Xiaoxue said, lowering her head and rubbing the glass between her hands repeatedly. Her voice immediately softened.

Jade is a high-end business KTV, commonly known as a nightclub, located within the jurisdiction of Zhongshan Police Station. Chen Shu used to frequently go there to investigate or conduct routine checks in order to gather clues for cases, but later, due to a superior's influence, he stopped going as often. (The text then abruptly shifts to a seemingly unrelated topic: KTV hostesses;)
May go missing during special services;

The roommates, with whom the roommates had a close relationship, did not receive the message.

Based on his years of experience dealing with young women at the grassroots level, Chen Shu knew that this group, who operated on the fringes of the law, were generally quite shrewd and usually busy making and spending money, unlikely to cause trouble. However, if something happened to them, it wouldn't be a minor matter.

This case is definitely not a simple missing person case. He sat up straight, patted Chen Chuan's forearm, and indicated that he would take over the questioning.

“Start from the day before Sister Hua disappeared, and tell me everything that happened.”

“That night, around one or two in the morning, we had just gotten home from get off work. Sister Hua received a phone call and told me she had to go to Lianhua Street, and then she left. When I woke up the next day at noon, I called her but found her phone was off. I called her again that night, and it was still off. The third day, which was yesterday, when I called, it was still off!”

Due to the nature of their work, experienced sex workers usually inform an acquaintance of their destination when they go out to work alone.

Chen Shu asked, "Did she go out tonight... to work?"

Gu Xiaoxue was a little embarrassed by the question. She blushed and quickly glanced at the two policemen sitting in front of her, then nodded quickly.

"Where did you go? And do you know who you went with?"

"I only know it's in this area, but I don't know who it is. But it should be a guest."

Did something happen around here?
No wonder Gu Xiaoxue spent most of the day at the steakhouse; she must have been looking for her friend on the street.

Such feelings are quite rare in a place like nightclubs, where there is so much debauchery and temptation.

Chen Shu observed Gu Xiaoxue's anxious expression for a while, and it didn't seem fake.

He continued asking questions, while Chen Chuan, sitting beside him, diligently took notes. Most of the time had passed without yielding any useful information.

Gu Xiaoxue couldn't provide any more specific information, but she kept emphasizing that Sister Hua must have had an accident.

"Why are you only coming to us to report this now? Did you go to the police station or call 110 to report it?"

Chen Shu had a big question in his mind: why did the other party target two special police officers? The fully armed special police officers looked impressive from a distance, but they didn't seem to have anything to do with the police officers in charge of the case or the criminal police.

Due to the nature of their profession, KTV hostesses are habitually afraid of the police and try to avoid them whenever possible. Therefore, Chen Shu was quite surprised that Gu Xiaoxue would proactively approach the police to report a crime and openly admit her profession today because of her friend's situation.

“I went to the police station yesterday. After they took my statement, they told me to go home and wait for a call, but so much time has passed and no police have contacted me. I have no choice but to come and look for people in this area myself.”

"Seeing you talking to that student earlier, I thought you seemed like a very gentle person. So...so I came over."

Gu Xiaoxue lowered her head completely, and from Chen Shu's perspective, she was practically slumped over the table.

Yan Chenxi, standing beside Chen Shu, looked thoughtfully at him.

(End of this chapter)