The June city was like a vast steamer. Thick, sticky waves of heat, carrying car exhaust and the scorched smell of melting asphalt, weighed heavily on every passerby. Zhang Fan tugged at his shirt collar, which was tight around his neck, and felt as though he could hardly breathe. Sweat slid down from his temples and dripped onto his phone screen, blurring the message Li Wei had sent!
> **“Brother Fan! Pullman Sky Hotel, Room 1808! Hurry! Xiaomei’s in there! With a man! I got pictures, but... something’s not right! Get here now!!!”**
Each word was like a red-hot iron branding itself onto Zhang Fan’s retinas, searing into nerves already stretched to their limit by days of intensive investigative reporting. “Xiaomei... a man... 1808...” His mind buzzed. The exhaustion and dull headache that had built up over days of overwork were instantly replaced by a violent fury, sharp as rust. It felt as if all the blood in his body had rushed to his head. All he could hear was his own heart pounding like a drum.
Trust? Ten years of marriage? The warm memories of the two of them weathering life together were torn to shreds by that message. Li Wei, his best partner and most trusted brother, would never joke about something like this! A tremendous sense of panic and betrayal seized him, nearly choking him.
He shoved open the cafe’s glass door. A blast of scorching wind hit him, but he felt no warmth, only bone-chilling cold. Like a cornered beast driven into a rage, he roughly flagged down a taxi and shouted hoarsely, “Pullman Sky Hotel! Hurry!”
The wheels rolled over the scorching road. The streets outside raced backward, blurring into
