After a moment of silence, Huang Rong, realizing she couldn't deny it anymore, tried shifting blame.

"Listen, I didn't plan this - I'm a victim too! That 100,000 never came to me, Big Beard's gang took all of it!"

"Yeah right, like I'd believe you didn't get a cut," I scoffed.

Huang Rong started crying on the phone, launching into this whole sob story about her past.

"I never meant for things to go this far, Manman."

According to her story, she met Big Beard by chance at the bathhouse and got pulled into gambling, sinking deeper and deeper. Her husband wasn't satisfying her, so she started keeping that handsome masseur on the side - the same one who'd worked on me.

That's why she chose this specific massage parlor.

What she hadn't planned on was him being my former student. As for that day, she claimed she only told Big Beard we were coming for massages, never expecting them to pull such a dirty trick.

"I cut ties with Big Beard after that day. I thought he was my friend, but he was playing me too!"

She cursed Big Beard viciously.

Sophie seemed to be softening, moved by Huang Rong's story. I felt my own judgment wavering, unsure whether to believe her or not.

"We started teaching at the school together - you know what kind of person I am. Would I really stab my friends in the back like this?"

As I was weighing things in my mind, Huang Rong gave us an address, suggesting we meet face-to-face to clear things up.

"Let's talk in person. I'll be there soon."

It was already past midnight, and with limited options, she suggested meeting at a hotel. Before we left, the detective gave us two walkie-talkies for safety.

"Press this button if anything goes wrong."

Having those walkie-talkies made me feel a bit better.

We went up to the 18th floor. Sophie was rushing to punch in the door code. Something felt off - I noticed the doormat was crooked, suggesting someone had been there already. "Wait..."

But before I could stop her, Sophie had already pushed the door open.