It was late at night. A breeze from the lake rustled through the treetops.
Shen Xin leaned back in his deck chair. Da Mei had once again monopolized Ding Yuwei, sprawled on its back in her lap and letting out low, rumbling snores.
Tian Kui lay at Shen Xin's feet, also fast asleep.
York and his colleague had already left, and Yang Zeran was now video-calling.
On the tablet screen, he was sitting on a sofa, massaging Song Xiangli's calves. "Shen Xin, let me sum this up," he said. "Basically, you have to find a... hmm, let's just say a shepherd, in an area the size of France."
He paused, then asked, "Do you have any idea what that entails? To put it bluntly, it's a needle in a haystack. Lao Shen, you'd better not agree to this lightly. If you fail, it'll be a huge embarrassment."
Shen Xin scoffed.
'If we're talking about embarrassment, the FBI already lost face the moment they came to us for help.'
