Chapter 25 - A Singing Bird

In a matter of seconds she was standing around a group of men dressed in a black suit over their muscular bodies. All of them looked similar considering they had bald round heads and dressed in similar attires which made them looked like five twins. She also saw how they each had tattoos covering their arms and neck, some even on their heads that perhaps were the only help for her to figure out who was who. 

"I think I am in the right place," AiLin said with a smile which made the men to look at her with raised eyebrows. 

"Aren't ya very brave missy," said one of the men who seemed to be their leaders as he stood in the middle, "Just a warning. This is a night club for people to have fun and perhaps for you to have fun but that's only at night. In the afternoon, this place isn't a building you can leisurely walk to without fearing you won't get harmed." 

"I'm here to meet someone," AiLin said with a sigh, "So move aside and let me enter Kay?"

"Meet someone?" The group of men looked at each other and stared back at her suspiciously. To their eyes AiLin was so small. So small that they almost mistook her as a small rabbit who was walking and plopping her ears around to dangerous places because it seemed to pique her curiosity. But now the missy rabbit had told them that she came here to meet someone? 

Meet someone? In a building of loan sharks? 

They were the type of people who made people borrow money and would punish them physically if they aren't able to pay off their debts on time. Now to say that this little missy is one of their guests?

"Did ya wanna borrow money from us?" Asked one of the men. 

"She seemed rich tho," another man answered. They could tell AiLin was rich seeing how she seemed to be wearing sparkly diamond necklace and earrings.

"Tell us missy who do ya wanna see here? I don't remember any of us being so famous that a missy from a rich household would come here to see us," another of the five men retorted. 

Estelle smiled, "Canary. I'm here to see her." 

At once the men's face became sour. They stared at her, eyes brooding and their lips turned into an upside down smile as they clenched their faces. At first they looked at each other, sending words by their glances until the man in the middle, their leader spoke, "Canary? Do ya know her missy?" 

AiLin saw how apprehensive they were upon saying Canary's name and she became confused. She was certain her best friend since she first entered the prison had became a nightclub owner. She was so proud that every time Canary sent letter for her to the prison, she would mentioned how many sales her nightclub had gotten and how many actresses and actors had became her paramour. But seeing these men's anger… could her friend Canary somehow made her own nightclub go bankrupt and these men were searching for her to pay for her debt?

"I'm… her friend?" AiLin said unsure now if she should stay around as Canary's friend or run away and find another method in contacting her own friend. 

She looked at the leader who stepped forward menacingly when he suddenly pulled her arms strongly and shook it, "I SEE I SEE! Our Boss's friend! I did remember her mentioning she was waiting for someone! I'd never guess it would be a missy like ya! Quick call the boss and make way! Don't forget to bring that premium tea!" 

"Yes brother Yi!" 

"Brother Yi should we bring the new cookies we just bought too?!"

"Yea bring everything y'all!" 

AiLin felt a hard slap on her back that straightened her posture as the men dragged her to the second floor of the luxurious nightclub, appearing in front of an office door with a small glass window to allow her see a shadow of a woman who was slumped on a chair. As soon as the door was opened, AiLin frowned as she smelled the strong stench of alcohol that hit her nose. She scrunched her nose and turned to find the woman who was slumped on the chair while hugging a bottle of alcohol. Her hair was burning red and tied into a loose braid and on the bridge of her nose was a glasses that was on verge of falling down. 

"Okay wait for our boss to wake up and have fun missy!" The leader whose name was "Brother Yi" left as soon as he showed her the way as if not wanting to stay there either due to the strong and disgusting stench of alcohol. 

AiLin smiled and thanked him, finding all of those five men to be strong and powerful in appearance but a rather soft hearted people. She smiled as she was glad Canary had gathered a load of loyal and great people around her. 

Walking toward the desk, she knocked on the table trying to wake up her friend when she stared at the tablet that was still open. Turns out Canary had fallen asleep while reading a certain tabloid. The tabloid doesn't really concern AiLin but something written on it immediately caught her eyes as it mentioned her own name:

'Fox's return! AiLin of the Hua Family finally makes her first ever appearance to the whole world but she's a carbon copy of the fake Jiang's daughter???'

"What's this?" AiLin said with her face scrunched slightly. 

"It's the worse tabloid I have read the whole year," said Canary who was just trying to open her eyes. "You saw that essay? The grammars, the headlines, everything is so chaotic. But worse, all their facts are false and nothing but hoax. Though knowing that, I found that all the tabloids all over Beijing claims the same thing— that the person in that portrait is the only daughter of Hua Family." 

Crossing her arms Canary leaned on the seat and stared at AiLin, "So tell me, how come the friend I have met in prison and spent the last four years with turn out to be a daughter of a loyal family? The Hua family you say?"