“Oh?” David Carter hadn’t been very interested at first, but when he heard Philip Warren say that, he quickly followed Philip Warren’s pointing finger and looked over. Two girls in dresses quietly walked in. “The one in the white dress at the front—is that Grace Collins?”

“Yeah, what, it’s only been a while and you don’t recognize her anymore?”

“And the one behind her, in the purple dress?”

“I think she’s a teacher who was just assigned here from the children’s school not long ago. She seems to get along well with Grace Collins. I often see them together.” Philip Warren looked carefully. “David, go on, or you’ll miss your chance to invite her.”

David Carter shook his head. Grace Collins really had changed a bit. They say girls change a lot as they grow up, and she’d only gotten prettier. Back in middle school, Grace Collins was already a famous school beauty, and now she’d grown much taller. Her slender figure, paired with the white dress and a bow tied at the back, made her stand out gracefully among all the other girls. Even the girl who came with Grace Collins was slim, and David Carter had a good eye—she was actually a little taller than Grace Collins, with an oval face and a gentle smile that always showed two charming dimples. She was chatting animatedly with Grace Collins.

Sure enough, people kept coming up to invite the two girls to dance, but neither seemed interested. The men were all turned down, but since they were all from the factory, it wasn’t too awkward.

“Philip Warren, Grace Collins and her friend are pretty proud, huh? So many people have asked them to dance and they still won’t. Why’d they even come?” David Carter said, just to make conversation.

“If you go, it’ll work for sure. You’re all old classmates. The two of them don’t really like coming to dance—maybe once a month. But when we ask them, they’ve never turned us down.” Philip Warren laughed. “David, are you afraid of being rejected and embarrassed? Grace Collins doesn’t have a boyfriend yet. If you’re interested, you’d better act fast—don’t let guys like Robert King mess things up.”

David Carter laughed too. Ever since he got together with Evelyn Turner, he hadn’t really been interested in flirting around. He’d never planned to find a girlfriend at the factory anyway. There were plenty of women there, but he’d already left the factory and was assigned to the county, so it was even less likely. But now that he was back in Jiangmiao, he was dealing with the factory crowd more often.

A bunch more people squeezed in at the entrance. It looked like the factory club’s dance hall was doing great business. It made sense—so many young female workers at the factory, coming to relax on a weekend night. No wonder the young people from Jiangmiao Town liked coming here too.

Chapter 10: Taking Action

David Carter had just walked into the restroom when Philip Warren came running in, panting. “David, David, something’s wrong! There’s trouble! Hurry!”

Hearing how urgent Philip Warren sounded, David Carter quickly fastened his pants and rushed out. Dance halls were always places where trouble happened. David Carter had been with the criminal police team for over half a year and had encountered two cases—one intentional injury resulting in death, and one serious injury—both in dance halls. Most of the time it was over jealousy or drunken brawls. He hadn’t expected the factory club’s dance hall to be the same.

As soon as he ran out of the restroom, he saw the dance hall was already in chaos. The music was still playing, but a big crowd had formed a circle in the right corner. David Carter didn’t wait for Philip Warren; he darted forward, pushed through the crowd, and squeezed inside.

Sure enough, it was trouble caused by Grace Collins and the girl in the purple dress. Paul Mason was already there, sweat beading on his forehead, his eyes searching around—David Carter guessed he was looking for him.

“Brother Paul, it’s not that I don’t respect you, but everyone can come to this dance hall, right? My brothers and I have just as much right to be here. We each took turns asking this young lady to dance, but she just wouldn’t give us any face. Isn’t that a slap in mine? And this kid even dares to act tough in front of my brothers. Believe it or not, I’ll spill your blood tonight!”

The one spouting threats was a man in his thirties with long hair, wearing a flashy checkered shirt that looked pretty trendy, and shiny leather shoes. A deep scar on his flushed face ruined what might have been a masculine look, making him appear more sinister. But his sharp, hawk-like eyes were still intimidating.

“Brother Thomas, can you do me a favor? They’re just kids from the factory who don’t know any better. Don’t stoop to their level. Let’s have a drink together another day.” Paul Mason signaled the pale-faced young man standing in front of Grace Collins and her friend to step aside, smiling as he spoke.

“Brother Paul, I’m giving you face. Normally, I’d cripple this kid tonight, but since you’re stepping in, I’ll let it go. But he’d better disappear right now! And you’ve got to let me save face in front of my brothers. How about this—let this young lady dance one song with my brother. How’s that?”

The long-haired man cracked his knuckles loudly. The calluses on his hands and the scar on his face looked especially menacing under the lights. The blue dragon tattooed on his thick arm was even scarier. With his brutish face and cocky attitude, plus the bulge in his pants pocket, he was intimidating enough to make some of the young workers—who had been gritting their teeth, ready to band together against these outsiders—start to hesitate.