chapter 169: clicking

[Shanghai, Hotel]

Joey (Bernice Liu) and Ah Nin (Frankie Lam) checked themselves into a hotel after she paid the fee to bail him from detainment at the police station.

[Ah Nin's Room]

Ah Nin and Joey were seated face-to-face in his hotel room discussing that day's events.

"I don't know what's going on!" Ah Nin says frantically. "They say that 'F&B' is a cover-up for a drug market... and they said that I'm the director of this business, but I-"

"I know you're innocent," Joey says simply.

Ah Nin is touched by her simple answer. "Thank you."

"But it's not enough if I'm the only person who believes you. We have to find evidence to prove you're innocent, that you're not a part of this."

"I bet this is a trap. It's Rose (Kenix Kwok)! I know it. She's behind it." There's a bitter and furious look on Ah Nin's face.

"But she's also being tried for the crime..." Joey's voice trailed. "It doesn't make sense that she'll make a trap for herself."

"It also doesn't make sense to me that 'F&B' is an undercover drug trade. It's a fashion company!"

"Well, from what I've gathered, they're saying that the company is a farce. They hide drugs within the shipments of their clothes."

"But that can't be. I was at the company for about two years. The clients I met were all legitimate people in the industry."

"Yeah, but how much of those two years do you actually remember?"

"Ack!" Ah Nin slaps his head. "I forgot about my 'accident'." He rolls his eyes. "You have a point. After I recovered from my accident, I only remember working at 'F&B' again for about a month or two... until you and Ma Chi showed up to find me. Then I went to Hong Kong with you guys and worked for 'Ka Yan' again."

"So this means you only have memories of 'F&B' from the late summer and early fall of 2006?"

Ah Nin nods his head. "Yes, everything else is a blur. I can't remember."

Joey gasps suddenly.

"What is it?"

"Oh my god!" Joey recalls what Ah Mun (Nancy Wu) had told her the night she went to visit her in hopes of finding out what had happened during Ah Hoi's murder. "I think you did figure out about the drug trade! You don't remember because it was before your accident. The night of Ah Hoi's murder, Rose said something about how it's not just love between you and her. You know her family's secret - and I believe she was talking about the drug trade."

Ah Nin is astonished by what Joey just said. "This is all making sense now. She knew I found out her family's secret, so she paid Ah Hoi to kill me. However, I survived and lost all of my memories. She must have used this chance to manipulate me!" There's a look of clarity in Ah Nin's eyes. "I remember it now. When I woke up, she was there. I didn't know anything at all. I didn't know who I was, where I was, or what had happened. She filled in the gaps for me. She told me about 'us'. She visited me at the hospital every day and helped me on my road to recovery. I found out from her about our 'whirlwind relationship' and how we were actually engaged... Oh my god. I am so stupid for believing everything she told me."

"You didn't know."

"Exactly! I didn't know anything. I'm such an idiot." He continues, remembering everything that happened after he woke up from his coma, "After I was discharged from the hospital, Rose told me that the apartment building where I had lived had burned down. She 'suggested' that I move in with her because it wouldn't be a good idea for me to live on my own-"

"So that was why they told us you had moved from your apartment when we went to Shanghai to find you!" Joey interjects.

Ah Nin nods his head. "I was hoping that after I left the hospital I could remember more by seeing where I used to live... photos perhaps... but she told me everything was burned." Ah Nin gasps. "The journal I found!"

"What?"

"I found an old journal once while I was tying my tie. The entries were about my family... and you! I didn't know what it was doing under my bed, but I read them... and I could vaguely recall writing them... but it was definitely my handwriting."

"Did you read the whole thing?"

"I was going to, but I gave it to Rose because she wanted to see it."

"So I take it you never saw it again, right?"

Ah Nin shakes his head. "Nope. To be honest, I kind of forgot about it."

"Rose must have discarded it, just like she probably discarded everything from your apartment," Joey concludes.

Ah Nin clenches his fist. "That Rose is so evil. Not only did she cause me to lose my memories, but she destroyed everything in my past so I couldn't remember it. Then, she made it like she was trying so hard to help me and she also manipulated me into thinking she was my fiancé and this great person." He lets out a scream. "I am such a fool!"

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Joey insists.

"Oh god, this is such a mess!" Ah Nin groans. "Now, I'm involved in this whole drug ordeal. I'm not a criminal! I don't know anything about this."

"Don't you worry. Justice will prevail. You won't be convicted innocently. I'll do everything I can to help you."

"Thank you so much. I really don't know what I'd do without you." Ah Nin is extremely grateful to Joey.

Joey returns the gesture and says, "Nor would I."

Ah Nin smiles back at her.

[Joey's Room]

Joey waited until Ah Nin was asleep until she went back into her own room. It had been a long and extremely stressful day. Joey plops down on her bed. She looks at her cell phone. She presses her lips tightly together before mustering up the courage to call Ah Nin's family. She knew she had to call them and tell them about what had happened. The line was, however, busy.

She decides to give Nim Chi (Nancy Sit) a call directly on her cell phone. To her surprise, a man answered the phone.

"I'm sorry. I must have the wrong number."

Joey was about to hang up when the man said, "Joey, it's me, Kam Yuet."

"Marco?"

"Yeah. Are you looking for Ma Chi?"

"Yes, where is she?"

"She's on the phone with big brother."

"Chris?" Joey is surprised.

"He just called us a few minutes ago and told us what happened..."

At that moment, Joey gets up from her bed and runs to Ah Nin's room. She knocks on his door.

[Ah Nin's Room]

Ah Nin was still on the phone when he opened the door for Joey.

"I thought you were asleep!" Joey says in a hushed tone. She suddenly realizes she still had Ah Yuet (Michael Tse) on the phone. "Marco, I'm here with Chris now." She hangs up on him.

"Listen, Ma Chi, I'm going to call you back in a little bit okay? Please calm down. I'm innocent. Nothing will happen." Ah Nin hangs up his phone.

"What are you still doing up?" Joey asks.

"I have to ask you the same question."

"You're tired! Go to bed!"

"I can't sleep even if I wanted to." Ah Nin sighs. "Ma Chi is crying hysterically... I feel so awful."

"I was going to call your family and tell them, but you beat me to it."

"It's my family. It's best that I tell them myself."

"I didn't want to bring it up when we were talking because I didn't want to add to your stress..."

"It seems they discovered Rose's secret too."

Joey gasps. "What?"

"A shipment came from 'F&B' for my family. I think Rose promised them some couture dresses for her wedding. Foon Foon and Hei Hei found packets of cocaine in Ah Lo's (Bondy Chiu) dress. They accidentally inhaled some..."

"Oh my god. Are they okay?" Joey covers her mouth.

"Luckily, the amount was very minor. They're okay now. Then, Ah Lo found more drugs inside Ah Yat (Joyce Chen) and aunt-in-law's dresses."

"So that's how 'F&B' is doing their illegal drug trade - hiding the drugs within the actual clothing," Joey nods her head in understanding.

Ah Nin's phone rings, alerting him of a new message. He looks at his phone and sees that Ah Yuet had sent him some pictures.

"What is it?"

"I don't know. I'm opening the message now, but it looks like second brother sent me some pictures."

The pictures in the message were of torn fabrics and thin packets of drugs. Joey and Ah Nin look at the pictures, stunned.

"My god. All of this time, 'F&B' has been hiding such things within their designs. No wonder a lot of their clothes have so many layers." Joey feels a chill. "This is disgusting."

Looking at the pictures, something clicks in Ah Nin's head. "I've seen it before," he blurts out.

Joey looks at him. "What?"

"The drugs within the ripped clothes!"