He kept his hands visible. "Mr. Song. I'm Tang XiaoYu. We're here because of a report about your kids. We're not here to hurt you. Can we talk?"
Guiying didn't speak immediately. He let Song Rongquan finish his assessment of the three of them, watching the way the man's eyes moved quickly from Bai Feng to Liang Xueyi to him, measuring and categorizing without pause.
"You're from the organisation," Song Rongquan said, his voice carrying the smooth, practiced warmth of someone who had rehearsed this exact moment.
"Please come in. I apologize for the delay. I was just putting a few things in order."
He stepped aside to hold the door open, and the apartment took them in with air that felt heavy and stale.
The curtains were drawn tight against the morning light, so it took a moment for the room to resolve into detail.
In the corner, a mattress lay on the floor with Lian curled on it, asleep in clothes that were too large and too thin for the weather.
