BL Ch31

Lu Qing led the group through a long corridor and into a lit interrogation room. In the small room of about seven or eight square meters behind the one-way glass, two people sat facing each other. One had a hunched back and lowered head, obscuring their expression, while the other had a stern profile, with deeply furrowed brows.

Lu Qing handed over an earpiece. “You can listen in too.”

Yu Duqiu took it and joked, “My suspicions haven’t been cleared yet, Miss Lu. Aren’t you being a bit too unguarded around me?”

Lu Qing snorted. “After you were attacked in the U.S., Director Peng requested the city’s leadership to list you as a key protection target. For the time being, you’re not being treated as a suspect. But until we catch the culprit, our team might have to act as your personal bodyguards, constantly monitoring you.”

Yu Duqiu smiled. “I don’t mind, as long as you don’t mind me.”

“You really are self-aware…” Lu Qing muttered under her breath, suddenly noticing, “Hey, aren’t you going to take off your sunglasses?”

The lighting outside the interrogation room was dim to create a strong contrast with the bright inside, so there was no need to block the light. Yu Duqiu pushed up the frame of his glasses. “To hide the dark circles.”

None of them returned from the trip looking refreshed. Lu Qing, who looked divine last night, appeared completely worn out this morning. When the clock struck midnight, the magic wore off, and instead of facing Prince Charming, she was met with a narcissistic gay man, a captain reeking of sweat, and a stubborn old man determined to resist the police to the bitter end.

Even Cinderella herself would sigh in pity.

“Such a heavy idol burden…” Lu Qing muttered as she turned up the volume, and Ji Lin’s voice gradually became clear in her earpiece:

“I don’t have time to waste with you!”

The unexpected vulgarity startled all three of them, inside and outside the interrogation room.

When Ji Lin first entered the interrogation room, Dong Yongliang didn’t pay much attention to the clean-cut young officer. Before agreeing to that man’s plan, he had checked the relevant legal provisions. Given what he’d done, even if caught red-handed after succeeding, it wouldn’t violate criminal law, at most leading to a fine or administrative penalty. That’s why he dared to take the risk—following that man’s instructions, contacting a supplier in Yunnan to fly in some Amanita mushrooms, slice them raw, and sprinkle them on steamed fish.

The plan was that after eating it, Yu Duqiu would feel slightly unwell, likely experiencing dizziness and babbling nonsense. Someone as image-conscious as him would never meet with the professor in that state, ruining the planned meeting, thus achieving that man’s goal.

Who knew Yu Duqiu would see through it?

After the incident, Dong Yongliang hadn’t seen that man again and was directly taken to the police station by Zhou Yi upon returning to the country.

This was a society ruled by law. Dong Yongliang hadn’t committed a heinous crime, so as long as he kept his mouth shut, the police wouldn’t have much on him. They couldn’t torture an old man, after all. Even if they tried, they wouldn’t get any deeper information out of him—he was just doing a job for money. He didn’t know anything beyond the identity of that man, not even understanding why the man wanted to do it.

But the reason didn’t concern him. He just wanted to make an easy fifty thousand, but now he had gotten himself into trouble. The young officer in front of him wasn’t scary, but the young master who had returned to the country with the officer… he feared him from the depths of his soul.

Dong Yongliang had worked for the Yu family for many years and had seen people get fired for a single ill-judged word or improper action.

Yu Duqiu was capricious, alternately cold and warm, but his bottom line was clear—don’t do things he dislikes.

Betrayal was something he hated most.

The kidnapping case from over a decade ago was the best example. It was said that before the incident, the driver was as close to the Yu family as family, at least on the surface, but he was still shot dead on the spot by the police without mercy.

Yu Duqiu wasn’t harmed at the time, so he clearly didn’t need to take such extreme action.

These wealthy families’ politeness toward their subordinates was nothing more than a veneer of cultivated manners and decorum, which they discarded in a crisis faster than anyone.

As the saying goes, there’s a fine line between genius and madness, and in Dong Yongliang’s limited understanding, Yu Duqiu had already transcended conventional understanding. He held the line of judgment in his hands, switching modes at will, not only controlling his own fate but also tightening the rope that could cut others’ throats.

“Bam!” Ji Lin slammed his hand heavily on the interrogation table, jolting Dong Yongliang out of his anxious thoughts.

The young officer, who faintly emitted a sour odor, sat across from him, lifting his heavy eyelids above the dark circles to reveal a pair of pitch-black eyes just beyond the range of the overhead light.

Dong Yongliang inexplicably shivered.

“Master Dong, my mood was severely ruined by your young master during this trip abroad.” Ji Lin’s voice carried the hoarseness of insufficient sleep, mixed with a chilling fury. “If you keep evading the issue and playing games with me, don’t blame me for not respecting the elderly.”

Yu Duqiu chuckled from behind the glass. “So, this is how you usually conduct interrogations?”

Lu Qing had no idea what had gotten into Ji Lin today, and it just so happened that an outsider was witnessing it. If word got out and caused negative public opinion, Ji Lin would have to make a public apology at the next meeting, embarrassing the whole team, herself included!

“We’re just trying to scare him a bit… we won’t actually do anything.”

“Is that so? What a shame.”

“…”

“Verbal threats won’t work. Master Dong has been with me for many years and has seen plenty of major events. Ji Lin can’t scare him; what he fears is me,” Yu Duqiu said with certainty.

As expected, Dong Yongliang was only momentarily startled but didn’t back down, mumbling, “I really can’t say… it would endanger my family…”

“If you don’t say it, it will still endanger your family.”

Dong Yongliang suddenly looked up at the door!

Yu Duqiu closed the door, locked it, and blocked Lu Qing, who had just realized what was happening, outside. He calmly walked over and said, “And I guarantee you, my methods are far more brutal than the person who paid you.”

Ji Lin, seeing Yu Duqiu pull up a chair like he was at home, said coldly, “Who let you in?”

Just as Yu Duqiu was about to speak, he suddenly frowned and dragged his chair a little to the side. “Captain Ji, I heard you got into a fight with a sanitation worker, but no one mentioned you fell into a toilet.”

“I didn’t fall into a toilet! The brooms those old ladies were using had just swept over a drainage ditch!”

“I see, that explains it.” Yu Duqiu resisted the urge to cover his nose, barely maintaining his composure as he turned to face Dong Yongliang and lifted his chin. “Well, Master Dong, what do you have to say?”

The moment Dong Yongliang saw him, he was like a frightened bird, exhausted and desperate, trying to play the last card of emotional appeal. “Young Master… considering all the years I’ve cooked for you… can you forgive me for my moment of foolishness…?”

Yu Duqiu, bored, fiddled with his impeccably clean fingers. No one could tell who he was looking at through his sunglasses. “Your wife seems to have been very fragile after her illness, right? If she knew you were detained, your daughter was fired from her job, and your grandson was expelled from school, how do you think she’d react?”

Dong Yongliang was struck as if by lightning. “Y-Young Master, this has nothing to do with them, it’s all my doing…”

Ji Lin interjected, “It’s the 21st century. What’s with this guilt by association? This isn’t your personal playground. There are cameras here, so watch your words.”

“In the 21st century, and people are still resorting to such archaic and feudal tricks like poisoning. If I didn’t know you were just a pawn, I’d almost think you came up with this idea yourself. Who still does that these days?”

Cold sweat streamed down Dong Yongliang’s face, and he almost wanted to kneel before Yu Duqiu, but his hands were tightly cuffed to the chair, rendering him immobile.

Seeing Dong Yongliang’s dry, pale lips quivering, Yu Duqiu slowly added, “But if you tell the whole truth, I can guarantee your family’s safety.”

Ji Lin scoffed, “Don’t steal the police’s lines. We’ve told him that until we’re blue in the face. If he doesn’t believe us, what good is it—”

“Are you serious?” Dong Yongliang’s murky eyes suddenly lit up, as if he’d been waiting for this exact assurance.

Ji Lin was astonished. “You believe him but not the police?”

“The Young Master’s promises… he’s never gone back on them.”

“Not never—sometimes I forget, like when I’m drunk.” Yu Duqiu rubbed his temples in irritation, as if remembering something unpleasant. “But right now, I’m very clear-headed. I can give you this promise.”

Dong Yongliang exhaled a long breath, finally relaxing after days of anxiety. “Young Master, I admit I was greedy, but there was another reason… I simply couldn’t refuse that person’s orders…”

Fifteen minutes later, the door to the monitoring room opened.

Lu Qing had listened to the entire exchange through her headset. The outcome didn’t surprise her, as she had expected it, but she was annoyed with a certain unruly young master. As soon as Yu Duqiu stepped out, she pointed at him in warning. “Mr. Yu! If you keep acting above the law, I’ll report you to our director!”

“Miss Lu, don’t be angry. Every second is precious right now. Skipping over some formalities can help improve the efficiency of solving the case.” Yu Duqiu spread his hands, even looking smug. “Look, something you couldn’t solve in two or three days, I solved in fifteen minutes. No need to thank me.”

Ji Lin, who was following behind and closing the door, spat, “Why are you here? Yesterday, we agreed to go our separate ways, and today you’re interfering with our work?”

Yu Duqiu leaned back against the table, crossed his long legs, and said, “Just like you, after knowing someone for so many years, it’s hard not to feel a bit sentimental when they leave.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You went to the Yi Qing bar this morning, didn’t you?” Yu Duqiu asked with a knowing smile. “Missed Mu Hao? Went to pay tribute to him?”

“Who would go to that unlucky place to remember him? If anything, you should go to his grave…” Ji Lin stopped, his Adam’s apple bobbing as if swallowing words too hard to speak aloud. “…I just realized through this trip abroad how neurotic and unreliable you are. If Mu Hao could leave you clues and discuss things with you, why not me, his classmate and colleague? I’m much more reliable than you, right? So I just went there to see if I’d missed anything, maybe… maybe he left clues for me too.”

Ji Lin’s voice grew softer as he spoke.

Lu Qing, oblivious, asked, “Did you find anything?”

Ji Lin snapped, “Do I look like I found anything?”

Lu Qing looked at his hair, which was a mess like a bird’s nest, and shook her head, sighing, “That’s what you get for tangling with Chinese aunties—they’re the most formidable species on Earth.”

Yu Duqiu offered comfort, “Don’t be too hard on yourself. Maybe Mu Hao just thought this was too dangerous and didn’t want you involved.”

Ji Lin retorted, “Don’t give me that fake sympathy. I get it, I’m just a small-time cop with no money, no power, and not as capable as Brother Mu. If he couldn’t solve the case, what good am I? Mu Hao probably knew that too, so at the critical moment, he chose to leave clues for you instead of me… No, he probably didn’t even think of me at all. After all, we didn’t stay in touch much after graduation.”

“Not much?” Yu Duqiu asked knowingly. “Then why were you following his social media, knowing he wanted a watch for his birthday? Did you buy it for him?”

Lu Qing suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right! Brother Ji, you’ve been really into watches lately. Last time, when we saw Yu Wencheng’s body, you even commented on his watch…”

“Isn’t it normal for men to like watches?” Ji Lin replied impatiently. “Yu Duqiu, I’d like to ask, what kind of spell have you cast on the people around you? Why do they all trust you so much? Do they see you as a god?”

Yu Duqiu’s smile was faint, as if he didn’t even have the strength to fully curve his lips. “Since ancient times, haven’t humans always revered things beyond their understanding?”

This man spoke in riddles, with half-truths and cryptic remarks that couldn’t be unraveled. Ji Lin, unwilling to argue further, steered the conversation back on track. “Dong Yongliang has confessed, but you know, he’s just a tool. If the person behind this refuses to talk, what then?”

Lu Qing blurted out, confused, “There’s someone behind this? Who?”

Yu Duqiu raised a finger to his lips and softly hushed her. “I’ll handle the interrogation. You can watch from the monitoring room. She’ll tell me everything.”

“Even if she talks, we’ll only get evidence of this incident. What about the previous cases? They’ve probably destroyed all the evidence by now.”

“Don’t worry, Captain Ji, we’ll dig slowly. Just like how a ruby will eventually be fully mined, powerful families will eventually fall, and light will eventually come. But you need to act quickly. If you take too long, I might have to resort to some less-than-legal methods.”

Lu Qing, who wasn’t slow on the uptake, understood the implication after thinking it over. He responded awkwardly, “I think I get it, but it feels like… we should arrest you first?”

“I’m just joking, Miss Lu. Your serious nature is quite endearing.” Yu Duqiu casually flirted, causing Lu Qing to blush. He then added, “Alright, I need to head home to deal with some personal matters. Please let me know when Master Dong is released; I’ll arrange for someone to escort him back to his hometown.”

Ji Lin asked sternly, “You’re really letting it go? Being this forgiving?”

“Yes, let’s consider it a form of repayment.”

“You pay him a salary, and he works for you. It’s only fair. You don’t owe him anything, so what do you mean by repayment?”

Yu Duqiu had already reached the door of the interrogation room but turned back upon hearing this. “It’s a long story. When I was a child, there was a period when I had a severe eating disorder—I would vomit after just a couple of bites and became so thin that I was unrecognizable. My grandfather hired many chefs, but none could help. Then Master Dong came for an interview. He knew many cuisines, but since he didn’t think he stood a chance, he just made a simple dish of steamed fish from his hometown, saying it was his daughter’s favorite dish and hoped I would like it too.”

“I thought, if it’s something he’d make for his own child, it should be safe. So, I kept him, and he’s been making that fish for over a decade. Sometimes, I felt like Master Dong had become a part of the family, just like Uncle Hong. But unfortunately…”

Yu Duqiu sighed softly, “He really shouldn’t have poisoned that fish.”

Ji Lin was momentarily speechless.

Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Lu Qing tried to lighten the mood with a joke. “So, it’s okay to poison the other dishes?”

Yu Duqiu looked up—the harsh lights in the monitoring room reflected off his dark sunglasses, briefly revealing his cold eyes beneath the lenses.

Lu Qing felt a chill run down his spine.

For once, Yu Duqiu didn’t maintain his usual gentlemanly demeanor and silently left the room.

“What was that… He was really scary. I was just joking…” Lu Qing muttered, still shaken.

Ji Lin replied, “Don’t make inappropriate jokes. Poisoning that fish isn’t the same as poisoning other dishes.”

Lu Qing was confused. “What’s the difference?”

“The difference is that Master Dong knew Yu Duqiu would definitely eat that fish, and Yu Duqiu did eat it.” Ji Lin turned to look at the old chef in the monitoring room, who was now crying in regret. “There was an unspoken trust between them, and Master Dong betrayed that trust. If it were you, could you forgive that?”

Lu Qing shook his head and, after a moment’s thought, said, “When you put it that way, Mr. Yu is actually quite pitiful.”

“What’s so pitiful about him? He just fired one chef; he has plenty more. There are many people ready to serve him.”

“But think about it—Mr. Yu’s plane is huge, and he could easily bring along several chefs. Yet he only brought Master Dong. He clearly knew how risky that trip abroad was, and despite being so cautious, he was still betrayed. If even the chef he trusts the most would harm him, then what about his bodyguards? His employees? Even the police? It’s all possible, right? Doesn’t that scare you?” Lu Qing reflected as she spoke. “And I remember, when he exposed Master Dong, he was smiling… Did he really not care? Or was he trying to hide his feelings?”

Ji Lin was taken aback.

Recalling the events, Yu Duqiu had indeed been smiling not only at that moment but also in the days that followed when he lived and worked with them. He never showed any sign of being bothered by it.

In the monitoring room, Dong Yongliang gradually stopped crying, sitting in a daze. Whether he was reminiscing about the past or planning his future was unclear.

People who can cry and vent their emotions are the ones who can move on the easiest.

But those who can’t might remain stuck in the past.

Ji Lin suddenly remembered that Yu Duqiu almost always smiled when talking about Mu Hao, often making light of the situation, seemingly disrespecting this old friend who might have been murdered.

But in reality, after receiving the clues left by his late friend, Yu Duqiu didn’t hesitate to abandon the business empire he had built over the years to return to the country and personally act as bait to lure out the killer.

With his wealth and connections, he could have easily directed the investigation from abroad. Why did he need to put himself in danger?

In just half a year, his close friend had gone missing, his biological uncle had committed suicide in front of him, those around him had schemed against him, and he had narrowly escaped death multiple times… Any normal person would have broken down. No matter how mentally unstable Yu Duqiu might be, could he really remain unaffected?

Lu Qing, still feeling like a princess after last night’s indulgence, was uncharacteristically sentimental. “But the most pitiful ones are us. He might be filthy rich, but we’re out here earning a cabbage seller’s wage while worrying like we’re selling… well, something else. We catch people only to release them, and the ones we want to catch, we can’t.”

“… ” Ji Lin felt a flash of sympathy for Yu Duqiu, which Lu Qing’s words immediately squashed. “Alright, enough complaining. Go file a report with Old Peng, get the paperwork done, and keep monitoring Dong Yongliang. Yu Duqiu may not want to pursue this, but we still need to follow the leads.”

“Huh? Wouldn’t the killer be too smart to contact him, knowing we’re watching?”

“Who knows? The killer seems pretty clueless right now, and we’ve basically figured out who they are. They’re not exactly a criminal mastermind.”

Lu Qing whispered, “If they’re so clueless and you still can’t catch them, doesn’t that make you even worse…?”

“… You can whisper all you want, but it’s just the two of us here—I can still hear you!”

The door to the interrogation room closed behind them, giving Yu Duqiu a brief moment of peace before the noise flooded back in.

The hallway of the police station was bustling with officers hurrying about. It wasn’t that the crime rate in Xinjin District had suddenly spiked; rather, the task force investigating the three murder cases had been working around the clock to search local entertainment venues, rental homes, and hotels for traces of LSD. While they hadn’t cracked the major cases, they had inadvertently caught a number of people involved in prostitution, gambling, and even drug use.

The major cases were unsolved, but this year’s performance reviews were already looking promising.

Most of the people in the hallway couldn’t help but take a second look at the eccentric man with silver hair and sunglasses indoors, thinking to themselves that he must have been brought in for being a gigolo or involved in a romance scam. With that face and physique, who wouldn’t be captivated?

Yu Duqiu glanced at his watch and tapped it twice, calling Zhou Yi, who was off somewhere with his daughter. He estimated that Zhou Yi would arrive in two minutes. He exhaled a breath of relief and started to walk—only to be hit by a wave of dizziness. The long days of travel and the extreme time difference had taken their toll, and he stumbled, barely managing to steady himself.

Just then, a man’s arm reached out from the side, catching him by the shoulder. The strong muscles, broad and long hand, and clean, neatly trimmed nails revealed that this was a disciplined and fit young policeman.

Yu Duqiu’s mind began to churn.

He wasn’t particularly fond of this profession, but a certain bodyguard of his had recently become too arrogant for him to handle. He needed someone strong to put that bodyguard in his place.

This guy seemed perfect for the job.

“Thanks… Sorry about that.” Yu Duqiu smiled as he looked up, thinking that as long as this guy looked decent, he might consider bringing him home to show a certain someone that he had plenty of other high-quality options, so they shouldn’t get too full of themselves—

“You’re welcome.”

“…”

Not only did this “policeman” look decent, but he was also downright handsome—handsome enough that Yu Duqiu began to suspect that the earlier attention he received might not have been just for him.

“…Why are you here?”

“I came to take you home.”

“Old Zhou will pick me up. You need a B-class license to drive that car. Do you have one?”

“I do. Even if you were in a plane or a yacht, I could handle it. You think being a private bodyguard is just for show?”

Yu Duqiu played his trump card—using authority to intimidate: “I didn’t ask you to come. If you don’t listen to me, you can go back by yourself.”

To be fair, after spending half a day with the filthy Ji Lin and the tearful Dong Yongliang, suddenly encountering such a refreshing and handsome man was a relief both for his mood and his… other desires. However, the brief and shallow kiss from the night before had cast a veil of ambiguity over their relationship.

Yu Duqiu’s approach to liking someone was always straightforward—if he liked someone, he’d get them into bed, and once he was tired of them, he’d move on to the next. Bai Zhao didn’t want to sleep with him, but he wanted his affection.

They were different people, but they suffered from the same affliction: arrogance. Both believed the world should revolve around them.

“You don’t need to worry too much about what happened last night.” The young man had a strong grip, almost like he was holding Yu Duqiu captive as he led him outside. “I have plenty of patience, as long as you don’t piss me off.”

Yu Duqiu, already in a bad mood, felt the same frustration Ji Lin must have felt when someone else stole his lines. He shot back, “What if I do piss you off? Are you going to hurt me too?”

Bai Zhao shook his head and replied in a low voice, “No, I wouldn’t bear to.”

Yu Duqiu was taken aback and suddenly fell silent.

It was work hours at the police station, so most people were heading inside. The two of them walked against the flow, their striking appearance drawing everyone’s attention as they left the station. A long Pullman limousine was parked not far ahead, with Old Zhou waiting by the car after receiving instructions. Zhou Yangguo was playing with some police puppies training in the square, laughing like a sunflower blooming in June.

“It’s not too sunny this morning, so you don’t need sunglasses.” Bai Zhao casually took them off, revealing Yu Duqiu’s light-colored eyes. “And don’t worry about showing your emotions. It’s natural for people to feel vulnerable and sad when facing a farewell. Even if others notice, they won’t laugh at you. If they do, it just means they’re not human.”

Yu Duqiu laughed but was stopped by a finger placed gently on his lips.

The touch was warm, slightly rough, just like that kiss from the night before.

Bai Zhao lightly brushed his lips and asked, “Have you found a new head chef?”

Flirting in such a setting would seem absurd to most people.

But Yu Duqiu enjoyed it, and the pent-up emotions in his heart were suddenly washed away.

“Not yet, but Uncle Hong should have it sorted out soon. Probably within the next couple of days.”

Bai Zhao, for once, showed a pleasant expression. “So, I can still make you breakfast today?”

“Just because there’s no head chef doesn’t mean there are no chefs at all. Who only has one chef in their household?” Yu Duqiu wrapped his arm around Bai Zhao’s waist with a grin before his expression could sour again. “But if you want to cook for me, I’ll do you that favor.”

Bai Zhao raised an eyebrow. “My favor is that important?”

“Of course. You’re my only candidate for a lover right now. Just don’t poison me.”

“Don’t worry, nothing I make could be more poisonous than that salad of yours.”

“…………”

“Let’s go home first. There’s still someone there waiting for you to deal with.” Bai Zhao stroked Yu Duqiu’s striking silver hair, sunlight reflecting on his face as he offered a rare, warm smile. “If it gets too hard to bear later, you can cry in my arms.”

Yu Duqiu, unable to stand it, pushed him away and walked straight to the car, waving him off and leaving behind a carefree and unrestrained figure. “In your dreams. I won’t ever cry for anyone again.”