BL Ch68

The true identity of the drowned body surfaced three days later.

After the task force reached its conclusion, Xu Sheng immediately called Palace No. 1 to summon Bai Zhao without specifying the matter, just urging him to come quickly.

Yu Duqiu, under the pretext of “escorting you,” had the driver take the Phantom, and they both arrived at the Xinjin Sub-bureau, swaggering up to Xu Sheng, asking, “What do you want with my bodyguard?”

Xu Sheng got a headache seeing him, “Are you his boss or guardian, Mr. Yu? I didn’t call for you, did I?”

“He’s my family,” Bai Zhao replied, “Let him listen; I would have told him afterward anyway.”

Xu Sheng felt helpless; with one being cunning and the other loyal, they were like a rope he couldn’t untangle. He led them to the office, closed the door, and directly shared the investigation results: “We checked the list of missing persons in the city since February, matching them by height and build to Bai Zhiming’s. Guess what? We actually found someone with a similar physique!”

This result wasn’t surprising but still uplifting. If Bai Zhiming was indeed alive and the drowned person was his scapegoat, then capturing Bai Zhiming would provide a breakthrough, perhaps even conclusive, whether by directly interrogating him or using him to pressure Liu Shaojie.

Xu Sheng was also excited, eagerly continuing, “The missing person’s name is Zhu Zhenmin, fifty years old this year, two years older than Bai Zhiming, living in a shared rental in Changhe District. He used to be a drug user, which is why his wife left him with their child. He’s been a widower, making a living by selling breakfast from a stall, and he didn’t interact with many people. The first to notice his disappearance was his landlord, who found him gone when collecting rent; the fruits in his house were rotten, unwashed dishes in the sink, and all his ID was still there, suggesting he didn’t run away deliberately, so it was reported.”

“That was in March; the Changhe police went back a month in surveillance footage to find that he last left his home on February 1st this year and never returned, which aligns with the date Bai Zhiming disappeared.”

Yu Duqiu showed no surprise on his face, “So, is he the suspected drowning victim I mentioned that day at the detention center?”

Xu Sheng’s excitement deflated; it felt like giving a long-prepared gift to a friend who responds, “Oh, I already have one of those.”

“Yes, yes, yes, you’re smart, you guessed right, can you let me keep some suspense?”

Yu Duqiu gave him face by asking another question for him to elaborate, “Where did Zhu Zhenmin go after he left his home?”

Xu Sheng perked up again, “He went to a nightclub, not far from the sea. He stayed there for over an hour before coming out seemingly drunk and then headed towards the beach on his own, with no sign of being forced.”

Yu Duqiu: “Was anyone following him?”

“Hard to say, people were coming out of the nightclub one after another, also heading to the beach, but it’s not clear if they were just there for a walk or looking for Zhu Zhenmin. Plus, there aren’t many cameras on that beach, and there’s a windbreak forest nearby. Once someone goes in there, especially at night with poor visibility, it’s nearly impossible to see anything. If Bai Zhiming pushed him from the higher part of the windbreak forest, it would be completely unnoticed.”

“The Changhe police initially suspected Zhu Zhenmin fell into the sea by accident. In winter, bodies usually take about two weeks to float up, but on the 16th of February on Changhe’s beach, only Bai Zhiming’s body appeared. No one connected these two incidents at the time. Later, the Changhe police couldn’t find out where Zhu Zhenmin went or if he was eaten by sea creatures, so the case was left unsolved.”

Xu Sheng looked at the silent Bai Zhao, “Although we can theoretically confirm the body was Zhu Zhenmin, since the body has been cremated, DNA testing isn’t possible. We can only say we’re 99% sure. We’ll need to find Bai Zhiming to uncover the truth behind all this; his choice of Zhu Zhenmin doesn’t seem like a coincidence but part of a well-planned escape. I called you here today to ask…”

“Wait,” Yu Duqiu suddenly interrupted, his expression strange, “Bai Zhiming’s body was cremated? Why? Weren’t you suspicious of his cause of death? How can you re-examine it now?”

Bai Zhao calmly explained, “At the time, the body was so disfigured from being in the water that the coroner couldn’t find any signs of foul play. Keeping the body wouldn’t yield more clues. Also, the case was considered closed, and storing the body would cost money; the funeral home’s freezer was six hundred a day, and my monthly salary was six thousand, which I couldn’t afford, so it was cremated. Are you suspecting I deliberately destroyed evidence to prevent the police from doing DNA tests and realizing the deceased wasn’t Bai Zhiming, right?”

Yu Duqiu’s suspicions were fully seen through, leaving no questions to ask. He moved his lips, finally saying, “You only had a salary of six thousand before? How did you live on that? That’s even lower than Ji Lin’s.”

Xu Sheng’s mouth twitched, striving to stay calm, “Mr. Yu, for an ordinary bodyguard, six thousand a month is quite good. Bank cash carriers only make three to four thousand monthly. We police might not earn much, but our profession is honorable!”

Yu Duqiu thought for a moment, then said, “I can’t raise your salary any further; it can’t be higher than Baoguo’s or Lao Zhou’s. I’ll give you a secondary card; buy whatever you want, and I’ll pay.”

Xu Sheng: “Wow, you were just suspecting him, now you’re suddenly so generous?”

Yu Duqiu shrugged, “Being suspicious and generous are both part of my character; they don’t conflict. He called me ‘family,’ so I have to take care of him. What were you going to ask him earlier? Continue.”

Whether to continue or not now needed approval; who was actually the police here… Xu Sheng grumbled to himself while continuing to Bai Zhao, “Our task force has already contacted the public security organs at the Yunnan border, sent them Bai Zhiming’s personal information and case details. They will collaborate with the Myanmar police. Once Bai Zhiming’s whereabouts are discovered, we’ll head to Yunnan immediately, but we can only cooperate at the border; we can’t investigate in Myanmar as police. So we might send a few people as tourists to conduct inquiries in Myanmar, and we need your assistance since you know him best.”

Bai Zhao nodded, “I’m more than willing.”

Yu Duqiu raised his hand, “I—”

“Stop, no way, absolutely not.” Xu Sheng denied in three ways, “Mr. Yu, this isn’t a game. The situation at the Sino-Myanmar border is complex; it’s not suitable for you to go. Bai Zhao, at least, is a bodyguard; he can protect himself if danger arises. You’re too precious; if anything happens, our small sub-bureau can’t take the responsibility.”

Yu Duqiu was displeased, “I am indeed precious, but he’ll protect me with his life. You need a mastermind.”

“Firstly, we in the police have brains, have wisdom, we don’t need an amateur as a mastermind.” Xu Sheng felt that since taking on this case, his patience had grown, as getting angry with someone like Yu Duqiu only upset himself, “Secondly, isn’t there something wrong with you confidently believing others should sacrifice for you?”

“Private bodyguards should have that awareness; otherwise, why would they earn tens of thousands in monthly salary? There are plenty of people in companies who work themselves to death for a similar salary. I’m just stating facts.” Yu Duqiu felt no shame; he was even proud, his arrogance palpable, “Moreover, sacrificing for me is his honor.”

Xu Sheng looked at Bai Zhao speechless, and Bai Zhao gave a slight shake of his head.

Both saw the same conclusion in each other’s eyes: no point in arguing with him, it’s meaningless.

“In short, we can’t take you, give up on that idea.” Xu Sheng concluded.

Yu Duqiu’s clear eyes flickered, seeming to concede, “Alright then. By the way, have you checked the new employees at my place recently? How’s it going? Any suspicious characters?”

Bai Zhao shook his head, “No, at least we haven’t found anything unusual yet.”

Yu Duqiu nodded thoughtfully, “Then let’s fire them all. I’ll have my mom send over some employees from the US; there won’t be any problems then.”

Xu Sheng hesitated to speak.

One sentence and he’d fired two-thirds of the staff, but considering it was Yu Duqiu, it seemed reasonable.

At the end of the day, it was his personal matter, and Xu Sheng had no right to intervene or care, being more concerned about case-related issues, “You said the other day you found something about that painting? What’s the follow-up?”

Yu Duqiu sighed lightly, “That forgetful artist, he’s remembered nothing now. Looks like we still have to rely on the Bai Zhiming lead.”

Xu Sheng wasn’t surprised, “It was nearly a year ago; it’s normal not to remember everything.”

Yu Duqiu: “I remember everything from when I was a child.”

“Really?” Bai Zhao asked suddenly, “Then tell me, what gift did you get for your tenth birthday?”

“An apple, the kind that was a bit sour,” Yu Duqiu answered immediately.

Bai Zhao was taken aback, not expecting him to remember, and then asked, “Who gave it to you?”

“Hmm… I was in the hospital at that time, with a poor appetite and mental state. That day, I threw a big tantrum, and then…” Yu Duqiu frowned, tapping his head gently as he tried to remember, “I think it was Doctor Sun, wasn’t it?”

The faint light in Bai Zhao’s dark eyes faded, “That’s what you call remembering everything clearly?”

Yu Duqiu was thick-skinned, “I’ve had mental health issues; it’s pretty good I remember this much. Do you remember how you spent your tenth birthday?”

“I didn’t celebrate it. After my parents died, I never celebrated my birthday, nor did anyone remember it.”

The office fell into a brief silence.

Xu Sheng thought Yu Duqiu should at least say something like “I’ll celebrate it with you next time” to comfort his little bodyguard and lover; after all, he was someone risking his life for him.

Yu Duqiu indeed showed a look of regret, then sighed, “Luckily, I’m not an orphan.”

“…”

He shouldn’t have expected anything from this man!

Yu Duqiu seemed to lose interest in comparing memories and asked, “Anything else, Captain Xu? I need to go back and prepare for next week’s launch; there’s a lot of data to handle. If there’s nothing else, we’ll head back.”

I didn’t even call for you in the first place… Xu Sheng muttered to himself but politely asked, “What launch? Has your Themis project finally been developed? Can it treat drug addiction now?”

“It’s still in the experimental phase, but we’ve made significant progress.” Yu Duqiu spoke in an official tone, “You and the other leaders are welcome to attend, and also Ji Team… Speaking of which, we’ve been talking for a while, why haven’t we seen him?”

Xu Sheng sighed at the mention, “He, ah, remember when he took Jiang Sheng’s phone to interrogate Liu Shaojie? You can’t keep secrets forever; Bureau Peng found out that day. He was furious and punished him with a week of confinement, so he’s not at work. If he violates discipline again, he might be suspended.”

“Is that so? Alright then.” Yu Duqiu’s gaze drifted, contemplating something but not offering further opinions, “We’ll be going then, contact us if there’s anything.”

“Yeah, goodbye.” Xu Sheng wanted to remind them not to leak any information but felt it was unnecessary.

Getting any secrets out of Yu Duqiu was impossible.

Outside the Public Security Bureau, a light rain was falling, the sky gloomy and overcast.

Yu Duqiu stopped at the doorway, staring at the thin veil of rain, saying to the person beside him, “In a couple of days, deliver the invitation for the launch to Ji Lin’s house, make sure no one else sees it. Attending as an invited guest shouldn’t count as a violation of discipline.”

“Alright.”

Yu Duqiu was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, “Do you think we’ll find Bai Zhiming?”

Bai Zhao glanced sideways, “Hard to say, why?”

“Nothing.” Yu Duqiu replied in a low voice, his silver hair seeming to catch the moisture, sticking softly around his ears and neck, softening his sharp aura, “I just have a bad feeling… and my premonitions are usually accurate.”

“Any examples?” Bai Zhao subtly shifted the conversation.

Yu Duqiu noticed his intent and smiled, deliberately pulling the topic back to negativity, “Like the day I was kidnapped at nine, I had a premonition. My driver’s expression was off, but trusting him, I still got in the car. It turned out trust can be unreliable; only self-reliance is dependable.”

“Then keep on doubting me,” said Bai Zhao, “If that gives you more security.”

“Of course, I’ve never truly trusted you.” Yu Duqiu laughed lightly, his voice lowering to where only he could hear, “But even so, I couldn’t escape…”

The rain curtain in front of them was as thin as cicada wings, thoughts drifting like the fine rain threads in the wind.

Bai Zhao looked around, not seeing their car, and asked, “Should I have Zhao bring an umbrella over?”

Yu Duqiu shook his head, then pulled out a familiar black gold card, waving it in front of him, “I’ll have them artificially stop the rain.”

“…What?”

“A premonition is just a superstition after all. Only science can dispel superstition. Since this rain gives me a bad feeling, I’ll use science to make it disappear,” Yu Duqiu explained confidently.

“…”

If it weren’t for his common sense, Bai Zhao would have been convinced.

Two passing officers looked at them as if they were crazy, even turning back to look twice after passing.

Bai Zhao took the black gold card from his hand, covering his hand with his own, “No need for such a fuss; I won’t let anything happen to you. Even if we go after Bai Zhiming, it will be me and the police; you just stay home.”

“Then it’s even more necessary. If something happens to you and we don’t catch Bai Zhiming, we won’t know the true identity of The Queen, which means I’ll still be in danger. Who would protect me like you do then?”

Bai Zhao paused, his eyes widening slightly, “Are you worried about losing me?”

“You can interpret it that way.” Yu Duqiu didn’t deny it but also didn’t want to let him get too smug, “A loyal soldier like you is hard to find. Even Bai Zhiming, who raised orphans to be loyal from childhood, couldn’t make all of them obey him, except for you, the ‘traitor’. Of course, I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

Bai Zhao’s gaze softened, yet there was a hidden sharpness, “Is that the only reason?”

Yu Duqiu raised an eyebrow, “What other reason do you want?”

“You should know, Young Master.”

At some point, this title, once always accompanied by mockery, had evolved to sometimes carry a hint of flirtation.

It always made his heart itch slightly.

The light rain came and went quickly; as they talked, the rain tapered off, the sky brightened, and the unique summer sun returned, casting a faint, elusive rainbow on the treetops in the distance.

“We’ll talk about it after you catch Bai Zhiming.” Yu Duqiu withdrew his hand, tucking it into his pocket, averting his gaze, “If we can end all this before February 14th next year, I’ll give you a grand birthday celebration.”

Bai Zhao was completely stunned, after a long while, he asked in disbelief, “…You remember?”

“I’ve seen your file, with my memory, of course, I remember, especially since the date is so ironic.” Yu Duqiu stepped down the stairs into the light, sighing, “Born on a day filled with love, yet no one loves you, poor thing…”

Bai Zhao was momentarily dazzled by Yu Duqiu’s shining silver hair, snapping back to reality, he quickly caught up, “Have you ever celebrated another lover’s birthday? Like Lu Jinyu?”

“No, are you satisfied?”

Bai Zhao’s usually dark and aloof eyes suddenly sparkled, “Just for me?”

Seeing his reaction, Yu Duqiu felt inexplicably pleased and generously responded, “Yes, how do you want to celebrate?”

Bai Zhao caught up, walking beside him, just a centimeter taller at the shoulders. He seemed to want to suppress his emotions, but the corners of his mouth still curved into a small, uncontrollable arc. Realizing this, he covered the lower half of his face with his hand, stealing a quick glance at Yu Duqiu, trying to hide his emotions, “Cough, anything works.”

Yu Duqiu couldn’t help but tease, “Sometimes you’re like a high school student experiencing first love; how can there be such a contrast from your usual self?”

Bai Zhao removed his hand, his mouth now perfectly composed without a trace of emotion, his tone flat, “I fell for you when I was in high school, and I’ve loved you since then; it hasn’t changed. Of course, I might still act like a high school student. Is there a problem with that?”

Now it was Yu Duqiu’s turn to pause, understanding the implication, feeling suddenly warm, unsure whether from the summer sun or from the words he just heard.

Was he now affected by this man’s warmth even through the air?

He quickened his pace, distancing himself from this source of heat, “A couple of teases and you start acting all deep and romantic. Let’s go; there are tons of things to do at home, no time for idle chatter.”

Bai Zhao was used to his sudden mood swings, unfazed as he followed, “You started the idle chatter.”

“Now you’re acting like an elementary school kid, still arguing about who started it.”

“I don’t mind who started it, but who’s on top and who’s on the bottom, we need to clarify that.”

Yu Duqiu turned back with a smile, “Who’s on top and who’s on the bottom? You’ve got some guts, discussing that with me. How about you guess who sleeps in the room tonight and who sleeps in the doghouse?”

“…”

The rainbow in the sky gradually faded, and the fierce sun returned to the zenith, dazzling.

In another corner under the bright sunlight, the man by the window withdrew his gaze and then made an international call.

The background noise was unusually noisy, the signal seemed poor, but after about ten seconds, someone finally answered.

A woman’s cautious, timid whisper came through, “What is it?”

“Take him to town, remember, make sure you pass through the cameras.”

The woman didn’t dare ask more, only agreeing repeatedly.

“And how is he?”

Using third-person pronouns, the woman knew exactly who he was referring to, replying succinctly, “Still alive.”

“Keep him breathing.” The man’s voice was pleased, “Let him see with his own eyes how their ‘god’, who they thought was omnipotent… is killed.”

After leaving the Public Security Bureau, the Phantom sped towards Bishan, the curtains left undrawn, with the shifting shadows of trees and bright sunlight creating a dizzying pattern inside the car.

Zhao, worried about the glare, stopped at a red light and turned to ask if the curtains should be drawn. He only managed to say “Young Mas—” before wisely shutting up—

Yu Duqiu on the back seat was not disturbed by the light and shadow because he was leaning against someone else’s shoulder.

The fatigue and tension of recent days found a brief release in this comfortably warm space, and he had unknowingly fallen asleep. The other person, however, was not as relaxed; with an injured arm still healing and now being pressed by a head, he had to endure the pain while lifting his hand to block the sunlight for a peaceful sleep.

Zhao stared blankly at Yu Duqiu’s closed eyes, vaguely remembering someone saying he never slept in the car.

Bai Zhao, seeing him look over, struggled to lift his injured arm, finger to his lips, signaling for silence.

Zhao, understanding the hint, immediately turned back to his position. As the light turned green, he stepped on the gas, but couldn’t resist another glance through the rearview mirror:

Bai Zhao didn’t return his hand to its original position but carefully placed it over Yu Duqiu’s hand, intertwining their fingers, unafraid of the ruby ring with its hidden danger, until he firmly grasped it.

Then he also closed his eyes, tilting his head, his cheek gently against the soft silver hair, beginning his own nap, not forgetting to continue blocking the light with his other hand.

Zhao thought it was inappropriate to watch and quickly averted his eyes.

Thus, he missed the moment when the supposedly sleeping person silently opened his eyes, quietly watching their clasped hands for several seconds before slightly curling his lips with a smile and closing his eyes again.

Perhaps this was a dream they would eventually wake from; he knew this.

But who cares? Living too clearly sometimes, one also yearns for a moment of drunken dream.