BL Ch88

Upon hearing this, Yu Duqiu’s expression didn’t change; he first asked back, “Who do you think it might be?”

Ji Lin had already thought about this, replying, “First, rule out Aken. He was assigned to inquire in that area; someone else might have found Bai Zhiming’s whereabouts too. And the police checked his phone; there was no evidence of communication with Bai Zhiming.”

Yu Duqiu nodded, “Another point — I believe I offered more than Bai Zhiming. If he had any sense, he wouldn’t harm me for Bai Zhiming.”

“…” Ji Lin found it hard to counter; indeed, anyone with an eye for wealth would see that Young Master Yu was far more generous than Bai Zhiming. If Aken was someone easily swayed by money, he should have sided with them, “I think it’s unlikely that it’s someone who went up the mountain with us. If you hadn’t noticed the explosives, they would have died there too; they didn’t seem to know anything.”

After this elimination, there weren’t many people left.

Yu Duqiu thought for a moment and said, “Here’s what we’ll do. Once the recording is sent, Captain Xu should contact the Myanmar police to detain Pei Ming and extradite him back to our country. They can detain my people too, take them back for interrogation one by one. If Mu Hao’s condition stabilizes by then, you can leave with them.”

Ji Lin sensed something was off, “You’re not leaving?”

Yu Duqiu shook his head, “I’ll stay until the police find him. I promised to take him back, dead or alive.”

Ji Lin wanted to say something but ultimately chose silence, staring at the progress bar that had only transferred a third, hoping it would go faster to end this long, oppressive silence.

Outside the glass window, the horizon was showing a faint white light; dawn was breaking, and this night was finally coming to an end.

But someone was left in the endless darkness.

If they hadn’t gone down to rescue the pregnant woman, what would have happened? Perhaps after they went down the mountain and reported to the police, the police would have saved the pregnant woman and Mu Hao.

But ‘if’ is just ‘if,’ and some ‘ifs’ will never happen.

Like at that moment, he couldn’t have listened to Bai Zhao…

Yu Duqiu’s mind suddenly jolted.

The progress bar, slow and sluggish, reached the last fifth, just about to finish when suddenly, the mouse on the screen moved to the “Cancel” button. With a crisp click, the progress bar vanished.

Ji Lin, with his chin in his hand, paused, “What are you doing? It was almost done.”

Yu Duqiu snapped the laptop shut, his face tense, “That phone call was fake.”

Ji Lin was puzzled, “Fake? What do you mean, we saw him make the call.”

“After Bai Zhiming made that call, Bai Zhao said something was off about him.” Yu Duqiu carefully recalled, trying to ignore the vague pain in his mind, “Even though Bai Zhao didn’t specify why, he knew Bai Zhiming best; his intuition should be accurate.”

Ji Lin stared at him in disbelief.

He couldn’t believe that Yu Duqiu would trust someone else’s intuition.

Yu Duqiu flipped over the watch and replayed the recording. The deeper he listened, the more his brows furrowed until the end, when he had made up his mind, “That phone call was meant for us to hear. Bai Zhiming was informed of our arrival, timed it, and arranged for us to hear these contents.”

“…What?”

“Do you remember the phone call Jiang Sheng made to the ‘Queen’?”

Ji Lin had shared countless hardships with him over the past few months, their rapport was like glue, and with this reminder, he immediately understood:

At that time, Jiang Sheng nearly said someone’s name on the phone but was sternly warned by the ‘Queen,’ indicating their group was very cautious, always wary of wiretapping. For Bai Zhiming to openly call out his boss’s name and list off their crimes like he was reciting a shopping list, it was indeed suspicious.

“But, what’s the benefit of him letting us hear this confidential information…” Ji Lin started to say but realized the answer himself, stopping abruptly.

Yu Duqiu’s gaze was somber, “You figured it out, didn’t you?”

Ji Lin felt as if struck by lightning, his whole body stiffened, “That can’t be, if that’s the case, then we’ve… completely misjudged…”

People tend to defend what they’ve decided is true and seek evidence to support their views, even if some evidence raises doubts, they temporarily ignore it, choosing only what supports their belief, making it seem more “reliable,” eventually building a solid wall of thought they can’t break out of.

If someone then comes along with “irrefutable” evidence saying, “You guessed right!” almost everyone would smugly say, “See, I knew it.”

No one would question the correctness of their belief again.

Now, looking back, Captain Feng’s warning was so right — they had concluded too early, creating blind spots that the enemy exploited by playing on their desire for validation.

Under what circumstances would Bai Zhiming let them hear internal secrets? Only when those “secrets” aren’t actually secrets.

Ji Lin felt all his enthusiasm and vigor drain away like the tide, suddenly feeling as if he’d fallen into an icy abyss, the chill rising from his feet to his heart, shaking him, “So… Bai Zhiming wants to frame Pei Ming…?”

Yu Duqiu nodded, “It seems so.”

“But weren’t they on the same side… This is just your speculation, maybe Bai Zhiming was just reckless?”

“Do you believe that yourself?” Yu Duqiu countered, “He killed Zhu Zhenmin to take the fall, faked his death to escape to Myanmar for six months before being discovered, nearly wiped us out. Such a ruthless and meticulous criminal wouldn’t just ‘recklessly’ let us get evidence.”

Ji Lin was momentarily speechless.

If this was true, all their assumptions would have to be re-evaluated; the past three months would have been for nothing.

“But how can you prove it? We can’t just go and ask Pei Ming.”

Before he finished speaking, a muffled groan came from the bed.

Ji Lin panicked, immediately rushing to the bedside, asking anxiously, “Mu Ge, what’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”

Mu Hao was too weak to do much more than shake his head slightly, mouthing something, clearly wanting to speak but his voice was rough and hard to discern.

“What did he say?” Yu Duqiu came over to ask.

Ji Lin confirmed his mouth movements, “It seems like he’s saying ‘Pei Ming.’ I might have spoken too loudly; Mu Ge might have heard. Mu Ge, are you trying to say Pei Ming? If yes, move your finger.”

Mu Hao, still somewhat lucid, immediately moved his finger.

Ji Lin turned to ask Yu Duqiu, “Did Mu Ge know Pei Ming before?”

Yu Duqiu: “Yes. Me, him, Peizhuo, and Lingya, we were all high school classmates. Our families had some business dealings; at least, we all knew each other’s names.”

Ji Lin looked back at Mu Hao, speaking softly, “Mu Ge, we wanted you to rest, but now it’s urgent, I have to ask you a few questions. You don’t need to speak; for a ‘yes,’ move your thumb, for ‘no,’ move your index finger. If unsure, move your middle finger.”

Mu Hao moved his thumb: Okay.

Ji Lin couldn’t help but smile, then quickly composed himself, asking seriously, “First question: Is Pei Ming related to the case at Yiqing Bar on October 27 last year?”

Mu Hao moved his thumb.

Ji Lin was taken aback and immediately asked, “Is Pei Ming the real or accomplice murderer of Wu Min?”

This time, Mu Hao moved his index finger.

Ji Lin and Yu Duqiu exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in each other’s eyes.

Related to the case but not the murderer, then what could he be?

Yu Duqiu’s thoughts made a 180-degree turn, murmuring, “Could it be… Pei Ming is a victim?”

This time, Mu Hao moved his thumb.

Ji Lin was shocked, standing up abruptly, “What?!”

Mu Hao jolted from the sudden loud voice.

Ji Lin quickly bent down to apologize, “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, I’m just too surprised… How could Pei Ming be a victim? Even if he didn’t orchestrate that murder, he has plenty of suspicious behavior. Yu Duqiu, you think so too, right?”

Yu Duqiu nodded, “Yes, he can’t be completely innocent; we couldn’t be that wrong, mistaking a victim for a murderer. But Mu Hao wouldn’t lie to us either; it seems the situation is far more complicated than we thought.”

Ji Lin was bewildered, his mind racing from the sudden influx of information, unable to make sense of it, “Mu Ge says Pei Ming is a victim, what does that mean? He wasn’t even at Yiqing those days, nor was he injured. Who would want to harm him? Could it be the ‘Queen’? But he’s been fine since then, ‘Queen’ hasn’t targeted him; it’s always been you.”

Mu Hao couldn’t answer such complex questions at the moment, just looking at them helplessly.

Ji Lin gradually calmed down, pondering hard until a sudden realization hit him, “Wait, Yu Duqiu, didn’t you say that the brain-computer interface could allow disabled people to function normally? Could your product let Mu Ge type with brain waves?!”

Yu Duqiu looked at him in astonishment, “You have a good memory. A few years ago, scientists successfully enabled paralyzed patients to type with brain-computer interfaces; theoretically, it’s possible. But remember, I’m here to recruit volunteers; the experiment carries risks. Are you sure you want to use it on Mu Hao?”

Ji Lin was doused with cold water, disheartened, “Right, if there are risks, forget it.”

He didn’t lose hope, continuing with yes-no questions, “Mu Ge, do you know who wanted to harm Pei Ming? Was it the person who killed Wu Min?”

Mu Hao: Unsure.

Ji Lin: “Did you see that person’s face? Do you know who it is?”

Mu Hao: Unknown.

Ji Lin: “Was it Liu Shaojie who wanted to harm Pei Ming?”

Mu Hao: Yes.

Ji Lin grew more confused. What was the relationship between Liu Shaojie and Pei Ming?

Yu Duqiu, watching their interaction, suddenly interjected, “Was it Bai Zhiming who instructed Liu Shaojie to harm Pei Ming?”

Mu Hao quickly moved his thumb.

Ji Lin was completely shocked, but upon further reflection, it wasn’t impossible. If Bai Zhiming had intentionally made that phone call on the mountain to frame Pei Ming, he might have long harbored plans to harm him.

“I’ll go out on a limb here.” Yu Duqiu’s thinking was always unconventional, but sometimes, like in moments requiring a broad imagination, it often yielded remarkable results, “Liu Shaojie didn’t do it himself; after all, Pei Ming had many bodyguards around him, making it difficult for Liu Shaojie to act. When is a man’s guard most down? Of course, when he’s sexually aroused.”

“So Liu Shaojie coerced Wu Min to seduce Pei Ming to come to the bar for a drink. How it happened isn’t clear, but now with social media being so widespread, Pei Ming often uses it to manage his public image, so posting a few sexy photos might have caught his attention.”

“Wu Min probably had a kind heart, hesitating, otherwise, when Pei Ming first went to Yiqing and opened that bottle of Ace of Spades, which I smashed, she should have drugged him.”

“But at that time, Wu Min didn’t dare to defy Liu Shaojie. Until October 25th last year, when she met Mu Hao, who was celebrating at the bar, she decided to secretly seek police help after weighing her options. So she took leave early and went home with Mu Hao to discuss this.”

“Unfortunately, she didn’t know that Mu Hao, due to the mail package case, was already under surveillance, and the person watching him was in cahoots with Liu Shaojie. Her ‘betrayal’ was completely exposed, which is evidenced by the anonymous surveillance footage sent to the Changhe Sub-Bureau of Mu Hao’s house.”

“When Mu Hao was investigating Liu Shaojie, he discovered Bai Zhiming and their connection to the mail package case. Just as he was about to ask Wu Min for more details, he was unaware of the sparrow behind him.”

“On the evening of the 27th, the ‘Queen’ behind the scenes made her first move, cleaning up the mess for Bai Zhiming and others. That’s why in the phone call in the rainy alley, the ‘Queen’ said they shouldn’t have let Bai Zhiming handle it, as they were followed by the police without noticing.”

“Did I guess the key information correctly, Mu Hao?”

The man on the bed slowly lifted his frail thumb and dropped it heavily.

This felt like a hammer blow to Ji Lin’s head, making it buzz.

“So… Bai Zhiming betrayed Pei Ming? Why? Who is he working for now?”

Mu Hao raised his middle finger, indicating he didn’t know either.

Yu Duqiu stroked his chin, “What Mu Hao experienced might just be one piece of the puzzle; we need more clues to complete this chaotic picture.”

A strong sense of defeat hit Ji Lin hard; he pulled at his hair, murmuring, “If it’s not Pei Ming… then who could it be? Do we have to start over, screening all the guests from that night at the Junyue Hotel? Then I’ve wasted three months for nothing, making Mu Ge suffer for three more months. How could I be so stupid…”

The man on the bed moved his eyes, pointing at Ji Lin, who was engulfed in self-loathing, towards Yu Duqiu.

Yu Duqiu understood but raised an eyebrow, “He didn’t call me ‘brother’; I won’t comfort him. If you want to comfort him, do it yourself.”

Mu Hao’s fingers slowly clenched into a fist, though lacking intimidation, it was clear he was in the mood to punch someone.

At this moment, Ji Lin suddenly looked up, “I’ve thought of a way. Why don’t we use their ploy against them? First, arrest Pei Ming. They might let their guard down, thinking we’ve taken the bait, and then they’ll show their true colors.”

Yu Duqiu praised, “You recover quickly, Captain Ji. I thought you’d be down for half the day.”

“Self-pity won’t solve the case.” Ji Lin stood up to leave, “I’ll go report to Captain Xu, discuss how to proceed. You keep an eye on Mu Ge for me; if anything happens, call me immediately. I’ll be right outside the hotel.”

“Okay.”

The door closed gently, and Yu Duqiu’s gaze returned to the bed, pulling the blanket up for Mu Hao, “Don’t worry, since he found you, he’s like he’s found his backbone. No difficulty or setback can knock him down. Although he acts reserved, he’s probably ecstatic inside, wishing he could watch you twenty-four hours a day.”

Mu Hao couldn’t speak, only quietly opening his eyes.

Yu Duqiu gave a slight smile, “I’m also glad to see you alive again. Today has been chaotic; we haven’t had a chance to catch up, old classmate. How have these past six months been? Good food, good sleep?”

Mu Hao’s chest rose and fell slightly, his fist clenched even tighter.

“Ha, just kidding, don’t be mad.” Yu Duqiu patted his chest gently, “Still glaring at me? Do you know how much manpower and resources went into that watch recording? How much money-making time I lost because of it? And here you are, not only not thanking me but giving me attitude, you ungrateful wolf…”

The last three words barely left his mouth when his heart felt like it had been pricked, causing a sharp, pervasive pain.

Yu Duqiu briefly furrowed his brows and closed his mouth.

Time passed in the silence, whether active or forced.

“…Do you remember, the last time we met, we agreed to play chess again?” Yu Duqiu’s long eyelashes drooped, blocking the light, his eyes dimming, “I thought back then that I wouldn’t find anyone worse at chess than you, but I was wrong.”

“But he’s smart, he learns quickly. Recently, he even predicted my next move, like he lives inside my head.”

“I don’t like the feeling of being seen through, you know, and I always felt he had ulterior motives for getting close to me.”

“Looking back now, perhaps it’s because no one has ever been like him, throwing themselves at me like a moth to a flame, with such obsessive passion.”

“And I didn’t cherish it well.”

The fingers gripping the sheet made wrinkles, as if signaling a painful cry for help.

“Our chess agreement might have to be voided, Mu Hao. I can’t play chess anymore, sorry.”

Yu Duqiu took a deep breath, his voice slightly hoarse, “Because I’ve lost my queen… that piece is unique.”

“My chessboard will never be complete again.”