BL Ch101

City Central Hospital was bustling lately, with a steady stream of visitors bearing waves of flowers and fruit that filled the single-bed ward.

As more colleagues and friends came to visit, news of the “resurrected” deceased detective spread quickly from internal circles to the public. Such a dramatic, twist-filled story was catnip for the media, who lingered around the hospital for days, eager to sneak in for an exclusive interview.

But this detective had serious backing. Not only did the police station guards, but a group of fierce-looking toughs also patrolled the hospital grounds, interrogating anyone who looked remotely like a reporter. After several clashes, the media presence dwindled—there were always new stories in this city, no need to hang on one tree.

A few bold journalists persisted, buying packs of premium Zhonghua cigarettes to cozy up to the bodyguards, hoping to extract insider scoops they could spin into stories to hit their September KPIs.

The tactic seemed to work. A burly, towering bodyguard calling himself “Master Lou” accepted the smokes and whispered that the hospital’s top floor housed not only the safely returned detective but also the suspect who harmed him! Several murders in Pingyi City, from last year to last month, were linked to this person. Gravely injured, the suspect was recovering in the hospital under supervised release, awaiting formal arrest upon recovery. Most shockingly, this heinous, murder-hiring criminal was none other than Pei Ming, a well-known local entrepreneur.

The reporters, thrilled by the explosive tip, thanked him profusely and rushed off to write their stories.

Lou Baoguo turned and divvied up the smokes among his crew, only to spot Lu Qing exiting the hospital. He quickly stuffed the cigarettes into a buddy’s arms, distancing himself. “Comrade Xiao Lu, I don’t smoke or drink, I’m upright, do chores, own a car and a house.”

His buddy blinked, confused. “Lou-ge, you going on a blind date?” He shrank back under Lou Baoguo’s menacing glare.

Lu Qing pulled out her Bluetooth earpiece. “What’d you say? I was just talking to Old Peng. He asked me to check on things here—those reporters gone?”

“…Ahem, nothing.” Lou Baoguo looked ready to cry. “I did as you said. They think Pei Ming’s the culprit now. They’ll probably break the story soon.”

“Good. Keep the real situation under wraps. Only our task force and you guys who went to Myanmar know the truth. If it leaks, the bureau will suspect you, and you’ll be in trouble.”

Lou Baoguo’s gloom turned to glee. “Got it, thanks for the concern.” But then his face clouded. “Oh, Big Bro came with young master today. You won’t arrest him, right? Sure, he worked for Pei Ming, but he didn’t do anything bad, even got key evidence… You’ll go easy on him, yeah?”

Lu Qing tiptoed to pat his broad shoulder, reassuringly. “Relax, if we were gonna arrest him, we’d have done it the day we got back. Why let him rest this long? Pei Ming’s spilled everything for a lighter sentence, cooperating like crazy. From his statement, Bai Zhao didn’t commit crimes—just passed on a few messages, some fake. Not enough for criminal charges. But… if your young master insists on punishing him and hires a sharp lawyer, he could still get sentenced.”

Lou Baoguo waved it off. “Young master’s already punished him.”

Lu Qing, curious, asked, “How?”

“Better you don’t know, too brutal.” Lou Baoguo shuddered, recalling the basement scene. “Tortured Big Bro body and soul. He almost couldn’t make it here today.”

“Huh? Is Bai Zhao okay now?”

“Seems fine. Young guy, tough, recovers fast. Young master, though? Might’ve overdone the punishing, looks like his back’s sore…”

Inside the ward, Yu Duqiu rubbed his lower back, nodding at the bed’s occupant. “Take a look at this.”

A ruby ring lay on the white sheets, its two razor-thin blades extended, glinting coldly under the fluorescent light.

“Ji Lin figured it out earlier—Wu Min’s wounds were two parallel cuts from a sharp tool, but surveillance showed the killer held no knife, just a ring. The police never found the weapon, so we guessed it was the ring. I had a replica made to test it. This time, we tried it on Pei Ming’s neck. Bai Zhao’s cut was shallow, but the wound’s precision confirms our guess.”

Ji Lin gave him a look. “I thought you were joking. You actually tested it on someone…” Good thing Pei Ming, by some fluke, was the guinea pig, or some innocent civilian might’ve suffered.

Yu Duqiu grinned, brushing it off, and asked Mu Hao, “Did you see a similar ring on the killer?”

The man on the bed, his scruffy hair shaved into a crisp, masculine buzz cut, looked gaunt but was regaining a spark of his old vigor. His resolute, bright eyes locked on the gleaming ring, and he nodded slightly, turning his neck.

His throat, inflamed from infection, had healed enough to speak after days of rest and treatment, though he had to squeeze out words slowly, one by one. “That day… heavy rain, couldn’t see clearly… but seemed… wearing… a ring.”

Yu Duqiu retracted the blades, pocketed the ring, and handed it to Bai Zhao behind him. “Then it’s settled. Bai Zhiming mentioned someone using a ring too—likely the killer. Did you see their face?”

Mu Hao, about to strain his hoarse voice again, was stopped by Ji Lin, who stepped in as spokesman. “We’ve asked him already. Mu-ge said the killer wore a mask the whole time, face hidden. Height estimated over 185 cm, matching what little we know. Only new clue is the killer’s eyes seemed familiar, like Mu-ge had seen them before, but it’s been six months—he might not recognize them now.”

Yu Duqiu mused, “Plenty of tall cops in your bureau, right? Why not check them first?”

Ji Lin scoffed. “What, suspect our own people first? Don’t project your logic onto our work. Besides, ‘familiar’ could mean a passing glance. What, we gonna investigate every customer he saw buying pancakes on his commute?”

Yu Duqiu frowned. “Pancake fruit? What kind of fruit’s that? Weird name.”

Mu Hao looked surprised. “How’d you… know… I bought…?”

Ji Lin’s eyes darted nervously. “Uh… heard it from colleagues who visited you… Want some? There’s a place across from the hospital.”

Mu Hao, who hadn’t eaten decent food in six months and was stuck on a liquid diet per Sun Xingchun’s orders, felt his mouth water. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he asked uncertainly, “Can… I?”

“A small bite should be fine. I’ll get it.” Ji Lin, heading out, yanked Yu Duqiu along. “Illiterate, come with me. Don’t disturb Mu-ge’s rest.”

Yu Duqiu only managed, “You guys chat, we’ll be back,” before Ji Lin dragged him out.

The two left in the ward stared at each other. They’d never interacted before, and the silence grew awkward until the one who could speak fluently broke it. “Hello, Officer Mu.”

“…Hello.”

“You may not know me, but I’ve heard of you. Duqiu mentions you often.” Bai Zhao extended his hand.

Mu Hao, thinking it was for a handshake, struggled to sit up despite the effort, reaching out with a frail arm.

Bai Zhao gently pressed him back onto the bed, then showed his ring. “No need, just introducing myself. The ring you saw—it’s a token from Duqiu.”

“…?”

“I’m his partner.” The young man seemed to emphasize the last word. “His computer password isn’t my name yet, but it will be. Looking forward to working with you.”

“…?”

Outside, the corridor led to the elevator. Yu Duqiu trailed slowly. “Slow down, Mu Hao’s too dense to notice you stalking him.”

Ji Lin whirled, fuming. “Bullshit! I didn’t stalk him. He posted about that pancake place on WeChat, said it was good… What’s wrong with you? Hurt your back?”

Yu Duqiu, rubbing his waist, waved it off. “Don’t ask. The little beast’s too clingy, wore me out this morning.”

“…Keep that to yourself!” Ji Lin wanted to sew shut his shameless mouth, angrily holding the elevator’s open button. “Hurry up! Bai Zhao’s fine, and you’re acting all delicate?”

“He’s fine ‘cause he’s not the one suffering…” Yu Duqiu muttered, stepping in.

Ji Lin hit the ground-floor button, standing beside him, clearing his mind of the unsavory images. “I pulled you out for another reason. You keep asking Mu-ge about that day’s details—ever think about his feelings? He won’t say it, but Wu Min died right in front of him. He feels guilty. Stop picking at his scars. We’ve asked everything—whatever you want to know, ask me.”

Yu Duqiu glanced at him. “Wow, so protective. Who are you to him?”

Ji Lin gritted his teeth. “His loyal comrade. You’re his shady buddy. Be grateful I’m telling you anything. While we were busting our asses on the case, what were you doing? Fooling around with your bodyguard!”

Yu Duqiu, unabashed, said, “I’m not a cop. Don’t cops have sex lives? Don’t you want to with Mu Hao…”

“Shut up! No!!” Ji Lin roared, face red.

“Wow, Platonic love, huh? No wonder you’ve held out so long.”

Ji Lin, constrained by the elevator’s tight space, resisted throwing him over his shoulder.

The elevator, a private passage, descended smoothly to the ground floor. They stepped out, blending into the hospital’s bustling crowd.

Amid the background noise, Yu Duqiu dropped his flippancy, leaning closer. “So, the crime scene—was it how we thought?”

Ji Lin, slower to shift gears, calmed his anger before answering neutrally. “Pretty much, but Mu-ge gave specifics: October 25th was his birthday. Friends suggested Yiqing Bar to unwind, get him out of work mode. He thought the name sounded sketchy, maybe tied to illegal stuff, so he went.”

Yu Duqiu laughed. “Seriously? He went to boost his arrest record? No wonder—a straight-laced guy like him at a place like Yiqing?”

“Not arrest record—upholding justice!” Ji Lin, Mu Hao’s devoted fan, wouldn’t tolerate a hint of slander. “He stumbled onto something illegal. A server, Wu Min, asked for help, saying her new boyfriend was threatening her with nude photos to drug a customer.”

Yu Duqiu asked, “The customer was Pei Ming, right?”

“Yeah. Wu Min DM’d Pei Ming on social media, luring him to Yiqing—basically a hookup. Pei Ming, used to this, thought she was hot and showed up, no suspicions. But she didn’t show—she wasn’t working. So he grabbed a bottle, played with other servers. He confirmed this himself. Before questioning, he didn’t even know he nearly fell for it. If Wu Min hadn’t chickened out, he’d be dead.”

Yu Duqiu sighed. “Miss Wu probably realized even if she drugged him, when Pei Ming got hurt, Liu Shaojie would pin it on her. No escape.”

“But she was still naive. Pei Ming dodged the trap, but Mu-ge got dragged in.” Ji Lin’s tone grew heavy, eyes on the ground. “After the first failure, Liu Shaojie threatened her again. Scared, she ran into Mu-ge, learned he was a cop, and begged for help.”

“She feared Liu Shaojie would leak her photos if he found out, so she asked Mu-ge to keep it quiet. Thinking it was just petty crooks after money, Mu-ge planned to scope it out before reporting. So, on the 26th, he tailed Liu Shaojie alone.”

“He didn’t know Liu had a boss—Bai Zhiming. Mu-ge overheard them discussing a painting seized by police, suspecting they were the drug traffickers in the parcel case. On the 27th, he met Wu Min again, probing for more to take them all down.”

“But he didn’t realize his moves were fully exposed to the ‘Queen.’ Wu Min, under a worse death threat, drugged Mu-ge and led him to the alley, but still couldn’t escape death herself…”

“Mu-ge doesn’t know much after that. Drugged, he was in and out of consciousness. Bai Zhiming hid him in a rental at Jiangxue Community, waited for things to cool, then smuggled him out in February, keeping him captive on the mountain until we rescued him.”

“He doesn’t know why Bai Zhiming or his backers didn’t kill him. He vaguely heard Bai Zhiming on a call, the other person saying he was still useful, but no specifics.”

Ji Lin finished as they reached the hospital’s exit. The autumn heat hit hard, sunlight warming their bodies, but the case’s chilling details left them cold.

An innocent girl, forced into murder, lost her life. A dedicated detective fell into a vicious trap, tortured to a shadow of himself. A tragic orphan, raised by criminals, was sent to his doom by the foster father he revered. A son who despised his father’s crimes, through a twist of fate, followed the same path—a cruel cosmic joke.

None of their fates had to end this way, but the masterminds treated their lives like pawns, manipulating and discarding them without a shred of humanity.

Bai Zhiming, one of the puppeteers, was dead, but he was just a charging knight. Who were the King and Queen, still hidden, never showing their faces?

The pancake stall was in sight across the road. Waiting for the green light, Ji Lin continued, “We checked Bai Zhiming’s phone—sly bastard wiped it clean before fleeing. His girlfriend, like Liu Shaojie, is stubborn, claiming she’s a victim. No hard evidence, so we can’t touch her. Looks like… we start from scratch.”

Yu Duqiu chuckled softly. “No need to play coy with me, Captain Ji. I don’t buy that you’ve got no leads.”

The red light at this crossing felt endless. Ji Lin, wilting under Yu Duqiu’s probing stare, cleared his throat. “Oh? What leads do you think we have?”

“The moment Mu Hao said Pei Ming was a victim, I got suspicious, but I was… distracted, you know, didn’t think it through. Later, I realized—if Bai Zhiming wanted to kill Pei Ming to erase his tracks, he could’ve done it years ago. Why serve him so long? More likely, his boss wanted Pei Ming dead.” Yu Duqiu’s silver hair was eye-catching, but the sharp glint in his eyes was sharper. “Plenty of criminals want Mu Hao. I’ve got enemies too. But someone targeting Pei Ming with such care? He’s smooth, rarely offends in business, so the suspect list should be short. Check them one by one—we’ll find the King.”

Ji Lin clicked his tongue. “Can’t hide anything from you. The task force has a list—his business rivals, people with grudges against Pei Xianyong, relatives eyeing the family fortune… We’re investigating them all. The killer’s days are numbered.”

Yu Duqiu raised a brow. “Can I see the list?”

Ji Lin scoffed. “Why? It’s classified.”

“‘Cause I’m Mu Hao’s close friend. Shouldn’t you butter me up?”

“Pfft! Self-proclaimed friend. Mu-ge has tons of friends, unlike you, who can count yours on one hand.”

“True, I’ve got few friends, but I’ve got a boyfriend. You two got one?”

Ji Lin was speechless for a long moment. “…Never thought I’d live to hear such childish bragging from you.”

“Means your dreams lack imagination.” Yu Duqiu flicked his silver hair, gleaming with charm, drawing glances from passersby. Used to the spotlight, he didn’t tone it down, only grew bolder. “I’ve got a partner, looks, money, fame. What can’t I get? Think I need your little ‘classified’ list, huh, poor thing?”

Ji Lin itched to punch this guy, who’d forgotten his pain the moment his wounds healed, back to that night at the well’s bottom, to see who was the pitiful wreck then.

“…Forget it, not stooping to your level.” Ji Lin took deep breaths, quelling his rage. The light turned green, and he yanked the embarrassing showoff away from the gawking crowd.

The pancake shop was a breakfast spot, open all day but quieter by eleven compared to the bustling diner next door. The owner, watching a drama, spotted customers and paused it, standing to greet them. “Hi, what do you—”

This customer’s odd hair was one thing, but his odd stare, scanning the ingredients, was another. “Don’t you sell fruit?”

Before the owner could respond, Ji Lin cut off the clueless young master, ordering smoothly, “Two full-set pancakes, thanks.”

“Sure thing.”

Yu Duqiu watched the owner scoop a ladle of batter onto the hot griddle, spreading it evenly with a spatula, cracking an egg on top. The aroma hit instantly.

While waiting, Ji Lin picked up the thread. “The list’s short, but checking it takes time. Hypothetically, what traits do you think the King and Queen might have? Could narrow it down.”

Yu Duqiu, engrossed in the pancake-making like an eager student, multitasked effortlessly. “Hmm… pawn promotion?”

“…What? Speak plainly.”

“A chess move. When a pawn reaches the opponent’s back rank, it can become any piece except the king.” Yu Duqiu glanced back, a sharp gleam in his light eyes. “Maybe we haven’t spotted them because they’ve posed as pawns, making us think they’re insignificant, lowering our guard, not noticing they’ve reached our back rank. But if so, they’re breaking the rules, disguising even the king as a pawn.”

Ji Lin, after months with him, could mostly parse his abstract metaphors. Mulling it over, he found it apt and asked, “Got any suspects in mind?”

Yu Duqiu shrugged. “Don’t dare guess anymore. If I mislead you, I can’t bear the blame. Honestly, I’ve achieved my goals for coming back—Mu Hao’s saved, Miss Cen’s case is cleared. The rest isn’t my business.”

Ji Lin blinked, as if witnessing a miracle, stunned. “Before, you dove into the mess against our wishes. Now you’re practically an honorary task force member, one step from the truth, and you’re bailing?”

“This isn’t my game anymore. They’ve trashed the rules, turned into kings, and when cornered, they’ll flip the board. Too dangerous. We nearly got wiped out this time—you want me to risk it again?”

Ji Lin, having lived the mission’s perils, felt partly responsible and scratched his head sheepishly. “Not saying you should take risks… I just thought you didn’t care about danger.”

Yu Duqiu smiled. “I didn’t before. Humans are fragile—a falling rock, a banana peel, even a piece of candy can kill. If you live trembling at accidents, what’s the point? I don’t believe in an afterlife; I want this life lived freely, vibrantly. But now, I’ve changed…”

He tapped his chest. “Someone’s in here. I want to live longer, see if he’s still as captivating when he’s old, if he still loves me. If, when I’m ancient and on my deathbed, he’s still by my side, loyal, then my life will have been vibrant, complete.”