BL Ch134

According to Hong Liangzhang, he hadn’t known beforehand that Fei Zheng planned to kill Huang Hansheng after using him. Otherwise, he would never have helped the evildoer.

When he received the photo of Huang Hansheng’s corpse, he instantly understood. It was not only a death threat to Yu Duqiu but also a warning to him and his grandson. Despite his anxiety, for the sake of his two cherished children, he could only obey.

“When Xiaoguo participated in the Children’s Day gala, I accompanied Lao Zhou to Pingyi Middle School and got a general understanding of the auditorium’s layout. This old body of mine can’t handle strenuous tasks, so I came up with a plan to lure the Young Master to the backstage lounge. If he hadn’t discovered the photo, I would have thought of other ways. It was summer vacation at the time, there were no school activities, the backstage changing rooms were usually empty, and there wouldn’t be any children around to be frightened… I didn’t expect everything to go so smoothly.”

Hearing this, Yu Duqiu couldn’t help but recall the scene at that time, “No wonder he didn’t display Huang Hansheng’s corpse on the big screen during my speech. Hong Liangzhang still cares about children at heart…”

“Come on, he’s old and muddled, are you muddled too?” Ji Lin said sternly, “Do you know how many teenagers would be harmed if a highly concealed drug like LSD entered the country? Not to mention other drugs disguised as milk tea or candy. What if a child like Xiaoguo accidentally ingested them? He’s essentially harming children, it’s just that he’s shortsighted.”

Mu Hao immediately agreed, “Ji Lin is right. From the perspective of long-term impact, his actions are still harmful and not beneficial at all. You can’t just view him positively because of your deep relationship.”

Ji Lin nodded vigorously, “Exactly!”

Yu Duqiu chuckled, “You two are on the same page now?”

Ji Lin’s face stiffened. He turned his head and muttered, “It’s not like we had a falling out… we’re still good brothers.”

Mu Hao completely missed his point, saying righteously, “If I’m not on the same page with Ji Lin, who else would I be on the same page with? Oh, I mean in terms of work. In terms of personal feelings… I think Ji Lin’s thoughts violate public order and good morals and need to be corrected. Don’t worry, I’ll help. Ji Lin, don’t worry… Ji Lin? What’s wrong?”

Ji Lin stared blankly at him, his lips slightly parted, the color draining from them. After a moment, he silently lowered his head, fiddling with his fingers, and shook his head.

Mu Hao found it strange, but in the interrogation room, Xu Sheng was asking a key question, so his attention shifted back—

“What was Jiang Sheng originally planning to do when he infiltrated No. 1 Palace?”

“He was Fei Zheng’s informant. After the incident in the parking lot in the US, Fei Zheng became more wary of me. He planted Jiang Sheng in No. 1 Palace not only to monitor the Young Master, but also to monitor me, worried that I would foil his plans again. So when Jiang Sheng kidnapped the Young Master, he tied me up as well, to prevent me from leaking information. Fortunately, I was quick-witted and secretly placed a chess piece at the entrance of the concert hall, and thankfully the Young Master saw it.”

At this point, Hong Liangzhang sighed, “Jiang Sheng was actually very efficient and conscientious. I always hoped he would come to his senses, but the influence Bai Zhiming had on him was too great. He couldn’t escape the criminal mindset and ultimately drove himself to a dead end.”

The lost life could not be retrieved, and the hidden truth could only be glimpsed through others.

Hong Liangzhang’s interrogation was almost over. After the kidnapping, Bai Zhiming’s faked death was exposed, and the police were getting closer to the truth. The frightened Du Shuyan finally couldn’t hold back any longer and completely sided with Fei Zheng, determined to eliminate Yu Duqiu and the police investigating the case.

Therefore, Hong Liangzhang was completely in the dark about their subsequent decisions. He simply provided some basic information as usual, including the trip to Myanmar. He merely reported to Fei Zheng that Yu Duqiu had gone to the mountains to look for Bai Zhiming, but Fei Zheng immediately contacted Bai Zhiming to plant explosives, nearly burying everyone in that desolate place.

The police opened the small door inside the interrogation room, intending to take him away. Hong Liangzhang struggled to get up, his body, still recovering from his illness, unable to withstand the exertion. He coughed a few times and asked Xu Sheng, “Officer Xu, I have a request…”

Xu Sheng knew that everything he said and did was under surveillance, so he didn’t dare to make any promises. He replied, “Tell me first, and I’ll consider whether I can agree. If it’s to plead for your grandson, then I’m sorry, everything will be handled according to the law, I have no right to interfere.”

Hong Liangzhang shook his head, “He brought this upon himself. I’ve protected him for so long, so many people have been implicated, I no longer expect to be able to save him. What I want to request… is related to Bai Zhao.”

Yu Duqiu noticed the hand gripping his wheelchair tighten and turned back to tease, “Isn’t it a little late to be nervous now?”

The gazes of the other police officers converged on Bai Zhao from all directions, surrounding him.

Xu Sheng continued, “What request?”

Hong Liangzhang didn’t know that Bai Zhao was outside at this moment, but even if he did, he still had to say it, “Xiao Bai is a child who has suffered a lot. I’ve heard some things about him from Bai Zhiming. He was originally raised to be an heir. Jiang Sheng and Liu Shaoji were subordinates Bai Zhiming prepared for him. But this child was strange. He didn’t make a sound when he was beaten, he seemed cold-blooded and resilient. But when it came to actually killing or setting fires, he refused, which infuriated Bai Zhiming. But Bai Zhiming was unwilling to give up on cultivating this promising talent.”

“The first time Xiao Bai went to see the Young Master, it seemed he had escaped from home without Bai Zhiming’s knowledge. He was being kept in confinement at the time. He took advantage of Bai Zhiming’s absence, broke down the wooden door, leaving blood everywhere, and spent the night somewhere unknown.”

“Then, the next day, he was brought to the Young Master’s farewell party by Pei Ming. Bai Zhiming, learning about this, suspected him of betrayal and beat him half to death. He didn’t recover for the entire summer break, and he still had to pretend to be normal when he went to school, lying that he’d fallen, so that the school wouldn’t notice and call the police.”

The frivolous smile on Yu Duqiu’s face gradually faded.

He remembered the foul-smelling basement, the wooden door with the dark marks.

Whenever Bai Zhao mentioned being abused by Bai Zhiming as a child, his tone was always light and casual, causing the listener to feel心疼, but not much empathy.

A child’s skin and flesh were delicate and couldn’t withstand beatings. Perhaps Bai Zhiming had just slapped him or kicked him, and through the processing of painful memories, it became the “abuse” in Bai Zhao’s words.

Although it was still torture, the actual degree was vastly different from what he described.

Yu Duqiu vaguely sensed what Hong Liangzhang’s request would be, and Hong Liangzhang indeed, as he expected, voiced his confusion to Xu Sheng, “Bai Zhiming said that Xiao Bai probably escaped because he was tired of being controlled, but I don’t think Xiao Bai’s willpower is something a child should have… He was adopted at eight years old, logically speaking, at that age, he wouldn’t understand anything. It would be easy to indoctrinate him with wrong ideas like Jiang Sheng and Liu Shaoji. Bai Zhiming invested more energy in him and disciplined him more strictly, but he always adhered to the bottom line of not committing crimes. This is very strange… I think someone was manipulating him behind the scenes.”

No one spoke inside or outside the interrogation room for a while. The silence was strange.

Hong Liangzhang’s words didn’t surprise anyone. The detectives present were almost all members of the task force and had witnessed the entire case unfold. Hong Liangzhang’s speculation was also a tacit concern for all of them. However, because Bai Zhao had contributed significantly to solving the case, and the attitudes of leaders like Peng Deyu were subtle, seeming to intentionally overlook this point, many people temporarily stopped digging deeper.

Now that the most difficult part of the case had been basically settled, perhaps… it was time for a reckoning.

Xu Sheng promised Hong Liangzhang that he would investigate the matter thoroughly, then had him taken away and brought in Du Shuyan for interrogation.

During this brief intermission, the crowd in the monitoring room was restless.

The detectives exchanged looks and thoughts with their colleagues, gradually reaching a consensus. Finally, someone stepped forward and walked towards the suspicious individual—

“Let’s go, I should go back to the hospital,” Yu Duqiu suddenly said, yawning theatrically. “If I don’t go back, Dr. Sun will scold me again.”

Ji Lin’s expression was complicated. He said in a low voice, “Let him face it himself, you don’t have to protect him.”

Yu Duqiu feigned ignorance, “Who’s protecting him? You’re going to interrogate Du Shuyan next, right? I’m not interested in him. I’ll wait for your results. Good luck. Bai Zhao, take me back to the hospital.”

“Okay.” Bai Zhao ignored the watchful gazes from all directions and pushed the wheelchair out of the monitoring room with Yu Duqiu.

Someone asked, “Just let them go like this? What if he escapes?”

“He won’t.” Ji Lin said.

“How can you be sure?”

“Because he didn’t commit any crime.”

“That’s hard to say, maybe we just haven’t found out…”

“Didn’t you hear the conversation in the interrogation room just now?” This time it was Mu Hao who spoke, “Bai Zhiming is cunning. The ‘promising talent’ he took a fancy to must have had great criminal potential. Coupled with so many years of guidance and cultivation… no child could remain completely unaffected. He definitely had the ability to commit crimes, but he didn’t choose that path.”

Ji Lin nodded, “Yes, Bai Zhao, like Jiang Sheng, doesn’t trust the police. This is the indelible shadow Bai Zhiming cast on him. He also has prominent criminal traits. Apart from Yu Duqiu, he hardly cares about the lives of others. He dares to do anything, and his methods are very covert and sophisticated. If he wanted to commit crimes, he could probably do even better than Fei Zheng.”

Reporting the city’s richest man, who was also a major drug lord, as a child, enduring abuse while navigating between two cunning adults as a teenager, and monitoring the world-class billionaire Yu Duqiu as an adult, until finally coming to Yu Duqiu’s side, risking his life for him, even approaching a ruthless murderer.

Bai Zhao possessed all the qualities of a top-tier criminal.

Fei Zheng’s willingness to cooperate with him wasn’t just because of the举报 letter, but more so because he saw similar traits in Bai Zhao, which was why he’d said the complimentary phrase, “We’re the same kind.”

They were indeed similar, both Queens tasked with killing, extremely indifferent to life, extremely obsessed with what they wanted. It was only because Bai Zhao chose to stand on the side of justice that his actions, which bordered on criminal, were mitigated.

If one were to scrutinize it, Fei Zheng at least killed with his own hands, leaving evidence, while Bai Zhao guided the police to arrest Pei Xianyong and sentence him to death, and guided Ji Lin and others to find and kill Bai Zhiming, without lifting a finger himself.

The Silver Queen ultimately lost to the Golden Queen. It wasn’t an undeserved loss. Fei Zheng had been meticulous enough, but unfortunately, he encountered a genius whose depth, strategy, and methods far surpassed his own.

This genius happened to be utterly devoted to another genius. A winning combination, unbeatable.

“As long as Bai Zhao is loyal to Yu Duqiu, he won’t commit crimes.” Ji Lin, after observing him for this period, had reached a conclusion, “He knew I was suspicious of him, but he didn’t run away, which means he wasn’t afraid of my investigation at all. I think… he probably anticipated this day long ago. In order to stay by Yu Duqiu’s side openly and honestly, he suppressed any impulses that might leave him with a criminal record.”

“Otherwise, all these years, he could’ve done it himself, or found someone to do it, forcing Bai Zhiming to reveal Pei Xianyong’s crimes, and silently killing Bai Zhiming. Bai Zhiming was willing to betray Pei Ming and cooperate with Fei Zheng, clearly a treacherous person. There was no need for him to protect a former employer who was already in prison. He would definitely have talked under coercion or inducement.”

“But Bai Zhao didn’t do that. Instead, he chose to endure humiliation for many years, finally waiting for the opportunity to guide us to arrest Bai Zhiming, while clearing his own suspicion as much as possible, nearly losing his life in the process.”

“He must harbor extreme hatred for Bai Zhiming and Pei Xianyong, which is why he has such a strong desire for revenge. But this hatred didn’t control him, because his desire for Yu Duqiu is stronger.”

“In short, Yu Duqiu chose to stand on the side of justice because he’s not inherently bad, and Bai Zhao can abide by the law purely because of Yu Duqiu, understand?”

The others barely understood, but because this explanation was so beyond common sense and understanding, they had a hard time digesting it for a while. Someone asked tactlessly, “Then… what if Yu Duqiu committed a crime too?”

Ji Lin: “Then you might be dealt with by his loyal little bodyguard before you even find the evidence of his crime.”

The detective who asked the question shuddered.

“That won’t happen,” Mu Hao seriously refuted, “With Duqiu’s abilities, he wouldn’t let us find out he committed a crime in the first place.”

“…”

That… didn’t sound much better!

Yu Duqiu, oblivious to these discussions about him, sat comfortably in his wheelchair as he exited the Public Security Bureau, arriving at the car that had brought them.

Bai Zhao helped him up, half-carrying, half-hugging him into the back seat, then folded the wheelchair and got in from the other side.

Zhou Yi, the driver, asked through the rearview mirror, “Young Master, did you see Hong Liangzhang?”

Yu Duqiu sighed softly, “Yes, he seems alright. You took good care of him.”

Zhou Yi hesitated, “Young Master, although it might not be appropriate for me to say this, but Hong Liangzhang kept mentioning you during his days in the hospital… I also heard the whole story from him. He did wrong, but he didn’t have malicious intentions. Is it possible…”

Being on police territory, Zhou Yi didn’t dare to be too explicit, just hinting. Yu Duqiu understood, but asked, “Did my grandfather visit him?”

Zhou Yi was stunned for a moment, then answered honestly, “The Master went to the ward door, but he didn’t go in. He told me he would visit Hong Liangzhang after the court’s verdict. But Hong Liangzhang saw him, and he burst into tears… He kept apologizing to the Master, saying he hadn’t taken good care of you, Young Master, and had failed to live up to his trust. It’s precisely because I felt Hong Liangzhang was truly remorseful, and he’d also brushed with death, that I asked if it was possible to lessen his suffering. He’s so old, how long can he last in prison…”

Yu Duqiu shook his head, “My grandfather’s attitude is very clear. I feel the same way. I won’t see Hong Liangzhang before the verdict. Otherwise… we might become the next Hong Liangzhang.”

Protecting a family member who had been with you for decades, with whom you shared a deep bond, at the cost of other strangers suffering and dying unjustly. This choice, presented to anyone, would be enough to shake their resolve.

“People are selfish. I can’t bring myself to betray my family for the greater good. If I can’t guarantee I won’t interfere, then I simply won’t see him. Like Themis, I’ll blindfold myself and leave everything to the scales of justice in my hands.” Yu Duqiu closed his eyes tiredly and pressed the button on the armrest. The partition between the front and back seats slowly rose, separating the two spaces. “All I can do is pray that the scales will tilt towards my wishes.”

The last image Zhou Yi saw through the rearview mirror was Yu Duqiu clasping his hands together on his lap, as if in prayer.

A devout prayer from an atheist, yet it stemmed from compassion for the perpetrator.

Perhaps the reason for being a madman rather than a deified figure was because he knew in his heart how helpless it was to be a god who always forgave the sins of the world.

The partition rose to its highest point, blocking the last gap.

Yu Duqiu kept his eyes closed and said expressionlessly, “The police should be interrogating Du Shuyan now. After they’re done, they might come to investigate you. Have you prepared your story? Are you sure you can deceive them?”

Bai Zhao turned his head, “Why should I lie to them?”

“Because you’ve been lying to me too, haven’t you?” Yu Duqiu opened his eyes again, returning his gaze, “I didn’t press you before because I knew very well that even if I knew, I wouldn’t be able to let you go. It was better to feign ignorance for a while. But now, shouldn’t you confess to me? Even if you don’t want to tell the truth, go over your story with me first, so the police won’t find any loopholes.”

Bai Zhao slowly leaned closer, “You don’t mind, even if it’s a lie?”

Yu Duqiu snorted softly, “Of course I mind. I detest it. From now on, whenever I kiss you, sleep with you, I’ll be thinking about this. Whenever we argue, I’ll use this to scold you. You’ll always be in the wrong and have to apologize first. So you’d better think carefully before you answer.”

Bai Zhao chuckled, “If I tell you, your tone might not be so lighthearted anymore.”

Yu Duqiu chuckled along, pinching his chin, leaning in for a kiss, murmuring, “Don’t worry, I can’t find a replacement for you… No matter what you say, I can only forgive you.”

Bai Zhao’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Bewitched by the close-by, light-colored eyes, he couldn’t help but chase the lingering kiss.

Yu Duqiu, however, stopped him with a finger on his lips, “Tell the truth first.”

“…I’m not ready yet.”

Yu Duqiu’s expression turned cold, the previous tenderness vanishing, “This is the third time you’ve made me angry today. You’d better watch yourself.”

Bai Zhao was puzzled, “How did it become three times? Besides at the hospital and just now, when else?”

“And when you lied to me before, saying the mark on the wooden door was just mold, when it was actually your blood.” Yu Duqiu glanced sideways at him, “Now it’s four times, because you couldn’t even guess this. Where did your understanding of me go?”

Bai Zhao’s smile deepened, “Sorry, in my understanding of you, you wouldn’t care about my life or death, let alone a small injury like that.”

“Then your understanding is outdated and needs to be updated. I’m not the same person I used to be.”

Their gazes intertwined in the silent air. The image of the bloodstained wooden door lingered in Yu Duqiu’s mind. He softened first, “I’ll give you a month to prepare, is that enough? Before that, I’ll help you deal with the police.”

Bai Zhao: “Aren’t you worried I really committed a crime?”

Yu Duqiu chuckled, “You know I’m used to a pampered life, I can’t handle a life on the run. If you truly love me, you won’t make me flee with you. You’ll only protect your innocence, make sure the police can’t convict you, and stay by my side openly. Otherwise, you don’t really love me, you’re just a bastard who disregards his lover for his own selfish desires.”

Yu Duqiu leaned closer, generously compensating him for the kiss he hadn’t given earlier, “You let me win a bet once, so I’m willing to bet everything I have again that you won’t disappoint me.”

The temperature on his lips was slightly cool, but it lingered for a long time. Bai Zhao caressed the smiling face before him and asked, “Not angry anymore?”

“I am. You still don’t understand why I was angry with you at the hospital this morning. Are you as dense as Mu Hao now?” Yu Duqiu turned on the intercom and told Zhou Yi, who was driving, “Lao Zhou, let’s go home.”

Zhou Yi’s surprised voice came through, “Huh? But Young Master, Dr. Sun said…”

“Is your boss him or me?” Yu Duqiu said unequivocally, “Go home.”

“…Understood.” Zhou Yi changed direction, already imagining how furious Sun Xingchun would be when he heard the news.

“We can’t do anything at home either, your injury needs rest,” Bai Zhao said.

“Fine, I’ll rest.” Yu Duqiu gave him a meaningful look, “You do the moving.”