BL Ch135

The fallen leaves of early autumn swirled into October. While the whole country was celebrating National Day and enjoying a long holiday, the detectives of the task force were still working overtime to organize the case details and perfect the chain of evidence.

Although several of the main culprits had either been arrested or committed suicide, this major criminal case had far-reaching implications. The beneficiaries behind it hadn’t all been caught red-handed, and no one dared to let their guard down. They could only work intensively, hoping to close the case as soon as possible.

Fortunately, the police hadn’t leaked much information before arresting Du Shuyan. Most of the financial backers who had illegal dealings with him were caught off guard. Coupled with Du Shuyan’s confession, it was almost certain that none of these people would escape the net of justice.

Pingyi’s political and business circles seemed to have experienced a devastating earthquake, leaving people in a state of panic. Those with guilty consciences kept a low profile, fearing the aftershocks.

At the same time, many people secretly rejoiced, speculating that this time, the young billionaire who had been engaged to the Du family and was recently suspected of financial fraud would surely be arrested, just like Pingyi’s richest man, Pei Xianyong, years ago.

A god falling from heaven to hell was the favorite spectacle of jealous mortals.

Some well-informed sources even claimed that police cars had been coming and going from Bishan recently, one after another. It seemed that Young Master Yu was at his wit’s end, struggling to hold on. Sooner or later, he would be imprisoned. It was uncertain whether he could even make it through the autumn safely.

In fact, No. 1 Palace had indeed received several police cars recently, but their target wasn’t Yu Duqiu, but the person beside him.

Bai Zhao remained silent in the face of questioning and interrogation, while Yu Duqiu’s lawyers were eloquent. The police, lacking sufficient evidence, were often silenced after just a few questions and could only return empty-handed.

After the holiday, the greenery on Bishan was replaced with seasonal five-pointed maples, chicken claw maples, smoke trees, and countless others. From afar, the orange, red, and golden hues were as dazzling as a burning sunset, seemingly unaffected by the recent dark clouds hanging over Pingyi City.

The giant ginkgo tree within No. 1 Palace had also begun to shed its leaves, covering the ground in a layer of gold. When Ji Lin arrived, Yu Duqiu and Bai Zhao were sitting under the ginkgo tree, drinking. The two Dobermans were dozing obediently at their feet. Hearing the footsteps of a stranger, they immediately opened their eyes vigilantly. After recognizing the familiar face of Ji Lin, they snorted and closed their eyes lazily, looking indifferent.

“…” Like owner, like dog. They both had that look that just begged to be punched.

Yu Duqiu’s arm was still in a cast. According to Sun Xingchun’s treatment plan, he had to wear it for at least a month, while abstaining from alcohol and spicy food. But he always did as he pleased and was physically robust enough to disregard medical advice. It hadn’t even been a month, and he was already drinking.

Ji Lin didn’t bother to intervene. Young Master Yu’s self-destructive tendencies weren’t anything new. He only cared about the purpose of his visit, “Hey, Yu!”

Yu Duqiu had known he was coming for a while. The guard had already informed Zhou Yi—who was temporarily acting as butler after Hong Liangzhang’s departure.

“If you’re also here to interrogate Bai Zhao, I’ll have my lawyer talk to you,” Yu Duqiu said, swirling his wine glass, clearly having used this tactic to deal with his colleagues before.

Ji Lin walked over to them, pulled up a chair, and sat down, “I’m still suspended, I’m not qualified to interrogate. I’m here to ask Bai Zhao some questions, but not what you’re thinking.”

Yu Duqiu was wary, “Then what? For other case-related matters, you can just ask Du Shuyan, can’t you? Hasn’t he confessed yet?”

“He confessed, but he overdosed on drugs, and Fei Zheng’s death was too much of a shock for him. His mental state is currently very unstable, sometimes lucid, sometimes confused. Sometimes he talks nonsense. We interrogated him several times before we figured out the general story. And there are some things Fei Zheng kept from him, some details that might need Bai Zhao to supplement and confirm. After all, you were someone who infiltrated their inner circle.”

Bai Zhao nodded, “Ask away.”

“Wow, that tone, like a big boss.” Ji Lin took out his notebook.

From last year to now, he had filled a thick stack of pages, almost full. He flipped to the last few pages, “Let’s start with something new—after much investigation and evidence gathering, the team has confirmed Fei Zheng’s real identity: his original name was Yang Zhengjin. He changed his name to Fei Zheng after dropping out of school and leaving his hometown. He was already making a lot of money from drug trafficking in the US, perhaps even wealthier than Du Shuyan.”

Yu Duqiu’s interest was piqued, “Yang Zhengjin? Sounds like a name given with high hopes… Too bad he became an evil dragon. Did Du Shuyan know about this?”

Ji Lin shook his head, “No. When he first met Fei Zheng, he really thought Fei Zheng was a good person and even wanted to repay him with money. Fei Zheng said he didn’t have a job, so he let Fei Zheng be his secretary. At that time, few employees in his company listened to him, and he wanted to cultivate his own confidant.”

Yet, he had invited a wolf into his home.

It was even this wolf who had killed his father.

Ji Lin: “I really don’t understand. Fei Zheng committed all sorts of evil deeds, but he was so devoted to Du Shuyan. Did Du Shuyan cast a spell on him?”

Bai Zhao put down his wine glass, “Only Du Shuyan thought he was a good person, so he only did good things for Du Shuyan, that’s all.”

Ji Lin was taken aback, “What kind of logic is that?”

“It’s simple logic. A child surrounded by love suddenly loses both parents and is met with disgust. Their mind is filled with thoughts of revenge. How many children can remain sunny and kind? Falling from heaven to hell, it’s very difficult to climb back out, but having experienced heaven, there’s always a lingering yearning in their heart. Du Shuyan gave him that sliver of hope of returning to heaven. By Du Shuyan’s side, he was still the outstanding, intelligent, and beloved Yang Zhengjin.”

Ji Lin slowly tightened his grip on the pen, his gaze changing, “You seem to… be projecting yourself onto him? Are you feeling sorry for Fei Zheng?”

Bai Zhao glanced at him, his disdain evident, “Du Shuyan is driven by profit, cowardly and incompetent. He’s not a god who can pull him back to heaven, nor can he suppress his criminal nature. Instead, he was influenced by him and fell into hell together. But I…”

Bai Zhao looked at the person beside him, his gaze softening considerably, “I’m lucky, so I didn’t become like him.”

Yu Duqiu hissed, “This wine is sickeningly sweet… But I like it.”

Ji Lin glanced at the label on the wine bottle, “Are you losing your sense of taste? How can plum wine be sickeningly sweet? Shouldn’t it be sour?”

“I don’t think Fei Zheng saw Du Shuyan as a god who could save him.” Yu Duqiu didn’t bother explaining to the blockhead, continuing on his own, “Don’t forget his deicide paintings. A truly religious person would be somewhat superstitious and would never desecrate their faith like that. His attitude towards God should be one of disdain. In his eyes, someone like me, burdened with sins but hailed as a god, is even more detestable.”

“Then how do you explain his unreasonable devotion and protection of Du Shuyan?” Ji Lin asked.

“In my opinion, Fei Zheng is someone who likes to project his feelings onto others or objects. For example, he projected his hatred for me onto the image of ‘God,’ achieving the purpose of venting his hatred by burning a painting symbolizing deicide every year on his father’s death anniversary.”

Ji Lin: “That’s not wrong. The task force found an unfinished oil painting in his apartment in Jiangxue Community. It also depicted a cross and a lamb. He was probably planning to burn it for his father this year.”

Yu Duqiu swirled his wine glass. The green liquid emitted a sour scent, “If I am the ‘Lamb of God’ in his heart, ready for slaughter, then Du Shuyan is his ‘Dorian Gray.’”

Ji Lin furrowed his brows, “…Thank you for always phrasing things in a way I can’t understand.”

Yu Duqiu clicked his tongue, “He’s a very famous character. I bet Mu Hao would understand immediately. You still have a lot to learn, Comrade Ji Lin.”

Ji Lin didn’t believe him, “Don’t try to fool me. Of course you can say whatever you want when Mu Ge isn’t around. Bai Zhao definitely doesn’t know either—”

“The Picture of Dorian Gray, I know it. The young Dorian Gray made a wish to his portrait, hoping that the portrait would bear the passage of time and the sins he committed for him. The portrait fulfilled his wish.” Bai Zhao ignored the stunned Ji Lin and spoke to Yu Duqiu, “You mean, Fei Zheng knew his sins were deep and unforgivable, so when he saw Du Shuyan, a victim with a similar background to his own, he saw him as his once innocent self, bearing all the sins for Du Shuyan, is that right?”

Yu Duqiu nodded approvingly, “Exactly. Perhaps there was a sliver of yearning for goodness in Fei Zheng’s heart, but he couldn’t turn back. He could only project this yearning onto Du Shuyan, willingly becoming Du Shuyan’s portrait. He wasn’t protecting Du Shuyan, but the Yang Zhengjin of the past.”

Bai Zhao: “Yes, he wasn’t loyal to the king, but to himself.”

Ji Lin took out his phone and hid it under the table, quickly and discreetly searching for information on Dorian Gray. He roughly understood the allusion, cleared his throat, and smoothly joined their discussion, “This explanation makes some sense. Fei Zheng also met the same end—Dorian Gray eventually stabbed his own portrait, perishing together. And Fei Zheng ultimately died because of Du Shuyan.”

“He didn’t want to die at first. On the yacht, you could see his will to survive,” Yu Duqiu said, “But perhaps he was prepared to die the moment he was first exposed on camera.”

“Why do you say that?”

“He changed his name and appearance, and for many years, he tried his best to avoid attracting the attention of the police, carefully hiding in the shadows to take revenge. But now he actively exposed himself, committing crimes in a high-profile manner, constantly making his presence known. Such a drastic change could only be caused by one person.”

Yu Duqiu spread his hands slightly, “Dorian Gray didn’t know his wish would come true at first. It was only when he realized that the portrait could bear the consequences of his crimes that he began to degenerate. And at the same time, the portrait also realized that the once kind young man had changed.”

“Fei Zheng wanted to protect the innocent and pitiful Du Shuyan, not another selfish and cruel version of himself. His desire for revenge had gradually faded into the background after years of protection. But at this time, Du Shuyan embarked on the same evil path as him, rendering his years of effort futile, and he lost his only faith.”

“Since the thing he least wanted to see had already happened, and was irreversible, he naturally became reckless and did whatever he wanted. The only thing that kept him going was the thought of revenge. Seeing his revenge fail, he simply committed suicide.”

Ji Lin pondered for a moment, “Perhaps it wasn’t just revenge. Protecting Du Shuyan was the greatest act of kindness he had ever done in his life. He thought that at least in Du Shuyan’s eyes, no matter what he did, he was a good person. He didn’t expect the person who hated and loathed him the most to be the one he sacrificed himself to protect. That’s why he died so readily, as if he’d lost all hope. Otherwise, he should’ve taken Du Shuyan down with him.”

Yu Duqiu chuckled, “You accuse me of sympathizing with criminals, but aren’t you also finding excuses for their crimes?”

Ji Lin scoffed, “I’m not making excuses for them. A hundred reasons can’t offset the crimes they committed. Analyzing a criminal’s motives is just to complete the picture of the case. No matter how much Fei Zheng protected Du Shuyan out of wishful thinking, it was useless, because the seed of hatred had already been planted in Du Shuyan’s heart, and it was Fei Zheng himself who planted it. They were bound to turn against each other eventually.”

“Dog eat dog, black eat black, I never get tired of this kind of drama.” Yu Duqiu wanted to clap his hands, but his casted hand couldn’t perform this difficult action, so he patted Bai Zhao’s thigh instead, “Fei Zheng probably never thought that the reason for his loss was actually his lack of selfishness.”

Du Shuyan’s desire for revenge was real, his pain was real, his feelings for Fei Zheng might also be real, but in the face of profit, everything had to give way.

“Anyway, if it weren’t for his greed, Fei Zheng might not have restarted his drug trafficking business, nor would he have found Bai Zhiming, an old hand, to assist him. We wouldn’t have been able to uncover the truth about the old cases involving the Peis, the Dus, Cen Wan, and even your family. Before that, Fei Zheng had practically washed his hands of the business,” Ji Lin paused, “Maybe, as you said, he had Du Shuyan as his emotional anchor and wasn’t fixated on killing you anymore.”

Yu Duqiu shrugged, “But he ultimately still decided to kill me, and wanted to torture me until I broke down before killing me. I’m the one who suffered. Since Mu Hao isn’t here, I’ll be blunt. If it weren’t for him rambling on that night about me being an omnipotent god, which happened to be overheard by Fei Zheng who was monitoring him, triggering his anger and reigniting his old hatred, none of this would have happened. So, ultimately, you have to blame Mu Hao for these things.”

Ji Lin instantly flared up, almost slamming the table, “Bullshit! You only broke an arm, Mu Ge was imprisoned for ten months! You have the nerve to say you suffered?!”

Bai Zhao also said, “This has nothing to do with what Mu Hao said. Fei Zheng burned a painting every year, his hatred for your family was the deepest and most persistent. Even if it seemed to have temporarily subsided, with just a small trigger, his volcano of revenge would erupt sooner or later.”

Yu Duqiu, refuted by both of them, looked at Bai Zhao innocently, “Why are you even taking their side against me? Didn’t I suffer?”

Bai Zhao immediately lowered his voice, “I’m just analyzing, I didn’t say you…”

“I don’t care, apologize.” Yu Duqiu was relentless.

Bai Zhao sighed, leaning in and hugging him gently, mindful of his arm, “I’m sorry, you’ve been through a lot.”

Yu Duqiu immediately beamed again, “It would be great if you were always this obedient and honest.”

Bai Zhao nuzzled his face against his, like the two Dobermans at their feet, “Give me some more time.”

Ji Lin hadn’t drunk any plum wine, yet his teeth ached from the sweetness.

A cunning liar and a two-faced spy, their combined IQ could crush all the criminals in Pingyi, yet their relationship was like a cheesy romance drama?

His recent romantic setbacks made him even more annoyed with the two. Before Yu Duqiu could say anything flirtatious, he preemptively struck:

“Ultimately, it all started because of you. After Fei Zheng discovered Mu Ge’s friendship with you and Wu Min’s betrayal, he changed his original plan of having Liu Shaoji coerce Wu Min to lure and drug Pei Ming, and instead killed Wu Min, leaving only Mu Ge, just so he could witness your death, the fall of a god, with his own eyes. What a psychopath…”

“Mu Ge was originally imprisoned in his apartment in Jiangxue Community. Later, when Bai Zhiming escaped and smuggled himself to Myanmar, Fei Zheng had him take Mu Ge along. Bai Zhiming didn’t have the time to look after him, so he tricked a pregnant woman living in the mountains into guarding Mu Ge. He himself rarely went there.”

“Then you returned to China,” Ji Lin continued, “You basically know the rest of the story, it’s similar to Du Shuyan’s confession, so I won’t go into too much detail. I’ll just add a few details we didn’t know before.”

There weren’t many. They had already grasped the general situation, but hearing the whole case from Du Shuyan’s perspective had yielded some new discoveries.

For example, Fei Zheng had deliberately let Bai Zhiming escape, and his girlfriend in Myanmar was also arranged by Fei Zheng. The purpose was to monitor Bai Zhiming so that if things went south, he’d at least have the option of escaping to Myanmar through Bai Zhiming. It had to be said that Fei Zheng had planned far ahead.

But he ultimately couldn’t let go of his strong desire for revenge.

That night in the alley, when he stepped out of the shadows and into the streetlight, his exposure was inevitable.

He probably knew this too, which was why his subsequent actions became increasingly audacious and malicious. He treated crime as a game against Yu Duqiu, enjoying it, not caring how many people he dragged into the mire, dancing on the corpses of others.

Liu Shaoji and Jiang Sheng were perhaps the earliest victims. Bai Zhiming had dragged them from their innocent childhood into a cage built of crime and lies, imprisoning them for nearly twenty years. When they lost their value, he ruthlessly treated them as personal property, gifting them to another demon. He knew that these two children he had raised might die at Fei Zheng’s hands, but he didn’t care.

Liu Shaoji and Jiang Sheng were merely scapegoats he had cultivated.

These two foolish followers, blindly obeying their father’s orders, had helped Bai Zhiming conceal the truth and escape from beginning to end, believing their father was a good person. Even Du Shuyan found them both pitiful and hateful.

Liu Shaoji took the fall for the Rainy Night case and was imprisoned, unable to participate in subsequent actions. Jiang Sheng was incompetent, so with Hong Liangzhang’s assistance, Fei Zheng sent him to No. 1 Palace. However, Fei Zheng, who lived in Jiangxue Community, soon discovered that plainclothes police were searching for tenants in the community.

He realized Jiang Sheng’s cover was blown and decisively abandoned this useless pawn. As they had speculated before, even if Jiang Sheng had safely returned to his rented apartment that night, Fei Zheng wouldn’t have let him see the next day’s sunrise.

“After that kidnapping, Du Shuyan knew he could no longer control Fei Zheng. He was also afraid of being investigated by us, so he completely sided with Fei Zheng, wanting to eliminate us and frame us before his crimes were exposed.”

“So, he allowed Fei Zheng to plan the operation in Myanmar and didn’t tell Hong Liangzhang, whom he had always relied on.”

Fei Zheng’s cunning lay in the fact that he clearly knew their trip to Myanmar was to capture Bai Zhiming, but he didn’t inform Bai Zhiming immediately to prepare. He knew that there was no longer any common interest between them, and Bai Zhiming would only flee upon hearing the news. So he waited until the police surrounded Mogok and Yu Duqiu’s convoy entered Mogok before delivering this bad news to Bai Zhiming. This way, Bai Zhiming, in order to survive, could only obey his orders, assist in his plan, and kill everyone, including Pei Ming.

Getting rid of two troublesome enemies and two persistent police officers in one fell swoop, while also letting Mu Hao witness the death of a god and letting Yu Duqiu die in despair after seeing hope, perfectly achieved all of Fei Zheng’s revenge goals.

And Fei Zheng and Du Shuyan, who were in the country, could reap the benefits without shedding a drop of blood.

“That was close, he almost succeeded.” 

Yu Duqiu’s wine glass was empty, and he wanted to pour another, but Bai Zhao stopped him, covering the mouth of the glass. He put down the glass, displeased, “You’ve said so much, it seems like you’ve already investigated everything clearly. What else do you need Bai Zhao to tell you?”

Having laid the groundwork, Ji Lin finally reached the main point of his visit. His gaze wandered over the pair, half-embracing each other, and he recalled Mu Hao’s instructions before he came, “Duqiu is very protective of Bai Zhao now. Several people from our city bureau went to investigate, but all came back empty-handed. Bai Zhao indeed didn’t commit any crime, we can’t forcibly interrogate or detain him, but I have a gut feeling that the key clue connecting all these cases spanning twenty years lies with him. So we have to find a way to get Duqiu on our side and help us make Bai Zhao talk.”

“And the best way to turn Duqiu against him is to arouse his suspicion… Although this isn’t very nice to a friend, for the sake of uncovering the truth, we can’t worry too much about that. We can apologize to him later. Listen to me, I’ve looked through your investigation records and think we can use this point. Just say this…”

Mu Hao, still weak, couldn’t come in person, so he entrusted this important task to him.

It had to be said, it was a ruthless move.

It wasn’t without reason that Mu Hao and Yu Duqiu could become close friends. Their ruthlessness in upholding their principles was almost identical.

Yu Duqiu wasn’t unaware of the numerous suspicions surrounding Bai Zhao, but the two had shared too many life-or-death moments. Ordinary methods couldn’t shake the rock-solid trust between them.

So…

Ji Lin took a deep breath and delivered the lines Mu Hao had taught him, “In Du Shuyan’s confession, he mentioned something that happened in Myanmar, related to Bai Zhao.”

Yu Duqiu’s attention was immediately caught, “What is it?”

“The day we entered Mogok, Fei Zheng sent Bai Zhao an email.” Ji Lin watched as both of their expressions froze. “He was trying to win him over at the time, so he told Bai Zhao that Bai Zhiming knew everything and was coming to kill us. Yu Duqiu, he didn’t tell you about this, did he?”

“I just want to ask Bai Zhao, even if you didn’t warn me about the danger, why didn’t you warn the person you cherish most? And even risked taking him up the mountain to find Bai Zhiming?”

Ji Lin didn’t give him any chance to speak, continuing in one breath, “Did you already contact Bai Zhiming? Did you already know about Bai Zhiming’s plan to blow us up? So you played along, pretending to be trapped, going alone to find Bai Zhiming, making Yu Duqiu think you were sacrificing yourself to save him, that you would never return, plunging him into grief and despair, and then suddenly turning things around, making him so overjoyed by your return that he’d abandon all past suspicions and trust you without reservation?”

“Bai Zhao, I’m starting to think that you are the most dangerous and secretive piece on this chessboard.” Ji Lin stared at him coldly, “Your goal is not only to eliminate all the opponent’s pieces but also to devour your own king. In this game, you are the ultimate winner. Am I right?”