BL Ch136

Bai Zhao’s face grew increasingly tense with each word Ji Lin spoke.

Ji Lin was also secretly alarmed.

Could Mu Hao really be right? Would anyone really use such a crazy method to seek love? How was this any different from a lunatic?

Before coming, Mu Hao wasn’t entirely certain, but he was very sure of one thing: “From my observations these past few days, Bai Zhao is a very intelligent person, and he is determined to kill Pei Xianyong and Bai Zhiming. I believe he absolutely wouldn’t throw his life away before achieving his goal, at least he would assess his chances of survival first. It’s not that he doesn’t love Duqiu, but rather he chose an efficient method that kills two birds with one stone, achieving both revenge and love.”

“But do you know what Duqiu hates most? It’s not betrayal, not deception, but being controlled, being toyed with. Even if he loves Bai Zhao to the point of willingly giving everything he has, it must be given voluntarily. This is his bottom line.”

“If he knew that every step they took to get where they are today was orchestrated by Bai Zhao, that he was just a small boat drifting along, following the course set by Bai Zhao, arriving at the destination Bai Zhao had predetermined, he would definitely be furious.”

“And at that time, Bai Zhao, in order to seek his forgiveness, would no longer choose to lie and conceal. He’d only have one option left.”

Confess everything.

After hearing this, Ji Lin had asked hesitantly, “Mu Ge… will they become enemies because of this? Although I can’t stand them showing off in front of me all day, but…”

But he also didn’t want to see lovers who had finally gotten together after so many hardships break up with regrets.

Mu Hao had shaken his head, “Based on my understanding of Duqiu, he won’t give up someone he truly loves because of such a small matter, but how he’ll punish the lover who controlled him… is hard to say.”

…Was this considered a “small matter”?

Ji Lin increasingly felt that he was too normal, out of place among this group of people. But since the words had already been spoken, all he could do was trust Mu Hao’s judgment and wait for their reactions.

However, the actual situation seemed to be very different from their prediction.

After hearing his questioning, the smile on Yu Duqiu’s face completely disappeared.

The ginkgo leaves rustled gently in the wind, sunlight filtering through the gaps, casting flickering light and shadows on his expressionless face. The emotions in his light-colored eyes shimmered, unreadable.

Ji Lin’s heart skipped a beat. He suddenly realized they had made a huge mistake—Yu Duqiu’s thoughts and actions were simply unpredictable.

And… Mu Hao couldn’t even understand his confession back then, how could he accurately predict the direction of these two’s relationship?!

With a light clink, Yu Duqiu set down his glass.

He waited for a few seconds, the coldness around him intensifying, freezing the tongues of those around him, silencing them. Ji Lin was almost shivering when he finally heard him speak coldly, “What, are you waiting for me to ask?”

An ominous tone.

Ji Lin immediately turned to look at Bai Zhao’s expression and was caught off guard by the fierce glare he received.

…No wonder he felt a chill down his spine earlier.

“I didn’t.” Bai Zhao calmly defended himself, “I did receive the email when we entered Mogok, but I didn’t know it was from Fei Zheng at the time. I tried to contact Bai Zhiming, but he didn’t reply, so I didn’t know what he was planning to do. If I had known beforehand, I wouldn’t have let you face any danger—”

“Oh, you contacted him.” The coldness in Yu Duqiu’s eyes didn’t diminish, “If you had gotten in touch with him, it would be just as Captain Ji said, wouldn’t it?”

Bai Zhao paused, “You can’t question me about something that didn’t happen.”

“Then let me ask you, when you left the mine to find Bai Zhiming, did you really think you were going to die, or was it all an act for me?” Yu Duqiu didn’t look at him, but every word was directed at him like a spear, “Don’t lie, or you know the consequences.”

Ji Lin hadn’t expected the situation to develop like this. Bai Zhao clearly hadn’t expected it either. A rare flicker of panic appeared on his usually calm face. His Adam’s apple bobbed several times before he finally confessed honestly, “I… wasn’t entirely sure, but I knew that Bai Zhiming should be very anxious at that time. He didn’t have time to find other helpers to assist his escape. At that moment, I offered myself, feigning surrender, proposing the plan to hijack a car and break through the checkpoint. Even if he suspected me, he probably wouldn’t refuse this last glimmer of hope…”

The implication was that the thrilling life-or-death situation wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t entirely unavoidable either.

It was more like a crazy gamble, and Bai Zhao was confident he would win, because whether it was Pei Ming, Bai Zhiming, or the then-unidentified Fei Zheng, they had all seriously underestimated this long-hidden, crucial chess piece.

The question was, which forward-thinking individual, before Yu Duqiu, or even Bai Zhiming, had cultivated and placed such an outstanding chess piece?

The purpose of Ji Lin’s visit was to lure Bai Zhao into revealing the answer himself.

But now it seemed… he urgently needed to deal with another thorny issue—

After hearing the explanation, Yu Duqiu remained silent for a long time. His grip on the wine glass tightened, the veins on the back of his hand gradually surfacing, trembling slightly from the force.

Ji Lin immediately sensed that something was wrong. As expected, the next second, Yu Duqiu erupted—

He raised the glass and smashed it!

The glass crashed against the ginkgo tree with a loud bang, shaking loose a shower of leaves, before falling to the ground and shattering into pieces.

Ji Lin and the two Dobermans were startled, staring wide-eyed in disbelief.

In his impression, even when Yu Duqiu was angry or disgusted, he wouldn’t yell or act rashly. At most, he’d smile and strangle someone to death. He was a gentleman thug who prioritized composure.

Now, losing his temper and smashing a glass like an ordinary person was even more terrifying. No one could be sure how furious he was to disregard his usual composure.

Bai Zhao understood him better than anyone and was naturally the first to react to the seriousness of this action. Without a moment’s hesitation, he grabbed Yu Duqiu, who was about to leave, and apologized sincerely, “I’m sorry, I didn’t intentionally hide it from you. It was really a last-minute decision at the time. I didn’t want to leave you, but I had no other choice…”

Yu Duqiu, with his uninjured hand, flung him off with considerable force, glaring coldly, “I tolerated your concealment repeatedly, not for you to scheme against me. I wanted to give you some time to prepare, but it seems there’s no need. Who knows how many more nice stories you’ll make up. You have one week to confess everything. Don’t waste it.”

Bai Zhao took two steps after him. Yu Duqiu whistled, and the two loyal dogs immediately stepped forward, blocking the abandoned stray dog, baring their teeth menacingly.

Whichever direction Bai Zhao moved, they blocked him. After a brief standoff, Yu Duqiu was gone.

The west wind swept the fallen leaves, and Bai Zhao’s lonely figure seemed as if it would be swept away by the wind as well.

…This was bad.

Ji Lin realized he seemed to have caused a major disaster and scratched his head apologetically. But at the same time, he remembered Mu Hao’s instructions and took the opportunity to persuade him, “Bai Zhao, I know you probably don’t have malicious intentions, so just be honest. You two are already this close, what can’t you say?”

“Captain Ji, I know who sent you.” Bai Zhao turned to face him, his expression instantly changing, his face ashen, his voice cold as ice, “Mu Hao understands Duqiu too well, and he’s too impartial. I knew he would be a major obstacle.”

Obstacle… that word sounded strange, like something a villain would say.

Ji Lin couldn’t stand anyone slandering Mu Hao, especially since it was Bai Zhao who had concealed the truth first, delaying their progress on the case. They had been polite enough, how could he blame them?

“Mu Ge is just giving you two a chance to understand each other better. Since you claim to be innocent, prove it to us. You don’t want to be harassed by the police every day, do you?”

“I was going to tell him, but not now.” Bai Zhao picked up a shard of glass from the ground and looked at his fragmented reflection, “I’m still collecting the fragments of the past, piecing together the memories between us. Some fragments need to be discarded, it takes time… now you’ve disrupted everything. Not everyone is like you and Mu Hao, where everything is fine after talking it out. For me… there are some things I’d rather he didn’t know.”

Ji Lin muttered, “Who said everything is fine for us…”

Bai Zhao didn’t argue with him further and turned to leave.

Ji Lin saw him take out his phone from afar, seemingly about to call someone, but he could no longer hear clearly.

The two Dobermans, having completed their task, lay down to sleep again. Their strong bodies nudged Ji Lin’s feet, as if saying, “Dude, move.”

Ji Lin snapped back to his senses, taking two steps back. Looking at the mess before him, he didn’t know how to clean it up.

He had half-achieved his goal. Yu Duqiu was no longer protecting Bai Zhao, but this wasn’t the outcome he wanted to see.

He had watched these two get together, and unknowingly, he had developed some feelings for their relationship. It would be a pity… and terrifying if they broke up.

Maintaining the relationship between these two madmen was equivalent to protecting other normal citizens.

After much deliberation, he decided to call Mu Hao first to discuss their next plan.

However, when Ji Lin dialed, he heard a busy signal.

He froze, a strange feeling rising in his chest.

It had been a month since they returned from Myanmar. During this month, Mu Hao was weak and needed to recuperate. Apart from his parents, few people disturbed him, which gave them a lot of alone time, creating the illusion that they were always inseparable.

But that wasn’t the case.

As his physical and mental state gradually recovered, the workaholic Mu Hao began to participate in work again. Last time, during the interrogation of Hong Liangzhang and Du Shuyan, he was basically able to communicate with other detectives, his thinking even sharper than theirs.

Even if his colleagues and superiors didn’t push him, a workaholic like him would probably return to his post soon. And this case, jointly investigated by the city bureau and the Xinjin branch, was about to enter its final stage, which meant that the two of them… might part ways again, drifting further apart.

This unanswered call seemed to foreshadow their future.

Mu Hao’s previous avoidance was due to a misunderstanding, hoping he’d become independent. But now that Mu Hao fully understood his feelings, if he avoided him again… it would truly be farewell.

At this thought, Ji Lin suddenly didn’t dare to dial a second time. He shoved his phone into his pocket and hurried away, thinking he should discuss it with him face-to-face, so he couldn’t avoid it.

Under the ginkgo tree, the person was gone, and the wine had cooled. The sour plum wine slowly trickled down the trunk’s grooves, accompanied by the rustling autumn wind, like a mournful sob.

In the bedroom on the third floor of the main building, the heavy blackout curtains blocked all light and sight, also concealing the cunning smile on the man’s face.

“Thank you for informing me in advance. I didn’t save you for nothing.”

The man on the other end of the phone didn’t laugh, saying seriously, “You’re welcome. I don’t want to ruin your relationship, and thank you for understanding my desire to solve the case quickly. To avoid revealing anything, I didn’t even tell Ji Lin. But I’m surprised you actually cooperated with me. Weren’t you very protective of him before?”

Yu Duqiu sat on the edge of the bed, swinging his legs, “Because I want a legitimate reason to force him, otherwise, if you really made me wait a month, I couldn’t wait that long. If I don’t figure out when that guy fell for me, I won’t be able to tell our love story to the guests at the engagement banquet, right?”

“But…”

“No buts, I’m doing this for his own good,” Yu Duqiu said, “He’s been reluctant to tell me the truth, probably because he has some embarrassing past. I hate this about him, always trying to act tough. Can’t he just be honest with me? That time in Myanmar too… although he was confident he’d come back alive, what if Bai Zhiming had really killed him? Wouldn’t I be widowed?”

Mu Hao: “Wi… dowed?”

“That’s not important. What’s important is that I want him to know that no matter what the truth he’s hiding is, I can accept it.” Yu Duqiu smiled faintly, “So I have to force him to confess. This way, I can show my magnanimity, move him to tears, and make him love me even more, understand?”

Mu Hao listened attentively and said, “Understood. In short, it’s playing tricks to win people’s hearts. Crime bosses often do this.”

“…If you insist on putting it that way, it’s pretty much the same.”

“Alright, I can cooperate with you, but don’t let your guard down. I asked Team Feng about Bai Zhao, but his attitude was a bit evasive. Ji Lin also said that Chief Peng’s attitude towards Bai Zhao is very subtle. I suspect they are both guarding a common secret. I’ve been thinking, and I feel that Bai Zhao might be related to some old case they’ve handled, so I’ve been investigating.”

Yu Duqiu said casually, “You won’t find anything. You think I haven’t investigated? His life before being adopted by Bai Zhiming is a mystery. Even the orphanage doesn’t have much useful information. But the country’s archival system wasn’t very good back then, many people and things are untraceable. It’s not surprising.”

“I know that path is a dead end, so I didn’t start with Bai Zhao’s life experiences.” Mu Hao said.

Yu Duqiu was puzzled, “Hmm? Then what did you investigate?”

Mu Hao asked him first, “Have you ever considered that Bai Zhiming adopting Bai Zhao might not have been a coincidence?”

Yu Duqiu touched his lips, narrowing his eyes, “You mean… someone set it up in advance, so that Bai Zhiming would choose Bai Zhao?”

“Exactly.”

“Evidence?”

“After I suspected this wasn’t a coincidence, I started investigating the qualifications and investors of that private orphanage,” Mu Hao said, “Bai Zhiming’s selection of an adopted son was a very random thing, how could it be guaranteed that he would choose Bai Zhao? No matter how scheming Bai Zhao is, he was only an eight-year-old child at the time…”

“He’s not scheming.” Yu Duqiu interjected, “He’s clever and intelligent. Mind your wording.”

“…” Mu Hao ignored the reminder and continued, “I guessed someone was manipulating things behind the scenes, prompting Bai Zhiming to adopt Bai Zhao. I got the investigation results two days ago. After all these years, a lot of information has been lost, but fortunately, there were some findings.”

“Among the list of investors in this private orphanage, I didn’t find any suspicious individuals. They all had no grievances with the Pei family. But one of them invested at a very opportune time, donating one million just before Bai Zhao entered the orphanage.”

“I had a hunch and investigated the investor’s background. He’s the chairman of a biopharmaceutical company. Besides investing in that orphanage, he has never donated to any other charities.”

This made the investment seem very abrupt.

Yu Duqiu understood what he was getting at, “When businessmen do charity, there are usually two purposes, one is to gain a good reputation, and the other is to avoid taxes. Very few are truly passionate about philanthropy. This chairman only made this one donation, clearly not for tax avoidance. But you say it was for reputation, yet he chose to donate to a private orphanage, instead of using one million to build two Hope Primary Schools named after himself. This is very strange. There must be other ulterior motives.”

For example, wanting to have a say in this orphanage, being able to erase a child’s background information before entering the orphanage, or recommending a specific candidate when adults came to adopt children.

The truth seemed to be slowly surfacing. Yu Duqiu could already see its vague outline, “And then? Was the chairman entrusted by someone?”

Mu Hao sighed, “I haven’t investigated that far yet, and I don’t have the authority to bring a big boss to the police station without any evidence and ask him about an old matter from more than ten years ago that has nothing to do with any crime. Even if he doesn’t scold me, Team Feng will scold me to death.”

Indeed, the difficulty of this matter lay in the fact that Bai Zhiming’s procedures and process for adopting a child from the orphanage were legal and compliant, and Bai Zhao had no criminal record. Therefore, there was no legitimate reason to investigate them. So far, they could only act secretly.

“I want to take a two-pronged approach,” Mu Hao said, “Ji Lin will handle Bai Zhao’s side, and you need to cooperate as well. Try to get him to confess himself, it will save us a lot of trouble. As for the chairman… I might have to ask you for a favor.”

Yu Duqiu had guessed as much and readily replied, “Don’t mention it, I want to know the truth even more than you do. Oh right, before there’s any result, don’t tell anyone we’re investigating him.”

Mu Hao asked curiously, “Not even Ji Lin?”

Yu Duqiu countered, “Why would you think of him first? Shouldn’t it be Team Feng or your colleagues?”

Mu Hao said, puzzled, “Why can’t I think of him first? He’s one of the people I trust most.”

But he needs more than just your trust. Yu Duqiu didn’t say it out loud. He didn’t want to be the one to break the news, he hadn’t enjoyed the show enough yet.

“Anyway, don’t tell anyone. Within a week, we should get the results we want.”

“Will it be that smooth? I don’t think Bai Zhao will talk so easily.”

“Of course it will.” 

Yu Duqiu lay down lazily, smiling confidently, “He wouldn’t bear to make me angry for too long.”

“…” Mu Hao seemed to understand why Ji Lin disliked these two so much, “But even if he likes you very much…”

“Wrong, he doesn’t just like me. Liking is too superficial, loving is too shallow. He’s obsessed with me, the kind that’s hopelessly devoted, to the death, understand?” 

Yu Duqiu’s smugness seeped through the rising tone of each word, “Just you wait and see, within a week, he’ll kneel before me with the truth, begging for my forgiveness.”