BL Ch24

Around the dining table, a few people caught the strong smell of vinegar in the air. Ji Lin tapped the table with a notebook, warning a shameless young master, “Words can bring disaster, you know? Hurry up and soothe your little bodyguard, or he might betray you too.”

Yu Duqiu still held chopsticks in his hand, but the space in front of him was empty, making him look as if he had been bullied and left out, quite pitiful. Lu Qing kindly pushed the remaining dishes on the table toward him and said, “Mr. Yu, if you don’t mind, join us for the meal.”

“Thank you, but I find it disgusting to eat after you all,” Yu Duqiu replied politely but with a very impolite rejection, placing his chopsticks down. “It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he betrayed me. After all, he’s just a stray wolf with an unclear past. But don’t worry, at least he won’t really turn against me right now.”

Lu Qing’s goodwill went to waste as she angrily pulled the dish back. “Where do you get such confidence, Mr. Yu? I’m almost speechless!”

“Because he hasn’t gained anything from me yet—neither the truth behind his foster father’s drowning nor money, fame, or fortune. As long as I dangle a piece of meat in front of him, making him think there’s hope of gaining something, even the most disobedient dog will follow obediently.”

Lu Qing was astounded. “Mr. Yu, you’re truly shameless. I suddenly feel so sorry for Bai Zhao. He seems to like you a lot. He didn’t even hesitate to protect you and run away in the parking lot earlier today.”

Yu Duqiu shook his finger. “Young lady, never be blinded by love. If a guy says he wants to be your lover and is willing to die for you within a month of meeting, constantly showing jealousy, here’s some advice: run! That’s a real scumbag, possibly even a sociopath.”

Lou Baoguo spat out a mouthful of soup. “So my brother is this aggressive behind the scenes? Who would’ve thought!”

Lu Qing said, “But he doesn’t seem like that…”

“Everyone has multiple sides. Just because someone is good to you now doesn’t mean they don’t have an ulterior motive. Who can predict what might happen in the future? I don’t label someone 100% one way or the other, and I can’t read people 100% accurately. If someone could, would the divorce rate be so high?” Yu Duqiu made a gun gesture with his hand, aiming it at Bai Zhao’s back as he washed dishes in the kitchen, squinting one eye as if aiming down a gun barrel. “That guy has a lot of suspicious traits. I don’t trust his sweet words, but I don’t care how much he’s hiding either. Anyway, when his value to me disappears… bang! I’ll make sure he disappears from my life too.”

Lu Qing was startled. “You’re not going to…”

“Just kidding, Miss Lu. I’m only talking about firing him, not something so sinister,” Yu Duqiu said with a cheeky grin as he stood up. “Enjoy your meal, I’m off to find something else to eat.”

Lu Qing sighed in relief but began to doubt her earlier thoughts. “Could anyone really fall in love with someone like that…”

Ji Lin slapped her head with his notebook. “Stop gossiping and eat up. Are you still going to report or not?”

“I’ll go, I’ll go! Brother Ji, just let me finish this last bite of rice!”

After dinner, everyone was full and satisfied, each going their separate ways. The moonlight was as cool as water, and the night in the suburbs was so quiet that only the sound of the wind remained.

In the courtyard, a failed barbecue grill was stored in the corner, the charcoal extinguished with water, leaving the ashes as silent as death, waiting for the day to be rekindled.

A few leaves drifted down from the trees, landing on the open-air sofa. Someone casually picked them up, twirling them between their fingers, their gaze drifting off into the distance as if lost in thought.

With a soft “clink,” a plate of mixed fruit was placed on the small table in front of the sofa.

Yu Duqiu snapped out of his thoughts, turning his head to glance at the fruit platter. “There’s no fork. How am I supposed to eat?”

Bai Zhao picked up a piece of pineapple with his hand and brought it to Yu Duqiu’s lips. “I washed my hands.”

Yu Duqiu leaned back. “Even if you washed, it’s still dirty.”

“Dirtier than you?” Bai Zhao sat on the sofa, eating the pineapple himself. “You’re like a horny dog, wanting to sleep with every man you see.”

Yu Duqiu smiled. “I have to say, your insults really hit the mark.”

“…” Bai Zhao was silent for a moment, finally choosing the most offensive word he could think of, one he’d used many times before. “You just need to be fucked.”

“If you won’t sleep with me, I have to find someone else,” Yu Duqiu said casually, unfazed by the insult, as he leaned back comfortably, his hands behind his head, gazing at the bright suburban night sky filled with stars. “I haven’t had any action for more than half a year. I’ve been too busy transferring assets, starting projects, and investigating clues, turning down so many offers. As Schopenhauer once said, ‘When lust dies out, the core of life disappears, leaving only an empty shell.’ I’m just an empty shell now… By the way, when was the last time for you?”

Bai Zhao kept his head down, quietly eating the pineapple.

Yu Duqiu, thinking he was just being shy, nudged his shoulder and said, “No need to be embarrassed; we’re both men. Talking about this isn’t illegal.”

Bai Zhao chewed slower, swallowed the pineapple, then picked up another piece and said, “I’m very busy with work. I don’t have time.”

Yu Duqiu was a bit surprised. “But you must have had time before work, right?”

Bai Zhao responded with a question, “Why should I have? You can live without it.”

Yu Duqiu was genuinely shocked, his eyes wide. “You’re kidding, right? You don’t look like the abstinent type at all. I thought you’d slept with at least forty or fifty people. It’s such a waste to leave that thing of yours unused. Why not contribute to those in need?”

Bai Zhao choked slightly, covering his mouth as he took a sip of water, barely managing not to spit out the pineapple. “Can we not talk about this?”

“No way, I’m too curious. How do you resist? You’ve never felt the need to let off steam?” Yu Duqiu grabbed a cushion, scooted closer, and leaned on his hand like he was listening to a story. “So, you’re really a virgin? But you’ve kissed someone, right? Had any relationships? Were they guys or girls?”

Bai Zhao dismissed all these questions with three words: “Never had any.”

“I don’t believe it. With your looks, it’s ridiculous that you haven’t even kissed someone. You must be trying to make me think you’re innocent.” Yu Duqiu poked his cheek. “I’ve met people like you before, who try to make themselves seem like pure-hearted boys, thinking I won’t be able to tell the difference. They do it to gain more sympathy from me, and of course, to get a better price. It’s such a cliché for you to play that card.”

Bai Zhao took a deep breath and swatted his hand away. “Fine, I’ve kissed, slept with forty or fifty people, both men and women. Happy now?”

“You could’ve just admitted it earlier.” Yu Duqiu, having gotten the expected answer, lost interest and retreated to his original spot. “Don’t worry, I don’t have a thing for virgins. Even if you’ve been around the block, I’m happy to keep you around because I like interesting people. If I can figure someone out too quickly, I get bored and lose interest.”

Bai Zhao’s expression turned as dark as the night. “Are you done? Can we talk about something else?”

“Hm? What do you want to talk about?” Yu Duqiu grabbed a slice of watermelon, holding it by the green rind and eating the red flesh. “Weren’t you just here to bring me some fruit?”

Bai Zhao raised his hand and brushed away a leaf from Yu Duqiu’s head. “You were just staring outside. What were you thinking about?”

Yu Duqiu didn’t stop him, but after Bai Zhao’s hand moved away, he shook his hair like a cat annoyed by being touched. “You didn’t wash your hands after handling the pineapple… never mind. I was thinking that there are poppies growing in this villa’s garden. If my mom saw them, she’d have them uprooted immediately.”

Bai Zhao looked past him toward the small garden in the corner. Sure enough, a few blood-red poppies swayed gently in the night breeze. It was mid-June, and the temperate region’s sunny days provided the perfect conditions for poppies to bloom—delicate and fragile petals, yet stunningly vibrant.

“My mom used to be nicknamed ‘Poppy.’ She hated it. She said it seemed like a compliment but was actually an insult. She was so smart and capable, becoming a board member of a listed company at a young age. They could’ve called her ‘Boss Yu,’ but some people deliberately praised only her appearance. So she forbade anyone from calling her that, and would flip out if they did.” Yu Duqiu sighed. “Ironically, that nickname ended up being passed down to me.”

“You don’t like it either?”

“I don’t really mind.” Yu Duqiu smirked, a sly smile appearing on his face. “But I still forbid others from calling me that or growing poppies at home because issuing commands is a way for someone in power to maintain control. It keeps subordinates in line and ensures they respect and fear me. Even though Baoguo and Feihua sometimes joke around with me, they know their limits and won’t truly anger me. You should remember that too.”

“What if I do make you angry?” Bai Zhao asked defiantly, raising an eyebrow. The light from inside the house fell on his young, handsome face, making the starry glint in his eyes particularly captivating.

“Hmm… It’s better if you don’t find out.” Yu Duqiu’s heart skipped a beat as he gently placed his hand on Bai Zhao’s thigh, slowly sliding it like a snake. “You just need to know how to make me happy.”

Just as his hand was about to reach its destination, Bai Zhao caught it.

“Want to play chess?”

Yu Duqiu blinked in surprise. “What?”

“You like playing chess, right? That should make you happy.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

“…I’m starting to believe you’re really a virgin.”

His newly sparked interest was quickly doused. Yu Duqiu tossed aside the cushion and leaned back against the sofa, arms crossed, his enthusiasm gone. “Fine, but where’s the chessboard?”

Bai Zhao calmly pulled out his phone, opened a newly downloaded app called “Chess,” selected the two-player mode, and then pushed the fruit plate aside to place the phone on the table. “It’s ready.”

“…I’ve never been so speechless in my life.” Yu Duqiu rubbed his forehead.

Bai Zhao looked at him earnestly. “Are you displeased?”

It wasn’t just displeasure anymore. Having given up video games at ten years old, Yu Duqiu felt his intelligence was being insulted.

“A chessboard without physical pieces has no soul.” Yu Duqiu weighed his empty hand as if holding something. “The weight, the feel—how could this crude video game replace that?”

“Are you going to play or not?” Bai Zhao ignored all his complaints. “If not, I’m leaving.”

“Where to?”

“To take a shower and then come back to keep watch.”

“This isn’t some remote wilderness; there aren’t any wolves in the woods here. What’s the point of keeping watch?”

“I’m worried those people might find this place.” Bai Zhao reached out and took the rejected mobile game. “You go to sleep early; I’ll keep watch.”

Yu Duqiu felt a mix of emotions. Even though he knew Bai Zhao might be trying to show off his loyalty, he still had to reward this seemingly genuine loyalty. Holding down Bai Zhao’s phone, he said helplessly, “Fine, fine, fine. After your shower, come to my room. Don’t do something so pointless. If Ji Lin sees, he’ll think I’m mistreating my subordinates. There’s no way they could find this place unless there’s a traitor among us. In that case, keeping watch outside won’t help; they could just come upstairs and assassinate me. You’d be better off keeping watch in my room—”

“Alright.” Bai Zhao agreed before he could finish, immediately getting up and leaving, taking the fruit plate with him. He was so swift and decisive that it seemed like everything was going according to his plan.

Yu Duqiu: “…”

This cunning Bai Yanlang.

At eleven at night, Ji Lin and Lu Qing, having finished a three-hour work report, finally ended their video conference. Exhausted from dealing with Peng Deyu, they dragged themselves from the living room upstairs. As soon as they reached the top, they ran into Lou Baoguo, who was nervously emerging from his room, clutching a phone. He anxiously whispered to them, “Have you seen my big brother? He’s not in his room. Director Yu just finished yelling at me and told me to call him to answer the phone. She’s probably going to keep scolding him, and I don’t dare disobey.”

Lu Qing thought for a moment. “An hour ago, I think I saw him going upstairs with your young master?”

“Okay, thanks.” Lou Baoguo took a couple of steps, hesitated, then turned back. “Hey, sis, could you knock on the door for me? If the young master’s asleep, I don’t dare wake him up. He has a serious case of morning grouchiness and might hit me, but he definitely wouldn’t hit a woman.”

Lu Qing cheerfully flicked her ponytail. “Alright, big brother, I’ll do it as repayment for saving my life!”

Lu Qing confidently marched to the innermost room, raised her hand, but just as she was about to knock, she froze completely.

Three seconds later, she rushed back, her face flushed red. “No way, they’re… doing that.”

Ji Lin, clueless about certain things, asked, “Doing what?”

“That! Just listen, and you’ll know!”

Lu Qing led them to the door, where they quietly pressed their ears against it. Faintly, they heard a joyful, yet muffled, voice from inside:

“Yes, right here…”

“Good job, baby…”

“One more time…”