BL Ch27

The meeting did not last long. About an hour later, the door of the tea room opened, and Yu Duqiu came out, laughing and chatting with an old professor with gray and white whiskers. It looked like he had gotten all the news material he wanted.

The professor praised enthusiastically, “To have such precise experimental data from twenty years ago, Miss Cen is truly extraordinary. If you follow her approach, there should be no problems.”

Yu Duqiu replied humbly, “If it really succeeds, I will definitely come to thank you again.”

Bai Zhao, who went over to greet him, overheard this and directly asked, “Where did you get data from twenty years ago? Why did you show it to him?”

Yu Duqiu’s smile faded, and he didn’t spare a glance at him. “I stole it from my grandfather. It was bound to be useful eventually.”

“And what about your own project? Didn’t you ask him for advice? Isn’t that why you came here?”

“Bai Zhao.” Yu Duqiu suddenly called him by his full name, turning around with a slightly cold look. “This is none of your business, so stop meddling. Understand?”

“So, are you giving me the cold shoulder now? Just because what I said last night made you uncomfortable?” Bai Zhao raised an eyebrow. “But in my understanding, only couples give each other the cold shoulder.”

Yu Duqiu stepped back in front of him, standing firm, with a faint smirk. “Your understanding is too narrow. Don’t you know there’s a way called ‘banishment to the cold palace’? If you want me to let you out, then change your bad habits. I don’t keep disobedient people… or dogs.”

On the way back, Lou Baoguo was again designated to accompany them. He was straightforward and couldn’t hold back, and he quickly spilled the conversation from earlier at the pavilion to Yu Duqiu. In the end, he added, “Master, it seems like Big Brother really knows you well. Could it be that he’s been secretly admiring you all along, and used this opportunity for revenge to get close to you?”

Yu Duqiu leaned his head against the window, gazing outside. “Don’t listen to his nonsense. If I had met him before, wouldn’t I remember?”

Lou Baoguo thought about it and agreed. Yu Duqiu’s memory was famously sharp. He was always the top player in memory games, and he could recall what he had for lunch a month ago. Not to mention Bai Zhao’s striking appearance—if Yu Duqiu had seen him before, he would definitely have recognized him immediately.

“That guy is just arrogant. Jia Jin, you’ve worked with my mom for so many years. Can you claim to truly understand her?”

Jia Jin turned around and replied, “I wouldn’t dare, and I think it’s not necessarily a good thing for a subordinate to understand their superior too well.”

Yu Duqiu nodded in satisfaction. “No wonder my mom appointed you as her chief secretary.”

At that moment, Lou Baoguo’s phone vibrated twice. He looked at it and said, “Master, Old Zhou says he and Miss Du have safely returned to the country. Master Dong has also been handed over to the New Gold Branch and is currently being interrogated. He’s at the police station giving a statement, and Miss Du has returned to Palace One, under secret surveillance by the police. She hasn’t contacted anyone yet, but she seems a bit unsettled and says she wants to go home.”

Yu Duqiu glanced at the message with an expression devoid of warmth. “Even if she goes home, Du Shuyan will send her back—how can we expect a brother who agreed to sacrifice his sister’s happiness for family cooperation to turn against me for her? Let Old Zhou finish his statement and then return to Palace One to keep an eye on her. Also, invite Du Shuyan to come over the day after tomorrow. If Master Dong gives anything away during the interrogation, notify me immediately, and don’t let Lingya find out.”

“Understood.” Lou Baoguo replied accordingly but couldn’t help feeling sorry. “If Miss Du finds out about the annulment of the engagement, she might break down…”

In Lou Baoguo’s memory, ever since he joined, Du Lingya had admired Yu Duqiu deeply. She always found opportunities to stay by his side, smiling sweetly, graceful and lovely, her eyes filled with affection. He had once thought that the two of them were a perfect match, until he found out about Yu Duqiu’s sexual orientation.

Du Lingya had known this even earlier than him, yet she still refused to let go, which baffled him.

“She won’t break down because she doesn’t love me, or rather, she only thinks she does.” Yu Duqiu spoke a tongue-twister-like sentence and sighed softly. “We met when we were young and reunited in high school. She believed I had grown into her ideal prince charming, but I am completely different from her fantasy. After she realized this, she kept trying to change my orientation and preferences… Is that what love is? She can’t accept the real me.”

Yu Duqiu chuckled bitterly. “Who can accept the real me anyway? Everyone expects too much from me.”

Lou Baoguo half-understood and didn’t know how to respond, but fortunately, he didn’t need to. One issue had barely been resolved before another arose, as Jia Jin received a message at that moment and reported, “Master, we’ve traced the source of the tracker in the gun.”

Yu Duqiu’s face turned serious. “Speak.”

“The car Chairman Yu used undergoes maintenance every six months. Before it was sent to you, it was serviced again. However, the person in charge of vehicle allocation abused his power and embezzled some company funds. To save money, he sent the car to an unlicensed repair shop. The shop owner said the worker who serviced the car was a part-time Asian student in his twenties with a flame tattoo on his arm. He hasn’t shown up for the past few days, and they haven’t been able to contact him. The investigators had the police check his identity, and it turns out he used a fake name.”

Yu Duqiu rubbed his lips thoughtfully. “Every year, hundreds of thousands of people smuggle into the U.S., so using a fake name isn’t surprising. He was probably bribed and fled after the job was done. Keep investigating, but don’t get your hopes up. More concerning is how they knew my mom’s car would be sent to that shop. Do we have an internal leak?”

Jia Jin responded, “The person in charge said he was approached by that worker at a bar while drinking. The worker boasted about ways to pocket company money, and, tempted by greed, he decided to go along with it and secretly sent the car there.”

Yu Duqiu sneered. “Stealing from under my mom’s nose, huh? Fire him and make sure to sue him. Calculate the compensation based on my kidnapping insurance—ruin him financially.”

Jia Jin hesitated for a moment, showing a trace of difficulty.

Yu Duqiu raised an eyebrow. “Does this person have some special background?”

Jia Jin nodded. “The person is Hong Yuanhang.”

Yu Duqiu paused, frowning. “It’s him, huh… that complicates things.”

Lou Baoguo, who had been listening in silence, couldn’t help but interject, “Oh, come on, it’s him again? He’s always screwing things up. After all those years studying abroad, he still hasn’t improved. He’s working under Chairman Yu now?”

Jia Jin replied, “Yes, after graduating a couple of years ago, he joined Chairman Yu’s company. Chairman Yu gave him a cushy position out of respect for Mr. Hong. He’s technically a department head but doesn’t really have to do any work.”

“He’s incapable of doing any real work,” Yu Duqiu said bluntly. “His degree was basically bought, and he’s been living off his grandfather, turning into a spoiled layabout. Haven’t you noticed how Mr. Hong looks pained every time he mentions his grandson? It’s not surprising that he made such a blunder, but now we can’t punish him severely… Did my mom say how to handle him?”

Jia Jin said, “Director Yu suggested docking a few months of his salary and transferring him to a subsidiary, keeping him as far away from the Yu family’s core business as possible to prevent further blunders. As for suing him, let’s not. We don’t want to break Old Hong’s heart.”

Yu Duqiu leaned back, closed his eyes helplessly, and said, “Let’s go with that. But don’t let Old Hong know the reason for his transfer.”

The seven cars returned to the villa in the same grand fashion as they had arrived. The escort mission for the day was successfully completed. Jia Jin stayed at the villa, while the rest of the team spread out to guard the villa’s perimeter, taking turns to watch through the night, sleeping in their cars when necessary.

As Lu Qing got out of the car, she stretched and yawned. “Is that it? That was easier than I expected.”

Ji Lin, following behind, pushed her head down. “You’re quick to forget the pain after the wound heals. That gunfight yesterday? You’ll probably never experience something like that again in your life back home, and you call it ‘easy’?”

Lu Qing laughed. “I know, I know. Thank goodness for our country’s strict gun control. We’re lucky we’ll be heading back soon. Mr. Yu, do we have any more plans for tomorrow?”

Yu Duqiu, who was walking ahead while talking with Jia Jin, turned around and said, “There’s a banquet tomorrow evening. The mayor will be there. We’ll offer our apologies for the trouble caused these past few days. After that, we’ll head straight to the airport. Old Zhou said the plane’s already on its way… Oh, and Miss Lu, would you be my date for the evening?”

Before Lu Qing could respond, Ji Lin scolded, “What are you up to now? Messing around just because your fiancée isn’t around? Stay away from our girl!”

Yu Duqiu smiled wryly. “You misunderstand, Captain Ji. If I don’t bring a date, it’ll be hard to fend off my admirers tomorrow night. If you’d like to be my date instead, I’d be more than happy.”

Ji Lin imagined herself entering the banquet hall on Yu Duqiu’s arm and felt a wave of disgust. “No way. Don’t drag me into this. Ask Bai Zhao.”

Yu Duqiu’s gaze shifted to the man trailing a couple of meters behind them. Bai Zhao was looking right back at him, his thin lips pressed together, eyes dark and intense.

He had a defiant face, and his personality was even more arrogant—wild, almost uncontrollable.

Other dogs, no matter how fierce, would chase after a bone when it was thrown. But not him. He was smart, patient, waiting for someone to approach him with the bone before unexpectedly licking it, leaving them disgusted yet intrigued, teasing them: “That’s right, keep feeding me, but only me.”

He was supposed to be the one being rewarded, but he carried himself like the master, subtly trying to shift control.

Not a good sign.

Yu Duqiu withdrew his gaze, his eyes cold. “He doesn’t have a suitable suit for the banquet. He’ll stay outside on standby. He’s not allowed in.”

The next afternoon, the evening gowns were delivered. The brand representatives came directly to the villa, and there was no need for Lu Qing to try on the clothes herself. A model of similar height and figure handled the fittings.

Having lived 25 years, Lu Qing was amazed, marveling at the dresses while a makeup artist worked on her. “Every one of these is stunning! I can’t decide which one to wear!”

Ji Lin, watching from the side, chimed in, “Pick one you can move around in, just in case something happens and you need to run.”

“Ugh, you’re so pessimistic,” Lu Qing said, rolling her eyes. “By the way, aren’t you going to dress up a bit?”

Ji Lin glanced at his outfit. “I’m already in a suit. What more do you want?”

“Aren’t you going to put on some makeup?”

“Makeup? On a man?”

“Ugh, you’re such a typical guy.” Lu Qing rolled her eyes again, then suddenly remembered something. “Wait a minute, didn’t you borrow my whitening primer for a date last year? And you dare say you’ve never worn makeup?”

Ji Lin scratched his already messy hair, muttering, “Damn, maybe that’s why the date didn’t happen. Bad luck.”

“Haha! Did you put on too much and scare her off? By the way, where’d you even meet a girl? Was it a family introduction?”

“Mind your business and pick your dress,” Ji Lin said, glaring at her.

“Pfft, fine, don’t tell me. But I bet that girl dodged a bullet,” Lu Qing teased.

Two hours later, Lu Qing stood in front of a full-length mirror, fully made up and wearing a couture gown, exclaiming, “Oh my gosh! Is this really me? It’s like a Cinderella transformation! Can this makeup stay on my face forever?”

Just then, Yu Duqiu entered, holding a jewelry box. He chuckled softly at her comment, “Miss Lu, you’ve always been beautiful.”

Ji Lin snorted, “Yeah, after spending hours on makeup, anyone would look good.”

Yu Duqiu opened the box and handed it to the makeup artist. “This just proves that every girl is beautiful. She just needs a little help. Try on this ruby necklace. It’s worth over a million, so don’t lose it.”

The makeup artist carefully fastened the necklace around Lu Qing’s neck. She held the pendant cautiously, admiring herself in the mirror. “Mr. Yu, you’re so good at making girls happy. Unlike *someone* over here…”

Yu Duqiu smiled. “Captain Ji treats you quite well, too.”

“Not at all! He never treats me like a girl. He gives me all the dirty, tough jobs without hesitation.”

“That just means he sees you as a capable colleague and respects your abilities, rather than underestimating you because you’re a woman.”

Lu Qing paused, thinking. “That… actually makes sense?”

Ji Lin, getting impatient, stood up. “Enough talk. Let’s get going. I’m getting sleepy.”

Yu Duqiu offered his arm with a smile. “Shall we, my princess?”

Lu Qing blushed. “Mr. Yu, stop flattering me. It’s just a dress for a few hours. I hardly deserve to be called a princess.”

“Magic may disappear, but you must remember the confidence you felt as a princess. That way, even if you never meet a prince who loves you, you’ll still love yourself.”

Ji Lin nearly cringed from the cheesiness. “You’ve got all the wise sayings. Let’s see you say that again when you’re broke and penniless.”

Yu Duqiu laughed heartily. “Even if all our family assets were put in a fixed deposit, we’d earn over a million in interest a day. I’m afraid your wish might be hard to come true.”

This figure was far beyond what Ji Lin, a lowly detective with a monthly salary of just 8,000, could comprehend. He stood frozen, mentally calculating the wealth of the Yu family, and instantly, his simmering resentment of the rich reached new heights. He was about to flip off Yu Duqiu’s back when he realized that Lu Qing, holding Yu Duqiu’s arm, was also in the line of fire. Reluctantly, he withdrew his hand, clenched his fist, and angrily punched the air with a set of military-style punches.