BL Ch32

On the other side, in the No. 1 palace.

A golden coffee spoon clinked against the cup, the clear sound bringing wandering thoughts back to reality.

Du Lingya snapped back to attention, feeling instinctively ashamed of her lapse in table manners due to the etiquette training she had received since childhood. She stole a glance at Hong Liangzhang, who was standing nearby, relieved that he did not show any signs of disdain.

Feeling uneasy, she forced a polite smile and said, “Uncle Hong, why don’t you sit down and chat with me?”

Hong Liangzhang, almost seventy years old, was indeed a bit tired from standing, but he still held himself up, his eyes showing a trace of regret. “No need, Miss Du. You are a guest, and it’s my duty to serve you.”

Du Lingya’s smile froze, and her bare face grew even paler.

She shouldn’t be a guest.

In the past, when she came here for meals, according to Yu Duqiu’s rules, Hong Liangzhang would always sit at the table because, at least on the surface, they were family.

His refusal to sit down and treating her as a guest was not a good sign.

“Take your time eating. Mr. Du is on his way, and you’ll be able to go home soon.”

“This is my home too.” Du Lingya’s eyes reddened.

Yu Duqiu had claimed it was for her protection, but in reality, he had confined her here. She wasn’t oblivious; she knew that her actions might have been exposed. But she had only acted out of deep love for him and concern after hearing about the dangers of his upcoming visit. What was wrong with that?

Though she had a vague sense of the consequences, she still stubbornly and unwillingly asked, “Duqiu made me stay here for three days. I finally got to come back, and now he wants me to leave. What does he mean by this? He doesn’t even want to see me?”

“That’s definitely not what he means. He just had something to take care of. Just now, Xiao Zhou sent a message saying he’s almost home.”

“Alright then… I’ll go freshen up. He’s something else, coming back at dawn and heading out again first thing in the morning. If I become the lady of this house in the future, there’ll be plenty more for me to worry about.” Du Lingya set down the coffee spoon and stood up.

Hong Liangzhang’s eyes, filled with regret and a hint of pity, were too piercing for her to meet his gaze any longer, so she hurried away.

When she returned to the dining room, Yu Duqiu was already back, eating a bowl of noodle soup made by some temporary chef. His appetite was unusually good, and his chopsticks never stopped moving. He seemed to be in a great mood; when he saw her enter, he smiled and greeted her, “Good morning, Lingya.”

Looking at the face she had longed for so many years, Du Lingya slowly exhaled in relief.

It should be fine.

Earlier, Hong Liangzhang had refused to sit down, but now he was sitting openly at Yu Duqiu’s left, with two bodyguards seated on the other side. Zhou Yi was clumsily peeling an egg, which he then tossed into his daughter’s bowl, complaining, “Back then, Master Dong would have taken care of this. He’d even slice the eggs for convenience.”

Zhou Yangguo, battling the slippery egg with a fork, retorted, “Brother Bai making us breakfast is already great. You shouldn’t be so picky when someone’s being nice.”

“Hey, who’s your dad here, him or me?”

Hong Liangzhang couldn’t help but chuckle, “Xiao Zhou, your daughter is more sensible than you are.”

“What does she know? She’s just growing up and wants to fly away.”

It was a typical dining scene, everyone getting along as if they were one big family, with no distinctions in status or closeness.

Seeing the moment was right, Du Lingya pulled out a chair and sat down, naturally blending into the harmonious and intimate atmosphere. She smiled and said, “Xiaoguo, you’re starting ninth grade this fall, right? Focus on your studies first, and when you’re older, you can think about pursuing Brother Bai.”

Zhou Yangguo let out an embarrassed cry, her face quickly flushing red with shame. “Sister Lingya, I’m not—I mean, don’t say that… I know Brother Bai already has someone he likes…”

Du Lingya teased, “Don’t be shy. I met someone I liked when I was about your age, and I’ve liked him ever since.”

She gazed affectionately at Yu Duqiu, who seemed to sense her feelings and looked up at her with a faint smile. “You shouldn’t like me.”

The moment those words were spoken, everyone at the table paused in their actions.

It was time to settle accounts.

Bai Zhao’s chopsticks froze in mid-air for a moment before he resumed eating his noodles as if nothing had happened.

“…Why would you say that?” The color drained rapidly from Du Lingya’s face, and the blush she had carefully applied now looked especially jarring against her pale cheeks. Her lips trembled uncontrollably.

“You know why, don’t you?” Yu Duqiu withdrew his gaze, seemingly unwilling to spare her even a glance. “Your brother will be here soon. After I finish this bowl of noodles, we’ll wait for him in the parlor.”

“Wait in the parlor for what? Isn’t he just coming to take me home?”

Yu Duqiu ignored her, finishing the last bite of his noodles and wiping his mouth with a napkin. “The taste is good, but a bit too salty. Next time, add more sugar to balance it out.”

Zhou Yi covered his face with his hand. His master was well-read, highly educated, and could recite Keats’ poetry backward and chat about quantum mechanics, but he had no practical life skills.

Bai Zhao, without looking up, said, “That’s a great suggestion. Don’t bring it up again.”

Zhou Yangguo almost choked on her milk from laughing, and Zhou Yi quickly wiped her mouth. Hong Liangzhang chuckled, “So Brother Bai can joke around too.”

Suddenly, Du Lingya felt completely out of place.

She had gone to great lengths to eliminate all competitors, using her proximity to achieve her goal of becoming a daughter-in-law of the Yu family and fulfilling her lifelong dream.

But she had never truly reached the moon.

What she had touched was merely a beautiful reflection in the water. One misstep, and in her greed, she fell into the cold pool, shattering the light and leaving the full moon irretrievable.

It was all beyond repair now.

Du Lingya lowered her eyes dejectedly. Her delicately made-up long eyelashes trembled slightly, like a wounded butterfly struggling to fly, and the ruby earring on her earlobe dangled precariously.

Ten minutes later, Du Shuyan’s car arrived at Palace No. 1. It was just an ordinary Mercedes, parked beside a million-dollar Pullman of the same brand, making it look like a “mini Mercedes” by comparison, leaving it feeling utterly outclassed.

As Du Shuyan walked by, he glanced at the luxury car with envy. His secretary, Fei Zheng, tried to comfort him, “You may not have it now, but you will eventually.”

Du Shuyan sighed and shook his head, a sense of defeat evident in his drooping eyes. “I’m afraid what I have now… might soon be gone too.”

Palace No. 1 has three reception rooms. For meetings with business partners like Zhao Feihua, the two smaller rooms suffice. The large hall, which can accommodate more than thirty people, is purely for show. With only a few people seated there, the vast emptiness felt oppressive.

Zhou Yi sent his daughter outside to play with the two dogs, then stood with Bai Zhao on either side behind Yu Duqiu, like two stern and solemn guardians.

“You’ve had a long day. Abao, that pig, is still jet-lagged and sleeping; he won’t make it down in time,” Yu Duqiu remarked.

Bai Zhao shook his head slightly and glanced at the surveillance camera in the corner of the ceiling. The images from this meeting room would be streamed live to the police station’s monitors, where Ji Lin and the other officers were likely watching their every move.

Behind Du Shuyan stood his tall, burly secretary, who matched the room’s atmosphere in intensity but still appeared uneasy and anxious. “Duqiu, what did you call me here for?” Du Shuyan asked nervously.

“No rush. You’re rarely here, so let’s start with a cup of coffee.” As Yu Duqiu finished speaking, Hong Liangzhang promptly served the brewed coffee, pouring it for each person.

Du Shuyan’s tension was evident on his face as he reluctantly blew on the coffee, took a small sip, and, too preoccupied to taste anything, mindlessly praised it, “Delicious, you can tell it’s high quality from the first sip.”

“You have a good eye, Shuyan. It’s from the Geisha Estate in Panama. I really like the aroma of this coffee and its name,” Yu Duqiu said, slowly rubbing the rim of the white porcelain cup with his long fingers, as if caressing soft skin, like the last tender touch between lovers before a final goodbye.

Du Shuyan had no choice but to follow the conversation. “What’s it called?”

“Perci Ruby, ‘Foreseeing Ruby,’” Yu Duqiu replied.

Before Du Shuyan could react, Du Lingya’s face suddenly changed. She instinctively reached up to touch the ruby earring beneath her ear. Realizing that her action was too obvious, she quickly glanced at Yu Duqiu to gauge his reaction—

Yu Duqiu was sipping his coffee, his eyes narrowed, watching her intently.

A wave of panic surged through Du Lingya’s heart.

He had seen right through her.

She had pursued Yu Duqiu for so many years. While she couldn’t claim to understand him deeply, she had at least learned his likes and dislikes.

Worse than lying is being caught and then refusing to admit it. Rather than continuing to pretend ignorance, it was better to come clean. Even if Yu Duqiu had never loved her, there was still over a decade of friendship between them. Maybe… there was still a chance to salvage things.

“Duqiu… I have something to tell you…” Easier thought than done, Du Lingya stammered, her lips trembling as she struggled to find the words.

Yu Duqiu set down his coffee cup and crossed his arms leisurely. “I remember, back in high school, you confessed to me, saying you would always be devoted to me.”

Hearing words she had spoken more than ten years ago from someone usually so indifferent made Du Lingya’s heart flutter with hope. She clung to this lifeline, mixing genuine emotion with a touch of acting, as her eyes reddened, “Yes, I said that.”

“Are you going back on your word?” Yu Duqiu leaned closer, resting his arms on the table, staring into her tearful eyes. “Why did you poison me? Have you fallen for someone else?”

Even a harsh rebuke wouldn’t have stung more than hearing the phrase “fallen for someone else.” Du Lingya’s emotions surged uncontrollably, “No! How could I ever like someone else? I’ve always loved you! It’s because I love you so much that I did what I did!”

Watching the monitor, Ji Lin chuckled, “Yu’s really ruthless. Just one sentence, and Du Lingya spilled everything. Looks like we won’t need to step in; she’s no match for her fiancé.”

Lu Qing was surprised, “I didn’t expect Mr. Yu to know her so well. He really wasn’t as indifferent as he seemed.”

The most shocked person in the room, however, was Du Shuyan, who nearly jumped out of his seat. “What poison? What’s going on? Duqiu, you must be mistaken! Aiya would never poison you!”

“Let her speak for herself.” Having forced out the truth, Yu Duqiu leaned back in his chair, his expression indifferent, “Chef Dong has already confessed, but I want to hear it from you.”

Du Lingya mistakenly interpreted this as a sign of trust and hope—Yu Duqiu still cared about her; she held a place in his heart.

This imagined sense of happiness, born from delusion, overshadowed her fear, making her oblivious to the fact that she was comparing herself to a mere chef.

“I didn’t mean to harm you… I just… wanted you to spend more time with me…” Du Lingya bit her lip, her brows furrowed, and her beautiful face, with such an expression, would normally evoke pity. “We’ve been engaged for a year, but we rarely see each other. You’re always so busy. Recently, the police restricted your movements and wouldn’t let me see you. I finally got a chance for us to go abroad and relax, and I didn’t want to be ignored. So… I made a mistake, took a wrong turn… But I swear! I just wanted you to get a little sick so I could take care of you, and you could get some rest instead of always working so hard… Most importantly, if you returned home, you wouldn’t be in danger…”

If Zhao Feihua, their PR manager and a master of online slang, were here, he would probably joke, “Miss Du, you’re the textbook definition of a yandere, aren’t you?” Unfortunately, he wasn’t, and Zhou Yi, who barely understood his own daughter, couldn’t comprehend this logic and muttered, “What kind of logic is this, Miss Du? You want him to care about you, so you poison him? That’s terrifying…”

The young man beside him seemed unimpressed, sneering, “Such amateur tricks.”

“…”

The world of the young is truly hard to understand.

Du Shuyan was stunned by what he heard, taking several seconds to process it, before exclaiming in shock, “Aiya! Are you out of your mind? How could you do such a thing?!”

Usually soft-spoken, Du Lingya was startled by his outburst, stammering, “I-I-I…” but couldn’t finish her sentence.

“That wasn’t your true intention,” Yu Duqiu continued for her, “Someone must have instructed you, right?”

Du Lingya’s eyes widened in fear, her mouth slightly open as she hesitated to speak.

“Lying once or twice makes little difference. Since you’ve already admitted this much, why continue to protect the person who gave you those earrings?” Yu Duqiu’s tone wasn’t harsh, but his words pressed on relentlessly, “How can I believe in your loyalty if you act like this?”

Du Lingya could endure anything except having her love for Yu Duqiu questioned. Reflexively, she retorted, “I’m not protecting anyone! It’s not what you think! I… I didn’t even want to accept those earrings in the first place. I knew it wasn’t right, but… but…”

A name hovered on her lips—someone who could be the mastermind or just another pawn—but no matter who it was, this moment marked the first time since the Rain Alley Case that they had come so close to exposing the person orchestrating everything from the shadows.

This was the closest they had ever come to the truth.

“Slap!”

A loud slap interrupted Du Lingya’s words.

Even Yu Duqiu was momentarily stunned.

Fei Zheng was the quickest to react, stepping between the Du siblings, blocking the enraged Du Shuyan, “Mr. Du, please calm down, we’re all family here.”

“I’ve spoiled her too much! That’s why she did something so outrageous!” Du Shuyan, rarely this angry, was breathing heavily, his once neatly tailored suit now stretched tight by his heaving chest. “The earrings were a gift from Peizhuo when he visited us last time, weren’t they? I thought it was strange when you accepted them. If I’d known you were plotting against Duqiu, I’d have kicked him out right then!”

Ji Lin, watching the drama unfold, whistled softly, “Who knew this Du Shuyan, who seems so gentle, could hit that hard?”

Lu Qing rolled his eyes, “Of course, he had to hit hard for Mr. Yu to see. He probably figured out that Mr. Yu is going to break off the engagement, so he’s showing where he stands to prevent further damage to their family’s relationship.”

Ji Lin clicked his tongue, “These businessmen… they’re so heartless, sacrificing even family for profit.”

The one being sacrificed, Du Lingya, was shocked. She clutched her reddened cheek, her tear-filled eyes wide in disbelief, “Brother… you…”

“Shut up and reflect on what you’ve done!”

Du Lingya had been pampered her whole life, a princess who had never been scolded, let alone struck. Even when their family had fallen apart, and their father died of illness, she had been sent abroad by Du Shuyan to avoid the turmoil, never experiencing such harshness. And now, to be hit by the brother who had always loved her—it was as if she was looking at a stranger.

Yu Duqiu glanced between the siblings before signaling to Hong Liangzhang with a wave.

A short while later, Hong Liangzhang returned with an ice pack, handing it to Fei Zheng, “For Miss Du’s face.”

“Thank you.” Fei Zheng bowed almost ninety degrees, respectfully pressing the ice pack against Du Lingya’s swollen cheek.

Du Lingya stared blankly, crying quietly like a delicate marionette that had lost all its vitality, her fate now entirely in the hands of others.

After this confrontation, even outsiders could piece together what had happened:

Peizhuo had given Du Lingya a pair of valuable ruby earrings, charming her with sweet words. Somehow, he persuaded her, who was unhappy with Yu Duqiu’s neglect, to create a “small problem” for him. The goal was likely to derail Yu Duqiu’s trip to the United States, preventing him from meeting the professor, gaining international recognition, and ultimately forcing him to abandon the Themis project due to the inability to counter domestic criticism and government decisions.

Du Lingya, consumed with wanting more of Yu Duqiu’s attention and time, was blinded by love and failed to see Peizhuo’s malicious intent. She believed his lies and enlisted the help of Dong Yongliang to carry out her plan.

Dong Yongliang, on one hand, didn’t dare refuse a request from his future mistress for fear of losing his job. On the other hand, he saw an opportunity with low risk and high reward and agreed, thinking he could pull it off without anyone knowing. But he ultimately failed.

Additionally, Dong Yongliang knew that the Du family, though diminished, still held considerable power and could easily retaliate. This is why he didn’t tell the truth initially during police questioning. Only after Yu Duqiu promised protection did he dare to confess.

Du Shuyan was furious, frustrated with his sister’s recklessness, and suddenly looked much older, his voice hoarse, “Duqiu, this time Lingya has wronged you, and it’s my fault for not teaching her better. I understand why you called me here. There’s no need for you to say it—we’ll annul the engagement. I’ll explain everything to your parents.”

Du Lingya, who had been silently crying, gasped and stammered, “No… Brother… you can’t sacrifice my happiness…”

“You destroyed your own happiness!”

“You…” Du Lingya seemed to want to say more, but someone interrupted her.

“Forgive me for speaking out of turn, miss,” Fei Zheng, still holding the ice pack to her face, said gently but firmly, “But you and Mr. Yu are not well-matched.”

Du Lingya, still crying, asked, “Why…”

“You are a flower, and he is fire. You mistakenly believed he was the sun, pursuing him for years, thinking he would bring you warmth. But in reality, getting close to him only results in you getting burned. You’re too delicate to control the fire. You need someone who can protect you.”

Du Lingya looked up, tears streaming down her face, and asked obsessively, “Then who can control him? How?”

Fei Zheng shook his head, “Fire is too dangerous and difficult to control. Only someone who is willing to sacrifice themselves, strong and resolute enough, might be able to make the fire stay and burn for them.”

Yu Duqiu rubbed his chin, “An interesting metaphor, but is there really someone foolish enough to play with fire and get burned?”

“I’m willing!” Du Lingya shouted desperately, “I’ll do anything for you, Duqiu! Please don’t break off the engagement!”

Yu Duqiu thought for a moment, “Well, if you’re willing.”

Before he finished speaking, he abruptly stood up, yanking off the blade pendant necklace from around his neck. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of the elated Du Lingya, the thin blade grazing her delicate chin, sliding down to her throat.

His movements were so quick that no one had time to stop him.

Du Lingya’s smile froze as the cold blade touched her skin, disbelief written all over her face, “Duqiu… what… what are you doing?”

“You said you’d do anything for me, didn’t you? What if… I asked you to die as an apology? Would you be willing to die for me?”