BL Ch43

In July, the pure white single-petaled hibiscus and roses bloomed in full glory.

Unfortunately, they were met with a typhoon. Torrential rain and violent winds came wave after wave, ravaging the garden, leaving branches scattered in every direction and petals crushed into the mud. The next morning, the weather cleared, and white petals could be seen drifting everywhere in the No.1 Palace.

In the end, Yu Duqiu brought home the Andalusian horse he had trained at the stables. He built a luxurious stable next to the kennel, and in his leisure time, he would ride the white horse, stepping on white petals as he strolled across the lawn. After a while, he would stop in front of the garden, gazing at the pure hibiscus flowers, lost in thought.

The new gardener, named Jiang Sheng, was a young man adept at reading people’s moods. Seeing that Yu’s expression wasn’t one of admiration, he cautiously asked, “Young Master, should I replace these flowers?”

Compared to the other rare and exotic flowers in the No.1 Palace, the cheap hibiscus indeed seemed somewhat out of place.

Yu Duqiu furrowed his brows slightly and said, “Forget it. They’ve already been planted. Let’s wait until they wither to replace them.”

Jiang Sheng smiled and said, “This flower has a very long blooming period. Even if all the flowers in the garden wither, this one might not. If you don’t like it, I can have the florist send some new ones tomorrow.”

“If I want it to wither, it will wither,” Yu Duqiu replied cryptically, tugging on the reins and turning the horse’s head. Before leaving, he glanced back at the gardener, adding, “There’s no such thing as a flower that never withers, right?”

Jiang Sheng didn’t fully understand but didn’t dare to contradict him, so he nodded obsequiously, “Yes, you’re right.”

Despite receiving this confirmation, Yu Duqiu didn’t seem particularly satisfied. His expression remained indifferent as he rode away.

Zhao Feihua had just driven in through the front gate and saw Yu leisurely wandering among the swirling petals. He couldn’t help but scoff, “Does he think he’s a white knight or something? This is China, okay? All these white flowers everywhere—what bad luck. People might think someone in the house has died.”

Hong Liangzhang wholeheartedly agreed but was helpless to do anything. “The young master chose white roses, and Xiao Bai picked the white hibiscus. Now, the garden’s main flowers are all white. There’s nothing we can do.”

Zhao Feihua immediately shifted focus, asking, “Xiao Bai climbed up that fast? He’s already halfway to being the man of the house?”

Hong Liangzhang hushed him softly, “That’s in the past. Lately, things haven’t been going well between them… Xiao Bai probably won’t last much longer.”

Zhao Feihua wasn’t surprised. “It’s a miracle he lasted this long. It’s his own fault, thinking he could change a scumbag like Yu. It’s a shame, though—he’s a really handsome guy.”

The strong horse trotted leisurely around the lawn twice. Yu Duqiu reined it in, nimbly dismounted, and handed the reins to the horse trainer, stroking the soft, pure white mane as he did. “Good girl, so well-behaved. Let’s give you a name… what should I call you…?”

Zhou Yi and Lou Baoguo, standing nearby, couldn’t help but feel a little anxious for the magnificent horse. Fortunately, at that moment, Zhao Feihua stepped forward, interrupting them and saving the horse’s name from potential disaster.

“The project’s about to get shut down, and you still have the mood to ride?”

Yu Duqiu turned his head. “What else should I ride? There’s no man around to ride me lately.”

“…”

Zhou Yi slung his arm around Lou Baoguo’s shoulders. “Hey, I think Uncle Hong needs us for something. Let’s go, go, go.”

“Right, right. Young master, we’ll be right back!”

Zhao Feihua, unable to slip away due to more important matters, rolled his eyes in frustration. But a gentleman doesn’t take offense at a rogue’s antics, so he pressed on. “Did you see Pei Ming’s latest press release?”

“No, but I bet it includes photos from our last meeting, and in those photos, I probably don’t look as good as he does.”

“You guessed right. That guy is such a snake; I bet he intentionally edited you to look bad so people would praise him. The only saving grace is that he didn’t mention what happened at the company last time.”

“Of course he wouldn’t make it public. He’s interested in investing—why would he shoot himself in the foot?”

Zhao Feihua couldn’t figure it out. “What’s his angle? He’s a jeweler. What’s he doing meddling in high-tech? Is he trying to shift his business?”

Watching his beloved horse trot off with a rhythmic clip-clop, Yu Duqiu seemed in a good mood and gave him a small smile. “If he’s shifting focus, he’s not going to start by investing in my failing project. Over the years, he’s revived his company with careful planning. He’s a cautious businessman. Taking such a big risk to collaborate with me—it’s just to get inside my company and see if my project is a real threat to him or just a gimmick.”

Zhao Feihua was shocked. “So, he really is involved in some shady business? Afraid that your brain-machine tech could actually help people quit drugs and hurt his profits?”

“Probably. In any case, my project’s got him worried.”

“Then why did you agree to work with him? Isn’t that inviting a wolf into your home?”

Yu Duqiu’s smile widened, baring a row of sharp white teeth. “Isn’t it him walking into the tiger’s den? I want him to feel threatened—only then will he make a move.”

Zhao Feihua rubbed his goosebump-covered arms. “Don’t be so full of yourself. Didn’t he outplay you this time? With the Huang Hanxiang incident, if it weren’t for the police keeping things tightly under wraps, plus an excellent PR manager like me working things behind the scenes, do you think your project would have survived until now? It would’ve been the talk of the town by now! Pei Ming is a sly one—on the surface, he invests in the project, but behind the scenes, he’s playing dirty tricks to take you down on both fronts.”

Yu Duqiu shook his head and started walking toward the garden. “Huang Hanxiang might not have been placed there by Pei Ming.”

Zhao Feihua hurried after him, pushing up his slipping glasses. “Who else could it be then? Wasn’t he a former employee of the Pei family?”

“That’s exactly why I’m suspicious.” Yu Duqiu walked leisurely, sorting through his thoughts while speaking aloud. “Why would Pei Ming use a former employee like Huang Hanxiang? It only makes him more suspicious, which isn’t his cautious style. Besides, the police didn’t find any evidence of their communication, so perhaps someone else placed Huang Hanxiang. The most important point is, why would someone go through all the trouble of planting a mole in my company just to snap a few pictures for the media? It doesn’t add up. If it were me, I’d use Huang Hanxiang to cause a lot more trouble and get the most out of him.”

Zhao Feihua was too tired to comment on his ruthless thinking. “You’re empathizing with criminals now? What could that lowly security guard have done to you? One move from Old Zhou, and he’d have snapped his neck. You, on the other hand, could’ve easily dealt with him.”

Yu Duqiu smiled. “With that sharp tongue of yours, I’ll fire you sooner or later.”

Zhao Feihua, desperate to keep his year-end bonus, cried out, “I was just joking! I haven’t betrayed you. Why would you fire me? I didn’t even know you were coming to the office that day!”

The warm smile on Yu Duqiu’s face visibly cooled upon hearing this.

Reading the change in mood, Zhao Feihua’s heart sank, realizing he’d touched a nerve. He quickly backtracked. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it—I was just proving my innocence.”

After the Huang Hanxiang incident, Yu Duqiu had fired all the staff on duty at Palace No. 1 the next day. This left Lou Baoguo in a state of panic for days, and he even came to Yu Duqiu to complain, “I’m doomed! Old Zhou and Uncle Hong have been with the young master for years. There’s no way he’ll suspect them. Brother is better looking and more skilled than me, and the young master likes him, so he won’t get rid of him. I’m definitely the next one to go.”

But after a week of calm, with no further investigations from Yu Duqiu, Zhao Feihua assumed the matter had blown over and figured a little joke wouldn’t hurt.

But if he cared so much, why didn’t he pursue it further? Zhao Feihua dared not overthink it—reading the boss’s mind too closely is never a good idea. That’s an unspoken survival skill when working for Yu Duqiu.

“Maybe the police didn’t handle things properly, and the information from the surveillance leaked, which tipped people off about my visit to the company. I’ve already asked Ji Lin to look into it,” Yu Duqiu said, his smile returning but lacking its earlier warmth.

Zhao Feihua patted his chest in relief. “That’s good. If you really fired everyone who knew about your visit that day, we wouldn’t be able to find replacements anytime soon. And if something dangerous happens again, I’d be the first one sacrificed!”

Yu Duqiu said nothing, only smiling at him.

Zhao Feihua shuddered. “…At least say something to deny it! Even if I haven’t done much, I’ve put in the effort. You wouldn’t actually sacrifice me, right?”

“No, because if they’re after my life, sacrificing you wouldn’t be of any use. How could your life be worth mine?”

“…”

Only Yu Duqiu could say something meant to comfort others in such an infuriating way.

Too exhausted to argue further, Zhao Feihua spoke seriously. “You’d better hurry up. You can’t keep a lid on this forever. If you don’t show some real progress soon, when the public comes after you, even the mayor might not be able to protect you. Investors will pull out, just like what happened with the project twenty years ago.”

Yu Duqiu leisurely strolled across the lush green lawn. “Don’t worry, there’s already progress.”

Zhao Feihua, struggling to keep up with his longer legs, quickened his pace. “What? You’ve been working quietly again? How come I didn’t hear about any progress from the lab?”

“You don’t need to know. Just focus on your own duties.”

“I’m part of the company, too. Can’t I at least be curious? Your project is all cloak-and-dagger. The lab only reports progress to you, and the rest of us hear nothing. Is that any way to run things? Why not just make yourself the one-man show?”

“You’ll find out soon enough. The day after tomorrow, I’ll be giving a speech at Xiaoguo’s school, and I’ll publicly announce the latest research progress.”

Zhao Feihua, already halfway through a chuckle, caught himself mid-laugh as he remembered he’d just offended the man in front of him. He quickly changed course. “Ha… do you think the kids will understand any of that? Xiaoguo’s only in middle school, and isn’t it summer vacation right now?”

Yu Duqiu responded righteously, “The school calls it a ‘science summer camp.’ It’s the summer break before they enter their third year of middle school, you know. Kids these days are competitive. They’re learning programming in elementary school. How can they be future leaders if they don’t understand cutting-edge technology? Maybe I’ll even plant the seed of wanting to become a scientist in their minds.”

Zhao Feihua: “…”

With that tone and demeanor, it’s hard to imagine Yu Duqiu inspiring anything so wholesome.

“This is at the mayor’s request. He wants to help restore my public image. After all, he’s publicly supported my project, and if it’s stopped, it’d be a slap in his own face.” Yu Duqiu stopped in front of the garden’s north entrance.

Zhao Feihua felt a little reassured—at least the city government was still on their side for now. “Alright, I’ll go with you the day after tomorrow… Whoa, what the hell?”

Zhao Feihua finally noticed the scene before him and froze. “Is someone getting married?”

The garden, covering nearly a thousand square meters, was usually filled with vibrant colors, its flowers arranged to match the seasons. But now, in the heat of summer, it was a sea of pure white—elegant hibiscus and regal roses, all snow-white, without a single speck of color, like fresh snow or clouds in the sky. The garden paths were paved with alabaster-white marble, gleaming softly in the sunlight, leading straight to the glass solarium in the center.

It was the perfect setting for a Western-style outdoor wedding.

“You guessed right. These flowers are called ‘Wedding Path,’” Yu Duqiu said, brushing his hand across a freshly watered white rose, its petals smooth and delicate like a maiden’s skin. “They were originally a reward for Xiaobai, but he doesn’t deserve to appreciate them anymore.”

Beside the roses, hibiscus blossoms seemed to cradle them in an embrace.

Recalling something Hong Liangzhang had mentioned earlier, Zhao Feihua gathered the courage to ask, “I heard you and Bai Zhao aren’t getting along lately? I haven’t seen him since I arrived. You didn’t lock him in the basement again, did you?”

Yu Duqiu dropped his hand, looking innocent. “I wouldn’t dare ignore your advice. I simply told him to stay out of my sight.”

“If you don’t need him, why not just get rid of him?”

Yu Duqiu clicked his tongue. “There’s still some use left in him. It’d be a waste to let him go now.”

Zhao Feihua covered his ears in horror. “That’s such a scummy thing to say… Watch out for lightning strikes!”

Yu Duqiu laughed heartily. “Lightning strikes the dutiful, and fortune favors the ruthless. If I weren’t ruthless, I wouldn’t have made it this far.”

The typhoon lasted for two or three days, but once it passed, the garden was immediately restored to its pristine state.

A servant inserted a freshly cut white rose into the buttonhole of Yu Duqiu’s black suit. Standing before the mirror, Yu Duqiu admired his reflection, pleased with the perfectly bloomed rose. He praised, “The new guy, Xiao Jiang, is pretty good. Even after the storm, he’s taken great care of the flowers.”

“Yes, he’s been staying here to look after the garden these past few days. His work ethic is great. I hope all the newcomers we hire are this competent.” Hong Liangzhang replied, satisfied as he looked at Yu Duqiu in his black suit. “Mm, you look steady, like a mature businessman. The old master would be proud.”

“Save the flattery. I’m going to give a lecture, not accept an award. Has the car arrived?”

“Yes, it’s waiting downstairs.”

Yu Duqiu picked up his coat and left without hesitation.

“Taking care of things at home for me will really resolve my worries. By the way, has all the equipment at the school been checked?”

“Yes, it was checked yesterday. Xiao Zhou and Captain Ji went together, and I tagged along. The sound and lighting effects are all good. We also did a test run of the video and slideshow, and there were no issues.”

As Yu Duqiu adjusted the angle of a rose, his fingers paused slightly, as if remembering something. He turned his head and asked, “Were you with Ji Lin the entire time?”

“Not really… why do you ask?” Hong Liangzhang was puzzled.

Yu Duqiu glanced back at the mirror. “I’m worried something might happen to him.”

Hong Liangzhang frowned. “Captain Ji… he shouldn’t be the type to do anything wrong, right?”

Yu Duqiu shook his head. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”

But he didn’t elaborate further on what exactly concerned him. Instead, he continued, “There might be an incident today. Assign Baoguo and Old Zhou to guard inside and outside the auditorium separately. Bai Zhao will stay by my side.”

Hong Liangzhang was even more confused. “But Xiao Bai is the least experienced, and in the past… isn’t it inappropriate for him to be by your side?”

“If he truly loves me, he’ll protect me with his life. The more dangerous the task, the more it should be given to someone unafraid of death.” Yu Duqiu’s lips curved as he gazed at his own cold eyes in the mirror. “If his death wouldn’t be a loss, then he’s even more suited for it.”