BL Ch46

In the corridor of the Xinjin Police Bureau, someone hurried along, almost crashing into several people as they walked without looking, ignoring the strange glances from others, and heading straight for the office with their head down.

“Brother Ji! Wait for me!” Lu Qing called, jogging behind him.

Ji Lin didn’t wait for her, but the police station wasn’t very big. With a few more quick steps, she caught up and followed him into the office. “Brother Ji, you—ah, ouch!”

Lu Qing couldn’t stop in time and slammed her forehead hard into his back, making both of them stagger.

“Why’d you suddenly stop?” she grumbled, rubbing her forehead, but when she saw the scene in the office, she completely forgot what she was going to say.

Yesterday, everyone who had first seen the crime scene photos was brought back to the station for questioning. After the statements were taken, Peng Deyu, trying to prevent further incidents and facilitate interrogation, had Yu Duqiu and the others stay overnight. They had all been busy throughout the night and hadn’t returned to the office. Thinking there were a few nap beds and sofas available, they figured Yu Duqiu wouldn’t end up sleeping on the floor.

Turns out, not only did Yu Duqiu not sleep on the floor—

In the already cramped office hallway, a sturdy two-meter-long latex mattress had been placed, so large that people had to walk along the walls to avoid stepping on it.

Their eyes moved from the mattress to the man sitting on the sofa, sipping coffee.

Yu Duqiu’s suit jacket was draped neatly over the side, not a wrinkle in sight, implying he had taken it off before sleeping. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, revealing a blade-shaped necklace resting between his partially exposed chest muscles. He looked nothing like the refined man he had appeared to be during yesterday’s speech—in fact, it wouldn’t be hard to believe he had just gotten up from a lover’s bed.

In front of him was a dining table—wherever it had come from—set with a breakfast spread that could feed the entire criminal investigation team. Yu Duqiu was elegantly holding a coffee cup while playing a mobile game with his bodyguard.

Yu Duqiu made a move in the game, looked up at them, and belatedly remembered, “Oh, sorry, I forgot to have the mattress removed. If you don’t mind, I can give it to you. It’s just that I bought it in a hurry last night, so the quality isn’t great. It’s a bit hard, and I woke up with a sore back.”

The good thing about someone being infuriating is that no matter how sad or anxious you felt before, when you see that person, all that’s left is anger.

“Are you the Princess and the Pea? This is hard?” Ji Lin kicked the mattress, almost knocking off his shoe, and suddenly shuddered, as if realizing something. “Don’t tell me you two squeezed onto this bed last night—or worse, tell me you didn’t do anything… inappropriate.”

Lu Qing carefully examined the mattress. “Report: No suspicious fluids detected. They likely didn’t engage in any public indecency.”

“…Who asked you that?!”

“Hehe, occupational hazard…”

Yu Duqiu took a sip of his iced Americano, speaking slowly. “Relax, he’s no longer on my wish list. I slept on a bench in the hallway with Old Zhou last night.”

Bai Zhao, who was about to make a move in the game, paused and locked his phone.

Yu Duqiu sighed. “Come on, just because we didn’t share a bed doesn’t mean we can’t keep playing chess. You’ve improved a lot.”

Bai Zhao put his phone away. “Improvement doesn’t matter if you’re not keeping me around.”

Yu Duqiu chuckled, reaching out to pat Bai Zhao’s face. “With all you’ve done, it’s a miracle I haven’t killed you, sweetheart.”

Lu Qing was tempted to probe for gossip, but seeing Yu Duqiu’s cold expression, she wisely held back.

Ji Lin had no interest in their love-hate drama. He knocked on the table, reminding Yu Duqiu, “You can’t even protect yourself right now, let alone kill someone else… This warning is more serious than any before. Didn’t you see what it said on the back of the photo? The next person to die might be you.”

Lu Qing nodded fervently. “Exactly! And it seems the killer knows your movements and preferences well—they managed to guide you into seeing that letter precisely.”

Yu Duqiu picked up a croissant and took a bite. “Even if I hadn’t seen the letter, I’m sure it would have shown up somewhere else. Besides, I believe the killer and the person warning me aren’t the same.”

Ji Lin and Lu Qing asked in unison, “What do you mean by that?”

“I just analyzed this with Bai Zhao. You explain, I’m going to finish my breakfast,” Yu Duqiu said as he ate, still picky. “This bread is too hard. Store-bought stuff really can’t compare to homemade. It should’ve been soaked in water for a bit.”

The other three exchanged glances and silently decided to leave him be.

Bai Zhao took out his phone again and laid it flat on the table. The chess game on the screen was halfway through, with Yu Duqiu’s white pieces still in the majority. A black bishop was positioned near the white queen, but a white rook stood between them.

“We’re using chess pieces to represent people,” Bai Zhao began, explaining the roles and characteristics of the pieces. “We suspect the whole situation with Huang Hanxiang stemmed from a disagreement between the opponent’s ‘queen’ and ‘rook.’ This kind of split has been evident since the U.S. incident, which you both also speculated about.”

Ji Lin and Lu Qing pulled up chairs to listen. Ji Lin agreed, “According to your theory, those masked people back then were sent by the ‘rook,’ like in the Yu Wencheng case—the goal was to send a warning, so they didn’t shoot at us. The killer was sent by the ‘queen,’ aiming for murder, just like in the Rain Alley case, right?”

“Exactly. The ‘rook’ is cautious and hesitant, not wanting to harm anyone, let alone kill. But the ‘queen’ is a ruthless killer, always aiming to eliminate someone,” Bai Zhao explained.

Lu Qing seemed to have an epiphany. “I get it now! That’s why Huang Hanxiang’s death felt so abrupt. His previous outburst at Mr. Yu’s company and the photo left in the locker room yesterday were just warnings—there wasn’t any real harm done. But then suddenly, Huang Hanxiang was killed, and the style is completely different. One is cautious, the other is violent—it can’t be the same person.”

Yu Duqiu, busy cutting open a pineapple bun and adding a slab of cold butter, found a moment to praise her: “Miss Lu, you’re really sharp.”

Lu Qing scratched her nose, embarrassed. “Not really, just a bit sharper than our captain.”

It was just a joke, and normally Ji Lin would banter with her in return—this kind of lighthearted bickering was their team’s way of keeping morale up. But this time, Ji Lin simply admitted, “Yes, yes, I’m the dumbest. That’s why I still haven’t caught the killer.”

Lu Qing stared at him. “Did the sun just rise in the west? Brother Ji, you’re not even refuting me?”

“Don’t feel like it.” Ji Lin sighed through his nose, tapping two adjacent pieces on Bai Zhao’s screen. “So, the one who sent Huang Hanxiang to go undercover at the company and take drugs on-site to warn Yu Duqiu was the ‘rook,’ right? It’s the same method they used in the Yu Wencheng case—LSD. This time, they had Huang take the drug himself to better control when it kicked in.”

Bai Zhao nodded. “But the ‘queen’ was dissatisfied with the ‘rook’s’ cautious approach—maybe they were worried Huang would leak information—so they acted on their own and killed him, sending the death threat.”

“But if the ‘queen’ is so violent, why do they let the ‘rook’ keep standing in their way, interfering every time?” Ji Lin asked, rubbing his forehead in frustration.

Bai Zhao pointed to the white king in the corner of the chessboard. “Because they share the same ultimate goal: to protect the king.”

Ji Lin groaned, holding his head. “Can you guys use a simpler analogy? I’m getting a headache. What’s the king supposed to represent again?”

Bai Zhao sighed and explained the rules of chess once more. “The king is the ultimate target. His actions are limited, and he relies on his pieces to win the game. We suspect that the ‘king’ is also a conservative, otherwise, he would’ve unleashed the ‘queen’ to kill indiscriminately. He seems to prefer the ‘rook’s’ strategy—issuing warnings to make us back off, hoping we’ll give up the investigation. But he can’t fully control the violent ‘queen,’ which is why the Rain Alley murder and Huang Hanxiang’s death happened.”

Ji Lin thought for a moment. “That theory makes sense, but it seems like you’re missing one important person.”

“Who?”

“Bo Zhiming, how could you forget about your adoptive father?” Ji Lin asked in surprise. “Didn’t you think Bo Zhiming was murdered too? That would probably have been the Queen’s doing, right?”

Before Bai Zhao could answer, Yu Duqiu spoke first. “Bo Zhiming’s death was different from the other two. There were no external injuries, and he ingested hallucinogens, similar to my second uncle. This doesn’t seem like the Queen’s method.”

Ji Lin frowned. “But it’s also not the Chariot’s method. The Chariot doesn’t kill people. Could his death have been an accident?”

Lu Qing added, “One accident is understandable, but two accidents seem too coincidental. Hallucinogens don’t always make people suicidal.”

Yu Duqiu finished eating his pineapple bun, and a bit of melted butter clung to his lips. “Who knows? Bai Zhao, did you notice anything unusual when you went to identify the body?”

“No.” Bai Zhao pulled out a tissue and offered it to Yu Duqiu, who tilted his head, avoided Bai Zhao’s hand, and accepted the tissue with a word of thanks. Bai Zhao looked down at his empty hand for a moment before silently putting it away.

Ji Lin, engrossed in his thoughts, didn’t notice their small interaction. “Let’s set Bo Zhiming aside for now. Who do you think these three chess pieces are?”

Lu Qing cautiously raised her hand. “I’m just guessing here, so don’t laugh at me if I’m wrong… The King might be Pei Ming, the Chariot is probably Peizhuo, but I can’t figure out who the Queen is.”

Ji Lin rubbed his chin. “That’s what I was thinking too. When Pei Ming was at your company the other day, he mentioned you’re afraid of the dark. Not many people know about that, right? And Peizhuo has a history of encouraging Du Lingya to poison you. These brothers are currently the biggest suspects. But we don’t have enough physical evidence to connect them to the murders. Arresting them won’t help. If we could find the Queen who did the killings, it would solve everything… But I have no clue who that could be. Does Pei Ming even have such a powerful subordinate? His entourage that day all seemed pretty ordinary.”

Yu Duqiu shrugged and threw away the used tissue. “That’s why the Queen is so impressive. They’ve clearly committed at least two murders, yet it’s as if they can vanish into thin air. Even I can’t think of anyone around Pei Ming who could be the Queen. If I had to guess, it could be someone physically strong, like Bai Zhao.”

Bai Zhao shot him a cold look, to which Yu Duqiu smiled. “I’m not suspecting you this time, I swear. You’ve been cooped up with me this whole time; you couldn’t have killed Huang Hanxiang.”

Ji Lin stood up and stretched, his energy returning. “Whoever it is, since we all suspect the Pei family, I feel more confident now. Peng doesn’t want me to go undercover, so I’ll put together a list of Pei’s employees and check them one by one. There’s bound to be a clue somewhere.”

Yu Duqiu moved a white knight on his phone screen, capturing a black bishop. “Do it quickly. If you can’t capture any pieces in this game, you might just be the one that gets taken.”

Ji Lin unceremoniously grabbed a piece of jam bread and stuffed it into his mouth. After a long, exhausting night, the food brought some comfort to his growling stomach. He chewed slowly and replied, mouth full, “If they want to take me, they better come. I’d be happy to meet them halfway so I don’t have to hunt them down.”

Just then, there was a knock at the door. “Young master, Baoguo and I went home to drop off the speech materials, and Hong Bo followed us back because he was worried about you.”

Lu Qing went to open the door, and the three people outside thanked her before entering. Hong Liangzhang walked in with a frown and, seeing the breakfast spread on the table, lamented, “This food is terrible! Baoguo, where did you buy such low-quality bread? It’s barely good enough for the cat and the police chief.”

“…”

Ji Lin slowed his chewing, swallowing the bread with exaggerated care.

Lu Qing handed him a bottle of water. “Don’t worry, you’re a police chief too. The food suits you just fine.”

“…”

After Lou Baoguo explained that there were no big supermarkets nearby and they had to buy from a small shop, Hong Liangzhang still looked dissatisfied. He sighed, “Young master, forgive me for nagging, but I can’t help saying this. Look at you, ignoring the elder master’s advice and getting involved in police work. Now you’ve gotten yourself into this mess.”

Ji Lin nodded in agreement. “Indeed, you should meddle less in our work.”

Hong Liangzhang continued, “Not only are you being threatened and harassed, but you’re also forced to sleep in such a shabby place.”

Ji Lin blinked. “Wait, hold on—”

Lu Qing tugged at him. “Let it go, Ji. His family’s pool is bigger than our entire office. Don’t embarrass yourself.”

“…Damn.”

Luckily, Yu Duqiu didn’t add any more comments to fuel the resentment. Instead, he calmly said, “Chief Peng insisted I stay. I couldn’t refuse out of respect for my grandfather.”

Hong Liangzhang continued to plead. “For the sake of the elder master, please don’t get involved any further. Solving cases is the police’s job. We don’t need this project for the company. Why not return to America and help Miss Yu manage the business? She’s working too hard.”

“You underestimate her. Besides, my father’s there to help her, so there’s no problem.”

“But this latest threat is different. There’s already been a murder. The next victim might be…” Hong Liangzhang trailed off, not wanting to say something so ominous.

Yu Duqiu, however, didn’t shy away. “And if it’s me? That’s why I have Bai Zhao to take the hit for me. If anyone dies, it’ll be him first.”

It was hard to comprehend how someone could talk so nonchalantly about finding a scapegoat. Even more baffling, the “scapegoat” himself didn’t object. He simply chuckled darkly, as if mocking himself. “Sure, just remember to turn me into a specimen and keep me at home.”

Ji Lin sighed again. “You two really are a perfect match for madness.”

Yu Duqiu stood up, grabbed his suit jacket, and slung it over his arm, shaking out his messy hair. “I’m not worried about the killer targeting me. I just regret that I left a less-than-perfect impression on the kids yesterday.”

Zhou Yi chuckled. “Not at all! Even though the event was interrupted, you finished strong. Xiaoguo said her classmates are all your new fans. Plus, because of what happened, the school had to cancel the summer camp, so they don’t have to make up classes. They’re over the moon.”

“The happiness of children is always so simple.” Yu Duqiu smiled slightly. “Honestly, I think the Chariot is a fool. If they had shown the corpse photos on the big screen during my speech, the scare would’ve been far more effective. Parents would have flooded the mayor’s hotline with complaints, and my project would probably be shut down by now.”

“Why are you giving criminals advice? Maybe they didn’t have the capability,” Ji Lin said, glancing at his own messy appearance compared to Yu Duqiu’s clean and polished look. His previously united resolve was starting to waver again. “We’ve been working tirelessly all night, and here you are looking fresh. Let’s go see the chief and share your analysis with him.”

“Why don’t you go?”

“Because you’re good with words, and you’re an important witness. If I go alone, Chief Peng might not believe me.”

Just then, there was another knock at the door. A detective appeared to inform them, “Captain Ji, Chief Peng wants to see you in the conference room.”

Ji Lin perked up. “Didn’t we just finish a meeting? Do we have new leads?”

“Not sure, but he asked you to come quickly. Captain Feng from the municipal bureau turned back halfway as well.”

“There must be a major breakthrough!” Ji Lin grinned widely, his teeth gleaming white against his tired face. He turned to Lu Qing, “Watch them for me. Don’t let them mess up our office.”

Lu Qing surveyed the cluttered room filled with random objects. “It wasn’t very tidy to begin with…”

Ji Lin didn’t hear her; he had already run out the door, following the detective.

“It’s been a while since Captain Ji smiled,” Lu Qing sighed. “Let’s hope it’s good news. Our task force has been working nonstop for over a month, and if we don’t get a breakthrough soon, morale will collapse. Captain Ji already seemed off in the meeting earlier, like a balloon slowly losing air, about to deflate. He needs a bit of encouragement.”

Yu Duqiu shook his head lightly. “Mu Hao died, yet he’s managed to hold on this long, even forcing himself to relive that night over and over. His courage and perseverance have gone beyond ordinary people’s limits.”

Lu Qing let out a questioning “Hmm?”: “When did he ever say he’s been recalling that night over and over? Did he tell you that?”

Yu Duqiu’s gaze shifted from the door back to the chessboard in front of him: “In any case, I believe that even if everyone else falls, Ji Lin will never give up before catching the real culprit—Xiao Bai, be my sparring partner and finish the game?”

Bai Zhao glanced at the chessboard. “What was your last move?”

“I took your bishop.” Yu Duqiu smiled smugly, but the next second, his smile froze, and his brows furrowed as if something had just dawned on him.

He rarely showed such a serious expression, causing everyone else to tense up. “What’s wrong?” they asked.

“Something’s not right…” Yu Duqiu muttered to himself, “Something’s off… I might not be next… Did you all check that Huang Hanxiang went missing after leaving Yiqing Bar?”

“Yeah, we checked it. We’ve been keeping him under surveillance. Niu Ge even reported that in the meeting just now… Wait a second.” Lu Qing suddenly became alert. “How do you know Huang Hanxiang went to Yiqing Bar before he disappeared? You weren’t even in the meeting! Hey, where are you going?”

Without turning back, Yu Duqiu headed for the door: “Don’t follow me. Zhou Yi, Baoguo, immediately pull up the surveillance footage from Yiqing Bar and send it to my phone as fast as you can.”

Zhou Yi and Lou Baoguo barely had time to respond before Yu Duqiu’s figure had already disappeared.

“What footage? Wait! Explain yourself!” Lu Qing was torn between staying with the people left in the office and chasing after Yu Duqiu. Feeling stuck, she reluctantly turned to the only elder present: “Your young master is definitely going to stir up trouble. Hurry up and stop him!”

Hong Liangzhang sighed, shaking his head in helplessness. His eyes were slightly red with worry: “Once the young master makes a decision, no one can dissuade him. He’s willing to sacrifice how others see him for his beliefs. But now… if he continues down this path, he’ll end up putting himself in danger.”

“It’s more complicated than that.” Bai Zhao, having already pieced together what Yu Duqiu meant, stood up from the couch, his expression grim. “If I’m right, we’ve underestimated what the ‘Queen’ is aiming for this time. The Queen doesn’t just want to kill him; she wants to toy with him—make him lose everyone’s trust, isolate him, and force him to watch everyone around him die because of him.”

Lu Qing’s heart clenched: “W-What do you mean?”

“I’ll explain later.” Bai Zhao gave her a dark, cold glance before turning to leave, going after Yu Duqiu. His last words echoed ominously: “We have to stop this plan now, or your Captain Ji will be the next victim.”