BL Ch58

Seeing Yu Duqiu not responding for so long, Bai Zhao seemed a bit anxious, stretching his fingers down, as if trying to touch his collarbone.

Yu Duqiu, confused as to why Bai Zhao was acting flirty at a time like this, winced from the pain on his face. Just then, a flash of silver caught his eye.

…Ah, so that’s what he meant.

“Is Young Master Yu really that delicate? One punch, and you can’t even get up?” Jiang Sheng sneered, seeing Yu Duqiu struggling but unable to rise. He was about to grab him when Bai Zhao, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke up, “What he means is that, despite his billions, most of his funds are tied up in investments, so he doesn’t carry that much cash on hand. And for transfers over a hundred million, a bank appointment and approval are required in advance, so there’s no way you’re getting the money tonight.”

Jiang Sheng’s attention shifted to Bai Zhao. He gave a mocking smile and stared at him. “I know all that. Shut up; I’m talking to Young Master Yu. Who said you could interrupt? I’ve had enough of you.”

Bai Zhao frowned slightly, his gaze lingering thoughtfully on the tattoo on Jiang Sheng’s arm.

Meanwhile, Yu Duqiu struggled for some time, nearly cutting his lip in the process, but finally succeeded. With a swift jerk of his head, he heard a faint snapping of the chain, and, summoning his strength, he sprang up from the floor. After making a few movements that looked like mere struggling, he slumped sideways against Bai Zhao’s shoulder, concealing his now-empty collar and blocking Bai Zhao’s actions behind him. As he winced in pain until it subsided, he asked Jiang Sheng, “You met him for the first time today, so what’s your beef with him? Could it be you’re jealous for my sake?”

A vein throbbed in Jiang Sheng’s temple. “Young Master Yu, do you think I’m here to joke around with you? Want me to kill someone first to prove it?”

Despite the pain on his face, Yu Duqiu smirked. “Isn’t this just a game for you guys? You kidnap me without even wearing masks or covering my eyes. Even if you get the money and kill us all, this mansion is full of cameras that have already captured your faces, and the police monitoring me in real time will find out soon enough—”

“They won’t find out. Cops are worthless; they never show up when they’re needed,” Jiang Sheng said with a chilling sneer, his eyes filled with deep-seated hatred. “Your cameras have been switched to their usual night feed. All they’ll see right now is a peaceful scene, everyone asleep in their rooms. No one will notice anything amiss. As for our escape after getting the money, that’s none of your business.”

Most likely, they have someone waiting for them.

Bai Zhao’s expression shifted slightly at these words.

With his head resting on Bai Zhao’s shoulder, Yu Duqiu couldn’t see his face but focused on Jiang Sheng’s. Out of nowhere, he asked, “Are you really 22 this year?”

Jiang Sheng was caught off guard by the irrelevant question. Unsure if Yu Duqiu was stalling or had another motive, he hesitated to respond. “What’s it to you?”

Yu Duqiu said, “If your background checks out, then you just graduated this year—from a well-ranked American university, no less. You don’t use foul language when you speak, so why resort to robbery?”

Jiang Sheng was stunned into silence.

While Yu Duqiu indeed intended to buy time, he was also genuinely curious.

Criminals steeped in evil often have looks that reflect their nature. For instance, the first time he saw a picture of Bo Zhiming, he immediately concluded the man wasn’t decent—square face, large ears, flat nose, and a protruding chin that made his profile resemble a snake about to flick its tongue.

Zhou Yi, on the other hand, looked intimidating with his scars. But if you ignored the disfigurement and looked him in the eye, you’d see that his other half was actually dignified and honest, with no trace of malice.

Of course, the most skilled criminals disguise their true nature well. But Jiang Sheng, as a fresh graduate, didn’t seem “skilled” enough to fool anyone.

Trusting his escape entirely to his accomplices was both naive and foolish.

He’d already shown his disregard for laws and morals, so what assurance did he have that his partners would honor any promises? At the first sign of trouble, it’d be his accomplices who’d flee fastest.

Though Jiang Sheng seemed to have undergone some special training, he lacked real experience. His role was probably limited to support or logistics, such as receiving drug packages or putting a tracker in Yu Duqiu’s gun. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have managed to complete college without police interference. Facing a victim directly like today might be his first time.

So why would they send a rookie on such a high-stakes mission, like breaking into a well-guarded mansion and kidnapping a billionaire surrounded by bodyguards? It was practically a death sentence.

…Wait a second.

A chilling suspicion suddenly dawned on Yu Duqiu.

Jiang Sheng was likely here to die.

Silence fell over the hall as Jiang Sheng stood still, dazed by Yu Duqiu’s question, and a flash of bitter hatred crossed his face. “Why do you care? Stalling for time? I’m not falling for it! You two, keep an eye on them! I’ll be right back! So unlucky—had the whole bedroom set up, and they end up in here, wasting all my effort…”

Grumbling, Jiang Sheng stormed out. The blond and the guy with the square face immediately flanked them, looking menacing, but if they regarded Jiang Sheng, an inexperienced kid, as their leader, their vigilance and experience were likely even lower than his.

As soon as Jiang Sheng left, Yu Duqiu feigned pain and nudged against Bai Zhao’s shoulder, whispering, “He’s a pawn.”

Stealing fifty billion was almost an impossible crime; any slight misstep, and they’d lose everything and people on their side. He didn’t believe the opposition would be so reckless. Why place a pawn only to expose him so easily?

The only explanation was that they knew Yu Duqiu and the police were onto Jiang Sheng. So they abandoned their pawn to protect their key players, squeezing whatever use they could out of him before killing him. Success or failure, Jiang Sheng’s chances of survival were slim.

But this line of thought led to a disturbing question—

Who from “under the rose” had leaked information?

Yu Duqiu’s suspicions spiraled out of control, and he was about to cross Ji Lin and Xu Sheng off his whitelist when he heard a low voice in his ear: “Not the police.”

Yu Duqiu was stunned and looked at Bai Zhao in disbelief.

His mind had spun through countless scenarios, but this guy had followed his thoughts seamlessly.

Was he living inside his brain?

“How do you know?” Yu Duqiu asked quietly.

How did he know Jiang Sheng’s true identity? How did he know Yu Duqiu suspected a police leak? And how did he know the enemy wasn’t collaborating with the police?

The first two questions he could reason out himself. Bai Zhao knew that the person who placed the tracker in his gun back in the U.S. had a flame tattoo, and Jiang Sheng’s tattoo was clearly visible now, so it wasn’t hard to deduce that Jiang Sheng was one of the King’s pawns. As for the leak, though Bai Zhao hadn’t been in the secured room, he’d been by Yu Duqiu’s side these past few days and likely sensed their ongoing investigation.

Only one question remained.

Bai Zhao’s movements didn’t stop as he continued cutting the ropes with his necklace blade, his lips pressed tightly together like a runner ready to dash. Then he spoke swiftly, “If the King were colluding with the police, Jiang Sheng wouldn’t have joined them.”

Although he spoke quickly and softly, his long sentence still caught the attention of the yellow-haired man and the square-faced one. Before Yu Duqiu could figure out how he arrived at this conclusion, the yellow-haired man stepped forward and shouted at them, “Shut up! Be good!”

Just then, Jiang Sheng came back after getting something, and it turned out to be a laptop.

Yu Duqiu instantly recognized it as the one he had left in his study.

Jiang Sheng sat cross-legged in front of them, opened the laptop, and asked, “No more nonsense, what’s the lock screen password? If you don’t tell me—”

“1027muhao,” Yu Duqiu replied readily. “Go ahead.”

All his important files and programs were separately encrypted and hidden. Even if Jiang Sheng cracked the lock screen password, he wouldn’t be able to access the money.

Yu Duqiu gave Bai Zhao a smug glance, wanting to reassure him with his eyes, but saw Bai Zhao looking at him with a very complicated expression.

It seemed to say: You really have a secret crush on Muhao.

“…” Yu Duqiu shot back, “Did you grow up in a vinegar jar?”

Before they could exchange another glance, Jiang Sheng had already accessed the desktop and asked, “What’s the private key for your cryptocurrency?”

Yu Duqiu turned his head sharply. “How do you know I’ve bought any?”

This was the first time he was genuinely shocked tonight, and he realized that he might have underestimated his opponent’s capabilities once again.

He had bought the cryptocurrency more than ten years ago, and never discussed it on any public social platforms. Only a few magazines had occasionally mentioned his early investment success, and even he himself might not be able to find the details.

If it wasn’t for a coincidence, the other party’s investigation must have been incredibly thorough, almost like a deep dive into his past. But he had only been investigating the case for two months. How could they have done this so thoroughly in such a short time? It was almost more efficient than the professional background checks he had hired.

“You don’t need to know how I found out. Just tell me!” Jiang Sheng didn’t want to share anything.

Yu Duqiu quickly weighed the options in his mind for half a second.

He did have the money, but if Jiang Sheng got his hands on it, it might spell disaster for everyone in the music hall.

“You’re a step too late,” he shook his head regretfully. “Have you heard Bernard Baruch’s saying? ‘I’ve escaped disaster because I always sell early.’ I’ve made enough, and I cashed out before coming back to the country.”

“Cut the crap, do you think I’m a three-year-old?” Jiang Sheng didn’t believe a word, raising his gun towards Bai Zhao’s right arm. “Tell me, or I’ll disable his arm first.”

Yu Duqiu quickly said, “Hey, let’s talk. It’s just a private key, it’s an empty wallet, doesn’t matter to you.”

He swiftly rattled off a string of numbers.

“…” Jiang Sheng didn’t want to admit that he hadn’t heard it clearly, but he hadn’t caught a single digit. The yellow-haired and square-faced men stared blankly at the hostage, who wasn’t speaking in a human language: “Who the hell can remember a number this long?”

“It’s just a string of 256-bit random digits.” Yu Duqiu blinked innocently, confused. “I can recite the first 3,000 digits of pi, what’s so hard about this?”

“………………”

“What’s the point of memorizing so many digits! The exam only asks for 3.14!” the yellow-haired man yelled angrily.

The square-faced man looked at him in awe. “You even know 3.14?”

The yellow-haired man smugly replied, “Of course, I went to high school. I even know that odd numbers change, even numbers don’t, and how to interpret the signs in each quadrant…”

“…Shut up! I’m a returnee, and even I’m not talking!” Jiang Sheng couldn’t take it anymore, yelling at them, then running a sweaty hand through his hair, taking a deep breath, calming down, and shrugging at Yu Duqiu. “They’re just temporary partners. Recently, the police in the new golden district are everywhere, like they don’t sleep. Everyone cautious has already hidden. This is the best I could find… you get it.”

Yu Duqiu nodded, showing full understanding. “You must be much smoother and more efficient when working alone.”

Jiang Sheng seemed pleased by this comment, flashing a somewhat childish smile with dimples faintly visible. “You’re not so annoying now. Come on, repeat that string of numbers slowly. Once I finish my task, I won’t make things hard for you.”

Task.

There was definitely someone assigning tasks behind this.

Was it the king, the queen, or the chariot? If it were the king or the chariot, they might be too cautious to kill him easily, but based on the current violent act of home invasion, the queen seemed the most likely.

It worked out. He’d rather handle the most troublesome one first, then capture and kill the king after.

The man next to him seemed to sense his aggressive thoughts and gently shifted his shoulder: Don’t act rashly.

Yu Duqiu understood, despite the sharp pain on his face. He smiled at Jiang Sheng. “Alright, I’ll say it slowly.”