BL Ch67

When he returned to Palace No. 1, twilight was setting in.

Hong Liangzhang, as usual, was standing at the entrance of the main building to greet them. After Yu Duqiu got out of the car, he approached and asked, “Why did it take so long? Was today smooth, Young Master?”

“Yeah, it went too smoothly. Xiao Bai’s deadbeat dad has come back to life, so he’s not an orphan anymore,” Yu Duqiu said heartlessly, then glanced at an unfamiliar car near the fountain and casually asked, “Do we have a guest?”

Hong Liangzhang nodded, “Mr. Lu is here.”

“Which Mr. Lu?”

“Mr. Lu Jinyu.”

The man who had just got out from the other side of the car paused his steps, then silently headed towards the auxiliary building.

Yu Duqiu called out with a laugh, “Come back, Jinyu must have found some clues about that painting. Come over and listen, it might be related to Bai Zhiming.”

Bai Zhao walked back without a word. Yu Duqiu crossed his arms, examining him, “What’s with that face? I know you don’t like Jinyu, but don’t give me that look, or people might think my people are uncivilized.”

Bai Zhao responded coldly, “I can’t help but show a bad face when I see him. If you don’t want him to feel wronged, don’t make me come over.”

Lou Baoguo covered his eyes, not daring to look out the car window, whispering, “That my brother can survive this long with such a temper beside the Young Master, isn’t it one of the eight wonders of the world?”

Zhou Yi tactfully stepped on the gas, slowly driving away from the scene of conflict, “It should be the ninth; the eighth wonder is that your brother remains loyal despite being tormented to this extent!”

The commotion at the door reached the living room on the first floor, startling Lu Jinyu, who came out following the sound. Perhaps due to his profession, he naturally carried an artistic aura, his gentle smile like a cool breeze by the seaside in summer, making one feel very comfortable and at ease.

“Compared to Jinyu, you’re like a prickly sea urchin, hard to deal with, but I still want to try something new,” Yu Duqiu whispered. “I don’t care if he feels wronged or not; I don’t have him in my heart. I only discipline you to make you obedient, understand?”

Bai Zhao didn’t appreciate it: “You can ask me to risk my life for you. But to be a slave with no self-awareness, that’s impossible.”

… Truly stubborn.

At this time, Lu Jinyu had approached and greeted with an enthusiastic hug, saying, “Duqiu, why didn’t you answer my calls?”

Yu Duqiu finally took out his phone, “Oh, I had something to handle today, had it turned off to avoid interruptions.”

“Aren’t you afraid of missing out on your billion-dollar business deals every minute?”

“People controlled by others need to constantly check their phones to not miss work messages. I don’t need to; those who can’t find me will wait for me.”

Lu Jinyu laughed, “I’ve been waiting here for you for half a day then. Let’s go inside; I’ve made some progress on the task you entrusted to me last time.”

The four entered the living room one after another. Hong Liangzhang had prepared some afternoon tea snacks, but Lu Jinyu didn’t eat much, leaving them almost untouched.

After a busy day, Yu Duqiu was a bit hungry. He sat down on the sofa, picked up a piece of toasted muffin with a fork, and just as he was about to eat it, he hesitated slightly before passing it to the man standing behind him, “Open your mouth.”

Bai Zhao responded indifferently, “Not hungry.”

“…Fine, then you won’t eat tonight.” Yu Duqiu thought he had given enough special treatment by lowering himself to coax him. If he didn’t appreciate it, then so be it; this guy was arrogant enough, couldn’t be too spoiled.

He ate the muffin himself, took a sip of warm black tea, filling his stomach a bit, and his mood brightened, asking, “What did you find out?”

Lu Jinyu, who was originally sitting on a single sofa, moved to sit beside him, showing him the messages on his phone, their heads close together, his soft black hair lightly touching the silver hair.

“After you mentioned it that day, I went back to investigate, consulted many friends, and someone indeed bought a painting in a similar style. I followed their information and found the artist who has over a hundred thousand followers online, quite famous with a dark-style preference. I added him as a friend, showed him the painting, and it turned out he did paint it. This is our chat record.”

Yu Duqiu didn’t need to look back to guess Bai Zhao’s expression, but he didn’t care, focusing on Lu Jinyu’s phone instead—

There wasn’t much information. The artist only remembered that last September, someone contacted him via private message online, offering a good price to commission the painting, which took about a month to complete.

Unfortunately, the person who commissioned the painting had since deleted their account. The final artwork was traded in person, picked up by a young boy with a flame tattoo on his arm.

The clue matched but also ended there.

“It seems my guess was right; this painting was custom-made and used as a tool for drug trafficking,” Yu Duqiu touched his chin, recalling and analyzing, “The content of the painting is also unique – a lamb with its throat slit and a cross… symbolizing killing a god and atonement. These symbols appeared not only in Huang Hanxiang’s crime scene photos but almost at my crime scene too. The person who ordered the painting must be The Queen, no doubt. But his taste is really poor; this painting has no aesthetic value, I wouldn’t want it even if it was given to me for free.”

Lu Jinyu couldn’t help but laugh, “Compared to your collection, it’s definitely not a good piece.”

“I have a hunch that The Queen’s doing these extra rituals isn’t just out of religious faith. What do you think, Bai Zhao?” Yu Duqiu turned to ask.

Bai Zhao looked indifferent, “Perhaps.”

Yu Duqiu turned his body, resting his arm on the back of the sofa, intentionally asking, “Since Jiang Sheng was responsible for receiving the drugs in the country, there must be someone abroad responsible for sending them. Who do you think that might be?”

“I don’t know.”

“Then what do you know? Just how to be jealous?”

Bai Zhao took a deep breath, “First, you can’t provide definitive answers to these questions either. Second, I intended to leave, to let you do whatever you wanted, but you insisted I come here.”

Yu Duqiu tilted his head to look up at him, “So generous?”

“You only allowed me to stay, not that you would give up others. I’m very clear about my position in your heart; whether I accept it or not, I have to.”

“Not that high?” Lu Jinyu laughed, “I don’t know about others, but compared to me, your status should be quite high. When he was with me, he flirted with others right in front of me and never asked if I was jealous because he didn’t care. In terms of feelings, he’s a jerk, you shouldn’t expect too much from him. As long as it’s not about feelings, he’s the perfect lover.”

Bai Zhao gave him a cold glance, “Yet you still willingly sleep with him, which means you don’t care if he has feelings for you; it’s just mutual exploitation. If that’s the case, don’t curse him for being a jerk with the tone of a victim.”

Lu Jinyu was taken aback, “I was trying to comfort him, and he accuses me?”

Yu Duqiu laughed so hard he slumped onto the sofa, “I didn’t expect him to defend me, considering he usually loves to lecture me.”

“Lecturing is one thing, I’ve never said you’re a jerk.” Bai Zhao reached out, brushing a few strands of silver hair that had just touched Lu Jinyu’s, “Even if you are a jerk, you’re the only Yu Duqiu in the world. Who else could I love besides you?”

“…” Yu Duqiu seemed to hit a pause button, his expression and entire being frozen for a moment.

“… Talking about love when you’ve never even been in love.”

“Have you?”

Lu Jinyu’s gaze swept over the two, realizing he was no longer welcome here, and tactfully stood up, “I think we’ll stop here for today. I’ll send you the chat records and the painter’s account; you can investigate further. I’ll take my leave now, no need to see me out.”

Yu Duqiu closed his eyes, sighed silently to himself, and also stood up, “No need for formalities, I’ll walk you out.”

Lu Jinyu’s car was parked in front of the main building by the fountain. He got into the car, lowered the window to say goodbye, “See you next time, and I wish you both long-lasting happiness. But honestly, I hope you break up soon, remember to look for me when that happens; I’d be happy to comfort you.”

“I’ll remember that, don’t regret it.” Yu Duqiu playfully tapped his chin, watching him drive away. After standing there for a moment, he intended to go back inside, but as he turned around, he almost bumped into the person behind him, “Hey, why are you like a persistent ghost?”

Bai Zhao stood still like a wall, unrelenting in his questioning, “Have you been in love?”

Yu Duqiu sighed helplessly, “Don’t you know my entire romantic history?”

“I know the last ten years, but not before that. High school, middle school, elementary school, have you had any crushes?”

“Hmm… have I or haven’t I…” Yu Duqiu feigned contemplation to tease him, “If you behave, maybe I’ll tell you.”

Bai Zhao shook his head, “People who obey you too much are only taken for granted, like Lu Jinyu. If he hadn’t left you of his own accord but was dumped after you got bored, you wouldn’t give him a second chance.”

Yu Duqiu mocked, “You’ve really figured out my likes and dislikes. If you had spent as much effort spying on me on your foster father, you wouldn’t be unaware of his other foster sons abroad, or mistakenly identify a body, causing me so much trouble.”

“It’s my fault, I’m sorry.” Bai Zhao quickly apologized, smiling slightly, “But I’m glad this time you didn’t suspect me.”

“I just can’t be bothered to argue with you.” Yu Duqiu pushed him away, “Now that Jinyu’s gone, you’re acting all smug again. Don’t think I’ve forgotten how you gave me that look earlier. I said no dinner, not even a grain of rice.”

Bai Zhao quickly grabbed his arm, “If not dinner, can I eat something else?”

“What do you want to eat? The cat and the police dog’s food?”

Bai Zhao said nothing, the setting sun casting his eyes into shadow, making them look dark and aggressive.

Yu Duqiu understood in his heart, covering Bai Zhao’s eyes with his hand, “Don’t look at me with those eyes; know your place. There are surveillance cameras by the door, think about the impact.”

Bai Zhao didn’t care, “I have no status, no position, so no rules, no concerns. If you want to tame me, at least give me some meat.”

Yu Duqiu laughed, suddenly leaning close, his whisper like a demon’s murmur, “Baby, taming isn’t just about feeding meat; there’s also the whip, which is often more effective. I’ve already given you meat, don’t force me to use the whip on you.”

The warm breath brushed his cheek, suggesting they were almost touching. Bai Zhao licked his dry lips, “I’m not afraid of death, you think I’d be afraid of a whip?”

Yu Duqiu thought about it, just as he was about to add more threats, his waist was suddenly gripped, pulling him forward into Bai Zhao’s chest, his cheek heating up.

Blindfolded, Bai Zhao’s sense of direction was off, kissing Yu Duqiu’s cheek the first time, but there wouldn’t be a second because Yu Duqiu pushed his head away.

Bai Zhao, failing at his first attempt, seemed to realize he wouldn’t succeed, his half-exposed face drooping with apparent disappointment.

Yu Duqiu wanted to scold him but found the expression oddly cute.

Maybe he could give him a little more meat, after all.

Just when Bai Zhao thought all hope was lost, something soft and cool quickly pecked his lips.

He froze, then heard Yu Duqiu say, “That’s the last one for this month.”

“… But today’s just the first.”

“You can choose to let me sleep; I’ll reward you with a kiss each time.”

“… How ‘generous’.”

Yu Duqiu chuckled, taking advantage of Bai Zhao’s blindness to scan his tousled hair, straight nose, slightly parted lips, and prominent Adam’s apple.

Is this what it feels like to kiss with your eyes?

The summer sun, the clear fountain, the romantic atmosphere seemed to increase one’s tolerance. Gestures that once seemed slightly distasteful now felt acceptable.

Or… should he make an exception again?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, Yu Duqiu felt an indescribable sensation, as if someone had pierced his chest with a sharp gaze, seeing through his thoughts.

But Bai Zhao was clearly blindfolded.

Whose gaze was that then?

Yu Duqiu’s mind quickly cooled, his years of honed vigilance and intuition kicking in. He abruptly looked around—

Just missing a secretive gaze from afar.

Yu Duqiu paused slightly.

A window on the third floor of the main building was open, the curtain swaying with the wind as if someone had just left; in the garden, the blooming roses and hibiscus danced gracefully, their lush foliage could easily conceal a figure; in the kitchen on the first floor of the auxiliary building, dinner preparations were in full swing, and from a distance, one could vaguely see people moving about, their shapes hard to discern.

From where had that gaze come?

“Why aren’t you talking?” Bai Zhao, after waiting for a while without a response, couldn’t help but ask.

Yu Duqiu’s gaze returned to the face in front of him. He lowered his hand, circled around to the back of Bai Zhao’s neck, pulled him down into an embrace, and whispered, “It seems you guessed right.”

“About what?”

“The dirty things in this house haven’t been completely cleaned up.”

Bai Zhao quickly understood, his brows slightly furrowed, “Who is it? Are they around here?”

Yu Duqiu casually stroked his broad back, “I didn’t get a clear look, but I’m sure someone was watching us just now. Not very friendly, but not hostile either.”

Bai Zhao subtly scanned the visible area without spotting any suspicious individuals: “Should we thoroughly check all the employees in the house?”

“Yes, in the next few days, you assist Xu Sheng in checking all the new employees we’ve taken on this year.”

“What about the old employees?”

“Let’s wait on that. They’ve been with me for many years, from abroad to here; they generally won’t be turned by outsiders. Chef Dong is an exception, since Lingya was considered the lady of the house back then, he had to betray one employer or the other, might as well choose the one who pays him. Let’s focus on the new employees first; time is running out, you need to hurry.”

Bai Zhao, confused by the last sentence, asked, “What do you mean by time is running out?”

The spying gaze had vanished without a trace, and Yu Duqiu let out a light sigh, relaxing and leaning forward, resting on Bai Zhao. The chest that felt exposed earlier now seemed shielded by this solid wall, bringing a sense of relief.

Thankfully, the enemy lurking nearby was not this person in front of him.

“When the time comes, you’ll know the answer.”