BL Ch79

The rain shower lasted longer than expected, still pouring when the plane landed.

The subordinates waiting at the airport from both sides held up black umbrellas, forming two lines. As the aircraft stairs were lowered, Lou Baoguo was the first to step out, startled by the scene, “Is this a funeral?”

Zhou Yi behind him spat three times, “Can’t you say something more auspicious?”

Ji Lin walked ahead of Yu Duqiu, whispering sideways, “Do you think anyone here looks like…?”

Yu Duqiu’s gaze casually swept over the group that had come to meet Pei Ming: all tall, holding long-handled black umbrellas, fitting the profile of the mysterious murderer in the rain alley surveillance. His eyes then moved to their fingers—no one was wearing a ring.

“They all look like it, and yet none do.”

Ji Lin: “…Your one sentence is as good as another.”

One car, aside from the driver, could seat three people. The two big bosses naturally took the back seat, leaving the last spot for the highest-ranking of the remaining.

Ji Lin got into the front passenger seat, thinking this car had seen its fair share of the world today, carrying a police officer, a suspect, and a madman.

It was quite a spectacle for these three to ride together so calmly.

The motorcade left the airport, heading onto the highway. The rain added a smoky grey filter to the surroundings, distorting the buildings and vegetation through the water-streaked windows, making everything appear misty and hazy.

The driver, a local employee dispatched by the Pei family, mentioned that due to the rain, the roads would be slippery, and they’d drive more slowly. From Mandalay to Mogok, the road was winding and could take seven or eight hours. He asked if they wanted to stay overnight and leave the next day.

Pei Ming replied, “We’ve arranged to meet the mayor tomorrow; we can’t delay. The entry policies there are strict; we should make use of the time we can enter.”

Yu Duqiu, hearing this, turned to thank him, “Thank you for going through this trouble for us, Brother Pei.”

Pei Ming smiled, “No trouble at all. Our family had a significant presence in the gem market there years ago; we still have some reputation. Arranging a meeting isn’t hard. We’ll visit the mayor first tomorrow to make things easier for you later.”

“Hopefully, everything goes smoothly.”

At that moment, a sudden ringtone cut through the air, the familiar melody making Yu Duqiu pause slightly.

Ji Lin pulled out his noisy phone, playing military music, and seeing the caller, he tensed up, answering almost breathlessly, “Hello… Auntie.”

He was like a junior employee being scolded by a superior, tense and rigid, only managing to say, “Yes, it’s fine.” After hanging up, he exhaled a long breath of relief.

Yu Duqiu mocked, “One would think you just got a kidnapping call.”

Ji Lin shot him a glare, “Auntie Meng said the banners are ready and have been delivered to the station. Since Old Peng mentioned I was going abroad today, she was just checking if I’d arrived.”

Yu Duqiu: “You should just make her your godmother; it would secure the couple’s later years, and I’d feel at ease too.”

Ji Lin hesitated, “I’ve thought about it, but my salary is barely enough to support my own parents.”

“You could come work as my bodyguard; I’ll pay you fifty thousand a month.”

“Bah! I’d rather stay poor than work for you!” The upright Officer Ji refused adamantly.

After listening for a while, Pei Ming interjected, “Which aunt is this?”

Both turned to look at him, Yu Duqiu giving a cryptic smile before saying, “It’s Mu Hao’s mother.”

Hearing this name, Pei Ming showed a hint of regret, “I see… It must have been tough for them these past few months, losing a son in their old age. Mu Hao’s death was so sudden; I couldn’t believe it when I heard. The murderer is truly despicable.”

Yu Duqiu twisted the ruby ring on his finger, murmuring, “Yes, last week I accompanied them to the cemetery. Once we catch the murderer, I’ll bring the judgment to pay respects to him.”

“You have a good heart.”

“It’s not just for Mu Hao; Miss Cen’s family of four is also buried in that cemetery.” Yu Duqiu didn’t miss the brief flicker in Pei Ming’s eyes, “If this experiment is successful, I’ll ask the police to reinvestigate the car accident from twenty years ago to find the real culprit behind it, fulfilling my grandfather’s wish.”

Ji Lin thought to himself, ‘Good guy, this is maxing out the aggro,’ if Pei Ming doesn’t act now, it would only mean they’ve suspected the wrong person.

“Duqiu, I used to think you were flighty, always jumping from one thing to another. Now I see you’re actually quite persistent,” Pei Ming said, whether sincerely or not.

Yu Duqiu humbly responded, “You flatter me, Brother Pei. You’re quite persistent too, still trying to atone for your father’s sins after all these years.”

Pei Ming gave a fleeting, gloomy smile like the rain outside, saying no more.

The motorcade moved in a neat line, heading north along the Pyin Oo Lwin road. Buildings became sparse, and the natural landscape began to emerge, with undulating hills like frozen waves stretching for hundreds of miles.

Zhou Yi had just called home to report his safety, then turned back with a sigh, “Xiao Bai, Xiao Guo asked me to ask how things are going between you and the young master?”

Not just Zhou Yangguo, who was into shipping characters, even Lou Baoguo was curious, nudging Bai Zhao and winking, “Brother, things are going well, right? Don’t deny it; we all know you came out of the young master’s room that day. He never lets anyone spend the night in his bed; you’re the first!”

Bai Zhao reluctantly turned his gaze from the scenery, ignoring Lou Baoguo to answer Zhou Yi, “It’s going okay. Tell her to focus on her studies instead of this.”

Zhou Yi’s eyes lit up with the glow of finding a kindred spirit, “With that one sentence, you’re Xiao Guo’s big brother from now on!”

Lou Baoguo: “How are you taking advantage of my brother? If he becomes your son through seniority, wouldn’t that make me your son too? Dream on!”

Bai Zhao didn’t mind this seniority arrangement, smiling lightly, “Sure, I wouldn’t mind having a little sister.”

Lou Baoguo was displeased, “Brother! You can’t give this old man such an advantage!”

His loud voice, like a booming bell, startled the driver, who almost swerved off the road, hastily reminding, “Gentlemen, the road here is narrow and slippery from the rain; one wrong move and we could end up in a ditch. Please be more careful.”

Lou Baoguo quickly apologized, not daring to cause more trouble.

Zhou Yi caressed the family photo on his phone’s wallpaper, the scar on his face adding to his fierce look, making him appear like he was planning a kidnapping, but his eyes were gentle and helpless, “Xiao Guo also said that there’s a parent-teacher meeting for her first day of junior high in a few days, and I can’t go. Her grandparents won’t understand, but if she had a brother, he could go in my place.”

Bai Zhao: “Has she been looked down upon by her classmates because of this?”

“No, not really. I often disguise myself as a janitor and sneak into her school to observe. She gets along well with her classmates, but last semester, a few boys had bad intentions towards her, always trying to talk to her after class. I asked the teacher to move her to the front row, so this semester she’s surrounded by girls, which is safer.”

“…”

Fatherly love, like a mountain… heavy.

Lou Baoguo sighed, “Poor Xiao Guo, being put in the front row would be worse than death for me, especially with the teacher’s death stare.”

“Our Xiao Guo loves studying, not like you,” Zhou Yi said with disdain before asking Bai Zhao, “Why would you ask that? Was it because Bai Zhiming didn’t attend your parent-teacher meetings and you were looked down upon by your classmates?”

Bai Zhao shook his head, “It has nothing to do with him. Whether he came or not, everyone knew I was an orphan; it’s hard to keep such things hidden.”

Zhou Yi, having a daughter himself, couldn’t stand to see kids bullied, comforting him, “There are all sorts of people in this world; you’ll encounter some bad ones in life. Even our young master, with his powerful family background, his grandfather an academician, his parents wealthy, was bullied at school when he was little.”

Lou Baoguo was hearing this for the first time, asking in surprise, “What? Such things happened?”

His young master being bullied? That would be more like him bullying others.

With no outsiders in the car, Zhou Yi didn’t consider this confidential, so he whispered, “I heard from Uncle Hong that our young master was very obedient when he was little, smart and handsome, with a well-off family. He was the epitome of heaven’s favor, and some kids were jealous, so they ganged up to isolate him. At that time, his closest friend was the driver who picked him up and dropped him off at school.”

Lou Baoguo gasped, “The one who kidnapped him?”

Zhou Yi nodded, “I heard his family ran into some trouble or something, needing money, so he resorted to crooked means. In the end, he died gruesomely, shot in the head by the police right in front of the young master.”

Lou Baoguo murmured, “I heard some of this from Uncle Hong before; it’s so cruel. The young master was only seven or eight then, right? So young…”

“Nine,” Bai Zhao corrected.

“Oh, right, Uncle Hong said it was around nine. Wow, you remember that so clearly, brother.”

Bai Zhao didn’t respond, turning his gaze back to the window, his eyes calm and deep, lost in thought.

As they chatted, the rain weakened and eventually stopped, with a beam of dusky sunlight piercing through the clouds, illuminating the world. Lowering the car window, the fresh air mixed with the refreshing scent of rain made the lungs feel as if they had savored a strong mint, invigorating.

The car moved slowly on the muddy mountain road, passing by similar green hills. The 200-kilometer journey seemed endless, with numerous S-shaped turns making the passengers dizzy, yet the post-rain scenery was beautiful like a rich ink painting, compelling one to look despite the dizziness. Sometimes, after a bend, a small village would suddenly appear, the golden tips of pagodas reflecting the sunset’s glow, sacred and solemn.

“So beautiful,” Lou Baoguo sincerely sighed, “If Bai Zhiming really settled here, he sure knows how to pick a spot.”

Then, his sharp eyes spotted a field of bright red flowers in a distant mountain hollow, “Wow, in such a remote area, someone’s growing flowers. Are those… poppies?”

Zhou Yi glanced over, his experience speaking, “Those are opium poppies. In places like northern Myanmar where few people go, you often see illegal opium cultivation, which gets smuggled into our country after processing. I used to deal with these people specifically; I’m very familiar with these flowers.”

Lou Baoguo let out a long “oh,” “So beautiful yet so harmful. Thankfully, they’re not poppies; otherwise, the young master might set the mountain on fire.”

Zhou Yi laughed and scolded, “Our young master isn’t that crazy, be careful I don’t report you for slander.”

Lou Baoguo immediately backed down, “No, no, no, I was just kidding. Before Jiang Sheng came, wasn’t the gardener Xiao Yu dismissed because he accidentally planted poppies?”

Hearing this, Bai Zhao suddenly turned back, his brows furrowed, “He was dismissed for planting poppies?”

“Yeah, you can see how much our young master hates those flowers.”

“No, he doesn’t hate them that much; he’s told me so. And on the day of the jewelry exhibition, he wore a suit with poppies printed on it. If he hated them that much, why would he wear them?”

“Then… maybe it was a spur-of-the-moment thing? You know the young master’s temperament; he fires employees on a whim. Why would he need a reason to fire a gardener?”

“There must be a reason; he suspected there was a mole among them, so he fired them all. But Xiao Yu was fired separately; Huang Hanxiang’s incident hadn’t happened yet, so I don’t think he would fire an employee over just seeing poppies in the garden.”

Lou Baoguo scratched his head, “The young master doesn’t fire employees lightly… but that’s what happened. Brother, do you think there’s something more to it?”

Bai Zhao seemed stumped by the question, silent for a moment before saying, “I just find it odd. Even if he really hated poppies, how could Xiao Yu, as a gardener, not know this? Shouldn’t this be part of the employee orientation?”

“Maybe there was an oversight in HR? Jiang Sheng managed to infiltrate our No. 1 Palace because HR didn’t check thoroughly. The young master fired the entire HR department for that.”

That reason seemed somewhat plausible, but Bai Zhao, remembering that probing look, couldn’t fully accept it, “I feel there’s more to it than that.”

Lou Baoguo: “Brother, have you been spending too much time with the young master and caught his paranoia? Xiao Yu was just an insignificant gardener; his dismissal wouldn’t impact the young master.”

Zhou Yi interjected, “Maybe we should contact Xiao Yu when we get back, see if there’s some misunderstanding. We could use a gardener at No. 1 Palace right now; we might even rehire him.”

Bai Zhao thought about it, realizing there was nothing he could do from abroad, so he hummed in agreement, not pursuing the topic further, turning back to look at the scenery.

The opium poppies were no longer visible outside the window, but the sense of unease in his mind grew stronger.

The chatter between Lou Baoguo and Zhou Yi seemed amplified, making him restless, and at that moment, his phone vibrated unexpectedly. He checked it irritably, his pupils contracting sharply.

After his fingers stiffened for half a second, he quickly glanced at the other two who were still talking, ensuring they hadn’t noticed him, and discreetly opened the new email—

It was an encrypted email from an anonymous sender. Besides spam, only one person should know this email address. And that person was being hunted by the police; he shouldn’t be risking sending him an email now.

Unless he told someone else.

“Hello, Mr. Bai.” The opening was like an advertisement.

“I’ve just told him you’re coming for him.”

“He told me to inform you, if you dare betray him, he’ll kill you too.”

“May you make the right choice, save your own life, and not end up like the one below.”

The attachment was a photo, and upon opening it, the vivid red of blood filled his vision.

In a pool of blood lay an open ID card, the black leather badge on it rusted and blurred, but the large characters “Public Security” below indicated it was a police ID.

The photo on the ID was protected by a transparent film, miraculously spared from the blood, allowing the handsome, tough-looking face to be seen clearly. The expression was stern and rigid, with eyes that shone with vitality and conviction, seemingly fearless and reliable.

Below the photo were three lines of small text:

[Mu Hao]

[Pingyi City Public Security Bureau, XX Province]

[071625]