BL Ch85

After an autumn rain, the air began to carry a hint of coolness, dispelling the long-lasting summer heat, causing the perceived temperature to drop sharply.

Fine threads of rain drifted through the classroom window, landing on the long eyelashes of a boy by the window, who seemed oblivious as he listened intently to the teacher telling the story of Edison’s invention of the light bulb in beautiful English.

At the end of the story, the teacher, as usual, used a famous quote to educate them: “Edison said: Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration, so even if you’re a genius, you still need to work hard.”

After class, as the teacher gathered her materials and walked out the door, she heard a young voice call out from behind, “Teacher.”

The young female teacher turned around to see a handsome boy with black hair and a fair complexion chasing after her, looking up with eyes reflecting her image, politely asking, “Teacher, I have a question for you.”

Pretty children are always favored, especially if they’re the smartest in the class. The teacher kindly knelt down to be eye-level with the small boy and said, “Sure, what do you want to ask?”

“The last thing you said in class, I remember there’s another part to it: but that 1% of inspiration is more important than the 99% of perspiration. I want to ask, is this true?” The boy was very earnest, his eyes full of curiosity as if discussing a complex math problem.

The teacher was in a dilemma.

She had left out the second part to encourage diligence, but misleading students would be unethical. After some thought, she shared her interpretation: “A good spark of inspiration can indeed outweigh much hard work. But inspiration is fleeting and can dry up; you can’t force it, whereas hard work is something you can control. Even if you’re smart, only what you hold in your own hands is truly yours, understand, little Yu?”

Young Yu Duqiu nodded thoughtfully, then broke into a bright, radiant smile, “I understand! Thank you, teacher!”

Watching his joyful, bouncing figure leave, the teacher couldn’t help but smile genuinely.

He was so adorable she felt like having a child of her own.

Back in the classroom, Yu Duqiu found the window by his seat wide open, allowing too much rain to come in and wet his textbooks.

A group of boys were gathered at the desk behind him, laughing and chatting. Seeing him return, they looked at him with unfriendly eyes, “Yu Duqiu, you went to ask the teacher a question again? Where do you get so many questions from every day?”

“Are you trying to make the teacher think you’re smart?”

“He probably thinks he’s the genius the teacher was talking about!”

“Hahaha, a genius? How narcissistic!”

Children lack the vocabulary for harsh insults, so their mockery was simple yet contained genuine malice.

Yu Duqiu ignored them, silently placing his soaked textbook into his desk drawer.

Books could be bought again, but if a dog bites a person, it might get sick. That’s what he thought.

Seeing his indifferent attitude, the boys lost interest and dispersed.

No one really dared to do anything to him, not because they knew he came from a wealthy family. Children don’t understand such social dynamics; it was just bullying the weak.

Though Yu Duqiu might seem “weak,” those who protected him were “strong.”

Especially the tall, robust driver who picked him up and dropped him off every day. To the average-height elementary schoolers, he was like a giant. If Yu Duqiu reported them, that giant could easily deal with the whole class.

After school, other students were gradually picked up by their parents. Yu Duqiu, as usual, slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed towards the school gate, his heart feeling as heavy as if it had been drenched by the rain.

It was fine that the book got wet, but he had so many notes in it, now illegible. It seemed he’d need to keep a separate notebook from now on, sigh…

He trudged into the drizzle, deliberately stepping into puddles with his shiny leather shoes, splashing water everywhere. As he was silently venting his frustration, he suddenly felt a shadow overhead.

“Oh, who’s upset our young master?”

The cheerful male voice instantly soothed his little annoyance. Yu Duqiu was very familiar with this voice; he looked up with a smile, “Brother Yang! Why did you come into the school?”

The man holding a large umbrella grinned broadly, honest and simple, “Rain’s getting heavier; I was worried you’d get wet. Come on, I brought you some fried chicken.”

Yu Duqiu’s eyes lit up as if he could already smell it, his soul seemingly drawn by the scent. He ran to the school gate, slipped into the spacious Mercedes, and indeed saw a bag of fried chicken on the back seat, the aroma overwhelming.

Yang Yongjian got in the car, drying the small raindrops from Yu Duqiu’s hair with a towel before whispering, “Don’t tell your parents, okay?”

“Yes! I promise not to tell!” Yu Duqiu, without needing a reminder, buckled up his seatbelt, put on disposable gloves, and began to enjoy what his parents called “junk food.”

With one bite, the crispy exterior and juicy interior of the chicken brought joy far beyond the gourmet meals at home.

The rain blurred the view outside the car window, but inside was his secret world of freedom.

No need for manners, no one would scold him for crumbs on his mouth. At this moment, he was just an ordinary elementary school student, thrilled by delicious food.

Yang Yongjian saw this through the rearview mirror and handed him a tissue, “Wipe your mouth, young master. Don’t let Mr. Hong see, or he’ll know it was me sneaking you treats, and he’ll blame me for spoiling you.”

Yu Duqiu wiped his mouth nonchalantly, “Let him guess. Mr. Hong loves me; he won’t tattle to my parents.”

The driver shook his head in resignation. Indeed, kids from rich families grow up fearless when loved, not realizing that their words and actions can determine someone else’s fate.

“He won’t do anything to you, but he might fire me.” Yang Yongjian playfully threatened, “If I leave, you might never see me again.”

Yu Duqiu’s young heart was deeply hurt by these words; even the chicken in his hand lost its appeal, his eyes welling up with tears, “No, Brother Yang, don’t go! I won’t let Mr. Hong fire you!”

“Hey, don’t cry, I was just kidding. I’m not going anywhere.” Yang Yongjian quickly popped a candy into his mouth to soothe the sensitive young master, “I’ll be here for your middle school, high school, college, even driving your wedding car!”

Yu Duqiu was easily comforted; his emotions came and went quickly. Hearing this, he was happy again, the sweet candy in his mouth, “That’s still a long way off; I heard you need to buy a car and a house to get married, and I don’t have that much money yet.”

“Young master, you’re joking, right? You’re saying you don’t have money? I’m the one who doesn’t have money, living in a rented place, unable to bring my wife and child here…” Yang Yongjian’s eyes dimmed with the gloomy, rainy sky. Realizing he shouldn’t burden a child with such thoughts, he forced cheerfulness, “With our young master being so handsome, there are probably many who want to arrange a marriage alliance with Mr. Yu.”

Yu Duqiu blushed deeply, shaking his head in embarrassment, “My mom won’t agree to that. Although she’s considered it, but…”

But what, they both knew. Two years ago, that car accident had shaken the entire Yu family.

Yang Yongjian sighed, “You mean considering a betrothal with Miss Cen, right?”

“Umm…”

“It’s such a pity. If her two children were still alive, her daughter would be five this year, four years younger than you, just perfect. Her son, two years younger, could have been your playmate.”

Yu Duqiu wrinkled his nose, “I heard her son doesn’t like to talk to people; I wouldn’t want to play with him.” Then, remembering the boy was no longer alive, he felt it was wrong to speak ill of him and added politely, “But if he asked me, I would play with him.”

Yang Yongjian burst into laughter, “Young master, that’s not how you make friends. You need to exchange sincerity.”

Yu Duqiu looked puzzled, “But our teacher said today that only what you control is truly yours. I think that makes a lot of sense.”

“That depends on the situation, young master. Books you read, money you earn, yes, you should control them. But human emotions are uncontrollable. Love, hate, happiness, sadness, can you switch them at will? No, you can’t, let alone control others.”

Yu Duqiu was not yet at an age to understand love and hate; he only knew that today’s chicken was delicious, the candy in his mouth was sweet, and he was happy. Even if he was bullied at school, it wasn’t a big deal because his Brother Yang would protect him.

Whether he could control others didn’t matter much to him; the nine-year-old had no such grand ambitions, only hoping that these free, joyful times would last longer.

Preferably, forever.

It seemed the window wasn’t closed properly; large raindrops hit his face, making Yu Duqiu shiver, and he slowly opened his eyes.

All he could see was darkness.

He rubbed his eyes to make sure they were open.

“Awake?” A male voice close to his ear stopped his doubts. Yu Duqiu looked up to see a vague silhouette in the dark and sighed in relief, “I thought I went blind.”

Bai Zhao let out a low chuckle, his voice clear yet warm, like the comforting warmth of a fireplace on a rainy day, making one feel very comfortable and safe.

Yu Duqiu moved slightly, only then realizing he was sitting in Bai Zhao’s lap, his head resting on his shoulder.

No wonder the voice sounded so close.

The sound of rain pattering above was somewhat muffled by some waterproof fabric, but a few drops still managed to sneak through, which must have woken him up.

“How long was I out?”

“Not long, just an hour.”

Yu Duqiu’s head was still a bit dizzy; after sitting and recalling for a while, he suddenly remembered what happened before he lost consciousness and immediately reached to touch Bai Zhao’s back, “Are you injured?”

Bai Zhao seemed to have night vision, accurately catching his hand and kissing it lightly, “Just a superficial wound, I’m fine. How do you feel?”

Hearing the calm tone in Bai Zhao’s voice, Yu Duqiu felt slightly relieved and replied, “I’m okay, your hand is just too cold.”

“The temperature here fluctuates a lot between day and night.”

“Then make sure to keep warm… By the way, where are we? Where are the others?”

As soon as he asked, another voice came from somewhere in the darkness, “We got separated from Zhou Yi and the others. This is a mine shaft; Bai Zhao found it, and we dragged you both in here to escape the fire. Almost choked to death, but luckily, it started raining heavily halfway through the fire, just like Aken predicted. We’re lucky this time.”

Yu Duqiu recognized Ji Lin’s voice and heard him say “you,” and with the strong, unmistakable smell in the air, he knew Mu Hao was also there, quickly asking, “How’s Mu Hao?”

“Not good.” Ji Lin’s reply made hearts sink, “He’s too weak to even speak. He just vomited and has been having convulsions and a fever. If I’m not mistaken, it’s withdrawal symptoms from tranquilizer addiction… That bastard Bai Zhiming, killing him a hundred times wouldn’t be enough.”

The last sentence was squeezed out through gritted teeth, his pronunciation trembling with evident hatred.

From last October until now, a whole ten months spent in a lightless cage, surviving in darkness and hunger, constantly injected with drugs, unable to fight back or escape, feeling his strength and life drain away. From a robust detective to a skeletal figure unable to walk, with the hope of escaping diminishing daily. Had it been anyone else, they might have gone mad or committed suicide in the process of waiting to die. That Mu Hao could remain mentally sound till now was nothing short of a miracle.

“When I was little, I was locked in a small dark room for a few days, and I still need a light on to sleep at night.” Yu Duqiu said self-deprecatingly, “In terms of willpower, Mu Hao is much stronger than me. I remember in high school, I was always breaking school rules, causing trouble, and he would nag at me endlessly. My ears were almost numb; I had to give in because I couldn’t stand it anymore. I’m glad he became a detective; countless criminals awaited his interrogation, finally freeing me from misery.”

“He’s definitely stronger than you; Mu Hao is stronger than anyone. Being nagged by him is an honor; it means he cares about you.” Ji Lin, the little fanboy, seemed to forget that even a child could now overpower the weakened Mu Hao by his side.

Yu Duqiu teased with a smile, “Love makes you see beauty in everything, I understand.”

Ji Lin’s tone immediately turned flustered; his face must have gone red, “What are you talking about! Shut up! Instead of gossiping, think about how to get back!”

He raised his voice a bit, and the person resting beside him let out a weak groan.

Ji Lin quickly lowered his voice and apologized carefully, “Sorry, sorry, Mu Ge, I’ll keep it down.”

His tone was as if Mu Hao, in his frail state, had threatened him.

Normally, Yu Duqiu would have mocked this, but he wasn’t in the mood right now.

This place was too dark.

He hugged himself under his arms, sitting on Bai Zhao’s legs, not moving away, even pressing his face against Bai Zhao’s neck.

Bai Zhao noticed his small movements and, looking down, said, “Don’t be afraid.”

The breath on his cheek was real, warm, from a living person.

Not his imagination.

Yu Duqiu secretly sighed in relief and replied, “It’s okay, let’s think about how to get back as he suggested.”

When the explosion happened, none of them had their backpacks, losing all their supplies and tools. Now, they only had their phones, but there was almost no signal on this back slope. To call for help, they’d need to go back to where the house was or descend to find a signal. It wouldn’t be hard, but with the heavy rain outside making the mountain paths muddy and slippery, both climbing and descending would require caution, slowing them down considerably, especially with having to carry Mu Hao. They might run into Bai Zhiming on the way, who could have other weapons or accomplices… their chances of survival would be slim.

Another option was to stay in the mine shaft and wait for Lou Baoguo and Zhou Yi to bring the police to find them. The watch had a GPS function; once online, their coordinates could be located, but this plan had its risks too.

First, there’s no guarantee that Lou Baoguo and Zhou Yi were safe. Even if they were, with an immobile pregnant woman, it would take three to four hours to get down the mountain, report to the police, and for the police to drive from the city to help. During this time, if Bai Zhiming didn’t see their bodies, he might search the mountain.

This mine shaft wasn’t very hidden; Bai Zhao had covered the entrance with a waterproof sheet left by miners, barely disguising their presence temporarily. But Bai Zhiming, who often worked here, could easily get explosives for blasting mountains; how could he not know that people could hide in the mine below?

If discovered, they wouldn’t even have a chance to escape; there was only one rope ladder to climb out. Bai Zhiming could simply cut the rope ladder and throw in explosives to kill them on the spot.

“Also, there’s the risk of a cave-in or gas explosion in the mine. I don’t want to be a canary①. Let’s head down the mountain once the rain stops. Going out now could lead to a landslide, which is more dangerous.” Yu Duqiu concluded.

Ji Lin pondered for a moment and proposed a third option, “Before you went up the mountain, didn’t you tell your bodyguards to wait at the bottom? With the explosion and the fire, they must know something happened; maybe they’ve already called the police.”

Yu Duqiu was silent for a moment before saying, “I don’t trust them; we can’t put our hopes on them.”

“Huh? Then why did you bring them along?”

“I trusted them before, not anymore.” Yu Duqiu’s voice seemed to carry the chill of the rain, “It’s the same question — how did Bai Zhiming know we were coming?”

Ji Lin: “Didn’t Bai Zhao say those miners at the bottom of the mountain were informants? They must be Bai Zhiming’s eyes and ears; once someone comes looking for him, they notify him. It’s just a matter of sending a message by phone in seconds.”

“Were those people waiting there day and night? I think they were waiting specifically for us… Bai Zhiming probably knew we were coming today.”

Now it was Ji Lin’s turn to be silent for a while before he said, “That thought is terrifying.”

The only ones who knew about their travel plans today were the dozen or so who came up the mountain with them — undoubtedly, all were Yu Duqiu’s most trusted subordinates. The only outsider was the guide Aken, who was currently the prime suspect.

But this area was designated by Bai Zhao for Aken to search; it shouldn’t have been so coincidental to find Bai Zhiming’s hideout. Unless…

Ji Lin felt a lump in his throat, hesitated for a while, but ultimately didn’t voice his suspicion.

Now was not the time for internal strife, especially not after Bai Zhao had just risked his life to save Mu Hao. To doubt him now would be ungrateful.

The silence made the darkness feel even more oppressive. Yu Duqiu rubbed his brow, trying to clear the blurry images from his mind, “There are still many things I don’t understand… like why the ‘Queen’ didn’t kill Mu Hao but went through so much trouble to transport him here and keep him imprisoned? No wonder I couldn’t find him back home.”

Ji Lin didn’t know the answer either; they might have to wait until Mu Hao recovered to get the full story.

The sound of rain was incessant, filling their ears. The brief silence was suddenly broken when Yu Duqiu realized that Bai Zhao hadn’t spoken at all during their conversation.

The darkness seemed to create a barrier between them; even though their skin touched, he couldn’t feel the usual warmth from Bai Zhao. A strange, inexplicable feeling crept into Yu Duqiu’s heart, and he tentatively whispered, “Hey.”

“I’m here… what’s wrong?” Bai Zhao seemed to slowly wake up, his voice carrying a hint of lazy fatigue.

Yu Duqiu felt his heart settle, playfully asking, “Do you think we’ll die here?”

Ji Lin scoffed, “If you want to talk about bad luck, do it quietly, don’t let Mu Hao hear.” There was some rustling from the corner, probably Ji Lin covering Mu Hao with his jacket.

Yu Duqiu went along with his wish, tilting his head back, his lips touching Bai Zhao’s sharp jawline, moving up to his ear, whispering, “Let’s talk without bothering that stickler.”

Bai Zhao tightened his arms around him, holding him securely, and whispered back just loud enough for them to hear, answering his earlier question, “No, it’s too dark and dirty here, not suitable for you.”

Yu Duqiu laughed, “Then who would be suitable to die in a place like this? You?”

“I’m not picky; with you here, any place will do.” Bai Zhao’s tone was casual, gently patting his shoulder like a mother soothing a child to sleep, “Get some rest; I’ll wake you when the rain stops. Want to turn on the phone light?”

“No need, save the battery; I’m not that fragile.” Yu Duqiu was almost entirely nestled in his arms, not realizing his actions contradicted his words, “I had a nightmare when I passed out; I don’t want to sleep.”

“What kind of nightmare?”

Yu Duqiu initially didn’t want to talk about it, but with Bai Zhao so close, his voice low and hoarse, resonating in his eardrum, his mind felt fuzzy again, and he unwittingly shared, “I dreamt about… my childhood driver.”

“Yang Yongjian, right?”

Yu Duqiu was taken aback, eyes widening in disbelief, “How do you know that?”

That name should not have been mentioned in the Yu family for over a decade.

“I looked into the news from the kidnapping case back then.” Bai Zhao replied.

“You’re quite capable. My mom suppressed all the news back then; no one should have been able to find out.”

“I only know the basics… Can you tell me more?”

“I’ve never told anyone else, why should I tell you?” Yu Duqiu’s finger traced over his neck, sending a signal of danger.

Bai Zhao was fearless, “You can keep it bottled up for life if you want, but I’ve known since I was little that rotten flesh from wounds must be cut away, or they’ll never heal.”

Yu Duqiu was silent for a moment. Bai Zhao thought he wasn’t willing to talk, but then he heard him speak up, “I’ve already cut it away, and new flesh has grown. I just… don’t want to look at that ugly scar.”

Bai Zhao chuckled deeply, “You don’t have any scars; I’ve looked all over you.”

“… I finally get serious, and you’re the one who becomes unserious.” Yu Duqiu pinched his cheek.

With this interruption, some of the heavy emotions at the bottom of his heart floated up, allowing the long-sealed door to open slightly, revealing a narrow crack for others to peer through.

Damn it, my bottom line is breached again; this Xiao Bai wolf is about to strip me bare. Yu Duqiu thought helplessly.

“I can tell you, this topic isn’t an untouchable taboo, but like the ‘Yu Meiren’ flower, it’s just my control freak nature wanting to manage others’ discussions.”

“Hmm.”

Bai Zhao didn’t comment, just listened quietly. The darkness urged Yu Duqiu to say something to distract himself, “Actually, the cause was very simple, can be explained in just a few words: his family was sick, needing expensive medication to survive, amassed millions in debt, couldn’t take it anymore… Isn’t it a clichéd plot? Something you’d only see in a bad movie… But that’s how it was; my mom told me herself. He was also foolish, never asking me for help; otherwise…”

Yu Duqiu paused, then negated himself, “There is no ‘otherwise.’ Who would borrow money from a nine-year-old? Besides, he couldn’t pay it back.”

“So, that kidnapping happened… How should I put it? In a way, I was an accomplice.”

“The water he gave me wasn’t drugged enough; I woke up halfway. He didn’t hurt me; instead, he begged me to cooperate, saying he wouldn’t harm me. The room was very dark, creepy, I was scared, and he was crying so pitifully, so I softened and agreed.”

Yu Duqiu sighed slowly at this point, “I really shouldn’t have agreed.”

“I thought it was just acting. If I acted scared enough, the adults would feel sorry and transfer the money to him, saving his family without any loss to me. At that time, I had no concept of money, thinking my family’s wealth was endless, that millions weren’t much.”

“I thought everything was under my control, even feeling proud of my little cleverness.”

“After all, the worst thing that had happened to me before was just classmates intentionally wetting my textbooks.”

“In my ivory tower, death had never appeared.”

“No one told me how huge a sum millions were back then for an ordinary person, or that my mom’s career was just starting, she couldn’t come up with that much cash, so she had to call the police. No one told me that kidnapping a child as a hostage could lead to the kidnapper being shot on the spot. Nor did anyone tell me that by helping him like this… I would cause his death.”

“The world hails me as a god, lauds me as a genius, how absurd and laughable, they don’t know I bear an unforgivable sin, foolishly sending my family down a path of no return.”

“Since then, I’ve never wanted anything to slip out of my control again.”

“Because I’ve already tasted the bitter fruit of losing control.”