BL Ch90

A deathly silence spread through the room until it was interrupted by weak, pained moans.

Ji Lin snapped out of his shock, not bothering to pursue the matter further. He turned back to see Mu Hao struggling to move his bloodless lips, as if trying to say something.

“Mu Ge, your throat isn’t healed yet; don’t speak, just move your mouth. I can understand, I can understand…”

Mu Hao opened his mouth, his teeth chattering, forming the shapes for three words: Don’t blame him…

Ji Lin’s nose stung, holding back tears, “Okay, I won’t blame him. It’s my incompetence; I couldn’t save you, I always can’t save you…”

Mu Hao shook his head slightly, then a wave of unbearable pain hit him, causing his stiff body to arch up from the bed before falling back down.

Ji Lin was on the brink of collapse, shouting at the doctor, “Isn’t there any other way? Anything at all! Just don’t let him suffer like this!”

The doctor was troubled, “There are ways, but this town is isolated. Where would we find such specific medication… I didn’t expect this situation; the drugs I brought can’t alleviate his symptoms…”

Yu Duqiu took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions, his voice hoarse, “I’ll go negotiate with the police, have them send people house to house to ask. Maybe someone has tranquilizers at home. If they won’t help, I’ll do it myself.”

No sooner had he spoken than someone knocked on the door. Lou Baoguo burst in, panic-stricken, and seeing everyone’s mournful expressions, he momentarily forgot what he had to say.

Zhou Yi’s gaze fell on the plastic bag in his hand, “What’s that?”

Lou Baoguo snapped out of it, quickly closed the door, and handed the bag to Yu Duqiu, “Young Master, it was thrown in from outside the hotel; I thought it was a bomb, scared me half to death. But when I opened it, it was this.”

The white plastic bag had “To Mr. Yu” written in Chinese, the handwriting hasty and sloppy.

Yu Duqiu cautiously opened the bag, glanced inside, and handed it to the doctor, “Check it out; it seems to be tranquilizers.”

Ji Lin, as if saved from despair, had a spark of light return to his dull eyes, “What? Really?”

The doctor examined the label on the vial, nodding, “The ingredients indicate it’s a tranquilizer, but the origin of this drug is unknown… Are you sure you want to use it?”

Time was of the essence. Yu Duqiu hesitated for a moment before deciding, “If someone wanted to harm Mu Hao, they wouldn’t use something so obvious as to raise suspicion, and even without this, Mu Hao might not survive. I think we should try. Captain Ji, what do you think?”

Ji Lin sniffed, “Yes, I trust you. Even though you’ve led me on a merry chase, without you, I wouldn’t have seen him again. Regardless of whether Mu Ge makes it through tonight, I’ll always be grateful to you. You’ve given me hope; you haven’t failed to save anyone, at least… you saved me.”

Yu Duqiu was momentarily stunned.

With permission, the doctor didn’t dare waste a second, opening the vial. The bag even thoughtfully included a syringe, making it easy to use. He prepared everything quickly, “I’ll inject it now, Young Master Yu.”

Yu Duqiu came back to his senses, nodding solemnly.

Lou Baoguo and Zhou Yi each held down Mu Hao’s struggling body. The sharp needle pierced into his arm, already full of needle marks, pushing the medicine into his system until it was all in.

The moment the needle was withdrawn, Ji Lin felt as if all his strength had been drained too, collapsing onto the floor with his head buried in his knees, not daring to look at Mu Hao’s reaction.

One second felt stretched to hundreds, five minutes seeming like a lifetime.

Until the doctor announced with joy, “He’s stable!”

Everyone rushed to the bedside to observe — Mu Hao’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed, his breathing became steadier, and the hand clutching Ji Lin’s slowly loosened, leaving deep blood marks.

“I’ve reduced the dosage; we’ll slowly decrease it later, along with psychological counseling. He should be able to stop the medication entirely after some time.” The doctor sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead, “I’ll go get some nutritional fluids for him; don’t disturb his rest, just leave one person to watch over him.”

Ji Lin naturally took on the caretaking role, not even looking back as the others left, sitting motionless by the bed, watching Mu Hao as if he might disappear if he didn’t.

The doctor gently closed the door, sighing, “The medicine came just in time. Waiting three more hours could have caused mental issues even if it didn’t kill him.”

Zhou Yi found it strange, “This is too coincidental. Only a few people knew we saved Officer Mu. Who could be this benefactor? Bao, did you see who delivered the medicine?”

Lou Baoguo shook his head, “There were no streetlights outside; I chased out but only saw a dark figure far away, moving faster than a rat.”

Zhou Yi frowned, “We don’t know if it’s a friend or foe… being watched by the police, we can’t investigate further.”

Yu Duqiu carefully examined the now-empty syringe, suddenly saying to the doctor, “Please check this syringe.”

The doctor took it, puzzled, “It’s just an ordinary syringe. What’s wrong, Young Master Yu?”

“I saw the same kind of syringe somewhere else yesterday. Does the pharmacy only sell this one type?”

The doctor lifted the syringe again, examining it under the hallway light, concluding, “This syringe uses a needle for intravenous injection, adult size. If it’s for tranquilizers, this one is just right. Pharmacies here have limited equipment; it might just be a coincidence they bought the same.”

Yu Duqiu still seemed doubtful but had no further leads, nodding, “Alright, you go ahead with your work. And about what was said and happened in the room earlier, please don’t leak a word of it.”

The doctor met his cold gaze, immediately sweating again, “Of course, don’t worry, I won’t say a word.”

After all the commotion, everyone was mentally exhausted. Lou Baoguo and Zhou Yi were about to head back to their rooms when they saw Yu Duqiu walking towards the courtyard.

They exchanged a look and followed him.

The night grew darker, and the tea on the garden table had gone cold. Yu Duqiu’s gaze swept over Pei Ming’s tea, now with ash floating in it, but said nothing, drinking his own tea in one gulp.

“You go to bed; I’ll sit a bit longer.”

Zhou Yi tried to persuade him gently, “Young Master, it’s chilly at night; be careful not to catch a cold. If there’s any news from the police, Bao and I will let you know right away.”

Yu Duqiu put his legs up on another chair, looking up at the partial moon revealed after the clouds parted, his silver hair shimmering with a lonely light, “I can’t sleep; I’ll go in when I’m tired. By the way, is it the 26th today?”

“Yes.”

“Xiao Guo is about to start school, right? In a few days, once Mu Hao’s condition stabilizes, you should go back with Ji Lin.”

Zhou Yi quickly said, “It’s okay, it’s just the school opening; her grandparents will take her.”

Yu Duqiu: “Don’t say that. Think about it, how many more times will you get to take her to school?”

Zhou Yi counted on his fingers, “Probably about a dozen more times, not many.”

Lou Baoguo also counted, “Where do you get so many? Even if she finishes university, it’s only seven or eight times.”

“My daughter’s so smart; won’t she pursue a master’s? Or a Ph.D.?”

“…Wow, by the time she’s getting her Ph.D., she’ll be in her thirties. You’d still take her to school?”

“What’s wrong with that? Got a problem? Call the police then.”

“…What kind of dad are you!”

Yu Duqiu chuckled lightly, “You should understand Old Zhou; he’s lost things before, so he cherishes them more.”

Lou Baoguo dropped his complaints, muttering, “I know, it’s his daughter; I can’t control it, just venting.”

Zhou Yi, feeling victorious, was smug for a moment before returning to the main topic, “Young Master, I really don’t need to go back early. Xiao Bai is like a brother to me; I want to wait for news about him, whatever it might be.”

Lou Baoguo followed up, raising his hand firmly, “Me too. As long as you want to wait, I’ll wait with you until big brother comes back.”

Yu Duqiu’s gaze turned to the distant horizon where the night sky, like a piece of brocade, covered the undulating mountains, with stars twinkling as if guiding the way home.

“Okay, we’ll wait for him to come back.”

It seemed like the sky had released all the rain it had gathered over the last few days; it hadn’t cleared for five consecutive days.

Water droplets from the eaves fell with a patter, like a string of clear, sparkling glass beads.

Zhou Yi was on the phone with his family, asking if his daughter had finished her summer homework, if her backpack was packed, and reminding her to set an alarm for the next day so she wouldn’t be late on her first day back.

Lou Baoguo yawned, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, bored, “When will this rain stop? It’s stifling; haven’t had a comfortable day since we got here ten days ago.”

Ji Lin: “It’s still early; the rainy season in Myanmar lasts until mid-October. Even if the rain stops, you won’t be able to go out; the police have restricted us.”

“Aye, it’s like being in jail; can’t even slip out to look for my brother…”

“Be content with food and drink; it’s better than Mu Ge’s previous situation.”

Lou Baoguo thought about it; compared to the imprisonment Mu Hao endured, this was nothing.

The tranquilizers that had arrived late finally reached them a few days ago, and with the doctor’s careful reduction in dosage and Ji Lin’s attentive care, Mu Hao’s mental state had improved a lot over the days, with his throat inflammation gradually healing. He could now speak a few simple words, though he still couldn’t manage daily activities on his own.

Ji Lin, not trusting anyone else, took on all the tasks himself, from feeding and cleaning to helping Mu Hao with his hair, which looked like wild grass, trimming his overgrown eyebrows, washing his body, and massaging his limbs. He even slept on a makeshift bed on the floor next to Mu Hao, more diligent than a caregiver at a rehab center.

Lou Baoguo originally thought this young policeman was impulsive and short-tempered, but he didn’t expect him to have such a caring side. He couldn’t help but tease, “Captain Ji, I think Officer Mu should offer himself to you to repay your kindness.”

Ji Lin gave him a look, “Keep talking nonsense, and I’ll report you to Lu Qing.”

Lou Baoguo’s face turned bright red, stuttering, “What… what do you mean? There’s nothing between Comrade Xiao Lu and me…”

“She asked about you when she called me last night.”

Lou Baoguo’s eyes lit up instantly, “Really? She cares about me that much?”

Ji Lin watched him with a cold eye, giving a sarcastic laugh.

Lou Baoguo immediately realized he’d been tricked, “Wow! You actually deceived me, Captain Ji, how could you become so cunning? I used to think you were honest!”

“All’s fair in love and war, especially since you feel guilty.” Ji Lin patted his broad shoulder, “She didn’t ask about you at all; she just asked me to bring back some local specialties. Keep working hard, take care of yourself. Mu Ge should be waking up from his nap; I’ll go check on him—”

As soon as he turned around, he saw Pei Ming, looking sharp as ever, walking towards them with a polite smile, “Good afternoon, I overheard your conversation. Who is Mu Ge? Is he the ‘volunteer’ in your room, Officer Ji?”

Lou Baoguo, in a moment of quick thinking, answered, “Ah, yes, yes, he’s Burmese, named Mu Ge.”

Pei Ming raised an eyebrow, “Really? But Burmese people have names without surnames, didn’t you know?”

“…” Who the hell knows that?

Lou Baoguo had outsmarted himself, awkwardly falling silent, unable to think of how to cover for his mistake.

Ji Lin had no choice but to continue the lie, “He said his name was that; we assumed the first character was his surname.”

Fortunately, Pei Ming didn’t seem to care much and accepted the explanation, “I see. How is his condition now? It’s been five days since the experiment started; there should be some results, right? I haven’t heard him cry out like before these past couple of days.”

Ji Lin cursed the terrible soundproofing of the hotel and the scammer who had everyone fooled, then, mimicking Yu Duqiu, lied, “Yeah, the effects are really good. The volunteer has been stable these days, gradually overcoming his drug dependency.”

Pei Ming was half-convinced, “Is Duqiu’s device that effective? Can I take a look?”

“The doctor says the volunteer needs a lot of rest, best not to have contact with strangers. Wait until he’s fully recovered before visiting.”

Pei Ming’s sharp eyes flickered.

Ji Lin felt for a moment that Pei Ming seemed to know everything, ready to plot against them at any moment. But then he remembered Mu Hao said Pei Ming was a victim, leaving him unsure of which side he was on.

“If that’s the case, I won’t disturb him.” Pei Ming glanced one last time at the figure sitting in the courtyard, “I won’t disturb Duqiu either. He seems to be in a bad mood these days, sitting there day and night, lost in thought. But when you approach him, he’s smiling as usual; it’s hard to understand.”

Ji Lin laughed it off, “The rainy weather affects the mood; I’ve been pretty depressed these past couple of days.”

Pei Ming looked him up and down, “Really? I thought Officer Ji looked radiant lately, full of happiness.”

“…”

After finally getting rid of the cunning Pei Ming, Ji Lin rushed to the bathroom to look in the mirror… It seemed to be true.

The rain continued to drizzle, pattering on the large umbrella in the center of the courtyard. Under the umbrella, a man in a well-tailored suit, just like on the first day here, had a completely withered flower in his buttonhole, showing signs of decay.

His gaze no longer focused on the northern mountains but stared into the distant, misty pagodas, lost in thought.

Lou Baoguo and Zhou Yi, who had finished his call, chatted quietly, careful not to disturb him. But both silently felt that Yu Duqiu at this moment resembled the first volunteer they found, the one dying and desperately praying to a god he didn’t believe in.

But Yu Duqiu clearly didn’t believe in gods; he always thought himself omnipotent.

Unless he no longer believed in himself.

No one knew how long this wait would last… until the police appeared at the hotel entrance.

The accompanying translator conveyed the Burmese, roughly meaning: They had been searching the mountains with police dogs for five or six days, covering a five-kilometer radius around the explosion site, but found no trace of the missing person. Further searching would be futile; they would now focus on finding Bai Zhiming, suspecting he had escaped to the city or nearby villages.

Lou Baoguo got anxious upon hearing this, almost grabbing the police by the collar, “What do you mean ‘futile’? If five kilometers don’t work, then ten, twenty! Search every inch until we find him!”

Zhou Yi held him back, “Don’t make a scene, Bao. This mining area covers over 400 square kilometers; it’s impossible to search it all. And Xiao Bai is injured… he couldn’t have gone that far.”

Lou Baoguo’s eyes were red, “But we can’t just give up! We need to see a body, at least!”

The translator conveyed their demands to the police, who shook their heads and said something else.

The translator timidly relayed, “They say… the body might have been thrown into a deep mine shaft, covered with soil so even the dogs can’t smell it. Or it might have been weighed down and sunk to the river bottom, making it even harder to find… or, or…”

“Or it could have been chopped up and fed to wild animals. Or dissolved in strong acid or alkali, with the bones buried.” Yu Duqiu said these shocking words calmly, telling the translator, “Tell them, thank you for the effort. We’ll continue the search ourselves.”

However, the translator came back with an order to leave, “The police say… we can’t enter the mining area privately anymore, nor can we stay here. We have two days to leave the country, or they will sue us… or even arrest us.”

Lou Baoguo was furious, “What kind of joke is this! Why are they kicking us out? We came here legitimately!”

The police didn’t entertain his complaints, gave their instructions, and left, still leaving two officers to monitor them.

Lou Baoguo was indignant, his anger not subsiding, “We can’t leave; big brother hasn’t come back yet! Young Master, why don’t we talk to the mayor? He was pretty supportive of our project; maybe he’ll make an exception!”

Zhou Yi, without much hope, said, “Something this big, the mayor must know. They would have consulted him before coming. Foreign police can’t enforce the law here; letting us leave is already an exception. Don’t embarrass ourselves.”

“So… we’re just going to leave big brother here alone?” Lou Baoguo couldn’t accept it, looking at Yu Duqiu for help, “Young Master… what should we do? You won’t abandon big brother, right?”

Yu Duqiu, holding a long black umbrella, stood alone in the rain, his back to them, looking at the now-abandoned mountain. No one could see his expression, nor guess what he was thinking at that moment.

After a long while, he turned around—his eyes downcast, his face calm, his voice as if soaked by the rain, cold and clear, “I won’t abandon him, but I can’t just think of him alone. Pack your bags; we’ll go back to our country first, and once things quiet down, I’ll send people back.”

How long would it take for things to quiet down? At least a month. If the body was in the river, it would have been eaten by fish, and the bones washed away. The chances of finding anything would be minuscule.

Lou Baoguo wanted to argue, but Zhou Yi covered his mouth, only letting go after Yu Duqiu went back to his room, “Don’t say anything more. The Young Master wants to find Xiao Bai more than anyone, but if we don’t leave and interfere with law enforcement, the Myanmar police might stop cooperating, and then we might never find Bai Zhiming. The Young Master is considering the bigger picture; we… shouldn’t hold him back.”

Lou Baoguo stepped back dejectedly, his back hitting the wall, sliding down slowly, head in his hands, silent.

Zhou Yi’s red eyes looked at the distant mountains one last time, his face showing a sorrowful reluctance before he turned away, not looking anymore.

When Pei Ming heard about the police ordering them to leave, he surprisingly showed no shock or anger, instead saying he was just accompanying them and would go along with their plans.

Ji Lin, being a police officer, couldn’t break the law. He called Xu Sheng to explain the situation, who said they would arrest Pei Ming as soon as they returned.

Ji Lin hung up the phone, thought for a moment, then went to Yu Duqiu’s room.

He knocked twice, with no answer, pushed the door to find it unlocked. Yu Duqiu sat motionless by the bed with a chessboard in front of him on the table.

“You’re in the mood for chess, playing against yourself?” Ji Lin casually walked over, reaching for a piece, “Shall I play with you?”

Yu Duqiu grabbed his wrist, saying calmly, “I’m not in the mood; I was about to put it away.”

Ji Lin withdrew his hand, disappointed, asking, “Are we going back to Mandalay first, then taking your plane directly back to Pingyi?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll have to call Mu Ge’s parents to pick him up at the airport; they still don’t know about Mu Ge. They’ll probably faint from joy.”

Yu Duqiu gave a faint smile, putting the chess pieces back into the box, “Given how he’s been tortured, are you sure they won’t faint from crying?”

“You’re right… but at least he’s come back from the dead; the rest can be dealt with slowly. They should still be mostly happy, right? By the way, are you planning to leave tomorrow or the day after?”

Yu Duqiu picked up the golden queen, holding it in his hand, “The day after tomorrow. Tomorrow is September… to spend one day of autumn with him.”

The last sentence was spoken so softly that Ji Lin didn’t hear it clearly, “What’s with September?”

“I said, there are only two months left until Mu Hao’s birthday. You better go back to work and earn money to buy him a gift.” Yu Duqiu gave a sly smile, “After all, with your salary, you’d need to save for a long time to buy something decent, right?”

Ji Lin felt his dignity being trampled underfoot, which should have made him angry, but seeing Yu Duqiu back to his usual sarcastic self, he felt a bit happy. His emotions were mixed, his expressions varied, almost driving him insane. In the end, he decided to play along, brushing his sleeve and pretending to be angry, “Just because you have money, you think you’re great? Mind your own business; I’m going to sleep.”

As he reached the door, a voice called out from behind, “Captain Ji.”

Ji Lin turned back, his face displeased, “What?”

“Thank you. What you said in the room that day did comfort me.” Yu Duqiu put away his casual smile and nodded slightly at him, “You are the true Themis. Working with you has been my honor.”

Ji Lin rarely heard praise from him, and such a solemn praise at that; he was momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond.

But Yu Duqiu’s next sentence was back to being unserious, “If you encounter any difficulties while chasing after Mu Hao, you can come to me for help. Even if it’s a melon that’s forced to ripen, it’s still a melon; I’ll definitely help you twist it off.”

“…Who needs you to twist it!” Ji Lin’s face turned red instantly; he opened the door with force, saying angrily, “If you dare say these things in front of Mu Ge, I’ll twist your head off first!”

The door slammed shut with a bang, loud enough that probably everyone in the hotel heard it.

Yu Duqiu smiled to himself, his gaze returning to the chess piece in his hand, and his smile slowly faded.

The queen, made of pure gold, was heavy in his hand, making his heart feel equally weighed down, sinking along with it.

“I’m sorry, I broke my promise…” A whisper, barely audible, drifted away with the wind blowing in from the window, gone in an instant.

His silver hair fluttered slightly, brushing against his cheek like a lover’s gentle touch. Yu Duqiu closed his eyes, feeling it for a moment, his eyelids trembling before he couldn’t help but cover his eyes with his hand.

When he opened them again, several minutes had passed, and the emotions in his moist eyes were well hidden. He took a deep breath, sniffing lightly, forcing himself to break away from his emotional state, and continued to organize the chess pieces.

The golden queen clicked into its designated square. With only one piece left, Yu Duqiu’s hand reached for the golden king—

At that moment, a shadow appeared in his peripheral vision.

Yu Duqiu instinctively glanced downstairs, casually withdrawing his gaze, but half a second later, his entire body froze.

His mind went blank for a moment, his body acting before his thoughts caught up, mechanically turning his head back, inch by inch. When his sight locked onto that figure, his pupils contracted, the shock spreading from his eyes. He didn’t dare blink, holding his breath, not believing what he saw.

Only when he was almost suffocating did he confirm it wasn’t an illusion or a dream. That figure was real, standing downstairs, looking at him, holding a ‘Yu Meiren’ (Red Spider Lily) picked from who knows where, bright red and dazzling, lighting up the entire night.

That person’s gaze was as focused and persistent as the night he first gave him flowers.

[The night might be long, but the day will always come.]

It was just after nightfall now, but the day that belonged only to him, a day that made him fearless of the night, had finally arrived.