BL Ch87

At some unknown moment, the sky turned gray, and it started raining again.

Raindrops pattered against the broken window, like the poem they had just learned in Chinese class: “Big pearls and small pearls falling into a jade dish.”

Yu Duqiu’s mind wandered aimlessly.

The old, abandoned rural house hadn’t paid its electricity bill and was long since without power. A large and a small figure sat in the darkness, wordlessly facing each other like lonely, wandering spirits guarding the house.

On the table in front of Yang Yongjian lay a Type 92 pistol and a dagger, their black metal bodies gleaming with a cold light.

Yu Duqiu hugged his knees tightly, like a shrimp thrown into hot oil, curled up on a small stool in the corner.

“Don’t be afraid, Young Master, I won’t hurt you.” Yang Yongjian had been hiding in his hometown for two days, living in constant fear, barely sleeping, his face blue with stubble, looking quite like a vicious bandit.

Although Yu Duqiu had agreed to his plan, seeing these frightening pieces of equipment still scared him. He hadn’t felt like eating these past two days, his face had become noticeably thinner, timidly watching the man who had suddenly turned into his kidnapper after getting these illegal weapons.

He was too young, his cognitive abilities still developing, let alone understanding the complexities of human emotions. He couldn’t describe whether what he felt was anger or sadness from this betrayal by someone he trusted.

But in any case, it wasn’t hatred.

He just hoped the people bringing the money would hurry, so Yang Yongjian could get the money, treat his family’s illness, and come back to drive for him.

Right and wrong, in the eyes of a nine-year-old, were not so black and white.

Yang Yongjian had made some simple preparations before the kidnapping, buying a box of bread and water for sustenance. He could manage with this, but the pampered young master couldn’t stomach such simple fare, taking only a bite or two before claiming he wasn’t hungry.

This wasn’t sustainable. The Yu family had said they couldn’t gather that much cash immediately, couldn’t meet his demands, and were working on it. Two days had passed, and they didn’t know how many more days they’d have to wait. At this rate, the hostage might starve to death before the kidnapper’s demands were met.

Yang Yongjian paced anxiously in the room, looking at the dilapidated, empty house with no nearby eateries, he finally sighed, “I’ll call your parents again, tell them to hurry up, put the money where I specify—”

He didn’t finish before a loud “bang!” echoed through the empty house, startling both of them. It sounded like something hollow had fallen from a height, hit the ground, and rolled several times, the echo lingering.

Yu Duqiu quickly realized it was the tin bucket they had hung on the back door.

The old wooden door, weathered and chewed by insects, couldn’t be locked anymore. It was his suggestion to hang a bucket there to alert them if someone tried to sneak in.

There was nothing valuable in this house to steal; the precaution was against the police.

After the initial shock, Yang Yongjian immediately grabbed the gun and dagger from the table, pulling Yu Duqiu in front of him, blade to his throat, gun to his temple, muttering quickly, “Sorry, Young Master.”

“It’s, it’s okay…” Yu Duqiu whispered back, panic setting in.

This was their last conversation.

Two seconds later, with their cover blown, the police changed their rescue strategy, kicking down the rickety wooden doors and charging in, shouting, “Don’t move!”

Even with the doors open, little light entered the lower floor where several rooms connected. Yu Duqiu could only see shadowy figures, seemingly numerous, filling the room and forcing them into a corner.

Yang Yongjian, alone against a circle of drawn police guns, looked utterly helpless.

Lacking criminal experience, his hands shook in panic, accidentally scratching Yu Duqiu’s young neck, drawing several lines of blood which he didn’t notice, too focused on bluffing, “Don’t, don’t come closer!”

Yu Duqiu felt liquid on his neck, touched it — dark red, sticky blood.

It was the first time he had seen his own blood.

At this moment, fear truly invaded his mind, overwhelming, spilling from his eyes, mingling with his helpless tears, spreading across his face.

From the police’s perspective, this crying, frail hostage could be killed at any moment by the desperate kidnapper.

Though their orders were to capture the kidnapper alive, this kidnapping case was more complex, requiring interrogation. But with the hostage injured and the kidnapper agitated, the environment was not conducive for rescue. Every second they hesitated, the child’s life was at risk.

All the officers were on high alert, their eyes fixed on the knife and gun in the kidnapper’s hands.

The negotiation expert waiting outside received instructions from the command center and was about to step in.

Just then, Yang Yongjian finally noticed the cut he had inadvertently made. Shock and regret flooded his mind, snapping him out of his momentary confusion. He instinctively raised his hand, moving the knife away from Yu Duqiu’s throat, “Young Master, I’m sorry, I—”

“Bang!”

Before the expert could enter, a loud gunshot rang out, shaking the entire house. Years of dust fell from the rafters like the fine autumn rain outside.

Yu Duqiu’s ears rang, unable to hear anything.

He looked up in a daze, through his tear-blurred eyes, seeing a black gun barrel pointing at him, a wisp of smoke rising, blown away to reveal a face both strange and familiar:

Broad face, big ears, full of wrinkles, eyes poisonous and fierce.

It was Bai Zhiming.

How could it be Bai Zhiming? Then who was shot just now…

Yu Duqiu held his breath, suddenly understanding, slowly turning his head—

Yang Yongjian was no longer behind him; instead, there was a younger, more handsome face.

But lifeless.

Before blood could even flow from the bullet hole in the center of his forehead, the man’s hand went limp, and he fell backward.

Yu Duqiu opened his mouth, but no sound came out, tears streaming as he lunged to grab the man’s arm. However, the ground beneath him suddenly split into a huge chasm, and the man fell into the abyss, swallowed by darkness in an instant, disappearing without a trace.

Without hesitation, Yu Duqiu jumped after him, breaking through the darkness with all his might, stretching out his arms, finally screaming the name stuck in his throat—

“Bai Zhao!!!”

…

The doorknob clicked as someone turned it, Zhou Yi cautiously pushed the door open, calling out with concern, “Young Master, are you okay?”

After a long silence, Zhou Yi, worried, stepped further in, entering the brightly lit inner room to find Yu Duqiu, who should have been sleeping, sitting up, leaning against the headboard, panting urgently. His eyes were still moist with emotion, his long hair stuck to his face and neck with cold sweat.

“Young Master…” Zhou Yi had heard the name Yu Duqiu had shouted earlier and had an idea of what was going on but was powerless to help, only offering clumsy comfort, “It’s okay, Young Master, you’re back, you’re safe. Bao and I are guarding outside, so rest easy.”

Yu Duqiu looked at him blankly, his consciousness slowly returning, closing his eyes to calm his breathing, the cold sweat evaporating. When he opened his eyes again, they were calm and devoid of emotion.

“…Did you contact him?”

“No… Xiao Bai’s phone has been off, probably out of battery.” Zhou Yi tried to sugarcoat it.

Yu Duqiu took the water glass from the nightstand, drinking it all in one go. The cold water flowed down his throat, cooling his boiling blood.

He seemed to play with the empty glass nonchalantly, a faint smile on his lips, his voice hoarse, “Don’t comfort me. If he didn’t call the police or contact you, there’s only one possibility… he’s dead.”

Zhou Yi felt a lump in his throat, his eyes turning red.

They had been lucky, only suffering minor injuries after the explosion, managing to get down the mountain, encountered some locals, and took the shocked pregnant woman to the hospital. With the villagers’ help, they called the police.

Four hours had passed since the explosion. Aken and others at the foot of the mountain, hearing the blast, had already called the police. The city police arrived by car and on foot to investigate the cause of the explosion. When they received another call from them, they immediately started a search and rescue operation based on the watch’s location, finding Yu Duqiu and the others at the bottom of the mine shaft three hours later.

Zhou Yi and Lou Baoguo participated in the search. The muddy, slippery mountain paths after the rain made the process slow, and both were covered in mud, almost crying with relief when they found them.

But the joy vanished when they realized someone was missing.

No one dared to ask where Bai Zhao had gone because when Yu Duqiu learned it wasn’t Bai Zhao who had called for help, his expression turned ashen, silent. After being pulled up from the well by ropes, he only said one thing, “Keep searching until you find him. If there’s anything, ask Ji Lin. I want to sleep; no one disturb me.”

He had slept until this recent awakening.

He had only slept for three hours; the sky outside was still dark, and the night felt endless.

Zhou Yi felt the sorrow too, knowing the hope was slim but still forcing a comforting smile, “Maybe not. Didn’t we think Officer Mu was surely dead? But he was alive. Xiao Bai is so tough; there’s surely some divine protection for good people.”

Yu Duqiu scoffed, “Good people? What kind of good person is he? Orphaned young, raised and abused by a criminal, dying young in some remote mountain… not even fulfilling his last wish in the end. There might not be many people more unfortunate than him in this world.”

Zhou Yi was at a loss for words.

A night breeze blew in through the window’s crack, making the flower on the nightstand roll around. The blood had dried, the petals no longer fresh, curling into a brownish-yellow.

Yu Duqiu’s gaze fell on the flower, murmuring with lowered eyes, “Tell me, why do I always make the wrong decision at the last moment? If I had smiled back then, would the police have known he didn’t intend to hurt me? If I had accepted the flower… would he have not left in despair?”

Zhou Yi didn’t understand these disjointed words. Before he could respond, he heard Lou Baoguo from outside shout, “Hey, hey, President Pei, our Young Master is resting. Please wait until he wakes up.”

Pei Ming’s deep, penetrating voice carried into the room, “I thought I heard his voice in the room. Did something happen? What were you doing all day yesterday? Why did you come back at dawn?”

Lou Baoguo felt he was asking a rhetorical question, his tone turning sour, “What could happen to us? We’re all fine. Did you sleep well last night, President Pei?”

Pei Ming paused, his tone lowering, “What do you mean by that?”

Zhou Yi thought this was going to ruin the facade of peace they had maintained. Although they had evidence of Pei Ming and Bai Zhiming’s collusion, without Ji Lin and Yu Duqiu’s go-ahead, acting on their own might disrupt the plan.

Just as he thought this, another voice from outside intervened, stopping the brewing conflict.

“What are you two doing chatting in the hallway in the middle of the night?” It was Ji Lin. The hotel’s soundproofing was poor; he must have come because of the noise.

Pei Ming was more courteous to the police, “Captain Ji, you’re just in time. I was asking what happened today. Why did you bring back a patient? And Bai Zhao… he didn’t come back with you?”

Ji Lin replied casually, “Nothing happened. We went to a remote mountain area to find volunteers, found a suitable one, but he was too weak, so we brought him back to recuperate for a few days. We were delayed by a sudden heavy rain. Yu Duqiu lost his ring, and Bai Zhao stayed behind to look for it.”

The explanation was seamless, and Zhou Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

Pei Ming was skeptical, “But why were you brought back by the police? And they’re still outside the hotel… I heard you were questioned earlier?”

“We went to an area with mines; the police thought we were illegally mining. It was a misunderstanding, all cleared up now.”

Pei Ming seemed to accept this explanation or perhaps realized he wouldn’t get any useful information out of it. He asked a few more innocuous questions before returning to his room to rest.

Ji Lin waited until Pei Ming’s figure had completely disappeared before gently tapping on the half-open door beside him, speaking in a low voice, “Yu, come to my room. Mu Ge is awake. I know you’re awake too; your shout was heard throughout the hotel.”

In another room on the same floor, the hotel bed served as a makeshift hospital bed. The weak man on it had been thoroughly cleaned and dressed in fresh clothes, but upon entering the room, one could still smell a distinct odor.

Ji Lin locked the door, went to the bedside to check the glucose drip bag, which was nearly empty, and replaced it with a new one.

Yu Duqiu, who followed, sat by the bed, his gaze sweeping over Mu Hao’s arm full of needle marks, gently holding his hand, and quietly asked Ji Lin, “Bai Zhiming should be sentenced to death, right? Before he’s executed, can I have some ‘fun’ with him? I promise to leave him breathing.”

Ji Lin, after hanging the new bag, replied, “If that were possible, you wouldn’t be the one to have ‘fun’ with him; I’d leave him half-dead.”

Yu Duqiu gave a slight smile to Mu Hao, “Sorry, your little Ji has been corrupted by me.”

Mu Hao, lying on the bed, rolled his eyes sunk deep into their sockets, struggling to open his mouth but only managing a blurred, single syllable.

Ji Lin quickly shushed him, “Mu Ge, the doctor said your throat is severely inflamed; it’s best not to talk.”

Mu Hao blinked slowly at him, obediently closing his mouth.

Ji Lin hadn’t expected him to follow his words so readily; he was momentarily stunned, his ears turning slightly red.

Yu Duqiu watched them quietly.

One was now down to seventy or eighty pounds, his fingers’ bones clearly felt, looking nothing like the once vigorous elite detective, unable even to care for himself.

The other still loved him, happy just to be able to talk to him.

Perhaps only such soul-deep, loyal love could deserve a miracle.

Someone like him, who feels satisfied only by trampling on others’ love, does not deserve it.

Seeing Mu Hao willing to listen to him, Ji Lin’s words flowed freely, “Mu Ge, don’t worry. The doctor said your bodily functions aren’t severely damaged; with proper care, you’ll recover. Just rest, I won’t leave. You can ask me to do anything, no need to feel embarrassed.”

Mu Hao blinked again, indicating he understood.

Amid his happiness, Ji Lin remembered the doctor’s advice and patted Yu Duqiu on the shoulder, signaling him to talk in another part of the room.

“The doctor said Mu Ge is severely malnourished; if the withdrawal symptoms from the tranquilizers occur again… he might not make it, so we can’t stop the medication suddenly.” Ji Lin glanced back at Mu Hao on the bed, then continued in a low voice, “The medical facilities here are poor, but he’s not in a condition for a long, bumpy ride to a big city, so we have to treat him here, gradually reducing the dose. Yu Duqiu, can you get some tranquilizers?”

This might have been the most polite Ji Lin had ever been to him, almost pleading.

Yu Duqiu smiled, “Don’t be formal; Mu Hao is my friend too. I won’t let him ‘die’ again. I’ll figure out the tranquilizers. By the way, have you told his parents and Captain Feng?”

“Not yet. I’ll wait until Mu Ge’s condition stabilizes, so they don’t get their hopes up for nothing.”

“Hmm, did you send the recording to Captain Xu?”

“I don’t know how to extract it; you went straight to sleep when you got back, leaving me to deal with the police alone. Hurry up and help me.” Ji Lin acted light-hearted as if nothing had happened.

Sometimes, comfort isn’t beneficial; it’s like reminding someone of things they don’t want to remember. With Yu Duqiu’s memory, he didn’t need anyone to remind him; he’d torture himself.

This vicious cycle couldn’t be broken by outsiders, as Ji Lin knew well, so he chose not to mention it, diverting Yu Duqiu’s attention to other matters.

Yu Duqiu took the watch, opened a laptop beside him, and while operating it, asked, “What did the police say? Did they figure out our purpose?”

“They definitely did. The police are investigating the cause of the explosion. Zhou Yi told them we were looking for Bai Zhiming; we couldn’t lie or hide this. The police haven’t pursued it yet, but they’ve stationed officers to monitor us at the hotel. Once the mountain search is over, they’ll likely settle accounts with us.”

It was an expected outcome. Once the Myanmar police start investigating, they might not be strictly punished out of respect for the mayor, but they certainly wouldn’t be allowed to continue their investigation here.

The laptop connected to the internet, beginning to search for devices, then connected to the watch to start file transfer. However, due to the poor signal and slow internet at the hotel, a recording of just dozens of megabytes showed “30 minutes remaining” for the transfer.

There was nothing to do but wait.

Yu Duqiu seemed not to want to stay idle for even a second today, being unusually talkative, asking, “What else did the police say?”

Fortunately, Ji Lin indeed had a lot of information to relay, “They interrogated the pregnant woman. Guess what? She was a live-in nanny hired by Bai Zhiming for six months, specifically to look after Mu Ge. Bai Zhiming told her Mu Ge was his mentally ill, drug-addicted brother who needed to be locked up and given regular injections… tranquilizers. The woman had served her six months, wanting to take her salary home, but Bai Zhiming paid her and convinced her to continue helping, promising a doctor would come for the delivery. She couldn’t go down the mountain alone, so she had to comply.”

Yu Duqiu furrowed his brows deeply, “Bai Zhiming is too cunning.”

With the low average income in the area, it wasn’t unusual for pregnant women to work for a living, especially with an enticing salary. Bai Zhiming first coaxed her to stay on the mountain, and once she was too pregnant to leave alone, even if she sensed something was off, she couldn’t escape.

As for the woman’s ultimate fate, it was obvious; Bai Zhiming would never let her have the chance to talk about Mu Hao to anyone. In that remote place, he could easily bury her somewhere, even reclaiming the salary he paid.

It was like hiring a nanny who couldn’t run away for half a year without spending a dime, a very loud calculation. If they hadn’t accidentally saved that pregnant woman, there would be two more innocent victims.

Based on this, Yu Duqiu quickly deduced another important clue, “So Bai Zhiming doesn’t usually live there? He went there specifically yesterday?”

Ji Lin confirmed his suspicion, “Right, he usually has supplies and medication sent up by others, the ones we saw at the foot of the mountain. They’ve been detained by the police, admitting that Bai Zhiming suddenly called them last night to move things, not knowing those cement bags contained explosives. After moving them, Bai Zhiming had them stay at the bottom of the mountain to alert him if anyone came. Although I hate to admit it… you were right, Yu Duqiu. There’s a mole in your team.”