Ruan Tianjie had just returned to the team’s office after walking He Guanyu and Old Liu to the reception room when he saw Yu Baiqing approaching him with a cold face.
Glancing at the office door, he realized that Yu Baiqing had returned alone. “What about the Octopus? You two at it again?”
Just looking at Old Yu’s expression would make anyone who didn’t know better think that someone owed him a few million.
“He didn’t manage to make it for his girlfriend’s birthday yesterday, so he went back early today to kneel on the washboard,” Yu Baiqing strode to his seat. “Has that person surnamed He left?”
“He’s still at the reception room drinking tea. I got Old Liu to get an idea of the situation first and to let him return if there’s nothing much,” Ruan Tianjie told him.
Not long after Ruan Tianjie uttered the last word, he saw Yu Baiqing retrieve a freshly-printed document from the printer, sandwich it between his notebook, and head out of the office. When Ruan Tianjie glanced at half the paper peeking out of the notebook, he realized that it was information on He Guanyu.
After throwing down the statement ‘I’m going to look for Old Liu’, Yu Baiqing closed the office door.
Hearing the resounding bang from the closing door, the police officers gathered in front of the meeting table eating breakfast looked up immediately. “Captain Ruan, did Yu-ge eat gunpowder this early in the morning?”
Ruan Tianjie: …
He suddenly had an ominous premonition.
–
There were already two people seated facing each other beside the coffee table when Yu Baiqing walked into the reception room. One of them was Old Liu, who was responsible for communications with external parties. The other person was a handsome youth who appeared above the age of twenty.
The person who had come knocking was seated on the couch in the reception room, clad in a navy pressed suit. He wore a costly branded watch on his wrist. Not a single strand of hair was out of place. His every movement exuded the relaxed air of a young master.
Yu Baiqing pulled out the chair beside Old Liu and sat down. He flipped open the file in his hands without hesitation. “You’re He Guanyu?”
Seeing Yu Baiqing’s arrival, He Guanyu flashed a smile akin to the spring breeze. “This police officer is…”
Old Liu hurriedly stood up. He introduced Yu Baiqing. “Young Master He, this is our criminal investigation unit’s Officer Yu. He’s in charge of our team’s criminal investigation duties.”
“So you’re Captain Yu!”
He Guanyu stood up right away. He raised his lower jaw slightly, extending a hand towards Yu Baiqing courteously. “Uncle Gao and Tianjie have had many praises for Captain Yu, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for the longest time.
Both Chief Gao and Ruan Tianjie were invoked in a single statement. It was obvious even to Old Liu. He was informing both of them on the side just how much respect had to be given to him, Third Young Master He.
As if oblivious to the implied meaning in He Guanyu’s words, Yu Baiqing didn’t accept the cigarette offered to him by He Guanyu and instead merely continued where he’d left off. “Mr He has heard of the Qin Gulf matter?”
He Guanyu withdrew the declined cigarette, not a hint of awkwardness on his face. He took a sip of the tea placed in front of him with a lowered head. A light sigh came from him. “My father gave me a big scolding this morning, saying that I’d been negligent in my management, which was why this sort of thing happened at the construction site. I’ve already dispatched people to invite a senior monk from Nanyuan Temple to Fan City to help the two victims find peace. As for compensation, both workers ran into mishaps on my construction site; the company won’t give a single cent less of the compensation owed to their families. The police can rest easy regarding this aspect.”
As he spoke, he gave the documents on the coffee table a push. “These are the employment contracts and registration information of all the recruited construction workers for the Qin Gulf project. Additionally, these are the receipts for the materials procured for the project. In the file is the affected machine’s manufacturing number and model type. Hopefully these will help.”
Yu Baiqing picked up the files on the coffee table. He flipped through them swiftly before picking out four employment contracts, namely the four people who’d appeared on camera that night – Sang Xingwen, Cui Shengde, Kang Liu, Peng Zhengchu.
Out of these four people, Sang Xingwen and Cui Shengde were already dead. Kang Liu had returned to the dormitory in the middle of the night in a drunken stupor, and was just in time to witness the second occurrence of the loader murdering a person. He was still in the bureau having his statement taken. As for Peng Zhengchu, he had already been classified as a subject to be closely surveilled and was at the construction site’s dormitory for the time being.
The information provided by He Guanyu was essentially identical to the data they’d found using their internal network. The four people’s registered birthplace, identification number and photos on their identification cards all matched. All four construction workers were laborers who had come to the city from the countryside. Their hometowns were different, and neither of them had worked on the same construction project in the past. They didn’t appear to have any links to one another.
As Yu Baiqing scanned through each piece of information, his gaze eventually stopped on the employment contract of the first deceased individual, Sang Xingwen.
Sang Xingwen’s signature was penned rather carelessly. His handwriting also seemed a little childish, in line with the characteristics of a construction worker who hadn’t received much education.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Ktf mbcagjma kjr rlucfv bc Aeis akfcalfat, ifrr atjc j kffx yfobgf Vjcu Wlcukfc’r vfjat.
Te Djldlcu’r ujhf gfwjlcfv bc Vjcu Wlcukfc’r tjcvkglalcu obg j ofk rfmbcvr yfobgf tf ibbxfv eq jcv jrxfv Lf Xejcse, “Qtfc vlv mbcragemalbc mbwwfcmf obg atf Hlc Xeio qgbpfma?”
“…Yc atf akfcas-atlgv, lo P vlvc’a gfmjii kgbcuis,” C tlca bo vbeya mbeiv yf rffc bc Lf Xejcse’r ojmf. “Qtja’r kgbcu, Yoolmfg Te? Pr atfgf jc lrref?”
Yu Baiqing didn’t respond. He took out his phone and snapped a picture of Sang Xingwen’s signature, sending it to the technical reconnaissance team’s chat group.
[Qing: Was this written with the left hand?]
The lurkers in the group were all shocked into surfacing the moment the captain sent this question.
The group host Guan Xingwen was the first to emerge. [Nicholas.Guan: Looks like it.]
[Nicholas.Guan: Do you have the original document? Bring it back for an evaluation?]
[Qing: Yes.]
Dimming his handphone, Yu Baiqing arranged for Old Liu to send the four workers’ files to the technical reconnaissance team’s office for an evaluation of the handwriting.
He had a new conjecture. If the technical reconnaissance team could provide a definitive answer, then they would have their first breakthrough for this ‘human-murdering machine’ case.
Old Liu got up and left the reception room. Only He Guanyu and Yu Baiqing were left in the room.
There was no change in He Guanyu’s elegant, poised demeanor. He rested both hands on his knees, leaning slowly against the soft couch. “Captain Yu specially sent that other officer away, is there something you would like to ask me privately?”
Yu Baiqing flipped open the file containing He Guanyu’s information with an indifferent expression, scanning line by line the more than twenty years of life history of this proud son of heaven.
He had attended one of the best business schools abroad and was the investor behind many high-end buildings in Fan City. Before even graduating from university, he had already become the youngest successor in his family’s company. He was fond of competitive sailing and held top-grade credentials in the International Windsurfing Association. He also had his own sailing club at the port.
His gender was male and he liked men.
This was what Ruan Tianjie had told him.
The humility and courtesy he showed to outsiders was merely a means for this Third Young Master He to achieve his own objectives. Just based on the fact that He Guanyu was able to stand out from this generation of juniors and secure the position of the He family’s successor meant that he was definitely not as simple as he appeared to be.
This tiger cub’s fur had yet to even out but was already revealing its sharp claws in the shadows, issuing a challenge to him.
Yu Baiqing lifted his eyelids.
Interesting.
He looked at the dashing youth in front of him. “The police are currently at the stage of investigating the scene. If there is a need for your company’s assistance, I’ll have to trouble Mr He to specially make a trip like today.”
“It’s no trouble, it’s us who should be grateful to Captain Yu and the other police officers. Without your full efforts in cracking the case, those of us who do business will also–”
“Or does Young Master have other motives for coming to the police bureau today?” Yu Baiqing closed the file in his hands. He smiled. “You delivered all the information we needed before we started investigating Heyu. Are you concerned that we will find something else if we really investigated your company?”
Upon hearing Yu Baiqing’s words, the smile on He Guanyu’s face visibly stiffened for an instant, though he continued to maintain his poise. “Officer Yu, I don’t understand what you mean.”
Yu Baiqing did not respond.
The moment He Guanyu paused and seriously thought about it, he would realize that Yu Baiqing was just trying to draw out more information from him through a bluff.
For large companies like Heyu Real Estate, there was no way the police would be able to obtain an investigation warrant and request for Heyu to disclose all their internal information just because of two murder cases.
The tiger cub still wasn’t shrewd enough. Its trip to the bureau was just making things worse.
Between Heyu Real Estate and He Guanyu, there was something wrong with at least one of them.
“Since Officer Yu has no other questions, I’ll take my leave first?” Seeing that he had failed to achieve the purpose of making this trip, He Guanyu didn’t intend to stay on any longer. “This is my name card. If you have any questions in the future, Officer Yu can contact me any time.”
Ruan Tianjie was right when he told him not to even think of playing any tricks in front of Yu Baiqing.
This person appeared indolent, with little care for anything, but was in reality an old fox.
Yu Baiqing took out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to He Guanyu. “Take care, Young Master He. There’s work waiting for me, so I won’t send you off.”
–
A black Bentley pulled out of the parking lot in front of the municipal bureau and slowly joined the stream of traffic on the main street.
Yu Baiqing didn’t leave the reception room after He Guanyu’s departure. He held a cigarette in his mouth. Walking to an open window, he leaned against the sill and lit the cigarette.
Whorls of clouds drifted towards the window and then faded away under the noon sun. Yu Baiqing picked up He Guanyu’s name card, inputting his personal contact number into the search bar.
From their encounter, he found He Guanyu to have a very strong sense of vigilance. He had not asked anything related to Ying Wan. Ruan Tianjie was also not fond of shooting his mouth off in front of his friends, so He Guanyu shouldn’t know the relationship between him and Ying Wan at this point in time.
Locating the corresponding accounts with a contact number was not difficult; Guan Xingwen had taught him the method in the past. He scrolled down the various nonsensical bits of information before clicking on one of the search results.
‘Guanyu_Crown’ – this was He Guanyu’s account on the social media platform ‘APONE’. Yu Baiqing clicked on the main page and discovered that this account and Ruan Tianjie’s APONE account were following each other.
The He Family’s Third Young Master was a promising businessman and like most other young people in their early twenties, a veritable hedonist.
His account’s homepage showed either sailboats, the great sea, or innumerable high-end drinking parties and a debauched nightlife. The photos and videos on his homepage reeked of a life of luxury exclusive to the wealthy. There was no lack of handsome men and beautiful women by his side.
Yu Baiqing scrolled down chronologically and saw an even younger He Guanyu.
Unlike the impeccably attired aristocratic successor just now, the He Family’s Third Young Master had still been transitioning from a youth to a young adult two years ago, and had left traces of his past childishness and immaturity on his social media.
He was decked out in all manner of luxury brands, a pile of twinkling accessories hanging all over him. He adored clubbing, drinking, and disco dancing. He indulged himself in all the pleasures of the young, milking his youth like a madman.
Two years ago, he would upload a video of his time at a nightclub every few days.
The huge dance floor was shrouded in dim lighting. Naked female dancers twisted their bodies amidst tendrils of smoke. A sense of illusion and murkiness covered everything.
The DJ’s ear-splitting music erupted from Yu Baiqing’s phone, resounding relentlessly in the empty reception room. He might not be at the scene itself, but he had no difficulty feeling the wave of fervor.
The din in the club was everywhere. People crowded around in the dark, dancing. The choking scent of cigarettes, the damp smell of alcohol, the air saturated with hormones. He felt everything acutely.
In a short video filmed at the club during Christmas, He Guanyu had written in the summary: ‘Merry Christmas, my beloved wh*res.’
When Yu Baiqing clicked on this video, he noticed that He Guanyu seemed to be searching for something in the hazy lights. The phone he was recording with swayed continuously. Only when the camera lens was directed at the bar counter opposite the dance floor did the video finally stop shaking.
A figure was seated in front of the counter. This was the person He Guanyu had been searching for.
–
As far back as Yu Baiqing could remember, his di had always been the most obedient child in the school for the blind.
Every day before going up the school bus, his didi would take his backpack from Yu Baiqing’s hands. He would always be smiling as he waited for Yu Baiqing to help straighten the collar of his school uniform.
“Ge, I’m going to school,” As he gripped the teacher’s hand to get up the school bus, Ying Wan would look back at him and wave. “See you after school!”
Even after growing up and becoming an adult, the impression his didi gave him didn’t change from his childhood days.
He always wore a simple white shirt, his soft, short hair combed neatly. Every afternoon, he would stand at the school entrance and wait for Yu Baiqing to pick him up, as quiet as a sapling.
It was his first time seeing such a Ying Wan.
His medium length hair that had been dyed a light gray fell over his shoulders. Seated in front of the bar counter, he casually tucked his hair behind his ears, revealing the lines of his fair neck and the silver chain around it. The moon-shaped earrings dangling from his earlobes swayed gently according to the rhythm of the dance music, flickering with a subtle radiance underneath the spotlight.
A dark green biker jacket was only half hanging over his shoulders. The lines of the other exposed half was clearly visible in the video. Both of Ying Wan’s feet dangled midair as he sat on the round high stool in front of the bar counter. One of his hands gripped the base of the cocktail glass, while the other was propped up on the countertop, supporting his chin as he listened to the music with a cocked head.
Halfway through the video, a man with a crew cut and wearing a suit came to the counter and sat beside Ying Wan. The man offered him a cigarette.
The person who had clearly just questioned him yesterday about quitting smoking was holding a cigarette in the video. Ying Wan angled his head slightly and moved closer to reach the lighter the man had offered.
Smoke slowly drifted out from between his thin lips. A faint trace of a smile touched the corners of Ying Wan’s lips when he felt the thick stack of hundred yuan notes the man pushed towards him.
He openly stood up in front of the counter, gazing attentively at the man in front of him with a pair of eyes that had no sense of distance. Then, he raised his fingers. His fingertips, wreathed in smoke, traced the tips of the man’s brows and the corners of his eyes, slowly sliding downwards before eventually halting along the side of the man’s angled lower jaw.
It was a practiced motion, just like how he’d removed the cigarette from Yu Baiqing’s lips last night.
Veins bunched up slightly on the back of the hand gripping the phone. The sound of heavy breathing came from Yu Baiqing’s throat.
He remembered what He Guanyu had said.
There was a kind of person. He wasn’t the moon in the sky.
He was vulgar. He was within reach. And that was why he drove people crazy.
Ying Wan rested a hand on the man’s shoulder. He turned his head to the side, lips moving closer and closer to the man’s ears.
He whispered something into the man’s ears.
In the dim lighting, Yu Baiqing noticed Ying Wan’s other hand on the countertop.
His slender fingers slowly lifted before falling back down midair. As if he were playing the piano, tapping in rhythm to the music in the dance hall.
One, two, three–
Yu Baiqing’s pupils slowly contracted.
He’d specialized in investigation and police command when he was still studying at the police academy. Intelligence was one of his required courses of study. In the two years he spent abroad on a mission, he’d also encountered countless methods of transmitting information.
That hand of Ying Wan’s was not tapping out a random beat.
That was a type of code for transmitting information.
Uh oh, ying wan’s cover blown so soon? Or is he expecting his gege to find out? 🤔