What, can the devil speak true? - Macbeth
"Dong Xiaoqing says that Dong Qian always drove long-haul. This job wasn't just chance. Because Dong Xiaoqing's mother died when she was young, and he had to work to support his family, he didn't have time to look after the child and always had a guilty conscience about her. He wanted to save some money for her to use as a dowry. People who hire trucks only want high value. They monitor the drivers' time very closely. They even have to run to the bathroom when they're on the road. At some service stations, there are also thieves who make off with trucks. A person driving on his own doesn't dare to rest. It's normal to drive ten hours or more straight. As for why something would go wrong this time, it must be an accident. Dong Qian recently had a stay in the hospital because of an allergic reaction, and after he got out, he had trouble sleeping for some reason. It's very likely this was brought about because of his health… Captain Luo, Dong Qian's wife died in a car crash. Because of that, he couldn't drive a car for a long time. Would a person like that deliberately hit someone?"
Luo Wenzhou listened to Xiao Haiyang's report from start to finish. Because he was afraid the hot-blooded criminal policeman Xiao Xiao would go haring off again, he minded his mouth and didn't give any more helpful pointers. He only briefly indicated over the phone that he'd gotten it and counseled Little Glasses to hurry home.
It seemed that the Venerable Zhou's accident wasn't some wealthy family drama with a complex plot of hiring an assassin to seize contested family assets. An illustrious family like the Zhous would make it onto the news at the least sign of disturbance, with all the conspiracy theorists making merry. Zhou Huaixin may have only been using this as a pretext to make a fuss, get the cops over, manufacture some part true and part false news, officially demonstrating his own innocence to the police—what Fei Du had said made sense.
Fei Du had also said… Ah, Fei Du was a bastard. Luo Wenzhou's chest hurt at the thought of him.
With his chest hurting, he decided to heat up some leftovers. He was just washing his hands when Luo Yiguo slinked in.
Master Cat had perhaps slept enough. It gave a tremendous stretch, bending its shoulders, raising its back, twisting its butt. It gave a rather cheerful, affectionate "meow," sniffed around Luo Wenzhou's feet, narrowed its eyes, and rubbed itself against his pant leg.
Aside from when it wanted food, Luo Yiguo very rarely demanded affection like this, fulfilling the proper duties of a cat. Luo Wenzhou was very willing to give it face. Despite having just washed his hands, he bent down to scratch the kitty's chin.
A gleam passed through Luo Yiguo's big, round eyes. Staring at the exposed hand, its whole body drew back towards its hind legs; seeing that the enemy had fallen for its trap, it jumped up and showed its sharp teeth. This cat was always pestering him; there always had to be some cunning trick. As a veteran litter box attendant, Luo Wenzhou was familiar with all the preludes to members of the family Felidae launching an attack. He'd been prepared and drew back his hand, using the advantage of his superior height to make the damn cat grab only empty air. Then he smacked Luo Yiguo's forehead, pressing it down to the floor. "I knew you were up to something!"
Since discovering that when its litter box attendant started wearing thicker and thicker clothes it became more difficult to bite him, Luo Yiguo had taught itself many hunting techniques. But the enemy was crafty. He didn't come home on time, and he wasn't willing to submit obediently to being bitten. Luo Yiguo was very unsatisfied. It thrashed its tail, hissing at him, and was lifted by Luo Wenzhou with one hand under its soft belly.
"What do you guys think you're trying to do?" Luo Wenzhou irritably grabbed the cat's face. "Dad gives you good things to eat and drink, draws an overdraft on his next lifetime's supply of patience, and each one of you just plots and schemes. Don't you have consciences? Good-for-nothings!"
Luo Yiguo yowled in protest.
Luo Wenzhou said, "Shut up, you howling sphere!"
The spherical Luo Yiguo was quickly contained, its tail drooping listlessly. It guilelessly stretched out its four limbs to hug his arm.
Luo Wenzhou gave it a furious look, then, still cursing, poured out some cat food. This cat remembered kindness and forgot mistreatment; when there was food to eat, it forgot its enmity. It jumped off of him, rolling, then rubbed against his hand, praising heaven and earth, unilaterally restoring friendly relations between them.
Luo Wenzhou: "…"
These capricious things had tormented him into exhaustion.
Luo Wenzhou sat down on the floor of his own home, feeling that his right hand, which had received Fei Du's harassment, was still faintly burning. When he closed his eyes, he thought of that not-quite-smiling face, the smile making his heart flutter; the uncontrollable flutter made him rather irritable.
This bit of irritability at last climbed to its apex when he struggled awake from a pleasant dream in the small hours of the morning to find that a certain part of his body was behaving inharmoniously.
Before five in the morning, Luo Wenzhou sat at the head of his bed a while, his mind full of a lawsuit, then tore away the quilt, got up, and went to the bathroom to deal with himself, also washing his face with cold water.
He leaned against the sink, his expression unclear, taking several rough breaths. In a very impulsive clear-headed condition, he thought, If that asshole Fei Du presumes to tease me again, I'm done being polite. What's the sense in being a "gentlemanly good person" when this is the kind of frustration you get?
Suddenly, Luo Yiguo, lying at the head of his bed, rolled off with a thump and ran over to the bathroom door.
Luo Wenzhou said, "What?"
Luo Yiguo turned and looked at him, waving its tail. The faint sound of the Five Rings Song came from behind it. Luo Wenzhou froze and thoroughly woke up—his phone, rolled up in his quilt, was ringing.
"Zhou Huaijin's plane landed on time a little past two. He sent a text home saying he'd taken a taxi and they didn't need to meet him at the airport. The roads were clear at that hour. Reasonably speaking, he should have reached the Zhou residence in half an hour, forty minutes at most, but they waited two whole hours without hearing any word and called again. His phone was off!"
Luo Wenzhou strode through a field of police cars towards the Zhou family residence, which was being honored by their presence for the second time in twenty-four hours. "Isn't Zhou Huaijin the eldest son of the house, with a standard private car and standard bodyguard? Why would he catch a taxi from the airport in the middle of the night?"
As soon as he'd spoken, a voice that was asking for a spanking unhurriedly cut in. "That's the kind of person Zhou Huaijin is. His style is usually very low-key, modest and polite. He's good at looking after people. While some people say he's too gentle, doesn't have any courage, his reputation has always been of conducting himself very well. Not disturbing his staff and bodyguards' rest when he gets back in the middle of the night is exactly what he would do."
Luo Wenzhou looked up and saw Fei Du, neatly dressed, waiting at the door of the Zhou residence. When he finished speaking, he nodded to Luo Wenzhou. "Captain Luo."
Both Fei Du's greeting and his speech were calm and unperturbed, as if the person who'd parted on bad terms with Luo Wenzhou the evening before hadn't been him.
Zhou Huaixin had cried himself into a clump of mud clinging to the house's couch, rolling around unwilling to get up. Before Luo Wenzhou had come close, he heard his tearful complaints. "I told you my dad was murdered! I told you, and you didn't believe me, and now my brother's missing! If my whole family dies out, some people are going to be pleased, aren't they? And where are the police? The police are all useless!"
Luo Wenzhou frowned.
Zhou Huaixin had already seen Fei Du next to him. He howled, "Master Fei, I'm not talking about you… My brother… If my brother dies, what am I supposed to do? Aren't they going to eat me alive? Oh… No, I can't… M-m-my chest hurts… Give me my medicine…"
A housekeeper hastily trotted over, offering a bottle of vitamins manufactured in some country or other. Fei Du took it and helped him take the pills, appeasing Second Young Master Zhou's fragile little spirit.
The corner of Luo Wenzhou's eye twitched. He noticed that Fei Du had changed out of his studious disguise; he was wearing a fairly formal shirt, and he had put on his glasses again. The shirt was already a little creased; he clearly hadn't just put it on after being woken in the small hours of the morning.
All kinds of news was still wildly coming up on his phone; apparently the stocks of all the subsidiary companies connected to the Zhou Clan Conglomerate had tumbled; the overseas markets, roiling twenty-four hours a day, had become a short-seller's paradise. Looking at Fei Du's getup, it was obvious what he'd gone to do after leaving the City Bureau. Still carrying the traces of the scent of a vested interest, he was sitting there like a good person, comforting the distressed Zhou Huaixin.
"Has his phone been located? Hurry! Block off the scene, don't let any personnel who aren't concerned with this wander into the Zhou house. It's inadvisable to leak the information at this point.—Has Tao Ran reached the airport? Have him get the security camera records for the taxi stand first." Luo Wenzhou walked over to Zhou Huaixin, who was chewing vitamins. "Young Mr. Zhou, when was your brother's itinerary determined? Who knew the flight number?"
Zhou Huaixin clasped at his heart. "I contacted him yesterday after dad died… Who knew? I guess anyone could have known, I'm not really sure. The assistants at the company normally reserve his plane tickets."
Zhou Huaixin had just spoken when an immaculately dressed middle-aged man rushed in. "Huaixin! Huaixin! I just heard and rushed over from out of town. What's going on? Why are there so many police?"
Hearing the newcomer's voice, Zhou Huaixin, without taking time to finish his vitamins, struggled to climb out of Fei Du's arms. "Hu-dage, my big brother's gone missing!"
Fei Du coolly adjusted his collar and stood, nodding to the harassed middle-aged man from a distance. He quietly introduced him to Luo Wenzhou. "That's Hu Zhenyu, one of the real powers in the Zhou Clan's domestic general headquarters. He went to university with Zhou Huaijin. His position as one of the Party's crown princes (3) is clear."
Luo Wenzhou's eyes involuntarily followed Fei Du's hand as it pulled at his collar, falling on the nape of his neck and his faintly visible collarbones. Then he tore his gaze away and nodded carelessly, turning to Xiao Haiyang next to him and saying, "Two generations of the Zhou family have come to grief one after another. It can't be a coincidence. Dig a little deeper into Zhou Junmao's car crash. You can't only listen to that young lady's statement."
Xiao Haiyang gave an affirmative and quickly ran off.
At this time, the first rays of the morning sun, unwilling to be overlooked, were climbing over the horizon. Yan City, fairly calm before, began to awaken, preparing to descend into a whole day of clamor.
The call from Tao Ran came very quickly. "I've found the taxi. The license number is Yan BXXXXX. The original driver was knocked out and thrown out by the side of the road. He woke up on his own and went to the hospital. Five minutes ago, he got the hospital's assistance to contact the local police station and report the case. We've found the car, it's…"
A technician raised his head. "Captain Luo, we've located Zhou Huaijin's phone!"
Luo Wenzhou looked up. The two people, one on the phone and the other outside it, spoke, almost overlapping:
"By the shore of the Baisha River—"
"Near the Baisha waters!"
Zhou Huaixin's eyes rolled up, and he fell onto Hu Zhenyu. He was lifted onto the couch by a whole crowd of people and slowly came around. He wailed, "Hu-dage, you don't think my brother would let them throw him in the river? I'm going to slaughter that bastard Yang Bo! Where the hell has Zheng Kaifeng gone, why isn't he here when dad's died…"
Halfway through, Hu Zhenyu's expression altered. He gestured over and over for Zhou Huaixin to shut his mouth, but he couldn't control this non-mainstream mental case at all. He began to sweat at once, forcing out an appropriate smile towards the crowd of outsiders. "Huaixin is young. With so many things happening at home, he can't quite take it. His emotions are a little out of control. You shouldn't listen to his nonsensical ravings."
Hearing this, Zhou Huaixin sat up like a corpse coming to life. His eyes were red. "I'm not raving! It must be that bastard, don't think you can keep me in the dark! That son-of-a-bitch has been planning something for a long time, planning to kill my dad and my brother and bully me, when I don't understand anything, right? Even Uncle Zheng is on his side!"
Hu Zhenyu raised his voice. "Huaixin!"
"Send a team of guys to Baisha River," Luo Wenzhou quietly ordered, then turned to Hu Zhenyu. "President Hu, there's been a kidnapping and a suspected murder. It's a major criminal case. Your family affairs and everything else can provide important leads. You have to take responsibility if you conceal important leads. I hope you understand the nature of this business."
Hu Zhenyu was a smooth operator. Under Luo Wenzhou's businesslike questioning, he wasn't at all irritated. He scratched his chin. "Yes, yes, I see the sense. You officers must have heard of the Venerable Zheng. He was our Venerable Zhou's right-hand man when they were young. While he's no longer young, he's still the mainstay of our conglomerate.
"As for President Yang… Mr. Yang Bo, he's the Venerable Zhou's board secretary, young and promising, very able. He stands out too much from the crowd. It's unavoidable that some unpleasant-sounding baseless rumors would have reached Huaixin's ears. Adding in that President Yang is that sort of… How do you young people describe it? 'Another family's child.' When the Venerable Zhou was alive, he often brought him up as an example to Huaixin. It's normal for their relationship not to be very good. But if you told me he could harm the Venerable Zhou and President Zhou, I absolutely wouldn't believe you." As he spoke, Hu Zhenyu kept a careful eye on Zhou Huaixin to avoid him having another attack. "The two of them aren't in the country. They were notified about this yesterday and are also hurrying back. They must be in flight now. I'll give you their flight numbers. Could I trouble you officers to take care of them at the airport? We can't have something happen to a third person!"
Yang Bo, a youthful talent who stood out from the crowd, about the same age as Zhou Huaixin but already at a high level in the Zhou Clan. He really did sound like the rumored "illegitimate son."
Luo Wenzhou looked up at Fei Du. Fei Du silently nodded to him, confirming his thoughts.
Just then, Lang Qiao suddenly rushed in at a jog. "Boss, bad news!"
Luo Wenzhou looked at the members of the Zhou family, whose ears had pricked up at her cry, and gestured at Lang Qiao, taking her outside the door. "What?"
"Look at this." Lang Qiao held up her phone.
"Zhou Clan Heir Zhou Huaijin Kidnapped" had become headline news in a short time. Underneath there was a link to something that had already been deleted.
"I sent an emergency notice to the internet monitors to delete it," said Lang Qiao. "There was a link to a video. Here it is."
A video appeared on the screen when she clicked. The camera lens swayed, then focused on a man unconscious in a chair. The camera unhurriedly circled his face, filming him clearly from every angle. The unconscious man was in his thirties or forties, very well-preserved, sedately dressed; you couldn't really tell his precise age. Even in this sorry predicament, you could see that he was a dignified person of considerable bearing.
Fei Du only took a glance before recognizing him. "Zhou Huaijin."
Luo Wenzhou's scalp simply went a little numb.
The kidnappers hadn't asked for money and hadn't killed him. They hadn't immediately contacted the victim's family members; instead, they'd uploaded a video online. What were they even doing?
Had they been watching too many English films!
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Author's Note:
(3) Descendants of prominent communist officials, strong implication of nepotism and cronyism.