Knowing full well there’s a tiger on the mountain, yet deliberately heading straight into its lair.
Ye Nanqi didn’t hesitate for long before readily agreeing.
Since Xue Xiangyu had taken an interest in getting close to him, even if he had bad intentions, he wouldn’t be so brazen about it.
Ye Nanqi didn’t plan to tell anyone else about this. Just to be safe, before leaving, he scheduled an email to Shen Du. If he hadn’t returned by eleven tonight, Shen Du was to call the police immediately.
Ever since the moment he’d finished reading Ye Mei’s diary, Ye Nanqi had been prepared to die alongside his enemy. Over these past few years, he hadn’t been particularly sociable. The only person who could be considered a friend was Wen Chen. He had silently shouldered everything on his own and never told anyone else. The only person he could actually entrust with this matter turned out to be Shen Du.
Ye Nanqi shut down his computer and gazed thoughtfully out the window.
He hoped Shen Du wouldn’t think he was playing a prank. Otherwise, if something really happened to him, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself.
The restaurant Xue Xiangyu had invited Ye Nanqi to was a rather atmospheric Chinese restaurant. Each private dining room had a different design, all classically romantic. It was an ideal place for secret rendezvous and clandestine affairs.
After driving to the location, Ye Nanqi sat in the car without moving. He still wasn’t entirely confident in how much Shen Du trusted him. After thinking for a moment, he put on a mask, pulled down his cap, and got out of the car.
It had already started snowing in City A. The wind was bitterly cold, as if it could scrape the flesh right off one’s bones. People hurried along the streets, heads lowered, passing strangers with indifferent expressions. Celebrities were ordinary people too. Aside from die-hard fans, the only ones capable of recognizing them with a discerning eye were paparazzi.
Ye Nanqi first went to a convenience store and bought a can of hot coffee. After looking around, he walked toward a young man nearby.
The young fellow seemed to be at that age when one still cared more about looking stylish than staying warm. He was carrying a huge backpack and shivering from the cold. When he saw Ye Nanqi walking straight toward him, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
Ye Nanqi reached out and pressed down on his shoulder, then said with a low chuckle, “Don’t be nervous. I’ve noticed you’ve been following me for several days. Your technique is terrible. Are you a rookie paparazzo?”
The young man widened his eyes and pointed at him, trembling. After a long moment, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence.
“I’m not a paparazzo!”
Ye Nanqi responded with an “Oh.”
The young man declared righteously, “I’m a journalist!”
Ye Nanqi laughed.
“Then why are you following me?”
“To expose the true faces of celebrities like you, who are beautiful on the outside but rotten within!”
“…” Ye Nanqi really wanted to say that wasn’t any different from being a paparazzo. But after thinking it over, he decided not to discourage the young man. He patted his shoulder and encouraged him instead.
“You’re doing a great job.”
As he spoke, he handed the hot coffee to this brave warrior who was standing in the freezing wind, refusing to wear gloves despite the temperature being below zero.
“I’m going into the restaurant up ahead. If I haven’t come out by eleven, please call the police for me.”
The young man, who had only just graduated from university, looked rather dazed. After all, it was hard to refuse someone when you’d just accepted something from them. The word slipped out before he could think.
“Okay.”
Ye Nanqi said gently, “Sorry to trouble you.”
The young man instinctively replied, “No trouble, no trouble. It’s what I should do.”
Watching Ye Nanqi turn and walk away, the young man stood there in a daze.
…Something about this didn’t seem quite right.
Xue Xiangyu had arrived fairly early. By the time Ye Nanqi entered, it seemed he’d already been waiting for a while. When he saw Ye Nanqi come in, a glint flashed through his eyes, though the flirtatious, amorous smile remained on his face.
“Baby, you’re finally here. I was worried you’d stand me up.”
Ye Nanqi pretended not to hear him. He took off his coat and set it aside. His figure was slender, his posture graceful, and his waist was slim without appearing frail. Xue Xiangyu looked him over with undisguised admiration, making no attempt to conceal his blatantly leering gaze.
Even though Ye Nanqi was used to being stared at, he still felt a little uncomfortable. It wasn’t until he sat down that he politely inclined his head.
“Young Master Xue, this is our second time meeting. I have a name.”
Xue Xiangyu propped his chin on one hand and stared at him.
“Aphrodite?”
Having been addressed that way repeatedly, Ye Nanqi felt a little uncomfortable. He rested his long, slender fingers together and smiled.
“Does Young Master Xue particularly like Greek mythology?”
“No.” Xue Xiangyu’s alluring eyes tilted upward. His words carried an ambiguous meaning. “I simply enjoy appreciating beauty.”
Ye Nanqi furrowed his brows slightly, but Xue Xiangyu politely handed him the menu and thoughtfully recommended several signature dishes, as if he really had invited Ye Nanqi to dinner for no reason other than to share a meal.
If the enemy doesn’t move, I won’t move either.
Ye Nanqi reminded himself that he couldn’t rush things. He’d endured this for so long; there was no need to be impatient now. Xue Xiangyu was a cunning fox. Until the fox showed its tail, he would play along.
While they waited for the food, Xue Xiangyu chatted animatedly. He could talk about practically anything, and there wasn’t a single awkward lull in the conversation.
The food arrived before long. Ye Nanqi kept his guard up. Whatever Xue Xiangyu picked up with his chopsticks, Ye Nanqi ate as well. He didn’t touch anything else.
After watching this for a while, Xue Xiangyu covered his forehead and burst out laughing.
“So our tastes are actually so similar.”
Ye Nanqi forced himself to take a bite of fish and smiled faintly at him.
But Xue Xiangyu suddenly put down his chopsticks and leaned back against his chair.
“Relax. None of the food is poisoned, and I haven’t put any sleeping drugs in it either.”
His tone was serious. Ye Nanqi remained expressionless, put down his chopsticks as well, and quietly looked at him.
“Don’t you get tired?” Xue Xiangyu casually poured himself a glass of wine and took a sip. “You clearly want to lunge at me and grab me by the throat, yet you keep smiling like some innocent, respectable young man. No wonder those idiots think you’re no threat.”
Ye Nanqi’s eyes turned slightly cold, but he still said nothing.
“Do you know why I asked you here?”
Ye Nanqi finally spoke, his tone indifferent.
“If Young Master Xue doesn’t want to tell me, it’s not as though I can force you to.”
Xue Xiangyu took another sip of wine. He relaxed completely and stared at Ye Nanqi with an amused expression.
“I know what you want to ask, but I don’t know that much, and I have no obligation to tell you.”
Ye Nanqi said, “If you don’t want to tell me, then what exactly does Young Master Xue want tonight?”
Xue Xiangyu flashed a lecherous grin.
“Can’t I just fuck you?”
Ye Nanqi thought about it and replied, “Twenty minutes?”
That day in the restroom, when he’d overheard someone else’s sex session, it seemed the whole thing had lasted about twenty minutes from beginning to end.
Xue Xiangyu’s face stiffened. His smile faltered immediately.
“That was an exceptional circumstance. What, are you tempted by my proposal?”
As he spoke, his wandering gaze finally met Ye Nanqi’s eyes.
They were a pair of calm, cool, clear, pitch-black eyes.
He suddenly let out a derisive laugh.
“Do you really need me to spell it out? There’s something suspicious about Ye Mei’s death. But so many years have passed. Not only have many of the clues disappeared, the events back then were covered up so thoroughly that there’s practically no way to investigate them now.”
Hearing his sister’s name so abruptly, the composure Ye Nanqi had been struggling to maintain finally collapsed. He straightened up and stared coldly at Xue Xiangyu.
“What are you trying to do?”
“I want to help you.” Xue Xiangyu shrugged innocently. “But you’re probably wondering whether I might be one of them, right? Don’t worry. I’m only interested in men.”
Ye Nanqi frowned. The matter he’d kept buried deep in his heart had been exposed so casually, leaving it raw and bloody. He fell silent for a moment, wanting to confirm one thing first, then said bluntly,
“Take off your pants.”
Xue Xiangyu: “…Huh?”
Before eleven, Ye Nanqi walked out of the restaurant.
He immediately spotted that young paparazzo with the terrible tracking skills. He hadn’t expected the young man to actually wait in the snow and wind for several hours. Ye Nanqi froze for a moment, then turned back to buy another can of hot coffee and went over to hand it to him.
Seeing him sneeze, Ye Nanqi couldn’t help laughing.
“All right, go home now.”
The young man shivered and said, “I still have to… follow you…”
Ye Nanqi replied, “It’s already ten at night. I’m going home now, taking a hot shower, and then going to bed. I don’t have any work tomorrow, and I don’t plan to go out. Understand, little boy?”
Without waiting for him to respond, Ye Nanqi turned around and walked straight back to his car, then drove away.
When he got home, Ye Nanqi saw Shen Du sitting in the living room watching television.
That man either worked or slept whenever he came home. He had absolutely no sense of entertainment. Ye Nanqi still had other things on his mind, so as he went upstairs, he casually asked,
“What are you watching?”
Shen Du glanced at him.
“A legal education program.”
Ye Nanqi: “…”
Shen Du gave a slight cough and asked nonchalantly, “Where have you been?”
Ye Nanqi stopped walking and gave him a provocative smile.
“Meeting my sugar daddy.”
Shen Du: “…” Still stubbornly refusing to admit anything.
After watching Ye Nanqi go upstairs, Shen Du turned his attention back to the television. A commercial break was playing. He found it boring and was just about to turn off the TV when Ye Nanqi’s face suddenly appeared on the screen.
It was the chocolate commercial Ye Nanqi had filmed. Perhaps the Xue family had put money into it, because the approval process and release had both been remarkably quick.
On the screen, Ye Nanqi smiled sweetly. The moment he looked into the camera, his smile became infectious, making it seem as though the chocolate really was delicious.
After watching the commercial, Shen Du felt a little itchy inside. He really wanted to go tease Ye Nanqi and see him lose his temper.
Ye Nanqi had no idea about the dangerous thoughts running through Shen Du’s mind.
He canceled the scheduled email and stared intently at his computer, his slender fingers typing rapidly as he searched for information about various celebrities.
Xue Xiangyu had certainly been straightforward. He’d actually taken off his pants right there in the private dining room. His bare thighs had no birthmark resembling the one Ye Mei had described.
Ye Nanqi was quite tempted by Xue Xiangyu’s proposal. Working with a tiger was indeed dangerous, but it would undoubtedly speed up the process of finding the culprit.
According to Xue Xiangyu, he didn’t know exactly what many people in the Xue family were up to. Eight years ago, he’d only learned about the matter by chance and wasn’t clear on the details. However, that bunch of bastards in the Xue family seemed to have done this kind of thing more than once. The entertainment industry was practically their private hunting ground. They would promote someone, take a fancy to someone, and before long, that person would mysteriously disappear from the public eye.
Now someone had their eye on Jiang Yuanyu.
Xue Xiangyu would help find some clues for Ye Nanqi, but he hadn’t made any specific demands.
A large family like this was full of all kinds of people, with even more complicated conflicts of interest. Besides, Xue Xiangyu was an illegitimate son. Ye Nanqi didn’t find it strange that he would be willing to help him deal with members of the Xue family. Nevertheless, he remained wary. There was no way he could believe everything this man said.
After searching for several hours, by the middle of the night, Ye Nanqi had compiled a list.
It was a long one, containing both men and women. Every name belonged to someone who had made a brief appearance in the entertainment industry starting eight years ago, only to disappear without a trace not long afterward.
He was simply too exhausted. After saving the list, he fell asleep without realizing it, still holding his computer.
The next day, Shen Du left breakfast for Ye Nanqi as usual before heading to work.
Ever since taking over the family business, the former little tyrant of the military district had become a perfectly competent executive. However, today, Young Master Shen seemed somewhat distracted. After arriving at the company, he stopped the driver and thought for a moment before asking,
“Uncle Li, do you… think chocolate tastes good?”
Uncle Li looked puzzled.
“Isn’t that something little girls are the ones who like?”
Shen Du made a noncommittal sound. He looked around and spotted a convenience store. Thinking that he might as well take a look, even though they probably wouldn’t have it, he got out of the car and went inside.
As it turned out, they really did have the chocolate Ye Nanqi had endorsed.
He hesitated for a moment, then deliberately tried to cover up his intentions by buying a whole assortment of random snacks. Only after adding a few bars of chocolate did he finally head into the company.
Once inside, he had his assistant casually distribute the snacks among the employees, while he slipped the chocolate into his pocket and went into his office.
Only after making sure no one was around did he tear open the wrapper and take a bite.
It wasn’t even that delicious.
Shen Du thought indifferently.
But when he thought of the expression on Ye Nanqi’s face in the commercial, he fell silent for a moment. For some inexplicable reason, he felt a sweetness on the tip of his tongue.