Chapter Thirty-One: The Useless Teammate

Yu Dong was just about to check another store when the owner handed him a hot drink. “Officer, you’ve worked hard. Have something warm.”

“No, no, that’s quite all right, thank you!” Yu Dong quickly declined.

“But, by the way, boss, what time do you usually close up every day?” Yu Dong asked casually.

“We shut down around nine or ten every night. We don’t get many customers in the evenings, especially for drinks.”

Yu Dong nodded, preparing to leave, but the owner called after him, “Officer, why are you checking our security footage? We haven’t done anything illegal here.”

“It’s nothing like that. I’m just looking for someone. My daughter’s classmate didn’t come to school today, and he’s not answering his phone. His parents aren’t in town either. I was wondering if he might have run away from home,” Yu Dong replied with a smile.

He showed the store owner a photo of Gu Yan’s student ID on his phone. “This student—did you see him here yesterday afternoon?”

The owner examined the photo, thinking hard. “Hmm, this kid looks really familiar,” he said.

Yu Dong hadn’t expected much, but hope flickered at the man’s reaction. “You’ve seen him before?”

“I’m not sure. I see so many people in here every day. Maybe I’m mistaken.”

Yu Dong left his phone number. “Here’s my number. If you remember anything, please call me. It’s very important.”

“Of course, of course. If I remember, I’ll call you right away.” The owner put the number away.

After thanking him, Yu Dong checked the footage at another shop, but found nothing. He was just about to ask Yang Mu for an update when his phone rang.

“Hey, boss, I didn’t find anything. I went over the footage twice, up until midnight, but nothing. Should I keep looking through to this morning?” Yang Mu asked.

“Yes, keep going,” Yu Dong replied. As he hung up, his phone rang again—an unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Officer? It’s me, the drink shop owner from earlier.”

“Do you have news?”

“Yes, I remembered. I did see him yesterday.”

“I’ll be right there.” Yu Dong ended the call, deciding to let Yang Mu keep searching in case the owner was mistaken.

The shop was empty when Yu Dong arrived. The owner sat down with him.

“After you left, I kept thinking about it. The more I thought, the more familiar the kid looked. Then I realized I saw him yesterday.”

Yu Dong’s gaze sharpened, signaling him to continue.

“It was really quiet last night. I decided to close up a bit after nine. I’d just finished cleaning when a few guys came in, saying they were dying from the heat, insisting I make them something cold. They were big guys, and I didn’t dare refuse. So I made the drinks.”

“When I finished, they took one out to someone in a car. As I went out to take the trash, I saw the kid sitting in the car, eyes closed. I only glanced at him before they shut the door and left.”

“I wouldn’t have remembered, but those guys made a strong impression.”

Yu Dong frowned. “Boss, can I check your security footage again?”

The owner nodded. “Of course.”

Yu Dong rewound the footage to just after nine o’clock. Soon, a black sedan appeared in front of the shop.

“That’s them!” the owner pointed at the men getting out of the car.

Yu Dong rewound further and paused the video at the instant they opened the car door, zooming in.

There he was—Gu Yan, unmistakably in the car. Yu Dong’s eyes widened.

“Boss, can you copy this footage for me?” He snapped a picture of the paused screen.

“Yang Mu, I found him. Come over to the shop right by the main entrance,” Yu Dong called.

“On my way, boss.”

When Yang Mu arrived, Yu Dong showed him the footage. “It’s a student kidnapping. We need to file a case.”

Yang Mu took the evidence. “Are you sure, boss?”

Yu Dong nodded. “This kidnapping might be linked to the mole in our department. We can’t guarantee his safety now.”

“So what do we do?”

“I’ll call the teacher and tell her not to mention anything to the other students, to avoid panic. Back at the station, don’t let on that this case is related to our previous investigations. The fewer people involved, the better.”

“But with fewer people, what if—” Yang Mu began.

Yu Dong said nothing. All he could do was prepare for the worst.

“Once we’re back, run the car’s plates. Search the whole city. We must find him tonight.”

Gu Yan’s head was spinning, his mouth parched, too weak to speak.

Where was he?

He remembered drinking water, someone coming to find him—at first, he thought it was Yu Sheng, but it wasn’t. It was a stranger. After that, he remembered nothing.

“You’re awake?” a deep voice sounded before him.

Gu Yan opened his eyes slowly, squinting against the harsh lights to take in his surroundings.

He was surrounded by abandoned machinery—an old, derelict factory, it seemed. He was tied to a chair, hands and feet bound.

As he looked around, someone behind him suddenly slammed his head to the floor. Pain bloomed, something warm and wet trickled down his scalp—sweat or blood, he couldn’t tell. The pain snapped him out of his daze.

The man in front chuckled softly. “Careful, don’t kill him. Dead, he’s useless.”

The man holding Gu Yan’s head immediately eased his grip. “Yes, Mr. Liu.”

Mr. Liu? Gu Yan turned his head and saw the man.

He was impeccably dressed, hair slicked back with obvious traces of styling gel, a gleaming tie clip reflecting the harsh overhead light, shoes spotless despite the grime of the factory, and his suit screamed expensive.

Seeing Gu Yan looking at him, the man leaned in and lifted his chin. “Such a pretty face. What a pity it’ll soon vanish from this world.”

Gu Yan turned away, breaking free from his grasp.

The man clicked his tongue, twisting Gu Yan’s head back with force. “Don’t be ungrateful. If you know what’s good for you, behave yourself while I’m still in a good mood.” He pinched Gu Yan’s face hard.

“What do you want from me?” Gu Yan panted.

The man let go, straightening his clothes as he sat back down. “I’m only responsible for bringing you here. If you want answers, you’ll have to ask the next person.”

As he spoke, footsteps sounded behind Gu Yan.

“Boss, is the kid here?”

A pair of filthy leather shoes stopped in front of Gu Yan.

The man nodded toward him. “This is the student? Are you sure?”

The owner of the dirty shoes squatted, yanking Gu Yan’s hair. Gu Yan gritted his teeth against the pain, looking up.

The instant he saw the man, Gu Yan’s pupils dilated.

It was Liu Quan.

“You little bastard! If it weren’t for you, I’d have been caught. If I don’t kill you today, my name’s not Liu!” Liu Quan shouted, kicking Gu Yan in the back.

“Liu Quan, really,” the man in the chair said, covering his mouth with distaste. “You’re working at the company now—haven’t you gotten rid of that street thug attitude?”

Liu Quan hesitated, his grip on Gu Yan’s hair tightening, then he released it and turned to his cousin with a fawning smile. “Brother, I was being reckless, but if it weren’t for this kid, I wouldn’t be in this mess, running for my life like this.”

“Are you sure it’s him?” the man loosened his tie.

“Definitely. The info from our contact at the police confirms it.”

Gu Yan listened quietly, feigning unconsciousness.

So there really was a mole in the police. Would he die before Yu Sheng? And what would happen to her?

“Good. If we’d grabbed the wrong kid, it’d be a pain to deal with another body.”

“Right you are, boss.”

The man signaled to the one restraining Gu Yan, who forced his head up. Through a haze of blood, Gu Yan’s vision blurred—his eyelids felt heavy, as if sleep would claim him any second.

The man gave a nod, and a bottle of ice-cold water was dumped over Gu Yan’s head, jolting him awake.

Gu Yan forced himself to focus, struggling against the ropes, pain shooting through his limbs—the agony kept him alert.

The man watched, smirking at his efforts. “Save your strength. You’ll need it for the struggle ahead—maybe with the fish at the bottom of the river.”

“Who are you? Why did you kidnap me?” Gu Yan demanded.

The man laughed. “You don’t need to know who I am. Just tell us what you know.” He gestured to Liu Quan.

“Stop wasting time! How much dirt do you have on our family?” Liu Quan snarled.

So they’d really been betrayed.

Gu Yan shook his head. “Nothing.”

Liu Quan’s face twisted with rage, and he kicked Gu Yan again. “Still pretending? Why would we go to all this trouble if we didn’t know you were a threat?”

The boss stood, patting Liu Quan on the shoulder. “Cousin, don’t get worked up. He’s just a student; he’s not going anywhere.”

Liu Quan lowered his fist, nodding.

Liu Quan had grown up in an orphanage, running with gangs from middle school on—he only knew how to use his fists, not words. If the Liu family’s heir hadn’t died, and they hadn’t found him, he’d never have learned he was born into wealth.

Overnight, the crow became a phoenix, but before he could adjust, all this happened, and he was forced back to his old ways.

The man was Liu Yi, Liu Quan’s cousin and the company’s general manager. He’d handled all arrangements since Liu Quan was brought into the family.

“Kid, I’ll be straight with you. Give us the rest of the evidence, and I’ll let you live.”

“Brother, no! If he gets out, he’ll report us for sure! Then we’re finished!” Liu Quan objected instantly.

Liu Yi looked at him with disappointment.

Watching their back-and-forth, Gu Yan understood. He curled his lip in a mocking smile. “What’s this? With a partner like him, your plan’s doomed. If he won’t play along, how do you expect to fool me?”