Chapter Thirty-Three: The River of Stars

At noon, Yu Chen heard that Gu Yan hadn’t gone to school. Worried, he skipped the evening self-study and asked the teacher for leave. As a result, Shen Henyun somehow caught wind of the news and ran to the bike shed to wait for him.

“This time, I absolutely, absolutely will take you to see it!” Shen Henyun followed behind Yu Chen, insisting.

Last time, Yu Chen had fussed about leaving before nightfall, so Shen Henyun took him home without showing him the place he’d talked about.

Yu Chen covered his ears, refusing to listen to Shen Henyun’s endless chatter behind him.

“Things might happen twice, but not a third time,” Yu Chen said expressionlessly, ready to wheel his bike away.

“It’s only happened once!” Shen Henyun pressed, unwilling to give up.

Yu Chen sighed, “Shen Henyun, I really can’t today. Next time, I’ll go with you.”

“But I checked the weather forecast, tonight is…” Shen Henyun hadn’t finished before Yu Chen cut him off.

“I’m leaving, goodbye!” With that, Yu Chen rode off without looking back.

Shen Henyun was a little upset. He had only ever taken Yu Chen to that place.

Am I too clingy? Forget it, I’ll go alone and take some photos for him, Shen Henyun thought.

When Yu Chen returned home, he knocked on Gu Yan’s door along the way, but no one answered.

He opened his own door and saw Yu Sheng quietly staring into space at the dining table.

“Sis, hasn’t Gu Yan come back yet?”

Yu Chen’s voice jolted Yu Sheng from her daze; she looked up at him, “No.”

“It’ll be fine, Sis. Gu Yan will definitely be okay,” Yu Chen patted her shoulder reassuringly.

Yu Sheng nodded, saying nothing.

Meanwhile, Yu Dong led two trusted colleagues to the area Yang Mu had just narrowed down. Halfway there, they saw colleagues from the branch station coming to assist.

Yu Dong actually didn’t know what awaited him. He didn’t know how many people the other side had, nor did he know what state Gu Yan was in after nearly twenty-four hours. All he could do was try to find Gu Yan as quickly as possible.

To be honest, Yu Dong felt guilty towards Gu Yan. If he hadn’t set up this plan earlier, Gu Yan might have been safe. He hadn’t expected their opponents to act so quickly. If the traitor wasn’t caught after all this trouble, it would all be for nothing.

With these thoughts, Yu Dong’s brow furrowed even more.

The night outside was deepening, and the closer they got to the factory district, the fewer lights there were, making their actions all the more conspicuous. Yang Mu’s side and the technical department hadn’t reported anything, so it seemed their target was still well hidden.

Yu Chen noticed Yu Sheng’s mood was low. Sitting there wouldn’t help, so he decided to make her some tea to calm her nerves.

Wei Yabo was working late, so they had to sort out dinner themselves, but seeing Yu Sheng, Yu Chen guessed she couldn’t eat anything anyway.

Just as he entered the kitchen, his phone chimed with a message from Shen Henyun.

Shen Henyun had sent him a flood of photos.

Shen Henyun: What do you think? Isn’t it beautiful?

Yu Chen: …

The photos were of the place where Shen Henyun had taken him for a roadside picnic last time. At night, the area was surrounded by city lights, and being in the suburbs, the starry sky was especially clear. The river in front shimmered with scattered starlight, like a sea of stars, and the abandoned factories nearby lent the scene a cyberpunk vibe.

Shen Henyun: If you came in person, it’d be even better!

Yu Chen: I’m busy here, maybe next time.

After replying, Yu Chen brought the tea to Yu Sheng. Thinking of Shen Henyun’s photos, he tried to lighten the mood by showing them to her.

“Sis, look, my friend took these tonight, pretty nice, right?”

Yu Sheng glanced at the photos, nodded perfunctorily, and murmured an assent.

“This place is really beautiful. When Gu Yan comes back, I’ll take you both there.”

Yu Chen finished speaking and immediately regretted it—talk about saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Sure enough, Yu Sheng ignored him, turned away, and lay her head on the table, silent.

Just as he was searching for another topic, Shen Henyun messaged again.

Shen Henyun: Wow! Something big just happened!

Yu Chen: What’s up? Don’t startle me.

Shen Henyun: A bunch of police cars just drove past me. There must be something serious happening here—maybe a murder! I’m scared.

Yu Chen: That area’s always quiet, so it’s not surprising if something happened.

Shen Henyun: True. I’m heading home—it’s actually pretty creepy now that I think about it.

Yu Chen: You’re scared?

After sending his reply, Yu Chen chuckled softly, and Yu Sheng glanced at him.

“Just now, Shen Henyun said there were lots of police cars where he took those photos. He thinks there’s some… incident.” Yu Chen meant to say murder, but remembering Gu Yan’s situation, he refrained and simply said “case.”

He was just trying to ease Yu Sheng’s mood, but she seemed interested.

“A lot of police?” Yu Sheng’s thoughts turned.

“Shen Henyun said so, but I don’t know for sure.”

Yu Sheng considered, “Show me the photos again.”

Yu Chen handed over his phone, unsure what she was thinking.

“It’s pretty remote, in the suburbs; it takes an hour or two by bike.”

Recalling Yu Dong’s earlier words, Yu Sheng suspected those police cars could be Yu Dong’s.

She looked up and asked Yu Chen, “Where is this place?”

Yu Chen scratched his head, puzzled by his sister’s sudden burst of energy.

“If you want to go, I can take you, but it’s really late now. Maybe tomorrow…”

Before he could finish, Yu Sheng stood up, putting on her coat and shoes. “Let’s go now!”

She didn’t want to just sit at home waiting. If possible, she wanted to do something. Even if it was just a chance, she wanted to try.

Yu Chen was bewildered by her sudden decisiveness. “It’s late, are you sure?”

Yu Sheng nodded firmly.

“Alright! I’ll message Shen Henyun.”

Yu Chen: My sister wants to check it out. Wait for us, we’re coming.

Shen Henyun: Okay, I almost left just now.

After Liu Yi finished speaking to Gu Yan, he laughed heartily.

Liu Yi wiped tears from his eyes, “You’d best give up on that idea. Do you really think we’d bring you here if we weren’t confident?”

Gu Yan stared at Liu Yi, silent.

“Do you know why we could kidnap you from your neighborhood so brazenly?” Liu Yi looked at Gu Yan with a mocking smile. “Because we have people on the inside, kid! We’ve followed you for ages to map out your routines. You didn’t really think we were after your little girlfriend, did you?”

Gu Yan lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and let out a cold laugh. They really were capable.

“But your little girlfriend’s father is Yu Dong, right? He’s a nuisance. If he hadn’t targeted us, none of this would have happened, right?”

Mentioning Yu Sheng, Gu Yan grew agitated. “Don’t you dare touch her!”

“Whether we target her depends on you, kid. If you die here today and we don’t get the information, we’ll have to find other ways.”

“I told you, I sent out all the information. If you didn’t get it, I don’t know why. I didn’t make a backup!” Gu Yan spat, furious.

Liu Yi was about to say more when Liu Quan rushed in, flustered. “Big Brother, hurry! One of the guys says several police cars are coming this way!”

Liu Yi frowned, “Wasn’t he supposed to be unnoticed? Didn’t the informant say Yu Dong took two officers out on duty?”

Liu Quan shook his head, “I don’t know, it’s probably not Yu Dong, maybe other police.”

Liu Yi shot Gu Yan a vicious look, “Damn it!”

Liu Quan vented his frustration with a kick to Gu Yan. “What should we do now, Big Brother?”

“What else? If he won’t talk, we’ll silence him!”

Liu Quan nodded, pulling out an iron rod from somewhere and aiming for Gu Yan’s head. Liu Yi stopped him.

“What’s wrong, Big Brother?”

Liu Yi folded his arms, a sly smile on his lips. “You said a bunch of police are coming, right?”

After Yu Chen messaged Shen Henyun, Shen Henyun sat on his motorbike, playing on his phone as he waited. Though it was winter and there were no mosquitoes, his hands were red from the cold. After finishing a round of King of Glory, he was freezing, so he put his phone away and gazed at the night scenery.

Suddenly, a blinding pair of headlights swept over him. Shen Henyun turned and saw a black BMW drive past.

Damn, does the driver know how to drive? The headlights are way too bright! But the car looks familiar… Shen Henyun shielded his eyes and grumbled.

Inside the car, Liu Yi glanced at Shen Henyun, “Is that your little underling? Tell him to leave, we don’t want to be exposed.”

Liu Quan looked through the rearview mirror. “No, my guys are all gone. He… he looks like the eldest son of the Shen family.”

Hearing this, Liu Yi nodded thoughtfully, “Deal with this car later. Him showing up here so late must mean something. Don’t let anyone catch us out.”

“Okay, Big Brother.”

“I’ll find a chance to test him—see if he suspects anything. I remember at a banquet I drove this car, and he was there.”

Liu Quan nodded, “It’s nothing, Big Brother. That kid’s gone, there’s no surveillance here, and you had Xiao Wang make us an alibi. They can’t trace us.”

Liu Yi’s gaze sharpened, “Never say that. If the police come after you, you won’t be able to run!”

Seeing Liu Yi’s sudden anger, Liu Quan was confused but still smiled obsequiously, “You’re right, Big Brother.”

Tch! Once I inherit the Liu assets, I’ll make you suffer, Liu Quan thought.

Liu Yi ignored him, closing his eyes in the back seat.

He’d always been cautious since childhood—that’s how he’d reached his position. He’d ruthlessly cut off even his hobbies. Now, just as he was about to claim his place, this illegitimate son Liu Quan appeared—a vulgar brute he couldn’t stand to be near. Yet the old master had entrusted his care to him.

Liu Yi glanced disdainfully at the driving Liu Quan, his expression cold.

He wants to compete with me? He can’t even handle such trivial matters without me cleaning up his mess. What can he do? I really don’t know what the old master is thinking—he’d rather trust a useless parasite than hand the company to me, his longtime supporter?

With these thoughts, Liu Yi’s fist slowly clenched.

If that’s how it is, old master, don’t blame me for forgetting old ties!

Liu Quan drove on, completely unaware of the hatred simmering behind him, still fantasizing about making Liu Yi his lackey once he inherited the family business.