Chapter 184: Dropping the Mask 3

The first snow fell in Beidu City, and the entire city was shrouded in a clean white, its colors becoming monotonous and somber.

During the holiday, Yu Shixue and Yin Huaiyu both came to the Jin Family to look for Ling Wu, only to be coldly driven away by Jin Shaoyu several times; the rest of the time, they couldn't even catch a glimpse of him, messages went unanswered, and they fell into a sort of abnormal equilibrium, with Ling Wu seemingly busy beyond measure.

Yin Huaiyu knew a few ways to get information and was noncommittal about this, but Yu Shixue was unaware and simply assumed that ever since the cruise ship incident, Ling Wu had been deliberately avoiding him.

Yu Shixue was not in a hurry, though; Yu's father and mother would be returning to the country in a few days.

The relationship between Jing Du and Jin Shaoyu slowly eased; after all, there was a decade of friendship, and with the well-intentioned mediation of Yu Shixue and Yin Huaiyu, they no longer traded cold sarcasm every time they met and could occasionally speak a few normal sentences.

Through this incident, the few of them truly realized that Ling Wu could not be touched, especially in front of Jin Shaoyu, who could truly turn hostile at any moment; as for talk of brotherly friendship, he would cast it aside the moment he pleased.

Without the slightest shred of mercy.

Jing Du had reined himself in quite a bit; he took the opportunity to call Yin Huaiyu out alone, as he suspected that Yin Huaiyu was hiding something from him regarding the Ganan matter.

He could have asked Jin Shaoyu, but unfortunately, wasn't that person currently looking down on him?

Inside the VIP private room.

Jing Du sat in the main seat, with young boys sent by the club to serve him on either side; in high society, this was a trivial matter, just to add a bit of amusement, and it wasn't really to have them accompany anyone. For those of them from such prominent families, let alone doing anything with these people, they would find it dirty just to look at them directly.

Yin Huaiyu wore a lamb's wool jacket with letter prints on it, and the edges of the zipper had a single row of silver studs, making it look flashy; worn by him, however, it didn't look tacky, but rather added a bit of wildness.

"A busy man, finally willing to call me out for a drink."

He teased, walking over to sit down.

"Just the two of us?"

Yin Huaiyu clearly didn't put the young boys beside them in his eyes, feeling they were a bit of an eyesore, and waved his hand to send them out: "The ones you called?"

Jing Du set down his wine glass: "Is that possible?"

"Then why don't you kick them out?" Yin Huaiyu crossed his legs, leaning back against the leather sofa, finding it strange: "You're facing a group of men, aren't you afraid of losing your appetite?"

Jing Du acted as if he didn't hear the mockery in his words: "I thought you liked them, so I specifically kept them for you."

After he finished speaking, he even glanced toward Yin Huaiyu.

"Heh."

Yin Huaiyu raised his eyebrows, finding it interesting: "Adu, you don't seem like the type to consider my feelings; why so kind today?"

Jing Du drank in silence, not in a hurry to refute his words, his expression unchanged, though his lips were flushed and glossy from being scorched by the liquor.

But a person like Yin Huaiyu was extremely calculating and scheming, and he managed to see some different meaning in that expressionless expression of his.

He got straight to the point: "Adu, don't tell me you're doubting whether you're actually homophobic because of that business with Ling Wu?"

"So you just called all these people here to test it out?"

Yin Huaiyu's gaze shifted away from his crotch: "No reaction? Is it that I came at the wrong time, or were you scared limp by them?"

His words were so blunt they were almost obscene.

Yet there was a hint of a mocking smile in his eyes, which made one feel thoroughly uncomfortable.

Jing Du naturally said: "No."

Then that was that.

Yin Huaiyu understood him; for someone as aloof and arrogant as Jing Du, if it really weren't the case, he wouldn't bother wasting his breath explaining it to you; just one glance would make everything clear.

"Tsk." Yin Huaiyu made a light clicking sound with his teeth, sounding a bit emotional: "Adu, you've fallen for it, haven't you."

"What about Wei Ranxu? He's just letting you run wild? The engagement isn't that easy to break, and the businesses of your two families can't be separated in a moment; he won't be easy to deal with."

Jing Du lit a cigarette, bit down on it, and said: "Doesn't the Wei Family want power? Just give it to them."

"Are you serious?" Yin Huaiyu sat up straight, a bit shocked: "It's not worth it."

Before this, he had thought Jing Du didn't have much sincerity toward Ling Wu; after all, the baser instincts of men were at work, and it was easy to mistake this fresh, unattainable stimulation for love, but once that urge passed, one would naturally sober up.

Yet Jing Du not only showed no signs of sobering up, he seemed to be plunging headfirst into it, with the feeling of lighting beacon fires to tease the feudal lords just to win a beauty's smile...

Yin Huaiyu pondered for a long while: "I fear it's a case of the falling flowers having intent, while the flowing water has no heart."

He hoped Jing Du wouldn't like Ling Wu, but Yin Huaiyu also knew clearly that with Jin Shaoyu watching, it would be very difficult for him to obtain Ling Wu; it would be better to pull Jing Du in, as things would be much easier to handle with his methods and boldness.

And kick him out after the deed was done.

Yin Huaiyu had already made up his mind and was just waiting for Jing Du to walk into the trap.

Immediately, Jing Du asked him: "Don't you like him too? Yu Shixue's parents are rushing back from abroad soon, presumably to discuss the marriage alliance with the Jin Family; what do you think?"

Yin Huaiyu didn't take it to heart at all: "It's not even a done deal yet; it takes two to tango. Ling Wu doesn't even look at either of us, so he certainly won't enter a marriage alliance with the Yu Family. As long as he doesn't agree, who can force him?"

That was indeed the logic.

Yet Jing Du felt vaguely uneasy.

"Hmm."

The two of them drank glass after glass.

Jing Du probed: "Are you over your anger from the Ganan incident last time? I'm still helping you look for those people, you know."

Alcohol interfered with part of his thinking, and as vigilant as Yin Huaiyu was, he actually didn't detect the probing intent for a moment; he sipped his wine before looking at him: "How long ago was that?"

That meant he didn't intend to bring it up.

The mood was wrong.

Given Yin Huaiyu's arrogant and vengeful temperament, having suffered such a huge setback in Ganan and being held hostage—it was practically walking all over his dignity—it was impossible for him to be indifferent. Even after a few months, his reaction shouldn't be so normal, as if he had let it go.

It was contradictory.

Very contradictory.

"Not looking anymore?" Jing Du clinked his glass with him, deliberately watching his eyes: "When you gave me the photos last time, didn't you say you wanted to tear them to pieces? My people have already found some clues."

Of course, he hadn't found any clues; he was just bluffing Yin Huaiyu.

Sure enough, when Yin Huaiyu heard him mention the word "clues," his gaze flickered, and his aura became a bit somber, though it only lasted for a very short time.

It was as if it were an illusion.

Yin Huaiyu asked as if inadvertently: "What clues?"

He believed it was impossible for Ling Wu to let others get a hold on him.

Seeing him fall into the trap, Jing Du threw out a bait: "The Magician's clues, you know? Guess what I discovered on the cruise ship? The method used to steal the corridor surveillance footage is identical to the method used to breach the security system in Ganan."

"Oh..." Hearing this, Yin Huaiyu sensed something unusual; he set down his wine glass: "Is that so?"

"Then have you confirmed where he is?"

"I remember you admire him very much."

Jing Du felt he was getting closer and closer to the truth, so he continued to fabricate: "Right here in Beidu City."

Yin Huaiyu's body stiffened imperceptibly for a moment.

He felt a chill down his spine being stared at by those eyes of Jing Du's; he always felt the other party was asking him while already holding the answer, but what had made Jing Du suspicious?

Yin Huaiyu asked himself when he had ever exposed himself.

Could it be during the fencing match? Jing Du had been watching the whole time; or worse, later when he had cornered Ling Wu in the locker room, he had heard footsteps in the next room fade away, but in reality, they hadn't—was Jing Du eavesdropping from the corner?

It was possible.

Yin Huaiyu knew Jing Du's devious nature; this person was very reserved, appearing light and breezy on the surface, looking as if no one could catch his attention.

But when he encountered something he was interested in, he liked to visually stalk others...

Facts proved that Jing Du's level was a bit higher than Yin Huaiyu's, and he was better at keeping his cool; Yin Huaiyu was still a bit too green, so he said: "What did you hear?"

Jing Du hadn't expected Yin Huaiyu to say that; the answer was unexpected, so it seemed his guess was correct and his direction was right: "For something like this, I thought you would at least tell me."

The attitude was very ambiguous.

Did he know?

Or did he not know?

Yin Huaiyu couldn't figure out if it was Jing Du's twisted sense of humor at work, fishing for information, or if he really didn't know and was trying to bait him, causing him to lose his footing and not know how to handle the next step.

He simply laid his cards on the table: "Adu, given our relationship, why are you speaking in riddles? If you have something to say, just ask."

"I wouldn't hide anything from you."

Jing Du blew a smoke ring: "Is that so?"

"Then how do I know if you'll lie to me?" Jing Du was quite skilled at psychological warfare: "Huaiyu, at least we are still on the same boat."

"Right?"

With things having reached this point, how could Yin Huaiyu not understand? Today's event was a "trap" specifically prepared for him.

Yin Huaiyu had been counting on utilizing Jing Du, and at this moment, he was weighing whether to reveal the truth to him; Jing Du truly liked Ling Wu, right? Besides, Ling Wu hadn't threatened his family's interests.

He watched and waited, unable to make up his mind.

Yin Huaiyu regretted coming out alone with Jing Du; he definitely wouldn't be able to leave without being baited for information. He should have called Yu Shixue along; at least there would have been someone to make jokes and smooth things over.

A miscalculation.

Jing Du didn't press for answers anymore, his attitude becoming relaxed; he just kept clinking glasses and drinking with Yin Huaiyu. It was still snowing outside, and after a few glasses of wine, his whole body felt warm, so he took off his coat and threw it onto the sofa nearby.

Yin Huaiyu was a bit muddled.

At this moment, Jing Du opened the photos in the album, placed them in front of Yin Huaiyu, and asked with deliberate ambiguity: "Look at the eyes in this painting of yours, don't they look exactly like his?"

This "he" could refer to anyone.

But to Yin Huaiyu's ears, it was clearly pointed; yet Jing Du also had strong conviction, daring to come and probe without any real evidence.

Yin Huaiyu, with his brain burning from the alcohol, spilled everything: "How did you know he was Ling Wu?"