Secret Incident (BL) - Chapter 12

Many people at the pier were sighing over how romantic the spectacle was.

“This can’t be something a fan arranged. Someone must be pursuing Ji Fanyun.”

They also said, “If it’s a girl making such a grand gesture, it’s a bit too much. Not exactly dignified.”

And someone else countered, “If I had the wealth of a rich heiress, who cares about dignity? Money is dignity.”

Liam Jun listened to it all.

Watched for a long time.

Eventually, he found the surrounding noise unbearable and instructed Qiu Wei to turn up the music.

Qiu Wei was at the hotel, spending the whole afternoon setting up his multiple computers. The room was filled with rap music. He had been carefully avoiding rapping along during hands-free calls—he never expected his old-school, straight-laced boss to suddenly request louder music.

The call was connected to three lines:

Jiang Lai, over at the migrant worker dormitories in the New District, and Cheng Guosheng’s home.

Inside the cramped one-bedroom apartment, Jiang Lai had searched every corner, flipping through everything. But when the drone light show outside drew crowds to the corridors, she found herself trapped inside.

Not that she was worried.

She peeked through the gap in the curtains, gazed at the sky, and cheerfully said, “Qiu-ge, quick! Play ‘I Know You’re Feeling Sad’ for our boss!”

She wasn’t the least bit concerned about her own predicament.

Before Qiu Wei could figure out what song she meant, Jiang Lai had already started singing.

Liam Jun stood at the pier.

In his line of sight, there was Cheng Guosheng.

Further away—the star of tonight’s ostentatious birthday celebration.

Ji Fanyun stood on the deck, talking to someone, looking cheerful.

Liam wanted to criticize the sheer extravagance of the event, but when he saw Ji Fanyun glowing with delight, he found himself at a loss for words.

And then, a part of him considered—

Ji Fanyun wasn’t someone who could be understood at face value.

If he looked happy, it didn’t necessarily mean he was happy.

If he looked unhappy, it didn’t necessarily mean he was unhappy.

Liam thought about it too much.

Got so lost in thought that he lost focus on work.

The chaotic off-key chorus in his earpiece was even more aggravating.

He took the earpiece off, stepped forward a few more paces—moving closer to where Cheng Guosheng was standing.

The dim pier lights paled in comparison to the bright drones.

Freight ships rushed from one port to the next, and the heavy loading and unloading of containers continued day and night.

Even amid the festivities, dock workers could only steal a few glances upward before resuming their labor.

Cheng Guosheng worked as a driver for a logistics company with operations at the pier.

Earlier that day, Qiu Wei had been unable to access the company’s surveillance system, so Liam had come to investigate.

His new business cards were freshly printed, complete with gold edges, identifying him as the Marketing Director of a tourism development company—a title that seemed entirely legitimate.

Under the guise of researching local logistics and transportation, he had successfully secured a meeting thanks to Xiao Chen, who had subtly pulled some strings.

The town’s propaganda officer even acted as his introducer, making the whole affair official.

The logistics company manager, eager to pry into the future development plans, pulled out all the stops to host him.

A tour of the land-based operations, followed by a lavish dinner with the managers.

By the time the evening ended, Liam was slightly intoxicated.

The logistics company, ever hospitable, offered him a car and a driver—urging him to use them freely.

By coincidence, the driver assigned to him was Cheng Guosheng.

A lucky accident.

Liam got in the vehicle and asked Cheng Guosheng to drive him to the pier.

To the location where, not long ago, a body had been discovered.

Tonight’s extravagant scene at the pier was an unexpected spectacle.

Cheng Guosheng, just as their investigation had suggested, was quiet, introverted, and diligent.

At the pier, he immediately responded to a coworker’s call for help—offering assistance without hesitation.

Even with all the festivities, Liam observed that Cheng Guosheng kept his head down and continued working.

When he finally secured the last mooring rope, Liam approached him.

With the sharp demeanor of an executive, but a casual air, Liam offered him a cigarette and said, “Go home and rest early. You don’t need to drive me back to the hotel.”

“Understood.”

Cheng Guosheng accepted the cigarette cautiously, his politeness almost naive.

“Then, Mr. Jun, if you ever need a ride, just give me a call.”

Liam nodded, dismissing him.

But just as Cheng Guosheng turned to leave, Liam called him back.

“You’re a steady driver. Why aren’t you working as a full-time freight truck driver? The pay should be better.”

“I do drive trucks—long-haul. Work slows down in the off-season, so I also drive for the company bosses when needed. It’s all the same, really.”

Cheng Guosheng was nearly fifty, but looked even older.

Compared to the rugged dockworkers or even other logistics employees, he appeared frail—his back slightly hunched, his manner humble.

Jiang Lai had said—

His home showed no trace of family.

No sign of a wife or children.

But the records stated he had a son.

A son who was now nowhere to be found.

Liam had asked around.

Everyone described the son as a “disgrace who left home after making it big and never looked back.”

Liam had watched him, spoken to him, tracked him for days—

And still, he couldn’t picture this man as a serial killer.

“Mr. Jun, I’ll be heading back to the office to clock out.”

Cheng Guosheng waited for Liam’s approval before cautiously stepping away.

Once he was gone, Liam put his earpiece back in.

The off-key singing was still looping in the background.

He cut it off and said, “Jiang, just walk out normally. Don’t worry about who’s watching.”

“Are you sure?” Jiang Lai double-checked.

“No one cares about that apartment.”

No one paid attention to the insignificant old man living in that rented room.

But Jiang Lai—dressed in a backless top and tight jeans—would be noticed.

She stepped out.

She hadn’t even made it three steps before whistles and crude remarks trailed from the fifth floor into the darkness.

“A bunch of perverts.” Qiu Wei muttered over the call.

“Boss, you’re heartless—how could you send Jiang to a place like that?”

“It’s fine. I actually enjoy using my beauty to stun people.”

Jiang Lai joked, then asked, “It’s past nine, boss. Can I go back and get my beauty sleep now?”

Liam hesitated for a moment.

Then finally said, “Go ahead. Thanks for today.”

The call remained connected.

Jiang Lai kept singing,

“I know you’re feeling sad… loving someone takes fate…”

Qiu Wei drummed a beat in the background.

Around Liam, the whispers and murmurs of the crowd persisted.

And under the brilliant sky, that single, blinding spotlight still held his gaze.

“You…”

For a moment…

Liam Jun wasn’t thinking.

He had simply paused—and in that brief pause, he realized he couldn’t find a reason to convince himself to turn away.

So instead, he called out, “Jiang, stop singing.”

Then added, “You should be able to see from upstairs—there’s a private yacht docked at the pier. I’ll triple your pay. I need you to find someone.”

“Ask him if he wants to get off the ship.”

Qiu Wei, missing the point entirely, jumped up in outrage over the phone, repeating, “Triple the pay?! Triple! TRIPLE! I want that too!”

Jiang Lai, ever agile, broke into a run, her breath steady.

“As long as I get paid, everything’s negotiable,” she said.

Maybe Liam was trying to distract himself.

Or maybe, somewhere in his rational mind, he reminded himself—focus on work.

Meanwhile, dockworkers, having just disembarked from a freight ship, paused to glance at the glowing spectacle above.

As one stopped near Liam, he offered a cigarette and casually asked, “Isn’t this supposed to be the off-season? Why are you still working this late?”

The younger worker, caught off guard, took the cigarette and muttered, “Night shift. Besides, there’s no such thing as an off-season—just whether you can grab a job or not.”

Over the course of a single cigarette, Liam gathered intel—learning about how the logistics company divided its work at the pier.

The number of trips a freight driver got, the length of the routes they were assigned—all of it affected their pay.

And more than that, it depended on connections.

The honest, quiet ones often got left with the worst jobs, sometimes with none at all.

By the time Liam had extracted all the information he wanted, the young worker finally looked him up and down and asked, “What do you do?”

Liam, unbothered, gave a slight smile and replied, “Just making conversation.”

From the earpiece, Qiu Wei quipped, “Tell him you’re the legendary Detective Lao Liu from Beiyang Alley.”

And at the same time, Jiang Lai announced, “Triple pay! I’m here! I’ve arrived!”

Liam said nothing more.

And he deliberately refrained from glancing toward the yacht’s deck.

Instead, he followed the dockworkers’ gazes, looking up at the blinding drones, his vision spinning.

Then—

A voice called out, “Who’s here?”

Liam lowered his head, just in time to see Ji Fanyun, glowing with excitement, turning toward someone else.

Tension erupted on Jiang Lai’s end.

Liam immediately moved, heading toward the ship.

His thought process was simple—Jiang Lai acts on impulse. I can’t let her cause trouble.

But as the crowd shifted and blocked his way, his frustration—already mounting—became indistinguishable from something else entirely.

He had heard it in his earpiece.

The grand, extravagant birthday celebration—was arranged by a male admirer.

Walking up the yacht’s gangway, he overheard Xu Xiao, her voice tense with controlled anger—

“President Xiang, you’ve spent quite a lot. But my brother is busy with work—he doesn’t have time for these meaningless displays.”

The distant sound of a man groaning in pain—

Jiang Lai must have taken someone down.

Xu Xiao’s voice rang out again—

“My brother isn’t gay. Please stop pestering him.”

Liam navigated the corridors inside the yacht, relying on instinct to find his way to the deck.

The voices in his earpiece remained chaotic.

But then, Ji Fanyun spoke.

He sounded unbothered—

“When I’m back in Beijing, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

“The desserts were delicious. Thank you for today.”

It sounded…

Familiar.

And Liam finally understood.

Ji Fanyun’s happiness wasn’t necessarily real happiness.

When he said ‘I’ll treat you to a meal,’ he didn’t actually mean he would.

When he said ‘thank you,’ he didn’t actually feel gratitude.

It was just courtesy.

Polite deflection.

The man standing opposite him seemed to understand this game of pleasantries too.

His voice filtered into Liam’s earpiece—

“Can’t you give me just one more chance?”

“No.”

Ji Fanyun’s response was immediate.

Qiu Wei, ever quick to catch details, muttered in Liam’s ear—

“Did you hear that? ‘One more chance.’ He said ‘one more’!*

Liam finally reached the corridor, bathed in colorful lights.

His steps slowed.

Ji Fanyun’s tone never changed as he said, “Goodbye, President Xiang.”

Then, in the same casual manner, he asked—

“Jiang Lai, why are you here?”

“Oh, oh!”

Jiang Lai, clearly enjoying the drama, dragged it out, then said—

“A friend of mine wants to ask you something…”

Liam cut in through the call.

“Apologize for the fight. Nothing else.”

Jiang Lai ignored him.

“My friend wants to ask if you want to get off the ship.”

“Yes.”

Ji Fanyun responded instantly.

And then—

He appeared in Liam’s line of sight.

He ran in, only to stop abruptly when he saw Liam.

His expression flickered with shock—

Then settled into a smile as he stood still, gazing at Liam for several seconds without moving.

The deck remained noisy, a mix of voices and laughter.

At that very moment, the drones switched to soft, romantic background music.

Jiang Lai was still bickering with the man she had beaten up.

Xu Xiao was chasing after her.

And Liam, of course, saw President Xiang standing there—watching.

Ji Fanyun followed Liam’s gaze, then turned back and—without addressing the man directly—spoke.

“I apologize on Jiang Lai’s behalf. Can you let this go?”

President Xiang turned, gestured to the security guards, and they immediately released Jiang Lai.

Ji Fanyun, without hesitation, called out to Xu Xiao.

He had never used honorifics with her.

“Xu Xiao, check if Jiang Lai is hurt.”

Then, as if deliberately emphasizing his next words, he raised his voice slightly—

“I’ll be going back to the hotel with Mr. Jun.”

As he walked toward Liam, he spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear—

“I’m leaving with you.”

For a fleeting second, Liam regretted never finishing his psychology courses.

Maybe if he had, he would have been able to gauge the probability—

How likely was Ji Fanyun using him to escape President Xiang?

Leaving the yacht, Ji Fanyun let out a relieved sigh.

“Finally out of there. That was so awkward.”

On the way back, after a long silence, he finally explained—

“President Xiang is one of our film investors. Can’t afford to offend him.”

Liam had been flipping through psychological theories in his mind.

But back at the hotel, watching Ji Fanyun’s effortless interactions with the staff and crew, Liam gave up.

There was no point in trying to analyze him.

He couldn’t figure Ji Fanyun out.

But he couldn’t ignore him either.