Chapter 113: The Investigation

The next morning, under the bright sun, Du Bin rubbed his sleepy eyes and sat up. He noticed that Hu Guozheng was already awake on the other bed, playing on his phone and occasionally letting out a giggle; he knew the guy was texting Shasha.

Du Bin curiously leaned over to take a look, but the fat man gave him a look of utter disdain. "Get lost, don't disturb us lovebirds."

"Fine, fine, I won't bother you." After washing up, Du Bin received a call from Qin Ling. They agreed to meet at the Starbucks in Huafa Commercial Mall. Earlier, he had watched Qin Ling on a video call, acting all innocent in front of Shasha, pretending to be a patient and claiming she was covered in wounds while trying to rescue him. Hearing that made his blood boil, but seeing the two of them so lovey-dovey on the video, he knew they wouldn't have time for him, so he headed to Starbucks alone by taxi.

After parking his car in the underground garage and arriving at the Starbucks, he saw Qin Ling sitting on the open-air second floor. She was wearing a beige dress and sunglasses, waving at him, so he sat down.

Qin Ling called the waiter over. Du Bin ordered a coffee, then turned to her and said, "Lingling, you called me over in such a hurry—tell me, what is it?"

"Are your wounds okay?"

"Heh, don't worry, I'm fine. If a man can't even handle a few scratches, what kind of man is he? I'm not one of those pampered idols who cries to their parents at the slightest inconvenience."

Qin Ling giggled. "I've noticed you've developed a bit of a sense of humor. You weren't very talkative before. I suppose I have Xiao Tang's guidance to thank for that."

Du Bin scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Lingling, please, stop teasing me."

Qin Ling took a sip of her coffee, put away her playful mood, took a deep breath, and said with a serious expression, "Do you want to know who Wu Qiwei's other partner is?"

"You mean..." Du Bin looked at her in surprise. It sounded as if she knew who it was.

"There are some things I’m not really at liberty to say, but I feel I must, because I bear some responsibility for how big this situation has become."

Seeing Qin Ling pinning the blame on herself felt strange. "What do you mean by that? It’s not related to you, is it?"

"To be precise, partly. Do you remember the incident at General Mountain?"

"Oh, I remember. After you were captured by Wu Qiwei, that guy Ma Jinlong, who got rich through smuggling, was hosting high-stakes gambling games in his villa." The mention of General Mountain was still vivid in Du Bin’s memory; it was the start of his encounter with supernatural abilities.

"Do you think it was all a coincidence?"

Du Bin fell into deep thought. The waiter brought the coffee he had ordered and Qin Ling’s Pink Drink. Once the waiter left, he said, "You mean this was deliberate? For what purpose?"

"For Xiao Tang, and for you." Qin Ling picked up her Pink Drink, sipping and biting the straw. To the men nearby, the gesture seemed seductive, especially given the lingering gazes of the male customers—after all, it was hard not to let one’s imagination run wild with a great beauty sitting there.

"Me? I was just an ordinary person back then, I didn't know anything about supernatural powers. Why would I be a threat?" Du Bin took a sip of his coffee and rested his chin on his hand, falling into contemplation again. As a normal person, he really couldn't fathom how he was connected to this.

"I’m not sure, but think about it. Ever since General Mountain, you were forced into the Death Arena. Don't you think that’s more than just a coincidence? As an ordinary person participating in a ring fight among superhumans, did you really think you had a chance of survival?"

"I'm very clear on that point. Even after a year of crash-course training, I was no match for them. If Xiao Tang hadn't been there to back me up, Hu Guozheng and I would have died nine times out of ten. If you’re saying this, then it was intentional to make us join the Death Arena to increase the difficulty for Xiao Tang. But if I think about it from another angle, it seems like an intentional setup to have me killed in the ring. Is that what you mean?" If his hypothesis was correct, the mastermind wasn't just plotting against Ye Tang; if they hid their intentions to make it seem accidental, why would this mastermind want him dead? This was the part Du Bin couldn't understand.

"Yes. Initially, kidnapping me was just bait to draw Xiao Tang out; you know that well. What I can't figure out is why you were dragged into it."

Hearing Qin Ling say this, Du Bin seemed to guess something. He probed, "Lingling, the mastermind you mentioned is related to you, isn't he? Is it... him?"

Seeing her remain silent, he took it as a confirmation. Du Bin didn't understand her motive. "Why are you telling me this?"

Qin Ling sighed, stroking her slightly protruding belly with a look of sorrow. "I don't want him to keep making the same mistakes. After all, he is the father of my child. He’s recently been plotting some new plans. I asked you here because I hope you can stop him before he continues to bring disaster to the world."

"I understand what you mean. Don't worry, I promise." Du Bin understood her position; she was worried that if he found out the truth, he would seek revenge against Ye Tang's enemy. Looking at her belly, he understood how difficult it was for her to balance being a mother and a wife.

She had only heard rumors about Ye Tang’s disappearance, but as a close friend, she was worried. During this meeting, she wanted to know the details. "By the way, has Xiao Tang really disappeared? Tell me the details of what happened."

"At that time, Xiao Tang was working with YOYO to eliminate Wu Qiwei. Perhaps because three different powers were concentrated in one place, the space became distorted. We don't know exactly how Xiao Tang was sucked into that five-colored spatial rift. I have a feeling she’s still there, but I just can't see her. Now, I don't even know if she is still in this world."

Qin Ling found it incredible. Falling into a distorted space—if she hadn't witnessed the existence of superhumans, she would have called Du Bin a delusional maniac. But after thinking about the recent strange occurrences, she said, "I don't know if this will be useful to you."

Seeing Du Bin nod, she continued, "Actually, he has a son, about my age. They have been at odds for six years. One refuses to acknowledge him as his father, and the other refuses to acknowledge him as his son. There was one thing his son said that I found very strange."

"What did he say?"

"He said that even if the whole world thinks he is Zeng Yilong’s son, and even if their genes are identical, you are still you, and he is still he."

Du Bin pondered, but found no lead; after all, a single sentence could have many interpretations. "This... I can't really say. I'm not familiar with the issue. You’re telling me this because you want me to approach him and find out the truth?"

"Yes. I’m quite bothered by this matter, and regardless of everything, he is my son in name. I have a responsibility to help reconcile the father and son."

"Leave this to me. Do you have his contact address or phone number?" Du Bin smiled. He understood Qin Ling's underlying motive: on one hand, she wanted him to investigate why the father and son had fallen out, and on the other, she hoped to use this as a chance to bring them back together.

"I forgot to tell you, Le'er is with him."

"Le'er? Or Shen Le?" Du Bin felt a headache coming on. He didn't know which version of Le'er Qin Ling had encountered.

"What do you mean, Le'er or Shen Le? Is there a difference?" Qin Ling looked baffled.

Du Bin didn't explain. After all, to her, it was just Shen Le. "Nothing, it's just her name."

After getting the contact information, they discussed a few other things before heading back to their respective homes. When he returned, he saw Hu Guozheng was still on a video call with Shasha. They had been talking for nearly two hours, and the topics seemed endless. If Du Bin hadn't had business to discuss, they might have talked until nightfall.

"So, you mean to track him, but..." Hu Guozheng looked at the photo on his phone, then looked at him with hesitation.

"I know you're worried that Shen Le might attack us. But from what I know, she seems to have feelings for this Zeng Jia. If we use his relationship as a bridge, I believe Shen Le won't attack us. You know she’s hiding her identity to get close to Zeng Jia, right?"

Hu Guozheng lay back on the bed, exhausted. "I hope so."