WWY Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Brother Qing: The other party hasn’t replied for a long time…

In the past few days, the suspect in the Qin Man case has not appeared in any surveillance footage, but the progress on the game platform is pretty good. The frequency of the other party’s chats with Little Xu has obviously increased.

Shengbo Xia, biting his pen, asked, “Team Ling, do you think these two could be the same person?”

Tuxi Ling, picking at his boxed lunch, said in between bites, “Doesn’t feel like it.”

Shengbo Xia leaned closer. “I think so too. It’s impossible for a platform to have only one person working, right? They must have different divisions of labor. Maybe the person in the surveillance is responsible for debt collection, and there’s a dedicated person on the platform responsible for setting traps.”

Little Xu looked away from the screen and asked, “I’ve already said I have ten million to squander, so why isn’t he asking me to gamble?”

Shengbo Xia tapped him. “Ten million? Do you even have a thousand? When they really ask you to gamble, what are you going to bet with?”

“No, Brother Bo, I discovered that this website really only allows transactions of one thousand at a time without real-name authentication. I do have a thousand! Besides, Team Ling already applied for funding from Bureau Chief Liu, right?”

“Regardless of winning or losing, is gambling with him even useful?”

“Why isn’t it? When I lose twice, I’ll say the amount is too small to be fun and directly ask him for his account. With his account, won’t we be able to lock down his real identity?”

“Whoa? You’re amazing!” Shengbo Xia turned his head. “Team Ling, this kid’s got it!”

Tuxi Ling nodded. “Indeed, not bad!”

Rarely praised, Little Xu became smug, his tail almost wagging in the air.

Tuxi Ling threw the empty lunchbox into the trash can and opened WeChat to take a look at the work WeChat group. There were many messages.

“Bozi, the smuggling case at the First Brigade is short of people. Take two people over there to lend a hand.”

“Me?” Shengbo Xia pointed at his own nose. “We’re short of people here too!”

“The cases we have on hand are all stalled. The only breakthrough is Little Xu’s case. We can’t use that many people temporarily. It’s said that the appraisal results of the fragments remaining on the ship are out. They don’t reach the level of cultural relics, but they’re genuine antiques. It should be a major case. You go over there first and listen to Team Ke’s orders. I’ll call you back if anything happens here.”

Shengbo Xia reluctantly left.

At a little after eleven o’clock in the evening, the other party came online again, and this time, he actually took the initiative to greet Little Xu.

[Good morning!]

Little Xu was stunned, while Tuxi Ling’s heart sank.

At Tuxi Ling’s instruction, Little Xu shakily typed a line.

[Morning? It’s the middle of the night. Are you still asleep, bro?]

[Oh, time difference, forgot about the time difference! It’s eight in the morning here, ha!]

Little Xu reported the location to Tuxi Ling based on the time: “In the United States.”

Tuxi Ling fell into thought.

Little Xu asked, “Team Ling, are we still investigating? Even if we lock him down, we can’t catch him!”

After a long while, Tuxi Ling said, “Investigate!”

Little Xu was worried. “This, I’m afraid we won’t be able to recover the funding?”

Tuxi Ling said firmly, “Investigate to the end. I’ll cover it!”

[Bro, are you Chinese?]

[Nonsense, isn’t my Chinese standard?]

[Then what are you doing over there?]

[Vacation.]

[That’s great. Maybe I’ll go find you. I’m bored!]

[If you have money to burn, come to Las Vegas. It’s much more fun than messing around online, but the cheaters are too skilled. You might end up going back naked.]

[How could I lose? I have sharp eyes and ears, and a full scholarship in college! You teach me how to play, and once you teach me, I’ll come find you!]

[Alright, then let’s play a couple of rounds and have you pay some tuition fees!]

Tuxi Ling stared at the screen while quickly writing in his notebook.

The conversation wasn’t long, but the information was plentiful: genuine Chinese, Las Vegas, a clear understanding of gambling, skilled but not addicted.

[Bro, you can call me Little Xu.]

[Mm.]

[Bro, I have several brothers around me who can all be brought in to play together in the future. By the way, it’s awkward calling everyone “brother.” What should I call you in the future? Should we add each other on WeChat and play together?]

[No need for WeChat. You can call me Brother Qing.]

[Brother Qing? I already have a Brother Qing here. What’s your last name?]

[Why are you so nosy?]

[No, no, no, it’s okay, just Brother Qing!]

[You’ve never gambled before, why are you suddenly interested in this?]

[A while ago, a friend of mine played in Macau for a few days and won a lot. My dad gave me some money, so I want to try too! I’m no worse than him!]

[Can casinos really let people win big money?]

[Hehe, good luck, right!]

The other party didn’t reply for a long time, probably scolding this kid for being stupid.

Tuxi Ling continued to write: Brother Qing, has some vigilance but not much, very familiar with the inside story of casinos.

Not long after, an invitation popped up on the screen. Little Xu clicked on it, and it was a blackjack room.

Blackjack is a very simple game. The other party probably felt there was nothing to teach and started directly.

[This game relies mostly on luck.]

[Brother Qing, you’re starting already? I haven’t deposited any money yet!]

[You can deposit now and exchange for chips. I’ll wait for you.]

[Okay, hey? Brother Qing, why can’t I deposit? Limit of one thousand? Are you looking down on me?]

[You can verify your real name.]

[Crap, I can’t verify it. My ID card was confiscated by my dad!]

[…Are you playing with me?]

[No, Brother Qing, can you send me some? ]

[You still want to freeload off me?]

[Really not! I’ll transfer the money to you first. You have a domestic bank account, right? Give me an account, I’m a platinum VIP, and it’ll arrive immediately!]

[Let’s play next time.]

He left.

Even the profile picture turned gray.

Little Xu’s hands left the keyboard, and he leaned back in his chair, questioning his life. “Team Ling, did I reveal something? A wasted effort…”

Tuxi Ling squeezed his shoulder. “You did very well. The other party is just more vigilant. Let’s think of another way!”

–

Today was the day Lan He was scheduled to meet with the two old men from the nursing home. He had prepared a stack of his own paintings, a set of writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, and two boxes of high-quality tea. They were all on the coffee table in the living room.

Last night’s strong wind brought a mudslide, and Ya Jiu and Old Ni were washing the car. He sat on the sofa waiting, his eyes fixed on Weiyu He above the offering table.

That day, Tuxi Ling’s analysis had a big impact on him. Regardless of how Weiyu He felt about his son that he had abandoned, the fact was, he wanted to leave everything to him and was still trying to ensure his safety.

The elderly Weiyu He looked withered but imposing. He stared at that numb dead man’s face for a while and really saw some resemblance to himself.

Was this the unbreakable blood tie?

He smiled self-deprecatingly and turned his gaze back to the stack of drawing paper in front of him. The topmost painting was the bottle he had recently drawn.

A Teapot with Handle, a piece of the hollowed-out crossbeam was missing, the broken chain hanging to one side, the surface of the bottle covered in verdigris, even the dirt in the patterns was clearly visible.

Every detail of this painting was engraved in his mind, especially since this was the first thing he drew the first time he picked up a paintbrush. His second creation after many years was still effortless.

This was his talent; people or objects he had studied carefully, he could remember every detail.

That day, when his father wasn’t home, he and Qi A sneaked into his locked basement for the first time.

The lights inside were dim, and the cold air had a nasty, musty smell. The walls were bare earth, and rows of shelves were covered in thick dust and were almost empty.

A strangely shaped, verdigris-covered bottle sat alone on the shelf, casting a hazy shadow in the dim yellow light.

Qi A looked around and found nothing. “Tch, what’s this? Boring, let’s go!”

He hopped toward the stairs, only to find that Lan He hadn’t followed.

Lan He stood next to the shelf. Because the bottle was placed high, the twelve-year-old had to stand on tiptoe and crane his neck to look.

“Lan He, what’s wrong? Let’s go!”

“I like it…”

Qi A grabbed his arm. “Let’s go! We’ll be in trouble if Dad comes back!”

Lan He, lost in thought, was startled and pulled away. He looked back at the bottle reluctantly as he went upstairs.

Back in his room, Lan He could no longer calm down. His mind was full of the mysterious bottle. He rummaged through his drawer for two pieces of paper and tried to draw the bottle, wanting to preserve it in this way.

There were crisp bird calls outside the window, and the sound of Qi A punching the sandbag “bang bang bang”. He immersed himself in his own world for an entire afternoon, finally drawing something that satisfied him.

He held the crumpled piece of paper in front of him and smiled happily.

“You drew this?” A deep male voice suddenly came from behind.

Lan He shuddered, and the drawing paper slipped to the ground.

“Dad…”

The man went over and picked up the paper. He was stunned when he saw it, then his expression softened, and he ruffled his short, fluffy hair. “Sneaked into the basement?”

Lan He tensed up, lowering his eyes. “I’m sorry…”

The man was not angry, but praised him. “Good drawing. Should I find you a teacher?”

Lan He looked at him in surprise.

The man returned the painting to him and asked, “Do you want to learn?”

Lan He pinched the painting, and the head he lowered nodded lightly, his eyes stinging. He couldn’t help it, and tears fell “splatter” on the drawing paper.

He choked and said, “Thank you, Dad.”

From that moment on, he decided to listen to everything his father said, even if he wanted him to die, he would do so without hesitation.

…

“Young Master Lan, the car is ready!” Ya Jiu’s greeting interrupted his memories.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the nursing home again. Heng Zhou didn’t know he was coming today and wasn’t in the yard, which saved him a lot of small talk.

It had rained last night, and the lawn was wet. The stone table and stools where the two old men had played chess last time were washed clean and gleaming.

Under the guidance of the staff, they found Han Shan’s room. His room was next to Minhu Luo’s. In this weather, they were nestled in their rooms drinking tea and reading the newspaper.

Minhu Luo happily let him into the room. “Little He, I bet with Old Han whether you would come, and you kept your promise!”

Lan He smiled and handed over the tea box. “How could I break my promise!”

“Oh, Pu’er! That’s too much! That’s too much!” Minhu Luo said politely and took it.

Han Shan looked at Lan He from above his reading glasses. “You’re here, sit down!”

Lan He placed a box of brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone on the table. “Uncle Han, this is for you!”

He pretended to look around the antique-filled room with appreciation. Finally, his eyes fixed on a ink painting on the wall. He smiled and said, “Uncle Han really loves elegant things. I gave the right set of inkstones!”

Han Shan opened the box and looked at it. He was visibly happy, as if he had met a kindred spirit.

Minhu Luo looked at the young man again with admiration. “Not bad, knows how to cater to people’s preferences, has a future!”

Lan He smiled. “My body doesn’t dare to expect a future. I just want to learn from you two uncles to cultivate my sentiments!”

Then, he gripped the bag in his hand awkwardly, using retreat as a strategy. “Seeing these things in Uncle Han’s room, I’m embarrassed to take out what I’ve drawn.”

“It’s okay, take it out and let’s take a look!”

Han Shan reached out his hand, and Lan He “had to” take out the stack of A4 paper and hand it over, appearing very embarrassed. “These are what I drew. Compared to yours, it’s simply children’s graffiti!”

Indeed, in front of the majestic and atmospheric traditional Chinese painting, his ballpoint pen drawings seemed more like playing around. This was a natural chain of contempt. No matter how well he drew, it was useless.

Han Shan was indeed a little unenthusiastic, but he couldn’t bear to discourage the young man. He patiently looked through them one by one, casually commenting a few words.

But when he saw the Teapot with Handle, he suddenly widened his eyes and looked up in disbelief. “You copied this?”

“Yes, I did!” Lan He nodded. “It suddenly popped into my head. I forgot which museum I saw it in, so I quickly drew it.”

“Museum?” Han Shan stood up trembling. “Think quickly, which museum?”

Lan He thought for a moment. “Anyway, it was a foreign museum. I was young when I went, so I can’t remember.”

Han Shan took off his reading glasses, his eyes staring straight ahead. “This…”

Minhu Luo asked, “Old Han, what’s wrong? What is this?”

Han Shan looked at him, goosebumps rising on his neck. “This is… I won’t remember wrong! This is a cultural relic unearthed from the lower reaches of the Yellow River twenty years ago. That year, soil erosion was severe, and it was necessary to carry out protective excavation of a site. A total of more than a dozen utensils were unearthed in that batch. This is the most complete one, but it disappeared during transportation. It turned out to have flowed overseas…”