Controlled Experiment Chapter 53

Two Missing One – 3

---

Du Yusheng had never been a pessimistic person, he had always believed that if you wanted to do something, there was nothing you couldn't accomplish, if you wanted to understand something, there was no question that couldn't be answered.

But now, looking at the thick stack of files Xiao Bai had left behind, Du Yusheng suddenly felt as though he were going round in circles in an alley, and a dead-end alley at that. Just as Xiao Bai had said, the person who most likely had both motive and opportunity was that surviving child. But this person left no trace whatsoever. Aside from estimating from the photographs that he was likely older than him, the man seemed to have evaporated, as if he had never existed at all.

To know the suspect, to know the possible killer, and yet be completely unable to find him left Du Yusheng feeling both frustrated and deeply unsettled.

He flopped heavily onto the hospital bed, and the movement sent fresh waves of pain through his already battered body. But Du Yusheng made no sound, he only stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes, wondering how it was possible for someone to vanish without a single trace,  not even a single photograph left behind.

If you had ever existed, then you would have left traces of a life behind, that was a law of nature.

If there were no such traces, Du Yusheng could only think of one possibility: perhaps someone had deliberately erased them, someone had intentionally deleted all information about this person. The thought made cold sweat break out over Du Yusheng's body. He knew full well that only someone on the inside would be capable of doing that.

But there was another possibility: this person's life traces had been overwritten by someone else. His identity had been taken by another, or perhaps he had taken someone else's identity for himself.

Du Yusheng stared at the ceiling and let out a long sigh.

More and more, he felt that this person was right beside him.

=========

When Li Yao walked into the hospital room, Du Yusheng was staring blankly at the ceiling.

The documents Xiao Bai had kindly left behind had been tossed carelessly onto the side table. In truth, most of the information contained in those papers was already imprinted in Du Yusheng's mind, he didn't need to look at them to know what they said.

Seeing Lai Yao come in, Du Yusheng used the support frame beside him to prop himself up into a half-sitting position.

He looked at Li Yao and smiled.

It felt like it had been a long time since he'd last seen Li Yao in work mode. His white coat was nearly spotless, and though the shirt he wore underneath was stiff and formal, it unexpectedly suited him quite well. Today he was wearing a rather ordinary pair of glasses, which made him look clean and refined, with an air of cultured elegance.

Li Yao wasn't the sort of person who wore glasses often, but on the few occasions that he did, Du Yusheng happened to catch him.

In his impression, this person's face seemed to never show a look of panic, but this time, Du Yusheng saw an indescribable expression on Li Yao's face.

Rather than worry, it looked more like...

Curiosity.

An expression that didn't seem to belong to Li Yao at all.

Du Yusheng smiled again.

He teased, "Sometimes I think my mom picked the right name for me, I survived against all odds, and the bomb didn't do anything to me."

Li Yao didn't respond. Instead, he stepped closer and lowered his head to examine the wound on Du Yusheng's head. There was something strange about Li Yao today, he was wearing a faint scent of perfume, which was unusual. The way he checked the wound was odd, too, far too meticulous, even lifting Du Yusheng's clothing to check whether there were any additional injuries beneath.

"I didn't expect it either," Li Yao said as he stepped back and leaned against the accompanying bed, looking at Du Yusheng with a faint smile. "I never expected that even the bomb couldn't do anything to you, you've really got a strong life."

Du Yusheng froze.

His expression turned slightly awkward.

"Actually, I've been waiting for you at the door the whole time," Li Yao slowly paced around Du Yusheng and said, "There were so many people in your room, even when I arrived, I could only wait outside. I thought it wouldn't be appropriate for me to come in, so I decided to just wait."

It sounded like something warm-hearted.

But to Du Yusheng, it felt uncomfortable.

"... You're a doctor, why wouldn't it be appropriate for you to come in?"

"That's true," Li Yao nodded with a smile, then he added, "How are you feeling now? Anywhere uncomfortable?"

Du Yusheng clicked his tongue and gestured to his entire body.

With a bitter smile, he said, "It hurts, everything hurts, it hurts to blink. I've never been in this much pain before."

Li Yao walked over and pressed lightly on the gauze at the top of Du Yusheng's head. Only after hearing the man groan in pain did he draw his hand back with satisfaction. He touched the gauze again, then adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and stepped away.

He noticed that Du Yusheng's hospital room had excellent lighting. From the window, one could nearly see the entire hospital grounds. The spot by the window had a bit of a draft, and Li Yao covered his mouth and coughed twice before moving away from that area and returning to sit on the accompanying bed.

The stack of documents Xiao Bai had left on Du Yusheng's side table looked thick and rather conspicuous.

Li Yao pointed at them and said, "I heard from one of your colleagues that you've been suspended?"

Du Yusheng swore under his breath and spat out a few words: "More like betrayed on all sides."

Li Yao smiled.

Du Yusheng went on, "I didn't kill Zhao Liang at all. If I really wanted to kill him, I wouldn't have taken myself down with him. Now they're suspending me based on some utterly inexplicable video? That's fucking ridiculous, isn't it? What motive would I have to kill him? What would I gain?"

Li Yao adjusted his glasses, crossed one leg over the other, and said, "... You didn't kill him, so someone else did."

That struck right at the heart of what Du Yusheng had been thinking.

One of his feet was still injured, making it awkward to move, so Du Yusheng had to shuffle to the edge of the bed with the help of the support frame. He fixed his gaze on Li Yao and said, "Exactly, someone else killed him."

Li Yao raised an eyebrow. "Any suspects?"

"Jing Wen's surviving son," Du Yusheng replied. "Five people in one photo all dying one after another, there's no such coincidence. Right now, the one with the most motive and the best conditions to commit the crime is that surviving child. Luo Daheng, Chen Xin, all of them are in the photo, it's too coincidental. He wants revenge, these people destroyed his life, ruined everything he had. He hates them. He hates his father for gambling him away like a bet, and he hates even more all those who took part in the game."

"Hate? I've hated for decades, and I'm already tired of it." Li Yao shook his head, then suddenly smiled. "These people were destined to die, it just so happened that someone came along to end their lives."

Li Yao added, "Sometimes, life is nothing more than a series of multiple-choice questions,  every choice you make has different outcomes, and the ending is already predetermined. When you answer the first question, the outcome is already set. Those who joined that gambling game, their very first card already sealed their fate, death was the only possible outcome."

Du Yusheng was taken aback, seemingly not understanding the meaning behind Li Yao's words. The words sounded somewhat twisted and unpleasant to hear.

Li Yao seemed to realise he'd said too much. He adjusted his glasses again and said, "Right now, your goal is very clear, find Jing Wen's surviving son."

Du Yusheng sighed. "I've been suspended, so I'm truly free, I can do whatever I want. I don't believe he could really just disappear."

Li Yao pressed his lips together and nodded. "Then search properly. Who knows, he might be right beside you."

Du Yusheng looked at Li Yao and a strange feeling crept over him, the sense that the man who had come today wasn't Li Yao.

Not Li Yao...

But someone else.

A vicious chill inexplicably rose from the depths of his heart.

Still, something Li Yao had said earlier, about multiple-choice questions, reminded him of something.

Du Yusheng rubbed his nose, then belatedly reached under himself and retrieved his phone.

The message on the screen was still there.

"Please choose a number from 1–7."

Du Yusheng looked at the phone, then at Li Yao, and asked, "One to seven, which number do you like best?"

This Li Yao suddenly lowered his head and smiled.

It was the kind of smile that made Du Yusheng feel deeply uneasy.

In fact, from the moment he'd entered the room, this Li Yao had only one goal, to make Du Yusheng choose what he was supposed to choose.

"Two?" he said.

Du Yusheng stared at the screen of his phone and quickly tapped in the number two.

A few seconds later, a second message arrived:

"Please choose a number from 1–7 again."

Again?

It sounded like he was being asked to choose again.

Du Yusheng looked at Li Yao and said, "Pick another one, not two."

The smile at the corner of Li Yao's mouth stretched even wider. "Then... four?"

Du Yusheng puffed out his cheeks and sent the number four.

This time, the reply took longer to arrive than before.

Almost a full minute passed before Du Yusheng received the third message. It wasn't another reading comprehension question, but a short answer prompt.

"Welcome to room 4."

Du Yusheng seemed to remember something. As far as he recalled, before Zhao Liang died, he also received a similar text message. What did that message say again? Just as he raised his head to tell Li Yao about this, he realised that Li Yao had left the ward while he was waiting for the message.

Li Yao had left suddenly.

The hospital room was now quiet, empty except for Du Yusheng himself.

One man, one phone, one message.

Du Yusheng had a feeling he was going to receive a fourth message.

And that one, should be a set of coordinates.

=========

Xiao Bai sighed as he stepped out of Du Yusheng's hospital room, where Li Yao was standing at the door.

To be honest, Xiao Bai didn't often get the chance to look at Li Yao this closely. He wore a spotless white coat, which was neat, refined, and clean. The shirt underneath, though a bit stiff and old-fashioned, unexpectedly suited him well. In the pocket over his chest, Li Yao had tucked his hospital ID badge, which clearly displayed his name and title. Looking at him like this, he really did seem like the model of a conscientious doctor, wholly devoted to his patients.

"Finished talking?" Li Yao asked.

Xiao Bai nodded.

The entrance to the ward wasn't the right place to talk, so Li Yao led Xiao Bai to his office.

As far as he could remember, this was Xiao Bai's first time visiting the place where Li Yao worked, but he wasn't in the mood to look around. Instead, he stood obediently in front of Li Yao, watching him take off his white coat and hang it on the rack to the side, then close the office door and sit down across from him.

Truth be told, even though Li Yao always wore a gentle and pleasant expression, Xiao Bai was quite afraid of Li Yao.

This fear wasn't physical, it was more of a psychological fear.

"Do you still remember what Director Er told you when he transferred you here?" Li Yao asked.

Xiao Bai raised his head to look at Lai Yao, carefully choosing his words. "Director Er told me to assist Mr Li in his work, and also..." Xiao Bai lowered his head, staring down at the tips of his shoes, and added sheepishly, "for me to protect Du Yusheng."

Li Yao smiled, neither too cold nor too warm.

"It's good that you remember."

That gentle smile paired with such a light remark struck like a hammer on Xiao Bai's nerves.

He didn't dare say a single unnecessary word, he only nodded.

Li Yao poured a cup of hot water and placed it in front of him.

"Is Elder Du still there?"

"Yes," said Xiao Bai. "Same as Zhuang Hao, he's in Africa... farming..."

Li Yao nodded and slowly ran a finger along the rim of the cup.

"Find someone reliable and bring Elder Du back." After a pause, he added, "Zhuang Hao can wait a little longer."

Xiao Bai was momentarily stunned and blurted out instinctively, "... Should we tell Brother Yu? He still thinks Elder Du is..."

"If you want Elder Du to die a second time, then tell him."

Li Yao stared coldly at Xiao Bai and didn't say another word about the matter.

=========

Saying goodbye to Xiao Bai, Li Yao rubbed his temples and returned to the ward area.

He intended to check on Du Yusheng immediately. Although the attending doctors had said he was fine, Li Yao couldn't rest easy until he had seen it for himself.

Just as he was approaching the ward, the head nurse at the station called out to him.

"Dr Li, didn't you just leave? Why are you back again? Did you forget something?"

Li Yao froze.

"You said I just left?"

"Yes," the head nurse smiled and nodded. "You were talking with the patient inside for quite a while."

A sharp noise rang out in his head.

Li Yao's body reacted before his brain did. Du Yusheng's room was just a few steps away, Li Yao practically sprinted to the door and flung it open.

The room was quiet. Only Du Yusheng was inside, sitting in the centre of the bed and staring at his phone.

Seeing someone come in, Du Yusheng looked up.

"Why are you back again? Leaving without saying a word."

Du Yusheng lifted his phone and waved it at Li Yao, unable to laugh or cry. "Li Yao, I think I've been dragged into a game."

Li Yao panted heavily as he looked at Du Yusheng.

Du Yusheng raised the phone again and said, "A game of death? In this game, people will die."

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter

Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: June 17, 2025 by Angel

Edited: July 29, 2025 by Angel