Controlled Experiment Chapter 55

Two Missing One – 5

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There wasn't the slightest sign of anything unusual on Li Yao's phone, this fact only allowed Du Yusheng to remain calm for less than ten minutes.

What did Li Yao say just before he left?

He said, "I'll go in your place."

I'll go in your place.

I'll go in your place.

Du Yusheng repeated the words three times in his heart, then curled up his legs, tilted his head back and stared at the light above, grinning.

If someone who isn't family, who has no real connection to you, is willing to take a life-risking step on your behalf, what does that mean?

What did it mean?

Du Yusheng touched the corner of his lips and asked himself that question three times in his heart, What did it mean?

It means he likes you.

At that thought, Du Yusheng's ears flushed slightly. He lowered his head, turning the phone over and over in his hands. This conclusion he'd drawn himself was, without a doubt, a dose of adrenaline straight to the chest for this pure-hearted young virgin. That lingering uncertainty, that constant shift between feeling close and distant when it came to Li Yao, all of it vanished.

From the first time he met Li Yao, Du Yusheng thought this person was quite likeable.

Dressed in a white coat, sitting properly, answering questions in a cultured and polite manner, completely disguising and surrounding himself, the more he did that, the more Du Yusheng wanted to understand him, to tear all that away and see what lay underneath.

Du Yusheng hadn't expected this kind of infatuation, something like love at first sight, to last so long.

Like or dislike, Du Yusheng had always preferred things to be straightforward, he wasn't one for emotional games. But Li Yao was the exception.

He never responded directly, never answered you directly.

Du Yusheng was quite skilled at digging out sweet meanings from between the lines, but even so, he hadn't expected Li Yao to come out with such a blunt sentence today: "I'll go in your place." It shattered everything Du Yusheng thought he knew about Li Yao. It was like Li Yao, who was always impeccably dressed, had suddenly forgotten to button his shirt one day, forgotten to fix his collar. It felt wrong, and yet Du Yusheng liked it very much.

Then again, Du Yusheng didn't actually intend to let Li Yao go in his place.

Though it was true he'd been suspended, in terms of fighting ability, Li Yao shouldn't be even half as capable as he was.

I like Li Yao so much. Letting him take risks for me, working hard for me, this kind of thing, Du Yusheng couldn't stand the thought.

But this nearly euphoric mood didn't last long. Twenty minutes later, the message he'd sent to He Shen received a reply. The bastard was acting out of character today, he hadn't gone out partying, hadn't gone to some wine estate to show off, instead, he was quietly staying at home.

When Du Yusheng picked up the phone, gentle piano music played on the other end. The scene was tranquil, but it made Du Yusheng feel oddly uncomfortable.

Du Yusheng didn't bother with a greeting and went straight into complaining, "... Prenatal music? Are you seriously listening to prenatal music? Do you think your IQ needs prenatal education and you're secretly making up for it at home? Let me tell you, you're wasting your time. Tomorrow I'll get you a crate of walnuts, that stuff works faster than this."

"......" He Shen was so taken aback that he was unable to come up with a retort and had to suppress the urge to hang up the phone within three seconds.

"Du Yusheng, you're such a fucking nuisance. You're in hospital and still mouthing off, you really fucking deserve it. That's my mom listening in the living room. Prenatal music my ass."

Du Yusheng was in a good mood, and chuckled a few times into the phone.

"You cracked it?"

"Mhmm." He Shen gave a grunt through his nose, then said, "I don't get it, you've been suspended and still can't sit still."

Du Yusheng paused. "It hasn't even been three hours since my suspension, how's it already spread everywhere?"

"Good news never leaves the house, bad news travels a thousand miles," He Shen said, adding salt to the wound with a laugh. "Anyway, back to the point, this time the address I cracked isn't in the city, it's in the suburbs. I checked the map for a bit and it might be a wasteland, not even a village nearby."

"... Are you reliable this time?" Du Yusheng asked, rubbing the bandage on his head.

There was a gulping sound on He Shen's end, probably him taking a sip of water, and he said, "Reliable, reliable, definitely reliable. Honestly, you getting hospitalised really made me feel bad. It's all my fault, I thought it was just a game, didn't take it seriously, who knew you'd almost get yourself killed? Really, I do feel properly guilty about it."

"Alright, enough," Du Yusheng snapped. "You haven't even shown your face since I got admitted, at least bring a fruit basket or some flowers. Is this all the sincerity you can muster?"

"If you want fruit, I'll send a crate right now."

"Piss off." Du Yusheng said with disdain, "What kind of fucking behaviour is this?"

He Shen laughed, he knew full well that Du Yusheng wasn't actually angry.

"I decrypted this batch of info three times, the time and place can't be wrong. I'll send it over in a bit. But let me just say this, last time you nearly died, you really need to be more careful this time. It looks like a wasteland on the map, so stay alert."

Du Yusheng gave a perfunctory hum in reply.

Last time, he really had been too careless and went off on his own without backup.

Now, with that experience behind him and a sharper sense of caution, he found himself suspended.

It sounded like He Shen still had more to say.

Du Yusheng noticed the prenatal piano music on the other end had become quieter, it seemed He Shen had changed rooms.

"There's something else."

"If you've got something to say, just say it," Du Yusheng replied irritably.

He Shen paused for a few seconds, then said, "Do you remember the favour you asked me the night you went to see Boss Lu?"

Du Yusheng nodded and gave a hum of acknowledgement. "How could I forget? I had a fever that night and had to go to Li Yao's house to get some medicine before heading home."

"You two weren't together the whole night?"

"What do you think?" Du Yusheng scratched at his itchy brow, then asked, "What are you trying to say?"

He Shen hesitated for a moment, choosing his words. "That night, I remembered the favour you asked me. I stayed at the bar the whole time, didn't leave. And then... Du Yusheng, it was exactly as you suspected, Li Yao really did go back to see Boss Lu. I reckon it was not long after you left his place that he turned around and went back."

Du Yusheng froze, he hadn't expected that Li Yao had actually gone to see Boss Lu.

"You said you went to see Boss Lu to ask about that Jing Wen," He Shen said. "So what did Li Yao go for? Let me give you a heads-up, you've got to ask yourself what business he had with a bar owner. Chances are, the two of you were digging into the same person, both asking about Jing Wen."

Du Yusheng snorted coldly and said, "I know without you telling me. I really did predict it."

"... What do you plan to do now?" He Shen asked.

Du Yusheng didn't reply to him and hung up the phone.

He Shen didn't lie, and the photo didn't lie either.

The photo showed a side profile. It was taken with He Shen's high-res phone, and there was no mistaking it, it was Li Yao.

Du Yusheng sniffed.

He really had guessed right.

Standing on tiptoe, he got out of bed and found his clothes in the wardrobe. From inside, he fished out his cigarette case. He pulled out a cigarette, and through the window on the door, he could see the two big words "No Smoking" in the hallway. Du Yusheng swore, snapped the cigarette in two, and tossed it into the garbage.

I really fucking called it. Du Yusheng narrowed his eyes at the case files Xiao Bai had brought over, carelessly left lying there. He walked over barefoot and started flipping through them irritably.

There were a lot of pages, but nothing he actually wanted.

Du Yusheng thought for a moment, then sent Xiao Bai a message. He wanted to see the surveillance footage from the parking garage that afternoon, but Du Yusheng wasn't holding out much hope. First of all, the vehicle that brought him to the crime scene might've been parked there for a long time. Secondly, the person who took him might not have entered via the parking garage at all. If they came in through the shopping centre, then with the size of the crowd, it would be practically impossible to trace.

Ten minutes later, Du Yusheng received a WeChat message, but it wasn't from Xiao Bai, it was from He Shen.

"It takes at least two hours to drive from the city to that place, and the coded time is six hours from now, you've got time to prepare."

Five minutes after that, a second message came through, from an unfamiliar number. Du Yusheng had become especially sensitive to unknown numbers lately. He frowned and opened it, only to find it was from Xiao Bai.

"Brother Yu, all our calls and messages are being recorded now, so I changed phones."

"When you were unconscious, we checked your phone and guessed some things. The surveillance footage is being pulled, once we spot anything suspicious, I'll send it to you secretly."

"And as for the other two people in the photo, we've already dispatched someone to keep an eye on the one in the country 24/7. As for Xu Yuan, who is abroad, he changed his flight at the last minute and is coming back early, saying he wanted to attend some auction. Given the timing, he should be on the plane now. We're planning to have someone watch him 24/7 once he returns, so don't worry."

Du Yusheng forced himself to finish reading the three messages from Xiao Bai.

Such a chatterbox, can't even speak smoothly.

Sending it in three parts.

This Xu Yuan was also some kind of wealthy businessman. Back when Du Yusheng was still in school, he'd seen him in the papers. Supposedly, he'd made his fortune in jewellery and retired early. These days, he didn't worry about anything, just lived off dividends and enjoyed himself abroad. But he still had plenty of family and friends in China, so he travelled back and forth often, splitting his time almost evenly between the two.

Du Yusheng rubbed his forehead, calculating.

The scheduled time was six hours from now, and the location was a wasteland two hours from the city.

Xu Yuan was coming back at this particular time and was already on the plane.

Du Yusheng rubbed at his temple, wondering if there was any bullshit link between the two.

Why did it sound like Xu Yuan is in a hurry to get back?

Du Yusheng glanced at the clothes he was wearing, the blue and white striped hospital gown. Sitting on the bed, he thought for a moment, then limped over to the foot of the bed and put on his slippers. Standing at the doorway, he looked around the ward and let out a long, heavy sigh. Look at me, my father died mysteriously, my mother went on vacation with some silver-haired travel group, and I don't even have anyone to bring me soup. I got suspended, my career is gone, my friends are all lazy people like He Shen who can't even cook for themselves, and just when I finally found someone I liked, damn it...

Du Yusheng inhaled through his nose.

All that's left is money.

All that's left of my wealth are a few broken cards, a few cars, and a drawer full of watches.

Everything else, gone.

My life, only money remains.

Walking to the nurse's station, Du Yusheng was pondering whether to ask the nurse.

The lead nurse spotted him and exclaimed, "Oh my," then hurried over.

"Aiyo, why are you out of bed again?" The nurse said, "You can't be discharged yet, you need a few more days of observation."

Du Yusheng froze.

"... I don't want to be discharged." Du Yusheng walked over to look at her desk and said in a low voice, "Where's that Dr Li of yours, I need to see him."

The nurse gave him a once-over and said, "Dr Li just left."

"Left where?"

"He's on leave." The nurse frowned. "Dr Li said he had an urgent matter. He's been working for years, and this is the first time he's taken annual leave."

On leave?

Du Yusheng frowned, This is too fast.

He thought Li Yao was just going to apply for leave, he hadn't expected him to act so quickly. Not even a word of farewell. Thinking of this, Du Yusheng glanced at his phone. He hadn't told Li Yao where he planned to go. Even though Li Yao had said he'd go in his place, he hadn't explained what the message actually meant.

That means Li Yao already knew what this message meant.

He already knew this was a time and location coordinate.

Du Yusheng looked at the nurse and asked tentatively, "But he took leave so suddenly, and he has so many patients to take care of?"

The nurse replied, "Dr Li said he'd call and hand everything over to the other doctors. He's not the kind of person who'd just walk away like that. He's not an irresponsible person."

"But he left his phone in my ward, what's he going to call with?"

The nurse looked at Du Yusheng, then burst out laughing. "Dr Li has two phones. One of them's just for certain patients, he doesn't use it most of the time."

"......"

Du Yusheng looked down at the phone in his pocket and felt like he'd been played by Li Yao.

Right now, it seemed there was only one way to find out what Li Yao was really up to.

And that was to go to that place himself.

Clutching his phone tightly, Du Yusheng took a deep breath.

Li Yao, ah Li Yao, I'd only just started to taste something sweet, hasn't even been half an hour... Fine. Du Yusheng rolled his neck. If you've really lied to me, if you're just playing with me, I'll fucking kill you myself.

=========

Li Yao didn't go straight home after leaving the hospital, nor did he head for the location mentioned in Du Yusheng's message. Instead, he drove to an office building in the city centre.

Funnily enough, that office building had originally been funded by Old Master Du. Once it was completed, the old man had sold it off, and now, several well-known internet companies on Huan Island had their offices there. From morning till night, anyone passing by could see people working overtime inside, whether it was early in the day or the middle of the night.

But among all those hard-working employees, there were always exceptions.

Like Qi Lei.

Li Yao rolled down the window and waved to Qi Lei, who was standing at the entrance.

Qi Lei looked the same as always, good-looking, decent build, but there was always that half-dead, couldn't-be-bothered look on his face.

"Get in," Li Yao said.

Qi Lei tapped on the window, peered in at Li Yao through the glass, then leaned on it and gave a lopsided grin before finally opening the door and getting in.

Qi Lei must have been on holiday recently, he was slightly tanned and that death-wish look on his face now carried a bit more of an edge.

Which suited his line of work.

Li Yao glanced at him and said, "Didn't you say you were changing careers?"

Qi Lei chuckled. "Usury's a legitimate profession too, you know. Don't look down on us, my legal advisors are all top graduates from reputable universities, hired at high salaries."

"If you can collect, then do. Change careers," Li Yao pulled out a slip of paper and handed it to Qi Lei. "Run an errand for me."

Qi Lei lazily took the note, glanced at the time and address written on it, then smirked and said, "Yo, why aren't you going yourself?"

Li Yao gave Qi Lei a look. "I've got something else to deal with."

Qi Lei was a sharp one, just a few words and he'd figured out what was going on. He scratched his nose and teased, "You're going to that place Du Yusheng's headed to, aren't you?"

Li Yao shot Qi Lei a glance, and although he didn't say a word, his expression gave the answer away.

Qi Lei stretched lazily. "For Du Yusheng, huh? Fair enough. Didn't think you'd get yourself dragged into this too. Damn, you really take after both your dads."

It wasn't clear whether that was an insult or a compliment.

Neither of Li Yao's fathers had been decent men, and it was impressive, in a way, that he'd turned out the way he had. Qi Lei shifted his weight and leaned a little closer to Li Yao. Qi Lei met Li Yao overseas, and it was thanks to Li Yao that he'd been able to return to the mainland. Though he hadn't exactly been running a legitimate business these past few years, life had been so much better than it used to be.

But in fact, Qi Lei only had a half-baked understanding of what Li Yao was involved in now. He knew what kind of man Li Yao was, if there was something he didn't want you to know, you wouldn't get a word out of him. So Qi Lei relied on guesswork.

Not that he minded. Years of life on the edge had taught him one thing, the less you know, the longer you live.

Qi Lei bounced one leg and said, "You know, if Du Yusheng finds out that you've been involved all along, he'd want to kill you. I'd love to tell him."

Li Yao glanced at the navigation on his phone, completely unbothered, and said, "Jing Mo used my identity to choose a death card for Du Yusheng. Last time, Jing Mo nearly blew him up, what do you think will happen this time?" Li Yao added, "I know what Du Yusheng's like, he'll walk straight into hell if he has to. I don't want him to... so I'm going."

Li Yao looked at Qi Lei and explained, "Don't worry, there's only one death card per round, and this death card is in Du Yusheng's hands, so everyone else is safe. You go in my place, it'll be fine."

"Wouldn't matter if it weren't, I'm not scared," Qi Lei drawled, leaning lazily closer to study Li Yao's profile with a grin. "Your little brother looks exactly like you. I'm actually curious, I really want to meet him. It's like two people looking in a mirror. Tell me, what do you think you'll see this time, going in for Du Yusheng? Will you see your brother? Or some other dead person? Or will it be some message telling you to kill someone? If your brother found out you were in the game, would he kill you? Or would you two end up killing each other?"

Qi Lei thought for a second, then added, "Could you live-stream it?"

Li Yao turned and looked at him. "Are you sick?"

Qi Lei got told off, but he looked absolutely delighted, and he let out a loud laugh.

Qi Lei had a secret no one knew.

He liked Li Yao.

The kind of like where he'd die for him without hesitation.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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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 18, 2025 by Angel

Edited: July 29, 2025 by Angel