Xiao Dao was leaning against the door of his car, watching the entrance to the university campus, when his phone vibrated. Monsieur. For a moment, he wondered if he should just put him on hold. But that would probably not serve him well. It was annoying enough having to do his errands and assignments because otherwise he would make sure his father had an accident in prison. The only positive thing, when he called him over was, that Ding Wei could see Wenjie and tease him.

Xiao Dao loved to tease the younger male. Wenjie would always get so angry then and that was what amused him. Unfortunately, he had not been allowed to visit Wenjie last time because he was supposedly in poor health. Xu Zhengqing did not believe that himself. He must have lied. Not keeping the food. Something was wrong and Xiao Dao didn't like it at all. It was one thing to annoy Wenjie, another to hurt him. 

He put away his lighter he had been playing around with and answered the phone. "What's up?"

"I have another task for you."

Ding Wei had already expected this. "What do you need this time?"

"You'll find out on the spot. Come to the appointed meeting place." Then he hung up.

Xiao Dao put the smartphone away. His gaze roamed around the compound. For the past two days, he felt he was being watched. He wouldn't be surprised if the police were watching him, hoping Xu Zhengqing would step up to him. In fact, he even did. But it wouldn't do them any good. This man took care to cover all his tracks. It wasn't for nothing that it required a complicated procedure to get to him. 

But Ding Wei had to give the police credit for being quite cunning. Whoever they had on him, he knew how to shadow his target without being discovered by him. After Xiao Dao did not notice any suspicious persons, he got into his car and drove off. 

To lose any pursuers, he made several laps in circles before heading for a parking garage located in a district without camera surveillance. He put the well-hidden car in a parking space. There, he waited behind the wheel for a moment. No other vehicles entered the garage. 

When he was sure that it was safe, he opened the car door and got out. Quietly, he closed the door and locked it. Then he made his way up to the second floor. There was a nondescript, dark blue mini-van. 

Xiao Dao did not know the driver. He was wearing a mask and a cap, just like last time. Before he allowed Ding Wei to get in the back, he scanned him with a metal detector.

"Does it have to be like this every time?" Xiao Dao sighed, handing the man his folding knife and his phone. "They lost my track, if they ever had it. I know how to distract them." Although since the last visit, he wondered if he wouldn't even be okay with this Captain Luo nipping at his heels. 

The driver kept silent and did his job. Finally, he handed him his knife and put the phone in a metal box. Then he placed the box on the passenger seat. 

Xiao Dao sat in the back seat, where a blindfold lay ready. Reluctantly, he tied it on. Then he leaned back and listened to the sounds of the car as it soon left the garage. With a little luck, he thought, he could remember the way. Times right, left, straight ahead. But the driver steered his car along winding paths to his destination, making it impossible for his guest to memorize the way without seeing it. 

The drive felt longer than it actually was. A glance at the clock after Ding Wei was finally allowed to remove the blindfold showed him that they had been driving through the city for just about two hours. At least, he assumed that they were now in a garage of a house somewhere in Qingcheng. Why should Xu Zhengqing leave the city when playing cat and mouse with the police this way was much more interesting. 

The driver remained seated in the car. At the door to the inner area, Xu Zhengqing was waiting for him. 

"What do you need this time?", Xiao Dao got straight to the point. 

"I'll be on the road for a few days. Your friend down there, he can use company in that time."

Ding Wei laughed. "We're not friends." At least if Wenjie had his way. And right now, it seemed wiser to Xiao Dao to take it up that notch as well. 

"It doesn't matter." Xu Zhengqing eyed him up and down. Then he extended his hand. "Give me your knife. You don't need it now."

Ding Wei squinted his eyes. His muscles tensed. He wasn't going anywhere without his knife, and he suspected what this was going to be. The watchmaker feared he might get some stupid ideas. "Do you think I'm trying to free him?" he sneered. 

Xu Zhengqing smirked slyly. "You wouldn't dare."

"Better safe than sorrry, eh?" quoted Xiao Dao his father.

The watchmaker nodded, whereupon the young man handed over the knife with a deep sigh. "Am I supposed to stay with him in the basement all the time? I don't have a change of clothes with me."

"There are clothes in the closet. Should fit you."

This guy thought of everything, too. Wait a minute. Did that mean he knew his clothes' size? So someone had been in his apartment two days ago, after all. The watchmaker had probably sent one of his accomplices there to check. Nothing had been stolen, which was why Xiao Dao hadn't cared much about the whole thing after he hadn't been able to discover a hidden camera. "So it was you," he muttered, more to himself.

Xu Zhengqing said nothing in response and led him inside. In front of the entrance to the staircase, a closet of a guy stood guard. "Do you really think it's necessary for me to be there? Wenjie won't run away. As long as his friends are in danger and he doesn't get a chance to contact the police, he'll cooperate."

"If there is anything, you can let him know."

"I get it," Xiao Dao replied with a slight shake of his head. As if he was going to free Wenjie. Did that man really think that? 

Xu Zhengqing handed him a key. "You are free to move around down there. The key fits any door except the one to the stairwell, of course."

"Sure." Xiao Dao reached for the key. The hallway that led down the stairs was gloomy. It almost seemed like a deep maw that swallowed anyone who approached it. 

"Are you happy to see him?" said Xu Zhengqing.

Ding Wei clasped the key and pressed the light switch before going downstairs without looking back. Behind him, he heard the door slam shut. A soft crack signaled to him that Xu Zhengqing was locking up. 

He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt queasy. Was he afraid of what he was about to see? Was he worried about Wenjie? That was absurd. He didn't care about the younger one. Well, not exactly. He liked to tease him. So why wasn't there any anticipation now? Instead, he felt numb inside. It was a strange feeling. 

A wide hallway led to several doors. Xiao Dao unlocked them all one by one. Sure enough, Wenjie was in the last room, a rather sparsely furnished one. There was only a mattress on the floor where the younger man lay, curled up under an old blanket. 

When Ding Wei flicked the light switch, Wenjie blinked. His eyes were red, his face pale, his breath raspy.

Xiao Dao swallowed. For the first moment, he froze at the entrance to the small room. He had expected that it might be bad, but that, that overwhelmed him. "What did that bastard do to you?" it escaped him. 

Wenjie remained silent. Ding Wei sweat. Startled, he scanned the walls for cameras and bugs. There was nothing there. He breathed a sigh of relief before turning back to the younger man. All the stupid words that had been on the tip of his tongue were gone. Seeing this heap of misery on the floor was no fun. Worry absurdly outweighed cynicism. 

"Shit, that's just..." Xiao Dao lashed out with his fist and slammed into the door frame. No matter what Xu Zhengqing had done, Wenjie did not deserve this, and he regretted what he had said to the younger man the last time they met. 

to be continued...