After the younger had calmed down, Ding Wei went over to the kitchen. When he looked at the food supplies, he quickly realized why Wenjie seemed so emaciated. 

The quantities were not enough for three meals a day. Not for two young men. At best, one of them could really get full. But then the other would only get something once a day, if at all. Such impudence. That bastard Xu Zhengqing was doing this on purpose. 

It was a good thing that Xiao Dao had already eaten enough today. Eating less for a few days shouldn't be a problem. Instead, he would give Wenjie his rations. The younger needed to regain his strength. So he should beed him something nutritious first. 

Ding Wei was busy raiding the storage box and the refrigerator when he heard a noise behind him. Wenjie was standing at the door watching him. Ding Wei beckoned him over. "Pick something you like to eat. You'll get my lunch ration."

Wenjie dragged himself to the table he could hold onto. "Just give me anything," he muttered. Then he sat down on a chair. 

He was breathing heavily, which finally prompted Xiao Dao to make him some tea first. Surely some chicken soup couldn't hurt either. However, since Wenjie had probably last eaten 24 hours ago, he shouldn't expect him to eat too much at once. After all, Ding Wei wanted the younger man to keep it. So for now, he just made rice porridge to go with it.

Wenjie ate the meal slowly. His face immediately regained some color. The tea and soup did him good. Xiao Dao smiled.

Then Wenjie paused. "Why aren't you eating?"

"Because we don't have enough, and I won't let you starve, like that bastard." He already guessed what Xu Zhengqing was trying to do. By starving him, he also weakened Wenjie's resistance. "So, eat at as much as you need. I can eat properly when I get back out here."

"Did he say when he would be back?" Bravely, Wenjie continued to eat. 

"In three days." Ding Wei began rocking his chair until it almost tipped backwards. 

This even brought a fleeting smile to Wenjie's face. "Just make sure you break nothing here. Otherwise he'll ban you."

"He can't afford to. He doesn't have enough people. The police have banned almost all of his allies." Ding Wei couldn't help laughing. At the mention of the police, Wenjie's hands visibly tightened and he stopped eating. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

That was a lie. Something was on his mind. It was probably related to that Captain Luo. After all, he seemed to care quite a bit about Wenjie. Maybe there was a chance to contact him. According to the morning news, the investigation was still going on. The only problem Xiao Dao saw was that Xu Zhengqing might get wind of it. Then he would surely disappear with Wenjie. If he wanted to talk to Captain Luo, only on neutral ground where none of Monsieur's remaining cronies shadowed him. 

"He's getting the cultural artifacts," Wenjie said more to himself. 

That snapped Ding Wei out of his thoughts. "What artifacts?" 

"The artifacts that were lost during the China-Japan War. Luoshen and Tears of Moongoddes were among them." Wenjie put the chopsticks beside his plate. 

"Do you want some more?" Actually, he was more interested in just those artifacts, but Wenjie's health was more important. 

The younger man shook his head. "Later, maybe."

Xiao Dao stood up and put the dishes in the dishwasher. 

"I can tell you the secret of Luoshen."

Surprised, Ding Wei turned around. He didn't expect that he would offer to tell him more about it on his own. Just like that, he wouldn't do that, would he? 

As far as Xiao Dao knew, the police had discovered Tears of Moongoddes. If they learned the secret of Luoshen, could that lead them to the missing artifacts? Then it would be possible to catch Monsieur there. 

Wenjie stood up again. This time he didn't need a prop to get back to the living room. Ding Wei followed him curiously. 

In a corner of the room lay a Weiqi board. Wenjie picked it up and placed it on the table. Then he placed four black stones on it. 

Xiao Dao approached the table and glanced at the stones. 

"Remember this position. The numbers, combined with something on the Tears of Moongoddes necklace, make coordinates."

Ding Wei looked at him thoughtfully before looking again at the position on the board. "How do I know which order is the right one?" The four pieces alone, gave no clue about that.

"38, 28, 24, 33," Wenjie replied. 

Xiao Dao grinned. "He won't be able to get all the artifacts at once," he speculated. 

Wenjie nodded as Ding Wei sat down at the table. "That means I'll get to visit you more often in the future." And that meant he would get a chance to get the younger man out of here. He just needed a good plan, one that none of Xu Zhengqing's people could know about before it was too late. Contacting the police directly, on second thought, suddenly seemed like a bad idea to him. Who knew if Monsieur had him followed? If he wanted to contact the police, he would have to do it more skillfully and in a place that Mister Xu's accomplices would not enter. 

Wenjie's gaze, meanwhile, remained expressionless. It almost seemed as if he was staring through the board, at an invisible point behind it. Finally, he heaved a deep sigh before grabbing a chair to take a seat as well.

"He thinks my father is still alive," he said abruptly.

Ding Wei squinted his eyes in irritation. "What?" A laugh escaped his throat. "Mister Ding is convinced of that, too. But honestly, how could he have survived that accident? And don't you think the cops would have discovered some clues?"

Wenjie swallowed noticeably. 

Ah, damn it. By saying that, he was certainly raising the younger man's stress level. The topic was bad. He had to think of something quickly to distract him. "Hey, want to play a game?" 

Wenjie's hands were shaking. "Uncle Xu," he put in.

"Uncle, what - what do you call this guy? You're not serious now?" gasped Xiao Dao. 

That didn't make it any better. Water gathered in Wenjie's eyes. "The police might have lied, and my father is in the witness protection program."

Ding Wei slapped the table vigorously, causing the younger man to wince. "You don't really believe that, do you? That's total bullshit."

"I know," Wenjie muttered. "It doesn't make any sense. The other possibility is that someone is holding him captive in an unknown location. He wouldn't have let Uncle Xu kidnap me."

"No, he certainly wouldn't have." Xiao Dao stood up again and walked around the table. Gently, he put his hands on Wenjie's shoulders. "When I'm here, you don't have to call him Uncle Xu, okay?" He assumed this bastard was forcing Wenjie to speak like that. "And I think Captain Luo would tell you if they have any news about your father's case."

Wenjie writhed under his grip. What was going on now? Ding Wei pulled the chair back from the table and turned it a little so that he could now stand in front of the younger man. The latter's face was sallow. "I see. Bad topic. Listen. I'm not here to harm you. I'm here to help you. So let's just drop the topic and focus on distracting you. All right? Hey, look at me." 

Wenjie slowly lifted his gaze. He breathed heavily and kept silent. 

Xiao Dao hugged him a second time. "We're going to play Weiqi or cards, if you prefer. I'm sure there's some around here somewhere. And I'll make you some more tea. You need more fluids."

Wenjie said nothing in response, which Ding Wei simply interpreted as a yes. He was determined to help him. Whatever Xu Zhengqing had done to him, it was reversible. 

to be continued...