Wenjie wished it was as easy as Captain Luo made it out to be. He recognized his intention to reassure him. But that didn't diminish the need to deal with the case. That's why his thoughts accompanied him on the day trips together. 

Again and again, he found himself looking out for clues about pursuers. But even Ding Wei seemed downright relaxed. This helped Wenjie to suppress his thoughts, at least for a few hours. He might have been able to forget it, if his father hadn't received a sudden phone call.

He didn't know what it was about. Only that Yaobai had disappeared into his room with a serious expression, while Ding Wei was pacing around the bungalow, looking extremely restless. Even Zhijian and Zhiyue didn't miss the behavior. Xiao Dao blocked their offers to talk about it. 

"Try talking to him," Zhiyue then suggested. "You two are closer."

"Whatever it is, maybe it'll change his mind if we have a movie night tonight," Zhijian said. "We," he meant Zhiyue and himself. "We can get something to eat while you talk to him."

"Mmm..." Wenjie replied with a curt nod.

"We're here for each other," said Zhiyue. 

Wenjie gave her a faint smile. His gaze wandered to Ding Wei, who was standing outside on the terrace playing with his lighter. He had given up smoking a few months ago. Was he thinking about taking it up again? Why?

Xiao Dao flinched when Wenjie appeared next to him. 

"What's going on? You can't keep telling me, that you were just nervous about going on a trip with friends for the first time," Wenjie immediately got to the heart of his concern. 

Xiao Dao ran both hands through his short hair and paced up and down the terrace excitedly. He finally stopped, took a deep breath and met the younger man's worried gaze.

Wenjie studied Ding Wei's features thoughtfully. The corners of his eyes twitched. His cheekbones looked tense, as did his entire posture.

"I can't do this. I just can't." With a heavy sigh, he turned away from him again. His shoulders shook. "If you had a choice between being a good son and being a good friend. Which would you choose?"

Wait a minute. Did he just imply, that Ding Shenghuo was the reason for his behavior? But Ding Wei had only visited his father once in the past six months, and that was a few months ago. Wenjie carefully put a hand on his shoulder. 

"Has your father contacted you?" He didn't ask if, he wanted anything from him. Because judging by the other's behavior, it was obvious. 

Xiao Dao remained silent. 

"I would choose my friends," Wenjie replied belatedly to Ding Wei's question. "If you still want to be in the light, you should risk going against your father's wishes."

"Would you?" 

Wenjie nodded. "I studied law to find out the truth about the past. If it had turned out, that he was still a criminal, I would have turned against him." 

Xiao Dao gave him a surprised sideways glance. Then he narrowed his eyes and grinned wryly. "I thought your loyalty to him was stronger."

"I've forgiven him for his mistakes, but that doesn't change the past. He let my mother and me down. My friends come first for me."  

"Mmm, ...." Ding Wei looked out into the dawning night again. The evening sun bathed the garden and the nearby bungalows in dazzling colors. Then he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He unlocked it and handed it to Wenjie, who immediately looked at the messages. 

Unknown number: "If you want Wenjie to lead a normal life, you should follow my instructions."

Xiao Dao: "What do you mean? Do you work for my father?"

Unknown number: "You don't need to know that. You enjoy his trust."

Xiao Dao: "I have no intention of destroying it."

Unknown number: "Then his little girlfriend will have an accident."

Xiao Dao: "That's enough. I'll report this to the police."

Unknown number: "Wenjie won't like it, if Lin Zhiyue is hurt. One word to the police and she's dead. We know where she lives."

Wenjie drew his eyebrows together. The message history alone did not reveal, who was behind the sender. It could also be Xu Zhengqing. A cold shiver ran down his spine.

Xiao Dao: "What do you want?"

Unknown number: "That you go on vacation as planned and make sure he doesn't leave the resort early."

Xiao Dao: "That's all?"

Unknown number: "You will receive further instructions as soon as you are alone."

Alone. What was he alluding to? His gaze wandered to the porch door. A light was on on the upper floor. His father was on the phone. Wenjie swallowed. The feeling crept over him that the call would lead to the question of breaking off his vacation early. Not only that. His father would return to Qingcheng and they would be left alone. 

The phone in Wenjie's hands vibrated. When he looked at the display, he saw a new message. 

Unknown number: "Your actions will have consequences."

Wenjie almost dropped the cell phone. He could no longer remain calm. He hastily looked around. He couldn't see any suspicious people in the immediate vicinity. Only Ding Wei, next to him, took the phone back from him with a worried look. Then he turned pale too. 

Wenjie grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back into the living room. Without another word, he closed the door and drew the curtains. When he turned back to Ding Wei, he saw him already standing at the opposite door, which led to the hallway and thus to the front door. 

"We have to go to meet Zhiyue and Zhijian."

Wenjie swallowed. "You mean...?"

Xiao Dao nodded. "We don't know who's behind the messages, how many there are, but they're somewhere around the hotel area." So they had better play it safe.

to be continued ...