Xu Zhengqing's smile faded and gave way to an expression of regret. “That was never my intention. I didn't know about your mother's illness. Your father and I really didn't have any contact, after he retired from business.”

He reached for his hand, but Wenjie pulled it back. “Why should I believe any word you say? You've lied too much.” 

“Ask your father when he wakes up.” Xu Zhengqing leaned back and sighed. “I wouldn't have taken the risk, if I had known she was suffering from asthma. I just wanted to scare Yaobai.” 

It sounded honest and more like the man he had gotten to know after the events surrounding Madame Hong. Friendly and remorseful. If it weren't for the mean things he had done. 

“I can't forgive you.” 

“I'm not asking you to do that,” Xu Zhengqing replied to his surprise. 

This was getting weird. What kind of game was he playing? 

“Why aren't you drinking? After the exertions of the past few hours, tea will do you good.” He faltered. “Oh, how inattentive of me. You're still soaked. There are fresh clothes in the bathroom.” He stood up and pulled him off the chair. 

Wenjie's muscles tensed involuntarily. 

Xu Zhengqing stopped at the bathroom door. “Are you not feeling well? You're pale.”

Wenjie stifled a cheeky comment. As long as Monsieur showed his nice side, it was better not to take any risks. 

“I understand.” Xu Zhengqing opened the door and let him enter, alone. “You thought I'd done something to you. When all I did was watch you sleep.”

Wenjie clung to the doorframe. His heart beat wildly and his legs gave way a little. Fortunately, only for a moment. Otherwise the man might have decided to accompany him. Without a hidden agenda, of course. 

“Are you going to be alright?”

“Yes,” Wenjie croaked. 

He quickly pulled the door shut behind him and sank to the floor on the other side. With his back to the door, he closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. The kindness almost bothered him more than the jibes and vulgarities. This was, because had expected the latter and was prepared for it.

There were actually fresh clothes on a chair. Wait a minute. They weren't just any clothes, they were his. Xu Zhengqing must have been in his parents' house again, or even in his apartment, probably after he had taught his father a lesson. 

After he calmed down, he changed his clothes. 

Xu Zhengqing sat in his chair again, when Wenjie returned to the room. His gaze fell on the teacup. It looked like it had been, before he left the room. That didn't mean anything.

“Sit back down and don't worry so much. I can see you worrying about whether I've put something in your drink. If you don't trust me, you can take a closed bottle of water from the minibar.” He pointed to a box to the right of the bed. 

Probably, he wouldn't play the same trick on him a second time. After the confession, Wenjie no longer believed, that he had been assaulted. Still, something was up. He just didn't know what. Lost in thought, he approached the vacant armchair.

“Let's have a mind game.”

That immediately aroused his suspicions. He stopped abruptly. “What for?”

“Don't be so tense. It doesn't hurt. I've often wondered what your life would have been like, if I'd taken you in. It must have been difficult at the orphanage?” 

Wenjie snorted in annoyance. “My father wouldn't have allowed that.” Besides, he would have been spared the orphanage, if his mother was still alive.

“Why don't you stop beating around the bush and tell me what's going to happen now? We've cheated you out of your relics. Do you know where they are now? I'll work out a plan with you to steal them.” He reached for an apple and took a bite. Then, he sat down again and looked at Xu Zhengqing challengingly. 

He shook his head. “It's too early for that, even if I'm pleased with your offer.” With a smile on his lips, he watched Wenjie eat. “Right now, I just want to talk to you. Your vacation isn't over yet.”

“It was over the moment your people kidnapped Zhiyue.”

“So defensive. Oh, Wenjie. Your friends are fine. They were rescued from the submarine by the water patrol and are already back in Qingcheng. You can't forgive me. I understand that. But you can still listen to me and give me a chance to do something good for you.”

As if he was letting him off the hook so easily. “Then you could start by taking Captain Luo to a hospital and not carrying out any more assassination attempts on him,” he followed up.

Xu Zhengqing laughed. “I like the way you think, but it's not that simple. We still need him as insurance.” 

That was only half the truth. He needed him, until Wenjie was ready to break with Captain Luo. Only then would the police stop treating his disappearance as a kidnapping case. 

“Why don't we continue our little game?” Xu Zhengqing snapped him out of his thoughts. “Aren't you curious to find out what I'm getting at?”

Wenjie shrugged his shoulders. “Do I have a choice?”

“We can also go up to the observation deck and play a game of weiqi if you prefer.”

The offer unsettled Wenjie and rattled his defense mechanisms. He felt reminded of the past, of how Xu Zhengqing had treated him before the kidnapping. Now he showed the same behavior. He gave him a certain amount of leeway, the opportunity to choose. This had won his trust back then. Did he think, it would work a second time? Certainly not. Nevertheless, it did the job, because Wenjie continued to listen to him. 

“Or you can keep Ding Wei company,” Xu Zhengqing continued. “I put him in a difficult position. How would you have reacted, if you had had to choose between him and your father's life? Would you have sacrificed your father for him or betrayed him, knowing that the betrayal would not cost your friend his life?”

to be continued ...