In fact, it wasn't long before Captain Luo showed up. Even then, it seemed like a dream to Wenjie when the man entered the room, carrying a large gift basket. He had a band-aid on his forehead. Other than that, he seemed to be fine. 

Ding Wei looked at him with a gaze that said something like: Didn't I tell you? Shortly after, he also got up to take the gift basket from Luo Jian and put it on the table next to Wenjie's bed.

"Wenjie, what's with the face. I have good news for both of you," Captain Luo turned to him. "Xu Zhengqing dug his own grave and we found your father. You were right not to give up hope."

"That's great," Ding Wei blurted out. 

Wenjie blinked. "Xu Zhenging is dead?" he whispered. It sounded so unbelievable that he couldn't really be happy about it. After all, it meant that they were all safe now. 

Luo Jian nodded as he grabbed a chair and placed it by the bed to sit down. "He wanted to blow up the warehouse where he held your father. Probably his priority was to set up a trap for us, since we were already headed there at the time."

Out of the corner of her eye, Wenjie saw Ding Wei's eyebrows furrow. Probably, the older had a similar view on the current happenings. Xu Zhengqing was dead. That was too good to be true, too easy. But the mention of the blast and his father in one sentence, caught his attention.

"Is my father all right? Was he injured? How did you find him?" the questions bubbled out of his mouth.

"He's out of danger. You can go see him in a few hours. He's two rooms away. Ding Weis's timing was good. We were already on our way when the news came that you had woken up. Xu Zhengqing's surveillance room and your drawings gave us the vital clues."

Wenjie looked at him in surprise. "What made you think that the pictures in my room contained hidden messages and had something to do with the hiding place?"

"We noticed some older video tapes, which gave hints that Xu Zhengqing had taken you to your father already. So, I wondered why you were drawing pictures in what must have been an agitated state of mind. The color was still relatively fresh. That's how I knew they were probably done after you met your father."

Even with the Water Lily case, he had been impressed by how Captain Luo had always drawn the right conclusions. But this time he had exceeded all his expectations. Wenjie breathed a sigh of relief. How had he been able to assume that Xu Zhengqing had managed to kill the policeman? Luo Jian was far too smart to fall into such traps. 

The beginnings of a smile formed on the student's lips. "You have no idea how relieved I am to see you alive again."

Captain Luo laughed. "Shouldn't that be my line? I'm also glad you're well and still remember what I said. I hope this is the last time I have to visit you in a hospital."

Wenjie joined in the laughter. But then he became serious again. "He said he will kill anyone who tries to free me. But you can always rely on your gut feeling and your deduction skills. I shouldn't have doubted you."

"Don't worry about it. That's in the past. For now, focus on your recovery and your studies." Captain Luo reached out a hand to him and gently touched Wenjie's shoulder. "Your father has been rehabilitated. We'll still have some questions for him, but after being blackmailed 12 years ago, leaking a tip to us, and being a victim of a crime himself, a suspended sentence should work out."

That was good to hear, though he had already expected it. It was one of the reasons why his father's behavior had hurt him so much. After all that had happened, he had not tried to cooperate with the police a second time and instead risked his son falling victim to his nemesis. Although Wenjie himself had been reluctant to cooperate with Captain Luo, he had decided to do so in the end. 

"Do you also have any questions for me about my imprisonment? About the mystery of Luoshen?" 

Captain Luo nodded. "About your captivity, yes; about Luoshen, no. Ding Wei did forward your message to us. Captain Su's team is handling the recovery and repatriation of the cultural artifacts." 

Ding Wei grinned, but seemed a bit tense in his posture. Was he not supposed to be happy? Or was it because of his respect for Captain Luo? He stepped from one leg to the other, just as if he would rather warp away. Wenjie was uncertain whether to find this funny or read more into it. There was still an open question, as to why Xiao Dao had helped him. Wenjie no longer believed in a large-scale plan by Xu Zhengqing. Still, there might be something else behind Ding Wei's desire to be his friend. 

"Oh, I have something else for you," Captain Luo snapped him out of his thoughts. From his jacket pocket he pulled out a phone, which he handed to the patient. 

"Thank you." Thoughtfully, Wenjie looked at the phone.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. You did your best and you're safe now. We will remove the police protection again. Then your friends can come to see you. About the questioning. If you want, we can talk right now."

Wenjie nodded, looking past Captain Luo to Ding Wei. 

"In what way was Ding Wei involved in your abduction?" 

Xiao Dao paled. 

"He was not involved at all," Wenjie replied. "Xu Zhengqing only hired him to bring him things from the city and to look after me. But in this case, he was locked up just like me."

Captain Luo frowned. Apparently similar thoughts had crossed his mind, or at least they did now. "Ding Wei, we'll have to talk later at the station. Wait outside with my colleagues."

Xiao Dao didn't dare to disagree. 

But Wenjie could tell he was scared. "Captain Luo. After all Ding Wei has done for me, can you put in a good word for him to keep him out of jail?"

Ding Wei stopped abruptly at the door. Only when Captain Luo signaled him to go out with a hand signal did he disappear through the door.

Then Luo Jian turned his attention back to the young man in the bed. Concern was reflected in his gaze. "Your friends and your father are safe. If Ding Wei had ulterior motives for helping you, they will be of no further use to him. You can speak frankly to me now. What was his relationship with Xu Zhengqing?"

Indecisive, Wenjie turned his phone between his hands. "I don't know," he finally confessed. "But he really wasn't involved in my kidnapping. Just....," he faltered. "I can't say why he suddenly stood up for me. At first I thought it was a trick, that Xu Zhengqing had instructed him to be nice. To find out if he was serious, I told Xiao Dao the secret of Luoshen. He kept his promise to get me out of there." With a deep sigh, he looked over to the door. "I know with Xu Zhengqing, it was a mistake to give him a chance, and during the Water Lily case Ding Wei was definitely loyal to Ding Shenghuo. His behavior is suspicious. But I know what it's like to be wrongly accused. Without his help, I would have given up. That's why I'm asking you to give him one last chance. His performance was good, was it?"

to be continued...

and I will take a one week break due to holidays and family visist. I wish everyone a happy christmas and great start in the new year. Next update will be in january 2023. Seeya then and have a good time.