OFBL Chapter 44

When Zhang Yuze finally stirred awake, his sleep had been restless at best. Turning over in bed, he even muttered groggily: “Xu Li, you dead dog, stop hogging the quilt…”

 

… But there was no response and the familiar retort that he had grown used to never came. His eyes snapped open, and reality hit him. Xu Li was currently missing.

 

Dragging himself upright, he heard a polite knock at the bedroom door. The cleaning lady his mother hired stood outside, holding a bag of trash. “Mr. Zhang, I’ve finished cleaning. I was very thorough, even got under the furniture,” she said with a professional smile.

 

Rubbing his temple, Zhang Yuze nodded before answering: “Thank you. I’ll give you a good review.”

 

With that, the cleaning lady left, closing the door behind her, and silence filled the room once again. It was unnervingly quiet, and Zhang Yuze found himself acutely aware of the emptiness of the apartment. What once felt like a comforting space, his own ‘safe heaven’, now seemed too large, too still.

 

He walked to the living room window, parted the curtains, and gazed outside, only to see that the media circus had finally cleared out, leaving no trace of the earlier chaos. But Xu Li was still unreachable. Checking his phone again, Zhang Yuze saw no messages, no missed calls, no anything.

 

Unable to stop himself, he still opened a web page, and his heart completely sank. The top headlines were still plastered with Xu Li’s name, accompanied by cruel commentary. The anonymity of the Internet had emboldened the worst of humanity, turning them into a mob of self-proclaimed judges.

 

In the end, full of frustration, Zhang Yuze tossed his phone aside, only to pick it up moments later, and send a message to his mother: I’m awake. Recommend me a reliable lawyer. Now.

 

…………

 

Meanwhile, Xu Li had his own struggles. Wearing a hood that concealed most of his face, leaving only his tired eyes visible, he and his mother had made their way from Yanjing to Shuizhen, a small town on the outskirts of the city.

 

In an effort to scrape together some cash, he even had to sell his beloved red Harley to a dealer before leaving the city, and at a discounted price to say the least… And to make matters worse, all the way to Shuizhen, his mother alternated between sobbing and lamenting her fate. “If I hadn’t been so foolish back then, maybe things would be different now,” she muttered repeatedly.

 

Xu Li leaned against the bus window, closing his eyes. Her regrets echoed far too little and far too late; years of chasing unworthy love had left them both worse for wear.

 

Shuizhen was a stark contrast to Yanjing and a far cry from any sort of developed city. Once a booming real estate town, it now bore the scars of an economic downturn, filled with dilapidated buildings that stood as relics of an era long gone. Even if it was only a two-hour drive from the big city, it could barely be regarded as an agricultural town, with a semblance of light industry.

 

Their destination was Xu Li’s late grandfather’s self-built house, a crumbling, dilapidated relic of its own. As soon as they arrived, Xu Li stared at the sagging roof and cracked walls, feeling his scalp tingle with dread.

 

With no choice but to make do and in an effort to settle down as soon as possible, Xu Li spent the entire afternoon climbing ladders, patching up holes, and reinforcing the roof with makeshift wooden boards. Inside, Mother Xu scrubbed every single visible surface until her back ached. By evening, the house was finally habitable, but only just barely.

 

As night fell, Xu Li decided to turn on his phone. The moment it powered up, a barrage of harassing texts and calls bombarded the screen, causing it to freeze and then overheat. For a split second, he even had the illusion of smoke wafting faintly from the device before it went completely black. Alarmed, Xu Li yanked out the SIM card, hoping to stop the onslaught.

 

“Mom, I’m going out,” he said, grabbing his jacket. “I need to get a new SIM card so I can contact Zhang Yuze.”

 

The streets of Shuizhen were dimly lit, with only a few scattered shops open. After wandering through several blocks, Xu Li found a small electronics store. He stepped inside and approached the counter, where a middle-aged man watched television with little interest in his new customer.

 

“Boss, I need a new phone card,” Xu Li said.

 

The man lazily opened a drawer, tossed out a card, and gestured at a sign. “Pick a number and package. ID required.”

 

Xu Li patted his pockets, but his heart sank when he found nothing. His ID card was missing, maybe forgotten in Zhang Yuze’s apartment, or maybe stolen somewhere on the road. Frantically, he checked again, but it was nowhere to be found.

 

“I must’ve dropped it,” he muttered under his breath. It was over… He must have been in a hurry to sell his Harley earlier in the day, only to drop his ID card in the car shop! Turning to the shopkeeper, he pleaded: “I lost my ID. Can you make an exception? I really need this card.”

 

The shopkeeper shrugged. “Sorry, kid. No ID, no card. Rules are rules. You’ll have to go to the police station to reapply.”

 

“How long will that take?”

 

“About ten days,” the man replied with a smirk, clearly enjoying Xu Li’s frustration. “We’re not exactly a big city, you know. Things move slowly here.”

 

And so, Xu Li left the shop empty-handed, the weight of his circumstances pressing heavier on his shoulders. Back at the house, he sat in the drafty and cold living room, rubbing his temples. The chill seeped through the poorly patched walls, reminding him of how far they’d fallen from their once-comfortable lives in Yanjing.

 

“Mom, has anyone called your phone?” He asked hopefully.

 

However, Mother Xu shook her head. “Just your uncle and a couple of cousins. No one else.”

 

Xu Li checked his watch. It was already 8 p.m. Surely, by now, Zhang Yuze would’ve seen the note he left behind. The thought nagged at him. Why hadn’t his boyfriend called yet?!

 

“Mom, let me borrow your phone,” Xu Li said. “I’ll call him myself.”

 

And yet, Mother Xu hesitated, her expression uncharacteristically serious. “Why don’t you wait for him to call you instead?”

 

“Why?” Xu Li frowned, confused.

 

She sighed heavily. “Dr. Zhang is a good man, but this mess has brought him nothing but trouble. You don’t know for sure if he wants to keep helping us. If you call first, and he’s changed his mind, it’ll only make things awkward.”

 

Xu Li shook his head. “That’s ridiculous. Zhang Yuze isn’t like that. He’s not someone who’d abandon me.”

 

“Maybe not,” Mother Xu conceded, “but let him reach out first. If he doesn’t, maybe it’s time to let go.”

 

Xu Li clenched his fists, full of frustration. “Fine. I’ll wait until tomorrow. But I know he’ll call me in the end.”

 

…………

 

At noon on the next day, Zhang Yuze received a message in the group chat he shared with his former college roommates.

 

Li Chenghong: @Zhang Yuze, Xu Hai’s medical records are not easy to track down. His medical insurance isn’t registered in Yanjing, which makes it difficult to access through our system.

 

Zhang Yuze: What should I do then?!

 

Before he could dwell too much on the issue, another message pinged in the chat.

 

Han Jinhang: Don’t worry, Brother Yuze. My father-in-law works in the medical system in Linshi. He helped me check and you were right. Xu Hai had symptoms of myocardial infarction for years, but he never received effective treatment or intervention.

 

Attached to the message was a scan of a detailed medical report.

 

Relief washed over Zhang Yuze as he quickly forwarded the report to Li Weiwei, a former patient of his mother’s and an elite civil litigation lawyer he had contacted through her. Fortunately, he was a no-nonsense professional who had come highly recommended. His responses, just like his work ethic, were swift and precise.

 

Li Weiwei: This is excellent. Xu Hai’s death report can easily be countered with this evidence. It will likely be investigated automatically during the trial. Xu Li, as a direct relative, also has the right to access his medical records. We’ll need to present proof that his death was caused by a sudden heart attack due to pre-existing conditions. I’ll focus on identifying and holding accountable the account that first spread those rumors.

 

Zhang Yuze: Understood. I’ll handle the evidence collection.

 

Satisfied for the moment, Zhang Yuze switched back to the dormitory group chat to share the update with his friends.

 

Zhang Yuze: Thanks, everyone. I owe you both a meal next time.

 

Li Chenghong: Take Xu Li with you when we go. I think you really need to tie him down next to you. Unfortunately, we can’t drink at your wedding, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t support you two and want to help.

 

However, that simple mention of his romantic relationship with Xu Li stung, making Zhang Yuze stare blankly at the screen. His last conversation with Xu Li had been two days ago, and since then, Xu Li’s phone had been perpetually off…

Where the hell has he gone?! Zhang Yuze thought, filled with both rage and frustration. He couldn’t understand how someone could vanish so completely without leaving a trace…

 

… And the longer he pondered it, the angrier he became. He typed a curt response to Li Chenghong.

 

Zhang Yuze: Focus on your own love life, Chenghong.

 

Then he tossed his phone onto the desk with a loud thud. Resting his head in his hands, he muttered to himself: “Where did that stupid dog go? He doesn’t even think about how much worry he’s causing everyone. Hand in hand through the storm? Yeah, right. He’s the first to run when things get tough! Can’t even be bothered to leave a stupid phone number.”

 

And the longer he thought about it, the more annoyed he became.

 

“Idiot! Stupid, stupid idiot!”

 

Frustrated, Zhang Yuze slammed his hands on the table and pushed his chair back. “Fine. I’m done caring. Whoever wastes another second worrying about you is a dog!”

 

No sooner had he spoken than his phone chimed with a new message.

 

Li Weiwei: Check the community where the incident occurred. See if there’s surveillance footage or anyone who can confirm Xu Hai’s health conditions leading up to his death, specifically evidence of late nights and exhaustion.

 

The determination that flared within Zhang Yuze as soon as he read those words was almost instinctual. He grabbed his jacket, threw it on, and stormed out the door.

 

“Dogs are dogs, and I’m one,” he muttered under his breath. But no matter how much he tried to convince himself to let it go, he couldn’t help himself.

 

If Xu Li wouldn’t fight for himself, then damn it, someone else still had to.