OFBL Chapter 45

The next day, when Zhang Yuze walked out of the hospital, he noticed Zhao Xiaole and Xiao Jie chasing after him. Opening the door of his car, he raised an eyebrow before asking: “What are you two doing?”

 

Without hesitation, Zhao Xiaole pulled open the back door and climbed in, dragging Xiao Jie along. “We’re coming with you, Dr. Zhang. Let’s go.”

 

Xiao Jie also nodded earnestly. “That’s right. Assistant Xu’s business is our business too. We can’t just sit by while he’s struggling. We’re here to help.”

 

Zhang Yuze smirked faintly as he got into the driver’s seat. “You guys are something else. He really has good friends.”

 

As they arrived at the entrance of the old community where Xu Hai had lived, they weren’t really surprised to find the scene chaotic. A few nosy onlookers and some amateur live-streamers were gathered, holding up their phones and cameras, broadcasting the spectacle. One of them, a young man with a headset and selfie stick, was narrating loudly: “Hello, everyone! I’m live at the very site of the big news. Let’s see if we can uncover anything juicy. Don’t forget to like and share!”

 

Zhao Xiaole wrinkled her nose in disgust. “These people are ridiculous. Nothing better to do than make a show out of someone else’s misery.”

 

“They’re parasites…” Zhang Yuze muttered grimly. “If it weren’t for people like this, Xu Li wouldn’t be suffering so much.”

 

“Scum.” Xiao Jie chimed in, glaring at the crowd as they walked into the community.

 

Once inside, Zhao Xiaole asked, “What’s the plan now?”

 

“Right now, we’re collecting evidence.” Zhang Yuze explained as they walked. “We need to prove two things: first, that Xu Hai had a history of gambling and a problematic character, which shows Xu Li didn’t neglect his obligations as a son. Second, Xu Hai’s death was caused by overexertion and a pre-existing heart condition and had nothing to do with Xu Li. The media has spread lies, and we’re going to prove them wrong.”

 

Hearing him talk, Xiao Jie looked up at the old, decrepit buildings with their walls stained and crumbling. “These kinds of places always have underground mahjong halls. They’re hard to catch because the operators are smart and only deal with regulars. Do you think we’ll find any evidence here?”

 

“We have to try.” Zhang Yuze said with a sigh, his shoulders feeling heavy, weighed down by the pressure of it all. “This is just the first step.”

 

However, their optimism quickly faded as they began asking around… Residents either claimed ignorance or flat-out refused to talk. They only managed to confirm which unit Xu Hai had been evicted from, but with hundreds of families living in one building, knocking on every door was impossible.

 

After hours of fruitless searching, the trio walked back to the car, dejected.

 

“Where’s Assistant Xu hiding now?” Xiao Jie asked as they got in.

 

“He’s not at my place anymore.” Zhang Yuze replied, starting the car. “He moved out with his mother and I have no idea where they went.”

 

“Did he leave any contact information?” Zhao Xiaole asked, concerned.

 

“No.” Zhang Yuze admitted with frustration. “I even checked his emergency contact details at the hospital, but it’s his own number… Useless since his phone is off.”

 

Zhao Xiaole sighed. “I think he doesn’t want to burden you. That’s probably why he hasn’t reached out…”

 

“Why not?” Zhang Yuze quickly interrupted her, with his brows frozen in a deep frown. “I’ve told him so many times that I’m here for him. He’s lost his job and has no money. Who else can he rely on?”

 

“That’s just how he is…” Zhao Xiaole said quietly. “Even back when his mother was sick, he refused to let me help, even though he was running himself ragged.”

 

“But I’m his boyfriend.” Zhang Yuze said, gripping the steering wheel tightly, unwilling to let go. “If he can’t rely on me, who can he rely on?”

 

This time around, neither Zhao Xiaole nor Xiao Jie responded, exchanging silent glances instead.

 

Zhang Yuze dropped them off at the subway station. Before getting out, Zhao Xiaole leaned over the car window and said: “Dr. Zhang, maybe you should give him some time. If he needs you, he’ll call. You don’t have to chase him so hard.”

 

“Hmm.” Zhang Yuze nodded curtly and drove off without another word. Despite her advice, he couldn’t stop worrying about Xu Li, and his decision to continue handling matters on his boyfriend’s behalf was still going strong. At some point, he even ended up visiting the old apartment Xu Li used to rent.

 

The door was ajar, and inside, he found Little Rainbow hurriedly packing his belongings. The young man looked irritated and frazzled, far from the confident and manipulative figure he had been before. Without even looking up, he spat out: “If you’re here looking for that Xu Li, I don’t know where he is.”

 

“I’m not here to ask you anything.” Zhang Yuze replied coldly. “Just give me the key to his apartment.”

 

Little Rainbow threw the key onto the table with a sneer. “Take it. I can’t live here anymore. Reporters and netizens are camped outside every day. It’s unbearable.”

 

Zhang Yuze pocketed the key and smirked. “What happened to all that talk about loving him forever? Seems like your ‘love’ didn’t last long.”

 

However, Little Rainbow scoffed as soon as he heard those words. “Love?! Don’t make me laugh! Love is useless when you’re broke and powerless. Let me give you some advice: cut ties with Xu Li before he drags you down with him.”

 

He originally wanted to come to the big city to pick up a man and make a living by blackmailing him, and maybe even sell his body for money. Although his means were far from honorable and not very brilliant, that was the easiest way he could think of making money… Who knew that he would come across Xu Li?!

 

He sincerely thought that he was finally in luck, able to wrap himself around a rich man… But who would have thought? The money he dreamt of every day never arrived, and instead, he was close to being swallowed by a torrent of online abuse. Truth be told, Little Rainbow’s intestines were blue.

 

Zhang Yuze’s gaze turned icy. “Unlike you, I’m not a dumb bastard. When someone I love is at their lowest, I don’t abandon them. Maybe you should try earning an honest living for once.”

 

Little Rainbow glared at him but said nothing, slamming the door behind him as he left. Zhang Yuze looked at his resolute back and inevitably remembered that at the beginning, he said that Xu Li was his true love, filled with countless words of sincere admiration. Now all of that went down the drain.

 

Therefore, those who always talked about “love” were also those who turned their backs on it the easiest.

 

After all, only fools believed in love.

 

…………

 

Half a month passed. The online frenzy began to die down, with netizens turning their attention to other scandals.

 

And yet, neither Zhang Yuze nor Xu Li reached out to each other. It looked like one of them was guessing whether the other was willing to help him through difficult times, while the other was guessing if the other was willing to accept his help… Too bad both of them were guessing in vain.

 

Dr. Zhang’s life seemed to return to normal. Quiet, solitary, and orderly. However, certain habits lingered. During dinner with his mother, he instinctively told the waiter: “No celery or bitter gourd,” only to realize afterward that it was Xu Li, not him, who hated those foods.

 

At night, he sometimes woke up feeling cold and instinctively reached for Xu Li, only to find the other side of the bed empty.

 

Loneliness, he realized, was more than just the absence of a person. It was the emptiness left behind by their presence.

 

…………

 

Xu Li finally managed to retrieve his ID card, reapply for a phone card, and resume some semblance of normal communication. But despite his ability to contact anyone, he didn’t call Zhang Yuze immediately.

 

For the past half month, Xu Li had fixated on his mother’s phone, hoping for a message or call from his boyfriend. However, day by day, his hope dwindled. At this point, whether Zhang Yuze chose to reach out or not, Xu Li had resolved to bear his troubles alone. He wouldn’t let his mess drag anyone down any further.

 

One day, Xu Li went out to buy vegetables. As he picked up a plastic bag of tomatoes and moved to pay, the shopkeeper’s wife stared at him for an uncomfortable moment. Without warning, she snatched the tomatoes from his hands and spat: “You’re that unfilial son, aren’t you?! Bah! Get out of here! I’m not selling anything to you!”

 

Xu Li froze. His face flushed, but he didn’t argue back since incidents like that had become too familiar to him. He left quietly, gripping the straps of his empty bag. These moments of humiliation reminded Xu Li of why he couldn’t let Zhang Yuze get involved. Yet, in the quiet hours of the night, he often thought of contacting him, just to know if things could ever go back to how they were. In the end, Xu Li decided to leave the choice to fate.

 

Winter eventually passed. After several hailstorms, Yanjing’s biting winds finally subsided, making way for the warmth of spring. With the arrival of the new season, the world seemed brighter and more alive. Zhang Yuze shed his heavy winter coat and felt as though the past months had been a long, surreal dream. If it weren’t for seeing Zhao Xiaole and Xiao Jie every day at work, he might have convinced himself that his memories of Xu Li were just figments of his imagination.

 

However, progress on the legal case had been steady. Li Weiwei, the gold-standard lawyer recommended by the Empress Dowager, was proving he was worth every single penny. The preliminary prosecution had been filed, and the collection of evidence was progressing smoothly. However, two major hurdles remained: obtaining concrete evidence of Xu Hai’s gambling habits and locating the person responsible for the initial rumors. The small media company that spread the lies had long disappeared from the Internet, and tracking down its owner was proving difficult.

 

For someone as tenacious as Zhang Yuze though, these obstacles were merely delays. Once he committed to clearing Xu Li’s name, he refused to back down, no matter the challenges.

 

And so, he, along with Zhao Xiaole and Xiao Jie, began rotating shifts at Xu Hai’s old community. Their goal was simple: to gather firsthand evidence. For a week, they loitered discreetly near the building, hoping to catch any sign of illegal gambling activity. Mid-mornings were their best bet…

 

… And finally, their patience paid off.

 

That day, Zhao Xiaole sat cross-legged on the grass, biting into a pancake. Her shift was almost over, and she was minutes away from giving up and heading back to the hospital.

 

But just as she glanced at her phone to check the time, a unit’s door creaked open. Three men stepped out, their conversation loud enough to carry across the quiet courtyard.

 

“Not a bad haul today!” One man said with a laugh. “Ever since Xu Hai kicked the bucket, no one’s been around to throw money at us like he did.”

 

“Yeah!” Another man replied. “He played for three days straight last time. The guy was practically begging for a heart attack. If we hadn’t thrown him out, he probably would’ve died in our place.”

 

“Good thing we did.” The third man added. “Would’ve been a nightmare if the media started poking around here because of him. His son’s mess brought enough heat as it is.”

 

Their voices faded as they walked away, but Zhao Xiaole’s hands were already trembling with excitement. Keeping her phone steady, she discreetly recorded every word.

 

The moment they disappeared from sight, she called Zhang Yuze.

 

“Dr. Zhang,” she said, barely able to contain her excitement. “I got the evidence!”