Becoming the Caged Canary of a Forced Love - Chapter 30

Tianyu, relying on its massive financial resources, had bribed officials to launch a private satellite into space. Since then, Tianyu’s high-tech products seemed to operate with a “cheat code,” so much so that even conglomerates like the Pei Group required Tianyu’s cutting-edge technology.

The device Gu Nian was using had been developed specifically for internal communications within Black Crow. It could jam surveillance and eavesdropping equipment within a certain range and was impossible to intercept.

Gu Nian opened the icon and, after verifying his identity, sent a message to Zhou Yi:

“Investigate the cause of death of Lin Nuo’s parents. Also, look into the relationship between Pei Jichuan and Lin Nuo. I won’t return for the time being; I’m staying a while longer.”

In less than thirty seconds, a reply came through:

“Understood.”

After receiving the confirmation, Gu Nian unplugged the device, and the icon on his phone screen vanished instantly. At the same time, he pressed the flush button on the toilet.

This equipment had its drawbacks; using it would cause a gap in the recordings of any nearby surveillance or listening devices during that window, which could easily be discovered. Therefore, the frequency of use had to be kept low.

I hope Zhou Yi can find the truth as soon as possible so we can return to Country F sooner, Gu Nian thought. Xiao Tingbai definitely brought ‘him’ to Country Z. Our manpower here is too limited; if an accident happens, the consequences will be endless.

Fortunately, they had put out word early on that he was Gu Congnan’s brother. Otherwise, if those old subordinates found out his true identity, they would surely cause trouble.

Country F.

The night was as still as water, and the room was cast in gloom. No lights were on. Zhou Yi sat on the sofa with several electronic devices laid out before him. The faint blue indicator lights illuminated his face, casting deep shadows beneath his brow.

He stayed by the communication equipment almost all night without rest. Xiao Tingbai’s news had soothed him; he no longer felt such a frantic urgency to bring Gu Nian back immediately.

Ding—

It was a notification from the internal device. Zhou Yi snapped his eyes open instantly and grabbed the phone. He read Gu Nian’s message over and over, his fingers trembling slightly as he typed back a single word: “Understood.”

Finally, we’ve successfully made contact. Zhou Yi’s spine relaxed, and he sank into the soft sofa. He held the phone up again to confirm a solitary command, with not a single word addressed personally to him.

His gaze shifted to the table, which was covered in photographs. He picked up a few at random. The sight of Pei Jichuan embracing Gu Nian stung his eyes. A silent fury rose within him, and he violently swept the photos aside, his thin lips pressed into a hard line.

These were reports gathered by his subordinates regarding the past few years. He knew intellectually that it wasn’t Gu Nian in the photos, but seeing that face—identical to Gu Nian’s—engaged in such intimacy with another person made it impossible for him to maintain his mask of calm. The fires of jealousy threatened to incinerate his reason.

Ding—

Another piece of intelligence arrived. Zhou Yi forced himself to suppress his burning anger. The content of the report caused his face to darken.

Li Yong.

A notorious “fence-sitter” in Black Crow. Back then, he had followed Gu Congnan in committing countless atrocities, only to switch sides immediately once Gu Nian gained power. Zhou Yi hadn’t gotten around to dealing with him yet, but for him to dare lay a hand on Gu Nian’s parents and brother…

The intelligence indicated that Gu Nian had been kidnapped at birth by Li Yong’s men. Back then, Gu Nian had entered Black Crow as a child soldier recruit; these children were kidnapped from all over the world. It seemed that after Li Yong’s men abducted Gu Nian, they didn’t kill him to vent their anger. Likely assuming he wouldn’t survive anyway, they threw him into the rainforest as a recruit. Li Yong probably never imagined Gu Nian would be the one to fight his way out of that hell.

Zhou Yi forwarded the intelligence directly to Gu Nian to let him decide how to handle Li Yong. But he didn’t know when their next contact would be.

Zhou Yi set the equipment down and headed toward the bedroom. He pinched the bridge of his nose; after days of going without sleep, even a man of iron would break. He needed rest. Lately, the affairs of both Black Crow and Tianyu rested solely on his shoulders. This was why he had to ask Xiao Tingbai to act as a middleman to pass information—Xiao Tingbai’s background was the “cleanest” among them.

Zhou Yi took off his shirt and tossed it aside, revealing a powerful, well-built torso. Gu Nian always said he envied his muscles, claiming it was a racial advantage that he could never achieve no matter how hard he trained.

Zhou Yi turned and walked toward the large bed. On his chest, a tattoo extended from his left arm across his pectoral—complex runes following the pattern of a spider. The spider looked vivid, almost as if it were slowly crawling toward his heart.

Zhou Yi lay on the bed, his eyes half-open. He had no right to be angry, nor did he have the right to stand by Gu Nian’s side. From the moment he personally delivered Gu Nian into the room of the Red Ghost Triad’s boss, any possibility between them was gone.

Gu Nian’s look of disappointment had haunted him like a nightmare for seven years. He loathed his past self for being powerless, and he loathed his own indecisiveness. He clearly had countless opportunities to run away with Gu Nian, but he had hesitated. By the time he stood before that door, he no longer had the chance to regret.

Gu Nian had saved him. When they were still children, Gu Nian had led him through the slaughter in the rainforest; they were among the few survivors. Later, they followed Gu Congnan in the struggle for power. Gu Congnan was a sinister man who would use any means to achieve his ends. He and Gu Nian were destined to become sacrifices.

The boss of the Red Ghost Triad had taken an interest in Gu Nian’s face. At the time, the power struggle was in its final stages; gaining the support of the Red Ghost would be like giving Gu Congnan wings. Thus, Gu Congnan had handed Gu Nian over without a second thought.

And Zhou Yi was the one who personally made the delivery.

He hadn’t dared to look into Gu Nian’s eyes. In the years that followed, he had invented countless excuses to absolve himself: he couldn’t resist Gu Congnan’s orders; he wasn’t strong enough; he had no voice…

He… just wasn’t brave enough.

A bond forged by protecting each other in the rainforest had ended in such a state. Gu Nian must be deeply disappointed in him.

Zhou Yi suddenly reached out and touched the tattoo on his shoulder. I am still useful, he thought. I successfully saved Gu Nian and gave him a new, healthy body to live a new life.

Zhou Yi suddenly turned his head to stare at one of the bedroom walls. He was so focused he seemed to forget to blink. After a long time, he whispered softly: “Goodnight, Gu Nian.”

Looking up, the wall was covered in photographs of Gu Nian. Most were taken from a candid, hidden perspective. When the plan was finalized years ago, he had ordered all information regarding Gu Nian to be destroyed. However, the confiscated photos were never burned; he had hung every single one of them on his wall.

The white wall was completely obscured by at least a thousand dense photographs. For countless nights, he had traced these photos with his fingers, as if he could pull Gu Nian into his embrace. He was like a rat in the sewers, secretly prying into everything about the man.

He worked hard to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Gu Nian, helping him get everything he wanted. But seeing Gu Nian get close to someone else still made him jealous—it made him do irrational, frantic things.

He didn’t remember when these feelings began, but he understood that in some frenzied, hazy, hidden moment, love had quietly taken root.

Zhou Yi closed his eyes and offered a silent prayer in his heart.

May God protect you.

My love, I would give my life for you.