A/n: I know that I should have completed the WangXian chapter before this one, but I simply didn't have time, nor the mood to write tbh, sorry.

 

 

 

Xiao Zhan's living room was overly crowded even though it was a late hour in the night: A-Xian, Wang Ji, Wang ZhuoCheng, ZiZi, even the old homeless couple. They were all of them sitting on the couch, on chairs or on the floor, and all of them were trying to  figure out a way  they could help in finding a solution to this major crisis.

Zhan made lots of calls or personally went to search for anyone he knew that could  be related in any way to Yibo.

He even drove to Wang Yiduo's villa, stepping onto his pride, but even before telling him about what happened,  the  influencer told him that he was very busy with stuff, as he had a flight at the first hour in the morning for going on his abroad tour for promoting a luxury makeup brand…And as he was under a contract, he was not able to focus  on anything else.
Hmm, wasn’t he going on the tour only the day after tomorrow, didn't the director say that the  influencer and Yibo would film the kissing scene the next day?
Xiao Zhan could understand him in some way, he could understand why he only shrugged when finding out what happened. He couldn't blame the  man for not being interested in helping him, actually Yibo meant nothing to him, but eventually just another random opportunity to get a good fu*k, it's not like he was in love with Wang Yibo, as Xiao Zhan is!

As for ZiZi, he called her to ask her if she could lend him some money, because even if he would sell the apartment, in addition with his bank account, it would be only a small part of the redemption those people were asking for.
He knew  that ZiZi was a rich girl, but sadly she told him how the man she fell in love with tricked her and took all her money, being a gambler.
She even let herself be convinced to make a bank loan for him, ensuring her house, and now she was in danger of losing her house to the bank

.
A-Xian would have been willing to help, no doubt, but sadly his  home was a rented apartment, not in his property, and his bank account was pretty thin.

ZhuoCheng said he has a few money in his own account, not a huge sum, but still…And he will definitely ask for his husband's help...but sadly only three days later when he will be back from a business trip in Japan where he went for buying some more advanced audio system for their club.
Zhan wouldn't be as sure as ZhuoCheng was that his husband would be ready to give money for a complete stranger. Besides, it might be too late by then, anyway.

Xiao Zhan was still in front of the computer, trying to track down the message sender's IP, to find out where Yibo was taken, but it seems that the kidnappers were not stupid enough.
Probably they sent the message from a public internet-cafe.

Anyway he kept replaying the awful and painful video, keeping hurting himself. He was  flinching every time his sweet Muffin was punched, tightening his hands in fists or caressing the image from the screen like trying to comfort and protect him.

 

 

 

Suddenly Wang Ji pushed  him aside and sat on the chair in front of the computer. He kept replaying several times his brother's ending message for him.

"BoBo wants to tell me something, but my brain found the right moment to go stupid!
We always used to talk in charades when we wanted our "clients " to not understand our plans, lies, whatever...
I must decode these three key words:
DEBTS,
DONGBI,
JIĒDÀO!"

"Debts!
I might have just decoded the first one!
I remember that guy who attacked both of you when we first met at that gay bar!
When he was thrown out by the club bodyguards he yelled at BoBi: 《This is not over, yet! You,stupid kitten, just wait and see, I'll be back and make sure you'll double pay your debt!》, Zhan shouted, very agitated.

ZhuoCheng started to get agitated as well:
"Yeah, you're right, that pimp bastard kidnapped him for sure! 
It seemed to me that I saw his ugly face in the darkness of the Rainbow Club, drooling over  Nai Bo Nǚhái (A/n: Milk Bo Girl in Chinese), but by the time I've finished my performance and told my KuanKuan about him, the creep has already disappeared.
I thought it was just my imagination, but now I believe that the bastard might have  followed  Yibo and  collected information about him.
BoBo is the perfect victim to him, an orphan whom nobody would ask about, except his brother who is an orphan as well, and maybe his flat mate, too. 
He desperately needs money, I heard he gambled again after losing his house to my husband.
But this time he gambled with fake money, and the ones whom he got them scammed  are some dangerous mobsters.
Sadly it's all I know, I don't know where we could find him." 

"At least we progressed a bit!
I'm going to make some coffee, I suppose everybody needs it, especially you, ZhanZhan and you, my baby JiJi.", WuXian said, his friend's shoulder and placing a short peck onto his boyfriend's cheek strained with dried trails of tears.

The homeless old man whom about all  have thought he was since long time asleep in the armchair, suddenly stood up  and grabbed hastily Zhan's arm, murmuring in his weak voice, but ending in a loud shout same like he probably was able to shout only in his youth years:
"Dong!
Bi!
Dong...Bi...
DongBi…

It’s a slum of Beijing!
It’s a street!
DongBI  Jiēdào (A/n: it means street in Chinese)!!!

A friend of mine from the shelter told me  that he found out about a nephew of his who lives in DongBi slum and who agreed to share his hovel with his uncle.
So, maybe BoBo heard the kidnappers talking about how  they intend to bring him to DongBi slum. 
You heard about that shanty village slum from the Beijing outskirts, didn't you?"

Xiao Zhan lifted the old man in his arms, kissing his wrinkled cheeks and sunken eyes:
"Thank you, thank you!
Can I call you Bàba (A/n: dad in Chinese)?
BoBi loves you and your wife, like he would love his own parents if he had ones!"

"Put me down, you crazy young man!
I love him, too, and I suppose I could love you, too, my son!
Biyu sweetheart, our holy Lord has finally decided to accomplish your deepest wish before dying, to have a child!
And we now have two sons!",  the elder laughed,  hugging his wife who woke up from her slumber and was clueless about what was happening, but stretched her toothless mouth to the ears, happy for her husband's happiness.

"Three sons, not two!", Wang Ji wrapped an arm around the two elders, wiping his tears with his other hand.

"Four sons!", butted in WuXian, scaring  the old couple, by now.

"I could be the fifth if you want me, too!",  ZhuoCheng dared shyly to join the crowded hug.

Xiao Zhan pulled the two elders out from the group hug and seated them back in their armchairs:
"Alright, guys, let's not scare these poor souls!
Time is precious, so come, all of you, take a seat and listen to my plan!
Firstly, A-Xian and JiJi will go home and take some rest, there are only a few hours left till morning. Don't argue with that, A-Xian, I will need you after the bastard will contact me, you must be well rested, I will tell you why after exposing my whole plan.
Wang Ji, I assume that you would want to come with me and A-Xian.

When you two will go home you can give ChengCheng a ride to his home, too.

ZiZi, you go to sleep as well and I will put my whole trust in you for going alone at Mr Jung's office in the morning and negotiate what would be the best for Yibo.
Firstly tell him that I caught a strong cold, and I couldn't come for the discussion for not giving the virus to his pregnant daughter.
And my friend Wei WuXian will miss the working day for taking care of me.
Then tell him that you are ready to give up on me, tell him that I am ready to even legally marry his daughter if necessary  and remain married till the baby will be born, tell him I am ready to go with her in the USA, and get divorced after she gives birth.
Of course I will sign a prenuptial contract if they are afraid I could ask for some advantages from the divorce.
Tell him I would agree to everything he wants...
But only in exchange for 250.000$, paid in cash today! 
I will sign right away a document for delegating you as my trusting emissary for negotiations and for taking the money.

Our dearest Bàba and Māmā (A/n: dad and mom in  Chinese) will sleep here in Muffin's room, because I need them tomorrow for the whole day.
I intend to search together with them for Bàba's friend and for his nephew living in DongBi.
Maybe his nephew heard some gossip going around, about a stranger kept hostage in those hovels.
A-Xian and Ji Ge will accompany us there, who knows maybe we will be lucky to find and rescue our BoBo.

"I want to come with you, I might recognize some of the kidnappers if I see them!",  ZhuoCheng hurried to offer his help.

"Yes, lao Wang ZhuoCheng has a point, we need him there.
Still you need to  get some sleep, and we will pick you up from home when we come back here at ZhanZhan's house.
We should go now.", WuXian said, while dressing his coat.

"Could you take us in your car and drop us to the shelter, lao Wei WuXian?
We need to go there, because this is the last night my friend will sleep in the shelter, and we might miss him if we will go there only in the morning.", said the old man, helping his wife to get up from the armchair and to dress her tattered winter coat.

"Of course, Bàba.  I will give you a ride, but don't call me  lao, call me Érzi (A/n: son in Chinese) or simply XianXian if it's more comfortable.
I can see why BoBo and my JiJi care so much about you two.
The way you still love each other after all these years and after the hard time life has given to you, it's truly admirable.",  WuXian smiled, wiping away a few emotional tears.

The old man took WuXian's hand and linked it with Wang Ji's hand: 
"I can read the big love you have for each other, in your eyes.
Yours, but  also my kid Jiji's melted eyes whenever he looks at you.
As for this young man,Xiao Zhan, what can I say?
I am so happy for my beloved BoBo for getting so much love, he really deserves it. God help him to be safe!
We will pray for him and for everybody who loves him!"

 

 

 

                                                                         

 

 

The kidnappers contacted Xiao Zhan early in the morning, but It was almost noon when the group had finally reached the place of DongBi street , as they had to wait for the elder’s friend to be released  by the police.

“Didn’t I tell you to not beg anymore at that subway station? There is a police station nearby, I warned you that you could be fined or even arrested, dammit! Let’s go now to your nephew, we are very late!”, the elder scolded his friend.

Zhan, A-Xian, Ji Ge and ZhuoCheng, along with the two old men from  the shelter had drudgingly crumpled themselves inside the small room from  the DongBi slum where the mentioned nephew was living.

With huge surprise, ZhuoCheng has instantly recognized in him one from the pimp's once loyal employees who used to take care about the fake ID cards and other papers of the es.

                                                                                

A/n: This image is real,it's from one of China's urban slums that exist for real!

After Xiao Zhan paid him a significant sum of money, the nephew recounted to them how his boss tricked him to stay loyal to him and to not go with the others at Liu HaiKuan's club, promising him all kinds of advantages, but in the end the boss gave him nothing.
Not only that, but on top of that the pimp took away from him his property, a  small  apartment, telling him that he will sell it and buy another one bigger for him. But in the end he bought only this room from DongBi and gambled the rest of the money.

"I am different from your boss, I promise to buy back your apartment, and if not I'm even ready to give you my own apartment, anything you want, if you will help us to save a friend of ours who got kidnapped by your damned boss!
His name is Wang Yibo, he was kidnapped in the past, too, together with his brother Wang Ji, this is him, maybe you do remember him!", Xiao Zhan shouted, pulling desperately on the man's arm.

"Yes, looking better at him it seems like I remember something, his  lopsided smile was pretty hard to forget.
As for his brother, yes I kn...ow...but...Hmmm...why should I trust you?
What if you are one of my boss's men  testing my loyalty, or what if I would decide to help you and after that you will give me nothing the same as that bastard did?"

"You do know about Yibo?!
Look here, soon I will get a huge sum of money to pay the redemption your boss has asked for my Muffin, I mean for Yibo, and if we will succeed to save him with your help of course, maybe I will be able to keep the money and you will get a huge slice from them!
Please, please help us!
I'm begging you!", Xiao Zhan screamed, dropping onto his knees in front of the man.

Wang Ji and the others pulled Zhan up, trying to calm him down and asked the man to tell them if he really has information about Wang Yibo, or he is only trolling them.

The man's uncle whispered into his nephew's ear:
"Help them, you have nothing to lose anyway, more than you have already lost.
You know very well that the pimp will never pay you more, not even the money he stole from you.
Besides, my friend from the shelter told me these men are like his sons, very trustworthy."

"Actually after kidnapping that kid, they kept him here at my place over the night, I can even prove it to you.", said the man, taking out from under a greasy pillow a green shirt.
The shirt was dirty with a few dark spots.

"What are those spots?
Dry blood or what?
What  happened to my brother, what did they do to him?!",  Wang Ji screamed hysterically, even though WuXian was trying hard to calm him down.

Zhan grabbed the piece of clothes, burying his face in it and wailing like a mourning widower:
"Yes, the shirt is his...
Oh my God, what did they  do to you?!
Where are you, are you even alive?!"

"Mister, calm down, he is not dead...
At least not yet...
But...", the man mumbled, touched by the two men's emotional pain.

"But?! 
What but?!
Firstly tell us why is his shirt dirty, if they didn't kill him, did they hurt him, did they beat him?
Speak up, already!",  ZhuoCheng yelled, too, not being able to take his eyes away from the spotted shirt.

"I suggest for everybody to calm down, take a seat wherever we can and let the man speak out. 
Please, mister, tell us everything you know about our dear friend, from the beginning, and I assure you that  you will have only advantages, my friend here was serious about that money recompense in exchange of your help.", said WuXian, who was unexpectedly the most clear minded person out of all of them.

So the man started his telling:
"The kid was brought here to my place, last night by boss and two guys who