Chapter 15: In Control

Chapter 15: Handling Him

Jian Ruochen was momentarily stunned by Guan Yingjun's dark gaze but quickly snapped out of it.

He merely lifted his gaze, the corners instantly turning red, then abruptly reached out to seize Guan Yingjun's collar, yanking him down hard and leaning close to his ear. "What do I want? I want the rule of law, clear seas and serene rivers, and the Five-Star Red Flag flying at the police station entrance. Can you give me that?"

Guan Yingjun's throat moved.

His first thought was: Jian Ruochen supports the Reunification—he's lucid.

His second thought was: Jian Ruochen smelled amazing.

They were too close; his breath was filled with the crisp scent of grapefruit, and he even felt those light, curly lashes might almost brush his cheek.

As he spoke, Jian Ruochen got upset.

After coming here, the brother he'd grown up with, close enough to share pants, was gone.

The elder who had raised him for over a decade was nowhere to be seen.

The money didn't mean much to him.

Now he had no trusted friends, had to watch out for others' schemes, and had to avenge the original owner's identity.

There was no going back.

He was frustrated enough already.

Jian Ruochen gripped Guan Yingjun's collar with both hands and shoved him back hard. "In Inspector Guan's eyes, only those with ulterior motives are fit to do good? You can want to send all criminals to jail, but others can't?"

Caught off guard, Guan Yingjun staggered back two steps, hesitating before saying, "That's not what I meant."

He genuinely wanted to lay his cards on the table. "I—"

"Enough!" Jian Ruochen's face darkened. "Inspector Guan, you need to understand one thing."

"Helping you solve cases and handing you clues isn't giving you leverage to grill me. Setting aside finding Feng Jiaming's killer, without me, how much longer would it have taken you to get Jiang Yongyan's lead from Huo Jinze? How many more all-nighters would you have pulled to find this suspect?"

He raised his voice, using Guan Yingjun's own words from yesterday against him. "Were you planning to take that invitation and have your informant ask around? Then go door-to-door with the photo?"

Guan Yingjun fell silent.

He stared at Jian Ruochen's flushed cheeks and red-rimmed eyes, unsure how to respond to the interrogation, wondering if those eyes would suddenly fill with tears if he spoke again.

Jian Ruochen leaned down to pick up the two photo albums Guan Yingjun had temporarily placed on the chair. "I heard from Zhang Xingzong that the Major Crimes Unit is short on funds, paying to get evidence released—"

He took a deep breath, paused, swallowed half his words, glanced at Guan Yingjun, then said expressionlessly, "Inspector Guan, you need to understand—I don't need to be your consultant! It's only because Teacher Li couldn't come that I'm here. Now it seems your Major Case Team A doesn't really need a consultant."

He snapped the photo albums shut and flung them both forcefully into Guan Yingjun's arms, then adjusted his coat, pulled open the break room door, and strode out without looking back.

The wooden door slammed against the frame and rebounded against the wall, the noise so loud that members of Team D near the break room and pantry peeked out to see.

Guan Yingjun stood in the middle of the break room, coldly scanning the area.

Team D members immediately slid back to their offices on their wheeled chairs.

Guan Yingjun walked to the window, tucked the albums under his arm, lit a cigarette, and looked down to see Jian Ruochen leave the station directly, hail a taxi, and drive away without a backward glance.

The cigarette tip glowed red in the cold wind, flickering faintly.

Guan Yingjun took only one drag before letting the rest smolder between his fingers.

Jian Ruochen's words lingered in his mind, stirring something in him.

But the world hustles for profit; the world bustles for gain.

After returning to the country at 18, he was assigned an undercover mission. The higher-ups didn't want his records in the police academy files, so they sent him to study accounting for four years while secretly training him in undercover skills.

After graduation, he was sent undercover for three years, witnessing a colleague betrayed by an informant and imprisoned in a private cell, breaking in just three days to reveal the undercover list.

He was accustomed to living in vigilance; suspicion had become a habit.

And Jian Ruochen was far too clever, far too skilled at winning people over...

Guan Yingjun thought of Jian Ruochen's flushed face and reddened eyes from minutes ago, his thoughts stalling, then took another drag from the half-burnt cigarette.

Before he could exhale fully, Zhang Xingzong rushed over, clinging to the doorframe, and whispered cautiously, "Boss, the team searching the suspect's place is back. This guy might be a serial killer..."

Guan Yingjun snapped back to attention. "Hm."

Zhang Xingzong lowered his voice. "We can't get anything out of him now. What do you think..."

Guan Yingjun said, "I'll handle the interrogation. You take the team to investigate the Platinum Club case. Make copies of all the photos, assign ten per person, and visit each one individually."

·

Team A taking over the Platinum Club investigation was essentially stealing Team Z's lucrative assignment.

The case Team Z had struggled with for over a month without progress was handed to Team A, who obtained key evidence within a week.

Many people in those two photo albums were not there willingly; once they learned the police would protect them, some quickly turned.

A higher-status girl stole the account books from Platinum Club's management, making a significant contribution.

While writing the case report, Zhang Xingzong edited repeatedly, describing the raid as "incidental" and the sudden acquisition of the account books as "a desperate girl forced into action bravely turning over a new leaf" and "happening to place them on Detective Guan's desk."

They were merely arresting the suspect in the Deep Water Shore patrol officer case and incidentally shut down the Platinum Club.

It was a side task—how could it be called stealing assignments?

As for the most critical "two photo albums"...

Zhang Xingzong was unsure, leaving a blank space. He took the report to ask Guan Yingjun, "Boss, how should we explain the origin of the albums? Should we call Jian Ruochen to ask? And see if he'd like another commendation letter?"

Guan Yingjun rubbed his temples. "Can't you just call him?"

Zhang Xingzong hesitated. "I don't have his number... Do you, Detective Guan?"

Guan Yingjun didn't either, but he had Jian Ruochen's pager address.

For the past seven days, he'd been grinding away with the suspect in the "Deep Water Shore patrol officer case," only getting the suspect's name and motive.

When asked if he'd killed others, the suspect wouldn't say a word.

Tight-lipped as a clam.

The police couldn't resort to forced confessions; at most, they could apply psychological pressure. They had to take it slow. By the fifth day, he couldn't wait any longer, thinking Jian Ruochen had a good temper and always smiled through previous probes.

No matter how angry he was, it wouldn't last more than five days. By now, he should have cooled off.

So Guan Yingjun sent a voice message to Jian Ruochen on the messaging app.

Jian Ruochen ignored it.

That message still hasn't been replied to.

Guan Yingjun initially thought Jian Ruochen was letting him stew for a day, planning to reply the next day.

But now it's almost the eighth day... and there's still no response.

Zhang Xingzong's expression twisted at Guan Yingjun's silence. He leaned in and asked, "Did you two not contact each other at all after that argument? How many days has it been? Seven, right?"

Guan Yingjun: "Hmm."

Zhang Xingzong wasn't sure if that "hmm" meant there was no argument or no contact. Seeing Guan Yingjun's displeased expression, he took a small step back.

Guan Yingjun glanced over at him.

Zhang Xingzong edged that half-step back into place and said earnestly, "Detective Guan, I don't think Jian Ruochen would stay angry this long."

He rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a crumpled, well-worn ticket. "Look, Teacher Li Zhangyu gave three consecutive lectures at Hong Kong University. I managed to catch one three days ago."

"Jian Ruochen is Teacher Li's teaching assistant. He smiles at everyone, really friendly. We greeted each other, and he even treated me to a type of cherry called cheeries."

He's not like you, always scowling.

Zhang Xingzong wisely kept that last part to himself.

He lowered his voice and added, "Besides, we've been working on that suspect for a week and he still won't talk. Why don't we call Teacher Li? If there's any misunderstanding between you and Jian Ruochen, this could be a chance to clear it up."

If there's no misunderstanding, just swallow your pride and apologize. What's the big deal?

He's the God of Wealth who brings in results!

Do you know how jealous teams B through G are of this God of Wealth?

Rich, great acting skills, and a student of Li Zhangyu—whether as a consultant or an informant, his potential is limitless!

Under Zhang Xingzong's unwavering gaze, Guan Yingjun took out his phone and called Li Zhangyu. "Hello? Uncle Li."

"Hmm? What's up?"

Li Zhangyu was grading an exam paper Jian Ruochen had just finished. Holding the phone was inconvenient, so he put it on speaker and placed it on the desk, continuing to grade as he spoke to Guan Yingjun.

Guan Yingjun said, "The suspect in the Sham Shui Po patrol officer body dumping case isn't talking. I was hoping you could come take a look."

Li Zhangyu's red pen swiftly marked check marks. "No time. Didn't I give you Xiao Chen? His interrogation skills don't even need my teaching. Isn't he enough?"

Jian Ruochen was sitting on the sofa in Li Zhangyu's reception area, hugging a pillow and reading a book, his face flushed from the AC. Hearing this, he didn't look up.

Li Zhangyu glanced over, understanding dawning. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Guan Yingjun, since I didn't show up last time, did you bully someone?"

Jian Ruochen snorted softly to himself and pricked up his ears.

Guan Yingjun fell silent on the other end of the line for a moment, avoiding the question. He said stiffly, "He's not replying to my messages."

"Ho." Li Zhangyu turned to Jian Ruochen. "Xiao Chen, come here. Detective Guan is looking for you."

Guan Yingjun nervously rubbed his phone.

Jian Ruochen addressed the phone on the desk, "What business does Inspector Guan have with me?"

As soon as Guan Yingjun heard that "Inspector Guan," he knew he was in trouble.

When Jian Ruochen wasn't angry, he called him Detective Guan.

He weighed his words carefully. "That day, I—"

Before he could finish, Jian Ruochen cut him off. "Did you call just to get me to interrogate the suspect in the Sham Shui Po patrol officer body dumping case?"

Guan Yingjun was stunned for less than a second.

By the time he tried to speak again, Jian Ruochen had already hung up with a click. The phone emitted a busy tone.

Beep, beep, beep—

Guan Yingjun glanced at his phone and called again three seconds later. As soon as the call connected, before he could say anything, someone rushed into the Major Case Team A office.

He gasped, "Detective Guan, Jiang Yongyan was shot dead during outdoor time at the Sham Shui Po Police Station detention center!"