Chapter 25: Detective Guan Wants to Keep Him Firmly in His Grasp

Chapter 25 Detective Guan Wants to Keep Him Firmly in His Grip

After Jiang Mingshan was transferred to the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts Detention Centre, the police's official work concluded.

The West Kowloon Regional Crime Unit, Team A, had officially closed the case.

Other teams were green with envy.

"Arrest one person, close three cases—the local deity is truly playing favorites."

"It's not the local deity who's biased; Team A spent money to nurture their own Little God of Wealth."

"Low investment, high returns."

"Sigh... When will he finally fall out with Detective Guan?"

Everyone rubbed their hands eagerly. "If they have a falling out, wouldn't we have a chance to have a consultant? Let's go gather some intel."

Team A Office.

Guan Yingjun stood by the window, finishing two post-case cigarettes, his brows slightly furrowed, his expression uncharacteristically relaxed. "The case is closed. Everyone worked hard. I'm treating everyone to a meal."

Zhang Xingzong, who had been sprawled on the camp bed, sprang up. "A meal? Great, great!"

Liu Sizheng said, "Detective Guan, don't forget to invite Consultant Jian. Without him, who knows how long this case would have taken us to solve."

Ding Gao nodded. "Yeah, yeah. He can defuse bombs, conduct interrogations, boost our stats, and his logic is airtight."

The more he listed, the more astonished he felt. "Where would we find another consultant this smart?"

Bi Wanwan, one hand in her pocket, made a grabbing gesture in the air with the other. "So, Detective Guan needs to keep him firmly in his grip."

This was getting out of hand.

Zhang Xingzong quickly pushed forward, spreading his arms to reel in the overexcited group, saying repeatedly, "Detective Guan was already planning to invite Consultant Jian to the meal! Right, Detective Guan?"

Guan Yingjun's mind echoed the phrase: *keep him firmly in his grip*.

Suddenly, he recalled Jian Ruochen with a shirt thrown over his head, curled up in his arms. The teenager's disheveled hair spilled over his shoulders, his frame so slight it could be held in one hand...

Guan Yingjun abruptly pulled his thoughts back, feeling extremely uneasy, as if pins and needles were crawling all over his body. A deep, inexplicable restlessness settled in his bones.

*Why was he thinking these things?*

Guan Yingjun waved them off. "Alright, everyone go rest. We'll meet at Chen Hetang restaurant at 5 PM."

The Team A office cleared out quickly, and as they left, they ran into members of Team C eavesdropping outside the door.

The two groups stared at each other.

Team C sighed. "Ah! Still no falling out! What a letdown."

They stood up in a group and strode away.

Sudden alarm bells went off in Guan Yingjun's heart. He thought of how Jian Ruochen, woken by the phone that morning, had almost called him Inspector Guan but stopped himself.

He picked up his pager, carefully composing a message to Jian Ruochen: [4:30 PM tonight, Team A celebration dinner. Should I pick you up?]

On the other side.

Jian Ruochen was soaking in the bathtub, his head covered in bubbles, leaning against the edge. The pager buzzed, startling him so much he jolted upward, causing the bubble pile on his head to tilt.

Puzzled, he picked it up to read.

*Why add a question mark? So unnecessary.*

He didn't even include the address—clearly not giving him a choice.

Jian Ruochen replied: [Fine, come if you want.]

4:30 PM.

A white Toyota arrived punctually at the hilltop villa of Lijin International Garden.

Jian Ruochen slid into the passenger seat, fastening his seatbelt as he said, "Detective Guan, I'm not coming to the station until after January 22nd."

Guan Yingjun's grip on the steering wheel tightened.

From the address, it didn't sound like he was angry.

But judging by the outcome, it seemed like he was about to slip away.

The grapefruit scent was especially strong. After a moment's thought, he asked casually, "Why not come? Something going on?"

Jian Ruochen sighed. "There's a transfer exam at the start of the semester. Professor Li's department falls under the Academy of Social Sciences. I've been so busy lately, I haven't finished memorizing all the humanities materials for the Academy of Social Sciences at Hong Kong University."

"Alright." Guan Yingjun relaxed. "We'll talk after the 22nd, then."

A little after 4 PM, the streets were pretty clear. The two drove smoothly to the entrance of Chen Hetang Grand Hotel.

As soon as they got out of the car, they saw the members of Team A gathered outside the hotel, chatting.

Bi Wanwan wore a red knitted long dress with matching lipstick. Over it, she had a black cashmere trench coat, her curly hair cascading down to her waist. After getting all dressed up, the sharp policewoman had transformed into a captivating Hong Kong-style beauty straight out of a '90s poster.

Zhang Xingzong and Liu Sizheng were also in casual clothes, well-groomed, looking dashing and spirited.

The group of attractive men and women gathered together turned heads.

Jian Ruochen and Guan Yingjun walked over. As they joined the crowd, even the lights seemed to dim in comparison.

Liu Sizheng looked at Guan Yingjun. "Detective Guan, why so cold? You solved a big case—smile a little."

As soon as he finished, his heart skipped a beat.

Since Jian Ruochen joined Team A, Detective Guan's temper had improved significantly, making people forget his usual sternness.

*Oh no, would Detective Guan get angry over this joke?*

Guan Yingjun didn't respond.

Jian Ruochen laughed. "The cold demeanor adds to his authority. You can tell he's a capable leader, and his team must have plenty of achievements."

That got everyone laughing.

It felt as if they'd eaten candy, their mouths unbearably sweet.

How could someone smooth things over while complimenting everyone at the same time?

Guan Yingjun glanced down at the top of Jian Ruochen's head, his lips pressing together slightly.

*He’s consistently kind to everyone.*

"Everyone's here? If so, let's head in. Private room 215, order whatever you'd like to eat."

Jian Ruochen lingered at the back of the group, looking around here and there, finding everything novel.

The yellow embossed-patterned wallpaper in the hotel, the retro-style wall lamps hanging on the walls—everything looked like scenes only seen in old television shows. Even the wooden clipboard menu in the private room was something he had never seen before.

The group took turns ordering dishes, raising glasses and toasting.

They laughed and joked for over an hour.

Song Xuyi, his face flushed, stood up and poured a glass of alcohol. He raised it to Jian Ruochen and said, "I judged you by appearances before, looked down on you, thought you couldn't handle the consultant position, didn't believe you could defuse bombs. I—I was wrong."

His neck was bright red, his whole face turned red as a boiled crab. "My words were inappropriate. This glass is my apology to you."

Song Xuyi tipped his head back and downed the entire glass of *baijiu* with a show of bravado, sweating profusely from the spicy burn.

Just as Jian Ruochen was about to pour a drink in response, his glass was pressed down by Guan Yingjun.

Detective Guan stood up, the hem of his black undershirt hanging loosely around his slightly protruding belt at the waist. With a long stride, he walked over to Song Xuyi and patted his shoulder.

In the movement, a glimpse of his lean and powerful waist was revealed. "Don't blame yourself too much. Just focus on doing your job well from now on, and don't get stuck overthinking things."

Song Xuyi's eyes were slightly red, and he hung his head, at a loss for words.

Anything he could say felt inadequate.

There was still about half left in the *baijiu* cup on the table. Guan Yingjun picked it up, raised it to Song Xuyi, then tipped his head back and downed it in one go. Uttered hoarsely, he said, "Jian Ruochen is still young and can't handle much alcohol. I'll drink this for him."

Song Xuyi was mortified.

He realized that his public apology had come across as pressuring someone to drink.

He quickly waved his hands, "I didn't mean it that way, I—"

Song Xuyi stumbled over his words again, and the atmosphere grew awkward.

Jian Ruochen withdrew his hand from reaching for the alcohol bottle and poured himself a full glass of juice instead. "Brother Song, I'll finish this glass. You didn't mean any harm either."

Song Xuyi quickly nodded, gratefully taking the out, and bent down to return to his seat.

The awkward tension immediately lightened again.

The meal lasted a full three hours.

Everyone walked out of the hotel with slightly wobbly steps.

Guan Yingjun was still relatively sober and gave clear instructions methodically: "Zhang Xingzong and Ding Gao, the two of you take Bi Wanwan home together. Make sure you see her enter the door."

"The rest of you, split into two groups and take taxis. I'll reimburse the fare."

The night breeze rustled through everyone’s hair, making them feel drowsy and lightheaded.

At this moment, no one was thinking about murder cases or scum like the Jiang or Lu families—only the long-missed comfort of their Simmons mattresses at home.

After so many exhausting days, they could finally get a good night's sleep.

After arranging for all the team members, Guan Yingjun looked down and asked Jian Ruochen, "How are you getting back? Riding with me, or calling your driver to pick you up?"

Jian Ruochen: ...

*Riding?*

*Ride what?*

*The Toyota car?*

He looked up at Guan Yingjun's somewhat glazed eyes and tentatively asked, "Where do you live?"

Guan Yingjun lowered his gaze, avoiding eye contact, and didn't speak.

Jian Ruochen murmured in amazement.

*Is this the awareness of an undercover agent?*

Perhaps everyone has a playful streak. Seeing Guan Yingjun avoid his gaze only made Jian Ruochen more curious.

He thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "How about I take you home first, then go back myself?"

Guan Yingjun chuckled dryly, "You're trying to suss me out."

Jian Ruochen looked utterly innocent, "I'm offering to take you home because I'm worried about you. How is that digging for info?"

"Hmm..." Guan Yingjun knew there was something unusual about Jian Ruochen.

The more time they spent together, the more puzzling he became.

The more he probed, the more confusing it got.

Guan Yingjun laughed softly, "Then you take me. I live not far from you, at Lijin International Garden, Villa 2."

"You live in the same place as me?"

Jian Ruochen hailed a taxi.

When the red cab pulled up in front of them, Guan Yingjun could even steadily open the car door for Jian Ruochen. "After you, Consultant Jian."

As soon as Jian Ruochen got in, he immediately noticed a thick, mingled scent of perfume and something foul in the taxi.

The odor made him dizzy. If Guan Yingjun smelled it... wouldn't his sharp nose be overwhelmed?

Jian Ruochen murmured quietly, "Sorry, driver, something came up suddenly. I don't need the taxi anymore."

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror. The person in the driver's seat stammered, "A-Are you disgusted by me... sm-smelly?"

Guan Yingjun, unable to hear what was happening inside, smoothly slid into the seat. The moment his tailbone touched the seat, he sneezed three times in rapid succession.

Jian Ruochen: ...

He explained to the driver, "My friend has a sensitive nose. He sneezes like this whenever he smells perfume. It's not your fault."

The driver remained silent, saying nothing.

Guan Yingjun scowled, took a wary sniff of the air in the car, and suddenly turned to glance into the trunk.

The car was dark, with no lights on, and Jian Ruochen couldn't see clearly Guan Yingjun's expression. He leaned closer and asked, "Should we get another cab?"

"No need to change." Guan Yingjun coughed hoarsely a few times and said to the driver, "Go to the Bai Ling Cigarette Factory in West Kowloon."

Jian Ruochen was stunned.

*Not going home?*

*What kind of good inspector lives in a cigarette factory?*

Guan Yingjun nudged Jian Ruochen’s thigh with his own and whispered, "I’ve run out of cigarettes at home, so I’m just stopping by to buy some."

He reached over and took Jian Ruochen’s hand resting on the seat, turned it over, and wrote two words on his palm.

At the same time, his lips parted, his voice so faint it seemed to float, "Let me buy some?"

Jian Ruochen felt a chill run down his spine.

The two words were:

*Corpse.*

He glanced up at the rearview mirror and met a pair of sinister, shadowed eyes.

The driver seemed to be blind in one eye; the left side was almost entirely white, with the eyelid drooping unnaturally, covering the bluish pupil in the center.

Jian Ruochen was startled and suddenly slapped the person next to him.

Guan Yingjun gasped in pain.

Jian Ruochen quickly tried to cover it up: "Smoking! All you ever think about is smoking!"

He said fiercely, "Driver, take us to the cigarette factory first."

The dark red taxi slowly started, the engine emitting a rhythmic, muffled rumble. An icy gaze from the rearview mirror lingered on Jian Ruochen.

The driver leaned forward and turned on the car radio.

Static crackled from it, soon followed by the chaotic, sharp questioning of a reporter: "Mr. Jiang Mingshan, is it true that Jian Ruochen forced you to admit at Jiang Hanyu and Lu Qian’s engagement banquet that he is not your biological son?"

Jiang Mingshan let out a sinister chuckle: "Yes."

The reporter: "Why do you think he did this?"

"Perhaps because I didn’t write my will correctly. That’s why he teamed up with the police to press false charges against me and put pressure on me." Jiang Mingshan spoke, then added with what seemed like affection, "I quite like this kind of ruthless kid."

"He’s been number one since school, excelling at everything. He used to be very filial to me, and I hated that kind of filial piety. But this time, what he did has pleased me greatly."

"If I am acquitted and released, I will transfer the inheritance rights of all my assets to Jian Ruochen."

"He is my pride." Jiang Mingshan’s voice was soft, suppressing all his madness for a chance at survival. "Ruochen, wait for your dad to come back."

He was trying to use the entire Jiang family as a bargaining chip to trade for his life with Jian Ruochen!

The static cut out for a moment, then the channel switched, and a Teresa Teng song began to play.

The ethereal, melodious voice of the woman filled the dark taxi.

She sang leisurely: "I know your words are all lies, you heartlessly abandoned me, not caring if I live or die. Who loves me, who loves me, who will love me…"

The car radio seemed to jam, stuck on the last line, playing it over and over again, incessantly.

Jian Ruochen felt another chill.

*This driver knew him!*

*He had deliberately parked the taxi in front of him and Guan Yingjun, and played Jiang Mingshan’s desperate words for him to hear.*

*Why?*