Chapter 60: Can I Hug You?

Chapter 60: Can I Give You a Hug?

As Lu Qian's voice faded, a brief silence fell over the family convenience store, broken only by the rhythmic click of Sister Cui's abacus.

Jian Ruochen's breath hitched. His gaze swept around the small store.

Snacks and daily necessities, all in small packages, were crammed together, leaving only a narrow aisle, barely wide enough for one person.

There was nowhere to hide.

From Lu Qian's tone, the proprietress likely knew him and would have no reason to cover for them.

Lu Qian called out, "Sister Cui?"

He seemed to be approaching.

Guan Yingjun lowered his eyes, parted the contents of the plastic bag, took a quick look, and subtly shook his head at the proprietress.

Sister Cui chuckled at their antics and announced, "A young couple was just here. They left their pager. They've already slipped out the back door!"

The glamorous proprietress tightened her rabbit fur shawl, gathered all the items into a basin, handed it to Guan Yingjun, and playfully poked him with her fingertip. "Young people, each generation is more conservative than the last. Big sis isn't going to laugh at you. Fine, since you're so shy, there's a back door behind the shelves. Hurry up and go."

She pulled a bottle of essential oil from under the counter and placed it in the basin. "Keep the change as a tip for covering for you. Here's a little something extra."

Jian Ruochen didn't have time to ponder the proprietress's words. He whispered, "Thank you, sister."

He took the lead, rushing out the back door in quick strides, and gently closed it as soon as Guan Yingjun emerged.

No sooner had the wooden door shut than Lu Qian’s voice echoed from inside the convenience store.

"Sister Cui? What kind of young couple leaves through the back door after shopping?"

He had indeed come to check personally!

The proprietress replied with a knowing smile, "They were buying things from the back door, of course. Isn't Boss Lu experienced? They're just shy and didn't dare to be open about it."

Guan Yingjun gripped the basin tightly and whispered, "Let's go."

Lu Qian was extremely vigilant and might even open the back door to check.

Jian Ruochen murmured a soft "Mm."

The two quickly made their way back to the parking lot. Only after getting into the car and locking the doors did they slowly exhale.

The air fell silent.

After the sudden release of tension, Jian Ruochen realized what the proprietress had misunderstood and why she had covered for them.

So the M-size was…

Jian Ruochen peeked through a gap in the plastic bag. Neatly stacked inside were semi-transparent white square packets.

These existed as early as the 1990s?

He scratched his cheek with a bent finger.

Who would have thought the proprietress would hide these right on top?

By 2030, these would be displayed prominently near the cash register, with packaging flashier than cigarette boxes.

But these loose packets were exceptionally plain.

Jian Ruochen’s ears felt warm.

Guan Yingjun looked down, tied the plastic bag filled with "New Year goods," and tossed it onto the back seat.

As he withdrew his hand, their eyes met mid-air, as if charged with electricity. A faint, tingling sensation spread through their gaze, making them look away hastily after locking eyes.

Jian Ruochen suppressed the strange feeling in his heart. "While Lu Qian's outside, let's circle around the back of Tianquandu Entertainment City to investigate. After that, we'll return to the station to review the vitamin B report."

He said it all in one breath but felt the command in his tone was too strong, so he turned his head and asked softly, "What do you think?"

Guan Yingjun started the car. "As you say."

The white Toyota drove out of the parking lot, avoiding the convenience store’s line of sight, and circled to the back of Tianquandu Entertainment City.

The front of Tianquandu Entertainment City was brilliantly lit and dazzling, but its back connected to a somewhat messy night market food street.

Separated by just one road, it felt like two different worlds.

The Toyota maintained a normal speed as it drove down the street. Jian Ruochen leaned against the car window, looking around.

Nothing seemed unusual.

Could it be that Lu Qian was really here just to enjoy himself?

Impossible.

If Lu Qian were here for leisure, why would he sneak around asking the shopkeeper, who was planted as an informant in the cigarette shop, so many questions?

Clearly, something was amiss.

The car circled the closed night market once and returned to the back door of Tianquandu.

The white rolling shutter door hung loosely, revealing only a small portion of the indoor floor. Where the inside of Tianquandu met the outside, there was a patch of dark cement, making light-colored marks particularly visible.

There were two tire tracks there!

The wheel marks were deep and fresh, unlike those of an ordinary car!

Jian Ruochen immediately said, "Do you have a camera?"

Guan Yingjun opened the storage compartment, took out a spare film camera, and handed it over.

Jian Ruochen immediately opened it, held the camera up, and took two or three photos of the tire tracks through the car window. "Done, let's go."

It wasn’t convenient to park near Tianquandu—there were likely informants everywhere. Taking photos was fine with the one-way glass providing cover, but parking would easily arouse suspicion.

Further ahead would mean passing the convenience store, and Lu Qian might still be inside. Guan Yingjun turned the steering wheel sharply, made a U-turn, and took another road, just barely avoiding Tianquandu.

After driving some distance.

Jian Ruochen looked back at Tianquandu’s neon sign and suddenly noticed someone standing under it. A cigarette dangled from his mouth, the red ember glowing and fading with each breath.

It was Lu Qian!

He hadn't stayed in the convenience store lying in wait, nor had he dismissed his suspicions and returned inside Tianquandu Entertainment City.

Instead, he was standing outside, watching!

Lu Qian is so vigilant; there must be something fishy going on at Tianquandu!

Fortunately, they took a detour. From Lu Qian's perspective, this car should have just passed by Tianquandu, not circled around it.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Kowloon Regional Police Station, Jian Ruochen immediately got out of the car. Without even bothering that the jacket he was wearing was the wrong size, he rolled up the sleeves, tightened the cuffs, and headed into the station holding the camera.

Something was on the tip of his mind.

He just needed to take a closer look at the photos to figure out where those two marks came from.

Jian Ruochen was so lost in thought that it wasn't until he opened the computer, removed the camera back cover, and saw the film that he realized this wasn’t a time when you could just pull out a memory card and print photos.

Now, photos had to be developed in a darkroom to form an image.

Jian Ruochen was adjusting the camera, engrossed, when he heard someone behind him call out, "Detective Guan."

Only then did he remember there was someone else with him. He paused slightly, turned around as if nothing was wrong, and handed the camera to Guan Yingjun, saying softly, "Develop... the photos."

Guan Yingjun handed the camera to Xiang Jingrong, who had called out to him. "Xiang Jingrong, could you ask the duty Forensics officer to help us with this?"

Xiang Jingrong held the camera in a daze, looking from Jian Ruochen to Guan Yingjun, his gaze lingering on the jacket Jian Ruochen was wearing.

The style and size were unmistakably Guan Yingjun’s.

Guan Yingjun seemed like a neat freak—since when does he let others wear his clothes?

Had he changed?

Xiang Jingrong opened his mouth to speak. "You—"

Guan Yingjun shot him a sharp look, and Xiang Jingrong immediately fell silent.

Silence hung among the three of them.

Jian Ruochen’s eyes fell on the report in Xiang Jingrong’s hand. "Xiang Jingrong, was it you who sent that pager message to Detective Guan?"

It nearly scared them to death.

Xiang Jingrong let out an "Uh," then, "Yeah."

The usually sharp, white-coated, bespectacled elite now looked somewhat stunned.

He slowly handed over the stack of files in his hand, his eyes repeatedly darting to the jacket on Jian Ruochen. "A while back, we were busy reconstructing remains and didn’t have time to test that bottle of vitamins. We finally got around to it before the holiday. I ran an extraction and comparison—this isn’t vitamin B at all. It’s high-purity Preludin (phenmetrazine)."

Jian Ruochen took the report and flipped through it.

He wasn’t trained in pharmacology and couldn’t make sense of it. Remembering that Guan Yingjun had casually recited the chemical formula of a drug earlier, he figured Guan Yingjun must have some expertise, so he handed the report to the person beside him.

Guan Yingjun took it, quietly read through it, his fingers tightening around the report. Emotions shifted in his eyes before he finally said in a hoarse voice, "I understand."

He pulled an unopened pack of cigarettes from his pocket and handed it to Xiang Jingrong. "Thanks."

Xiang Jingrong took it, stunned.

Normally, when Guan Yingjun asked Forensics to handle something, a simple "thank you" was already a big deal. Handing out a single cigarette was the highest praise.

But a whole pack of tea cigarettes? What was this?

The highest honor?

After giving his thanks, Guan Yingjun immediately waved him off. "I have work to do. I’ll come get the photos from you in half an hour. Xiang Jingrong, see you later."

Xiang Jingrong fidgeted with the camera in his hands. "Who was taking this medicine? With almost a full bottle consumed... are they even alive?"

Guan Yingjun’s expression turned icy.

"Alright, alright, I get it." Xiang Jingrong took a step back, raising his hands in surrender. "It's classified? I won’t ask anymore."

He backed away as he spoke.

In an instant, the hem of his white coat disappeared through the doorway of the Major Case Team A office.

For a moment, the only sound in the Major Case Team A office was breathing.

Guan Yingjun turned, pulled open the door to his office, switched on the light, and said, "Come, have a seat."

Jian Ruochen walked over and sat on the sofa.

He felt like a patient with a low-grade fever after pulling all-nighters, waiting for test results as if it were a death sentence.

Guan Yingjun sat down beside him.

The sofa wasn’t very large, so the two of them ended up squeezed together.

Jian Ruochen’s leg pressed against Guan Yingjun’s, their arms almost touching.

He looked down at the medical report clutched in Guan Yingjun’s hand, feeling a wave of heat creeping up from his side, slowly rising along his spine, reaching his neck, making his whole body feel uneasy.

Guan Yingjun was tense, his fingers gripping the report so tightly they turned white, his expression grim. "Are you feeling unwell now?"

"No," Jian Ruochen licked his lips. "Why?"

Guan Yingjun said softly, "Phenmetrazine is a psychotropic drug that directly stimulates the central nervous system. Overdosing can lead to increased blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, circulatory failure, and coma."

Jian Ruochen mused.

These symptoms... matched the construction worker who fell into a deep sleep after chewing four pills.

Guan Yingjun placed the file on the coffee table, resting his hands on his knees. "After several weeks of use, it leads to loss of appetite, impaired judgment, loss of coordination, palpitations, high blood pressure, anxiety, emotional instability, confused thinking, loss of judgment, and gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and vomiting... It can even cause hallucinations, impulsive suicide, accidental death."

He paused, squeezing out each word deliberately, "And abruptly stopping use leads to extreme fatigue."

Every symptom matched the description of Jian Ruochen from the informant’s account.

The informant described Jian Ruochen as someone who hardly ate, extremely thin, blindly trusting of Lu Qian, with confused thinking, poor judgment, and often unstable emotions.

Almost like a ghost.

And now, after inheriting the estate, Jian Ruochen had forgotten—or never even knew—that he was supposed to be taking this bottle of vitamin B.

That was why he had been so extremely fatigued during his early days at the police station.

Back then, Jian Ruochen was either drinking coffee or milk tea, and even then, he still fell asleep easily. It wasn’t that he was careless; he was just genuinely exhausted.

Guan Yingjun frowned deeply.

Jian Ruochen slumped back into the sofa. "After getting through the withdrawal side effects, will there be any long-term effects?"

"No," Guan Yingjun’s voice was slightly rough. "Was the medicine given to you by Lu Qian?"

"Probably not." Jian Ruochen closed his eyes slightly, analyzing Lu Qian's microexpressions from the day of the inheritance.

It had been a long time, and he hadn't scoured his memories for many details.

But Lu Qian had felt only disgust and disdain for the original owner—it was unlikely he would use drugs to control him.

"It wasn't Jiang Hanyu either." He went over the clues carefully. "Months ago, Jiang Hanyu hadn't yet inherited the family fortune from Jiang Mingshan. He had no way to get his hands on phenmetrazine."

Guan Yingjun tightly clasped his hands. "Then was it Jiang Mingshan? Phenmetrazine is classified as a Schedule I controlled substance in Hong Kong. It can't be extracted from plants, and mainland China's controls are even stricter... If someone wanted to get it, they'd have to go to the UK or the US."

Jian Ruochen shook his head slowly. "We'll have to wait until we've met Jiang Mingshan to know for sure."

And Jiang Mingshan's public execution was scheduled for 1 p.m. tomorrow.

He was going to die.

Jian Ruochen stood up. "I'm going to see Jiang Mingshan."

If the drugs had been sourced by Jiang Mingshan, that was one thing. But if it wasn't him, it meant that aside from the key figures, there was someone else who wanted him dead.

Just as Jian Ruochen was about to step around the coffee table and move forward, his wrist was caught by Guan Yingjun.

Guan Yingjun released him almost immediately. "It's not visiting hours at the detention center now. The courthouse is closed—we'll go tomorrow morning."

Jian Ruochen turned to look at Guan Yingjun.

The lights in the Major Case Team A office had all been replaced, casting a soft, bright glow that clearly illuminated every expression on the face of the person before him.

Guan Yingjun had rugged, mature features, a well-defined jawline, and no stubble—he was clean-shaven and well-groomed.

His nose was high-bridged, the kind of face that always looked alert, but now the whites of his eyes were slightly red, with a few bloodshot streaks, making him seem somewhat weary.

But even this weariness had an underlying strength, hidden beneath a thin shirt, as if poised to unleash stored energy.

Guan Yingjun looked up at Jian Ruochen, then suddenly reached out and grabbed that slender wrist again. Compared to a month ago, this arm had gained some flesh and was no longer skin and bones.

He pulled Jian Ruochen up, using him for support, then let go, his tone calm. "I'll go with you tomorrow morning."

Guan Yingjun paused. "Do you feel like having hotpot now? I'll go borrow an electric hot pot from Team D."

Jian Ruochen was suddenly reminded of that night, of what happened after Guan Yingjun pulled him onto his lap.

A similar place, a similar position.

He looked up at Guan Yingjun and realized that the vague words of rejection he'd said that morning had been useless.

Guan Yingjun found all sorts of reasons to get close to him.

This kind of pursuit was subtle and silent, always the best choice in the moment, making it impossible to refuse.

Like figuring out the robbers' origins to buy the right hotpot base.

Like offering his jacket in the cold wind.

Like sensing in the car that he wanted to go to Tianquan for an investigation.

Guan Yingjun picked up the car keys and took a few steps toward the door. "Is there anything in particular you'd like to eat?"

"I'll eat anything," Jian Ruochen said.

Guan Yingjun turned back to look at Jian Ruochen. The young man wore a smile on his face.

Before, he hadn't been able to read it, but now he knew this expression was a little mischievous, quite sly.

Guan Yingjun's self-control snapped with a "pop." He suddenly remembered the fear he'd felt these past few days.

He remembered Jian Ruochen tilting his head back, using his chin to push down the robber's gun.

He remembered the report from earlier.

This vibrant, beautiful, ruthless and sly, incredibly smart Jian Ruochen had almost disappeared from this world.

Guan Yingjun tossed the car keys into the corner of the sofa, strode over to Jian Ruochen, leaned down to trap him in his shadow, and reached out to hug him.

He held him briefly, then let go, saying, "Sorry, can I hug you?"

Jian Ruochen hesitated for a moment.

Hadn't he already done it?

He raised his hand, hesitantly, and patted Guan Yingjun's back reassuringly, saying softly, "You're just caught up in an emotion. People often feel this way after experiencing intense mood swings. Scientifically speaking, mmm—"

He couldn't finish—his mouth was covered.

Guan Yingjun looked into Jian Ruochen's eyes, feeling the warm breath against his palm, confirming that he didn't mind at all. Then he lowered his head, pulled him firmly into his arms, and hugged him again.

A fleeting moment, maybe not even a second.

Guan Yingjun let go and slowly took a step back, bending down to pick up the car keys from the chair. "I'll go shopping for food. You rest here for a while. I'll be back within half an hour."

He paused. "If you can't wait, go downstairs to Forensics to get the photos we just took."

Jian Ruochen watched Guan Yingjun leave, and only then did the tingling from the hug slowly creep up his arms, making his hair stand on end.

He sat on the sofa in Guan Yingjun's office for a while, then got up and went to Forensics, knocking on the door before entering. "Are the photos ready?"

Jian Ruochen had only stepped inside when he saw the newspapers on the desk.

One read: "Infamous Hong Kong Tycoon Jiang Mingshan to Be Executed Tomorrow!"

The other: "Anti-Corruption and Anti-Triad Crackdown Milestone—A Truly Good Year for Hong Kong People."