Chapter 90: I’m a Man

Chapter 90: I Am a Man

The two sat close together.

Guan Yingjun held Jian Ruochen, his fingers rhythmically stroking his waist. He set the empty liquor bottle aside and retrieved the bag of snacks he had bought.

Jian Ruochen held a bowl of Cantonese-style braised lamb, using a bamboo skewer to pluck out and eat the lamb eyes.

Guan Yingjun glanced at the sight twice before averting his gaze, then ate a skewer of vegetables cooked in bone broth with an unreadable expression.

The vegetables were freshly picked and crisp, but the bone broth was instant, likely from a powder mix. Though intensely savory, it lacked salt.

After finishing the peculiar lamb eyes and a few more bites of lamb belly, Jian Ruochen unceremoniously pushed the remaining meat into Guan Yingjun’s hand and turned to eat something else.

Guan Yingjun took a bite, finding it so salty he had to gulp down some vegetable broth to recover.

He stared at the distant lighthouse flashing red over the sea, lost in thought.

Someone like Jian Ruochen, who loved novelty, might not stay interested in one person for too long. Perhaps after two months, he’d grow bored.

Just as he’d nonchalantly handed off the lamb after a few bites, he might decide dating wasn’t interesting and simply end it.

Guan Yingjun’s heart clenched.

He had been avoiding thoughts of what would happen after two months.

He didn’t want to entertain the possibility of Jian Ruochen choosing to leave him.

He finished the excessively salty lamb, waited for Jian Ruochen to finish eating, then gathered the empty bowls and trash. He walked a few steps away to dispose of them in a beachside bin.

Jian Ruochen shook the fine sand off his feet, put on his socks, and tied his bootlaces. Standing up, he glanced around, then slipped his hand into Guan Yingjun’s palm, leaning in to look up at his expression. "What’s wrong? Not happy?"

Guan Yingjun paused, then suddenly tightened his grip on the fingers in his palm. He gave a faint smile. "A little," he murmured. "The lamb was too salty."

Jian Ruochen gave him a meaningful look.

Guan Yingjun truly lived up to his undercover experience—knowing his conversation partner could detect lies, he avoided direct falsehoods, skillfully evading the core issue.

He curled his fingers and lightly scratched Guan Yingjun’s palm. "The liquor was a bit too sweet."

Guan Yingjun burst out laughing.

Now he understood why Li Zhangyu had said Jian Ruochen would make an excellent therapist.

With just a few words, this person could make someone recall the happiest moments of their day.

Night had deepened.

The distant night market stalls, seeing no more customers, were packing up.

White plastic chairs of various sizes were stacked high on street corners, towering over passersby.

Hand in hand, the two walked along the shore. Before entering the city center, Guan Yingjun was the first to let go.

Kowloon, the city that never slept, was a riot of noise.

The closer they got to Lan Kwai Fong, the later the establishments stayed open, their neon signs blazing in a kaleidoscope of colors, casting a reddish, kaleidoscopic glow on everyone’s faces.

Jian Ruochen saw girls in stylish red tops drinking and playing drinking games with their friends outside a bar, exuding an air of carefree abandon.

Guan Yingjun placed a hand on his shoulder, guiding him through the crowd. They took a shortcut to the building entrance, where Guan Yingjun scanned his ID card to enter.

It was a recently constructed high-rise. Though near the commercial center, it was a residential building. The first floor featured two rows of new mailboxes. Judging by the number, despite the building’s height, fewer than 200 units resided there.

They took the elevator to the top floor and walked to the southernmost unit.

Guan Yingjun pulled out his keys to unlock the door. Once inside, he turned on the entry light, opened the shoe cabinet, and took out a new pair of slippers. He bent down and placed them in front of Jian Ruochen.

As he moved, his slightly unbuttoned shirt clung tightly to his body.

From a higher vantage point, one could glimpse the faint outline of his rippling back muscles and his powerfully sculpted waist.

The hem of his shirt was tucked into his pants, and as he crouched and bent over, his belt pulled back, causing the leather handcuff strap attached to it to sway heavily.

Jian Ruochen felt his mouth go dry and unconsciously licked his lips.

Guan Yingjun straightened up. "They’re only in my size. You’ll have to wear them for today."

"Mm." Jian Ruochen changed into the slippers and walked in, surveying the room.

The place was pristine, like a show home.

The dining table and coffee table were bare, the trash can was empty, and there weren’t even any cushions on the sofa. The entire room was immaculate.

Even an inspector would have given it full marks.

The full-length window facing Victoria Harbour gleamed, reflecting scattered lights.

With only four units per floor in a fifty-story building, the view was truly extraordinary.

"Nice, isn’t it?" Guan Yingjun opened a bottle of orange juice and poured a glass.

"Not bad." Jian Ruochen took it and raised his glass to clink against Guan Yingjun’s water. "When we passed the mailboxes earlier, I noticed most subscribed to the Police Daily. Are all the residents here decorated officers?"

"Mm," Guan Yingjun replied, leaning halfway against the sofa back. "Some units are allocated, some purchased."

He took a sip of water, his gaze slowly tracing Jian Ruochen’s features. The light fell on the young man, outlining his slender, handsome profile.

"There’s only one bed here," Guan Yingjun said, tilting his chin toward the bathroom. "The bathroom’s over there. Hot water is on the left."

Jian Ruochen asked without hesitation, "What about clothes?"

"Wear mine for now. I’ll get some for you." Guan Yingjun finished his water and went to the bedroom to fetch clothes.

When he opened the door, Jian Ruochen glanced inside.

The bedding was gray, neatly spread, and covered with a transparent dust cover. Other items, though uncovered, were also clean and dust-free.

It was clearly regularly cleaned.

Guan Yingjun came out with the clothes, then took out a new towel, folded it, and handed both to Jian Ruochen.

As Jian Ruochen took them, he inevitably brushed against Guan Yingjun’s hand, which was underneath the clothes. He glanced up.

He saw Guan Yingjun’s reddened ears and faintly sweaty face.

"Are you nervous?" Jian Ruochen asked, holding his clothes.

Guan Yingjun took a deep breath and, instead of feeling more nervous, he calmed down. "No."

It was a perfectly ordinary conversation, yet the air seemed to grow increasingly warm.

Jian Ruochen chuckled and turned to head into the bathroom.

The bathroom door was semi-open.

A small section of the door panel had been hollowed out and replaced with a strip of frosted glass.

Guan Yingjun watched as Jian Ruochen bent slightly to place the clothes on the bathroom counter, then straightened up, grabbed the hem of his shirt, and lifted it, revealing a glimpse of his waist.

The glass was only partially transparent, casting a blurry silhouette.

But the mind could fill in the rest.

Guan Yingjun could even picture Jian Ruochen taking off his clothes, bunching them up carelessly, tossing them into the laundry basket, then unbuckling his belt and removing the rest.

He closed his eyes, took a soft breath, turned around, opened the fridge, pulled out a bottle of chilled bottled water, and chugged it. Then he got up and tidied the bedroom.

·

When Jian Ruochen emerged, drying his hair with a towel, he saw through the door that the corner of the master bed's comforter had been turned back. Guan Yingjun was sitting on the sofa, with three or four empty water bottles in front of him.

He walked over and sat down. "That thirsty? Was the lamb that salty?"

Guan Yingjun felt the warmth radiating from Jian Ruochen's body, and for a moment, his mind went blank, as if his soul was about to leave his body.

After the shower, the scent of grapefruit on Jian Ruochen seemed to have been released, drifting lightly into his nostrils. If he focused, he could detect the familiar fragrances of shower gel and shampoo.

It was the same brand Guan Yingjun often used at home, and the one kept in the apartment was identical.

It had a hint of tea, soothing to the senses.

Their scents mingled, forming a harmonious, slightly sweet fragrance.

Jian Ruochen's face was damp and shiny, like a little white fish freshly pulled from the water.

He was wearing Guan Yingjun's white shirt, the buttons not properly fastened, revealing a pale collarbone. When he sat down, the collar fell open, and if one looked closely, even more was visible.

Half of Guan Yingjun's soul was going crazy, screaming to break free from his body, wanting to get into Jian Ruochen and explore.

The other half remained stuck, controlling his hand as it lifted, trembling slightly, to button one button on Jian Ruochen's half-open collar. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Am I not a man in your eyes?"

Jian Ruochen was stunned.

Guan Yingjun: "No sense of self-preservation?"

Jian Ruochen glanced down and understood.

He tucked one leg under him, sitting sideways on the sofa facing Guan Yingjun, teasing him, "I never said it wasn’t allowed."

Guan Yingjun stood up abruptly, looking down at Jian Ruochen, his breathing growing rapid.

Jian Ruochen's Adam's apple bobbed, a bit nervous now, and he sat up properly.

He was just joking, trying to push his buttons. Surely Guan Yingjun wouldn’t take it seriously?

Guan Yingjun had a cold, sharp appearance, exuding an air of authority and intensity when looking down at someone, almost intimidating, with a hint of a dangerous edge.

When he wasn’t working, it was easy to mistake him for not a cop.

Guan Yingjun stared at Jian Ruochen, unbuckled his belt, removed the leather handcuff pouch, then reached up to remove his shoulder holster, tossing it onto the coffee table with a backward flick.

The gun and handcuffs landed with a heavy thud.

Jian Ruochen leaned back slightly.

Guan Yingjun asked, "What is allowed?"

Jian Ruochen’s throat tightened, his cheeks growing hot.

"Hand me the towel," Guan Yingjun said.

Jian Ruochen handed over the towel, his hair damp and messy atop his head.

The man moved behind him to dry his hair, using a comb to smooth it out. Only when the sound of the hairdryer started did Jian Ruochen’s back relax slightly, and he leaned back.

Guan Yingjun held the back of his head. "Leaning on what?"

Jian Ruochen looked up, then immediately sat upright again.

This man was like a monkey trapped under the Five Phases Mountain for five hundred years without a single peach.

His mind was full of peaches, and yet someone had to come along, playfully wave a peach right under his nose.

Ah, mistake.

Jian Ruochen fidgeted with the sofa cover.

He shouldn’t have teased him earlier.

Guan Yingjun finished drying his hair, fingers running through it a few times.

Jian Ruochen flinched, his back tingling, and he shifted forward to escape the sensation. Only then did Guan Yingjun murmur, "You’re torturing me."

Guan Yingjun withdrew his hand and took the damp towel to the bathroom. "I’m going to shower."

The bathroom door clicked shut.

Jian Ruochen relaxed completely.

He buried his face in the sofa armrest, lying face down, his entire body warm.

Lifting his arm, he saw it had turned red.

After collecting himself for a moment, he walked a few steps into the room, pausing at the bedroom door.

If Guan Yingjun hadn’t taken off his belt earlier,

he would have dared to go in, even dared to pat the spot next to him and invite him to sleep together.

But not now.

Guan Yingjun was a man who hadn’t eaten a peach in five hundred years.

Tomorrow, they still had to face the interrogation room. He couldn’t keep this up.

He was afraid he couldn't control himself.

·

Guan Yingjun locked himself in the bathroom, holding the towel Jian Ruochen had used to dry his hair, and took a couple of whiffs. In the end, he didn’t use it, dropping it into the laundry basket before turning on the shower.

Jian Ruochen was just too clean.

Smart and decisive, cunning and shrewd.

Soft-hearted, kind.

Yet at times, he seemed heartless—elusive and aloof, both ethereal and alluring.

Even thinking about messing with him felt like a desecration.

He wasn’t like this before; he never used to think about such things. His mind was always on cases, even while showering.

But after meeting Jian Ruochen, everything changed. The slightest contact was too much to handle.

Jian Ruochen was so clever—if he stayed in the bathroom too long, he’d guess what he was doing. If he found out, who knows how he’d view him.

Just tough it out.

This too shall pass.

Guan Yingjun took a cold rinse, waiting until the tension eased before switching to hot water.

·

Jian Ruochen grabbed a spare comforter and spread it on the sofa, saying to freshly showered Guan Yingjun, “I’ll sleep here.”

He realized that Detective Guan was a man.

He was afraid he wouldn’t be fit for work tomorrow.

Interrogating Jiang Hanyu was a big deal—it was tied to many unanswered questions, and he had to handle it personally.

He had already texted Butler Luo to let him know he was safe, saying he was crashing on a friend’s sofa.