Chapter 94: Are You Really Dating for the First Time?

Chapter 94: Is This Really Your First Time in a Relationship?

Jian Ruochen remained kneeling for a moment to collect himself.

Guan Yingjun rolled over, pushing him off, "No more kissing..."

He pulled Jian Ruochen close, embracing him from behind, his fingers stroking the slightly cool skin of his stomach.

Jian Ruochen shivered, "Your hand is so warm."

Guan Yingjun chuckled lowly, "It's you who's too cold. So young, and yet so lacking in vitality."

Jian Ruochen turned to face Guan Yingjun, "Look at me and say that again."

He felt Guan Yingjun was insinuating something, banking on his substantial assets.

Guan Yingjun met those lucid eyes, stared for a moment, then curled his lips, "I was talking about age."

Jian Ruochen gave him a light kick, "You didn't blink. You're lying."

"Blinking too much or too fast is lying, but not blinking is also lying?" Guan Yingjun drew a sharp breath, "You're the only one who can kick me like this in my life."

Jian Ruochen was speechless.

When they first met, Guan Yingjun's face was as stern as Guan Gong's.

Even conversations felt like interrogations, devoid of any warmth.

But in a relationship, with hormones raging, the inner rogue nature hidden in his bones couldn't stay concealed.

He thought about himself and realized that when facing someone he liked, he too would reveal sides usually kept hidden.

Jian Ruochen said, "Normal people blink at least once every fifteen seconds; many even once every five seconds. But you just stared at me for 20 seconds, spoke a sentence, and didn't blink once."

"Aside from gauging the listener's reaction while lying, I can't think of any other reason."

Guan Yingjun held him, staring at the small mole on Jian Ruochen's ear for a moment, then buried his face and gently scraped it lightly with his teeth.

He'd wanted to do this since watching Jian Ruochen interrogate someone earlier.

After biting lightly, he grabbed a tissue from the bedside and wiped Jian Ruochen's ear.

By the time Jian Ruochen realized what happened, the tissue was already in the trash by the door.

He touched his ear, looking at Guan Yingjun in shock, "Is this really your first time in a relationship?"

A man who could get aroused just from holding hands—how could he be so full of tricks?

Guan Yingjun laughed, "I never liked anyone before meeting you. I wasn't even planning to get married."

"But during my undercover days, I saw a lot. Drug lords always brought their trusted aides everywhere. When they discussed business, things got chaotic. If you were there, you would have your eyes opened wide."

Eye-opening.

Jian Ruochen glanced at the strain in Guan Yingjun's trousers and decided not to continue that topic. He quickly changed the subject, "Why were you out so late strolling around?"

"Thinking about your case," Guan Yingjun said honestly. "Thinking about the Preludin in the bank vault."

Jian Ruochen was taken aback, "What about it?"

Guan Yingjun felt Jian Ruochen's cool hand, lifted the blanket, and wrapped it around him. "When Lu Rong handed the safe key to Jiang Hanyu, he didn't tell him what was inside or its purpose. That's suspicious."

"True," Jian Ruochen agreed.

Guan Yingjun propped his head on one hand. "There are two possibilities."

"First, the key's purpose and how to use the Preludin were written in code in the MI6 secret files."

"This would mean killing you was a crucial spy operation for them."

"Second, the files didn't explain the key or the drug's use. Jiang Hanyu had no way of knowing the key's origin. The key was just passed along incidentally."

"This suggests Lu Rong already expected Jiang Hanyu would be caught, so he used him to ensure you'd gain access to the key's information."

Guan Yingjun whispered, "Why would he do that?"

Jian Ruochen raised an eyebrow.

Detective Guan's logical reasoning was truly in a league of its own.

He'd also felt something was off during the interrogation but hadn't pieced it together so clearly.

Jian Ruochen burrowed into the blanket and thought, "Let's speculate based on motives."

"First, MI6 believed killing me would impact the bigger picture, so they coded the operation into the files."

"The second possibility leads to two motives."

"One, Lu Rong wants to be on good terms with me, hinting at mutual non-interference, so he gave us the key clue."

Guan Yingjun frowned, "And the second?"

"Two, Lu Rong has a conflict of interest with whoever wants me dead. He wants to use the West Kowloon team to eliminate them. This way, he gains favor, diverts police attention, and removes a rival—a triple win for Lu Rong." Jian Ruochen said, shuffling under the blanket. "Actually, criminal psychology sometimes has subjective aspects. It's more reliable for interrogations."

Guan Yingjun smiled slightly but remained quiet, waiting for the comfort he knew would follow.

"Don't overthink it. Once we get the cipher key, won't we know whether it's one or two? It'll all become clear." Jian Ruochen offered a share of the blanket.

Guan Yingjun took it, covering himself, and suddenly remembered the fortune slip from the Wong Tai Sin Temple during the New Year.

"Both storms and sunshine have their blessings."

He smiled, "I couldn't sleep because of the case. What about you?"

Jian Ruochen paused before answering, "Butler Luo showed me a photo of my mom."

There was no reason not to call her that. She risked her life to bring this body into the world. It would be wrong to call her "Mrs. Jian" instead.

If he could exist in two worlds, he could have two mothers and two fathers.

Jian Ruochen didn't know how to express the sense of loss in his heart.

He had avenged the original soul.

Jiang Mingshan was dead, Lu Qian would soon be dead too, and Jiang Hanyu was facing justice.

Everything was moving in a better direction, but those who were killed would never come back.

Guan Yingjun stroked Jian Ruochen's cheek, over and over.

He knew Jian Ruochen didn't need anyone's comfort right now.

He was just young, hadn't seen much of the world, and wasn't used to how cruel the world could be yet. It would all get better with time.

Guan Yingjun stayed silent for a long while. When some color had returned to Jian Ruochen's face, he said, "If my parents were still here, they would have liked you too."

Jian Ruochen smiled again.

The two of them whispered and joked around a little more until Jian Ruochen grew drowsy and eventually drifted off.

The next day.

Jian Ruochen woke up and lay there dazed for a minute. He turned to look beside him—Guan Yingjun was already up and gone. The corner of the blanket was neatly tucked in, and when he reached out to touch it, the other side was still slightly warm.

He couldn't have left long ago.

He got up, washed up, and went downstairs.

The TV in the dining room was on. Luo Binwen was bursting with energy, and had already cracked open a bottle of red wine early in the morning.

Jian Ruochen walked over. "Uncle Luo, what's the good news?"

Luo Binwen said, "Old Man Lu passed away at the hospital this morning."

Lu Jingchen?

Jian Ruochen turned to look at the TV. The news was all over the story. Lu Rong, dressed in a black suit, stood in front of the camera, putting on a grief-stricken look with tears on his cheeks. "...My brother was truly reckless. The blow to our father was too great. I never expected... I deeply regret this. The Lu family will handle the aftermath as quickly as possible..."

Jian Ruochen: ...

Pretty lousy acting.

When crying, his lips didn't tremble, and his nostrils didn't flare—it didn't track with microexpression logic. He probably even used eyedrops to fake those tears.

The news about the Lu family continued for another five minutes before the screen cut to an aerial shot of the West Kowloon Regional Police Station.

The news anchor reported, "The Tri-Bureau Anti-Corruption Joint Task Force and the Organized Crime Investigation Division of the West Kowloon Regional Police Station arrested 23 members of the Chaoyi Gang this morning. All of the gang's strongholds in Hong Kong have been shut down. The public was overjoyed and grateful to the police, saying they no longer have to pay protection fees."

The Chaoyi Gang was the remnant force under Lu Qian.

They were the ones behind the bank robbery before.

They were known for committing all kinds of crimes.

With the fall of the Chaoyi Gang, the number of organized gangs robbing jewelry stores in Hong Kong would significantly decrease.

The crime rate would drop significantly.

The corner of Jian Ruochen's mouth lifted in a slight smile.

On TV, one news story followed another. Soon, the topic shifted to him.

The host praised the industries under "Jian Corporation" and "Kang Nate" for their strong sense of social responsibility and many community-friendly initiatives.

Not content with just praise, they even went door-to-door with microphones, interviewing numerous elderly women and men.

Jian Ruochen's ears burned with embarrassment, but he also sensed something was off. "Who owns this media outlet?"

Luo Binwen thought for a moment, then flipped through his notebook to confirm. "Looks like it's owned by Lu Rong. But that's insider information. On the surface, the company is owned by another businessperson."

Jian Ruochen raised an eyebrow. "Is Lu Rong trying to set me up for a fall by over-praising me?"

That thought hadn't occurred to Luo Binwen. "What's our move?"

"No matter how much Lu Rong praises us, STN is still the most influential and credible media outlet in Hong Kong. He emphasizes the individual, so we'll emphasize the team."

Jian Ruochen spoke with clarity: "Have STN report more on the achievements of other departments in the West Kowloon Police Station. Shift everyone's attention to the overall commander. Talk up his strategic genius, open-mindedness, bold reforms—lay it on thick."

The light dawned on Luo Binwen. "That way, the commander won't be upset about you hogging the spotlight, and it'll reduce the impact of Lu Rong's excessive praise."

"Exactly." Jian Ruochen finished his last mouthful of mashed potatoes and mumbled, "Off to school~"

As for Jiang Hanyu's case, it was now in the ICAC's hands to handle the interrogation.

If things went smoothly, it would have little to do with the West Kowloon Regional Police Station.

The real headache was the matter of the MI6 secret files.

Song Xuyi, Lin Jiacheng, and Huo Mingxuan had been staring at the entrance of the Hong Kong University single dormitory building for so long that they'd just about worn a hole in the door from staring, but they still found no weakness in the head dorm security guard.

On the third day at noon.

Song Xuyi came back from his shift with huge bags under his eyes, his voice weak. "Detective Guan, that dorm manager is too cautious."

"He must know he's being watched, so he hasn't moved the codebook or made any contact with others."

Guan Yingjun asked in a low voice, "You got nothing?"

Song Xuyi wiped his face, ashamed. "No."

"It's fine." No sooner had Guan Yingjun's comforting words left his mouth than Song Xuyi gave a full-body shudder.

The boss was actually being *nice*?

He was fully expecting to get chewed out!

Song Xuyi stood there stunned and glanced at Jian Ruochen.

Man, the Little God of Wealth's influence was no joke.

Guess it's true what they say, money even sweetens Guan Gong's temper.

Guan Yingjun slapped the file in his hand down on the table. "If soft methods don't work, we'll use hard ones. I'll get us a search warrant."

Zhang Xingzong scratched his head. "That's probably not gonna get approved... not with this MI6 connection."

The brass would definitely shut it down.

Guan Yingjun said calmly, "It's fine."

He pulled open a drawer and took out an old search warrant.

Jian Ruochen stared, dumbfounded, as Guan Yingjun used the end of a blue ballpoint pen from the pen holder to erase the reason for the application on it, then wrote a new one.

Guan Yingjun flourished the "brand-new" search warrant. "Good thing I saw this coming last time I applied. I switched the pen and had them write it with an erasable ink pen."

"Now we have a search warrant."

Song Xuyi gulped. "What if we can't find the codebook?"

They had done similar things before, but now that the West Kowloon Team A was famous and under public scrutiny, if this got exposed, all hell would break loose.

Guan Yingjun smiled. "If security is that tight, they're definitely hiding something. How can we *not* find it?"

As long as they found it, the higher-ups wouldn't be able to touch this search warrant and would have to just suck it up and accept it.