Chapter 106: Just a Little Excitement

Chapter 106: Just a Fleeting Thrill

Without a second thought, Guan Yingjun seized Qiao Juemin by the collar with one hand, hauling him bodily from the ground and cutting short his suicide attempt.

He spun Qiao Juemin around, twisted both arms behind his back, and snapped on the handcuffs.

The sequence of actions was fluid and seamless. Before Qiao Juemin could even register what was happening, Guan Yingjun had him pinned firmly to the floor with a knee, rendering him utterly immobile.

Jian Ruochen’s racing heart gradually settled.

Qiao Juemin’s resolve to die was truly startling.

His expression had been utterly determined, fearless in the face of death. Yet, the moment the handcuffs clicked shut around his wrists, his pupils abruptly dilated, overwhelmed by sheer terror.

He wasn’t afraid of dying—he was afraid of failing to die.

Jian Ruochen’s expression darkened slightly. “Detective Guan, a handkerchief.”

Guan Yingjun immediately pulled Qiao Juemin upright, produced a handkerchief, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his mouth, preventing him from biting his tongue.

Qiao Juemin was utterly consumed by despair.

He couldn’t fathom how things had spiraled to this point. He had been so close!

Team A let out a collective, profound sigh of relief.

Guan Yingjun half-dragged, half-supported Qiao Juemin downstairs, ensuring the suicide-prone man wouldn’t seize an opportunity to hurl himself down the stairwell. Song Xuyi lagged behind the group, his knees weak, a wave of belated fear washing over him.

If Jian Ruochen hadn’t immediately noticed the discrepancies in the crime scene photos upon waking and pieced together the critical information…

If Detective Guan hadn’t instantly dispatched them to investigate and gather clues the moment he saw that key information…

If he had been lazy and turned back the instant he saw Qiao Sha Bing Ting was closed…

If Detective Guan hadn’t made the decisive call to verify things at Siu Ma Shan New Village… If Jian Ruochen hadn’t spotted the light filtering under the door…

If…

There were simply too many “ifs.” Even the slightest misstep, and Qiao Juemin would have died right before their eyes!

Song Xuyi exhaled sharply.

Jian Ruochen heard him, falling back a few steps to walk alongside him. “Brother Song, we owe you a lot for this.”

Song Xuyi offered a wry smile. “In all my years as a cop, I’ve never encountered a suspect so desperate to die.”

Jian Ruochen said, “Actually, most people only find the courage to die once. When teetering on the brink of life and death, many experience regret. Their survival instinct makes them recall the happiest and most regrettable moments of their lives.”

His tone was calm and gentle, his volume neither high nor low, the rhythm and cadence perfectly measured. As Song Xuyi listened, he gradually found himself calming down.

Song Xuyi, still perplexed, asked, “Then why was Qiao Juemin so utterly resolute?”

“We’ll have to ask him in the interrogation room to find that out,” Jian Ruochen replied.

Not far away, Guan Yingjun opened the rear car door. After Zhang Xingzong got in, he practically shoved Qiao Juemin inside, followed by Liu Sizheng.

“Let’s go,” Jian Ruochen said, taking the lead and sliding into the passenger seat.

Song Xuyi headed to the car driven by Bi Wanwan. Once seated, he realized he’d just been comforted by a rookie ten years his junior. He chuckled helplessly and shook his head, momentarily speechless.

Jian Ruochen was astonishingly perceptive.

Team A escorted the suspect back to the West Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters.

Zhang Xingzong and Liu Sizheng took the suspect to process the arrest paperwork, while Jian Ruochen headed to the break room.

He pulled out his phone, leaning into a corner to call Luo Binwen. “Uncle Luo, I’ll be home late today.”

Luo Binwen: “…”

Jian Ruochen sensed his uncle’s silence and felt a strange pang of guilt.

After all, he hadn’t returned home yesterday—he’d slept overnight at the West Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters, woke up to work, didn’t have time to go home and clean up in the morning, went straight to school when it was time, and rushed to the Headquarters right after school.

Jian Ruochen lowered his voice. “There’s a particularly unusual suspect. He has to be interrogated today…”

“Have you eaten dinner?” Luo Binwen asked.

Jian Ruochen: “…I’ll eat now.”

Luo Binwen sighed helplessly. “Your health comes first.”

He added a few more words of advice, asked if he should have someone bring food, and only hung up after expressing his utmost concern.

Jian Ruochen breathed a sigh of relief, went downstairs to a cha chaan teng, bought ten sets of pineapple bun meals, and carried the takeout bags into the office, calling over available colleagues to join for dinner.

After running around all day, everyone was starving. Now, with their nerves relaxed, their stomachs were rumbling even louder.

Bi Wanwan took a bite of the warm, fragrant, sweet-crusted pineapple bun pork chop burger and felt as if her soul was leaving her body from sheer deliciousness.

She chewed, then took a long sip of Hong Kong-style milk tea. The combination was so blissful it almost made her shiver with pleasure.

Slumping in her office chair, she lay back and declared, “God, this is the best pork chop sandwich I’ve ever had.”

They’d been working all day without even lunch.

This was Major Crimes Team A’s first proper meal.

Seizing the moment while Guan Yingjun was away, Jian Ruochen opened a cup of milk tea and took two big gulps.

So fragrant, so satisfying!

The caffeine was truly invigorating!

When Zhang Xingzong and the others returned after completing the booking procedures, they were greeted by the aroma the moment they stepped in. Jian Ruochen, mouth full of food, mumbled, “My treat, grab what you want.”

“Heh, thanks!” Zhang Xingzong hurried over, opened the bun, and discovered each pork chop burger had double portions of meat!

Heavens! Their Major Crimes Team A could actually afford double-decker pork chop sandwiches now.

They were living the high life!

There was a time, during their poorest days, when they could only afford pineapple buns with a slice of butter to fight off hunger.

Looking back now, those days of poverty felt like a lifetime ago.

Zhang Xingzong held the burger, eating with tears of joy in his eyes, muttering incoherent murmurs of appreciation.

Jian Ruochen found it amusing and wanted another sip of milk tea, so he reached for the plastic cup he had casually set aside. But instead, his fingers brushed against a patch of dry skin and the subtly raised veins beneath.

He jerked his hand back and turned to see Detective Guan's amused, smirking look.

Guan Yingjun asked softly, "Still wanna drink?"

Jian Ruochen wavered between drinking and not drinking for a moment.

Emotionally, of course he did—who could resist a warm, fragrant milk tea when exhausted?

But rationally, his body still needed careful nurturing. If his eyes suffered any further issues, the risk wasn't worth it.

Besides, the warning look in Guan Yingjun’s eyes didn’t seem to suggest he was going to allow it.

Remembering how he’d asked Guan Yingjun for a drink on the beach, only for the two to end up in a dizzying kiss, Jian Ruochen shook his head. "No."

Guan Yingjun picked up the partially drunk milk tea, sat beside Jian Ruochen, and began eating his pork chop bun while sipping the drink. He spread his legs slightly, his thigh pressed against Jian Ruochen’s. The warmth from the young man’s body seeped through, making his heart race, yet he didn’t pull away.

As if sitting pressed thigh-to-thigh in front of colleagues today meant they could hold hands out in the open someday.

When Zhang Xingzong saw Guan Yingjun take his third sip from Jian Ruochen’s milk tea, the rusty gears in his brain finally began to turn.

Didn’t Detective Guan have a thing about germs?

Sharing the same straw was just like kissing mouth-to-mouth!

Should he say something?

But saying it out loud in front of everyone would only embarrass Detective Guan.

What if Detective Guan immediately put the cup down and rinsed his mouth? Then Consultant Jian would be humiliated.

Better to keep it to himself.

Zhang Xingzong agonized over it, chewing his straw until it flattened.

In the end, he kept it to himself and said nothing.

Twenty minutes later, everyone finished dinner and prepared for the interrogation.

By then, the West Kowloon Regional Police Headquarters was mostly empty aside from the officers on night duty. Only the Major Crimes Unit remained brightly lit.

Team A had the most people, all worrying about approaching Qiao Juemin’s interrogation.

The main issue was Qiao Juemin’s strong death wish—they feared he might bite his tongue the moment the towel was removed from his mouth.

They had to first determine his motive for wanting to die so badly.

But how could they get information when he can't talk?

No one had any ideas for a moment, so they all turned expectantly to Jian Ruochen.

Jian Ruochen thought for a moment. "Generally, people with a strong death wish have only two motives. First, they suffer from an extremely painful terminal illness and feel that living is torture. Second, they’re being threatened, either through their family or something important to them."

Guan Yingjun said, "Zhang Xingzong, Liu Sizheng. Immediately call major hospitals in Hong Kong to check if Qiao Juemin has any medical records. We need to rule out the first possibility before we can proceed."

"Yes, sir!"

"The rest of you, work on your reports," Guan Yingjun said, opening the office door before adding solemnly, "Consultant Jian, come with me."

Jian Ruochen walked over slowly and looked up at him. "What is it, Detective Guan?"

Guan Yingjun closed the office door, then pulled Jian Ruochen close, kissing the top of his head. "Rest for a while. I’ll call you later—we have a hard fight coming."

Jian Ruochen glanced back at the door, thinking how thrilling it was to keep their relationship secret.

Any minute, a careless colleague might push the door open and see them…

Guan Yingjun followed his gaze and clicked the lock shut. "There, sleep now."

Jian Ruochen: …

Oh, so much for that thrill.

He climbed onto the small sofa, pulled a blanket over himself, and rested his head on the dark green cushion. His thoughts drifted, and he soon fell asleep.

Sometime later, he was half-awoken by a series of knocks.

Zhang Xingzong shouted while knocking, "Detective Guan! We’ve finished checking! Qiao Juemin had a physical exam at *De Cheng Hospital* six months ago—he’s perfectly healthy!"

Jian Ruochen bolted upright from the sofa, his heart pounding from the sudden wake-up.

He found the wet wipes in Guan Yingjun’s cabinet, wiped his face, cleared his throat, and went to open the door.

Zhang Xingzong’s eyes were bright. "It must be a threat. I found out that when Qiao Juemin went for his check-up, a woman and a little boy were with him. The boy also has the surname Qiao—probably his son."

He handed over a sheet of paper. "This is the fax from the hospital, along with the photo from the physical exam form."

Jian Ruochen skimmed through it, understanding the situation better. He then took the previously compiled evidence folder and added the medical records and enlarged ID photos. These could become the key to breaking the suspect’s resistance when needed.

Guan Yingjun stepped out and said to Bi Wanwan, "Bring him to the interrogation room. We’re doing it today."

They couldn’t delay—the longer they waited, the more things could go wrong.

Someone like Qiao Juemin might even refuse food entirely.

He turned to Jian Ruochen. "This time, I'm coming with you. Qiao Juemin is too dangerous."

"OK." Jian Ruochen headed quickly to the interrogation room but paused as his hand touched the doorknob.

He glanced back, seeing that his colleagues weren't nearby yet, and whispered, "Brother Jun, no matter what Qiao Juemin says later, don’t lay a hand on him."

Guan Yingjun said, "I’ll try."

Truthfully, as long as the suspect didn’t become insolent, he could usually control himself.

Jian Ruochen took a deep breath. "Let’s go in."

He’d dealt with difficult suspects before, but he had no experience dealing with someone like Qiao Juemin.