Chapter 204: [Extra·Reunion (6)] The Immortal Has Already Agreed to You

Chapter 204 "Extra·Reunion (6)" The Deity Has Already Granted Your Wish

After the team returned to the police station.

Police interrogation room.

The captain sat with arms crossed at the interrogation table: "You mean, you approached the victim from the very beginning just for money?"

"Yes." The middle-aged man had a bright red handprint on his face.

This slap mark dated back to when they returned to the police station with the team and encountered the victim.

As soon as the victim saw this person, he froze for a moment, then looked around, suddenly turned red with anger, stepped forward, grabbed him by the collar, and demanded, "You scammed me too?"

The middle-aged man avoided eye contact, and the victim immediately understood, wound up and slapped him.

The sound echoed through the police station lobby.

The action was fluid and so fast that even the police didn’t have time to react.

It turned out this person was actually a friend the victim had met at a foot massage parlor.

The two often made appointments to go for massages, foot washes, and eat at all-you-can-eat buffets.

Over time, they even developed business dealings, until some time ago when the middle-aged man went to Dubai on a business trip and cut off contact.

The suspect’s gruff voice was now meek: "I was only in it for the money. The time I spent with Chen Wang was actually quite happy, but we also had performance quotas. Anti-fraud awareness is so high now that it’s hard to scam strangers with just a few words, so I turned my attention to acquaintances... He... had substantial assets and was also quite naive."

The Criminal Investigation captain said with amusement in his voice, "You specifically target people with scams who are kind to you, don’t you? With behavior like this, how could anyone ever treat you sincerely?"

As he spoke, he picked up his things, stood up, opened the door, and said to the deputy team leader, "Bring in the other new officer for questioning."

He wanted to see the basic skills of the new police officers under his command.

The deputy team leader nodded and brought the other new officer over.

Jian Ruochen and the young police officer looked at each other. "How about you do the questioning?"

He had retired for so many years, experienced everything. Even if he became a police officer again, he wasn't that ambitious anymore.

The young police officer smiled shyly, his eyes clear, and waved his hands repeatedly. "How about you ask instead?"

Brand new Gen Z.

Not a trace of office worker vibe on him.

Jian Ruochen: ...

He picked up the evidence bag containing drugs, turned to look at the suspect, and asked, "What is this?"

The suspect mumbled, "Drugs."

Jian Ruochen slightly raised his voice: "I’m asking you what it’s called? What kind of drug! You need to tell me the name."

The suspect lowered his head slightly.

The accelerated pace, raised volume, and direct eye contact brought immense pressure on him.

"Speak!" Jian Ruochen said.

"Ma Gu," the suspect said quietly.

"Ma Gu? Is that what the seller told you when you bought it, right?"

"Y-yes."

Only then did Jian Ruochen put down the sealed bag: "So, you’re saying you bought all ten of these Ma Gu pills for your own use?"

The suspect didn’t answer.

His eyelids drooped, his eyes darted quickly before lifting, and his neck flushed slightly—a classic lying expression. "Yes, I used them all myself."

Jian Ruochen cut him off: "Impossible. Your build doesn't suggest that of a heavy drug user. Did you resell them? Did you sell them to that boy who posed as a woman to scam people? He’s abnormally thin—he uses more than you, doesn’t he? Right?"

The suspect’s throat tightened, and he admitted in a panic.

...

Outside the interrogation room, the captain fell silent for a moment, then suddenly looked at the deputy team leader beside him. "This kid grew up in a military compound? His father was a fallen officer?"

"Yep," the deputy team leader said. He was hungry, devouring a plain steamed bun with Wujiang pickled vegetables, choking before thumping his chest and desperately looking for water. It took him a while to swallow that mouthful. "His professional skills are quite strong, no wonder he’s an outstanding graduate."

"Bold, meticulous, daring to ask questions, strong presence, and also a kind of..." The captain rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment, then suddenly thought of the portable Gongfu tea set and small freeze-dried lemon slices on Jian Ruochen’s desk. "Even though he's so new, he gives me the feeling that he’s been retired for a long time."

It wouldn’t seem strange even if Jian Ruochen picked up fishing gear right after work and blended in with the elderly fishermen.

Too relaxed.

As if he’s solved cases thousands of times before, completely at ease.

Inside the interrogation room, the middle-aged man had unknowingly revealed the truth.

It turned out the middle-aged man had been doing very well in a telecommunications fraud ring in Dubai, gained the trust of his superior, and was tasked with returning home to visit relatives and recruit new members.

The other six were all members he recruited this time.

The reason he targeted Chen Wang was that he knew Chen Wang was an exceptionally compassionate person.

Back when they went for foot washes and massages together, Chen Wang always gave tips to young men and women who seemed less fortunate.

"Drugs... it was my first time trying them," the middle-aged man said. "I just wanted to give it a try. Ah... with money and nowhere to spend it... After doing wrongful deeds, I didn’t dare go to crowded places. I came across this by accident... and tried it. I didn’t force anyone else to use it; they all asked for it themselves."

He paused, uneasy. "This doesn’t qualify as drug trafficking, right?"

Jian Ruochen smiled. "That’s not for us to decide. It depends on what the law determines."

The middle-aged man grew anxious, unable to tell whether the officer in front of him was trying to scare him.

Jian Ruochen finished the paperwork, signed them, and as he stepped out, met the admiring, envious look of his young colleague. "You’re amazing."

"Phew—" Jian Ruochen pretended to let out a long sigh and made it up on the spot, "I was so nervous too."

Young colleague: ?

Captain: ?

"I was just faking competence," Jian Ruochen gestured. "Acting like I’d seen it on crime shows."

Deputy team leader: ...

Is the world really just one big improvised show?

Are actors these days all this competent?

"Alright." The Captain rapped Jian Ruochen's shoulder with his binder. "That mouth of yours, really..."

Could he not tell whether it was the real deal or just faking it?

"By the way," the Captain said, rubbing his nose, "come with me for a moment."

Jian Ruochen followed him to the break room.

The Captain peeked outside to make sure no one was paying attention, then pulled the door to. "What’s going on between you and Guan Yingjun, the Tech Investigations squad lead? Is he hitting on you?"

Jian Ruochen let out a confused, "Huh?"

"Don’t play dumb. During the morning dispatch, I saw his leg brushing against yours. And when I reviewed the duty footage later, I noticed he was giving you looks while you were on duty. It didn’t seem right." The Captain paused, glanced around, and even used the binder to shield his mouth as he whispered, "Have you encountered any workplace harassment?"

Jian Ruochen: ?

"No, we..."

How to explain?

Boyfriend? Partner? Cohabiting?

They hadn’t even discussed it yet.

In that moment of hesitation, the Captain’s mind went to the worst.

He warned, "You need to be careful. People in our line of work are under a lot of pressure, and some might develop weird hangups... sexually. Just keep your guard up."

Guan Yingjun always did look like he carried a lot of pressure.

Jian Ruochen’s gaze drifted. "Right, that explains it."

Captain: ?

"Captain, workplace dating isn’t prohibited, right? Actually..." Jian Ruochen paused, his ears flushing at just the right moment. "Guan Yingjun and I have been together for four years."

Captain: Wait...?

But four years ago, wasn’t Guan Yingjun on a covert assignment?

How'd you even manage to date under those conditions?

Silence.

The silence grew heavy, suddenly broken by the ringing of an alarm—beep beep beep!

Jian Ruochen silenced his watch and smiled slightly. "Captain, it’s quitting time. Do we need to work overtime today?"

The Captain, still lost in thought, replied, "No, I’ve already had the team debrief the others."

"Then I’ll head off first." Jian Ruochen pushed the door open and immediately locked eyes with Guan Yingjun, who was standing outside.

The guy had changed into casual clothes—a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up and cuffed above his elbows, revealing the firm lines of his forearms. Cords of veins stood out on his arms as he clenched and relaxed his fingers.

Jian Ruochen's lips curved into a smile, and he reached out to take Guan's hand. "Why are you waiting here?"

Just as Guan Yingjun opened his mouth to speak, the Criminal Investigations Captain teased, "Alright. I was worried you might be facing workplace harassment, and he was worried too."

The Captain raised his hand, flashing his wedding band, with a hint of pride. "I have a wife, you know."

Guan Yingjun paused, his eyes briefly scanning the diamond ring. "Captain Qin, we’re heading home now."

He had rented an apartment near the unit and planned to buy a new house for Jian Ruochen once the first royalty payment came in.

After bidding farewell to the Captain, the two drove home.

Guan Yingjun turned the steering wheel and parked in the underground lot near the food alley.

Once they actually entered the food alley, Jian Ruochen’s eyes lit up instantly. He eyed him skeptically, "You’re being so nice today? Can I eat as much as I want?"

Guan Yingjun patted his waist. "Since you’re feeling better, of course you can. We don’t come here often anyway."

Jian Ruochen was drawn by the scent of sizzling iron-plate tofu.

This is true happiness.

Even after Guan Yingjun paid for it and handed him the heaping plate of tofu, Jian Ruochen still felt like it was all a dream.

In his final years in his previous life, his health had been poor. He was frequently rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment and had to stick to a bland diet. The most indulgent dish he ever got was fish egg stew.

"Why aren’t you eating? Is it too hot?" Guan Yingjun asked.

Not far away, the Assistant Lead of the Technical Investigation Team, who had come out for grabbing drinks with colleagues after work, suddenly stopped in his tracks. He raised a hand to halt the others behind him. "Isn’t that our Captain?"

Everyone took a closer look.

It was indeed.

Xiao Li from the Technical Investigation Team suddenly widened his eyes in shock: Captain Guan was feeding that young detective from the Criminal Investigations Team!

Jian Ruochen, still in a daze, took a bite, scalding his lips red.

Shortly after, they watched as Captain Guan—usually stern, expressionless, and something of a lone wolf after missions—bought an ice-cold bottle of grape juice, even thoughtfully twisting off the cap and bringing it to Jian Ruochen’s lips.

Xiao Li muttered, in disbelief, "Assistant Lead, did we mistake them for someone else?"

Jian Ruochen ate a few more bites of tofu before handing the rest to Guan Yingjun to finish. He then ducked over to another stall to buy fried chicken cutlets.

The two worked their way from one end of the street to the other.

The Technical Investigation Team followed behind them, snacking on skewers while watching what felt like a romantic drama unfold from start to end.

It turns out love really can change a person.

Captain Guan’s germophobia seemed cured by romance—not only did he finish Jian Ruochen’s half-eaten food, he even ate a meatball Jian Ruochen had already taken a bite of.

Xiao Li had his mind blown: "My boyfriend claims to have a germ thing and won’t even let me eat bread in his passenger seat. Clearly, that’s not love."

Assistant Lead: ...

At the end of the street was a silversmith's stall where someone was outside forging silver pieces with a large mallet, keeping time to the DJ’s rhythm, making a performance of it.

Guan Yingjun stood there watching for a while.

Jian Ruochen asked, "Want to get one?"

Guan Yingjun’s lips quirked, but he said nothing.

He thought of the ring on the captain’s ring finger. "Not this one."

In this life, he didn’t want to wear a plain ring again.

By 2030, Taiwan had already reunited with mainland China, and same-sex marriage was legal there. If they wanted to register, they could just take the cross-sea high-speed rail.

He wanted to get married.

Once they were married, if another critical patient notification ever came his way, he would be able to sign it.

"Let’s do things in order this time," Guan Yingjun said, wiping his hands clean with a hand wipe before reaching for Jian Ruochen’s hand.

Then, he glanced back toward the street corner.

The deputy team leader of the Technical Investigation Unit ducked hurriedly back into the snack shop.

He broke out in a cold sweat.

When he peeked out again, the two had vanished from the snack street.

The two went home to shower.

Jian Ruochen had eaten a bit too much. After washing up, he lay on the bed scrolling idly through his phone.

When Guan Yingjun came out of the bathroom, he saw Jian Ruochen’s pale belly exposed where he had lifted his shirt.

He leaned in, pressed his palm against it, and bent down to kiss him.

Jian Ruochen put his phone down and glanced over. "What? Do I have to owe something for that meal you treated me to?"

Guan Yingjun gave a low chuckle. "Don’t you remember what you said to Captain Xing in the break room?"

Jian Ruochen was taken aback. "What?"

Guan Yingjun reminded him, "Captain Xing said people in our line of work are under a lot of pressure, and most of us tend to be kinda… sexually…"

Jian Ruochen raised a hand and covered his mouth. "You’ve always been a little… "

Kinda weird sometimes.

"Lights stay on today," Guan Yingjun said, pulling his hand away and flipping him over. "No roleplay today either."

Jian Ruochen thrashed like a fish, trying to wriggle away, but just as he reached the edge of the bed, he was dragged back.

Under the light, the young man’s beautiful back rose and fell with the rhythm of their movements, accompanied by rhythmic, choked sobs.

In a daze, Jian Ruochen heard Guan Yingjun say, "I love every version of you."

Jian Ruochen kicked at him.

Guan Yingjun paused, then added, "Even your kicks are cute."

Jian Ruochen: …

See? Guan Yingjun had done undercover work for too long in his early years—he was definitely carrying some serious baggage.

Fortunately, in this life, his health was good, and they kept it moderate, so it didn’t affect work.

The Nanshan Police Department first wrapped up the fraud case, recovering some of the involved funds and returning them to the victims. Then, based on clues obtained during the interrogation, they dug deeper into the drug trafficking investigations and the upstream connections of the telecom fraud case.

By December, they had shut down an illegal printing factory that mass-produced pornographic business cards.

Cheng Kaiji passed the confidential mission exam as he wished, becoming an undercover operative.

No one could see him off—it was a path destined to be walked alone.

When he left, he only took a few steamed buns from the military compound, saying he’d eat them on the way.

Jian Ruochen held Cheng Kaiji’s hand, examining it over and over, before finally saying, "Third Brother. Stay safe."

Cheng Kaiji mumbled "Yeah." "When I come back, I’ll—cough! What are you doing?"

Jian Ruochen retracted the fist he had just punched into Cheng Kaiji’s stomach and said flatly, "Don’t jinx it."

"Alright, alright," Cheng Kaiji raised his hands in surrender. "Bye, I’ll be careful."

Before turning away, he gave Guan Yingjun a deep look and slapped Jian Ruochen on the shoulder. "You picked a good one."

Three months after Cheng Kaiji left, it was Guan Yingjun’s birthday.

Jian Ruochen stared silently at the money in his account.

In this life, his money came from the government’s survivor benefits for martyrs' children—both his parents’ combined, totaling less than 5 million yuan.

Adding what he earned himself, it came to exactly 5.1 million yuan.

Gifting a yacht like in his previous life was out of the question. Life had to go on, and he only knew how to spend, not earn. What could he give?

Jian Ruochen wandered around the jade market and found a stall selling jadeite off-cuts. He pulled up a small stool and sat down to pick through them.

He shone a UV light over the pieces, making the vendor's head spin.

After nearly nine hours, from opening to closing, Jian Ruochen finally picked out enough jadeite to make 36 beads. "Boss, what's your price?"

The drowsy vendor jolted awake, thought for a moment, and tentatively said, "100,800 yuan? This material’s quality is excellent. Since you seem to really like it, I’ll knock it down to 100,000! About 3,000 per bead is really not expensive."

Jian Ruochen sighed, fished in his inner pocket for a while, pulled out his police ID to show the vendor, then tucked it back inside. "Boss, give me an honest price."

Vendor: ?

Is this how you haggle?

Jian Ruochen laughed. "Trying to fleece a cop? I know what I’m doing. I know the market rates. I’ll let you keep 5,000 profit. You give me a fair price—I’m buying this for my wedding. I don’t want to arrest anyone for fraud here."

The vendor muttered nervously, "25,000 yuan…"

Just as Jian Ruochen was about to speak again, the vendor cut in, "You said you’d let me make 5,000."

"Fine," Jian Ruochen tapped his card and paid without another word. Before leaving, he gave the vendor a warning look.

Vendor: …

Sweating bullets. Maybe I should set up shop somewhere else tomorrow.

Jian Ruochen took the materials and wandered around until he found a shop that could lathe-turn beads. Under the shop owner’s peculiar gaze, he had all the selected grape-green apple-colored jade turned into round beads, making two bracelets.

They were practically identical to the ones from his previous life.

Jian Ruochen gently rubbed the beads between his fingers for a while, then placed the slightly larger one into a gift box. Just as he was about to drive home, his phone vibrated softly.

He opened WeChat.

"Detective Guan": Where are you? Do you need a ride?

"Jian Ruochen": I have my car. I’ll be home soon. The cake I ordered has arrived—remember to pick it up.

"Detective Guan": Okay.

Jian Ruochen looked at Guan Yingjun’s contact name, a smile flickering in his eyes.

Detective Guan definitely didn’t know what his own contact name was.

I wonder if Guan Yingjun has given him a special nickname too…

Probably not. After all, that man is practical and likely doesn’t bother with such trivial thoughts.

They’ve always called each other by their full names.

Lost in thought, Jian Ruochen drove smooth and fast.

When he arrived home and opened the door, he found the living room dark, with only candles lit on the dining table in the center. Dinner was already set.

The candle flames flickered faintly, casting hazy shadows.

By the floor-to-ceiling window stood Guan Yingjun’s silent figure, hands behind his back as he gazed outside.

Scattered lights from countless windows dotted the night sky, creating an illusion as if time had stood still.

The unexpectedly intimate atmosphere made Jian Ruochen pause as he closed the door. His throat tightened, and his breath hitched. "Guan Yingjun?"

"Mm." Guan Yingjun turned around, his eyes deep and tender in the candlelight. "You’re back. Wash your hands, and let’s eat."

Jian Ruochen tucked the gift box containing the bracelet into his pants pocket. As he washed his hands, he thought with relief: Good thing I bought the bracelet.

Otherwise, Guan Yingjun’s efforts would have totally outshone him!

The candlelight continued to flicker. With every bite of steak, Jian Ruochen glanced at the man across from him, only to find Guan Yingjun’s gaze meeting his every time.

That look—it was as if he wasn’t eating steak, but devouring him instead.

Western meals are usually small, and Jian Ruochen absentmindedly finished his portion, sensing that Guan Yingjun must have something planned.

After all, whenever this man tried to be romantic, he always had that confident yet slightly nervous vibe, as if saying, "Don’t rush me, I have my own pace."

Jian Ruochen waited for his rhythm.

In the dim, golden candlelight, a cake with one candle was brought to the table.

"Did the store forget to include the number candles?" Jian Ruochen started to get up to look for them.

Guan Yingjun held him back. "One is enough."

It was just for symbolism—he really didn’t want to be reminded that he was another year older, or that he was seven years older than the one he loved.

A faint blush spread across his face.

Jian Ruochen couldn’t resist teasing him softly, "Then make a wish quickly. If you don’t, the candle will burn out."

As he spoke, his foot under the table stepped on Guan Yingjun’s foot, then slid up along his pants leg.

Guan Yingjun’s eyelids lowered slightly, and his whole body shuddered.

His voice tightened. "I…"

For the first time in two lifetimes, he earnestly made a birthday wish to some elusive deity. Then, he took out a black velvet box from his pocket. "Jian Ruochen, let’s get our marriage license."

Jian Ruochen looked down at the two rings in the box—they weren’t plain bands.

The larger one was set with a gemstone that, under the candlelight, appeared both brown and black, reflecting golden light due to its cut.

It resembled his eyes.

The smaller one was adorned with a diamond, radiating a captivating fiery glow under the candlelight.

Jian Ruochen’s breath caught. He hadn’t expected Guan Yingjun’s plan to be this.

Seeing that the candle wax was about to drip onto the cake, Jian Ruochen reached out while urging, "Blow out the candle first."

Guan Yingjun pulled the candle out and tossed it into a metal tray.

Jian Ruochen laughed, extending his hand. "Hurry up and put it on. I have a gift for you too."

Guan Yingjun let out a long sigh of relief, taking out the smaller ring and slipping it onto Jian Ruochen’s finger. His hands trembled slightly.

As the cool metal touched his finger, Jian Ruochen grabbed Guan Yingjun’s hand, interlacing their fingers. At the same time, he took out the gift box and lifted the cool jade bracelet. "Well? Do you like it?"

Guan Yingjun’s nose tingled with emotion. He lowered his gaze, tightly clutching the bracelet, then slipped it onto his wrist before pulling the person in front of him into a tight embrace.

A wave of fierce, unreserved love and longing washed over them. The cool jade on the man’s wrist first bumped against his lower back, then brushed against his shoulder blade.

Jian Ruochen stammered as he pushed him away, "I… haven’t put your ring on yet… The cake—the cake will get squashed."

Guan Yingjun moved around the cake, chasing his lips with a fervent kiss, only stopping when Jian Ruochen gave him a light kick.

Jian Ruochen suspected he did it on purpose.

But seeing Guan Yingjun’s lowered eyes and the serious expression as he carefully put the bracelet on him, he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

It’s fine. This line of work is stressful—he understood.

Jian Ruochen slipped the ring onto Guan Yingjun’s ring finger. "It’s beautiful."

He leaned in, staring directly at him. "Guan Yingjun, do you really like my eyes that much?"

Guan Yingjun hummed in agreement. "I love you."

He paused, then added, "Every part of you."

Jian Ruochen’s entire body heated up instantly. Choked up for a moment, he suddenly asked, "What did you wish for?"

"I said, if you agree to be with me this time, then it means you’ve agreed for all eternity." Guan Yingjun said playfully, "I’m not sure which deity is in charge of birthday wishes—the Great Immortal Huang doesn’t handle them, I don't think."

Jian Ruochen paused for a moment, then said with a light laugh, "The immortal has already agreed to you."

He dabbed a bit of cream on Guan Yingjun's forehead: "Happy birthday."

Author's note:

At night, Jian Bao forced himself to stay awake until Detective Guan fell asleep, then picked up his phone, unlocked it, and checked the nickname he had set for himself.

It read—"Little Fox." He stared at it for a long moment before burying his head and going to sleep, giving back the blanket he'd taken from Guan Dudu.

Detective Guan smiled to himself without being noticed.