Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Seeing this, Lin Zheng's expression turned even grimmer. His hand instinctively moved to his waist, and he strode toward the window, ready to apprehend the man.

"Lin Zheng."

The cold, sharp voice cut through his thoughts, making him pause mid-step. He squeezed his eyes shut, then turned around.

Ruan Yunchu's expression remained calm, though his demeanor had a hint of sternness. "Let him in first. We'll deal with the rest later."

Gritting his teeth, Lin Zheng was clearly angry, but eventually he took a deep breath and relented.

He slid the window open, letting in a gust of cold wind. Yan Zhuo took the opportunity to grip the windowsill, leaping lightly and landing smoothly on the floor.

"Thanks, Commander Lin."

Lin Zheng didn't even bother to acknowledge him, turning and walking back into the office.

Yan Zhuo followed behind, but circled around to Ruan Yunchu's side, leaning against the desk with a smile. "I heard from your assistant that you had a guest. I thought it was some dangerous person. Didn't expect it to be Commander Lin. If I'd known, I wouldn't have barged in."

Though his words sounded apologetic, his face showed no hint of remorse.

Lin Zheng shot him a glance, then looked at Ruan Yunchu. "Yunchu, you already agreed with me just now."

"Oh?"

Yan Zhuo raised an eyebrow, casting a curious look at the young man in the office chair.

But Ruan Yunchu didn't look at him. Instead, he said coolly, "Follow proper procedure. You decide."

"Good."

Lin Zheng finally let out a sigh of relief. He turned and opened the office door, and a squad of soldiers who were ready and waiting immediately swarmed in, filling the entire office.

Sensing the dangerous atmosphere, the smile on Yan Zhuo's lips gradually faded. He crossed his arms, casually glancing between the two men.

"Boss, what kind of deal did you strike with him?"

"Not a deal." Ruan Yunchu lifted his eyes to look at him, as indifferent as ever. "You know best what you've done, don't you?"

"Me?"

Lin Zheng didn't want to waste any more words on him, nor did he want to watch the two of them exchange glances. He cut in sharply, "Yan Zhuo, for using a fake identity to infiltrate A-Star, I'm arresting you for illegal entry into the star. You can explain yourself to the Alliance."

"Ah, so that's what this is about." Yan Zhuo didn't react much. He slowly straightened up, letting his arms fall, and took a step toward Ruan Yunchu. His expression was dark and complex.

The soldiers were all battle-hardened, and instinctively sensed danger from him, immediately going on alert.

Clicks rang out as dozens of gun barrels were aimed at the man.

"Yan Zhuo, step away from Yunchu. I won't say it again." Lin Zheng tightened his grip on his weapon, his face icy.

Under such intense pressure, Yan Zhuo didn't move an inch. He stared at the calm, composed young man for two seconds, then suddenly curled his lip and scoffed.

"Babe, you don't think I'm dangerous too, do you?"

"..."

Hearing his address, Lin Zheng's expression twisted with fury. His anger was nearly uncontrollable.

"I'm counting down from three. If you don't raise your hands and surrender, I'll use force."

"Three—"

Ruan Yunchu showed no emotion, only saying, "If you make a mistake, you have to own up. Time to start fresh."

Yan Zhuo pondered his words for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "That makes some sense."

"Two—"

Lin Zheng tightened his finger on the trigger, done wasting time.

But then the man suddenly leaned down, firmly gripped the young man's chin, and planted a deep kiss on his lips.

Ruan Yunchu only furrowed his brow slightly, not pulling away. Yan Zhuo reluctantly kissed the corner of his mouth. As the countdown hit zero, he straightened up slowly and raised his hands lazily.

"Alright, stop counting. Aren't you tired?"

Seeing that scene, Lin Zheng was practically fuming. He didn't hold back when he slapped the cuffs on Yan Zhuo.

Yan Zhuo inhaled sharply as his hands were bound in front of him, narrowing his eyes. "Commander Lin, we haven't even reached the interrogation room and you're already getting revenge."

"We always treat suspects who look like they're going to resist this way," Lin Zheng said, deliberately emphasizing the word "suspects."

Yan Zhuo clicked his tongue. Just before leaving, he turned around to look back.

The young man was still sitting in his seat, not looking at him. His slender figure looked a bit lonely.

In that moment, Yan Zhuo dropped his fake nonchalance and felt a twinge of melancholy.

He thought, the boss should still have someone by his side.

Someone like him. That would be a perfect match.

News of Yan Zhuo being taken away by the Alliance police spread quickly through the entire hospital. Chen Quan rushed up to the office, only to find Ruan Yunchu leisurely doing his homework.

-

Soft, slow classical music filled the room, the atmosphere was warm and natural.

For a moment, Chen Quan didn't know if he should ask. But luckily, Ruan Yunchu finished what he was doing, then looked up and explained.

"Yan Zhuo is suspected of identity fraud. He was taken in for investigation."

"Identity fraud?" Chen Quan was baffled. "We checked before. All his information checked out."

"Lin Zheng obtained top-secret information from within the Alliance. It can't be wrong."

"This..."

At the mention of Lin Zheng, Chen Quan understood the gravity of the situation.

He had expected his boss to be in a bad mood, but now he couldn't read him at all. He couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"If there's nothing else, you can go. I have an online class soon."

Chen Quan was briefly taken aback, then quickly regained his usual composure. He nodded. "Yes, sir."

He left the office.

The room fell silent again, and Ruan Yunchu stopped what he was doing, frowning slightly as he gazed out the window, feeling inexplicably awful.

A whole week passed without any news of Yan Zhuo.

Old Man Peng, never one to stay idle, was already preparing for his discharge from the hospital.

Ming Yuan continued to visit the hospital three times a week for rehabilitation therapy, gradually bonding with the old man.

His career was steadily on track, no longer requiring deliberate corrections. Ruan Yunchu threw himself into his studies, ceasing his idle thoughts.

During these days without Yan Zhuo by his side, he had gained more quiet time to think and realized many details he had previously missed.

When called to the flower garden, Chen Quan was somewhat puzzled.

"Young Master, you wanted to see me?"

"Yeah." Ruan Yunchu sat in his wheelchair, the sunlight making his already pale face look sickly. "When Yan Zhuo took leave, he said it was to visit family. Where is he from?"

Chen Quan pondered for a moment. "According to his original file, it seems he's from District E."

"District E." Ruan Yunchu repeated.

District E was a well-known impoverished area on Planet A, currently under joint development by surrounding cities. Its backwardness was due to being targeted by rebel forces as a primary target for retaliation during a battle three years ago.

He sure knew how to pick a place.

Ruan Yunchu couldn't help but laugh inwardly.

After saying this, Chen Quan gradually caught on. "Do you mean Yan Zhuo did it on purpose?"

"District E lost a lot of important data after being severely hit. He knew it would be troublesome to investigate there and deliberately made it harder for us."

If not for Lin Zheng, they might have found nothing more even after a year of investigation.

Thinking of this, Chen Quan felt a chill of fear. "Young Master, could Yan Zhuo really have ulterior motives for coming to the Ruan family? But what exactly does he want? I see him lounging around all day with no real purpose."

"It might not be about what he wants."

Chen Quan's heart skipped a beat. "And those leaves he took before? If he wasn't visiting family, what was he doing?"

Ruan Yunchu lowered his eyes, hiding the coldness in his eyes.

"Who knows."

...

Lin Zheng had been waiting outside the interrogation room for several days. He hadn't even gone home in that time, his hair and clothes rumpled and messy, looking quite scruffy.

But ten minutes later, another person came out of the interrogation room with a grim expression. Meeting Lin Zheng's probing gaze, he just shook his head.

"He didn't say anything."

Lin Zheng's eyes reddened, and he slammed his fist on the table, causing a loud bang.

Five days. A full five days. They had rotated teams for high-intensity interrogations, aiming to extract the information they wanted when the man was weakest mentally and emotionally.

But they were exhausted, while the man inside the window showed only slight weariness. With no one else in the room, he even tapped his fingers on the table and softly hummed a tune.

Seeing this, someone nearby let out a heavy sigh.

"Lao Lin, a week is already the limit. If we can't get anything out of him, his refugee status will be finalized."

Lin Zheng was so angry he almost laughed, pointing angrily at the unfazed man through the window.

"Him? A refugee?"

"There's nothing we can do. We have no proof he's really a rebel spy. And honestly, what would a spy want with the already bankrupt Ruan family? Logically, he would have gone straight to the Alliance."

"He has another agenda. I can see it."

Seeing his stubbornness, the other man said no more.

But soon, someone came to remind them to watch the time.

"If we don't have results by afternoon, we have to let him go. Your methods are already highly irregular. If this leaks, it will cause major trouble."

...

Lin Zheng clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. When he saw the man under surveillance look up with a relaxed smile, he could no longer contain his fury.

He flung open the door of the interrogation room, stormed over to the table, and glared at the man, who appeared taken aback.

"Who the hell are you?"

Yan Zhuo raised a slight eyebrow. "Officer Lin, it's only been a few hours. Why are you even angrier? Don't tell me you've been losing sleep thinking about me?"

Lin Zheng wasn't about to be provoked by his words. "What are you doing by getting close to Yunchu and exploiting him? What do you want from him?"

"Don't talk nonsense about me. I am deeply devoted to the young master. I'm not exploiting anyone."

"Yan Zhuo, don't think everyone is a fool. I can see what you're thinking."

Yan Zhuo looked up at him with an unhurried air and suddenly broke into a smile. "Officer Lin, don't take your unrequited love out on me. The young master likes me because I love him. You're just a coward who clings to him under the pretense of friendship."

"You—"

At that moment, Lin Zheng almost forgot his identity and mission. Seeing that punchable face, he wished he could punch it, to beat him bloody so that damn mouth could never utter another degrading word again.

But before he could act, Yan Zhuo let out a soft sigh.

"But honestly, I'm tired of this stalemate too. I'll give you a little something."

Lin Zheng clenched his fists, vowing that if the man dared to say anything absurd again, he would shut him up for good.

Unexpectedly, the man's expression turned serious. "I'm not from District E, and I did have ulterior motives for entering the Ruan family."

Lin Zheng's heart thumped, his pulse uncontrollably quickening.

"Go on."

"The Ruan family was once one of the top few major families on Planet A. There was something important there that I coveted. Do you know what it was?"

Lin Zheng's mind raced through the secret plans rumored within the Alliance, but facing this suspected rebel spy, he showed no emotion.

"What?"

"Ah, why should I tell you?" Yan Zhuo's tone suddenly turned flippant. "We're rivals in love, after all."

A vein pulsed on Lin Zheng's temple. He finally couldn't restrain himself any longer, rounding the table and grabbing the man by the collar.

But before he could do anything, the interrogation room door suddenly burst open with a bang.

"Stop!"