Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 669: Anyone But You
"Officer Chen?" Mu Yuze blinked in surprise when he saw Chen Lian coming out of the administrator office. Similarly, the woman was also taken aback, but swiftly regained her composure and offered a nod of acknowledgement.
"Officer Mu, I didn’t expect to see you here."
"I’m visiting an acquaintance, what about you?"
"What a coincidence," Chen Lian began, but she was interrupted when a nurse passed by, muttering a soft ’excuse me’. She beckoned to Mu Yuze, "Let’s talk somewhere else."
The two of them strolled to the end of the hallway until they reached the glass doors that led to the lawn. As it was a rainy day, the area was utterly deserted. Chen Lian put her phone into her pocket and took out a cigarette, skillfully lighting it up. Her smooth and practiced motion caught Mu Yuze off guard.
"I didn’t know you smoke," he commented, as he couldn’t recall a single instance where Chen Lian had smoked in the office despite them being colleagues for years.
Exhaling a ring of smoke, Chen Lian’s lips tugged into a wry smile. "It seems like you’re quite unaware. In our team, you and Kang Guanyu are the only ones who don’t smoke. With the stress of our workload, who can resist this temptation?" She took another deep drag, causing the tip to burn in embers. Then she continued her unfinished sentence. "My mother stayed here too. I’ve been planning to move her to a better place, so I came here to complete the paperwork."
There was nothing Mu Yuze could say except, "I see..."
The two of them were taciturn to begin with, and they had even been labeled as the Violent Crime’s double refrigerator. Hence, only silence lingered in the air following Mu Yuze’s remark.
Just as Mu Yuze was about to excuse himself, Chen Lian opened his mouth to speak. Perhaps the gloomy rain made it easier for her to talk and open up. "My father... he was murdered. My mother almost went insane because of that, so it’s up to me to take care of her and my little sister."
Mu Yuze contemplated for a moment before asking, "Is that why you chose to become a police officer?"
Sure enough, Chen Lian nodded in affirmation.
Mu Yuze did not expect to learn such personal information from his colleague when he offered to accompany Zhong Yun here. Even he did not know why Kang Guanyu became a police officer, and the man could be considered the person he had the closest relationship with among everyone in the team.
He felt a little awkward, but at the same time, there was also a sense of camaraderie after realizing that the two of them had entered the police force chasing after a personal goal, rather than simply being driven by the sense of justice like the majority. Perhaps that’s why he felt compelled to inquire, "So, have you apprehended the culprit yet?"
Chen Lian sighed and shook his head, "It’s difficult. They’re not the kind of person I can convict with my own hands alone, so... will you help me?"
The sudden request once again took Mu Yuze by surprise. "How..."
Alas, he had not even finished his sentence when he felt a presence approaching him from behind. Mu Yuze’s scalp tingled. Reacting instinctively, he shifted into a defensive stance and swung his elbow backward to strike the person who dared to sneak up on him.
A muffled groan of pain sounded, and Mu Yuze froze for a split second when he realized who it was.
"...Director Duan?"
The other person was none other than the director of this nursing home, surnamed Duan. He clutched his chest where he had been struck by Mu Yuze, grimacing in pain. Mu Yuze furrowed his brows as he sensed something was off. "Why would you— hmmph!"
It was too late by the time he realized it.
Director Duan turned out to be a decoy, and the real threat came from behind him!
Chen Lian?!
Mu Yuze’s eyes widened in the mixture of sheer disbelief and incredulity when his mouth was covered. Unfortunately, he wasn’t even given a chance to fight back as the pungent scent of chloroform assaulted his senses, causing his vision to blur.
He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"What are you waiting for? Do you think we’ll have another opportunity to get him if not now?" Chen Lian retrieved the handkerchief she had used to knock Mu Yuze out, putting it back into her pocket. Her gaze was icy cold as she ordered, "Take him out of here before anyone notices. I have done my part, so tell the Manipulator not to dawdle any longer, or I will drag him down with me. At this point, I’m ready to bet on everything I have."
As Chen Lian stared at Mu Yuze’s unconscious form, a twinge of guilt stirred inside her heart, but it was quickly suppressed by the resolution and cold hatred.
I’m sorry, Officer Mu. You’re a good guy, but you just have to involve yourself with the wrong person.
***
He Juan reversed his car into the empty lot of the Heping Nursing Home, turned off the engine and rolled down the window. Leaning back on the seat, his gaze turned vacant as his mind drifted back to Mu Yuze’s innocent question back in the columbarium. He knew that he had to tell Mu Yuze sooner or later, but... how? Where should he start? How should he say it so that he could remain cool-headed from the beginning to end?
Amidst the turmoil in his mind, a car with tinted windows emerged from the back of the building and drove away, but He Juan merely cast it a fleeting glance before he was distracted by how to broach the difficult topic.
As time passed, He Juan belatedly realized that more than half an hour had passed since Mu Yuze and Zhong Yun entered the nursing home.
Growing increasingly bored, He Juan grabbed the umbrella and exited the car. He intended to take a walk around the building, but then he caught sight of Zhong Yun coming out of the entrance, looking somewhat dazed. He Juan looked left and right but he couldn’t find Mu Yuze anywhere.
"Zhong Yun?" He called out to the man, snapping him out of his stupor. "Where is Mu Yuze?"
"Huh?" Zhong Yun was taken aback by that question. "Didn’t he come out earlier than me?"
"No, I didn’t see him at all..."
At the end of his words, He Juan’s expression abruptly darkened as an ominous foreboding filled his chest. He fumbled for his phone and quickly dialed Mu Yuze’s number. As the ringtone echoed next to his ear, he demanded harshly, "Have you looked around? He’s really not inside?!"
"I– I didn’t! I thought that..." Zhong Yun’s words trailed off when he sensed something amiss, and his complexion blanched. "XIU, is– is something wrong?"
The ringtone went on and on, only to go straight to voicemail.
Cursing under his breath, He Juan instructed Zhong Yun to stay in the car before rushing into the building, surprising the Admin. "C–Can I help you, Sir...?"
He Juan’s words tumbled out of his mouth in a rush. "Officer Mu Yuze, the one who had just come in half an hour ago. Short black hair, around 170 cm in height, black bomber jacket and jeans. Have you seen him?"
Even without him describing Mu Yuze’s appearance, the Admin could understand who he was talking about at once. "Oh, are you searching for Officer Mu? I saw him walking toward the lawn— ah! W–Wait a minute, Sir!"
He Juan ignored the alarmed cry behind him, nor did he pay attention to the ruckus he was causing in the place. Once again, he dialed Mu Yuze’s number and his ears perked up when he heard the familiar ringtone which Mu Yuze had set especially for him.
Walking briskly in that direction, He Juan arrived at the end of the hallway, and before him was the glass door that led to the lawn. The subtle scent of nicotine clung to the air, nearly overshadowed by the refreshing petrichor ushered in by the rain.
The ringtone grew increasingly louder, so was the erratic rhythm of He Juan’s heartbeat. Please, Xiao Ze... please pick up! You have to be okay, anyone but you—
He froze on his tracks, his blood running cold when he found Mu Yuze’s phone on the floor near a decorative case, its screen cracked.
Mu Yuze himself was nowhere to be found.
.
.
Case 2: Turtle Caught In A Jar — The End
A/N: the foreshadowing I’ve been sprinkling here and there finally came to fruition in this Chapter *cover face* who’s been suspecting her all along? Or... did you not see this coming at all? fufufu rather than saying she is KJ’s people, it’s more like they’re cooperating for mutual benefit
can you guess who she really is? hehehe
next Chapter, we will officially enter the third and last case ’flame that rises from hell’ or to be exact, this case has been ongoing since volume two...
alright, it’s time i run away and hide. let’s pray for MY’s safety QAQ
