Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)

Tak Jung-Hwa’s simple question was akin to pouring water into sizzling oil. Mr. Qin’s rage erupted in an instant. "Why should I know?! Why should I know who the hell that—cough cough!" He was so angry that he choked on his saliva and ended up almost hacking his lungs out.

Sharp-eyed, Nurse Chen moved to pop open the uppermost button of his shirt and rubbed his chest to make him breathe easier. His voice contained a hint of warning as he glanced at Tak Jung-Hwa. "Please refrain from bringing up sensitive topics that can provoke him. It’s not good for his health."

"Cough cough... I– What am I talking about again? Ah, that’s right, I told you to put two spoonfuls of sugar into my tea, didn’t I?!" He chided the nurse angrily, having forgotten that he was talking about his son a few seconds ago.

"Yes, yes," Nurse Chen answered him smoothly, it seemed like this was not the first time they’ve had this conversation. "I will do it. But you have drunk your tea today, how about tomorrow?"

"Really? You can’t lie to me!"

"I won’t. When have I lied to you?" Nurse Chen did not bat an eyelid as he spewed out lies. "Are you feeling tired? How about going back to the room for a little nap?"

"Oh sure. Indeed, I have been feeling quite tired lately." Mr. Qin stood up with the help of Nurse Chen and waved goodbye at the people around him. Tak Jung-Hwa deliberated for a split second before offering to come with them. Just like that, Mr. Qin was supported by two tall men on both sides. When they were a few steps away, Mr. Qin’s voice hazily drifted out, "Young lad, are you here to visit someone? Your grandfather or your grandmother?"

"Don’t take it to heart, Old Qin is always like that." The other elderly, a woman in his seventies, chimed in after a few seconds of silence. She calmly picked up her cup of tea and sipped it in an elegant manner. "If someone brings up his son, he will always get angry. That’s why we learned not to mention anything about him in front of Old Qin."

"Madam," Kang Guanyu sat down on Tak Jung-Hwa’s seat and called out sweetly to the old lady. "Has Qin Zhen really asked his father for a blessing? He said he would marry a man? What kind of man is it, have you seen it before?"

The old lady was not offended by Kang Guanyu’s barrage of questions at all. Presumably because of his ’good child aura’ that made people could not help but dote on him. Her eyes mellowed as she said, "No, as far as I know, Old Qin’s son has never brought anyone here before. I admit... Little Qin is indeed quite pitiful. It’s not his fault to work that kind of job. He works so hard, but all Old Qin does is nag at him. It must not be easy for him to come out, yet Old Qin got angry at him again. Since then, their relationship soured and Little Qin doesn’t visit as often anymore."

"Do you remember... when he came out about this whole fiasco?"

The old lady frowned. "My memory is not good. I only recalled how Old Qin almost chased his son out of this place." She turned to the female nurse beside her. "How about you?"

The nurse thought for a while before exclaiming, "It should be around Christmas! He crashed into the Christmas tree in the living room and created such a huge ruckus back then! Do you remember, granny?"

"Oh, it does ring a bell!" The old lady shook her head helplessly. "Everything was so chaotic back then."

Kang Guanyu and Mu Yuze glanced at each other. According to the bartender in Phoenix Ablaze, Qin Zhen should have been replaced around Christmas as well.

The one who had come out to Mr. Qin should be the real one, right? So was it safe for them to assume that Qin Zhen was replaced sometime between the visit to Heping Nursing Home and the Christmas celebration in Phoenix Ablaze? If it was the case, then they could lock in on this timeline and focus their investigation there!

But did it mean that the one who withdrew the money in November was the real Qin Zhen?

Confused, Kang Guanyu asked again just to make sure, "Around Christmas? So is it in December?"

The female nurse shook her head. "No, it’s in November. We have always celebrated Christmas early every year."

***

Nurse Chen tucked the blanket around the sleeping Mr. Qin, making sure he was comfortable before drawing the curtain to block the sun. Then he raised his head to look at Tak Jung-Hwa who was leaning on the doorway, paused for a second and walked toward him.

"Let’s talk outside," he said in a hushed voice.

Tak Jung-Hwa nodded. Nurse Chen softly closed the door to Mr. Qin’s bedroom and guided Tak Jung-Hwa to the small balcony at the end of the hallway.

Tak Jung-Hwa was not in a hurry to start. He reached into his pocket and took out a pack of cigarettes, offering it to the man beside him. Even though he did not smoke, he had made it a habit to carry this pack with him all the time. Experience had taught him that offering a cigarette would always do wonders to break the tension in the air.

But Nurse Chen readily raised his hand to refuse, "I have stopped smoking a long time ago. This place is filled with females and elderly people. Second-hand smoke is not good for them."

"That’s admirable," Tak Jung-Hwa praised with utter sincerity. No matter what kind of past this person had, the fact that he was so thoughtful and considerate toward Mr. Qin’s needs was already enough for him to gain Tak Jung-Hwa’s respect. He had been paying attention to Nurse Chen all the time and knew that the man’s attitude was earnest and genuine. His own opinion notwithstanding, the procedure still needed to be carried out. "I noticed that almost all of the nurses here are women. It must be so difficult to make your stand in this field, right?"

"Mn," a hint of a smile appeared in Nurse Chen’s eyes as he pointed at his face. "This scar has especially caused me a lot of trouble. I have applied to so many places, but in the end, only this nursing home decided to accept me."

Tak Jung-Hwa made himself comfortable as he leaned against the railing. "How long have you been working here?"

"Close to four years now."

"And Mr. Qin... have you always been in charge of him?"

Nurse Chen nodded. "Mr. Qin’s temper is not good, especially when someone brought up his son. Sometimes, he will get violent so it’s more suitable for a man to be in charge of him."

From Nurse Chen, Tak Jung-Hwa found out that the nurse in charge of Mr. Qin had always changed every once in a while. For starters, the number of male nurses in this field are much lower than females, and when Mr. Qin lost his temper and got violent, the nurse in charge of him would definitely get injured one way or another. As a result, the nurses ended up sending in their resignation letter and expressed that they were unable to handle him. It was not until Nurse Chen started working here that he became Mr. Qin’s permanent nurse.

Tak Jung-Hwa nodded without interrupting, his gaze never leaving Nurse Chen’s face as he took in every minute of the man’s expression. When Nurse Chen finished talking, he said, "I can see that you’re very passionate about your job, Nurse Chen. But I’m sorry, I must ask some questions that might sound sensitive."

Nurse Chen gave him a gesture to go ahead.

"Someone has disguised themselves as Qin Zhen and visited this place two months ago. Certainly, I have reasons to doubt that he has come into contact with you at that time." The corner of Tak Jung-Hwa’s lips were curled into a careless smile, yet his eyes were sharp enough to cut through metals. "I know you used to be a member of Xuanlong. Tell me, that person... is it XIU? Did he come here to look for you?"