Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)

Kang Guanyu’s mouth fell slack as he stared at Tak Jung-Hwa as if he could not believe what he had just heard.

He should have made the connection. It was perfectly reasonable, after all, seeing that Jia Molei was in an uncompromising position with the imposter in the surveillance footage – where the thick and heated tension was palpable in the air – and how he and He Juan had known each other for a long time. It was reasonable to doubt that He Juan knew something about the imposter, yet the mere thought did not seem to cross Kang Guanyu’s mind at all.

"...What?" his voice was almost lost through the streams of cars whistling by and the occasional horns, shaky and incredulous. "How could..."

He Juan was grateful for Kang Guanyu’s high opinion of him, though he had no idea what he had done to warrant that.

In response to Tak Jung-Hwa’s inquisitive question, He Juan’s eyelids did not even twitch. He found it weird how much he struggled to keep his guilt at bay when facing the smiling and innocent-looking Kang Guanyu. As for Tak Jung-Hwa... not so much.

Perhaps it was the familiar scrutiny which he had once experienced during eight hours of confinement in the interrogation room, or perhaps it was a surge of protectiveness toward Jia Molei, or perhaps it was the fight of dominance between two Alphas. Whatever it was, He Juan found himself meeting Tak Jung-Hwa’s stare head-on and uttered with a perfect composure that shocked even himself, "Molei is innocent. I understand where you are coming from, Sir, and it’s normal for you to doubt him. But I can attest that I have never seen this person before despite knowing Molei for seven years. Not even once."

"Hmm, is that so?" Tak Jung-Hwa sounded mostly intrigued, though He Juan was unable to read much from his expression.

Kang Guanyu glanced at them back and forth, shut his eyes and yelled out in one breath, "I... I trust Mr. He! He’s not the kind of person you think he is!"

The solid tension in the air was shattered by this passionate remark. He Juan withdrew his gaze and tried not to reveal the guilt on his face. Just why did Kang Guanyu trust him so much? He Juan could not think of any occasion where he had the chance to convince the man of his character...

On the other hand, Tak Jung-Hwa burst out into loud and amused laughter, "Look at you. How long have you known each other again? How can you say something like that so easily?"

Kang Guanyu flushed red, awkward and embarrassed for being pointed out in such a blatant manner. He grumbled under his breath, "Well, we might not have known each other for long, but I trust my instinct..."

"I need to," He Juan cut them off, the stiffness on the corner of his lips betraying the wild restlessness in his heart. "Go to Molei right now. If you will excuse me."

"No, no no no, please don’t go!" Kang Guanyu latched onto his arm and in a burst of strength, hauled He Juan into the back seat and slammed the door to his face. He Juan was dumbfounded, unable to react to this sudden turn of events. He had no idea that Kang Guanyu, who looked so slender at a glance, turned out to have so much power in his body.

Not giving He Juan any chance to refuse, Kang Guanyu jumped into the shotgun seat and grinned at him. "We’re heading toward the same destination either way, so why should we let you go alone?" Then he patted Tak Jung-Hwa’s shoulder. "Right? We must not lose this chance to catch the imposter! I believe that Mr. He’s friend has nothing to do with this!"

An amused smile played on the corner of Tak Jung-Hwa’s lips. When he glanced at He Juan through the rearview mirror, there was none of the deep scrutiny he showed earlier, only warmth and a tinge of curiosity. "Okay, so where should he go?"

He Juan considered his choices for two seconds and finally conceded to his fate. It would be too much of a hassle to shake the two officers off his trail only to hail a cab, not to mention the amount of suspicion it brought forth. He Juan might be innocent in this matter, but he really had no idea about Jia Molei or... the past He Juan. Right now, all he could do was play by ear and cross the bridge when he came to it. "Alright," he mustered a cordial smile. When all was said and done, the two of them had meant well and they were Mu Yuze’s colleagues first and foremost. He Juan could only treat them with politeness. "Thank you for giving me a ride. Molei’s address is..."

It was the longest ride He Juan had experienced in his life. He felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, less because of Tak Jung-Hwa’s occasional glances and more because of his concern over his best friend’s condition. Fortunately, Tak Jung-Hwa did not ask him any more questions. The car was filled with only Kang Guanyu’s chatter as he tried to fill He Juan in on what had happened since the accident with Wu Yuan and his father.

"What?" He Juan’s tone was high in shock and disbelief. "Wu Yuan is in Yuyang Hospital Center too...?" He had been worrying about how the teenager was faring in the police station, thinking that he was being accompanied by the lawyer Jia Molei had hired, yet as it turned out, he had always been within reach? And to think that He Juan had no idea at all! Heavens, just how many things had people been hiding from him when he was confined in the ICU ward?!

Kang Guanyu was taken aback, not expecting that He Juan really had no idea about it at all. "Err..." he scratched his nose sheepishly. "Mu Yuze didn’t tell you?"

"No..." How could he, when they were akin to animals in heat who could not wait to be all over each other once they met? He Juan thought sadly.

Next, when Kang Guanyu briefed him about the imposter, He Juan was experiencing the exact stages of emotional rollercoaster he had gone through a moment ago. From denial, anger, depression to calm acceptance, He Juan tried to digest the fact that Jia Molei might have been hiding secrets – more terrible than he had expected.

Cold dread crawled down his spine when the realization dawned on him. The imposter had been so close to them all along. He had disguised himself as a staff in Phoenix Ablaze to get close to Miss Zhao, had disguised himself as a little officer to drive Wu Yuan to Yuyang Hospital Center, then had met up with Jia Molei...

For what?

What was He Juan’s role in this whole scheme? Did it have something to do with the accident seven years ago that caused him to lose his memory?

He Juan felt like he was stepping into a well-crafted net, one that was so complex and intrinsic that it was impossible to escape from. Despite knowing that what awaited him in front was danger, he still did not have any choice but to step right into it. The feeling was so uncomfortable, it was like millions of ants were gnawing under his skin.

Fingers shaking, he tried to call Jia Molei a few more times to no avail. He used to loathe it when Jia Molei nagged at him, but now... oh how He Juan wished to hear that snappish and irritating voice. He was even willing to let Jia Molei nag at him for a lifetime if it meant that he could have his best friend safe and sound.

Under Tak Jung-Hwa’s driving that bordered on racing, they arrived at Jia Molei’s residential complex half an hour later. He Juan did not even wait until the car fully stopped before he opened the door and jumped down.

Almost frantic, he fumbled around for a spare key hidden under Jia Molei’s flower pot and opened the front gate.