Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 114: Master Manipulator

Qin Zhen was flabbergasted. His expression was one of genuine confusion plus a tinge of unconcealed fear. "P–Pardon?"

Seeing that this despicable person was going to pretend until the end, Jia Molei’s patience rapidly went down the drain. He swiveled around, grabbed Qin Zhen by the neck and slammed him against the sink, his eyes were blazing with pure anger, derision and hatred. Even though Jia Molei had a perpetual frown on his face and a foul mouth that made him look as if he would die if he did not curse every two or three sentences, he very seldom used his hands to settle matters. It could be seen how enraged he was right now.

He did not hold back his strength at all. The muscles on his arms bulged in a terrifying manner and his veins flared out, trembling. His five fingers sank into the fragile side of Qin Zhen’s neck, almost causing the latter to piss his pants in extreme fright.

In a blink of an eye, Qin Zhen’s face turned red due to the lack of oxygen as his thin body struggled desperately against the strong chokehold. He tried to shove Jia Molei’s hand away, yet the man’s grip was as strong as steel. No matter how hard Qin Zhen scratched or clawed at him, he did not budge at all. "S–Sir..." he wheezed out in gasps. "Y–You have gotten the wrong person..." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"The wrong person?" Jia Molei barked out a laugh as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world — a laugh that did not reach his eyes at all. "You bastard, even if you turn into ashes, I will still recognize your repulsive face. You can fool everyone in this world with your Oscar-level acting skills, but think about it, have you ever fooled me once?"

The tension in the empty bathroom thickened and electricity sparked from the contact between the two men’s line of sight, as if an explosion would erupt anytime soon.

Like a thin mist blown away by a soft breeze, the panic and fear in Qin Zhen’s eyes faded away and a hint of genuine mirth appeared in them. His lips tugged into the barest of smiles. It was only a simple gesture, yet his aura abruptly changed, as if the timid and earnest Qin Zhen – the disciplined staff of Phoenix Ablaze – had never existed in the first place.

’Qin Zhen’ pinched Jia Molei’s wrist and easily removed it from his neck, his demeanor was so easy as if he was brushing away a twig. The veins on Jia Molei’s forehead throbbed from how hard he was fighting against the seemingly thin and slender fingers. In a split second, the tables had turned. Now, it was Jia Molei who was utterly helpless against the other!

"Let... go...!" Jia Molei gritted his teeth and sharply wrenched his wrist away, and this time ’Qin Zhen’ allowed him. Due to the momentum, Jia Molei tumbled back a few steps and his back collided against the bathroom stall. Yet he showed no signs of moving away. Clutching his swollen wrist, he glared at the man in front of him with extreme wariness, just like a wild beast who was guarding against the hunter.

Heaving a light sigh, ’Qin Zhen’ straightened his crumpled shirt and inspected his bruised neck in the mirror. He acted as if he did not notice Jia Molei’s vigilant demeanor. When he spoke again, his voice became much deeper and richer, totally different from how it was a moment ago, carrying with it the air of ease and indifference of a superior party. "You haven’t changed at all, Molei. Still such a brute. If I had not blown my cover, would you have snapped my neck?"

Jia Molei gave a sneer. "What do you think?"

’Qin Zhen’ scrutinized Jia Molei through the mirror with interest. His gaze was very different from normal people. It was dark and bottomless. No matter how much emotions were showing on the surface, if one looked closer, then they would notice that everything was dead deep inside. When he stared at someone, it would give off a very uncomfortable feeling as if they were stared at by a cold-blooded snake.

In the end, he retracted his gaze and turned around so they were face-to-face. "I thought my acting skills have improved leaps and bounds after seven years. Alas, I still can’t evade your eyes..." He let out a wistful sigh and shook his head in pity.

Seeing this casual demeanor of his as if talking to an old friend, Jia Molei was unable to hold back his rage. His broad frame shook and his eyes turned bloodshot. If not because he had known he would not stand a chance against this person, he would have pounced on him and torn his neck off to wipe that repulsive look off his face! "Seven years? You still dare to bring up the matter of seven years ago after everything that has happened?! Why...?!" The veins on his neck stood out from how agitated he was. "It has not been easy for him to get to where he is now. So why do you have to return?!!" The end of his words ricocheted off the walls, followed by harsh and rapid breathing.

’Qin Zhen’ merely listened as Jia Molei ranted to his heart’s content. His gaze still contained great interest, yet there was also a hint of pity in them. As if he was not looking at a human, but a clown or... a small animal who struggled desperately inside a small cage.

Then, as if he wanted to push Jia Molei further into the brink of despair, he raised his brow and said, "You ask why? Have you known it yourself? So long as XIU is still alive, Boss Xuan will not be able to go to the underworld[1] peacefully. How can Boss Xuan let him go... after the promise they have made together?"

He took two steps forward until the distance between them was only less than an inch, then he stretched his index finger out to poke Jia Molei on his chest – right where his heart lay. "And you..." his lips were still tugged into a faint smile, and his voice was soft and gentle akin to the whisper of a lover, yet the words he said caused Jia Molei’s blood to run cold. "...the person who has taken XIU away from him. He will never let any of you go."

’Qin Zhen’ suddenly recalled something and laughed heartily. "Oh, recently, I came across a very interesting scene. Officer Mu... isn’t it? It seems like his relationship with XIU is quite unusual." Jia Molei sucked in cold air and his pupils dilated sharply, yet ’Qin Zhen’ acted as if he noticed nothing. He continued saying in a leisurely tone. "Have you given him a severe warning to stay as far as possible from XIU... just like what you did to that guy surnamed Su?"

"Boss might have been merciful because that Su guy is nothing more than a friend of XIU, so he took only his girlfriend’s life instead of the guy himself." A grin spread across his face and his eyes gained a hint of excitement as if imagining something very thrilling. "But if I report the true nature of that officer’s relationship with XIU... how do you think he will react?"

Chills ran down Jia Molei’s spine and he closed his eyes in despair.

He thought that he had managed to bring He Juan away, he thought that... he had managed to protect He Juan for the past seven years. Yet as it turned out, he had been too naïve. From the start, they had been dancing right in the middle of this person’s palm...

Everyone might have assumed that Xuanlong’s right-hand man was XIU, judging from how Boss Xuan had entrusted him with cleaning up a lot of internal and external mess. But that was not the truth. XIU was only the left-hand man, whereas the true right-hand man was... none other than this person in front of him.

Unlike XIU whose domineering deeds had spread wide and far across the country, this person always did everything silently, never leaving behind any clues which could be trailed back to him.

He seldom appeared in public and on rare occasions when he did, nobody would be able to recognize him for his ability to blend with the crowd. Yet every single time, he was able to manipulate everything to his liking. Every single person’s reaction, their future actions, the words they would say... everything was within this person’s precise calculation. What was scariest was how he could take the unpredictable human’s heart into account as well.

He was akin to a chess player whereas everyone was no different than the pieces he could move at will. And worst, nobody would even realize that they were being manipulated. Once they did, they would discover that they had been deeply tangled in the intricate trap this person had laid out; the more they struggled, the tighter the net would bind their bodies.

He was cold-blooded, ruthless and savage, and he played with human lives as if they were nothing.

He was Xuanlong’s truest right-hand man, the Master of Disguise and Manipulation — Ku Jin.

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[1] underworld in this context doesn’t mean the mafia world, but the literal sense of the place someone goes after they die – or more like Hell.