Chapter 5: An Unexpected Gain

Where did a thirty-year-old Jiang family member come from? The original novel hadn’t mentioned anyone like that.

Leaning back in the interrogation chair, Jian Ruochen continued questioning Huo Jinze, “How did you meet this ‘Mr. Jiang’?”

Huo Jinze bit his lip, looking reluctant to elaborate. “We met… at the Tianquan City Entertainment City. He said he was a Jiang.”

Jian Ruochen frowned. He recalled Giants mentioning the Tianquan City Entertainment City – it was one of the Lu family’s businesses, described as a veritable den of vice. In the novel, after failing an exam, the protagonist shou Jiang Hanyu had gone there late one night to drown his sorrows, accidentally barging into Lu Qian’s private suite where they supposedly fell in love at first sight.

Jian Ruochen sighed. “He never told you his full name? Can you remember his appearance?”

Huo Jinze shook his head. “No, and he shut down any questions. He was wearing a casual suit and glasses… had those sanpaku eyes^[1]T/N: like Billie Eilish, John F. Kennedy, etc. where you can see the white’s underneath. Looked pretty average otherwise.”

Then he remembered the watch the man wore. “He had this watch… the band looked like gold, and the face was this deep green color, with little sparkly diamonds around the edge.”

He added uncertainly, “It was clearly expensive… I don’t know what brand it was, though. Is that enough for the police to go on?”

That was 90s Hong Kong for you, Jian Ruochen reflected. Some wallowed in decadent luxury, worldly and sophisticated, residing in towering mansions. Others couldn’t even afford basic housing, forced to squat near quarries or cram into derelict fishing boats just to survive.

After a moment’s silence, Jian Ruochen asked, “How much did this Mr. Jiang pay you? What were his exact instructions? And Chai Jinwu’s watch – how did that figure in?”

Huo Jinze explained, “He gave me two hundred thousand, all at once. It looked like a deal, but I didn’t really have a choice. He threatened me… said if I didn’t cooperate, I’d end up staying at Tianquan City permanently.”

Outside the room, Chan Wanchuen muttered, “Bastard!”

Tianquan City Entertainment City held an infamous reputation among Hong Kong police. It was known as a place where countless people drowned themselves in debauchery, seeking pleasure with male and female escorts, living out their days in a hedonistic haze. Street rumors even whispered that eighty percent of the city’s missing persons likely ended up within Tianquan City’s confines in one way or another.

Huo Jinze confessed readily now, the words tumbling out. “He already had your bracelet when he gave me the instructions. Told me the precise time and place. As for Chai Jinwu… I despise him. So, after I… after I dealt with Feng, I acted on impulse. I took Chai’s watch and left it near the body.”

So that was it. Involving Chai Jinwu had been an impulsive add-on. With that clarified, Huo Jinze’s overall motive became coherent.

Jian Ruochen stood and gently patted Huo Jinze on the shoulder. “Thank you for cooperating. Later, after the police conclude their investigation and the prosecution proceeds with arraignment, maintain a remorseful attitude. If you do, I can help connect you with a competent lawyer. With cooperation, you can likely avoid the death penalty.”

Feng Jiaming used people, and his own record wasn’t clean. Frankly, death was probably too good for him.

Huo Jinze stared, eyes wide with disbelief, a film of moisture gathering as his cheeks flushed hot with shame. He couldn’t articulate the complex emotions swirling within him. He’d spent the last year stripped of all dignity, yet here was Jian Ruochen, treating him like a person.

If only I hadn’t committed this crime…

“If I hadn’t done it…” Huo Jinze asked hesitantly, “would you have been friends with me?”

Jian Ruochen offered a slight smile. “Focus on genuine reform. I’ll visit when I can.”

---

Outside the interrogation room, Guan Yingjun’s expression grew heavy. He crushed the cigarette butt, now burned down to the filter, into his portable ashtray.

Would the average person be familiar with pre-trial legal proceedings? And even if they knew such niche details, to mention it so openly while still technically under a cloud of suspicion… It spoke of incredible, almost arrogant, confidence.

A consummate actor. Anyone who lowered their defenses around him would find themselves emotionally manipulated, coaxed into confusion, and ultimately left spellbound, just like Huo Jinze. But no cop would ever let their guard down around someone who so clearly had something ‘off’ about them – something even a fool could sense.

Guan Yingjun glanced towards the other officers observing the scene. They were, predictably, buzzing with admiration.

“He got the full story just like that? Guan sir worked on him for two hours and couldn’t crack him!”

“What kind of approach was that? Felt more like a friendly chat than an interrogation.”

“Beats me. They sure didn’t teach that at the police academy.”

One of the younger constables nudged his colleague. “Maybe the suspect just responds better to carrots than sticks? And, you know, Jian Ruochen is easy on the eyes. Seriously, never seen a guy look that good, he—”

Smack! Guan Yingjun slammed the file containing Jian Ruochen’s background onto the nearby table. The junior officers instantly fell silent, like cicadas after a frost. One sharp look swept over them, and they hastily swallowed any further comments.

Guan Yingjun looked away from them and raised his hand to knock on the interrogation room door.

Knock, knock.

Jian Ruochen turned towards the entrance. Guan Yingjun stood in the doorway; his gaze heavy. “Jian Ruochen…”

Jian Ruochen responded with that characteristic nasal hum, “Hm?” His eyes, clear as spring water, held an expression of utter innocence.

Guan Yingjun opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone. He fished out a rather dated-looking mobile phone, which appeared comically small in his large hand, and answered the call.

Jian Ruochen subtly strained to listen.

Guan Yingjun listened for a moment. “…Hello?… His family?… Understood.”

He ended the call and looked down at Jian Ruochen, who wasn’t even pretending not to listen. Guan Yingjun’s tone was laden with implication. “Your family is here for you.” If this really wasn’t the original Jian Ruochen, his family members were bound to sense something was off.

Guan Yingjun stated, “I’ll accompany you.” Perhaps, he thought, there’ll be an unexpected gain.

“Excellent,” Jian Ruochen agreed readily. Huo Jinze’s statement implicated a malicious “Mr. Jiang,” and the Jiang household contained Jiang Hanyu, who needed his blood and probably wouldn’t mind seeing him drained dry. As far as Jian Ruochen was concerned, the Jiangs were about as welcoming as Grim Reapers. Having Guan Yingjun along was perfect.

Jian Ruochen walked out with supreme nonchalance, giving no indication he felt under suspicion whatsoever. A corner of Guan Yingjun’s mouth quirked as he fell into step right behind Jian Ruochen.

The young man’s neck looked long and delicate above the loose jacket collar, his skin pale. Swallowed by the ill-fitting clothes, his figure seemed almost pathologically fragile from behind, like a reed that might snap at any moment.

Who could possibly guess that beneath this beautiful, delicate exterior lurked the cunning heart of a fox, coupled with utterly flawless, sophisticated social maneuvering?

Guan Yingjun rubbed the spot between his eyebrows.

They reached the door of another interview room. Jian Ruochen reached out first, turned the handle, and looked inside. Inside sat a man, around thirty, with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, partially obscuring the sharp intensity within his sanpaku eyes.

Jian Ruochen paused. Interesting. He thought, Surely, he doesn’t also have the surname Jiang?

The man rose to his feet, frowning. “Jian Ruochen. When Lu Qian came to collect you earlier, why didn’t you go with him?”

Jian Ruochen stepped inside, silent as a statue. Go on, he thought. I’m listening.

The disdain and impatience in the man’s eyes were nearly tangible. “How dare you commit murder?”

Jian Ruochen maintained his silence. The police have already identified the killer. If this man was called here by the police, he’d know I’m cleared. If the university contacted him, the advisor would likely only have said I was ‘assisting with an investigation’. So, the question is, apart from the ‘Mr. Jiang’ who orchestrated the frame-up, who else would be so absolutely certain that I am the killer?

Jian Ruochen turned his head, meeting Guan Yingjun’s eyes. The mastermind is standing right here. His gaze seemed to ask, Well, Guan sir? What are you going to do?

Guan Yingjun reached behind him and pulled the door shut. The silence in the small room suddenly felt heavy, almost solid.

Jian Ruochen shot the man a look brimming with pity. Heh. Like shooting fish in a barrel. He waited, expecting handcuffs to appear.

Guan Yingjun, however, made no move towards the man. Instead, he turned his gaze back to Jian Ruochen, his dark eyes glinting with cold light. “Why so silent?” he asked, his tone laced with meaning. “You don’t recognize him?”

Jian Ruochen mentally paused. Ah. So, Guan sir isn’t just looking for an easy catch. He wanted to play the fisherman, letting the snipe and the clam wear each other out first! In this situation, the only truly disarming tactic is genuine vulnerability.

Jian Ruochen blinked slowly, letting the corners of his eyes droop slightly. He turned a vaguely confused “Hm?” towards Guan Yingjun before finally looking back at the other man. “Who are you?”

The man calling himself Mr. Jiang looked like he might choke, his face instantly flushing crimson with rage. Everyone in Hong Kong who mattered, anyone seeking favor from the Jiangs, knew who he was! It was impossible Jian Ruochen didn’t recognize him! This had to be a deliberate slight!

He bit out, enunciating clearly, “I am Jiang Yongyan, steward of the Jiang Ting Residence.”

Jian Ruochen simply nodded. “Oh.” That single, indifferent syllable caused Jiang Yongyan’s red face to instantly darken to an ugly, purplish hue.

Guan Yingjun’s eyes remained fixed on Jian Ruochen. As the young man nodded, the slightly mussed strands of hair sticking up on his head seemed to quiver slightly. His looks certainly are deceptively innocent.

“Jiang Yongyan’s initial question,” Guan Yingjun pressed, meeting Jian Ruochen’s apparently bewildered stare.

“Why did you evade it?” He prompted, “Lu Qian.”

Now there was a name that resonated. Tianquan City Entertainment City flourished under Lu Qian’s management, and the entire West Kowloon RCU practically fantasized about tearing him limb from limb. Hearing Lu Qian’s name, Jiang Yongyan seemed to grasp the situation.

Mindful of Jiang Hanyu waiting for a transfusion, he visibly softened his approach. “Don’t be difficult with Lu Qian now,” he urged Jian Ruochen. “Isn’t he the one you like best? Just come home, and the engagement will be finalized immediately.”

A picture of tangled wealthy-family drama began to form slowly in Guan Yingjun’s mind.

Jian Ruochen drew himself up, radiating indignation. “Like Lu Qian?” he declared, his voice ringing with conviction. “What I happen to like right now is the ten-billion-dollar inheritance I just claimed.”

Love can go to hell; what’s that compared to ten billion?

The picture of high-society intrigue in Guan Yingjun’s mind abruptly warped into a giant question mark.

Jiang Yongyan stared, wondering if Jian Ruochen had lost his mind. “A ten-billion inheritance?”

An absurd feeling washed over him – the sense that events were spiraling out of his control. Where on earth did Jian Ruochen get ten billion dollars? If he had that kind of money, would he still be the same pretty idiot as before – the one who’d wag his tail and plead for scraps of attention, letting everyone take whatever they wanted from him?! If the Jiangs lost their leverage over Jian Ruochen, what would become of Jiang Hanyu?

Panic seized Jiang Yongyan. He lunged forward, grabbing Jian Ruochen’s wrist. “Let’s go! You’re coming back to the main house with me, right now!” He hissed, “Little Han needs you more than ever right now! Sharing his blood type, being able to give him blood – consider it your blessing! If you save Little Han, Chairman Jiang will finally acknowledge you as his son!”

Jian Ruochen was speechless again.

The last time I heard lines this mind-blowingly awful… was probably the last time I heard someone talk.

Lu Qian’s face flashed in his memory. The same level of astounding audacity, evoking the same stunned silence.

Hearing only silence, Guan Yingjun glanced down at Jian Ruochen in surprise. The young man who had been so eloquently sharp-tongued in the interrogation room moments ago was now pale as death. His messy hair drooped, long lashes casting shadows, hiding the clear shrewdness usually visible in his eyes.

Those lashes trembled faintly, the corners of his mouth downturned, pale lips pressed into a thin line. He looked utterly disappointed, deeply hurt. His wrist, where Jiang Yongyan gripped him, was already turning red, yet he made no move to resist.

Guan Yingjun’s brow furrowed. He reached out, clamped a hand on Jiang Yongyan’s shoulder, and gave a sharp tug. Wincing from the pressure, Jiang Yongyan was forced to release his grip on Jian Ruochen’s wrist.

Jian Ruochen seemed to snap back to himself abruptly. Glancing down, he saw the red imprint on his wrist. He rubbed it instinctively, a creepy-crawly sensation prickling over his skin. He’d initially planned to subtly probe Jiang Yongyan about the frame-up plot, but now? He couldn’t bear to stay another second. All he wanted was to go home and wash this entire encounter off him!

Jian Ruochen abruptly switched tactics, his voice sharp. “Mr. Jiang, it’s known that many killers return to the scene of the crime after the fact. Others try to get close to the police afterwards, fishing for information on the investigation’s progress.”

He paused, his gaze pointed. “Which category do you fall into, I wonder?”

Guan Yingjun mentally blinked. Either way, isn’t the implication ‘murderer’?

Jiang Yongyan’s face contorted. “What are you trying to say?”

Feeling weary, Jian Ruochen sank into the nearest chair, propping his head tiredly on his hand. “You came in here immediately accusing me of murder,” he said, his voice laced with fatigue. “Given that the police have kept details under wraps, how exactly did you come by this information? Huo Jinze has already confessed, you know. Said a ‘Mr. Jiang’ hired him for the murder and the frame-up.”

“You—!” Jiang Yongyan jabbed a trembling finger towards Jian Ruochen.

Guan Yingjun instantly stepped between them, blocking Jiang Yongyan. “Compose yourself!” he ordered sharply.

Peeking out from behind Guan Yingjun’s shoulder, Jian Ruochen smoothly fabricated, “What Guan sir is implying is that if you try to lay a hand on anyone again, it’ll be considered assaulting a police officer. That adds another charge, you see. Multiple offenses, punished concurrently… could easily push it towards a capital sentence.”

Guan Yingjun didn’t react, though inwardly he thought, That’s… not what I implied. His lips parted slightly, perhaps to object, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jiang Yongyan raising his arm again, seemingly trying to reach past him towards Jian Ruochen.

Without hesitation, Guan Yingjun produced a pair of handcuffs and snapped one onto Jiang Yongyan’s reaching wrist. Click.

Jian Ruochen blinked. He seems so rigid, yet he follows suggestions surprisingly well. He drew back slightly, his eyes fixed somewhere around Guan Yingjun’s lower back.

As if reading his mind, he murmured softly, “Is this that ‘unexpected gain’ you mentioned?”

Guan Yingjun swiftly secured the second cuff on Jiang Yongyan’s another wrist, then shot Jian Ruochen a sideways look.

“No,” he replied quietly.