Case Files Chapter 111: Still Waters and Bitter Cold (4)

Translated by Vivian of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

 

Wen JinHan was sitting on the bed, silently drinking from a bowl of congee. Ou Chen was sitting on a soft sofa next to the window, watching him with an expression that made him seem like he was enjoying and evaluating a painting.

After a while, Wen JinHan mustered up the courage to look up and ask quietly, “Can you… let me go? I won’t tell anyone.”

Ou Chen’s gaze flashed, and he spoke slowly though with a tone of finality. “Don’t even think about leaving. Just be obedient and stay next to me, and I’ll guarantee that no one will dare to lift a finger against you, so you can live the rest of your life without worry.”

Wen JinHan looked down in disappointment and continued drinking congee…

After a bit, he looked up again and asked weakly, “Can you——”

Ou Chen frowned slightly; he didn’t like stubborn people who couldn’t take the hint.

“Can you give me another bowl of congee?” Wen JinHan held out his empty bowl to him with an aggrieved expression.

“…I’ll tell someone to get some.”

When he walked to the door, Ou Chen turned back. “You haven’t eaten properly for several days, so you can’t eat too much right now. You have to recover your appetite before eating too much.” I definitely wasn’t deliberately not giving you food!

Wen JinHan continued to look at him plaintively: That’s obviously just an excuse.

Under his accusatory gaze, Ou Chen left in defeat.

However, this beauty seemed to be even more interesting than he had thought.

*****

He stayed like this in the suite for a week, and today, Ou Chen seemed to be in a good mood, so he took the initiative to bring Wen JinHan to the club.

Wen JinHan was eager to make a move, but he still pretended to be fearful and hesitant. Over this period of time, he had discovered that Ou Chen never revealed his emotions and was careful and suspicious. Thus, Wen JinHan was even more careful to not let anything slip as he obediently played his role as a victim.

“Don’t worry, that scene from the other day was just a special case, and I won’t show you those kinds of things in the future. The club is relatively relaxing,” comforted Ou Chen as he led him out of the room.

When they went into the elevator, Wen JinHan noticed that this elevator required a fingerprint and a card swipe to be used, though it probably had other security measures as well.

The elevator descended two floors, and Ou Chen led him out. They walked down a long corridor with heavy carpets and rustic designs. Oil paintings decorated the walls, along with tall green plants. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought that this was some art gallery or fine dining restaurant, elegant and low-profile.

The door at the end of the corridor opened, and light immediately spilled out. Inside, people were bustling about, and several servers were already making preparations. In the center of the hall, there were sofas spaced far apart, though they all had a view of the stage, where a band was setting up. Not too far to his left, there was an impressive-looking circular dark-brown bar. The wine racks behind it were very tall, and there were at least a dozen bartenders and waiters working there. No matter how he looked at it, it was simply a luxurious bar without a hint of indecency.

“There are a lot of tasty snacks there, and they’re all made by Michelin chefs and a famous pastry chef. Go on, have a taste.” Ou Chen rubbed the back of his neck, and his tone was a little pampering, kind of like he was talking to a pet.

Wen JinHan remained where he was, looking around alertly.

“It’s okay, I’ll have Lira go with you.” Ou Chen gestured to one of his bodyguards.

Only then did Wen JinHan slowly walk to the dessert stand.

These past few days, Ou Chen had had a very good time. This person wasn’t like most of the people they acquired; he didn’t want to be with him at all, yet he was very obedient and didn’t resist. He was scared and worried, yet he never had a breakdown or appeared despaired. On the contrary, he was very alert as he observed everything around him, as if he hadn’t given up on searching for an opportunity. He was well-behaved but not cowardly, which Ou Chen liked a lot, not to mention how captivating his body and face were. However, he wouldn’t easily trust anyone close to him, and no matter how normal and harmless Wen JinHan seemed, he wouldn’t let his guard down too easily.

As Wen JinHan ate a slice of chestnut cake, he contemplated his surroundings. He had purposely acted unique, but at the same time, he was careful not to cross the line; this seemed to be very useful, as Ou Chen was liking him more and more. If he wanted to obtain crucial information and Ou Chen’s trust, being with him all the time was the best way. However, high benefits meant high risks; Ou Chen had been nicknamed the “cold snake” by some people, which implied his vicious nature. If Wen JinHan was slightly careless, he might never be able to recover. He would have to prepare for a long battle…

As Wen JinHan was thinking, someone’s hand suddenly caressed his neck and moved up to his face.

“When did this new one get here, how extraordinary… How come I’ve never seen you before? Have you been groomed yet?” The person behind him asked coyly.

Wen JinHan silently put down the piece of cake in his hand and picked up a large, glazed fruit plate. He abruptly turned around and slammed the plate and fruits into the person’s head.

“Ow—— Fuck!” The person fell down, his head throbbing.

The person was shocked and seemed to want to get revenge. However, O Chen had already rushed over and pulled Wen JinHan, who was trembling, into his arms. He gently caressed his back as he consoled, “Are you okay? Don’t be scared, it was my fault. However, you sure are ruthless, what if you had killed him?” Ou Chen seemed to be reprimanding him, though his expression was agreeable.

“Brother Chen——” The person on the ground got up, still covering his face. “Is this your new pet? Damn, there are even durians here?! Which idiot put durians with the husk still on in here? Don’t they know how dangerous it is?!”

Ou Chen said unsympathetically, “It’s not a big deal. In the future, just remember not to touch new people without permission, got it?”

“Okay, I didn’t know he was yours. I just heard that Brother Chen recently got his hands on a beauty that he cherishes dearly.”

Wen JinHan quietly sized him up; he was Li Long, one of Ou Chen’s close confidants. He had a bad temper, but he wasn’t too insidious. It was fortunate that it was him, since he probably wouldn’t hold a grudge. 

The entire hall was silent as everyone quietly observed the situation. Ou Chen swept an eye across everyone and then helplessly looked at the annoyed person in his arms. “You…” He looked up and raised his voice. “The moment JinHan came in here, he was mine. In the future, everyone should protect him like you would protect me. Don’t let me find out that he’s been bullied, or else he’ll be unhappy, which means that I’ll be very unhappy.” Then, he took off his jade bracelet and put it on Wen JinHan.

Everyone gasped; that bracelet was Ou Chen’s prized possession that had been passed down in his family for generations. Practically everyone here recognized it, as it was basically Ou Chen’s trademark. Yet, he had casually given it to someone else, a lover that had only been with him for a week.

Exactly where did this person come from that he could make Ou Chen lose all reason? However, they were also very aware that they definitely couldn’t mess with that person, or else the consequences would be unbearable.

Success! Half of the weight on Wen JinHan’s heart lifted. Now that Ou Chen had made such a significant gesture, he at least wouldn’t have to worry too much about other people harming him, and he could also have a little more freedom. However, the reason he only half of his burdens were now gone was because he hadn’t expected Ou Chen to make such a big move yet; his feelings still weren’t completely there yet, and he wasn’t completely bewitched yet, so there was still a ways to go.

On the surface, Wen JinHan’s expression was confused as he touched the bracelet on his wrist. However, his mind was as sharp as ever. This was an act put on by Ou Chen in order to see if his prestige among these people was stable, and if anyone would dare to challenge him. On the other hand, it was also a display for Wen JinHan to think that he had obtained all of his trust so he could let down his guard. If he had any ill intentions, he would definitely have a significant reaction to this act, or if he was arrogant, then it might begin to show. Ou Chen’s test was quite smart, but it was a pity that his opponent was Wen JinHan. When comparing endurance, no one could beat him; although Ou Chen was vicious, no one was more vicious than someone who threw themself into a den of wolves.

*****

“Boss, what’s the situation?” Zheng Fei was a little confused after reading the notes from Yu Mo’s interview.

“The largest drug lord in Central and South America, Ramis. He’s actually part-Chinese, since his ancestors immigrated to Southeast Asia during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and later moved to Brazil. He seems to know a lot about Eastern culture,” said Wen JingHan.

“A cultured drug lord?” Guan Jin raised an eyebrow.

“For some reason, he is using a laboratory in City S to create a new type of drug or medicine.”

“Why here?” asked Gu Xiang.

“Because City S had a big project, and the materials and equipment happened to be what they needed. They bought off the people working on the project and used it as a cover to obtain a large quantity of illegal and dangerous chemicals and reagents, as well as secretly transferred some equipment for their own research and development. More importantly, a large part of their research and development is based on botanical material native to this country, and only we have the experts and personnel in the fields they need.”

“Wait, so they’re experimenting with new drugs in City S?” asked Guan Jin.

“That’s right. They disguised them as other drugs, and the anti-drug team still hasn’t found any traces of a new type. Originally, Ramis and his people were planning to infiltrate City S and control some officials and businessmen, but they were thwarted by us, which is why they changed to creating new experimental drugs.”

“At the time, there was an assassin that kept killing people in our cases. He was acting under Ramis’s orders, right?” Chen QiaoYu made the connection.

“It’s very likely. This assassin is still in City S, in case of emergency. Thus, he’s continued the new drug plan in City S, so we have to stop them before they finish.”

“Assassin… Laboratory…” Lu YunYang suddenly muttered, and he turned to meet Guan Jin’s gaze.

The two of them said in unison, “The laboratory building in Hospital Three!”

Wen JingHan raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you two have such a close and tacit understanding. May I ask what that means?”

Guan Jin felt a little irritated about this type of tacit understanding, but he quickly said, “Do you remember that case with the serial killer at the hospital? Didn’t I get attacked by someone in the dissection room in the laboratory building? Later, that person was killed right when he left the building, so I think that was done by the same assassin.”

“The caliber of the bullet indeed matches. So you’re saying that it’s likely that this type of drug experiment could be conducted in the hospital?” Wen JingHan frowned.

“I don’t know about that, but that person went into the dissection room in the middle of the night. It’s not like he wanted to steal a body.” Guan Jin shrugged.

Wen JingHan said thoughtfully, “Now that you say that, perhaps it really was because of a body…”