Case Files Chapter 12: Debut (10)

Translated by Vivian of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

 

Guan Jin was laying on his bed, thinking about the various possibilities. He didn’t want to wait any longer. This wasn’t his life; it was unfamiliar and weird, and it made him feel uncomfortable all over. Thus, he had decided to just take the plunge.

Min Yan was a giant in the entertainment industry, and he had properties all over the country, capable of easily attracting powerful people to City S. Even a ghost wouldn’t believe a person like this, who operated in such a mixed industry, if he said that his hands were clean. Guan Jin should take advantage of this opportunity and slowly spy out things; if it was possible, getting Min Yan’s help would be ideal.

Guan Jin also had a bargaining chip, provided that Min Yan wasn’t harboring those types of thoughts about him. When he thought about how Min Yan would leer at him from time to time, he couldn’t help but shiver and want to go step on his face.

Guan Jin stood up resentfully and went to the bathroom. The face in the mirror could only be considered elegant at best, and it was staring at himself angrily. This face and figure couldn’t fascinate anyone, right? Just as he was feeling conflicted, another face unexpectedly appeared, with his inscrutable smile and arrogant tone, his warm breaths close to Guan Jin’s face… Fuck, they’re both crazy!

Guan Jin calmed down as he sat in front of his computer. Lying dormant in the dark, biding his time, and then silently assassinating someone was the true Black Owl ¹. He opened his computer and clicked on a website he hadn’t logged into for a long time.

The forum was still very active, and he searched up a username: big mouth. Tony’s last post was from three months ago, sent when he had received his last mission in his previous life:

[Hey, buddy! I met such a gorgeous girl! I think I fell in love. Come to me! You need to know her, my bro ².]

This was the method Tony used most to make an appointment with him, and the content always had something to do with a woman. When he recalled Tony, whom he had worked with for so many years, and his scratchy voice, he nearly teared up. How come he was actually becoming soft after just putting on a soft guise? Guan Jin laughed in self-ridicule and closed the tab. Even though they were old partners, he didn’t dare to contact him, because if Tony betrayed him, then it was like stepping into a trap.

It seemed that he would be on his own this time.

*****

At noon the next day, Guan Jin received a call from Min Yan.

“Want to go out for dinner?” Guan Jin’s tone was clearly hesitant, though he was grinning widely. I was just waiting for you!

The person on the other end of the line said some things, and Guan Jin paused briefly before saying, “Then why don’t we go to that restaurant you mentioned last time, isn’t it very famous?”

Min Yan happily agreed.

After hanging up, Guan Jin sneered. They both clearly knew that the other person didn’t have honest intentions, but they were still pretending, and this method of dealing with people wasn’t suitable for him. With a bullet, there would be no more problems, and that was quite blissful.

In the night, City S was brightly lit, gorgeous, and bustling. The clubhouse that was hidden on a boulevard became very low-profile.

Min Yan and Guan Jin ate dinner at the restaurant in the front, and Guan Jin rudely ordered the most expensive wine and dishes in the restaurant; he wasn’t the one paying anyway, and he had to take advantage of the opportunity to appease his poor stomach.

Min Yan swirled his wine as he looked at Guan Jin, who was inhaling a dish of grilled matsutake mushrooms. In the luxury restaurant in City S where only the upper class ate at, an ordinary police officer had ordered a very logical appetizer, main course, desert, and even a well-matched wine. Moreover, they were all top dishes from French cuisine. He ate rather fast, but he still had impeccable dining etiquette. If Min Yan hadn’t looked into his background, he would’ve really suspected the person in front of him was a fake.

After he ate the last bite of his tiramisu, Guan Jin used a napkin to wipe his mouth in satisfaction. “I’m done eating, what’s next?”

Min Yan didn’t seem to hear him clearly, and his expression was a little blank.

Guan Jin crossed his legs and looked Min Yan up and down. “There’s no more? Then send me home.”

Min Yan smiled his perfect smile. “If I sent you home now, that would be poor hospitality on my part. Of course I want to invite you to the clubhouse in the back to relax and drink some tea or coffee.”

“Then let’s go.”

As soon as Guan Jin left his seat, the smile on Min Yan’s face was wiped away and replaced with an inscrutable, searching expression.

“President, you’re here.” A man and a few servers were standing at the entrance, and they nodded and bowed in welcome.

Guan Jin remembered him; he was the person who had come out of the office while talking on the phone, and it seemed that he was the manager of this clubhouse.

“Du Sheng, this is my esteemed guest, Guan Jin. Give him the highest level diamond membership card,” said Min Yan.

“Yes, right away. Mr. Guan will be our most esteemed guest from now on.” Du Sheng motioned for the two of them to enter.

Guan Jin walked in bluntly.

“You seem to be very familiar with this place, as you know where all the corridors lead to,” remarked Min Yan, smiling gently.

Guan Jin paused and continued walking. “You didn’t tell me to stop, so naturally I won’t go wrong if I keep walking. If I had money and was familiar with this place, then you wouldn’t have been able to bribe me with one meal.”

“What do you mean, bribe? Eating together is simply a way of connecting feelings.” Min Yan pretended to be hurt.

Guan Jin inwardly rolled his eyes as he thought, You look really disgusting when you try to pretend to be innocent.

“Oh, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Guan Jin froze and abruptly stopped walking. Lu YunYang was crossing his arms, leaning against the door frame of a small bar, smiling as he looked at him.

How?! Guan Jin hadn’t noticed him at all, did this person have no presence?!

The night he had been shot, the person that had killed him was hidden and silent, and that horrible feeling returned again. He felt as though he had fallen into an ice hole, and he was cold all over.

Lu YunYang was stunned when he saw Guan Jin’s expression darken; could he really be this unwelcome?

“What? Does Mr. Lu know Officer Guan?” Min Yan hadn’t sensed the change in Guan Jin, but he was a little surprised that Lu YunYang knew Guan Jin, so he had purposely emphasized Guan Jin’s identity.

“Of course, we’re good friends, right? Little Jin.” Lu YunYang’s smile was sweet and gentle.

The ice shards on Guan Jin’s body fell off. Little Jin?! What the hell was this?! He would bear the people in his team calling him this, but who was Lu YunYang to use this nickname? I’m not good friends with you!

Guan Jin was just about to retort, but Lu YunYang suddenly stopped smiling, walked closer, and said in an undertone, “We have a little secret between us, right?”

Little secret… Was he referring to how Guan Jin had secretly snuck in here before? Although Guan Jin didn’t care if the police could solve the case or not, he didn’t want to complicate his relationship with Min Yan. Guan Jin hated two things the most in this life: being threatened and being played. This bastard had hit both marks. Very good, I’ll remember you.

“Yes. We. Are. Quite. Close.” Guan Jin said through gritted teeth as he glared at him.

Min Yan’s eyes flashed. “What a coincidence. I was just planning to give Guan Jin a tour of this place. Mr. Lu, please continue, I’ll send him home soon.”

“To be honest, I’ve only come a few times before, so I don’t seem to have visited everyplace here. President Min, would it be possible to bring me along?” Lu YunYang was already standing next to Guan Jin, which clearly stated that he was going to go no matter what.

“My pleasure.” Min Yan gestured for him to follow, and led the two of them around the clubhouse.

“Mr. Lu, you’ve always focused on academics, so you rarely come. You’ve been really surprising lately,” said Min Yan.

“My older brother felt that I would become outdated soon, so he ordered me to come out and relax. I can’t do anything about it.” Lu YunYang shrugged.

“Your brother cares about you so much, your brotherly feelings really are admirable.”

“I’m flattered.”

Guan Jin silently listened to their conversation. It seemed that this Lu YunYang wasn’t as simple as just a psychologist, since Min Yan wouldn’t be so tentative around an irrelevant person.

When they walked past a large room on the first floor, Guan Jin glanced inside and stopped suddenly.

“What is it?” Min Yan and Lu YunYang noticed his movement.

“This is our small theater, and we’ll occasionally have special performances here, so it’s soundproofed,” Min Yan said to Guan Jin.

“What type of performances? Classical music?” Guan Jin casually glanced at it one more time before continuing forward.

“Yes, orchestral music, violin solos, and similar things…” Guan Jin didn’t listen to what Min Yan said afterwards.

 

That room was the westernmost wall, so there should be another house on the other side, which wasn’t a part of the clubhouse. And, there was a vent on the west wall. But the next room over would’ve been part of another house, so who would place a vent on a shared wall of two houses?