Chapter 26

Chapter 26 I Did It Willingly

Jian Qing felt that He Linfeng had misunderstood something.

He did not dislike the other party’s nagging concern, but right now this situation made it seem like he was specifically targeting the most talkative one—He Linfeng.

Who told him that once North River City (Beijiang) cooled down, there wasn’t even a chattering bird outside to take the blame.

The transmigrator downstairs was still going crazy: 【Will faking illness work?】

【Hahahaha! Faking illness works!】

【What if I escape when they send me to the hospital later?】

That demonic noise drilling into his ears, and the obediently-muted He Linfeng indeed, to some extent, reduced his burden. Comfortable as it was, Xian Qing’s mouth was slightly out of control:

“…I wasn’t talking about you.”

Compared to being pitifully stared at by He Linfeng, the noise actually became tolerable.

What answered him was another sheet of paper: 【Really?】

Xian Qing’s fist suddenly felt a bit stiff.

But before he could react, He Linfeng had already reached out and closed the window, glancing outside: “It is indeed noisy next to the road. How about we change places?”

Xian Qing paused.

What an absurd situation—yet the other party did not think he was being fussy or deliberately picking faults, but seriously tried to find the cause and solve his discomfort.

“It’s fine.”

Holding the warm cat-themed water cup tightly, Xian Qing lowered his gaze: “It’s much better now.”

Song Xiaotong suddenly felt like she was glowing.

The conversation was clearly ordinary, but the atmosphere between the two made her fangirl radar wildly go off.

By the time Xian Qing finished the statement and signed, the interrogated Wu Nan had already attempted an escape once: his acting was too poor and he failed to trick the police into calling an ambulance.

【System? System!】

【I don’t want to go to prison! …Right, right! The truth of the Qing Shan Road family massacre! The author didn’t write it, but you must know!】

【Tell me! I’ll use it to hook Xian Qing—he will definitely try to save me!】

Wishful thinking.

Coldly, Xian Qing thought. No matter how much he desired the truth, he would never violate his principles to shield a murderer or beg system and transmigrators for it.

Moreover—

Suddenly, a hand brushed aside his bangs and pressed the back of his finger against his forehead.

Xian Qing: …?

“Checking temperature,” having voluntarily escorted him downstairs, He Linfeng stopped at the steps. “After all, Consultant Xian has a history of not realizing when he’s running a fever.”

【Violation detected. Host’s strategy value too low, system has no authority to access world lines.】

The two voices overlapped, making Xian Qing react a beat too slowly. He Linfeng leaned slightly closer, the scent of shampoo lingering, and smiled: “Really out of it?”

Breathing intertwined.

Jian Qing’s eyelashes fluttered once.

Perhaps he had grown used to the man’s occasional physical contact; his first reaction was not to dodge.

【What “strategy value”? Are you kidding? Count how many suitors Jian Qing has personally driven away. He’s basically a monster who doesn’t know how to love.】

【Did you forget how you threatened me back then?】

【If he could even respond, would I have become a serial killer?】

That’s right.

Jian Qing silently agreed.

At his worst mental state, he had once considered compromising—forcing himself to accept the transmigrators, treating emotions as bargaining chips.

But Jian Qing couldn’t do it.

He couldn’t bend his spine, and he also couldn’t provide the “strategy value” that the transmigrators and the system needed. On a scale of one hundred, “ten” was the upper limit of his emotional fluctuations.

No matter how much he imagined something beautiful, a black hole always existed in his heart.

Yet He Linfeng’s concerned gaze made Jian Qing temporarily pull himself out of those chaotic thoughts, as if he were just an ordinary person like everyone else.

Jian Qing suddenly became a little curious—if his feelings for He Linfeng were turned into a numerical value, what number would they be right now?

Acting on that thought, he suddenly grabbed the man’s hand as it was about to withdraw, only then realizing that the other person had no system and therefore could not be measured by any external metric.

“Hmm?” Surprised that the youth hadn’t used any force, He Linfeng obediently stopped, looking extremely pleased. “So it turns out Jian-zong gets clingy with me when he’s bothered.”

He said “clingy with me” rather than “clingy,” confident and relaxed, as if he was certain the youth would not behave this way toward anyone else—man, woman, young, or old.

Jian Qing immediately realized he had done something foolish.

Pressing his lips tightly together, he wanted to let go and leave, but the man instead clasped his hand back. In the end, he stopped at Jian Qing’s wrist bone, holding him through the sleeve as he led him forward.

“Don’t rush.”

“I’ve got something for you.”

Jian Qing: “I don’t accept gifts.”

“Also the earlier delivery and medicine costs,” remembering that he still had two financial debts with the other party, he said, “how much? I’ll transfer it to you.”

A clearly drawn line of separation—but He Linfeng remained calm, casually responding with an “mm-hmm” as if brushing it off. Only when they reached the parking lot of the city bureau did he release Jian Qing and take out a paper bag from his SUV.

“Your tie and coat,” he said, gesturing for the youth to take it. “The material is too delicate; it took some effort to clean.”

Jian Qing: …

The once crumpled tie that had been wrapped around Chen Yang’s wrist like a rope was now restored to its original neatness. The windbreaker he had left at the crime scene had also been cleaned of stains and carefully pressed.

“I know you don’t lack these things,” He Linfeng said lightly, deliberately using a joking tone to mask his sincerity. “I just feel bad that Jian-zong has sacrificed so much for maintaining peace in North River City.”

Whether due to his family background or not, Jian Qing was not someone who would deliberately waste things.

He simply found anything that had been touched by killers or transmigrators dirty, and once discarded, it stayed discarded.

The earliest cufflinks, the previous tie, this coat, and even his life—once turned into chaos by transmigrators—seemed to be slowly repaired, bit by bit, by He Linfeng.

Those small things he had either been forced or chosen to abandon—so insignificant even in his own eyes—were unexpectedly cared about by the other man, who even felt regret over them.

Silently gripping the drawstring of the paper bag, Jian Qing spoke: “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” He Linfeng said with curved eyes and a smile. “As for the medicine money, care is priceless. You can owe me a favor for now—tell me when I think of something later.”

Jian Qing lifted his gaze and realized the man was truly a fox.

Cunningly clever.

His illness had not fully recovered, and he still had to cooperate with the police for statements. Jian Qing simply informed his assistant that he would work from home today and have any urgent documents sent to his email.

After parking and going upstairs, however, he found a crouched figure at his doorstep.

“You’re finally back,” rubbing his numb legs, Bian Shao stood up with a grimace and pointed at the insulated container on the ground. “Here—chicken soup. My mom heard you were sick and stewed it overnight for me to bring over.”

Jian Qing nodded. “Thank Auntie for me.”

Yesterday, Bian Shao had called him out for dinner, but his voice had been hoarse at the time, which would have easily given him away.

“Ten invitations, nine rejections,” Bian Shao muttered as he followed Jian Qing into the house. “I heard all about it—you almost got stabbed at Lanjiang Yayuan.”

“They even tried to cover it up. Probably afraid it would affect business. They advertise it as a high-end club—safe, private—yet a madman with a knife still got in.”

Glancing curiously at the paper bag in Jian Qing’s hand, Bian Shao frowned and stopped complaining. “Isn’t that the tie you wore that day? I haven’t seen that coat though.”

“…It’s considered evidence,” Jian Qing paused. “The police returned it.”

Bian Shao immediately circled back to his original complaint: “So why didn’t you call me? As your brother, I only found out after everything was over.”

Jian Qing stated calmly, “You were drunk at the time.”

“Asleep like a pig.”

Bian Shao: …

Fine. He really had slept until the next afternoon.

Successfully choking the other party into silence, Jian Qing picked up the insulated container and went to the kitchen, taking two bottles of water from the fridge and pouring them into clean glass cups.

From a distance, he heard Bian Shao ask, “Huh?”

“Why are you missing a pair of slippers at your place?”

Jian Qing subconsciously glanced at the kettle beside him.

Completely different from his outwardly flashy and carefree appearance, He Linfeng actually took care of people in a simple and reliable way.

“What are you looking at?” Getting no answer, Bian Shao refused to give up and poked his head into the kitchen again like a tail. “Don’t tell me you’re hiding someone and didn’t tell your brother.”

Jian Qing gave him a faint look. “You’re overthinking it.”

At the same time, he caught sight of two faint red marks on Bian Shao’s neck.

Even without personal experience, living in high society, Jian Qing naturally knew what they were. However, Bian Shao’s past girlfriends had always broken up amicably, staying friends afterward, so as long as nothing illegal was involved, he had no reason as an outsider to interfere in his private life.

Just in case, Jian Qing asked, “Where were you last night?”

Bian Shao casually picked up a glass of water. “Home.”

“The building in Jiuzhou Garden.”

Jiuzhou Garden was a newly built villa district in North River City in recent years—good greenery, large space, independent courtyards. It was exactly the type of place Jian Qing would deliberately avoid when buying a house.

“Obeying the law—” Bian Shao drawled with a smiling tone. “I remember that.”

Jian Qing: “When Auntie lectures you, I’ve never seen you this happy.”

“Don’t mention her, don’t mention her,” Bian Shao coughed, waving his hand. “How can the two of you be the same?”

Realizing there was ambiguity in his words, he added, “You know my mom’s mouth. Even the nicest words, if repeated a thousand times, are no different from scolding.”

“Can’t take it.”

With lowered crow-feather lashes, Jian Qing gave a soft “mm.”

Having trained in fitness, boxing, and close-quarters combat all year round, Jian Qing looked thin, but his physical condition was not bad. Coupled with having slept deeply for several nights to make up for rest, he had mostly recovered by the next day.

After casually heating up some milk and bread for breakfast, the black-haired youth adjusted his glasses, put on his wristwatch, and timed his routine precisely. Before leaving the building, he habitually glanced out the window.

A familiar car was parked silently outside.

The WeChat chat window was quiet, as if the other party had deliberately planned a surprise—though to Jian Qing, it felt more like a shock.

Five minutes later.

The tightly closed car window rolled down precisely the moment Jian Qing stepped out of the building.

“If I remember correctly,” Jian Qing said, holding up his own keys deliberately for emphasis, “the case of Yuan Yun and Qu Tao has already been closed.”

There is no need for the Major Crimes Unit to waste police resources any further.

And he himself could drive.

With one arm resting on the steering wheel, the man in the driver’s seat nodded honestly. “Yes.”

Jian Qing: “Then you can…”

Leave.

“Before, it was work.”

Cutting off the youth’s refusal in time, He Linfeng said gently and properly, “Now, I’m doing it voluntarily.”