Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 594: Flashback (3)

Zhong Yun had no idea if it was Qin Zhen who was too careless, or if his stalking skill was higher than he’d initially thought, he managed to shadow Qin Zhen all the way to a grand, elegant building located in the heart of the city, which was nearly an hour away from their residential district by bus.

He could feel his jaws going slack as he watched the bustling entrance alive with elegantly dressed men and women, accompanied by the pulsating beats of music audible even from across the street. Qin Zhen, on the other hand, did not enter through the front doors and veered around the building instead, presumably heading to the back door.

It was on that day that Zhong Yun discovered the existence of the Phoenix Ablaze for the first time.

A high-end club, a gathering for socialites, special for the upper echelons of the city. It was an opulent world unimaginable to someone like Zhong Yun, who earned his living by playing games. And Qin Zhen was someone who worked in this place, mingling with those wealthy and powerful people on a regular basis. The shock of learning this information was so much that Zhong Yun did not get an ounce of sleep that night.

When both of them showed up with matching pairs of shadows beneath their eyes the next morning, the vendor uncle couldn’t help but laugh at them.

"Look at you two, geez. I’m already in my fifties, but I still look a hundred times more energetic than you!"

Zhong Yun scratched his head and laughed awkwardly, "Haha, Uncle, how can you compare your venerable self to us?"

"Can’t sleep?" A gentle voice asked.

Zhong Yun turned to regard him with a sheepish look. The event of the previous night flooded his mind, and he couldn’t bring himself to meet Qin Zhen’s eyes for some reason. "No..." he made up a random excuse. "I received a rich client yesterday and stayed up all night to help them level up." Unlike Qin Zhen, he had told the man all about his occupation. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Hearing this, Qin Zhen shot him a faint glare and chided him softly, "Don’t think that you can stay up all night so often because you’re still young. Wait until you get to my age later, you will feel the difference."

Like you’re one to talk, Zhong Yun grumbled inwardly, though he still put on an obedient look on the outside and nodded, "I know, Ge."

A question flashed through Zhong Yun’s mind as he gazed into Qin Zhen’s honey-brown eyes. It was clear that his work paid him handsomely, so why did he choose to stay in such a run-down building tucked in the corner of the city, when he could easily afford a closer and nicer residence to his workplace?

Once that thought entered his mind, Zhong Yun was unable to shake it off, and he was almost obsessed with knowing the answer. Alas, this was not something he could ask Qin Zhen directly, not when they had only known each other for more than a month.

And so, Zhong Yun continued to wait.

He had never known he could be so patient until he met Qin Zhen. Not only once or twice had he thought of faking a chance encounter when Qin Zhen commuted to work. That way, Zhong Yun would have an excuse to wheedle an answer out of the man’s mouth. But somehow, he was hesitant to do so because... he felt like he would betray Qin Zhen’s trust. He did not want to resort to deceit and manipulation. If there ever came a day when Qin Zhen chose to share something about himself, Zhong Yun wanted it to be of his own volition.

Until then, Zhong Yun forced himself to be content with being Qin Zhen’s unofficial ’conversation partner’ as they waited for the vendor uncle to prepare their breakfast.

It was nice— to see Qin Zhen smile more and more often, to savor the delightful sound of his laughter, to observe the invisible distance between them shortened bit by bit until Qin Zhen was comfortable enough to joke around with him or slap his arm when he made a particularly silly remark.

Their status quo remained until the end of the year when the vendor uncle had to return to his village to celebrate the new year with his family, informing them that he would not return until next week.

A week.

Zhong Yun would not be able to see Qin Zhen for a week, would not be able to talk to him or hear him laugh for a week.

The vendor uncle must have misunderstood the reason behind his depressed look because he clicked his tongue, amused, "What’s that long face for? It’s the start of a new year ah. Cheer up! It’s not like you will never get to enjoy uncle’s food again. Go back and spend more time with your family!"

Accepting the plastic bag, Zhong Yun sullenly muttered under his breath, "I don’t have one though..."

His revelation took Qin Zhen by surprise, prompting the man to inquire, "You don’t?"

"Ah..." Zhong Yun scratched his head and decided, fuck it all, he was going to be honest. "Well, my parents divorced a few years ago. My dad has a new wife and kid, and my mom is busy working. So it’s only me alone." He had always celebrated the new year with his grandma up until last year, though. But he supposed it wasn’t something Qin Zhen needed to know. Either way, he was not lying when he said that he would be all alone this year.

"Hmm..." Qin Zhen tilted his head in thought, then all of a sudden, he made an offer Zhong Yun had never expected to hear. "In that case, how about spending the New Year with me? I’m not going back either."

"YES!" Zhong Yun shouted loudly without even thinking twice, and upon seeing that everyone’s gaze was on him, he cleared his throat and tried again, "I mean, yes. Of course, Ge, I’d be happy to spend it with you!" He declared, almost buzzing with glee and excitement.

Qin Zhen chuckled. "It’s decided, then."

Happiness came so suddenly that Zhong Yun did not know how to react. He could only nod again and again to express his eagerness.

They exchanged contact information with each other and arranged to meet at Qin Zhen’s house on New Year’s Eve.

It might as well be the happiest day in Zhong Yun’s life. He visited Qin Zhen’s house for the first time, and together they prepared a hot pot, watched a gala on TV, and wished each other a happy new year.

On that night, Zhong Yun learned so many new things about Qin Zhen.

He learned that Qin Zhen’s house smelled exactly like him. He learned that Qin Zhen preferred reading, primarily in the genres of science fiction and mystery, judging from the sheer amount of books strewn all over the living room and the tall shelf on one side of the wall. He also learned about Qin Zhen’s family situation: his mother had passed away five years ago, and his dementia father was residing in the nursing home right now.

No wonder...

The reason why he worked so hard must be because of his father. The fee of the nursing home was not small and Qin Zhen worked hard to provide his father with a comfortable life, sparing himself the bare minimum.

After knowing that, Zhong Yun’s admiration for the older man only soared to a new height.

That’s right, admiration. It was the best term Zhong Yun could use to describe the surging feeling he had toward the other, which seemed to grow more and more intense with time.

However, he was forced to change his mind when, a few months later, he caught Qin Zhen locked in a passionate kiss with another man.