Chapter 2550: Dear Detective Mr. 02

Jin Chen stood in front of the cylindrical house, observing its exterior.

This building indeed lived up to its name, with a peculiar cylindrical structure, its brick-and-stone surface covered in damp, dark vines, both ancient and dilapidated.

He pushed open the low iron gate and entered a pitch-black corridor.

The corridor was narrow and winding, its walls bare of decoration, only mottled stains and occasional cracks visible, exuding the scent of old paper and dust.

In the darkness, it seemed as if the end would never be reached.

Finally, after rounding who-knows-how-many bends, Jin Chen saw a terribly dilapidated Main Gate.

More than half of the paint on the door panel had peeled off, and the metal door handle was covered with a thin layer of rust.

Jin Chen reached out and pushed it open; the hinge emitted a piercing squeak.

Beyond the door, the scene suddenly opened up.

Rather than calling it a detective agency, it was more like an abandoned warehouse.

Several kerosene lamps hung from the high ceiling, their dim light barely illuminating the whole space.

The three-story structure made the interior feel very spacious, with an iron staircase winding along the walls, each floor stacked with various boxes and documents.

Near the window on the first floor stood several long tables, piled high with scattered documents and folders.

Moonlight filtered through the dusty glass window, casting light and shadow among the piles of documents.

The freckled girl sat behind the table, chewing candy, her cheeks puffed out.

Hearing the door open, she lifted her head and curiously sized up the newcomer.

She looked about fifteen or sixteen, wearing a slightly oversized checkered blouse, her hair casually tied back, appearing lively and clever.

"Are you Cyril?" the freckled girl asked, her voice thin but friendly; one could see the cheese candy in her mouth as she spoke.

Jin Chen nodded and smiled, "Yes, hello, Miss Duo Xi."

Duo Xi suddenly darted out from behind the table, her skirt flaring.

"Oh, how rare," she said, clasping her face in wonder, "finally we have a reliable young person."

The fifteen-year-old Duo Xi said.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she excitedly pointed behind Jin Chen, "Mr. A'er ruike is over there!"

Jin Chen's lips twitched slightly as he slowly turned around.

A'er ruike stood in the shadow of the staircase, unsure how long he had been there.

He still wore that suit, which fit his lean physique, his green eyes appearing even deeper in the dim light as he stared unblinkingly at Jin Chen.

"We meet again, sir."

Jin Chen's tone was relaxed and easy.

A'er ruike: "……"

His fingers resting on the stair rail tightened slightly, a hint of annoyance: "Cyril? You?"

Jin Chen nodded again, a playful glint flashing in his blue eyes.

Good, A'er ruike thought.

He shouldn't have come back; he should have beaten that guy called Cyril to the point of losing his teeth right in that alley.

A'er ruike narrowed his eyes slightly, "You're interesting."

He walked down the stairs slowly, his heels making a sound on the wooden floor.

A'er ruike came to a stop in front of Jin Chen, then suddenly lifted his foot and stepped on the toe of Jin Chen's leather shoe.

"You've recognized me all along; doing this, aren't you afraid I'll kick you out?"

Jin Chen shrugged, completely unbothered by his shoe being stepped on, lowered his head slightly and drew closer, his gaze falling on A'er ruike's lip corner.

"Sir, you seem to have no choice; you urgently need a new detective."

"Then… how did my performance just now satisfy you?"

The two were so close they could feel each other's breath.

Jin Chen stared at A'er ruike for a full thirty seconds, or even longer.

A'er ruike squinted, his gaze not leaving Jin Chen's face, yet he suddenly said, "Duo Xi, you should go to sleep."

Duo Xi, who had been watching with great interest, instantly fell flat, "Enough already, A'er ruike."

She reluctantly grabbed a stack of books from the table and pattered up the stairs.

After Duo Xi's footsteps faded away, A'er ruike then gave Jin Chen a cold smile.

He grabbed Jin Chen's collar and slammed him hard against the wall.

The impact echoed in the spacious room.

"Yes, I need a new detective," A'er ruike's voice dropped low, an obvious threat.

"I hope you do well, Mr. Cyril."

Jin Chen lowered his gaze at him, then suddenly coughed lightly and turned his head aside.

His pale neck flushed a faint red, as if he could scarcely endure such rough treatment.

"Yes, of course." His voice sounded somewhat weak.

A'er ruike eased his grip, coldly mocking, "It seems you're only good at observation; you're too weak."

Jin Chen raised an eyebrow, not denying it.

After all, for prey that needs to be controlled, showing weakness early on is quite a good strategy, isn't it.

His gaze once again settled on A'er ruike's lip corner, "Well then, sir, would you like a drink of wine?"

"What?" A'er ruike.

Jin Chen suddenly raised his hand, his fingertips lightly brushing A'er ruike's lip corner, his voice soft.

"That must look lovely."

A'ersike's pupils contracted slightly, and he snorted angrily, "You have guts."

Jin Chen lowered his eyes innocently to face A'ersike's gloomy gaze.

Finally, A'ersike released Jin Chen's collar, which he had crumpled into wrinkles, and angrily clenched his fingers.

Damn it, A'ersike doesn't understand; he seems unusually kind to this Xilier—could it be because of that damned kiss?

A'ersike is tired enough tonight; he doesn't want to think at all.

He walked to the table, opened the drawer, took out a bunch of keys, and tossed them to Jin Chen.

"Your room is at the end of the second floor."

Jin Chen took the keys, and his fingertips inadvertently brushed A'ersike's palm.

"Thank you, sir."

A'ersike jerked his hand back, "Don't make me regret this decision, Xilier."

He turned and walked toward the stairs, without glancing back at Jin Chen.

The room assigned to Jin Chen wasn't small: a simple metal-frame bed, a wardrobe, a desk, and on the desk sat a plate of cherries.

Outside the green wooden window, one could faintly see the blurry outline of the moon.

In good spirits, Jin Chen took off his coat and casually sat on the bedhead.

Ling Gun Gun rolled on his shoulder, emitting a sleepy doubt: 【Host, why don't you wash up and sleep?】

Jin Chen glanced out the window, the corner of his mouth twitching into a faint smile, and picked up two cherries to put in his mouth.

【It's obvious that our great detective still has a test waiting for me.】

Sure enough, not long after, a golden key fell from outside Jin Chen's window, was thrown onto the floor, and glimmered in the moonlight.

Jin Chen glanced toward the direction the key had been thrown from, his long fingers lightly tapping the sheet as if waiting for someone's arrival.

Soon after, a knocking sounded at the door.

Without waiting for Jin Chen's response, the door was pushed open.