Chapter 2569: Dear Detective Mr. 21

Jin Chen retorted in a soft voice, "If I had other friends…… would you be happy about that?"

A'errui ke blinked, "What?"

Happy? How could he possibly be happy!

Jin Chen clearly remembered those cold, hurtful words A'errui ke had said before; now was the perfect time to bring up the past.

He held out his slender fingers, counting them one by one.

"You once told me not to keep provoking you," he said, counting his first finger and glancing at A'errui ke.

"And not to keep bothering you," the second finger fell, "you also said that during non‑investigation time I should find something to do and not always hover around you." The third finger bent as well.

Having finished counting, he lowered his hand and looked at A'errui ke, whose face seemed to be growing darker.

"You see, if you think I'm too clingy," Jin Chen said in an utterly innocent tone, "if I had other friends—for example, Young Master John—I could be as you wish: bother you less, annoy you less, and have my own things to do."

"Wouldn't that be nice?"

A'errui ke: "……"

Damn it! How could he have said such nonsense to Cyril before!

Cyril actually remembered every word verbatim!

Given that, does Cyril really intend…… to go talk with John, have a heart‑to‑heart, even……

Irritation surged up, blocking his chest, making his breathing a little uneven.

"You……" A'errui ke opened his mouth, momentarily unable to rebut, and could only say ruefully and gloomily, "You don't need to keep those words in mind, Cyril."

He raised his hand to ruffle Jin Chen's soft golden hair, "I take back those words now; you can…… come find me anytime."

The last few words, A'errui ke spoke quickly, unaccustomed to making such concessions.

Jin Chen blinked lightly, seized the initiative with a few words, "Really? Then can I have a hug now?"

A'errui ke hesitated little, pulling Jin Chen into his embrace.

"Why not." He murmured, feeling Jin Chen lean against his chest.

A'errui ke vaguely felt that, when facing Cyril, once a boundary was lowered, it would keep dropping further and further.

Until…… perhaps one day he would completely lose all defenses against this person.

Jin Chen lowered his head, burying his face deep in A'errui ke's broad chest, the corners of his mouth turning up in a satisfied smile.

He wrapped his arms around A'errui ke's sturdy waist, then placed a series of small, warm kisses on his neck.

"A'errui ke, you won't…… lose your temper with me again, will you?"

"Yes." A'errui ke answered bluntly.

He relaxed his body, leaning against the flower‑rack pillar, the scent of Jin Chen lingering at his nostrils, feeling a rare comfort and enjoyment.

Immediately, A'errui ke felt the kiss move down from his neck, through the shirt fabric, to land over his heart.

The warm sensation made him involuntarily let out a pleased sigh.

Next, Jin Chen's voice sounded again, "Then you must remember this."

After I reveal all the truth to you in the future.

Jin Chen lifted his eyes meaningfully, drew the somewhat softened A'errui ke into his arms, and gently kissed his lips.

【Detected Villain Blackening Value -8, total 77!】

【Detected Villain Heartthrob Value +7, total 50!】

—

Back to the Cylinder Room.

Jin Chen no longer sat opposite A'errui ke across the desk as he used to when discussing the case.

He took his notebook and pencil, sat on the long sofa beside A'errui ke, their outer thighs touching.

This distance was very suitable for leaning in and hugging.

A'errui ke wanted to pull him into an embrace, but Jin Chen had already focused his attention on the case.

"A'errui ke," Jin Chen glanced at him sideways, "do you remember the day we went to see Pastor Goodwyn, when he mentioned that around March 25 he had seen Vincent and his fiancée Eleanor behaving intimately in the garden gazebo?"

A'errui ke nodded; his memory for such details had always been good.

"Of course I remember."

"Young Master John told me today," Jin Chen tapped the date in his notebook with his pen tip, "that on March 25 Vincent spent the whole afternoon with him in the study, sorting old things, and even gave him a brooch."

He paused briefly, then continued, "Besides, I also asked the old gardener at Zhuang Yuan today."

"He told me the garden has only one gazebo, but Vincent never goes near it before summer arrives, because a plant that blooms in early April is planted beside it, and Vincent is severely allergic to its pollen."

A'errui ke raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise upon hearing this, "You think Pastor Goodwyn is lying?"

"No, Pastor Goodwyn then had no reason or courage to lie; I tend to think the person he saw wasn't Vincent, Eleanor…… perhaps he had another lover, and if that person had Eleanor's patronage, he could come and go freely in Zhuang Yuan."

A'errui ke immediately grasped his implication, the corners of his mouth lifting, "Then perhaps it's the person helping the butler smuggle wine out of Zhuang Yuan."

"What a splendid deduction, Cyril," A'errui ke couldn't help but lean in and kiss Jin Chen's lips, which looked especially alluring as he thought.

"You're smarter than I imagined."

At that moment, the hurried click of high‑heeled little shoes came from the stairs—Duo Xi the little girl was coming downstairs.

A'errui ke then pulled back a little; before separating, he couldn't resist gently biting Jin Chen's soft lower lip, then sat upright.

Jin Chen closed his notebook and, keeping that posture, lazily leaned into A'errui ke's embrace.

Duo Xi walked down the stairs, glanced doubtfully at their clinging posture, and muttered softly, "Oh, you two…… you'd better not do that out in public; it's really weird."

She said, placing two letters on the tea table beside A'errui ke, "There's a letter for you, A'errui ke."

One of the envelopes bore a blurred yet distinctive dark insignia.

A'errui ke recognized it as a message from an informant in the Beiya'er black market; he quickly flipped the letter over so the insignia faced downward and looked at Jin Chen beside him.

Jin Chen idly played with the leather strap of his notebook, completely unaware of this small gesture.

Only then did A'er Ruike relax a little, shift his gaze back, and say to Duoxi.

"From now on, if you have any letters for me, you can just put them directly on the desk in my room."

Duoxi let out an oh, then looked toward Jin Chen, who was nestled in A'er Ruike's arms, and said, "Xili'er, you have a letter too."

She pointed to another, obviously thicker letter and asked curiously.

"It's from Lundun, the envelope is very pretty—is it from your family?"

Jin Chen reached out and took the letter, his gaze lingering on the wax seal and handwriting on the envelope for a moment, "Perhaps, I'll go upstairs to have a look."

Saying that, Jin Chen rose from A'er Ruike's arms, took the letter, turned, and walked toward the stairs.

A'er Ruike lowered his head to glance at the letter in his hand, then recalled Jin Chen taking the letter and leaving, unwilling to open it in his presence.

It was clear he didn't want Xili'er to see his letter, but when Xili'er seemed likewise reserved toward him, A'er Ruike indeed cared.

But no matter what, he has to go to the black market tonight.