Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 44: Relay My Apology

Majority of the people who lived in this apartment were either tenants who had lived here for a long time and were thus unwilling to move out, or those who had low budgets and low savings like He Juan.

The apartment might be old with questionable security and malfunctioning services, however it was cheap and located near the train subway and police station. It had always been managed by Grandma Li who did not have any relatives in this world.

All this while, the apartment had always been safe and sound. Even if there was trouble, it was only limited to disagreement between tenants or small arguments that could be solved easily. This was the first time that something like murder had happened here.

Middle aged to old people had always been superstitious. They overheard the police saying that Miss Zhao’s body still had not been found yet and worse, the murderer was still walking freely under the sun! Thinking that they were going to be the next victim, they were frightened to death and wanted to move out as soon as possible. However, it meant that they needed to pay the fee for breaking the lease before the expiry.

And here comes the main problem.

The tenants felt like they had suffered great emotional trauma and were unwilling to pay. Instead, they insisted that they should be compensated! Not only that, they also threatened that they were going to spread this matter to the news station if Grandma Li did not comply! Where would Grandma Li pull out this huge sum of money? The people outside assumed that she was reluctant to pay and hence, clamored that they wanted to sue her.

He Juan listened to her broken explanation for almost half an hour and understood the crux of the matter.

He patted Grandma Li’s back kindly. "It will be okay now. My friend outside is a police officer. He will definitely solve this for you."

Grandma Li’s eyes were brimming with tears, but she still gripped onto He Juan with an astonishing strength as though holding onto a life straw. "R–Really?"

He Juan’s heart ached for her and he nodded firmly. "Really." Coincidentally he caught sight of Mu Yuze coming in through the gate together with the haggard security guard. He beckoned for him to come over. "Or you can also ask him directly. Here he is."

Mu Yuze showed a blank look at being cued all of a sudden. It was so adorable that He Juan would have pinched his cheeks if they had not been busy placating the two elderlies.

The security guard was surnamed Zou, and he insisted that everyone called him Uncle Zou.

Mu Yuze had clearly asked everything there was to be asked because he told the old guard, "Go home and take a rest. A police officer will take over today. Grandma Li, you need a new security guard."

Grandma Li just nodded to whatever Mu Yuze said. She also realized the severity of today’s matter if there was no Mu Yuze to control the riot. She had a grimace on her face as she apologized to Uncle Zou, "I’m sorry ah, Old Zou. It’s all because of me—"

"What are you saying!" Uncle Zou hastily waved her off. "I am the one who insists on working even though I know I’m not young anymore. Ah, look at this reliable young man!" He patted Mu Yuze’s back with a booming laugh. "If it’s him, then I am rest assured to hand over the matter to him. You should have seen how he made them all shut up..."

He Juan slipped out of the office when nobody was paying attention to him. He knew that Mu Yuze would be able to resolve this matter cleanly and thus, he was not concerned at all.

From a distance, he saw a few tenants who had been protesting passing through the lobby. Their momentum had been subdued by Mu Yuze, yet there was still a sullen look on their faces. This was clearly the attitude of bullying weak and fearing strong. They whispered among themselves in a low voice, unaware that He Juan was in proximity enough to overhear them loud and clear.

He Juan was not interested in listening to the aunties’ gossip at all and it was not in his nature to eavesdrop either. He had just wanted to move away when a snippet caused something to flash across his mind.

"...the grievance and resentment of the dead is very thick. We should be careful."

"You’re right! Oh my God, this is why I want to move out. Last night, I seemed to hear a woman crying outside my door..."

"Ah, you too?!"

"Not only that, don’t you think the air smells bad nowadays? I say, it must be because this apartment’s qi has been tainted with the dead!"

"Right, right, right! I think I should go to my sister’s place and live there for a while..."

He Juan stared at the brownish stain on the tiles under his feet and took out his notebook again. He flipped to the page where he recorded how he had lost control of his pheromones in the elevator yesterday.

[He Juan, you’re truly a beast. You’re still lucky that Mu Yuze doesn’t get angry with you. But this is really bad... I don’t know if I should consult something like this with Molei. Whenever I am in his presence, I seem to forget everything. His pheromones smell so good that it covers any unpleasant scent around...]

Of course, the majority of them were only rainbow farts as he sang about how heavenly Mu Yuze’s pheromones were and how much of a bastard he was to covet it. He Juan felt embarrassed just by re-reading this. However, he forced himself to remain cool-headed as he needed to confirm something. As he read through the passage of familiar handwriting, yesterday’s event replayed in his mind with utmost clarity. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Mu Yuze’s drunken appearance, his slender body leaning against him, the creaky elevator, the numerous ads and brochures plastered onto the dirty metal wall. Then, the stale and unpleasant smell in the air...

He Juan’s eyes flashed. Slipping the notebook back into his pocket, he turned toward the elevator and pressed on the button. The number on the wall indicated that the elevator was on the second floor. However, it did not show any signs of moving down. His brows tightened slightly. Did it malfunction again?

Turning on his heels, He Juan rushed toward the emergency stairs and took two to three steps at the same time.

Behind him, Mu Yuze called out after having caught sight of his hurried back. "Juan-gege!"

However, it was as if He Juan could not hear him. He stopped in front of the door to the second floor, then continued to climb the stairs to the third floor.

Mu Yuze’s voice gained a tinge of anxiety as he tried to keep up. "He Juan!"

He Juan arrived in front of the elevator on the third floor. The number above the wall still showed that the cubicle was still on the second floor. He stared at his own distorted reflection on the metal door, heart thumping irregularly in his chest.

It couldn’t be... right? Had he watched too many movies? But... what if he was right? It would not hurt to try. That’s right, he would just apologize if he got it wrong later...

"Juan-gege!" Mu Yuze sprinted out of the emergency stairs, barely breaking a sweat. His dark eyes darted wildly before finding He Juan in front of the elevator. Seeing that he was safe and sound, a barely discernible relief flashed through them. His tense shoulders relaxed and he carefully approached He Juan. "What’s wrong?"

"Xiao Ze..." He Juan let out a light exhale, his fists clenching by his side. "Please relay my apology to Grandma Li for what I am going to do after this."

"What—"

He Juan forcibly pried the elevator door open with his bare hands. A squeaky screech echoed in the air akin to a cry of a newborn monster, and the veins on He Juan’s forehead bulged out due to the force he was putting in.

Behind him was Mu Yuze’s alarmed cry. "He Juan!" He lunged forward, trying to grab He Juan’s wrist to prevent him from hurting himself.

However, it was already too late.

A small gap of darkness was formed in front of He Juan. Almost immediately, a very repulsive stench akin to rotten waste assailed his nose, almost reaching the level of biohazard gas. The smell caused He Juan to stagger away. He covered his mouth and nose, retching. After swallowing the bile back to his throat, he turned to the frozen Mu Yuze and revealed an ugly smile.

"It seems like we have found Miss Zhao..."