Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 76: In Cash

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Chapter 76: In Cash

As soon as He Juan and Mu Yuze stepped into the lobby, almost all eyes snapped to them both in inquiry and curiosity. A secret gathering like this ought to be a private one and everyone had more or less gotten acquaintanced with each other. As such, new faces like He Juan and Mu Yuze became a breath of fresh air to them.

He Juan was slightly distracted by the hushed whispers around them. He had no idea why but... the way everyone looked at them did not look quite right. No, to be exact, it’s the way they looked at Mu Yuze.

It was the same as those two men they had bumped into earlier. Those gazes made He Juan want to whisk Mu Yuze away and hide him from sight. Alas, he knew that this possessive urge was very unreasonable and hence, he tried to suppress them as much as possible.

Still holding Mu Yuze’s waist, he led the omega inside and casually swept his gaze around. By estimation, there should be fifty people around the area.

The lobby was very elegant and posh. An antique chandelier hung from the ceiling. People talked to each other in soft voices and a bartender was tasked behind the lounge bar to prepare drinks. In one glance, it looked very normal, just like any other gathering of wealthy people. However, when He Juan looked closer, he became speechless in an instant.

He could recognize a few Alphas sitting casually on the sofa based on the way they carried themselves. They were clad in a suit similar to him — which made him thankful because oh God, a wrong dress code would be a massive disaster — with a delicate wine glass pinched between their fingers. However, they were not the ones who drew He Juan’s attention.

It was the leash in each of their hands. Their leashes were connected to the collar worn by the people beside them, men and women, dainty and beautiful. It’s just that... the collared people did not sit on the same level as those Alphas. Instead, they were either kneeling, leaning meekly against the Alpha’s legs, or the worst, sprawled on the floor for the Alpha to step on them casually. Yet there was not an ounce of complaint on their faces. Rather than that, they looked almost... flattered, honored and delightful to be treated as such.

He Juan experienced culture-shock for the first time and it took all of his willpower to keep his expression steady.

He had only torn his gaze away when Mu Yuze’s voice whispered close to his ear, "Your ten o’clock."

Once again, He Juan casually swept his gaze following Mu Yuze’s words and... oh God, Long Guozhi was really here! He was sitting on the lounge bar with his back to them. However, He Juan had carefully remembered Long Guozhi’s characteristics and knew for certain that this man was indeed the target they were looking for! Moreover, as everyone either wore formal suits, evening gowns or sexy dresses, he alone wore cheap outfits that looked out of place at a glance.

He Juan’s expression grew taut in order to stop himself from cheering out loud. They found their target so early! Mu Yuze was really awesome! If he had not needed to keep up the act, he would have spun Mu Yuze in the air and smacked his forehead with a big, loud kiss!

As He Juan had speculated earlier, Long Guozhi would not be given access to more luxurious areas like the hotel rooms or mix rooms. The most he could do was to watch from afar as these people had the fun of their lives.

Giving Mu Yuze a slight nod, he tugged the omega along and sat on the empty booth closest to Long Guozhi. It would look suspicious if they only sat there without doing anything, so He Juan took the menu from the table and pushed it toward Mu Yuze, saying in an indulgent tone, "Baby, what do you want to drink? Be careful not to get yourself drunk again..."

Mu Yuze shot him a deadpan look. Then he pursed his lips before saying in a soft voice, "Gege, I want Long Island Iced Tea[1]."

He Juan did not actually know what it was but he heard ’Iced Tea’ and his eyes lit up slightly. He just assumed that it was another variety of iced tea he had never drunk before. Good, drinking tea was good. They should not touch any alcohol in this kind of place, especially in the middle of their mission! He Juan smoothly took the menu from Mu Yuze and placed his arm intimately on the seat behind the omega. "Then I will have the same."

The bartender grinned. "Two Long Island Iced Tea are coming right up! I haven’t seen you around before. Newcomers?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"That’s right," He Juan answered smoothly, having practiced once with the bouncer before. "We are from out of town and only come here to have fun."

From his peripheral vision, he saw Long Guozhi giving them wary glances upon hearing ’newcomers’. He scanned these people up and down and could not find any peculiarity. Long Guozhi might be a person from the bottom rung of society, but it did not mean he would not recognize branded goods. Just the watch around the Alpha’s wrist was already enough to feed him for five years! Nope, he turned his gaze away without interest, there was no way the police could come here, let alone having a VIP identity. He would be safe as long as he stayed in this building.

He Juan was a good conversationalist and he chatted amicably with the bartender. He did not realize that the gazes landed upon them grew more and more heated, as if some kind of storm was currently brewing in the air.

"What about you, Sir?" He Juan smoothly included Long Guozhi in their conversation. He acted courteous with a hint of curiosity. "Are you from out of town too? Coming here for fun?"

Long Guozhi was startled as he did not expect anyone to talk to him. It took him a few seconds to squeeze out an answer, "...Yes, you’re right."

He Juan pretended to look around him, then made a noise of confusion. "It’s such a beautiful night. Why are you spending your time alone here?" He asked despite knowing the answer. Then he raised his brow in realization and let out a drawn-out ’oh’, his lips curled into a knowing smile. "Haven’t met someone who suits your taste yet?"

How could Long Guozhi find someone in this kind of place, even if it was just a one night stand? These wealthy young masters and misses could not wait to get as far away from him as possible! But of course, He Juan acted as if he knew nothing. His tone was appropriately curious yet still polite at the same time. Long Guozhi could not even get angry even if he wanted to lest he would be branded as unreasonable.

The bartender shot him a warning glance, and he forced himself to smile despite the mask covering his lips. He lifted his glass toward He Juan, wishing that this person would take the hint and leave him alone.

Unfortunately, He Juan totally missed this obvious hint. He cleared his throat and asked in a low voice, "Coincidentally, my partner and I are seeking a new kind of... fun. Do you want to try joining us?"

Not only Long Guozhi, even the bartender snapped his head toward He Juan in shock. Their thoughts were clearly written on their faces. There were so many people here who looked a hundred times better and younger than Long Guozhi, but this person unexpectedly came to throw him this olive branch?! What kind of heavy taste did he have?!

He Juan maintained the enigmatic smile on his face.

He and Mu Yuze had discussed it well beforehand. In this kind of place, the most inconspicuous way to lead someone away was when they planned to do some ’exercise’. Nothing was better than to ask Long Guozhi to join them, even though He Juan felt repulsed just by the mere thought of it.

After they led Long Guozhi out of the lobby, then everything would be easier. They could just find a secluded spot to ambush him, or they could wait until they entered the private room to act. Either way, He Juan did not believe that the combination of his and Mu Yuze’s strength would not be enough to subdue someone like Long Guozhi. Once Long Guozhi was under their mercy, then He Juan would bring him out and hand him over to the officers who were already on standby.

They had even discussed the countermeasure if Long Guozhi refused to go along with them, or if they were caught by others when they were in the middle of bringing Long Guozhi out.

He Juan was very confident with their plans.

Alas... everything was destined to go haywire tonight.

Before Long Guozhi could even react to give an answer, someone suddenly plopped down on the empty couch opposite them and piped in lazily, "Forget about him. Why don’t you consider me instead?"

Almost immediately, the atmosphere around the lounge bar froze. Even He Juan’s smile became stiff for a split second. Fortunately, he managed to control his expression well and did not expose anything.

He Juan looked over and saw a man in mid-twenties, quite handsome and domineering if not for the heavy stench of liquor around his body as well as his slightly manic and bloodshot eyes. Definitely an Alpha.

The man wore an expensive suit whose two top buttons had been undone, showing a glimpse of a bronze chiseled chest.

From the start to the end, the man’s gaze had been stuck on Mu Yuze, raking all over the omega’s face and body as if he could not get enough. When he saw the cluster of dark hickeys over Mu Yuze’s neck and chest, he merely gave a sneer. There was a strong interest in his clouded eyes that rang a loud alarm in He Juan’s mind. Who was this person? The way he was looking at Mu Yuze, it was like... he was inspecting a good or something!

He Juan furrowed his brow and instinctively blocked Mu Yuze behind him. Even though he disliked this person at first sight, his temperament forced him to be polite on the surface. "Pardon me, you are—"

"Your sub? A male omega?" The man’s hoarse voice slurred. The gaze he directed toward He Juan was plainly provoking. "I like him. How much do you want in exchange? I will pay you in cash."

The bartender placed the drinks on the counter and showed an awkward look, "Young Master Huo..."

"What?" The man snapped impatiently. "I am trying to be civil here. Do you see me forcing anyone? Do you?!"

The name rang a bell in He Juan’s mind and he finally remembered after a few long seconds. Oh, so this was the person whom those two men outside were talking about...

.

[1] Long Island Iced Tea is a type of cocktail typically made with vodka, tequila, light rum, triple sec, gin, and a splash of cola, which gives the drink the same amber hue as iced tea.