Chapter 12: As A Victim, Not A Suspect

Lou Chen stared fixedly at him.

Yu Ziyu did not back down in the slightest.

He remained expressionless, as if there was nothing strange at all about suggesting someone shoot him point-blank.

It was precisely this kind of oddity that made him seem so far removed from a normal person.

He appeared to possess an extremely intense self-destructive tendency.

Lou Chen said, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“So what?”

Yu Ziyu replied indifferently.

“Or was what you said about ‘humans‘ just being a scratch a lie?”

Lou Chen paused for a moment, then said, “No.”

“Then that settles it, doesn’t it?”

Yu Ziyu narrowed his eyes and walked over to him.

He first cast an ambiguous glance at the box, then his hand instinctively reached toward Lou Chen’s waist.

He seemed already convinced the other would agree—why would there be any reason to refuse?

If he wanted to make things easier, his proposal benefited them both.

But suddenly, his hand was stopped.

Yu Ziyu looked up at Lou Chen, who was gripping his wrist firmly.

“No.”

Lou Chen’s voice was deep.

“I will never shoot a companion.”

The other man was slightly taller than him.

From this angle, Yu Ziyu could only see the smooth lines of Lou Chen’s jaw.

They had to maintain this posture to speak.

In an instant, a violent surge of ferocity surged up from the depths of Yu Ziyu’s heart.

He disliked anything being above him in any way, and Lou Chen’s way of looking down at him felt irritating.

“If you don’t try now, you’ll regret it later,” Yu Ziyu said.

“Don’t say I didn’t give you the chance.”

Lou Chen seemed to notice the concealed anger in his gaze and frowned slightly, puzzled.

Yu Ziyu forced an insincere smile.

Then, coldly, he tried to pull his hand back.

But Lou Chen didn’t let go.

Instead, he tightened his grip on Yu Ziyu’s wrist and tugged him closer.

Yu Ziyu could have shaken him off easily.

But he suddenly remembered his current identity—an innocent photographer caught up in this mess.

Given that this man was clearly connected to the Supernatural Management Bureau, he decided to exercise a little restraint.

As Lou Chen held Yu Ziyu’s slender fingers, his movement halted.

The skin beneath his touch was icy cold.

The other’s body temperature was frighteningly low, as if he had just come in from the freezing wind outside.

Yet here, in this cramped room, even Lou Chen himself felt warm.

But Yu Ziyu’s fingers felt like ice.

This wasn’t the body temperature of a living person.

No wonder he always wore those windbreakers for warmth.

Strange.

It was incredibly strange.

But Lou Chen couldn’t pinpoint the source of that eerie, contradictory feeling.

“Had enough groping?”

After a long moment, Yu Ziyu’s voice rang out, devoid of any discernible emotion.

His intention was to make Lou Chen let go.

But unexpectedly, the other held on even tighter, almost causing pain in his wrist.

Yu Ziyu: “…”

Some people just don’t know when to stop, do they?

“You’re injured here,” Lou Chen said.

He wasn’t even aware he was frowning as he stared at the bluish-purple bruise on the edge of Yu Ziyu’s hand.

“What did they do to you?”

This statement would have been enough to make Gu Leyue and Xiao Chen, who had fallen victim to Yu Ziyu, rise from their graves in anger.

The question should be: what did he do to them, right?!

“Don’t you think you’re paying me a little too much attention?”

Hearing this, Yu Ziyu frowned with slight disgust but masked it well.

He said lightly, “Just a reminder, we’ve only known each other for ten minutes.”

Lou Chen was startled and fell into deep thought.

Indeed, this wasn’t like his usual self.

But for some reason, he cared about Yu Ziyu excessively.

His gaze couldn’t leave this young man.

A powerful thought kept urging him: once this person disappeared, he would never be able to find him again.

The first time he saw Yu Ziyu, a strange, bizarre thought had risen in Lou Chen’s heart.

…This time, he couldn’t repeat the same mistake.

Why?

Why would he have such a thought?

They had clearly only just met.

Because of this, a rare confusion clouded Lou Chen’s eyes.

This time, Yu Ziyu shook him off without any politeness.

Then, he raised his other hand to rub his reddened wrist, fixing Lou Chen with an undisguised, hostile stare.

Slowly, he said, “I never knew people from the Supernatural Management Bureau could be so rude.”

“…”

“Do you have a complaint hotline?”

“If I remember correctly, I just saved you,” Lou Chen finally snapped back to reality, saying calmly.

“It would be wonderful if you could say ‘thank you’ to me.”

He wouldn’t ask how Yu Ziyu knew he was from the Supernatural Management Bureau.

Since Yu Ziyu had appeared here in a black robe, it meant he was an insider to some extent.

But even so, this was Lou Chen’s first time meeting someone so arrogant after being saved.

Strangely, though, this attitude wasn’t off-putting.

Yu Ziyu said without any politeness: “Did I ask you to save me?”

If Lou Chen hadn’t suddenly appeared, he would have had other plans.

Now, this guy had interrupted them.

Did he really think bullets designed to handle B-grade infections could actually drive away Jealousy?

If Yu Ziyu hadn’t made it leave, Lou Chen wouldn’t be standing here so easily right now.

So who saved whom was still up for debate.

Yu Ziyu felt he should be the one saying thank you.

With that, he let out a cold laugh.

Unexpectedly, Lou Chen stared at him for a while, then muttered to himself, “You’re welcome.”

Yu Ziyu: “…”

“Are you hallucinating from shock?” he asked politely.

Lou Chen: “…You could also interpret it as concern.”

Yu Ziyu’s fingers hanging at his side clenched in irritation.

He looked up, about to speak, when suddenly—

“Bam!”

The door was violently pushed open from the outside once again.

He frowned and looked over, seeing numerous figures instantly pour into the room.

They all wore uniform police uniforms, but with intertwined thorn insignia embroidered on their chests.

The appearance of this group suddenly filled the room with more human presence.

Outside, the sharp, piercing wail of police sirens made heads buzz.

Through the crack in the door, Yu Ziyu could glimpse the rotating blue and red lights atop the police cars.

It seemed the others from the Supernatural Management Bureau had finally arrived, albeit late.

Lou Chen wasn’t the type to come alone on a risk.

When they had been temporary partners in the game, although he seemed friendly and easygoing, he was actually difficult to get close to.

Moreover, he was meticulous and could maintain extreme calm in danger—a formidable teammate and enemy.

“Keep everyone in the room under guard!”

Someone was directing incessantly, stirring the once-quiet air into chaos.

The room instantly became noisy.

The atmosphere was suddenly flooded with the presence of the living.

“The victim has been found.

Secure the crime scene.

Don’t touch anything.”

The “click” of cameras flashed continuously, presumably photographing the crime scene.

Yellow caution tape was brought in from outside.

Several special division police officers carrying triangular stands walked past Yu Ziyu.

They approached the young man and Gu Leyue, cordoning off the gruesome scene with yellow tape.

“…”

“You, go over there,” Lou Chen said blandly to the few who had approached.

Lou Chen seemed very familiar with these people and held considerable prestige among them.

Everyone who passed by him greeted him, calling him “Captain Lou.”

But Lou Chen had reverted to the demeanor he had before grabbing Yu Ziyu’s wrist.

Facing the crowd’s attention, he merely nodded slightly—neither cold nor particularly warm.

It was as if his earlier impulse to grab Yu Ziyu’s wrist and ask if he was injured had been an illusion.

This contrast made Yu Ziyu’s eyes flicker, as if he had grasped the tail end of something.

The other black-robed figures in the room seemed petrified by this chain of events, frozen in place.

They were easily taken into custody by the police, who had expected more trouble.

Amidst this chaos, Yu Ziyu, still standing beside Lou Chen, also wearing a black robe yet being the only one not detained, stood out sharply.

“Captain Lou?”

A clear voice suddenly drew their attention.

Lou Chen turned his head and saw it was Xiao He, who had just arrived.

Xiao He approached familiarly, curiously eyeing Yu Ziyu in his robe.

“This must be Teacher Yu Ziyu, right?

Hello!”

“Oh, hello.”

Yu Ziyu’s attitude was very cold.

When Xiao He extended his hand towards him, Yu Ziyu just glanced at it and looked away, treating him like air.

He didn’t shake hands.

The atmosphere became momentarily awkward.

After a brief silence, Lou Chen spoke up, “His name is He Yu.”

He Yu touched his nose. “…Uh, I’m the vice-captain.

Just call me Xiao He.”

He laughed it off and withdrew his hand, which had been hanging in mid-air.

Lou Chen kept watching him.

This gaze on him was too intense for Yu Ziyu to ignore.

He inwardly realized, with some exasperation, that if he didn’t respond himself, the other would probably just keep staring at him like this.

Can’t exactly just gouge his eyes out, Yu Ziyu thought coldly.

This Lou Chen better watch his step walking at night these days.

“I have a phobia of germs.

I don’t like physical contact,” he said after an awkward moment.

Although anyone could tell the speaker was being extremely perfunctory, thankfully the awkward atmosphere eased somewhat.

Lou Chen finally looked away.

After saying this, Yu Ziyu pressed his lips together, his face showing clear irritation.

Xiao He didn’t notice the undercurrents between them.

His stiff posture relaxed, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief, touching his nose again.

Inwardly, he thought he had almost been left in an embarrassing spot just now.

Then, with an understanding nod, he quickly said, “No problem, no problem.”

Artists all have their personal quirks.

Compared to some things, a phobia of germs was a fairly harmless trait.

He had driven all the way here, and his hands were indeed a bit dirty.

Looking at it that way, it was probably improper for him, all sweaty, to have proposed a handshake in the first place.

Yu Ziyu turned his face away, looking weary. “When will this be settled?”

“Be patient, great photographer,” Lou Chen said, looking at him.

No sooner had he finished speaking than an unfamiliar young man walked straight towards Yu Ziyu.

He held a blanket and a cup of hot cocoa, seemingly wanting to offer them.

But as he approached, Lou Chen subtly blocked him, taking the items from his hands.

“Go attend to things over there.

I’ll handle this here.”

Hearing this, the young man was momentarily taken aback.

Unexpectedly, he first looked towards Yu Ziyu, as if seeking his opinion.

“Teacher Ziyu…”

He used his photography pseudonym right away, clearly holding that name in higher regard, surpassing the name “Yu Ziyu.”

Yu Ziyu raised his eyes slightly. “Are you my fan?”

Receiving a response, the young man’s eyes lit up with delight. “Yes!

I really admire you.

Last time you didn’t show up at the autograph session, I was worried something had happened.

Today, when I heard you were involved in a special case, I kept thinking about you.

Now I finally get to see you.

I’m glad you’re okay…”

Having said this, he looked at Yu Ziyu a bit shyly. “I didn’t expect you to be so good-looking in person.”

“Oh, thanks.

I think so too.”
“…”

The young man’s words were momentarily choked back.

Lou Chen, suppressing a smile, draped the blanket over Yu Ziyu’s shoulders and handed him the cocoa, interrupting their conversation. “Alright.

Go rest in the police car first.

There are still some matters to confirm.

You’ll need to come to the station with us later.”

“As a suspect?”

Yu Ziyu, wrapped in the blanket and holding the cocoa, looked up and asked.

After speaking, he shifted his gaze to the box.

A bunch of police officers were already crowding around it, taking pictures non-stop.

Probably, Lou Chen was sending him away to deal with that.

He snuggled into the blanket like a small animal, letting out a silent, mocking laugh.

Looking down at his innocent and seemingly frail face, Lou Chen softened his tone.

“As a victim.”

Yu Ziyu’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Lou Chen smiled at him.

But this intimate interaction made the former’s face twist almost imperceptibly.

Beside them, Xiao He looked as if he’d seen a ghost.

Yu Ziyu’s face darkened.

They really hadn’t connected him with that group.

It must be because they had looked through his recent photography works, where he had used a few little tricks to mislead them.

Seems his disguise was working pretty well.

Lou Chen nodded at Xiao He.

Xiao He knew what the captain meant, and so, in a daze, he led Yu Ziyu towards the door.

No one noticed the young man they had ignored.

The expression on his face flickered, suddenly turning exceptionally gloomy.

He glared at Lou Chen with resentment.

If he hadn’t interrupted, Teacher Ziyu would have spoken a few more words with him.

He should have participated in this gathering himself, or maybe he just needed to pay more attention to that forum…

At that moment, a distant, ice-cold gaze suddenly locked onto him.

Like an ice pick, it pierced through him, pinning him firmly to the spot.

Trembling, he looked up and met Yu Ziyu’s eyes.

The other was watching him coldly, expressionless, with dark, deep eyes.

Finally, just as the young man was sweating profusely and on the verge of crying out, Yu Ziyu actually smiled slightly at him.