Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 561: Step Into The Light

Liang Yuanjun had been thinking about this since Ye Qiu personally reached out to her, though she truly couldn’t fathom how Ye Qiu had acquired the information about her past cooperation with XIU when it was supposed to be their closely guarded secret.

The mutated Alpha intimidated her, to say the least. Despite her relatively young age, Ye Qiu’s oppressive aura was too much for Liang Yuanjun’s omega to take. Adding on to her vast and unknown network, it made Liang Yuanjun all the more apprehensive about her.

She couldn’t help but thank her lucky stars that such a person was their – or to be exact, XIU’s ally. Otherwise Ye Qiu would be a terrifying enemy to face. At least, Liang Yuanjun’s instincts told her to never cross the Alpha. Unlike XIU, Ye Qiu would not hesitate to make her life a living hell and dispose of her, regardless of the lengths she had to go through. She gave Liang Yuanjun the impression of a seasoned, poised yet morbid predator.

Getting back to the point, this was something Liang Yuanjun had longed to do since the time when XIU was officially listed as a wanted criminal and scorned by the entire country. She wanted the world to know the truth about XIU, to know that he was more than his fearsome reputation and obscure rumors made him out to be.

She wanted the world to know that, at the time when she almost gave up, it was XIU who stood by her and showed her the hope she desperately needed, allowing her to become who she was today.

But of course, He Juan outright refused the idea. He did not even think twice as he questioned Liang Yuanjun incredulously, "Have you lost your mind? You’re the prime minister, a role model and leader of the country! To be associated with a criminal is—"

"I know," Liang Yuanjun interrupted softly, her resolute tone indicating that she had made up her mind and no one could persuade her otherwise. Not even XIU. "Of course I know, and believe me when I say that I have taken the risks into mind. But you, on the other hand..." she smiled. "You’re the one who doesn’t know anything. You had an accident and lost your memories, so it’s only natural that you’re not aware of the changes that have occurred in your absence. The world has changed, XIU. Seven years ago, you may have believed that the entire world was against you, but now it’s not the case anymore. You have more supporters than you can imagine."

"You’re not a criminal, XIU." She looked him right in the eye and stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "You’re a hero."

He Juan remained skeptical, unable to bring himself to trust her words. He knew that there was no way the world remained the same. Seven years was enough time for the name ’XIU’ to be buried and forgotten twenty times over. However, it did not change the fact that he had committed many heinous acts. He had so much blood in his hands, and that alone was enough to make him a criminal. Moreover, Liang Yuanjun was a politician so it was no surprise that she possessed a glib tongue that could artfully twist words to her advantage.

Alas, by the time He Juan boarded the plane, it was too late. The plans were already set into motion.

"Anyway," Liang Yuanjun leaned back in her chair and made herself comfortable, utterly undeterred by the scowl on He Juan’s face. "You should prepare yourself. From now on, millions of people will know and remember your name."

He Juan ground his teeth softly, "Have you been planning this all along? Ye Qiu is in this with you, right?" No wonder it had taken them so long to leave the country. As it turned out, they had orchestrated this scenario behind his back!

Oh he could very well imagine what was waiting for them as soon as they touched down in China. Liang Yuanjun was a public figure. Adding on to her secondary gender, it was enough for her to be the journalists’ beloved. Her aspirations, her career, her journey and struggles, they were akin to an endless goldmine enough to sustain the media for years. She only needed to dangle a bait, perhaps something like ’The Secret Behind Liang Yuanjun’s Success’, and the journalists would flock to her like a pack of starving wolves.

Just the mere thought of what he needed to face in a few hours was enough to give He Juan a massive headache.

Liang Yuanjun burst out into soft chuckles upon seeing his reaction. "Why do you look like you’ve just bitten into a sour lemon?"

He Juan was entirely helpless on how to make her change her mind. "I was perfectly satisfied with the outcome of our cooperation, so why do you have to go and do such an unnecessary thing?"

"Unnecessary?" She echoed with a disapproving look, clearly begging to differ. The look in her eyes softened as she added, "Look, XIU. You might be satisfied, but I’m not. Until when will you be content to remain in the shadows? Isn’t it also time for you to step into the light?"

He Juan was caught off guard by those words, causing him to lose his momentum entirely.

Step... into the light?

He had never considered it before. Hell, the mere thought of it never even crossed his mind because, as his nickname implied, he was destined to fade into the shadows. To drench himself in darkness in order to make the light shine even more dazzlingly.

That was the path for ’XIU’, but what about ’He Juan’?

***

Liang Yuanjun’s plan had been brilliant and foolproof, leaving no room for He Juan to slip away. Alas, she had failed to take into account one crucial factor – He Juan’s deteriorating health.

And to be completely honest, He Juan had not expected to feel this horrible either just because of a five-hour flight. His head was pounding, his complexion was ashen, and he pressed his lips into thin lines to suppress the bile rising in his throat. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Unfortunately, Liang Yuanjun’s travel schedule had been leaked beforehand, and the moment they stepped out of the arrival terminal, a massive group of reporters had been waiting for them, their camera flashes almost blinding in their intensity.

Liang Yuanjun sent him an apologetic smile before turning to address the reporters, making herself a distraction so that He Juan could take his leave unimpeded. But clearly, she had underestimated the sharp eyes of the journalists, who caught her brief interaction with He Juan on camera.

In an instant, the reporters swarmed around her, only held back by the bodyguards.

"Prime Minister Liang, a word please!"

"Prime Minister Liang, could you explain why you chose to disclose your flight schedule?"

"Can you share your plans with us? Do you have any intention to cooperate with Myanmar?"

"Prime Minister Liang, who is the gentleman accompanying you?"

Liang Yuanjun held her composure amidst the blinding flashes, her lips curving into a professional smile as she responded, "Thank you for coming all the way here, everyone. As you may have noticed, I was in Myanmar these past few weeks, but no, my presence there doesn’t have anything to do with international partnerships. On the contrary, this is a personal matter, as I was visiting a friend."

There was a second pause as the crowd took in that unexpected answer, before they rushed forward once more with another barrage of questions.

"Your friend? Is he a member of your political party?"

"Can you elaborate more on your friend, Prime Minister Liang? Have you always had such a close relationship?"

"Is there something special between you two, Prime Minister Liang? Can we expect a good announcement in the near future?"

Liang Yuanjun turned her attention to the one who had just asked the question. "No, we’re not close. In fact, we can’t be considered friends either..." she put on a thoughtful look. "To be more precise, we are partners who hold mutual respect for each other."

She glanced toward the side passage where He Juan had disappeared into, and after making sure that the man had already been out of the camera’s radar, she finally straightened her back and beamed at the reporters, "I’m sure everyone has seen him just now. Yes, he is the gentleman who was with me."

Not giving a chance for the others to react, Liang Yuanjun dropped a bombshell,

"There’s no need to ask about his identity either, as I’m certain everyone has heard of him at some point in their lives." She stated with a meaningful smile, "But perhaps you are more familiar with him as ’XIU’."