The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 69

Final Part – 10

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"What?!" Chen Chen nearly slammed the table.

"Shh! Be careful, walls have ears!" Lu Zheng gestured for Chen Chen to calm down.

"You... You guys..." Chen Chen was both furious and grief-stricken, but he still lowered his voice and said, "You're actually making me sell my body? And to that tall and dark Chang Le?! It's too inhumane?!"

"Calm down, calm down..." Lu Zheng pressed down on Chen Chen's shoulder. "No one's telling you to take your work to the bedroom, you just need to get close to him and plant this in his phone. Aren't you a tech expert? Surely this little task isn't difficult for you?"

"Stop trying to butter me up!" Chen Chen adjusted his glasses. "You conniving old git! And don't tell me this isn't about selling my body, isn't this Bxxxd app literally for hookups?"

"That's a proper dating site," Lu Zheng corrected him with a straight face. "Just because some people misuse it doesn't mean it's inherently bad!"

"Bullshit! If I'm getting close enough to have access to his phone, we'll have to be alone together at the very least, won't we?" Chen Chen was still reluctant. "What if, what if he... You've seen his physique, I wouldn't stand a chance against him!"

"That won't happen. Chang Le actually seems pretty decent, and you're an expert sent in from another region, he wouldn't dare do anything to you," Lu Zheng continued to persuade him.

"The more serious someone looks on the surface, the more perverted they are in private," Chen Chen said through gritted teeth. "Don't I have a living example right in front of me?"

"What? I'm a pervert?" Lu Zheng glared angrily.

"How are you not?" Chen Chen fumed. "You made Yu Tiantian, a straight woman, pretend to be a T to get information, and now you want me to pretend to be a zero to seduce someone... If someone can come up with ideas like this and isn't a pervert, then who is?"

"What do you mean 'pretend'? Let's get this straight, yes, Yu Tiantian is straight, but all she did was befriend Liu Le. As for you..." Lu Zheng paused for a moment before continuing, "I wouldn't be so sure about whether you're straight or not!"

"I..." Chen Chen was momentarily speechless. His own orientation was indeed somewhat fluid, he'd never been in a serious relationship before, but in his heart, he was definitely more drawn to men. That said, he wasn't as averse to women as Gu Yanta was, if a woman ever needed help, he'd still be happy to lend a hand.

"Alright! It's settled, then!" Lu Zheng smacked the table. "Download the app first. Don't register a new account, use my friend's old account. A new account might make him suspicious..."

Chen Chen helplessly pulled his phone out of his pocket and waved it in front of Lu Zheng. "I have one."

"See..." Lu Zheng nodded approvingly. "What did I say? Don't you know in your heart whether you are straight or not?"

"I..." Chen Chen was furious. "I only downloaded it to check things out occasionally, but I've never actually used it to hook up!"

"Alright, alright..." Lu Zheng concluded. "Anyway, this task is yours!"

"Consultant Lu, ah Consultant Lu, why don't you go yourself? With your looks, it'd be much easier to reel him in!" Chen Chen gritted his teeth.

"I'm a married man now..." Lu Zheng shrugged. "Besides, Captain Gu wouldn't allow it!"

"I'll remember this!" Chen Chen fumbled and stabbed his fork into his instant noodle cup.

Chen Chen opened the blue app on his phone, uploaded a recent selfie with a sense of despair, and, with trembling hands, clicked on the nearby search function...

"First time in Xia County. Any handsome guys up for dinner..." His flirty bio, paired with a refined and handsome yet slightly boyish photo, immediately attracted several greetings from different IDs.

Chen Chen carefully filtered through the messages he received and searched through nearby users, but he couldn't spot any ID that looked like Chang Le's. He couldn't help but feel a little frustrated at first, but then it occurred to him that Chang Le might still be at work and too busy to check his phone. He decided to stay patient, after all, he needed Chang Le to come to him.

By evening, Chen Chen was in his dormitory researching Chang Le's interests. If he was going to seduce him... No, complete the mission! He had to cater to his tastes...

Suddenly, the familiar notification sound of the app chimed. Chen Chen quickly opened his phone and saw a message from a stranger with the username 'Rain God.'

Rain God: "?"

Morning Light: "What?"

Rain God: "Haha, never thought Officer Chen was into this kind of thing!"

Morning Light: "= =! Who are you? How do you know me?"

Rain God: "What's wrong? Officer Chen, you've only been in Xia County for two days and already can't stand the loneliness?"

Morning Light: "Mind your own business! Are you going to tell me who you are or not? If not, I'm blocking you!"

Rain God: "Don't... Wait... I've got something to take care of right now, I'll talk to you later!"

A while later, Rain God came back online.

Rain God: "Still there?"

Morning Light: "Mm... Are you going to tell me who you are now?"

Rain God: "Me? Haha! So close yet so far!"

Morning Light: "Block incoming."

Rain God: "Don't! It's Chang Le!"

Morning Light: "........."

Rain God: "Really! If you don't believe me, I'll send proof!"

Rain God: [1.jpg] [2.jpg]

Morning Light: "Alright, I'll believe you for now. But for someone looking to make friends, you didn't even upload a single photo, what kind of friends were you planning to make?"

Rain God: "Nah, I don't have time for that, I just log in occasionally to lurk. Who would have thought that I would see you when I first came here today? Guess we're really destined to be together!"

Morning Light: "Don't try that, it's the oldest pick-up line in the book!"

Rain God: "Haha, old men like us are all like this, unlike those young guys! Speaking of which, Officer Chen, you've only been in Xia County for a few days, and you're already busy making new friends?"

Morning Light: "What? Can't I? You saw it too, those two over there are a couple, do you know how miserable it is to be stuck in the middle as the third wheel every day? Can't I at least meet someone for dinner"

Rain God: "I doubt it's just dinner... If it were just a meal, would you really need to be on Bxxxd?"

Morning Light: "Why not? Even for dinner, I should find someone I have common ground with!"

Rain God: "Haha! Officer Chen, you've got a point! If it's just a meal, how about me? We're colleagues, after all, do me the honour and have dinner with me?"

Morning Light: "Emmm... I'll think about it."

Rain God: "It's settled then! I'll be waiting for you in half an hour at Desheng Restaurant near your dorm, let me treat you to some of Xia County's specialties."

Morning Light: "Mhmm, alright."

Chen Chen used the next thirty minutes to carefully groom himself. Finally, he nodded in satisfaction at the mirror, where a refined yet alluring rogue stared back at him.

After a five-minute walk, he arrived at the location where he had agreed to meet Chang Le. From a distance, he saw Chang Le waving at him. Dressed in a smart-casual outfit instead of his police uniform, Chang Le looked rather bright and lively. Though his skin was on the tanner side, his well-built physique and sharply defined features made him quite attractive.

Chen Chen tried to get into character as quickly as possible but worried about actually bending himself into a pretzel. Although he was particularly straight to begin with, he had never truly put it to the test. Besides, Chang Le was still a suspect, if he got too deep into the act, things could get really complicated!

Chen Chen's internal monologue dragged on for what felt like a century before he finally pulled himself together and mustered up the courage to step forward.

"Officer Chen, this way please." Chang Le smiled, the corners of his lips curving into an attractive arc.

"Don't call me Officer Chen in private, okay? Just call me by my name." Chen Chen grumbled. "I don't want to mix work and personal life!"

"Alright!" Chang Le agreed. "Then you should just call me by my name too."

Chang Le reserved a small private dining room, which was quiet and perfect for conversation. Once they were seated, Chang Le took the initiative to order a selection of Xia County's local specialities. Chen Chen wasn't a picky eater, so the two of them started chatting casually.

"You Yuchuan guys really are something else!" Chang Le said. "Over there, you've got a pair of lovebirds glued together, and over here, there's a handsome guy like you on Bxxxd. Unlike us in Xia County, a small place like this, it's hard enough to find someone like-minded!"

"No way, aren't there loads of people on Bxxxd?" Chen Chen replied.

"Those are just a bunch of kids..." Chang Le sighed helplessly. "I can't even hold a conversation with them!"

"So, have you been single all these years?" Chen Chen asked.

"Of course not." Chang Le took a sip of tea before continuing, "I've been in two or three relationships before, but they all ended. I haven't met anyone suitable these past two years. Plus, now that I'm getting older and work is so hectic, I really don't have the time or energy to play games any more. I just want something stable, someone to settle down with."

Wishful thinking! Chen Chen thought to himself. If you really are the person we suspect, who the hell would dare settle down with you?

"That's true, we can't afford to mess around at our age," Chen Chen replied, keeping his expression neutral.

"What about you?" Chang Le turned the question on Chen Chen. "You're not really here just for a hookup, are you?"

"Of course not," Chen Chen explained. "I only log into that app occasionally when I'm bored. But since I've just arrived in Xia County and I don't know anyone here, I figured I'd find someone to be my free tour guide, show me around, and take me to good places to eat. Plus, the sour stench of love emanating from the two of them over there is a little too much for me to bear, I seriously can't stand being their third wheel any more!"

"That's true..." Chang Le nodded. "Even I can see it. How long have they been together? They have such a close relationship, it's actually a bit enviable."

"About half a year, I think..." Chen Chen replied. "No surprise, really, they've already met each other's parents, balancing work and love like pros. Single folks like us can only watch and envy!"

As they chatted, the dishes Chang Le had ordered were all served, along with a bottle of premium local white wine from Xia County.

"Officer Chen... oh no, Chen Chen," Chang Le opened the bottle. "Can you drink? Drink with me?"

"I'm not a great drinker..." Chen Chen pretended to hesitate. In truth, his alcohol tolerance was excellent, he could drink Gu Yunfeng under the table twenty times over, but since this was their first meeting, a little modesty seemed appropriate.

"It's okay, I'm not good at drinking either," Chang Le saw that Chen Chen wasn't outright refusing, so he poured him a full glass. "I'm really glad to get to know you properly today, so give me some face and have a couple of drinks to celebrate."

"Then I'll respectfully listen to you!" Chen Chen raised his glass and downed it in one go.

"Good! That's the spirit!" Chang Le also drank all the wine in his glass. "I like making friends with people like you!"

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: February 22, 2025 by Angel

Edited: February 26, 2025 by Angel