He Juan led Mu Yuze to the grand staircase. Seeing how rigid the boy’s posture was as if he was sending himself into a gruesome battlefield, He Juan had to resist another smile yet again. He offered his hand, "How about holding onto me?"

He swore he was not teasing this time, but Mu Yuze still shook his head vehemently as if he’d rather die than to hold He Juan’s hand. It disappointed him – just a tiny bit – and He Juan quickly got over it in lieu of showing Mu Yuze around.

He was no longer a stranger to this place, especially when he had to come here every time he got injured – which was quite often.

Once they got to the second floor, he easily guided Mu Yuze to the doctor’s office, knowing that Jia Molei would prefer to record the boy’s physical data first before getting to the main examination.

Just in time, He Juan wanted to address Mu Yuze’s thin and malnourished physique as well. He had taken the boy under his wings for almost a week, but how come he still had not put on any weight?

Right now, they were walking down the hallway as He Juan gestured at the area around. "This floor is mainly for patients who have to stay over for days. To the left is the sterile room, or you can also call it ICU. Doctor Jia’s office is just around the corner. We’re heading there first."

He sensed Mu Yuze sneaking a glance at him. "Did you come here often?"

"Hmm..." He Juan tilted his head in thought. "Not so often. Just a few times."

Jia Molei’s clinic was never really empty. There would always be an influx of patients every single day, starting from those who only got mild sickness like diarrhea or flu, to the more serious patients who needed close supervision. They already bumped into three people on their way to Doctor Jia’s office, all spotted with IV stands connected to their arms and thick bandages wrapped around some parts of their bodies.

He Juan nodded with a reserved smile when they greeted him. He might not remember their exact names, but he had some recollection of their faces and which organizations they come from. So far, all of them had an amicable relationship with Xuanlong.

At the very least, they would not dare to try to assassinate him when he was here.

They would sneak some glances at Mu Yuze, curious about the identity of the boy who had appeared alongside XIU, only to avert their gazes hurriedly once He Juan cast them a warning glance. He Juan could practically hear the wheels of gossip turning in their minds. He discreetly heaved out a sigh. It seemed like he had to be prepared for more rumors about ’illegitimate child’...

"They are..." Mu Yuze started hesitantly, breaking the line of He Juan’s thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"They are... afraid of you." Mu Yuze stared at him with his huge and innocuous eyes. "Why?"

As expected, Mu Yuze really had a sharp observational ability. Not only that, he was brilliant too. He Juan had noticed it firsthand when he brought Mu Yuze out of the police station. He had great awareness of his surroundings and was vigilant enough to think twice before taking an act – except for those few times when he lost control of his emotions.

He suddenly recalled the instance when Marius asked him whether he was going to train Mu Yuze as his successor, and he quickly shook the thought out of his mind before it could take root.

No. He would not do that, especially not to Mu Yuze. He did not need anyone as his successor. XIU’s name, his honor, glory as well as the sins tied to it... everything would end with him and no one else.

"Good question," He Juan praised. It was not like he could hide his identity forever. There would definitely come a day when Mu Yuze would find out about it. Instead of having Mu Yuze hear the news from another person... why not give him some clues here and there and see if he could guess it himself? He turned to Mu Yuze with an enigmatic smile. "The reason why they’re so afraid of me... haven’t you seen it yourself, Xiao Ze?"

Confusion flashed through Mu Yuze’s face, and then his eyes widened when he finally realized what He Juan was talking about.

That’s right, it was the time when He Juan confronted the people from Liuyang all by himself and incapacitated them with his pheromones alone.

He Juan stopped in front of Jia Molei’s office and raised his hand to knock. Once he heard Jia Molei’s impatient reply from within, He Juan lowered his hand to grab onto the handle. He could feel Mu Yuze’s stare burning a hole to the back of his head, but He Juan did not turn around. He could not even begin to guess what kind of expression Mu Yuze was having right now, and once again he viciously hoped that it was not one out of fear.

Just why was he so worried about Mu Yuze’s impression of him?

He Juan really wanted to laugh at himself now. And thus he did. "Xiao Ze..." his laugher eventually ended in a wistful sigh. Instead of following his heart and pleading for Mu Yuze not to fear him because He Juan would never do him harm, he asked a simple question, "One day, will you come to dread my presence like they do?" It came out much more genuine than he’d expected.

Selfishly not giving Mu Yuze a chance to react, He Juan pushed the door open and greeted the scowling man inside with a wide beam. He stepped aside to let Mu Yuze enter. "Sorry to have made you wait, Doctor Jia. I have a special request for you. Can you give Mu Yuze a full body check-up?"

Jia Molei raised an intrigued brow, but did not ask more about it. "Sure." He opened the drawer, took out a piece of paper, then beckoned for Mu Yuze. "Come and fill in your information first."

All of a sudden, He Juan sensed Mu Yuze going still beside him.