As He Juan tilted his head to peer at the number shown on the digital scale, he sensed Mu Yuze going rigid in front of him. The boy sucked in a mouthful of cold air and then stopped breathing altogether. In that split second, He Juan wondered if he could hear Mu Yuze’s heartbeat if he were to press closer.

That thought brought a deep chuckle out of his throat, his exhale fanning across Mu Yuze’s fluffy hair. He drew back and watched Mu Yuze’s stiff expression with his eyes curving in mirth. "Why are you so nervous? Don’t worry, Gege won’t cut your height down even by one centimeter. See, I am recording it honestly." He fixed the headpiece in position and tugged Mu Yuze down from the scale, inviting the boy to be the witness. Otherwise what if Mu Yuze suspected He Juan lying and playing a trick on him? That would be absolutely unacceptable.

Mu Yuze spared the scale a glance and nodded, "Mn."

Satisfied, He Juan jotted the number down on the form. "Do you have any allergies? Prior illness like asthma, sinusitis or something similar?" On the side, he heard Jia Molei murmur something like ’why don’t you fucking resign from your position to become a part-timer here?’ but He Juan straight-out ignored him, of course.

Mu Yuze shook his head to both questions.

He Juan resisted the urge to flick the boy’s forehead out of helplessness. "No as in no allergies and no prior illness, or no you don’t know?"

Mu Yuze chewed on his bottom lip and replied after some thoughts. "No, I don’t know, but... I shouldn’t have something like that. I’ve been doing well so far."

He Juan let out a quiet scoff and recorded Mu Yuze’s answer on the paper. Doing well so far, he said. Nonsense. Would he have been left with mere skin and bones, even malnourished to boot, if he was doing well? He Juan mentally noted to himself not to take Mu Yuze’s words at face value next time. The boy had a bad habit to downplay the predicament he was in.

After he finished filling out the form, he rose to his feet, patted Mu Yuze’s head in passing and handed the paper to Jia Molei. "Here. As for the rest, I’d have to trouble you to check it, Doctor Jia."

Jia Molei gave a hum and scanned the paper. Then he abruptly paused and brought it closer to his eyes, frowning. "Wait, is there something wrong here? It says that brat is fourteen years old..."

"Ah, yes." He Juan cleared his throat and cast a glance at Mu Yuze to see that the boy’s face was getting increasingly darker by each passing second. He reached out to pat the boy’s head in reassurance and told Jia Molei, "Mu Yuze’s life has been quite... tumultuous, to say the least. That’s why I brought him here for a full body check-up. We don’t want any hidden ailment to crop up in the future, do we Xiao Ze?"

Mu Yuze harrumphed and murmured under his breath, "I’m healthy though..."

Jia Molei’s gaze became complicated when he looked at the boy. "So you’re fourteen years old."

"What?" Mu Yuze snapped his gaze up, instantly going defensive. His demeanor was akin to a newborn cub that stubbornly bared his soft teeth to the world. "Do you have a problem with that, old man?"

"Old...!" Jia Molei almost choked on his breath. He bit out furiously, "Even if you’re already fourteen, you are still a brat through and through!"

Mu Yuze sneered, unfazed by the doctor’s explosive fury. "And you’re an old man through and through."

"You—!"

"Doctor Jia." He Juan had to intervene again before a fight could break out between the two, much to his amusement. He placed himself in front of Mu Yuze and faced Jia Molei’s furious eyes. He let a hint of warning bleed into his smile, even though his voice remained light and casual. "What are you doing getting angry at your patient?"

He knew that Jia Molei would not do anything to Mu Yuze, at least not physically. But He Juan could not bring himself to trust the doctor’s foul mouth. From the short time they had spent together, He Juan learned how fragile Mu Yuze’s self-esteem was, despite his bold and dauntless exterior. He did not wish to see Mu Yuze shrinking into himself again because the doctor was running his mouth carelessly. That’s why He Juan had to give the doctor a warning to prevent it from happening in the near future.

"XIU, you..." Jia Molei’s nostrils flared in unrestrained shock. Apparently he had received He Juan’s warning very well. "Fine!" he let out a huff. "Seriously, it’s not like he’s your son. Why the hell are you so protective of him?"

He Juan blinked and pointed at his own nose. "...Me, protective?"

"Or am I talking to a ghost here?" Jia Molei sneered, sarcasm dripping from his tone. "Don’t tell me that you have no idea at all. Just think about it yourself, XIU. Have you ever been like this to others?"

Well, of course the answer was no. It was not like He Juan had often dealt with teenagers Mu Yuze’s age, so how was he supposed to know how he acted to others? Moreover, Mu Yuze was cute, kind, intelligent, endearing and kinda grumpy – but it just made him all the more lovely. He was such a good boy, thus it was natural for He Juan to like him, dote on him and even become a little protective of him, right? He Juan did not think that anything was wrong with his behavior. Any other person would like Mu Yuze once they got to know the boy better.

He Juan shrugged and was ready to dismiss the topic when he heard Mu Yuze ask behind him,

"If he’s not always like this, then what kind of person he is?"

Not to mention Jia Molei, even He Juan was caught off guard by that sudden question.

Flabbergasted, he turned to find Mu Yuze’s gaze transfixed on him. The boy’s eyes were so dark, yet so crystal clear and pure at the same time. The swirl of blue reflected the light and somehow made his gaze look piercing. It was as if he could see deep into someone’s soul. He Juan could feel his heart skipping a beat. Mu Yuze had never looked at him with this kind of gaze before. So intense, profound and—

"What kind of person he is?" Jia Molei’s voice snapped him out of his reverie. "If you’d like, I can give you a tour around the sterile area. Half of the people inside are—ugh!" He Juan jabbed his elbow on the doctor’s side before the man could smear his reputation further. Jia Molei coughed and clutched his stomach, glaring. "What the fuck, XIU?!"

"Xiao Ze..." He Juan felt oddly flustered when he looked into Mu Yuze’s eyes this time. Why, he wondered? Was it because Mu Yuze had never held his stare for so long before? He tried to put a smile on his face, which he hoped was genuine enough not to betray the rising confusion he felt within. "If you want to know... Gege will tell you, okay? There’s no need to ask Doctor Jia about it."

Mu Yuze blinked at him, and the next sentence he said rendered He Juan utterly speechless. "But I want to know what kind of person you are through his eyes."