Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)

It took a total of six days for He Juan’s rut to subside. By then, the sky outside his window had already turned into a majestic golden, reminiscent of the setting sun that splashed the sky with its splendid glory.

Laying on the bed with his limbs spread like a starfish, he breathed out a sigh of relief and stared blankly at the creamy ceiling for a while, still reeling from the fervent heat that had not truly dissipated from his sweaty skin.

He had never expected his rut to arrive two months sooner than scheduled.

That day, he had taken a cold shower as soon as he returned home and did not even bother to wipe himself afterward, hoping that the chill could permeate into every pore on his body and tamper down the churning desire. After making sure that the door was truly locked, he had crashed down to the bed and passed out almost immediately, only to wake up with a start in the middle of the night.

Hot... so hot...

It was as if his blood had turned into liquid fire, burning him inside out until the air around him crackled with invisible sparks. He let out a pained groan and scrambled to grab the glass of water on the nightstand, chugging it down in hope to make himself feel better; yet it ended up like a drop of water on the Sahara – utterly useless and futile.

At first, he thought that he had caught a cold due to the shower he took earlier. He had even mocked himself for his brazen attempt to do something like that during the peak of winter. And it was not until he detected the faint scent of an Alpha in pre-rut that the shocking realization dawned on him — his rut had descended without a warning. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

There was no time to think. He fumbled for his phone and gave Chen Youzhi a call before he lost any resemblance of sanity. Then he was brought away from the apartment to move into this classical house in the countryside under his name that had sat unoccupied for months.

Usually, He Juan had a fixed place to spend his rut in. It was a reinforced house with layered security so that his enemies would not be able to ambush him in this vulnerable state. But that night, everything had been so urgent that Chen Youzhi could only drive him to the nearest available place. Luckily, there was enough water and food supplies in this place to last him a week, otherwise he had no idea if he would allow Chen Youzhi in after his rut fully settled.

Goodness, he did not even have the chance to inform Mu Yuze about it. And to think that he had promised they would talk tomorrow...

He Juan closed his eyes and let out a wry chuckle. Mu Yuze must be confused and worried, right? After all, He Juan had disappeared again without a word. Fortunately, at the last moment before his consciousness began to blur, he managed to grit out an order for Chen Youzhi to take care of the boy during his absence. He could only hope that Mu Yuze did not worry too much about him.

After idling for a while, He Juan started to feel extremely uncomfortable with the stickiness on his skin. The sheets under him had also been stained with various fluids and the air reeked of the stench of an Alpha’s violent rut and frustration.

Grimacing, He Juan propped himself up and stumbled to the bathroom to wash himself thoroughly.

After that, he pulled the dirty sheets off the mattress and dumped them into the hamper, then turned on the ventilator in the room. As the machine worked to filter the foul-smelling air, he reached into the drawer for his phone and finally turned it on after six days. In an instant, a flurry of notifications swiped up his screen one after another, to the point where he needed to wait for a few seconds for them to stop.

He opened the messages from Chen Youzhi first and read through the daily updates of Mu Yuze, telling how the boy was eating well and going to school normally as always. No incidents to speak of.

He Juan let out a sigh of relief. Good... so Mu Yuze was still safe and healthy. After sending Chen Youzhi a thumbs up emoji, he moved to read the message Jia Molei had sent yesterday. [She’s willing to meet you. How about next week?]

Satisfied, He Juan typed in a reply, [Next week is fine. Just give me the time and location.]

He continued to scroll through the mass of reports and updates from his men. Finding nothing notable, he switched to the list of missed calls and paused when he found one from Mu Yuze, two days ago. The record stated that it had rang only for two seconds before Mu Yuze canceled the call.

Two seconds... it meant that the call had barely been made before the boy quickly ended it. Why? Had his fingers slipped somehow or...

Frowning, He Juan glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost time for Mu Yuze to finish his classes. If he left right now, he would barely make it in time to fetch Mu Yuze from school.

But right now...

He sniffed his arms. Somehow, he could still detect the lingering scent of rut on his body. Not only had it crashed upon him without a warning, it had also become one of his most precarious rut ever – only second after his first rut. For some reason, it felt more intense, more uncontrollable and violent than usual. The desire to mate almost tore him apart from within, and he fuzzily recalled how he had smashed himself to the door several times, desperately trying to go somewhere... desperately trying to find someone to quench the heat...

He Juan let out a sigh. He did not want Mu Yuze to see him in such a state. Perhaps he should wait for a few more hours, until he was certain that he had recovered fully before meeting the boy.

After making sure that nothing urgent had happened during his rut period, he tidied up the room one last time and went to knock on the door.

A tentative answer came from outside, "...Boss?"

"Mn, it’s me," He Juan said. "It’s over now. You can let me out."

"Oh!" Rapid footsteps approached, then the sound of padlock being undone and the loud rattling of metal chains falling to the ground. The thick metal door swung open with a creak to show the beaming face of a Beta man. "Boss, you finally sobered up!"

He Juan cleared his throat awkwardly, knowing fully that he had caused quite a ruckus this time. Looking at the deformed hinges, he could only imagine what would happen if his men had not put the lock and chains on the door.

Stepping out, he patted the man on the shoulder. "You have worked hard this time." He looked around the empty house and felt his stomach gurgle in hunger.

"Is there food?" he asked with hope.

***

Chen Youzhi arrived twenty minutes later after receiving the emoji. By then, He Juan had already wolfed down three portions of fried rice and was almost finished with the fourth.

"Boss," he dipped his head slightly in a greeting. "How are you doing?"

He Juan was unable to talk with his mouth full and thus, he could only gesture at the packages of food on the table that his men had managed to buy within the shortest time possible. Sighing helplessly, Chen Youzhi went to the kitchen and brewed a cup of herbal tea that would help with indigestion.

In the end, He Juan had to wipe five portions of fried rice clean for his tummy to feel warm and contented. He grimaced at the herbal tea that Chen Youzhi pushed to him, but in the end, he still took it and sipped on it slowly.

"So, why are you in such a rush to come here?" he asked. "Is there any problem?"

Chen Youzhi shook his head. "Nothing happens, Boss, don’t worry. It’s just that your rut..." he coughed with an awkward look on his face. "It seems quite... unusual this year. Moreover, you insisted on spending it alone so I’m a bit worried about you."

He Juan snorted in laugher. What a worrywart. Indeed, there had been a few times in the past when He Juan could not afford to let himself stay in such a vulnerable state for days. Enemies were closing in on him and once they caught wind of his rut, they would definitely seize the chance to take him out. For that, he had to spend it with someone else – of course, it was an omega that had passed through a series of stringent background check and had signed a confidentiality contract with He Juan.

As long as he took someone into his bed during this period, his rut would always break after one or two days, making it easier for him to get back to his feet.

This time though...

He Juan shook his head, an amused smile curving on his lips. "You know that I won’t resort to spending it with someone else unless absolutely necessary. It’s all calm and peaceful right now, no?" When he saw that Chen Youzhi still looked worried, he laughed and changed the topic. "Enough about me. Tell me about Mu Yuze. Was he worried? Did he ask for me often? How many times a day?"

Chen Youzhi showed a pained look as though he couldn’t believe that such a shameless question could come out of the oppressive and dignified XIU, but then he shook his head in response. "He is doing well. Didn’t look any different than usual. And no, except for the first day, he did not ask for you."

He Juan was stumped, "He did not ask for me?"