Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)

He Juan slipped into his car, closed the door and stared vacantly at the school building in front of him, still with the papers in hand. For a few long seconds, he merely relished in the silence and emptied his mind of thoughts.

Never in his wildest dream could he imagine that Mu Yuze, out of all people, would fail his class. Almost twice. He Juan could not associate the sharp-eyed and quick-witted boy with someone whose grade reports were littered with Ds and Fs. If not for the unique handwriting that exclusively belonged to Mu Yuze, He Juan would have thought that Teacher Wei was talking about someone else who had the same name as Mu Yuze.

As soon as He Juan snapped out of his trance, he immediately grabbed his phone and gave Chen Youzhi a call. He was grateful for his insight to plant a tracker on all of Mu Yuze’s shoes and the seam of his trousers. He had done it just in case Mu Yuze would be implicated in his business and get taken away by his enemies. Alas, he did not expect that the first time he activated the tracker would be in a situation like this...

He peered out at the overcast sky and sighed. The weather was so cold, where had that silly boy run off to? If he did not want to go to school, why didn’t he just stay at home? At least, He Juan would not have to worry that he would be kidnapped!

The call was connected after the second ring. "Hello, Boss?"

"Chen’er, I want to..." He Juan suddenly recalled the time when he returned home these past few days. He would find Mu Yuze snuggling on the couch while writing something on his notebook, and then when He Juan asked him how he did for the exam today, he would always say fine with a face that betrayed nothing at all. A flicker of anger was suddenly ignited in He Juan’s heart when he realized how the boy had been lying right to his face. He let out a dark chuckle and told Chen Youzhi, "Nothing, I just changed my mind. Sorry to bother you."

Not waiting for Chen Youzhi’s response from the other side, he hung up and tossed the phone to the seat beside him, scoffing.

Sneaky little liar... it seemed like He Juan needed to teach him a lesson so that he would not dare to lie and run around as he pleased again in the future!

He Juan started the car and directly drove home. He spent twenty minutes patting Kitty who was lounging in her comfortable cat bed before making his way to the door.

When he opened the door and saw the pitch-black house, he actually felt a little sense of disorientation, already too used to being welcomed by the sight of Mu Yuze on the couch. Hell, he could even hear Mu Yuze’s voice beside his ears, softly asking him what dinner they would have tonight. But he quickly shook the heart-warming image out of his head and told himself that he needed to focus. He could not allow his heart to soften just by the mere sight of the boy. Not today!

After checking the house and making sure that Mu Yuze was really not here, He Juan took his position on the couch right on the spot where Mu Yuze usually sat.

Then he waited.

Owing to the fact that it was snowing and the sky would rapidly darken once it was past 5 pm, the school had graciously allowed its students to finish class sooner. Not only that, because Mu Yuze was supposed to be having an exam period right now, he could even excuse himself from the afternoon extra classes and go home at two pm. He Juan glanced at the clock and saw that it was already twenty minutes to three. If Mu Yuze had gone to school, he should have almost arrived at home by now.

But the main problem here was, He Juan had no idea where Mu Yuze was and thus he was unsure what time the boy would return.

He began to hesitate. Should he just activate the tracker and find out Mu Yuze’s location now?

Alas, before He Juan could even make up his mind, his ears picked up the faint ding of the elevator door opening, followed by a familiar set of footsteps that approached the door.

Mu Yuze had returned!

He Juan scrambled to grab his phone, leaned back on the couch with a casual posture while pretending to scroll through his messages as he heard Mu Yuze punch in the password and open the door. He turned just in time to see the boy standing frozen on the doorway, shocked by the sight of him.

"Hi!" He beamed. So much for acting natural, geez.

"You’re... back?" Mu Yuze blinked in surprise, then he glanced at the clock and made sure that it was indeed way earlier than the usual time He Juan would be home. Realizing that he was still standing foolishly on the doorway, he took off his shoes, placed them in the cabinet and stepped in.

He Juan secretly noted how he was still wearing the school uniform beneath his coat. Exactly where had Mu Yuze gone, he wondered?

"I don’t have much work today so I decided to come home early. Go and get changed," He Juan urged as he rose to his feet. "Gege bought mung bean soup for two of us. Let me heat it up for you."

Mu Yuze nodded in reply and walked briskly toward his room.

He Juan finished microwaving the mung bean soup just as Mu Yuze came out of his room again, now clad in a long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants that were part of He Juan’s birthday present for him. He Juan placed two bowls on the table and took a seat opposite the boy. "Go ahead. I’ve told them to put in minimum sugar for you, so it should not be too sweet."

Nodding, Mu Yuze grabbed the spoon and brought it to his mouth for a taste.

"How is it?" He Juan asked. "Not too sweet, right?"

"Mn, it’s just right."

"So..." He Juan took a sip himself and asked in the most casual tone possible. "How is your exam?"

"Fine," Mu Yuze replied smoothly like always.

’Sneaky little liar,’ He Juan thought. Usually he would drop the topic just like that and move on to another one, mainly about Mu Yuze’s plan for winter vacation and whether he had promised to hang out with his friends. Mu Yuze had always given him vague answers and it was not until today that He Juan learned from Teacher Wei how the boy was a loner through and through!

Just how many lies had he fed He Juan with? Except for the matter in school, was there anything else he was not truthful about?

Gripping the porcelain spoon in his hand, He Juan’s smile turned sharp as he asked, "Really? What subject was in the exam today, Xiao Ze?"

Mu Yuze’s movement paused subtly. Then hesitantly, he raised his eyelids to peer at He Juan. He must have discerned something from He Juan’s expression for his face immediately sank. "You..." he placed the spoon down with a clang, his voice quiet. "Did you go to my school today?"

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A/N: everyone, delana has published a new BL titled ’When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle’. Add it to your library if you like survival games, suspense and thrilling fantasy!

It’s my entry for wsa 2023, thus your support will be much appreciated ^^

ps: the new book event is on now! For more details, check out Chapter 10 of the book