Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)

The scent was heavily obscured under the man’s natural scent and the chill of snow, but Mu Yuze couldn’t possibly be mistaken for his sensitivity toward this foul odor had increased a few folds since the accident that happened to his father.

What had happened during this one and a quarter hours? Did He Juan get hurt?

"Please don’t worry, Mr. Xiu. The examination is going very smoothly," Doctor Zhang said in reply to He Juan’s inquiry. "Xiao Ze is very calm and accepting. It is honestly very admirable how he absorbed everything I said perfectly. As for the detailed report, I may need three or four days until I can send it to your mail. Until then, feel free to call me if you need to ask questions."

"Calm and accepting?" He Juan raised a teasing brow, undoubtedly recalling the instance where Mu Yuze had lost control of his emotions and cried so hard that he received another nickname – little bunny – for how red his eyes became.

Mu Yuze shot him a glare, challenging him to say it out loud. But fortunately He Juan had no plans to tease him further in public. The man merely dipped his head toward Doctor Zhang and said, "Thank you so much, Doctor Zhang. We will definitely seek you in the future if we need help. Have you said your thanks to the doctor, Xiao Ze?"

Mu Yuze obediently parroted, "Thank you so much, Doctor Zhang."

Doctor Zhang laughed heartily and waved them goodbye. "Please be careful on the road and drive slowly."

Once again, He Juan tugged on the hood to cover Mu Yuze’s head before they went out, but this time Mu Yuze acutely sensed that He Juan was not as tense and overprotective as before, almost as if... he had taken care of the things that troubled him. They rode the elevator to the underground floor and walked across the desolate parking lot to a certain car parked a few meters away.

Much to Mu Yuze’s surprise, it was a different car from the one they had ridden on their way here, and also, the fierce-looking driver and Jia Molei had disappeared without a trace, leaving He Juan to drive the car by himself.

"Sleepy?" He Juan asked once they settled inside. "You don’t need to wake up so early to make my morning coffee today. Just sleep in as long as you want to."

"Mn," Mu Yuze replied as he fastened the seatbelt. Although inwardly, he knew that he was going to wake up as usual only to see He Juan off to work. After all, this man’s schedule was very chaotic and unpredictable. Sometimes, he would need to leave after dinner and quite a few rare times, he didn’t even come home a few days in a row. Morning coffee was just Mu Yuze’s excuse to see if the man was indeed home.

He Juan cast a suspicious look at him and murmured under his breath, "Why do I have a hunch that you’re not going to listen to me?"

Mu Yuze threw his gaze out of the window as He Juan started the car and drove out of the parking lot. In the quiet morning, the sky was still as dark as ever, if not darker, as if a swathe of gloom had swept in so that people would become lazier to get out of their beds.

The road was empty save from one or two cars that slowly drove by and a familiar sedan that stopped on the side of the road—

...Hmm?

Mu Yuze squinted his eyes and placed his face closer to the window. Alas, before he could confirm whether it was really the car they had used earlier, He Juan floored the accelerator a bit harder and left the car behind in a cloud of fumes and snowstorm.

Mu Yuze frowned. Was it really the same car or not? If yes, why would they switch cars and use a different one? And where did the bloody smell on He Juan’s body come from?

"You look like you’re playing a whole theater in your head, Xiao Ze," He Juan suddenly remarked with an amused tone. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Mu Yuze turned to find the man’s gaze still straight on the road, his lean and powerful fingers lightly grasping the wheel. "I can see that you have a lot of questions. Why don’t you ask me rather than mulling over it yourself?"

’If I ask, will you answer them truthfully?’ Mu Yuze grumbled inside his heart. But then, he gave it a little ponder and finally asked a light question, "Why are you so wet? Wasn’t the car in the underground parking lot?"

"Ah..." He Juan tapped on the steering wheel and chuckled. "I’m sure that you must have noticed that we’re using a different car. Actually, the car broke down a few hundred meters from the hospital just now. And seeing how I’m already running late, I just decided to get out and run to the hospital."

So Mu Yuze’s guess was spot on. This man was indeed running around in such merciless weather! He frowned in disapproval, "I don’t mind waiting for a few more minutes."

Moreover, something did not add up with what He Juan said. If the previous car indeed broke down all of a sudden, then where did this car come from and how could it be ready in the underground parking lot? It was as if the man had been prepared to switch the car from the start...

With an amused chuckle, He Juan freed a hand and ruffled his hair as though he couldn’t help it, and once again Mu Yuze caught a whiff of blood that made his heart sink. "Are you worrying about Gege now? Don’t be, it’s actually not easy for me to catch a cold. I only need a hot shower and a good night’s sleep, and after that I will be as good as new again."

Mu Yuze let out a scoff at how easily it was for He Juan to dismiss his health. Perhaps it was the tranquil atmosphere between them, or perhaps it was the mixture of darkness and enclosed space that gave him courage to say what he wanted to say... or perhaps he was truly annoyed at how He Juan would always mislead him instead of telling him the truth, he found himself asking,

"If I asked you why you smell of blood, would you give me an answer?"