Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)

Mu Yuze stared at He Juan’s side-profile, watching as surprise flashed through his eyes for a split second before it was replaced with amusement. He Juan cast him a brief glance, "I gave you permission, and you’re immediately going for the kill, huh? Xiao Ze?"

"Who told you to give me permission in the first place?" he retorted dryly.

He Juan burst out into a peal of hearty laughter at that. "Sneaky little bunny..." he murmured fondly under his breath. The louder, "Why is your nose so sharp? You can even smell something like that?"

Mu Yuze huffed and turned his gaze out of the window, grumbling in a low voice. "If you don’t want to tell me, just say it outright. No need to go out of your way to change the topic." Either way, he was just testing his luck. It was not like he really hoped for He Juan to give him an honest answer.

He Juan laughed again, more subdued this time. Quieter. As if he was helpless against Mu Yuze’s little temper tantrum. The car slowly came to a halt behind the red traffic lights, then Mu Yuze felt the man’s gentle hand patting his head at the same time as he said, "It’s not like I don’t want to tell you. It’s just that... I have no idea where to start."

Mu Yuze’s eyes widened and he quickly swiveled around just in time to see the tint of melancholy on He Juan’s slight smile. His heart skipped a beat. Had the time finally come? Could he finally know everything about He Juan from the man himself? Mu Yuze licked his dry lips to calm his raging anticipation. If He Juan did not know where to start then... just let him be the one to ask.

"The smell of blood, is it yours? Are you injured?"

"No," He Juan scoffed as if he was feeling disdainful that Mu Yuze would even entertain such a thought. "Not my blood."

"Then... whose?" Mu Yuze gazed at him intently as the red glow from the traffic light cast shadows over his features, making his silver eyes look more inscrutable than usual. It was as if a sheen of glacier had been smeared over his usually gentle and smiling eyes, giving it a hint of coldness Mu Yuze had never seen before.

"My enemies," he said quietly. "I have a lot of enemies, Xiao Ze. Much more than you can imagine."

"I can tell," he deadpanned. When He Juan raised a brow as though taken aback, Mu Yuze slowly elaborated for him. "It’s not like you have not been giving me hints. First, you always go to Doctor Jia’s illegal clinic for medical treatment. Second, you need to make preparations whenever you go out. Third..." he pressed his lips tight, wondering whether he should say it or not. But in the end, thinking that he had nothing to lose, he finally decided to bite the bullet and expose every little piece of clue he had gathered for months. "In the bottom drawer of your study... you own a few guns, don’t you?"

He Juan’s stunned expression was so comical that Mu Yuze had the urge to laugh out loud. At the same time, he was also proud of making He Juan show such an unusual look. He suppressed the urge to preen and asked with his chin lifted, challenging, "How is it?"

"Ha..." He Juan raked his hand through his damp hair, the corner of his lips curving higher and higher. His broad frame shook as he finally could not hold back his laughter anymore. "Hahahaha!! Goodness, Mu Yuze..." he wheezed out amidst breathless laughter. "Did you just admit to going through my study when I was not home??"

Mu Yuze felt his cheeks heat up in embarrassment as he hissed to defend his innocence, "I–I didn’t mean to! It was not on purpose! I was just looking for a stapler in your study, but who could have guessed..."

Who could have guessed that he would end up discovering a drawer full of guns instead! Imagine the shock he went through when he saw that!

Alas, it seemed like he had pressed the man’s laughing button for He Juan still could not stop laughing even after the traffic lights turned green. Still muffling the laugh, he shifted the gearstick and started the car again. He shook his head in mirth, "Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh, but... pfft—" he laughed again until tears pooled around the corner of his eyes.

Mu Yuze said nothing and merely waited until He Juan’s laugh petered out into small snickers, even though inwardly he was resolved to make He Juan’s coffee extra bitter today.

’Let’s make him cry for real,’ he thought viciously.

"But on another note," a careless smile graced his lips. "You really surprised me this time, Xiao Ze. No, should I say that you have always surprised me again and again? You’re right, I have indeed been dropping little hints for you here and there. I don’t know, perhaps I am just waiting for you to make a conclusion on your own? But in the end, you managed to surprise my expectations..." When he thought of how his collection of guns had been busted since God-knows-when and he did not even have an inkling about it, he couldn’t help but laugh again. "You’re really a wonder, you know?"

Mu Yuze directly filtered out his flattering last sentence and focused on the middle. "You have been dropping me hints?" His brows furrowed in thought. "For what?"

Why was this man so fussy? Couldn’t he just say it directly instead of playing puzzles like this?

"For what, you ask..." He Juan hummed lightly. "Perhaps, I just don’t want you to be afraid of me?"

Mu Yuze became even more confused. "Why should I be afraid of you..."

So far, He Juan had been nothing but kind and patient and indulging toward him. Mu Yuze did not even fear his father, who had always cursed and beaten him up to pulp, so why would he fear He Juan who was nice, gentle, handsome, good-smelling and had the warmest embrace in the entire world?

"Ah, my little naïve and gullible bunny..." He Juan clicked his tongue and shook his head in exasperation.

Mu Yuze glared at him, ears flushing red. "Who are you calling gullible?!" He convinced himself that the anger must be the only reason why his ears were quickly heating up, and definitely not because of how He Juan had called him ’his’!

Utterly unremorseful, He Juan let out a sigh, "Aren’t you? You’re just so pure, so good and I..." he abruptly trailed off with a wistful chuckle. "I’d like you to remain like this for a long, long time. Later, there will definitely come a day when you will find out the answer to your questions. But until then... can you forgive me for not telling you?"

Mu Yuze puffed up his cheeks and let out a loud harrumph. After all this complicated and puzzling talk, in the end the man still was not willing to tell him anything!

"Xiao Ze? Why don’t you answer me? Are you really angry? What should Gege do? Let’s stop by the nearest breakfast stall and see if they’re selling the meatbun you like, okay? What do you say?"

Of course, Mu Yuze straight-out ignored him and resolutely decided to sulk on the entire way home, causing the other man to be torn between tears and laughter.

.

At that time, he still had no idea that the ’later’ He Juan was talking about would come so soon...