Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)

Early the next morning before dawn even broke, He Juan left the house quietly and drove for more than ten hours before he arrived in front of a boarding school in the suburbs.

It was a millennium old, prestigious school with a long history that could be traced back to the war period. He Juan had searched far and long before he found this suitable school that could shield and protect his little brother from danger of the underworld. Though this school was a bit disconnected from the city, it was a perfect place for him to hide his most precious treasure.

When he arrived, there were already a few cars around him, all coming for the same purpose. He Juan turned off the engine and got out of the car, then he proceeded to exchange pleasantries with a few parents he always met each year.

For them, he was an ordinary businessman who had come to fetch his little brother in place of his deceased parents. Such a story worked wonders to induce sympathy, and coupled with He Juan’s warm and outgoing personality, it was not difficult for him to insert himself into the circle of parents despite his young age.

(All he had to do was evade the talk of spouse and marriage every time they asked if he would like to meet their little niece/sister/relative.)

It did not take long for the school gate to open and like a disturbed ant nest, a horde of students swarmed out with the buzzing excitement and energy typical of a youth. They all wore the same uniform and carried the same backpacks, yet as always, He Juan could always spot his little brother amid the crowd.

"A-Xie!" He waved with a huge smile on his face.

A slight smile appeared on the sixteen years old teenager once he caught sight of He Juan. He trotted forward and let himself be pulled into He Juan’s bear hug, laughing softly. "Ge."

"Oh my God, I missed you so much!" He pulled back and placed both hands on the teenager’s shoulders, raking his gaze all over as if he could not get enough. "Let me take a look at you. Hmm, it seems like you have lost weight. Is school very difficult this year?"

He Xie smiled, "Just like usual."

Compared to He Juan’s towering and muscular build, He Xie leaned toward the slender and delicate form. When he was small, he very often got sick to the point where he could not take a step out of the house whenever winter came, for he would always cough non stop due to the chilly wind.

Soon after their parents passed away, He Xie contracted an extremely high fever that did not recede even after more than a week. As a result, He Juan was busy running around to take care of the funeral and also fussing over his sick brother in the hospital. He thought that it would be a hassle to return to school, and thus he decided to drop out altogether.

His life revolved around He Xie since then, constantly worrying about him, taking care of him, fearing that he would be harmed by others. It was not exaggerating to say that He Juan almost tied his little brother to his waist and took him everywhere he went.

Because for him, He Xie was the only family he had left.

At first, due to his slender and fragile body, He Juan was afraid that he would manifest as an Omega. How was his fragile little brother supposed to live in such a cruel and merciless society? He Juan was so anxious about it until he lost sleep for days.

Amidst the days of unending restlessness, he crossed paths with Luo Xuan and finally decided to swear allegiance to the omega. Part of the reason was to protect his little brother if worse came to worst, while the other part was to track down the people who had murdered their parents and exact his revenge.

Fortunately, He Xie did not show any signs of manifestation until now. He Juan’s fear turned out to be unfounded and the teenager had grown up safe and sound – and most importantly, healthy – as an ordinary Beta.

"It seems like I have to feed you a lot this time," he clicked his tongue and moved to open the door to the shotgun seat for He Xie. "Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? How about the usual place?"

Ever the mild and gentle, He Xie merely smiled and shook his head, "Up to you."

Along the journey, He Juan asked about his well-being, the progress of his study, his classmates, whether he had gotten into trouble this year and most importantly, if he had someone he was interested in then he should not hesitate to tell He Juan about it. With every question He Juan asked, He Xie would answer obediently and when they got to the last question, he stammered out with a flushed face, "No... not yet."

At first glance, they might look like an ordinary pair of brothers, yet on closer inspection, their exchange looked more like... an interrogation instead. One asked, then the other would answer. Again and again until they ran out of topics to say.

Oh, He Juan knew. He could easily perceive how they lacked intimacy like the one Marius shared with his brother. Yet no matter how He Juan tried to erase this subtle rift between them, it always existed somehow.

He knew where the crux of the problem lay, but unfortunately, he had no way to fix it.

To prevent He Xie from being implicated with the underworld, He Juan only met him twice a year. First, on New Year and second, on the anniversary of their parents’ death. He could not say anything truthful either when He Xie asked about his job. Perhaps it was the blood bond between brothers, but He Juan suspected that He Xie knew about the lies he concocted. It was only because of his mild personality that he chose not to confront He Juan about it.

One lie became two, and two became three until the initial guilt He Juan felt for lying eventually faded away and he was able to lie with ease. The extremely brief interaction they had with each other also served to further the distance between them.

Until one point of time, He Xie no longer asked about his job, nor would he take the initiative to share his life unless He Juan asked him about it.

There was a saying that the more precious something or someone was to you, the more you would treat them carefully, afraid that they would break to pieces at the slightest inattention. He Juan felt like it applied very well to them. For him, no one was more important than He Xie and because of that, he became extra careful, always watching his words and actions around the other...

All of a sudden, Marius’ question echoed in his ears, "Are you sure, XIU? Do you not regret pushing him away for the sake of protecting him?"