Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)

Not only once or twice had He Juan asked the same question to himself. Every time he returned from another long-awaited meeting only to sense that He Xie was drifting further away from him, he found himself wondering, ’Would it be better if I had just kept him by my side like Marius did to his little brother?’

Alas, every time he was swayed, he would end up recalling the gruesome death of the people in his line of business. As swiftly as wind, they were not even given the chance to bid goodbye for death had come to reap their soul in a flash. If they were unlucky, they might even meet a devil like He Juan who would not allow them to have a peaceful death. Call him biased, but He Juan thought that he would not be able to live on if the same thing had happened to his brother, and thus he remained resolute in his decision.

If this was what it took to keep him safe, then so be it.

About one hour later, they arrived at a traditional and high class restaurant. The three-story building featured Chinese architectural elements like pagoda roofs, upturned eaves and decorative motifs, making them feel as if they were stepping into a whole different realm.

They were led inside by the manager – who had gotten acquaintanced with the two brothers because they had always come here each year around the same time – toward a VIP room near the garden where they could enjoy the tranquil and elegant scenery.

"Will it be the usual?" the manager asked with a smile. Each year, the two brothers would always book the same room and order the exact same dishes. With their attractive appearance, each with their own distinct charm, it was hard not to take notice of them. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Yes," He Juan replied with a brief chuckle. "Thank you as always, Manager Qi."

"Please, don’t be so polite, Mr. He." Manager Qi bowed, stepped out of the room and quietly slid the door close, leaving the two men alone.

He Juan turned to see He Xie staring out of the window with a nostalgic look on his face, and he immediately knew what the teenager was thinking about. His voice was soft as he said, "This place has not changed at all, huh..."

He Xie nodded, a wistful smile curling upon his lips. The breeze drifted in through the small crack of the window, fluttering the strands of his black hair and highlighting his delicate features that had gradually morphed into a young man.

He Juan felt a pang in his heart when he noticed how time had continuously transformed his little brother during his long absence, not giving him a chance to catch his breath and savor the moment.

When they were young, their parents would always bring them here every year every time they celebrated something, be it for He Xie’s birthday, or He Juan snatching first rank in his class, or their mother for getting a raise at the school she taught at. It was simple and mundane, yet right now, it was those simple memories that they kept treasure with immense longing and lingering sorrow. For it was the only time the four of them had once existed as a happy and complete family.

"This year’s weather is a little colder," He Juan couldn’t help but nag whenever he recalled He Xie’s sickly state when he was young. "Wear more layers when you go out. Be careful not to catch a cold, okay?"

"Such a worrywart," He Xie scoffed, his eyes twinkling in mirth. "I haven’t caught a cold during winter for the last three years. Don’t you notice it, Ge?"

"Ah, is that right?" He Juan scratched his cheek sheepishly.

No matter how much time had passed, he couldn’t seem to shake off the image of his crybaby brother out of his mind. With his watery eyes and red nose, he wailed out loud, saying how he wanted to go out and build a snowman despite his fever. In the end, it was He Juan who spent an entire hour outside to build the perfect snowman for his little brother. Not heeding his frozen hands, he hurried to place the small snowman beside He Xie’s bed, intending for it to be a surprise. But in the end, he made He Xie cry again when the snowman melted into a puddle of water due to the heating inside the house. Not only that, He Juan also caught a cold on the very same day.

He couldn’t help but smile fondly at the memory.

"Geez, my little brother has grown up so soon," He Juan let out an exaggerated sigh as he poured hot tea for both of them. "What should I do if you get married someday and leave the old and poor me behind?"

He Xie laughed when he heard that. "Isn’t it me who should be saying this? You are already twenty three, Ge. But why haven’t I seen you with someone else?"

"Because there is no ’someone else’," He Juan replied easily, pushing the tea cup in front of the teenager. Nor will there ever be, he added inwardly.

"Ge..." He Xie showed a hesitant look as though he wanted to say something but did not know where to start.

For fear of worrying He Xie, He Juan did not intend to tell him of his plans to stay alone forever. With the kind of reputation he had and the sin he carried, who would want to be with him anyway? He would just end up dragging an innocent person to the pit of hell together with him.

He put on a carefree laugh to dismiss He Xie’s concern. "What? Is there something wrong? Look at me, I am such a workaholic. What should I do if one day my partner asks me to choose between them and my work? I will definitely make them run away in tears!"

He Xie rolled his eyes when he heard that, too lazy to argue with the man’s nonsense. He knew that his brother was saying it to humor him again.

Soon, the alluring and exquisite dishes were brought in one after another, and the brothers dropped the conversation in lieu of wolfing down the food. A warm and tranquil atmosphere enveloped the two as they chatted lightly with each other.

It was not until they settled the bill and returned to the car that He Xie brought up the previous topic again, his fingers fiddling with the seatbelt in nervousness,

"I just want to say..."

"Hmm?" He Juan gave a questioning hum as he fastened his seatbelt with a click.

He Xie took a deep breath and put on a solemn look he had never shown before. "I just want to say... it’s okay if you want to live your own life, Ge. After our parents’ death, you chose to drop out of school and work so that you can take care of me... I have always been grateful for that," he offered He Juan a shaky smile. "But you have already done more than enough for me. I am not a child from seven years ago anymore, who could only rely on you helplessly... who could do nothing without you..."

He Juan’s pupils shook, not expecting his baby brother to say something like this. "A-Xie..."

He Xie sniffled and let out a wet chuckle, "In less than two years, I will graduate from high school. By then, I will already be an adult who can take care of myself. I have already been thinking about this for a while, Ge. I won’t go to university. I will just search for a job, like you." When he said that, a dazzling determination shone in his beautiful eyes.

Yet He Juan’s heart thudded heavily in his chest. "You want to... work?"

Like him...?