Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 383: No Safer Place

"Hello?" The man on the other side of the line called out after He Juan abruptly paused mid-sentence. "Do you need me to bring the car now, Boss? But the weather is very terrible right now, I’m afraid it will be a little hard to travel. Why don’t we wait for a few hours until morning? Hello, Boss???"

Outside, the storm was raging and the rain was mixed with small pieces of ice, smashing onto the roof with sharp and unsettling rattles. But inside, it was completely quiet with only Mu Yuze’s little sobs and uneven breathing could be heard. His pleas were soft like the cries of a newborn kitten, weak and stubbornly making himself be heard.

Yet it was exactly those soft pleas that almost tore He Juan apart from within.

He Juan let out a shaky exhale as his eyes fell shut, his grip on the phone handle tightening until it almost cracked. "Let go," he said, his voice quiet and strained on the edges.

But the boy’s hold around him became tighter instead as he shook his head, murmuring, "No... Juan-gege, please..."

Please, it was He Juan who wanted to say this. Please don’t call me that. Please don’t force yourself into my heart more than you already are.

He had always wished that Mu Yuze could be more comfortable around him and hence he had always teased the boy at any waking moment. But in fact, he did not actually hold much hope that the boy would loosen enough to call him ’gege’. But now that the day had really come...

He Juan let out a bitter chuckle, dropped the handle back to the telephone stand with a loud clack and went to grip the edge of the table instead. It was the only way he could do to prevent himself from kneeling down in front of Mu Yuze and asked for forgiveness.

"Everything you have gone through today..." he started, feeling Mu Yuze subtly stiffen up behind him. But then he continued, "The horrible things you have gone through today is only the tip of the iceberg if you insist on staying with me, Mu Yuze. In the future, you will find yourself in more severe situations and meet more dangerous people. They will not hesitate to hurt you, torture you, make you wish for death..."

He was not trying to scare the boy, because everything he said was the truth. They were lucky this time because He Juan’s opponent did not know the extent of his power and authority, and hence only hired three mercenaries to do the job. But what about the future?

"...and I will not always be there to save you every single time," he reached out to peel the boy’s hand off him, only to pause when he spotted the gash and bruises on his skin. He closed his eyes, his jaws clenching tight. His voice sounded raw even to his own ears, "Can you imagine what would have happened, Mu Yuze? If I hadn’t arrived on time?"

"But you did," came the boy’s soft and nasally voice. "You saved me."

He Juan’s laugh was mirthless. "You wouldn’t even get implicated in this situation if not for me."

Mu Yuze shook his head. He Juan did not understand. If not for him, Mu Yuze would have been labeled as a murderer a few months ago and rot in jail. Or perhaps he might have been sent to a juvenile detention center in the middle of nowhere for a crime that he did not even commit. He was but a malnourished fourteen years old boy, against those genuine criminals, did he even stand a chance? Who knew what would have happened to him by now? Mu Yuze couldn’t even begin to imagine it. And it was all thanks to He Juan who had dragged him out of that hellhole and granted him a new life filled with warmth, comfort and happiness.

"Not your fault." Mu Yuze could feel tears welling up in his eyes again, for he could feel how much He Juan was hurting. This man was such a kind and gentle soul, and now that such a thing had happened, how could he not blame himself? "None of it is your fault. It’s mine..."

Before He Juan could say anything in protest, Mu Yuze hurriedly beat him to it, "I will grow up healthy and strong... so that next time, I don’t need you to come save me anymore, Juan-gege." He had been replaying today’s incident in his mind countless times. If only he had been a little faster, if only he had been a little stronger, then he wouldn’t have let himself be taken away by those people. He leaned his forehead on He Juan’s warm back and murmured, "In the future, I... I will be able to protect myself. I promise. That’s why, you don’t need to send me away—"

His words were abruptly cut off midway when the man in front of him suddenly swayed and crashed down to his knees as if all of his energy had been drained out of his body.

Aghast, Mu Yuze rushed in front of him and asked in fluster, "W–What is—" he had not even finished his sentence yet when He Juan abruptly yanked him into an embrace.

A sharp gasp escaped his lips. This was not the first time He Juan had hugged him, but it had never felt this... tight, this desperate as though the man wished to pull him into his flesh and bones where he would be safely tucked there. The man’s arms curled protectively around his body, squeezing him, and it hurt so much that it took Mu Yuze his all not to cry out loud.

This time though, he gladly welcomed the pain.

"Sorry..." his eyes widened when he felt something wet landed on his neck from where He Juan was burying his face in. His broad frame shook as he clutched Mu Yuze tighter as if only then could he stop himself from totally falling apart. "Sorry, Mu Yuze. I’m so sorry... sorry..."

Mu Yuze’s lips trembled. He Juan... was crying? 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Never in his wildest dreams would he imagine to see such a great and charismatic Alpha break down in front of him. His rough voice filled with utter pain and torment, his trembling frame and the unending words of apology that spilled out of his mouth... that was all it took for Mu Yuze to burst into tears too. It was as if he could feel the man’s sorrow resonating with himself.

He raised his arms and wrapped them around He Juan’s head, hugging him back.

Yes, this man was the epitome of danger. Staying with him meant that he was literally risking his own life, but at this moment, Mu Yuze felt like no other safer place existed out of He Juan’s embrace.

"You are not a monster," he whispered amidst the sobs, still recalling how He Juan had referred to himself a moment ago. "You will never be a monster to me, Juan-gege..."

Mu Yuze vividly perceived the sharp hitch of He Juan’s breathing, as if he had completely been caught off guard by that declaration, as if... it was the first time he had heard it. And that’s the truth, wasn’t it? Everyone feared him, and he had even hidden the truth of his identity from his own brother.

Something told Mu Yuze that He Juan had been waiting for a long, long time to hear someone say it to him.

To think that it was him, Mu Yuze, who was the first one to say it — not Chen Youzhi or any other people who worked alongside him, not Doctor Jia, not his little brother, and especially not the bold and beautiful omega who had offered himself to him or other omegas who had previously helped him get through his rut...

It filled Mu Yuze with an almost morbid satisfaction.

’Oh,’ his eyes flared wide as the shocking realization finally dawned on him. ’Toward this man, I...’