Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 386: Say It Again

Mu Yuze kept his breathing slow and even as his ears took in the sound of the door being gently closed. Light and steady, the footsteps approached where he was before stopping right beside the bed.

’Don’t twitch, eyelids,’ he prayed desperately as the unmistakable presence belonging to He Juan filled every inch and corner of the room. The intoxicating pheromones, which he could only sneakily sniff through the suit jacket a moment ago, seemed to intensify until he could taste it on the tip of his tongue, causing his heart to skip a beat.

As silence continued to drag inside the room, sweat began to form on Mu Yuze’s forehead. W–Why was He Juan standing beside the bed for so long? What was he doing? He couldn’t have been staring at Mu Yuze’s face all this time, right??

Mu Yuze felt like he would really stop breathing if He Juan remained motionless like this. The suspense was killing him and his heart felt like it would burst apart from how hard it was beating right now. He really could not bear it anymore...!

Just as Mu Yuze was going to give up on his act and open his eyes to show that he had just woken up, he heard a muffled chuckle above him,

"Sneaky little bunny..." a light flick landed on his forehead, so gentle that it was almost like a caress. "Who are you trying to fool?"

Mu Yuze: "...!!"

He gingerly peeled his eyes open and saw He Juan smiling down at him. The warmth on his ears continued to spread all over his cheeks and neck, and he did not even need a mirror to know that he had turned into a boiled lobster.

’Ahhh!’ he screamed internally with his face buried into the pillow. ’Why did I pretend to sleep? It’s such a stupid and idiotic move!’

Seeing that he was going to suffocate himself, He Juan finally peeled him off the pillow. Mu Yuze’s breath hitched on his throat as he felt the man’s gentle touch on his shoulders. It seemed like since he was aware of his feelings, he became hyper conscious of every single thing He Juan said and done, down to the very last details. In a bid to act normal, he blurted out the first question that crossed his mind,

"Are you done with your work?"

"How are you today?"

The two of them spoke in unison and they blinked, staring at each other.

Mu Yuze pressed his lips into thin lines as he let out another silent scream. What was up with this awkwardness in the air?! How did he interact with He Juan again before this? His heart sank when he found his mind drawing blank. He couldn’t remember how to act naturally around the man...

"W–What did you say?" He stammered out. "I didn’t catch it just now..."

He Juan chuckled, pulled a chair to himself and sat down. "I was asking, how are you today?"

Mu Yuze gave a tense nod. "Fine."

Again, they stared at each other in silence. To be more exact, it was He Juan who was staring at him whereas Mu Yuze’s eyes were fixed on the blanket pooling around his lap as if it held the truth about the universe. Cold sweat slid down Mu Yuze’s back as the ticking clock filled the silence, and a second before he jumped down from the bed and escaped to the bathroom to calm himself, he heard He Juan sigh softly,

"There’s no need for you to be so tense around me, Xiao Ze." He snapped his gaze up in shock and saw He Juan giving him a wry smile before dropping his gaze to his lap as if... he was nervous. Was he nervous? "It’s okay, I will understand if you’d like to... change your decision. After all, you were exhausted last night and could barely think straight. My offer still stands, if that’s what you are wondering about."

Mu Yuze’s face paled, and his voice was shaky as he asked, "W–What are you talking about..."

Did He Juan want to send him away again? Indeed, the man had not explicitly said that he was allowed to stay, but... after the talk they did last night, he thought that they had come to an agreement. Or was it just his wistful thinking, after all?

He Juan jerked his head up, surprised to hear such a vulnerable tone coming from Mu Yuze. And his eyes widened even more when he saw the anguished look on the boy’s face.

"No!" He shot up to his feet and instinctively reached out as if he wanted to take Mu Yuze into his embrace, only to pause when he recalled something. "No, I..." he let his fists clenched on his side as he averted his gaze. "I just... don’t want you to be more afraid of me than you already are..."

He let out a bitter chuckle, "If you are going to act like this around me from now on, then what’s the point?"

"It’s not—!" Mu Yuze felt relieved at the knowledge that he did not have to leave, but more than that, he was frustrated at himself for acting so awkwardly, causing He Juan to misunderstand. "I am not afraid of you, it’s just that..."

"Hmm?"

Mu Yuze’s lips parted without a word, as crimson began to rise on his cheeks again. How was he supposed to tell He Juan that he was just nervous and shy being in the presence of the first man he had come to adore?!

"...Either way, I am not afraid of you," was all Mu Yuze could choke out in the end.

But He Juan was still skeptical. He narrowed his eyes at the boy in doubt, wishing that he could sneak into his brain to peek at the thoughts inside. "Then why aren’t you looking at me, Xiao Ze? Your face is red, and you keep sweating..." a sigh slipped off his lips. "You haven’t even called me ’gege’ again today. Don’t tell me that it’s only limited to special occasions?"

’Just let me die...!’ Mu Yuze screeched inside his mind. He wished that the ground would open up to swallow him whole to spare him from this conversation, but of course such a miracle would not happen. He was still trapped in an enclosed room with the man he liked, with the aforementioned man placing his unwavering attention on him. He was afraid that if he kept this up, then the feelings he had sworn to carry to his grave would be discovered sooner or later!

However...

He couldn’t let He Juan continue to misunderstand him, could he? It seemed like He Juan had a misconception that everyone could come to fear him after the feat he had done last night... after knowing what kind of insanity he could get up to.

Mu Yuze admitted that it was a scene he would remember for the rest of his life. After all, he doubted that he would witness someone getting his eyeball gouged out for the second time in his life. But more than that he was secretly happy... because he felt like he finally saw a hidden side of He Juan – a side which he did not show just to anyone.

Just like the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining, right?

(Of course, part of the reason why he was not as terrified was because the victim of He Juan’s cruelty was none other than Injured Man, whose touch and gaze repulsed him down to the bones. Being petty as he was, he secretly liked to gloat on his enemy’s misfortunes.)

As such, Mu Yuze took a deep breath, gripped the blanket with his slightly shaking fingers and raised his head to meet He Juan’s eyes. He desperately tampered down the urge to shrink and stuttered out, "G–Good afternoon, Juan-gege..."

He Juan raised a brow, as if surprised at Mu Yuze’s show of courage. The corner of his lips twitched, and he turned to offer his ear to Mu Yuze, "Say it again? I missed it just now."

Liar! How could he miss it when the room was empty and quiet save for the two of them?! Mu Yuze cursed this shameless man who would not let go of the slightest opportunity to tease him inside his heart. But he told himself to endure. This was nothing, if it meant he could dispel He Juan’s doubt.

"Juan-gege..." he murmured with a voice as quiet and soft as a kitten’s cry.

The intimate address fell on He Juan’s ear like a feather grazing across his heart, making him feel ticklish all over. "Again?" he asked, unable to get enough of it. He almost whipped out his phone and recorded it so he could play it on loop everywhere and everytime he wanted.

But Mu Yuze had quickly reached the limit of his endurance, "Enough!" He glared at the man who had the audacity to laugh. Even though he looked extremely dashing with a bright smile on his face, it did not mean that Mu Yuze would forgive him so easily! He puffed up his cheeks and turned away with a harrumph, and seeing that He Juan immediately masked his laughter with a cough,

"Okay, okay, Gege will not tease you anymore," he reached out again, then gingerly placed his hand on top of Mu Yuze’s head and rubbed his fluffy hair, his silver eyes curving into crescents. "You are really not afraid of me, huh? Seriously, how are you real..."

Mu Yuze ducked his head so that he could hide the flush on his cheeks, despite knowing that nothing could escape from He Juan’s eyes.

W–What was this man doing, saying something like that all of a sudden? Did he want to give Mu Yuze a heart attack? It was exactly this smooth and natural gesture of his that made Mu Yuze fall for him deeper and deeper, whereas the man remained completely oblivious to all!

’I should be the one to say this...’ he grumbled inwardly. ’How can someone like you be real?’