Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 388: Moving
Mu Yuze stared at him, bewildered. He was going to say a ’mobster’, but He Juan had beaten him to it and rendered him unable to finish his sentence.
A thug? Why did he have to refer to himself as someone so... crude and uneducated when he’s clearly the exact opposite of that? Indeed, He Juan had once claimed that he was a highschool dropout, but Mu Yuze found it hard to believe, especially with the graceful yet imposing way the man carried himself that made him look like an elite of society instead.
At an utter loss of words, Mu Yuze could only nod because that was exactly the question he wanted to ask.
"It’s nothing complicated," He Juan said in a breezy tone as though he was telling Mu Yuze that they were going to eat outside today. "My parents were killed by a group of desperate beggars. That year, the bridge near my house was demolished for a new project and those people, who lost the shelter they had stayed at for years, went batshit crazy and decided to vent their frustration by doing a massacre on the citizens who lived nearby. My parents, along with seven other people, became the victims. My little brother and I escaped narrowly because we were at school."
Mu Yuze sucked in cold air as he had not seen this coming at all. "...And then?"
"And then," the corner of his lips curved into a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. "The local station took over the case, but they quickly gave up on it because one, the beggars had vanished without a trace and two, the leader of the project forked out a sum of money to bury the matter under the rug because they did not want it to become a scandal. Just like that, the murders went unsolved and the culprits were never found."
Mu Yuze’s lips parted without a word, unable to say even a word to respond. He could easily guess what happened after that. He Juan, who was grieving and furious over his parents’ death, finally decided to rely on himself and took the matter into his own hands, for the country was unable to redress this injustice for his family.
"Did it happen... when you were in high school?" he continued to ask, not even realizing that his voice was shaky.
"En," He Juan reached out a hand to rub his head. "There’s no need to feel bad about it. Everything is already in the past. Gege has found those people and made them pay for their actions."
But how could he not feel bad? How could he not feel distressed for the ordeal He Juan had to go through? That year, how old was he again? Seventeen? Eighteen? He was but a teenager, a youth on the peak of his prime, yet already he had to suffer from the loss of his parents, took care of his little brother, abandoned his study and walked down the path that was frowned upon by others.
In the end, he had even managed to grow up into such a dashing, exceptional and dependable Alpha.
How could he be so amazing? Compared to him, Mu Yuze was...
"Are you seriously feeling bad for Gege?" He Juan laughed harder when he saw Mu Yuze looking glum and depressed. He cooed softly, "Goodness, how can our Xiao Ze be so adorable? He has grown up so quickly that he can worry about his Gege now!"
"I’m not a child!" Mu Yuze swatted his hand away and puffed up his cheeks in anger, sullen at being treated and cajoled like a child. It just served as a painful reminder of how far the distance between them was.
Would the day arrive when he was finally able to catch up with this man?
***
Over the next handful of days, Mu Yuze stayed in Doctor Jia’s clinic to recuperate. His days were filled with sleeping, eating, watching television, and playing with the kittens.
He also did a video call with the two Morningstar brothers, in which they expressed their remorse (Marius) and schadenfreude (Sirius) for the mishap he had been through.
He Juan, on the other hand, always went out during the day only to come back in the dead of the night. Mu Yuze tried to stay awake and wait for the man to return, but it was as if He Juan had a radar to detect when he would get sleepy, for he would always drop by when Mu Yuze was half-asleep only to bid him goodnight. And when Mu Yuze woke up the next morning, he would have disappeared without a trace.
He looked awfully busy, but knowing that he had a lot of matters to be concerned about and enemies to watch out for, Mu Yuze did not dare to ask much. The least he could do was to stop being a burden for He Juan.
One day, Mu Yuze was munching on an apple while watching an animal documentary series forced onto him by Jia Molei when a knock sounded on the door. He raised his head in surprise to find He Juan there.
"Bo– Juan-gege," he stumbled over his words, still not quite getting used to it yet. Swallowing the apple in his mouth, he glanced at the clock and made sure that it was still too early for the time He Juan would usually come. "Did something happen?" he asked worriedly.
"No, nothing," He Juan let out a small laugh as he leaned against the doorframe. "I’m just here to ask, are you ready for our move?"
Mu Yuze was startled by the question. He Juan had indeed hinted that they were going to move to another city after this, but Mu Yuze had thought they would need some more time. After all, shouldn’t moving be a burdensome and tiring thing? They would need to pack their belongings, take care of the furniture in the old house, find another suitable house and make it ready to live in...
But of course, He Juan could easily get it done within a week. What would he expect?
Mu Yuze had not even seen his belongings during his stay here, but he reckoned that He Juan had taken care of everything for him.
"Now?" Mu Yuze asked in surprise.
"No, not now. Just rest tonight and we will set out the first thing tomorrow morning."
Mu Yuze nodded obediently.
He Juan arched his brow, amused, "Aren’t you going to ask where we are moving to, little bunny? What if I’m packing you off and selling you to another country? Aren’t you afraid? Hmm?"
’Anywhere is fine as long as I get to be with you,’ was what Mu Yuze wanted to say. However, he merely rolled his eyes and deadpanned, "So where are we going?"
He Juan laughed, his silver eyes curving in mirth. "Yuyang," he said. "We are moving to Yuyang. I promise, you are going to like it there, Xiao Ze."
.
. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
Mini theater
Snippets of Mu Yuze’s video call with the Morningstar brothers...
Marius showed a remorseful look, "Oh, I’m very sorry that such a terrible thing happened to you. To think that those people would act as soon as we leave..."
"What?!" Sirius snatched the phone from his brother as he looked at Mu Yuze’s bruised and swollen face. "You call this terrible?! You haven’t even seen me!"
Without a warning, he lifted the hem of his shirt and Mu Yuze’s eyes went as wide as saucers when he saw the ugly bruises and gashes across the boy’s body. Old and new, and some were even still bleeding. It was apparent that he had not gotten it all on one occasion.
"Look!" Sirius continued to demand in an aggrieved tone as he pointed the camera at his body, "This is all my brother’s doing. He deliberately beat me up in places where it could be covered in clothes!"
"You brat—!" Marius was quick to cover his mouth, but it was already too late for Mu Yuze had already heard everything.
Colors drained from his face in an instant as he stared at Marius in muted horror, "You... beat him up?"
He had originally thought that Marius and He Juan were very similar to each other but it was not until now that he realized how wrong he was. This man was no different than his bastard father who took pleasure in harming him. Scum! Jerk! Trash of society! How could he beat his little brother up so severely?! Mu Yuze must tell He Juan about this as soon as possible so that he would not be deceived by the blonde man’s genteel façade!
"Um..." Marius tried to explain. "I think there’s a serious misunderstanding he—"
Beep. The video call was disconnected.
Marius: "..."
At that moment, Marius’ image in Mu Yuze’s eyes hit rock bottom and it was not until He Juan properly explained to him later on that he understood it was part of Sirius’ basic training regimen.
