Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 397: Rival In Love?

He Juan’s gaze turned complicated as he stared at her. He weighed his choices before he decided to ask the second most important question, "You are the so-called mutated Alpha who’s born with a high concentration of AX–03 in your body, aren’t you?" It was more like a confirmation than an actual question.

Her eyes flew as wide as saucers. Whatever little color on her face drained away into a sickly hue, and that’s how He Juan knew that he had finally hit a jackpot after blindly searching for months.

He Juan secretly took a deep breath to calm his agitated nerves. He could not mess things up – not when he had finally found the person he had been looking for. If things went according to the plan, she would be the key for him to uncover the truth pertaining to the repulsive secret experiment and also put a stop to the madness that had terrorized Omegas for centuries. And for that, he had to proceed with utmost caution so as to not scare away the only clue he had gotten.

He let a little softness bleed into his tone as he reassured her, "Don’t worry, little missy. I am not completely clueless about your kind’s existence, nor am I out here to hunt you down. Instead, I have a hunch that our goals will coincide with each other. First thing first, why don’t we— ah, that’s right, look at my manners. I haven’t even asked for your name yet. It feels weird calling you ’little missy’ all the time."

Under He Juan’s expectant gaze, she murmured, "...Ye Qiu."

"Hmm?"

She said again, this time louder. "Ye Qiu, it’s the name given to me."

"Okay, Little Miss Ye," He Juan chuckled and gestured at the back door. "First thing first, why don’t we pay for the things you have taken?"

***

Even though He Juan told him to wait inside the car, Mu Yuze opted to wait outside the supermarket after he had loaded the groceries into the backseat instead. Once in a while, he would crane his neck to peek into the store, but he still couldn’t see He Juan’s silhouette anywhere.

He blew hot air on his hands and rubbed them together as he sniffled from the cold. What could have taken him this long?

That person whom He Juan was chasing after... she looked too young to be his acquaintance, right?

Mu Yuze knew that it was not his place to ask, but he couldn’t keep his mind from wandering. What were they talking about? Why did He Juan need to sneak around like he did earlier? And most importantly... why was he feeling so disheartened? He couldn’t have felt jealous because He Juan was ditching him to chase after that girl, could he?

This was his first time liking someone, and thus he had no idea if what he was feeling was normal, or if he had become too obsessed with He Juan. The man could easily affect his mood with every word and action he said and done, making him struggle to deal with the growing monstrosity in his chest.

And it was not like he could ask someone else’s advice about this either...

Mu Yuze grumbled under his breath as he kicked the pebble on the side of the road. Just then, a slight movement on his peripheral vision drew his attention. He raised his head and his eyes immediately lit up when he saw He Juan coming out of the break room, only to dim again when he spotted the same girl following behind He Juan.

Without him realizing, he started to size the girl up and down.

...She was tall (much taller than Mu Yuze at least) and her face was quite pretty. Mu Yuze was fully aware that he was acting absurd right now, but he was still unable to stop the sour and bitter feeling bursting in his heart when He Juan tilted his head to speak to her.

Did He Juan speak to her gently like he did to Mu Yuze? Did he also dote on her the way he doted on Mu Yuze?

All of his nonsensical thoughts screeched to a halt when He Juan turned to the glass door and his eyes widened in surprise when he caught sight of Mu Yuze standing outside amidst the cold weather, all by his lonesome.

Without a word, he strode out, carrying the warm air from the heater and the intoxicating smell of his pheromones along with him. But this time, Mu Yuze could detect another scent on He Juan. It smelled unlike anything he had ever smelled before, and a sense of repulsion instantly surged in his throat. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

This smell... was it hers? What had they done for her smell to cling on He Juan’s body like that?

"Xiao Ze!" He Juan’s gaze was full of concern as he asked, "Why are you here? Did something happen?"

Mu Yuze’s ears heated up at being caught staring, but fortunately he could blame it all on the weather. "I’m waiting for you..."

"Silly boy, aren’t you cold? Why don’t you wait inside the car instead?" He Juan bit off his gloves and reached out to cup Mu Yuze’s cheeks with his huge palms to warm him up, and Mu Yuze had to bite the inside of his mouth to stop himself from leaning into He Juan’s tender touch like a greedy leech. The horrid and unpleasant feeling in his chest melted like the snow under the dazzling ray of sunlight, and he found himself thinking,

’At least Juan-gege does not warm her up like this...’

He glanced to the side and saw that the girl was still hovering over the cashier with an uncomfortable look. "She is..."

"Ah right, I forgot." He Juan let go of his cheeks and an unprecedented sense of loss shrouded him like a tidal wave, which he swiftly concealed before the man could notice. "Can I take my wallet back?"

Though confused, Mu Yuze still reached into his pocket and handed the wallet over to He Juan.

"Thank you," He Juan flashed him a sweet smile. "Do you want to get inside the car first or..."

Mu Yuze did not even need to think twice before he insisted on following behind He Juan. Together, they went into the supermarket again to join the girl.

"Are you sure you only want these?" he asked her, looking at the items spread on the counter. "You can take more if you’d like, you know. My treat."

She hesitated for a while, and then dashed into the inner part only to return with an armful of snacks and bread which she also dumped on the counter. "They will like these..." she murmured quietly and fidgeted on her feet as if afraid that He Juan would rebuke her, but He Juan merely sent her a reassuring look and asked the cashier to ring the items up.

All the while, Mu Yuze hid behind He Juan’s back, almost turning himself into the man’s leg accessory, and that’s why it was not until the cashier handed them the plastic bags did she realize that there was an additional person with them.

She looked taken aback when Mu Yuze subtly glared at her, "This is..."

However, He Juan only patted his head and smiled without saying a word. Getting the signal, she clamped her mouth shut and averted her eyes, leaving Mu Yuze in a stunned and bewildered state.

He Juan was not going to introduce them to each other? Why?!

The question plagued Mu Yuze’s mind when He Juan told her, "As long as you’re ready, give me a call and I will be there." And he was still bothered by it even after they parted ways with the girl and returned home.

"Xiao Ze?" He Juan asked while they were moving the groceries into the refrigerator. "Is there something in your mind? I noticed that you have been lost in thought since we got into the car."

Mu Yuze raised his head and saw that He Juan was staring at him with genuine concern. The dim light from the refrigerator fell onto him, making his silver eyes look even warmer than usual. Mu Yuze lowered his gaze and fiddled with his fingers. He couldn’t possibly tell the man that he wanted to know who she was in case she would be his rival in love, right? He parted his lips, and what came out in the end was,

"Actually... I have a request..."