Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 410: A Person To Chase

Yuyang City, Lingyun Dojo.

Mu Yuze had just finished today’s sparring session and was changing out of his sweat-soaked shirt when someone shouted from outside, "Mu Yuze, let’s go get ice cream!"

He slipped on a clean piece of shirt and turned to see that it was Zhong Yun on the doorway, the most extroverted and easy-going student of the dojo, also one of Mu Yuze’s rare friends who did not mind his cold and taciturn personality when others tend to keep a distance from him.

Mu Yuze closed his locker and grabbed his bag on the bench to sling it over his chest. He shook his head in response to the boy’s question, "Not today."

"Woah woah woah, what’s with your voice?!" Zhong Yun exclaimed in surprise. "No wonder you are quieter than usual. Did you catch a cold?"

Again, Mu Yuze shook his head. "It’s been like this since I woke up." He cleared his throat to get rid of the unpleasant sensation to no avail as his voice still sounded scratchy and hoarse like an old man. He had even eaten a cough drop before he came here just in case, but it seemed like the medicine did not work on him. In the end, he could only sigh and said, "Will drop by the pharmacy on my way." Otherwise it would be such a hassle to get sick in summer with the sticky heat and all.

But Zhong Yun, being one year older, immediately guessed what was going on. "Isn’t it just your voice changing?"

Mu Yuze blinked at him, "...What?"

"Didn’t they teach you in school—bah!" He slapped his own mouth and grinned sheepishly, "Sorry, I forgot that you’re still homeschooling. What I mean is, I think it’s time for your voice to change, no? Look at your height." He compared both of their heights and Mu Yuze quickly stepped away in disgust because Zhong Yun often teased him about his short stature when he had first attended the class.

"I am serious!" The boy cried out, wronged. "I remember last month that you were only around my chest, and now you have already reached my chin! Woah, Mu Yuze, what did you eat this past month? How can you grow tall so fast?!"

"Hmm..." Mu Yuze carefully observed them back and forth, and realized that what Zhong Yun said was true. No wonder his body was extremely sore when he woke up these past few days, he had even thought that it was the symptoms of a cold.

Amidst the exhaustion brought by constant sparring sessions, doing summer homework given by Teacher Wei, and studying for the high school entrance examinations this year, he had not noticed the change in his own body. He looked down at himself and belatedly noticed that the shirt that used to be loose and baggy had become almost fitting on him.

"You’re right," he said, causing Zhong Yun’s eyes to light up but they dimmed again when he added, "But I’m still not going to get ice cream with you. I haven’t done my daily quota of studying yet."

"Geez," Zhong Yun grumbled under his breath. "What are you working so hard for? We’re only sixteen, it’s time for us to play around to our heart’s content!"

’It’s because I have a person I want to chase,’ Mu Yuze thought with his eyes lowered. ’A promise to fulfill. Even though that person is not here with me right now.’

Just then, the other boys called out to Zhong Yun, impatient for having to wait so long. "Zhong Yun, are you going or not?!"

"Coming!" Zhong Yun shouted in reply. He turned to Mu Yuze and tried to appeal again, "You’re really not joining us?"

"Bye," Mu Yuze shooed him away with a deadpan face, earning him a playful curse.

"Damn! Okay, see you next week!"

Zhong Yun left as quickly as a whirlwind with the other boys, while Mu Yuze closed the door to the locker room behind him. Because he had taken the liberty to wipe himself and change into a new set of clothes – which the others did not do, and he seriously could not figure out how they could stand the stinky sweat on their bodies – almost all of the people in the dojo had left, leaving only the students in charge of cleaning.

Mu Yuze was sitting down on the porch to wear his shoes, when his peripheral vision caught sight of Song Yin who had just stepped in through the gate. He quickly tied his shoelaces, stood up and bowed in greeting, "Master."

"Mu Yuze," Song Yin nodded in return. "Finished today’s sparring session?" When he received Mu Yuze’s nod, he continued to ask, "How is it?"

"Two rounds with Zhong Yun, one round with Qiao Bingwen and one round with Tian Zixin, I won all of them."

The corner of Song Yin’s lips twitched into a barely discernible smile. He could still recall how terrible Mu Yuze’s stamina and endurance was when he first started; he almost fainted just by running three laps around the dojo. But then, the same boy had grown to outwin his seniors with a year of relentless perseverance and persistence. No longer was he a scrawny little boy, now his shoulders had broadened and his body was packed with a thin and delicate layer of muscles.

"Good," Song Yin praised, and he could not help but add a warning because he had seen how Mu Yuze tended to overwork himself when he had a goal in front of him. "But don’t overdo it and ruin your body, do you hear me? This is not a race to see who comes out to be the winner, but a training of patience, observation and tenacity."

"Understood, Master," Mu Yuze lowered his head and answered obediently.

Mu Yuze was undoubtedly one of his best students who had not failed to make him proud, but if Song Yin had to pick one flaw about him...

"Are you still waiting for him?" Song Yin asked with a light sigh, making Mu Yuze’s shoulders tense up in response with his fists clenched by his side. "I know that he’s your benefactor, but I hope you realize that he has chosen the right choice by distancing himself from you, especially considering what kind of person he is and—"

"Excuse me, Master," Mu Yuze cut him off, despite knowing that it was extremely rude of him to do so. "I have another urgent matter to tend to."

Not giving Song Yin any chance to respond, Mu Yuze crossed the yard in large strides and made his way out of the dojo, half jogging and half running, as if he was afraid to hear more of what the man was going to say next.

Looking at the boy’s diminishing back, Song Yin couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh helplessly, "What a stubborn boy."

Mu Yuze only stopped running after a few minutes. By then, the sweltering heat had already caused him to sweat again, drenching the back of his shirt. He hurriedly found a nice shade to take shelter on for a while and fanned himself by flapping his collar.

He raked his fingers through his damp hair, and his black-blue eyes were dark in frustration.

As much as Mu Yuze respected his master, he hated it when Song Yin talked about He Juan as if he was a bad influence, as if the man was a plague who had to be kept at a certain distance. He hated He Juan for disappearing without a word and passing only a short notice to his subordinate after a full day had passed, when Mu Yuze almost lost his mind out of fear and worry; he hated He Juan for breaking their promise and never contacting him even once.

But more than that, he hated himself. Because even after all this time, he found himself still waiting for the man while harboring the same hope and faith as he did last year.

The hope that He Juan would come back to him someday. And for that, he did not mind waiting no matter how long it took.

"What do you know?" He kicked the pebble in front of him and grumbled at the imaginary Song Yin inside his head. "He’s not distancing himself from me. He is just very busy with something." However, the way he murmured it was as if he was trying to convince himself as well.