Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 412: Just One Time

Mu Yuze did not allow himself to cry and agonize over He Juan’s sudden absence, except for one occasion – the day after his birthday.

In his sleep, he seemed to have returned to his sixteenth birthday. It was an ordinary day in winter just like any other. The sky was overcast with thick gloomy clouds, and the air was so cold that each breath he took made him feel like his lungs were freezing.

For his birthday present, he received a leather notebook from Teacher Wei, a curt yet warm-hearted greeting from Master Song Yin, and when Zhong Yun accidentally overheard that, he insisted on dragging Mu Yuze to the convenience store and treated him to the most expensive ramen cup. They stood side by side in the store and slurped down the piping hot ramen while gazing at the snowfall outside the window. At that time, Mu Yuze felt warm and blessed to be surrounded by kindness from so many people.

However, he could not deny that in the hidden corner of his heart, he still longed for a certain someone.

It was his birthday. Surely, Juan-gege would at least give him a call, right? The man had been so excessive last year, so how was it possible for him to forget it this year? With that thought in mind, Mu Yuze could not restrain the blossoming hope within him. They took root in his heart and manifested into deadly and thorny vines that choked him bit by bit with each hour that passed by without news.

Alas, until the clock struck twelve at midnight, Mu Yuze still did not receive the call he had been waiting for.

The next day, he decided to call off his lesson with Teacher Wei and reschedule it to another time. He dressed himself warmly and got into the train with a destination in mind, but then his heart immediately sank when he realized that he had no idea how to get there.

Last year, He Juan had taken him to so many places and did so many things for him. They went to pray in a temple, go bowling, watch a movie in the theater, eat delicious dinner and buy many supplies to prepare for Kitty’s imminent labor... and lastly, He Juan surprised him with a cake, balloons and a dozen gifts. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Mu Yuze intended to recreate all of them even though He Juan was not with him, but he was aghast to find out that he trusted He Juan so much that he did not even bother to remember any landmark or sign that could lead him to those places. He trusted He Juan so much that he did not even bother to ask where they were going, for he believed that anywhere would be fine as long as he had the man by his side.

Completely lost, Mu Yuze could only sit dazedly in the bustling train to Shunan, for the fond memories he held so dearly all this time was not enough to fulfill this tiny wish of his.

’I should have paid more attention to the passing landmark back then,’ he thought as he trudged along the snowy ground, making his way home after a day of fruitless effort. ’Had I done that, I could have found my way there without Juan-gege. That’s right... even without him...’

Mu Yuze abruptly halted in his tracks.

"Huh? Why am I..." he raised his hand to wipe the tears that had rolled down his cheeks without him realizing. Yet the more he wiped, the more they fell as if even his own body was betraying his will to stay strong. "Stupid tears..." he cursed under his breath, his voice cracking in the end.

Had he been too greedy? Was it too greedy of him to wish for a simple phone call? He did not mind if He Juan was occupied with his own stuff and could not come home; he did not mind that they did not hang out all day like they did last year. He did not even want a birthday present. All he hoped was to hear He Juan wishing him a happy birthday, but... was it too greedy, after all?

In reality, Mu Yuze returned home with a pair of wet and bloodshot eyes, only to notice that there was a new package in the mailbox. It was a birthday present that had arrived too late – a red amulet that was extremely similar to the one he had lost in the kidnapping accident. Together with it was a simple happy birthday note. Even though there was no name or return address written on the package, Mu Yuze instantly knew who had sent it. He burst out into tears again as he held the amulet close to him, relieved that He Juan had remembered his birthday all along.

But things went on differently in his dream that night. Through his blurry vision, he caught sight of a familiar silhouette standing outside the house, waiting for him to return.

The man’s face was hazy as if covered by a thick layer of fog, but that smile alone was more than enough for Mu Yuze to recognize who it was.

"Is that you?" he whispered as he rushed straight to He Juan, his voice thick in disbelief. "Have you returned?"

"Yes..." the man said as he reached out to wipe the tears in the corner of Mu Yuze’s eyes. His gentle touch felt strangely vivid somehow, and Mu Yuze could not help but lean toward it like a sunflower chasing after his sun. "Have you been crying when I was away, Xiao Ze?"

"No..." he clasped the hand cupping his face, relishing in the warmth and comfort it offered. How he had missed this deep voice, this endearing nickname, this tender touch. So much that he felt his chest caving in from the intensity of his yearning. "Just this one time, I promise... I will never cry again after this, Juan-gege..."

.

Mu Yuze opened his eyes in a daze, still with the warmth of touch lingering on his cheek and an ache throbbing on his ribs. A dazzling ray of sunshine peeked in through the gap of the curtain to land across the floor, and birds were chirping outside his window.

’What a strange dream...’ he thought as he pulled himself into a sitting position, still a little disoriented. He had indeed dreamed of that day a few times in the past, but never before did it feel so realistic as it did today. It was as if He Juan had really returned and—

All of his thoughts screeched to an abrupt halt when his gaze landed on the royal blue suit jacket in his clutch.

W–Wait a minute... this... this was not the same jacket he had hugged to sleep last night! He was certain of it! Along with the shocking discovery, the last traces of sleepiness in his mind snapped away like a tautly stretched spring, jolting him into full alert.

He brought the suit jacket closer to his nose, sniffing it, and the strong pheromones that lingered there immediately sent his heart galloping like a mad horse. He had hoarded a lot of He Juan’s clothes this past year, enough for him to know that he had never seen this jacket before, and the level of pheromones told him that this piece of clothing should have been on He Juan’s body until a moment ago!

Mu Yuze scrambled out of the bed, almost tripping on the rumpled blanket. He completely disregarded how unpresentable he looked right now and hastily ran to the door with the suit jacket in hand, his black-blue eyes twinkling in utter joy and delight.

Juan-gege was back! He had finally come back!