Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 425: Supposedly...

He Juan’s pupils abruptly shrank when he heard the doctor’s words, his lips parting without a word. However, his shock lasted not more than two seconds before he quickly regained his bearings. He let out a mockery snort, "Come on, Doctor Jia. We have gotten used to people dying around us every single day, so why must I make an exception for him? Because he is an Omega? Or because he has feelings for me?" He paused for a second before asking again, "...Did he ask you to make this request?"

"Fuck no!" The doctor was quick to refute this claim. "You know how he is. Despite his appearance, he’s actually quite stubborn and proud. You rejected him so harshly in the past, so how could he come looking for you again? It’s just..."

"So it’s you being a busybody again," He Juan stated in a firm tone.

For the next few minutes, He Juan’s ears automatically filtered out the string of profanities coming from the other end of the call, until Jia Molei grew tired of cursing by himself. The man sighed again, "Even though he didn’t say anything, I know that he wants to see you deep down..."

"Are you a mind reader?" He Juan retorted in jest, and without giving the doctor a chance to respond, he added, "I will think about it first. Don’t wait for me today. I have an important appointment I must attend. See you later, Doctor Jia."

He hung up on the call and tossed the phone to the dashboard, vexed. "Damn it..."

Now that he had driven to the direction of the clinic, he had to make another U-turn again to go home, wasting his precious time. He floored the accelerator harder, hoping to speed up. But much to his dismay, he still ended up being stuck in a long traffic jam.

When he finally reached the familiar neighborhood, the sky had transformed into a canvas of midnight hues. The car’s lamplight cut through the inky darkness, illuminating the road ahead. It spilled over the row of houses until it settled upon the boy sitting outside the gate of a certain house, who instinctively shielded his eyes from the piercing beams as the car drew near. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

A deep sense of helplessness overcame him as he pulled the car to a stop in front of the house. Stepping out, he approached Mu Yuze with furrowed brows. "How long have you been waiting here?" he demanded, his voice tinged with concern.

Dusting his pants, Mu Yuze slightly averted his gaze as he mumbled, "...Not too long."

He Juan reached out to cup Mu Yuze’s cheek, causing the boy to snap his gaze up to him in shock. But he did not realize a thing, for his attention was fixed on the icy cold sensation under his palm.

"You’re freezing," a hint of disapproval slipped into his tone. "It may be summer now, but you can still catch a cold if you’re exposed to the night wind for too long. You could have just waited for me inside the house instead of..." he trailed off and raked his fingers through his long hair, frustrated. "I know it’s my fault to disappear out of nowhere last time, but can’t you cherish yourself more, hmm? Mu Yuze?"

Seeing the boy’s dejected look, He Juan’s anger instantly deflated like a balloon losing its air. How was he supposed to stay angry this way? "Forget it," he said, his voice tinged with resignation. "Let us go inside first."

He Juan took the lead to enter the house, while Mu Yuze could only trail behind him like a baby duckling while sneaking furtive glances once in a while.

He could tell that He Juan was truly angered this time due to his reckless action, but somehow... he could not find it in himself to be afraid. Perhaps it was because he knew how gentle and kind this person was deep down, and how this anger had stemmed from the concern veiled underneath.

He clutched his violently beating heart and cursed inwardly, ’Damn it, Mu Yuze. You’re such a goner! How can you think that he’s sexier this way?!’

Toeing off his shoes at the doorway, He Juan crossed the threshold and his eyes were immediately drawn to the table. There, covered by a thin transparent foil, were a few home cooked dishes that looked like they had been prepared with much care.

He Juan’s steps faltered as he stood in place, a mix of nostalgia and shock stirring in his heart. Those were....

"I–It’s just some leftovers from the dinner I made earlier," Mu Yuze shuffled forward and tried to explain, his earlobes tinged in faint crimson. "I was not sure if you had eaten yet, so... It’s okay if you had, I can just heat it up for tomo—

"I haven’t," He Juan blurted out. He tore his gaze off the table and raised the corner of his lips toward Mu Yuze, hoping that it would look presentable at the very least. "What a coincidence, I haven’t eaten dinner yet, Xiao Ze."

"Oh!" Mu Yuze immediately perked up when he heard that. He told He Juan to wait a while as he hastened to the kitchen to heat up the food.

He Juan gazed at the boy’s back for a long while before he sat down on the chair. It did not take long for Mu Yuze to come out again with piping hot dishes in hand.

"E–Enjoy..." Mu Yuze placed the last dish on the table in front of He Juan, his voice shaking due to the nervousness. It had been a year since He Juan last tasted his cooking, and he could finally show the man how much he had improved since then!

"Sit," He Juan gestured at the empty chair opposite him, and Mu Yuze gingerly complied and sat down. He watched as He Juan fixed his stare on the piping hot dishes before him, though he made no attempt to reach for his chopsticks.

"Juan-gege...?" Mu Yuze called out hesitantly.

"Ah..." He Juan blinked, snapping out of his momentary trance. He grabbed his chopsticks, his lips curling into a self-deprecating smile, "It’s just that... I think it’s funny how we only realize how precious something is when it’s no longer there. Now that I can taste your cooking again, I’ve come to realize how much I have missed it..."

Sensing that he had made the atmosphere somber with his melancholia, He Juan cleared his throat and brought a piece of sautéed mushroom to his mouth. "Hmm!" His silver eyes lit up in delightful surprise. "Xiao Ze, it tastes so good!"

He could not stop moving his chopsticks to bring one dish after another to his mouth, singing them praises all the while. "You should know that it’s been so long since I’ve eaten home cooked dishes. I, for one, can’t cook at all. While Marius will only cook when he’s in the mood, which is once in a blue moon. That’s why we always got takeouts."

’So he’s been with Marius all this while,’ Mu Yuze noted this information inside his mind.

’I can cook for you everyday, whenever you want,’ was what he wanted to say. Looking at He Juan who ravenously devoured his food with a look of utter bliss, Mu Yuze could not contain the itch in his heart. He parted his lips, "Supposedly..."

"Hmm?" He Juan flicked his gaze up, inquiring.

"Supposedly... someone harbors a secret affection for you..." he spoke in halting words, trying to keep his breathing as stable as possible. Hidden from He Juan’s sight, his fingers clenched into tight fists on his lap, trembling ever so slightly. "But you don’t feel the same for them. How will you deal with it?"

He Juan’s brows furrowed in irritation. Why did it sound awfully like something he had heard a while ago? Was Mu Yuze a psychic or something? He felt annoyed again when he recalled the request Jia Molei had put forward to him, and without thinking, he answered,

"Cut them off. Never let them see me again."

He failed to notice how colors drained from Mu Yuze’s face in an instant.