Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 446: Weak And Helpless

He Juan walked into the room and settled on the bedside. "Yes, I’m here. How are you feeling?"

He reached out a hand to measure the boy’s forehead, only to frown when he sensed the scalding temperature. Did he also have such a high fever when he manifested? He Juan tried to recall the past, but it had been so long ago that all he could remember were blurred, fragmented images.

"Uncomfortable..." Mu Yuze murmured, his eyelids fluttering shut as he leaned into He Juan’s touch. "Gege’s hand is cold... feels good..."

He Juan knew it was not the right time or place, but he still could not help but tease the boy, "You’re not pushing me away anymore?" His lips hooked into a helpless smile.

Mu Yuze blinked slowly, his dark eyes hazy and unfocused. He did not seem to have heard He Juan’s words. Instead, he reached out and clung to He Juan’s hand, holding onto it as if his life depended on it, while nuzzling his burning face against his palm. "You came back..." he murmured, his voice barely audible amidst his ragged breathing. "You really came back to me..."

The boy’s skin was scorching hot and his breathing even more so. He Juan felt as if the room’s temperature had risen a few degrees, as though he too was affected by Mu Yuze’s high fever. Just as he was about to say something, his gaze involuntarily fell upon Mu Yuze’s hands— or to be exact, Mu Yuze’s bloodied knuckles.

Hearing Zhong Yun’s recount of their accident was one thing, but seeing the injuries on Mu Yuze’s body with his own eyes was another thing altogether. He had been too caught up with the revelation of Mu Yuze being his mate that he failed to notice the wounds on Mu Yuze’s body.

Frowning, He Juan gently took hold of the boy’s wrist and brought it to his eyes, inspecting the torn skin and light bleeding on his knuckles. He had no idea that he could feel so furious just by the sight of these little injuries alone. His jaws clenched tight, and his voice was strained as he gritted out, "Where else are you hurt? Besides your hands, did you sustain any other injuries?"

Mu Yuze blinked his moist eyes and whimpered, his voice trembling, "Everywhere... it hurts everywhere..."

He Juan let out a light exhale to quell the burning anger in his heart. Realizing that it was useless to ask Mu Yuze in this kind of situation, he took it upon himself to toss the blanket covering Mu Yuze’s body away and lift the hem of his shirt. He thought that since Mu Yuze had sweated a lot, it was better to change his clothes as well. Alas, as soon as he pulled up Mu Yuze’s shirt, his gaze immediately fell upon the blue and purple bruises marring the boy’s torso.

"Fuck!" He Juan let out a low curse, a storm of murderous intent brewing in his eyes. He should have asked Zhong Yun about those thugs’ whereabouts. He should not have let them go just like that! How dare they... how dare they hurt someone who belonged to him!

"Gege... is angry?" Mu Yuze’s words slurred, his eyes welling up with tears. "You’re angry at me...?"

He Juan quickly readjusted his expression and reassured the boy, "O–Of course not! How can Gege be angry at Xiao Ze? I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at the people who did this to you, understand?"

"It’s okay..." he sniffled. "I beat them all up."

"Yes, yes, you did," He Juan replied helplessly, though he felt like simply beating them up was too light of a punishment. At least, he had to break all of their limbs so that he could appease the anger in his heart.

He told Mu Yuze to stay still as he went to fetch a set of pajamas, then he struggled to change the boy’s clothes. By the time he was finished, his back was soaked with sweat and he felt as if he had just run a marathon.

He measured Mu Yuze’s temperature again and realized that it had risen further. He was not sure if it would continue to increase, but... was it really okay for him to leave Mu Yuze alone like this?

While most people treated their manifestation period like a common cold, Mu Yuze’s case was different. He was manifesting at such a late age. Would something go wrong? What if an accident happened to him midway? Once the thought entered He Juan’s mind, he could not stop his imagination from conjuring one scenario after another, each was worse than the last. He only snapped out of his trance when Mu Yuze murmured, "Thirsty..."

He Juan hurriedly poured a cup of water and helped Mu Yuze up, letting the boy lean on him as he brought the cup to his lips. "Slowly... just drink it slowly..."

As Mu Yuze moved, the sweet scent of his pheromones wafted into He Juan’s nostrils, causing his heart to skip a beat. It was growing stronger, He Juan noted. Mu Yuze’s gland was continuously forming and maturing, and by the time his manifestation period ended, his pheromones would likely permeate the entire house. And when that time came, He Juan...

Damn it, he could not stay in the house by then!

If only Doctor Jia had not broken his arms, He Juan would have brought Mu Yuze to the clinic for IV drips and also treated his injuries. But now, he had no choice but to bring the boy to the hospital.

He would rather risk his own safety than to have a complication occurring midway in Mu Yuze’s manifestation. After the boy finished his water, He Juan placed the cup on the nightstand and reached for his phone, saying, "Gege will take you to the hospital, okay?"

Alas, who could have guessed that that one sentence would provoke Mu Yuze so badly?

"No!" He yelled loudly. "No... I don’t want to go to the hospital! I want to stay here... here..." In a fit of struggle, he pushed himself away from He Juan’s arms and cocooned himself in He Juan’s clothes, turning his back to He Juan, adamantly expressing his desire to stay in bed. His thin shoulders shook as he muffled his sobs, looking as if he had been bullied by the whole world.

He Juan nearly choked on his own saliva. "D-Don’t cry..." Fearing he would further upset the boy, He Juan quickly said, "Okay, okay, no hospital. We’ll just stay home, alright?"

Mu Yuze cast him a sideways glance, his eyes bloodshot with tears, "R–Really...?" he asked, his voice small and vulnerable. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Really," He Juan nodded with a helpless look.

So hospital was not an option. He Juan could not keep staying here either until Mu Yuze fully manifested. Who knew what his Alpha would do later? Even now, the faint scent of sweetness in the air almost drove him crazy. He raked his fingers through his hair and shifted through the list of people he could ask to help take care of Mu Yuze in his mind. But the more he thought about that, the more reluctant he was and his Alpha’s instinct reared its head again.

How could he possibly leave his mate alone in such a weakened and vulnerable state? He Juan knew it was utterly unreasonable of him, but he kept feeling as if Mu Yuze was going to get into an accident without him.

Alas, did he have what it took to take care of Mu Yuze until the end?

He Juan tightened his jaws and made a move to stand up. However, the instant Mu Yuze noticed his intention, he sprang up, his tear-filled eyes pleading, "W-Where are you going? Are you leaving... again? Are you going back to..." His words dissolved into sobs, interrupted by a fit of coughing. Even then, he still stretched out a hand to grasp the hem of He Juan’s clothes, holding onto him tight.

"D–Don’t go...!" he choked out. "Don’t..."

He Juan felt like his heart was breaking to pieces at the sight of tears on those flushed cheeks. Oh how he wished he could take Mu Yuze’s pain and suffering away and make it his own...

Utterly distressed, He Juan sat down again and took the boy into his arms. "Gege is not leaving. I will not leave you, do you hear me? I’m just going to fetch something from the study." But Mu Yuze clung tightly to the hem of his shirt, refusing to let go despite He Juan’s attempts to soothe him.

Left with no other choice, He Juan could only wrap the boy in the blanket and carried the entire person into his arms altogether. "Don’t cry anymore... Gege will take you along, okay? Let’s go together."