Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 491: [Bonus - ]Don’t Cry...
In an instant, the last vestiges of drowsiness dissipated from He Juan’s system. As if a bolt of lightning had torn apart the dark fog in his mind, he sat up abruptly, eyes wide and heart jackrabbiting in his chest.
Here it was. He knew that He Xie must be looking for him sooner or later, but for some reason, He Juan still felt like he was not ready.
For a fleeting second, he blamed his men for not noticing him that He Xie was awake and thus giving him a few moments to brace himself, but then he realized that they must have tried to call him, yet his exhaustion had kept him in a slumber so deep that his consciousness only roused awake once he received a call from He Xie. It must be the instinct of an elder brother.
He Juan clenched his jaws and moved his thumb to the green button. Ready or not, this was something he must face sooner or later. Stop being such a wimp, He Juan!
"Hello?" he answered, only to wince when his voice came out rough and hoarse, reminiscent of sleep he had taken earlier. Since he found out about He Xie’s predicament, he had been running countless scenarios in his mind and prepared an appropriate answer in case He Xie asked about his whereabouts or whether he had seen the news. He Juan had them all ready in mind, but he did not expect that the first question He Xie asked was,
"Ge, do you know XIU?"
He Juan’s breath stuttered and his heart felt like it had just dropped off the height of a thousand meters above the ground. This, of all questions, was the one he had not braced himself for. But in hindsight, it was logical for He Xie to ask this, wasn’t it? After all, it was not exaggerating to say that the whole country knew that XIU was the prime suspect for the Wunan Road Massacre. Moreover, He Xie was directly connected to one of the victims, so it was no wonder that he would ask about XIU. Nonetheless, He Juan still felt his mind go blank, and he forced himself to say through his badly constricting throat. "A–Xie, I..."
I... what? What was he even supposed to say?
Alas, He Xie did not seem like he needed an answer, because in the next second, he abruptly burst out into tears. Gone was the façade of composure he had kept up just a moment ago. Gasping, he spoke in between choked sobs, "Please, Ge... can you... can you find XIU for me? You’re rich, y–you surely have the power to find him, right? Please..." his words turned into a muffled whimper, as if he was clasping a hand over his mouth to smother the cries. "Ge, A–Sheng... A–Sheng, he..."
The rims of He Juan’s eyes immediately turned red. He shot up to his feet and marched toward the wardrobe, hurriedly rifling through the spare clothes he had left behind on purpose before snagging a casual and simple black shirt he rarely wore.
"Don’t cry..." he almost pleaded. Never in his life had he heard such agonizing and heartbreaking cries from his brother, not even during the aftermaths of their parents’ death. He Xie had grown up to be a sensible and independent young man. He very seldom asked for anything, and it was always He Juan who had to inquire whether there was something he wanted or needed. This was the first time in his life he had heard He Xie beg, and to think that it would be... oh God...
"A–Xie, don’t cry. Take a breath. Take a deep, deep breath for me..." He Juan tried to make himself sound as calm and reassuring as possible, even though the mere notion of his little brother’s sorrow gnawed on his heart like a relentless sting. "Ge will be there soon, okay? It’s okay, everything will be okay. Ge will go to you now."
He Xie choked on his sobs, his breathing harsh and ragged. Too overwhelmed in his grief, he did not even question how He Juan knew where he was without asking beforehand. "Please... I need you, Ge..."
After ending the call, He Juan quickly discarded his dress shirt and donned the black shirt instead. One by one, he pulled open the drawers before finding a worn blue cap whose color had quite faded. He twisted his long hair into a haphazard bun and concealed it beneath the cap. Even though his face was not visible on the videos, he must not let down his guard lest the police would notice a few distinct similarities and put a little more notice on him. He couldn’t afford to be delayed now.
Walking out of the condo, he dialed Huang Zhiyan’s number, which was quickly connected, "Boss, is something the matter?"
"I’m on my way to the Yuyang Hospital Center. Do something about the roadblocks and inspection."
***
Nearly two hours later, He Juan arrived at the hospital. As he entered the lobby, he spotted a few of his men who had taken on civilian disguises as they blended in with the surroundings.
Taken aback, they did a double-check upon seeing him in such casual attire for the first time, but one sweep of glance from He Juan, and all of them quickly averted their gazes and pretended that nothing had happened.
With familiarity, He Juan rode the elevator to the fifth floor and found Chen Youzhi at a glance, who was sitting on the long bench in the hallway. Approaching him, He Juan patted his shoulder and murmured a ’good work’ before he proceeded to make his way to He Xie’s hospital room.
He paused in front of the door, taking a moment to steady his nerves before sliding it open. The light from the hallway spilled into the dark room, rousing He Xie from a fitful slumber fraught with nightmares. He sat up with a gasp, his eyes scanning the room in frantic search before settling on He Juan. In an instant, tears filled his eyes, spilling down his cheeks. "Ge..."
He must have cried a lot, He Juan noted. His eyelids were red and swollen, and his face mottled from the emotional strain.
"Oh, A–Xie..." He Juan rushed forward to take the younger man into his arms. As if he had finally found a safe harbor, He Xie crumbled against him and bawled his heart out. His tears seeped into He Juan’s shirt and seared into his heart like a burning iron, but He Juan still held onto him tighter, doing his utmost best to prevent the man from breaking apart.
He Xie’s voice came out muffled and choked, "Wunan Road... A–Sheng was on Wunan Road when..."
"Sssh, it’s alright, I already know. You don’t need to say anymore." He Juan tried to swallow past the lump in his throat as he pressed his lips to He Xie’s hair, whispering, "I’m sorry, A–Xie. Ge will fix everything, okay? It will be alright, so don’t cry anymore... I’m sorry..."
He lowered his gaze to hide the pain beneath. He could no longer tell if the sorry that came out of his mouth was due to remorse for Xia Weisheng’s tragic death, or the guilt for keeping his brother in the dark.
