Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 492: He’s Gone
Amidst He Juan’s reassuring murmurs and soothing caresses, He Xie eventually succumbed to sleep, still with his face wet with tears.
With a movement as if he was handling a cracked porcelain, He Juan settled him down on the bed and drew the blanket up to his neck. He placed his palm on He Xie’s forehead and frowned when he sensed that the man’s temperature was still higher than norm.
He quietly walked to the door and slid it open, beckoning to Chen Youzhi outside. "Bring me a warm cloth and a glass of warm water."
With a nod, Chen Youzhi went to fulfill the request and returned shortly after. He Juan took over the items and murmured his thanks to him before returning to He Xie’s side. He pulled a chair over, sat down and began to wipe away the trails of tears from He Xie’s face with the warm cloth, hoping to ease his discomfort.
After that, he moved to He Xie’s neck and arms, making sure not to miss out each of his fingers. A pang of ache stabbed into his chest when he spotted the crescent marks on He Xie’s palm, deep enough to bleed, from where he had been clenching his fists too hard. Once again, He Juan asked Chen Youzhi to fetch him alcohol, medicine and gauze as he bandaged He Xie’s hands himself. He also moistened He Xie’s dry lips with warm water, worried that the young man would wake up with a sore and aching throat later.
After that, he waited.
He sat by He Xie’s bedside, almost motionless, his unwavering gaze affixed on the other’s face. Though if one looked closer, they would find that his gaze was mostly vacant. It was at this rare moment of tranquility that He Juan allowed his mind to blank out. Having gotten a few hours of sleep before, he was not feeling sleepy at all, so he poured all of his focus into monitoring his brother’s condition.
As the night deepened, He Xie’s fever worsened and He Juan summoned the doctor to perform another check up on him.
"The primary cause is likely stress, Mr. He," the doctor informed him. "Your brother’s constitution has always been quite fragile, and recent events have dealt a great blow to him, causing his spirit to collapse. Give him a few more days to rest, and he should be fine."
He Juan let out a quiet exhale and mustered a polite smile, "Thank you, Doctor."
Returning to his position, He Juan continued to guard his younger brother throughout the night. Whenever He Xie seemed to be ensnared in the clutches of a nightmare, He Juan would clasp his hands and whisper soothing words, "It’s okay, A–Xie. Ge is here. Ge will not leave you." Only after that did the creases between He Xie’s brows ease, and the man sank into his restless slumber once more.
He Xie stirred awake as the dawn approached, and He Juan noticed it even before he could open his eyes. The young man’s fingers twitched, his lashes quivered and the cadence of his breathing shifted. He Juan swiftly adjusted his posture and tightened his grip around He Xie’s hand. His voice was a soft, careful murmur, "A–Xie?"
"Ge..." He Xie’s reply came in a voice so hoarse that it seemed to scrape against his throat. Though the rims of his eyes still retained a reddened hue, he no longer showed frenetic distress like earlier, and He Juan took it as a great improvement. He tried to give He Juan a smile, but it quickly faltered before it could even form on his lips.
He Juan pretended not to notice it as he gently helped He Xie to a more upright position, propping a pillow behind his back. He handed a glass of warm water to the man and asked, "How are you feeling? Your fever is still not down yet, so just stay at the hospital for the time being, okay?"
"I can’t," He Xie replied after taking a couple of sips, surprising him. The gentle glow of the night lamp cast shadows over his features, imbuing a golden sheen to his soft hair and rendering his complexion paler and more delicate in contrast. Holding the glass on his lap, he lowered his gaze and spoke in a hushed tone, "I have to take care of A–Sheng’s funeral. He was an orphan and he... only had me..." his voice cracked as teardrops traced their silent path down his cheeks. "Ge, he is gone. He is gone forever. I haven’t told you this before, right? He was... he is my lover, the person I’m currently living with. I swear, I... I was going to introduce you two next year, but..."
Seeing He Xie’s unsteady grip on the glass, He Juan quickly plucked it out from his hands and set it on the nightstand. He Xie buried his face in his hands, his thin shoulders shaking, "What should I do from now on, Ge? He had just called me before the accident happened and I... I can still hear his voice in my ears until now, yet in a blink of an eye, he’s gone..." he choked. "Tell me Ge, is it supposed to hurt this much?"
"A–Xie..." Feeling distressed, He Juan was about to reach out and comfort him again, when He Xie took a deep breath and wiped his tears away. He raised his head, a resolute glint flashing through his bloodshot eyes.
"Ge, you have seen the news, right? Tell me, how can I find XIU? Could you use your connections to locate him?"
He Juan’s heart abruptly sank. At a glance, he knew that He Xie was serious. His little brother was serious in finding the person responsible for Xia Weisheng’s death. Fortunately, he had always been best at concealing his emotions, and thus He Xie had no idea what kind of turmoil he was going through right now. He willed his stiff lips to form words, "What would you do once you found... him? You know how unreliable the police are. He might not be the real perpetrator as the news has claimed."
"I know," He Xie replied in a quiet yet firm voice. "I have thought it through. I–I know I’m asking too much of you, but..." his breath stuttered. "He might not be the real perpetrator, but at least he was there on the scene, right? Or at least, he should have an idea about what’s going on, shouldn’t he? I... I have to do something... anything... or else how am I going to avenge A–Sheng?" He gripped the blanket so hard it crumpled. His features contorted in pain, his voice barely above a whisper. "...How am I supposed to get over this?"
He Juan stared at him for one long moment, taking in the sorrow and anguish in his brother’s eyes. In fact, his mind was still blank over how to give He Xie and Xia Weisheng an account, but the love of an elder brother prevailed, and before his brain could process it, he blurted out, "Okay."
He Xie snapped his gaze up in surprise, a flicker of hope emerging in the depth of his grief-stricken eyes.
"Okay, Ge will try," He Juan offered him a faint smile and reached out to ruffle his hair, and this time, He Xie did not shy away from the touch. "I will try my best to find him, so... rest well, okay? As for Xia Weisheng’s funeral arrangements, let me handle that too. You should stay here and get proper rest until your fever subsides. Do you hear me?"
Hesitation lingered in He Xie’s eyes. "But—"
"No buts," He Juan interrupted him in a gentle tone that brooked no refusal. "Don’t worry, I will not wrong him. He will definitely get the justice he deserves."
