Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 527: Eternal Winter

"G–Ge, it hurts..."

Those feeble words that sounded weakly beside his ear managed to snap He Juan back to the present, it was as if someone had yanked his head out of the water.

He hurriedly lay He Xie on the ground and pressed his shaking hands against the grievous wound on the young man’s chest. How ironic, for this was the first time He Juan had ever been so terrified by the sight of blood, even more so than when his parents had died a decade ago.

"He Xie, He Xie...!" He Juan rasped with desperation of a dying man clutching onto a lifeline. "Stay with me. Don’t close your eyes, please!"

He Xie’s body convulsed in a vicious spasm, uncontrollable shivers wracking him from head to toe in the throes of death. There was so, so much blood flowing from his chest that He Juan’s hands alone could not staunch the flow. The same crimson liquid bubbled from his lips, staining half of his face. The color was so stark, so sickening, that He Juan thought it was the only color he would ever see from this moment onward.

His entire world was crumbling apart right before his eyes, and yet there was nothing he could do to stop it from happening.

"No... no..." He Juan wanted to scream, but the only thing that escaped him was a tiny whisper. He was not even sure if he had voiced it out loud or it reverberated only within his mind. He cradled the young man in his arms oh so gently and carefully, not caring if his body was stained in the pool of blood. "A–Xie, you can’t... you can’t leave me. Ge has already lost Mom and Dad, Ge can’t lose you too...! I can’t... please... please, He Xie..."

Terrified tears began to stream down He Juan’s cheeks, as he desperately tried to curl his larger frame over his brother’s body, as though he could keep his brother safe by doing this, as though he could preserve the fading warmth in He Xie’s body, as though he could stop the flow of time so that he could remain forever at this moment, so that he did not have to face the future where he lost his precious little brother – his one and only family.

No no no no no no no no no no no no! Why why why why why why why why why why why why why! Why—?! Things were not supposed to happen this way!

He Xie should have been on the other side of the country miles away from here, safe and sound!

He should have been living a peaceful and ordinary life! He should have waited there until He Juan wrapped up everything here and went to live with him again, just like they did in the past!

Their worlds shouldn’t have collided in the first place. So why... why did everything turn out like this?

Please... someone, please tell him that this was all just a dream... please...

A shaky touch landed on his cheek, and He Juan let out a choked whimper. His frame shook as he grasped He Xie’s hand, the grip unstable due to the slimy sensation of blood. Nonetheless, He Juan still clung to it, desperately trying not to let go. "A–Xie, Ge can’t lose you... please, I can’t go on without you..."

His tears fell pitter-patter onto He Xie’s face, as the young man struggled to keep his eyelids open, his gaze fixated on the grieving man above him. He had never seen He Juan in such a wretched state before, not even as they found their parents’ cold corpses in their house. Why... why was he crying? Why did he look so broken? Wasn’t he supposed to be the cold-blooded XIU?

His trembling lips parted, little painful breaths heaving out of his chest. "Ge..." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Tears pooled on the corner of his eyes. He struggled to speak a few more words. He still had so many things to ask, so many things he wanted to say. He did not wish those cruel words to be the last he ever uttered. Alas, his body was simply too weak. The bullet had pierced right into his vital organ, draining the life out of his soul.

Regret clouded his eyes as He Juan’s guttural cries washed over him. Please, at least... allow him to say this last word...

"S–So... sor..." He choked on the blood on his throat. His body spasmed as he mustered the very last drop of strength in his body to form a word. But alas, death had come to claim its mark on him.

I’m sorry...

I’m sorry, Ge. Until the end, I’m nothing but a burden to you, am I?

He Juan froze when the hand in his grasp lost its strength. He raised his head blankly, and through his blurry vision, he saw his brother’s vacant eyes fixed upon the ceiling, his chest unmoving, as the last traces of life dissipated from his body for good.

He Xie departed from this world with half of He Juan’s heart, thus plunging his world into an eternal winter.

"A–Xie...?"

Trembling, He Juan’s grip faltered, allowing He Xie’s hand to slip from his grasp. But he scrambled to catch it before it could touch the cold ground, clutching onto it like a drowning man would to his one and only lifeline.

He couldn’t help but remember the very first time he had held this hand. It had been in the hospital shortly after He Xie was born. His mother, though weary and worn, still beckoned him over with a gentle smile, inviting him to see the little creature swathed in a bundle in her arms. "Come here, have a look at your didi."

Seven-year-old He Juan eagerly shuffled closer with his feet, gripped the bed railing with his small fingers and peered over, his eyes wide in wonder and curiosity as he beheld the red and wrinkled baby. This was his... didi? The one who had come out of mom’s tummy?

"From now on, you are his Gege. You have to take good care of him, okay?" His mother spoke in a gentle, loving tone.

He Juan curiously reached out a finger to poke the newborn’s soft cheek, only for the said newborn to blink at him then grabbed his finger in a surprisingly strong grip. He instantly panicked when he couldn’t get the other to let go, "M–Mom!"

His mother cooed at them softly, "Oh my, look at him! He likes you already!"

"He... likes me?" He Juan shifted his attention back to the baby. Their gazes locked for a moment before his lips split into a huge silly smile. "Hehe, I am his Gege, huh?"

He Xie had been so tiny and fragile as a baby, and he was still scrawny as he grew older. He Juan remembered thinking how thin He Xie’s wrist was when he held his little brother’s hand on the hospital bed, the day after their parents were murdered. He remembered thinking how fragile his little brother was, and how he needed to become stronger so he could protect the other person.

He Xie sobbed and clutched onto him tightly, "Ge... Ge, what should we do? Mom and Dad..."

Despite the lump on his throat, He Juan put on a reassuring smile on his face and gave He Xie’s hand a little squeeze, "It’s okay, A–Xie. Ge will take care of you from now on. Ge will always be by your side, so don’t be afraid, okay?"

He remembered. He remembered all the times he had held onto this hand as they braced through the storm of life together, only relying on each other for support. Eventually, everything ended with the look of utter hatred and betrayal in He Xie’s eyes as this very hand wielded the katana which was pointed at him.

"How are you any different from Mom and Dad’s murderer!"