Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 559: Not Anymore
For some inexplicable reason, He Juan felt a weight lifted off his shoulders after this brief conversation.
It was... nice. Really nice to talk and reminisce about Marius with someone who understood just how extraordinary and wonderful the man was. It was nice to put aside all of the hurt and think only of happy memories. The sorrow was still there, but at least when they thought of Marius, all that came to mind was his warm smile and those beautiful ocean blue eyes, rather than the tragic incident itself. He Juan reckoned that it was only with Ye Qiu that he was able to feel this way.
It struck him with the realization of how horrible their state had been seven years ago. Both of them were hurt, anxious and desperate. One of them lashed out, while the other chose to leave. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
At the end of the day, wasn’t it a blessing that they could now sit together like this and talk about Marius? At least, when his memories deteriorated later and he started to forget what Marius looked like, he knew that there would be people to remind him.
They did not delve into the details of how Ye Qiu had become a drug lord or how He Juan ended up losing his memories for seven whole years. They simply did not feel the need to, because knowing that the other was doing well was already more than enough.
"Are you here alone?" He Juan asked, more relaxed this time. "What about the children? Wait, that’s not right. They’re not children anymore. They..." He Juan’s chuckle abruptly stopped when he realized that he could no longer recall the children’s names – any of them.
He tried to dig deep into his memory, yet his efforts were for naught. There it was again, the sinking sensation as though his memories were slowly slipping away from him, courtesy to the injury his brain had suffered. It was like his brain was no longer whole, but riddled with holes, and his memories would continue to leak out more and more as time went on. His prolonged pause did not escape Ye Qiu’s notice, who questioned him with a neutral tone,
"Are you talking about Ye Hu, Ye Gu and the others? We’re still living together, if that’s what you want to know. But they’re not here right now because I sent them on an errand."
He Juan showed an apologetic grimace, knowing that Ye Qiu had caught his memory lapse. "Sorry, I—"
"You don’t need to say sorry," Ye Qiu interjected with a sigh. "I heard the gist of your condition from Mr. Chen."
He Juan’s brows almost shot up to his hairline when he heard that. Well, well, since when did Chen Youzhi become so talkative? Ye Qiu shot him a mildly amused look as if sensing the direction of his thoughts, "Don’t blame him. I’m the one who asked. Even if he didn’t tell me, I still have a lot of ways to find out. What I want to say is..."
She took a deep breath before speaking again. Her tone was gentle yet firm, leaving no room for rebuttal. Typical alpha, He Juan’s brain supplied unhelpfully. "Ge," she called him softly, surprising He Juan. "You don’t need to fight alone anymore. Seven years ago, you were forced to carry everything alone because I chose to run away like a coward. I was weak, pathetic and miserable. But now... not anymore."
A sharp glint of determination flashed in her eyes as she declared, "Now, I have enough power and resources to help you. So..." she smiled at the dumbfounded He Juan. "Will you allow me to repay this debt?"
He Juan was utterly taken aback. He had not expected such sincere and passionate words from Ye Qiu, and it made him feel a little flustered. Why did she say something like this all of a sudden? He Juan had treated her and the others poorly back then. For God’s sake, he had even gone as far as to drive her away, leaving her and the children to fend for themselves! So where did this debt come from? He was already grateful enough that Ye Qiu was willing to shelter him from the time being. He couldn’t take any more from her. Hastily, he tried to refuse, "I... I didn’t even do anything—"
"No," Ye Qiu cut him off once more. She huffed exasperatedly as if she couldn’t believe such words coming out of He Juan’s mouth. "You have done enough. More than enough. But you will not agree with me, will you? After all, that’s just how you are. Actually, I didn’t come here alone today. Me, Mr. Chen, and the others... there are so many people who are eager to repay you for everything you have done for us."
She tapped on her phone as she spoke those words, and He Juan began to feel lost.
"Miss Ye...?" He asked, uncertain. What did she mean by that? Who would want to repay him? If she was talking about those trafficked omegas he had rescued, then a simple ’thank you’ would suffice. He had never expected anything in return to begin with.
"Hush," Ye Qiu shot him a glare that did not contain any heat. "I’ve even called you Ge. Until when will you continue to address me so formally?"
He Juan cleared his throat before trying again. "Ye Qiu... what do you mean by people who want to repay me?"
Instead of answering, Ye Qiu put her phone to her ear and spoke to the person on the other side of the line, "Yes, you can come in now. He’s ready to see you."
He Juan’s confusion escalated to a whole new level, but eventually it morphed into sheer surprise when he caught sight of the newcomer who entered his room a few minutes later. He had lost count of how many times he had been caught off guard today. "Why are you here?"
"XIU." Liang Yuanjun, China’s first omega prime minister, greeted him with a warm smile. "It’s wonderful to see you again. I deeply apologize... for never reaching out to you back then. At that time, my position was quite unstable, and I dared not act out of line. I’ve always regretted my cowardice and wished that I had done something when I heard the news about you. Now, I will not hide anymore. I will support you no matter what you decide to do."
"Miss Liang..." He Juan let out a shaky exhale, his astonishment evident on his face. Then his gaze shifted to the middle-aged man behind her, whose face seemed vaguely familiar but he failed to recognize in the end. "And you are...?"
The man clutched his cane more firmly with his gloved hands as he directed a deep bow towards He Juan, his entire person brimming with respect, reverence and perhaps a tiny dose of fear. "This humble one is named Han Shan. You might not remember me, Mr. Xiu, but you once saved my life. I have nothing but money on me, but if you’d be willing to accept it— no, you must accept it!" Han Shan declared fervently, his cheeks flushed with the mixture of excitement and nervousness. "From now on, half of my assets are at your disposal! Please use them as you see fit!"
"...What?" He Juan was left utterly baffled. Where did this person come from?
Observing the situation, Ye Qiu stood up and faced He Juan with a smile.
Seven years ago, they had been a mutated Alpha struggling to survive through the hunt, a weak and helpless Omega fighting against the oppression of the government, and a nobody who wreaked havoc on the streets to bully the weak. But thanks to He Juan, their lives had taken a drastic turn. Now, they had become a drug lord, a prime minister and a mysterious wealthy businessman. Each of them was a force to be reckoned with.
And now, they were here to repay their lifelong debt.
"Please be rest assured, Ge," Ye Qiu promised him somberly. "As long as we’re here, no one will dare to touch you."
They would use all their power to ensure He Juan’s safety.
