Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 718: Not Anymore

Shaking the hazy remnants of sleep from his mind, Mu Yuze observed his surroundings and found that he was lying in an unfamiliar bed of what seemed like a hotel room. It looked like He Juan had checked them in after he passed out inside the car.

A dim ray of sunshine spilled in through the narrow gap between the curtains, proving that the day had passed.

Recalling He Juan’s state the previous day, he inspected the man anxiously, asking, "Are you feeling better now? Should we go to the hospital?"

He Juan’s gaze that met him was impossibly tender. His long black hair scattered across the pillow akin to black silk, and there were no longer any traces of sickness in his pallor. In fact, his complexion was ruddy and he looked revitalized, a stark contrast to Mu Yuze who felt like his body had just been run over by a truck.

"Never been better," He Juan replied, sealing it with a tender kiss on his forehead. "I’m sorry, I thought I could face them calmly, but it still hit me harder than expected. But thanks to you, I managed to come back to my senses." He kneaded the soft flesh of Mu Yuze’s hip with his broad palm and asked in a hesitant tone, slightly upset. "How... about your body? Does it hurt? I was so rough with you, wasn’t I?"

"Oh..." All of a sudden, the brazen and shameless actions he had done flashed through Mu Yuze’s mind, causing blood to rush to his cheeks. "I–It’s nothing. I just... I want to do something for you..." he murmured bashfully, delighted that his skin-to-skin approach had worked wonders. The little rabbit within him quietly pumped its fists and did a little happy twirl.

He Juan chuckled when he heard that. "Precious, you only need to be there with me, and I will be alright."

Peeking at He Juan through his lashes, Mu Yuze pursed his lips and tentatively reached out to cup the man’s face. His thumb stroked the curve on the corner of He Juan’s lips with a tenderness so poignant that it was heartrending. "Do you still blame yourself?" he asked in a quiet voice.

He Juan merely gazed at him with nary a shift in his expression. His silence spoke louder than a thousand words.

As expected, Mu Yuze thought with his gaze lowered. He couldn’t help but recall the ’message’ Sirius had asked him to convey. "I hope I don’t sound nosy by saying this, but..." he raised his eyelids and spoke solemnly. "I don’t think any of them blame you. Whether it’s your little brother, Marius, or Sirius... all of them cherish you."

He Juan was taken aback by those words. The dazzling gleam in Mu Yuze’s midnight blue eyes was hard to ignore; they were clean, pure, and straightforward, making it seem like he was stating a fact rather than an opinion.

He Juan let out a mirthful huff, his eyes softening. He clasped Mu Yuze’s hand on his face and pressed a kiss there. "What is it? Did Sirius say something to you?"

Bingo. Mu Yuze cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, he might have said a few words, but I believe in what I said just now. Because Juan-gege, you’re the kindest, gentlest soul I know. There’s no way anyone can hate you."

What a heavily biased and objective statement, He Juan mused. If only Mu Yuze knew the number of people who wanted him to disappear from the face of Earth, it was unknown whether he would still think so. Nevertheless, Mu Yuze’s attempt to comfort him was clumsy, awkward, and so, so endearing that He Juan couldn’t suppress the burst of sweetness spreading in his chest.

He Juan sat up, allowing the blanket to pool around his lap. Mu Yuze’s eyes couldn’t help but wander to his neck and chest, taking in the myriads of hickeys and bite marks scattered across his bronze skin.

It’s me, Mu Yuze thought giddily. He was the one who had left those marks on the Alpha’s body.

He Juan inquired out of the blue, diverting his attention, "Do you have any plans for today?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Mu Yuze thought for a while before shaking his head. "No, why?"

He Juan smiled, "I want to return to the cemetery. Will you come with me?"

That one request shocked Mu Yuze so much that he abruptly sat upright. Ignoring the throbbing pain and soreness on his waist, he questioned, "You... want to return there?" He studied He Juan’s expression and found that his condition had truly improved. It did not seem like he was faking it.

"Mn," He Juan nodded in response. "There’s something else I want to tell them, but I didn’t get the chance yesterday."

Now that he put it like that, what other choice did Mu Yuze have but to comply?

They ordered room service and shared a hearty breakfast before He Juan gently ushered him to take a hot shower. Mu Yuze belatedly realized that his entire body was clean and comfortable, with no traces of stickiness from the previous lovemaking session. The realization that his Alpha had tenderly washed him inside out filled him with so much sweetness and bliss that he couldn’t suppress the curve of his lips.

But once he thought of their upcoming visit, his delight was dampened a bit, and he couldn’t help but worry again.

Juan-gege would be okay... right?

The hour hand of the clock pointed at ten when they checked out of the hotel and returned to the car. Even though He Juan had tried to clean the mess to the best of his ability, the faint scent of musk still lingered in the air, causing Mu Yuze’s face to turn beet-red when he recalled all the intimate acts they had done in the back seat.

"I haven’t gotten the chance to wash the car yet," He Juan offered him an apologetic look. "I will have it cleaned thoroughly once we return later."

"I–It’s fine," Mu Yuze stammered as the embarrassment finally caught up to him.

Fortunately, the hotel they occupied was not far from the cemetery, and their journey took less than twenty minutes. Once again, they made their way inside, passing through the rows of snow-covered tombstones with their fingers interlaced together. The snow had accumulated quite a lot in the span of the night, making it quite difficult to walk on. But at least, the weather had cleared up, and the snow no longer poured from the sky.

When they stopped before the three tombstones of the He Family, they found that Mu Yuze’s bouquets of lilies were still there, half buried within the snow, while the food and wine He Juan brought had already been taken care of by the workers.

For a while, a delicate silence lingered as He Juan gazed at the tombstones. Mu Yuze couldn’t resist sneaking glances at him once in a while, fearing that his condition would suddenly deteriorate. But luckily, the situation he feared of did not happen, and He Juan appeared stable.

"Mom, Dad, A–Xie," He Juan addressed them one by one with a hint of solemnity. "I’m here again. I’m sure you’ve met him yesterday, but let me formally introduce you again. This is Mu Yuze, my mate, my lover, and the person I plan to spend the rest of my life with."

Startled at being cued all of a sudden, Mu Yuze straightened his back and chimed in nervously, "N–Nice to meet you!"

He Juan burst out into laughter and pinched his nose endearingly, "You were not this tense yesterday. Where did all the bravado go?"

Mu Yuze shot him a glare, warning him not to run his mouth carelessly in front of the elders. "Y–Yesterday is yesterday, today is today!" he claimed unreasonably. How was he supposed to remain calm when He Juan introduced him so solemnly in front of his parents?!

Still with traces of laughter in his eyes, He Juan turned to the tombstones. "He’s adorable, isn’t he?" Then as if receiving some kind of answer, his smile deepened as he added, "I’ve known him since he was fourteen. He is such a good person. In fact, he’s way out of my league. Look at me. I’m old, poor and unemployed, while he’s a police officer. Yep, you didn’t mishear it. Amazing, isn’t he?"

"Gege!" Mu Yuze squeezed his hand in admonishment, his cheeks flushing red. "Don’t twist the facts as you please!"

"What?" He Juan raised a challenging brow. "Have I told any lies?"

Of course! Mu Yuze fumed internally. Why did he have to say that Mu Yuze was out of his league when... when it was the other way around?! Alas, before Mu Yuze could defend the Alpha’s standing so that he did not look too shabby in front of his parents, He Juan continued to speak, and though his words were directed towards the tombstones, his tender gaze remained fixed on Mu Yuze.

"He’s so good, so perfect and brilliant. Yet despite everything, he still chooses me again and again. For that, I’ve decided not to let him go..." his words trailed into a whisper, as if he was making a solemn vow to himself. "Not anymore."

Ba-thump! Mu Yuze’s heart somersaulted in his chest. All the words he was about to say evaporated from his mind, and he could only stare blankly as He Juan gracefully went down on one knee and magically produced a box from his pocket.

He opened the lid, revealing a simple yet elegant platinum ring within.