Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 593: Flashback (2)

Zhong Yun couldn’t quite explain why he so desperately wanted to see Qin Zhen again, but he reasoned it was because he had never been indebted to someone before, and it made him uneasy not to repay the man for his kindness. For that sole reason, he forced himself to wake up early for a week straight and camped inside the breakfast stall, waiting for the man who might or might not come.

Regardless of whether it was sunny or rainy, he always appeared early in the morning, to the point where he was starting to become a familiar face among the regular patrons.

Three days after their first encounter, Zhong Yun was chatting amicably with a nosy auntie who had been trying to dig out his entire family history for the past half an hour, when a familiar voice reached his ears,

"Boss, the usual serving, please."

Zhong Yun’s imaginary ears perked up. He raised his head and his eyes lit up when he saw the familiar figure. He had actually wondered if it was his brain playing tricks on him that day, and the man was not actually as beautiful as his mind made him up to be. Perhaps it was just the suspension bridge effect, similar to what the female leads in the afternoon soap operas he used to watch with his late grandma experienced when the male lead swooped in to rescue them from their current predicament. However, right now, Zhong Yun’s belly was full and he had not forgotten to bring his wallet. Except for being a little sleep-deprived, he was as sober as a man could be.

Yet Qin Zhen still remained the most beautiful in his eyes. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

He was still clad in a simple button-up and slacks, exhaustion evident in his eyes and dark bags beneath them. Apparently, Zhong Yun was not the only one who noticed because the vendor uncle inquired in sympathy, "Another night shift?"

Qin Zhen offered a faint smile and nodded, "Mn."

The uncle was unfazed as he continued to nag about the importance of rest, his hands moving quickly to prepare the order. Zhong Yun decided that it was his time to become the male lead, and after excusing himself from the nosy auntie, he stood up and gingerly approached the man, clearing his throat.

"H–Hello," he almost bit his tongue due to how nervous he was, especially as the man turned around in surprise, not expecting anyone to strike up a conversation. He looked even more beautiful up close, despite the lines of fatigue on his face. Steeling himself, Zhong Yun took a deep breath and flashed his best smile, "Thank you so much for your help last time. Let me treat you in exchange."

Before Qin Zhen could react, Zhong Yun gave the uncle a signal – of course, the two of them had discussed this beforehand – and took the plastic bag, handing it over to the man. "Here you go. My name is Zhong Yun, and I’ve just moved here recently. What about you?"

It was a rehearsed line Zhong Yun had practiced again and again in front of the mirror, and he inwardly patted his back for delivering it so smoothly.

The man blinked, and Zhong Yun tried his best not to focus on his long and delicate lashes. "Ah, you don’t need to do this..." he said awkwardly.

"I must," Zhong Yun insisted on pushing the plastic bag to him. He put on a serious look and remarked, "Ge, you saved my life last time. I almost died– no, I would have certainly died of hunger if I had to run back to grab my wallet. Please accept this! It’s the least I can do to repay you!"

Taken aback by the sudden intimate address, Qin Zhen couldn’t help but laugh softly. Zhong Yun had the strangest urge to cheer upon hearing that delightful sound. "Alright, thank you very much... Zhong Yun." He finally accepted the plastic bag, his eyes curving into a gentle smile as he tilted his head slightly to catch Zhong Yun’s eyes, who was almost a head taller than him. "My surname is Qin, given name Zhen. It’s nice to make your acquaintance."

That day, Zhong Yun not only got to talk more with the man, but he also received a smile. So he counted it as a win.

It marked the start of their... unusual routine, if it could be called as such. True to the vendor uncle’s words, Qin Zhen would visit the stall once every few days, and every single time, Zhong Yun would already be there. The short wait for their orders to be prepared became Zhong Yun’s precious opportunity to talk to the man and get to know him more.

After a month, Zhong Yun learned that Qin Zhen typically visited the stall on Tuesdays and Fridays. Sometimes, he would also come on Sunday, though it was not as often.

After a month, Zhong Yun inadvertently learned that Qin Zhen was thirty three, through the casual conversation they were having with the vendor uncle.

"What?!" Zhong Yun almost choked on his saliva, his eyes widening in shock and disbelief. "You’re in your thirties, Ge?! But you look no older than twenty five!"

Qin Zhen stifled a chuckle at his exclamation. "Thank you for the compliment. It’s one of the strict requirements in my workplace – to take care of our appearance. Perhaps that’s why I look younger than my actual age..." he trailed off, his smile dimming a bit. Zhong Yun noticed it, of course. But he pretended not to and swiftly changed the topic, despite his burgeoning curiosity about Qin Zhen’s workplace.

He spent the entire day guessing what kind of occupation would suit someone like Qin Zhen. A photo model? No, Qin Zhen wasn’t tall enough for that. Maybe he worked as a salesman? A waiter?

After a month, Zhong Yun also learned that... despite Qin Zhen’s gentle and amicable appearance, he always kept people at an arm’s length and never talked about himself, much to the younger man’s chagrin. It was useless no matter how hard Zhong Yun tried to find out more about him, as Qin Zhen would always steer the conversation back to him with well-spoken words and pretty smiles. And Zhong Yun was too busy admiring his beauty to notice the subtle evasion.

He couldn’t even manage to walk back together with Qin Zhen, for the man would always excuse himself and say that he had another errand to run.

Zhong Yun was not stupid, nor was he dense. He was aware that this was a subtle rejection and Qin Zhen was drawing a line between them. The most reasonable thing to do was to respect Qin Zhen’s decision and back away, no longer insisting on intruding into the man’s life.

Alas, Zhong Yun found that he was unable to do that.

There was just something about Qin Zhen that intrigued him and drew him in, and he found himself absorbing every morsel of information he gathered about the man like a hamster hoarding food into its cheek pouches— Qin Zhen couldn’t handle spicy food at all. Qin Zhen’s eyes turned into liquid honey when the sunlight reflected on them. Qin Zhen liked avocado-scented hand cream more than the strawberry one. Qin Zhen was beautiful.

Perhaps God was finally moved by his tenacity – or to be more precise, pity him – for one night, while on his routine run, he unexpectedly bumped into Qin Zhen who was walking out of a building.

Zhong Yun had no idea why his first instinct was to hide, but he was glad that he did, for it gave him the chance to study the man’s appearance to his heart’s content. Qin Zhen was still dressed in his usual attire, yet there was just something different about him that made Zhong Yun pause. It took him a while to realize that Qin Zhen’s features look more delicate than usual, most likely because of the dim glow of street lamps.

It was already so late, where was he going?

All of a sudden, Zhong Yun recalled the look of utter exhaustion Qin Zhen would sometimes have, as well as the notion of a ’night shift’ mentioned by the vendor uncle. Chewing on his lips, he hesitated for a while before coming to a decision.

Sorry, Ge. Whispering that silent apology in his heart, he resolved to trail behind Qin Zhen at a considerable distance, eager to know more about the man’s workplace.