Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 599: Flashback (8)

Zhong Yun’s gaze remained fixed on the moisture on his finger as he replied, "I’ve known I’m attracted to you since—"

"No. Not that. Since when do you know about my... private life? I’m certain I never told you anything."

Those words managed to draw Zhong Yun’s attention away from the shocking sight of Qin Zhen’s tears as he had never meant to make the man cry at all. He moved his gaze to the man’s face and in that instant, the truth hit him like a freight train – oh, I have messed up.

Qin Zhen might not realize it himself, but right now he looked so fragile and so, so shaken that he seemed seconds away from breaking apart. Zhong Yun’s mouth became dry and he swallowed past the tightness in his throat. No... this had never been his intention. Although he had always fantasized about the reddened hue on the corners of Qin Zhen’s eyes and the moisture clinging to his long lashes, it was always due to the pleasures Zhong Yun was going to make him feel, and not... this. Not these tears of sadness.

He had rushed too hastily into things when Qin Zhen was not yet ready to handle the truth. Alas, the damage had already been done, and he might as well smash the cracked pot. Just like he stated earlier, he was truly sick of watching Qin Zhen be with others. Perhaps... perhaps this was his one and only chance. Perhaps he had not truly messed things up, and there was still a chance to salvage everything.

"I..." he licked his lips before opening his mouth to speak. "I accidentally saw you..."

"When was it?" Qin Zhen interrupted him with a raspy voice, each word seemed as though it had been scraped out of the depth of his throat.

Gritting his teeth, Zhong Yun steeled himself to tell the truth. "A few months ago. Around August, I don’t remember the exact date."

"A few months..." Qin Zhen echoed dazedly, and Zhong Yun witnessed the exact moment when those beautiful honey-brown eyes turned dull like a shuttered curtain, as though something had quietly shattered within him.

An acute pang of ache struck Zhong Yun’s heart, and he felt compelled to say something – anything! – as long as Qin Zhen did not make such a face. Alas, before he could do so, Qin Zhen shut his eyes and turned his head away, more and more tears cascading down his pale cheeks like a translucent string of pearls.

"Can you..." he began, his throat seizing up. "Can you please leave me alone? I, I need time to..."

No way in hell! Zhong Yun instinctively wanted to refuse. He did not want to leave Qin Zhen alone, especially at a time like this.

But fortunately, his logical side took over in the nick of time. That was enough impulsivity for the day. He had surprised Qin Zhen enough with the sudden kiss and revelation, and the last thing he’d wanted to see was Qin Zhen breaking down right in front of his eyes. So he clenched his fists, took a deep breath and tucked the visceral urge to stay to the hollow of his ribcage.

Now that he had torn down his harmless façade, he could finally act on his feelings instead of restraining himself all the time.

He took Qin Zhen’s clenched fist in his hand, causing the latter to flinch in shock. Gently, he pried open the fingers and caressed the faint crescent marks embedded there and then without a warning, he dipped his head low to press his lips on the man’s palm.

Qin Zhen squeaked in a mixture of shock and mortification. "Z–Zhong Yun!"

Zhong Yun raised his eyelids and flashed a smile, all sharp and dazzling. "Fine," he said. "I will leave... for today. But please keep in your mind, Qin-ge, I have and will never think less of you no matter what. I will be waiting until you’re ready to give me an answer."

Not giving a chance for the man to react, Zhong Yun swooped in, stole yet another kiss and rushed out of the apartment like his butt was on fire. The series of movements were completed in less than three seconds, and when Qin Zhen snapped back to his senses, the space before him was already cold and empty.

Qin Zhen touched his tingling lips and murmured in a befuddled manner. "What has just happened..."

.

He had thought he would not see Zhong Yun for at least a few days, yet as it turned out he had severely underestimated how much of a hooligan the man was. Right the very next day, when he was leaving for work, he found Zhong Yun waiting for him outside of the building, nearly giving him a heart attack. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"W–What are you doing here?!" He sputtered out as he clutched his chest, disbelief etched on his features.

"Ah, me?" A familiar roguish grin tugged on the corner of Zhong Yun’s lips, one that he had always found endearing – but not this time. The young man straightened up from where he was leaning against the wall and began to approach him. "I was going out on a run. Are you leaving for work now? Have you had dinner yet?"

It was only then that Qin Zhen noticed Zhong Yun’s attire which consisted of his usual hoodie, sweatpants and running shoes. He was running at such a late hour? No, that’s not it. The most important question Qin Zhen had to ask right now was – how did Zhong Yun know about his occupation?! Exactly how much did this man know about him?!

"You... you..." Qin Zhen was so shocked that he couldn’t even form a coherent sentence. "How..."

But Zhong Yun understood him nonetheless. "Haven’t I told you that I accidentally saw you before?" he arched an amused brow, as though that one sentence was supposedly enough to explain everything. Disregarding Qin Zhen’s bewildered look, he grabbed Qin Zhen’s hand and placed a package of onigiri on his palm. "Here, you can eat it on the bus. It’s delicious, and you don’t have to worry about making a mess."

He... He even knew that Qin Zhen rode a bus to work?!

Qin Zhen’s mouth hung open in shock. The surprises came one after another that he had no idea how to react. In the end, he could only stutter out the first response that came to mind. "You... didn’t you say that you’re going to wait until I’m ready?!"

Zhong Yun countered with ease, "I am, but did I say I will make myself scarce? Until you’re ready to give me an answer, I will keep taking care of you."

Qin Zhen thought for a moment and realized that Zhong Yun’s words were correct. He did say that he would leave only for that day. He had not mentioned anything about keeping his distance.

Damn it! Qin Zhen couldn’t help but curse inside his heart. He couldn’t believe that he was deceived so easily. Moreover, since when did Zhong Yun become so cunning?!

"Okay, don’t let me hold you back here. Off you go to work." Following those words, Zhong Yun once again stole a kiss from him – this time on the cheek. He snapped his gaze up in shock and saw Zhong Yun waving at him with a bright smile as he walked away. "I will see you later, Qin-ge!"

Qin Zhen had no recollection of how he made it to the bus. His steps felt floaty and unbalanced, like he was walking through a surreal dream. It wasn’t until he seated himself on the back of the bus like he usually did that he realized that the onigiri in his hand was still warm. And as far as he could remember, the only convenience store in their neighborhood was not equipped with an oven to heat up food.

What ’going on a run’? Qin Zhen huffed as he unwrapped the plastic packaging and bit down on the onigiri viciously. It was all an excuse, Zhong Yun had clearly been waiting downstairs to give him this!