Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 607: Too Late

"A... punishment?"

Mu Yuze paused momentarily in surprise, and He Juan immediately seized that chance to nuzzle his head into his chest, his voice slightly muffled when he hummed in response, "Punishment... for the traitor. I did something to betray the organization, so I have to bear the consequences."

"Wait... wait a moment," Mu Yuze interjected as he pushed He Juan’s shoulders, trying to catch a glimpse of his face. He was aware that He Juan was doing this because it was not an easy topic to talk about, and he might not want Mu Yuze to see his expression when he did, but still! All this clinginess and dependency was not good for his heart!

The He Juan in his memory was a charismatic and ever reliable man who could solve whatever problem that came his way, and the stark contrast to the He Juan who was clinging onto him now... was this the so-called ’gap moe’ Kang Guanyu often rambled about?!

Most importantly...

Mu Yuze couldn’t help but ponder, "Didn’t Xuanlong technically belong to you?" he furrowed his brows in contemplation. "Well, I know that you’re the Boss’ right-hand man, but I heard through the grapevine that the Boss was nothing more than a figurehead, and it’s you who..." Mu Yuze babbled on and on to convey his thoughts – and also to distract himself from their current intimate position – but he was interrupted when He Juan let out a soft ’pfft’.

Mu Yuze paused and gazed at him in befuddlement. "Did you... just laugh at me?"

Having been called out, He Juan finally couldn’t contain himself any longer and threw his head back in an unrestrained laughter. "Hahaha— oh God, Xiao Ze, you’re just so..." he trailed off, his shoulders shaking with mirth.

And Mu Yuze, who was perched on his lap, was forced to bear the full brunt of the Alpha’s beautiful laughter, the radiant warmth of his smiling face and the resonant rumbles from deep within his chest. Mu Yuze’s ears flushed crimson. He should have been indignant at He Juan’s teasing, but for God’s sake, how was he supposed to stay mad for longer than a second at the captivating sight of his Juan-gege’s genuine smile?

Like a smitten fool he was, Mu Yuze could only shoot him a glare with no heat at all, wishing desperately that the Alpha wouldn’t hear how hard his heart was thundering in his chest.

Goodness, he was down so bad, wasn’t he?

"Why are you so adorable?" He Juan whispered once his laughter subsided into deep chuckles. He leaned forward to brush the tip of their noses together, and it was such an endearing gesture that Mu Yuze felt like he was about to get a heart attack. But then, He Juan’s next words forced him to snap back into attention, "I don’t know where you got that information from, but it seems like your informant is not that reliable."

"XIU had never been the right-hand man, Xiao Ze ah," he revealed, the light in his silver eyes dimming a bit. The curve on his lips took on a wistful tinge. "I was the left-hand man, and Xuanlong did not belong to me. Never."

Mu Yuze couldn’t actually be blamed for getting it wrong. After all, public knowledge about Xuanlong, especially its core members, was too lacking. He Juan was the only one who had achieved a level of infamy— hell, he could even be considered as the face of Xuanlong for how often his name was associated with the organization. So it was no wonder that Mu Yuze, like the rest of the world, perceived him as the right-hand man – or even the Big Boss himself.

Nonetheless, it still came off as a big surprise for Mu Yuze.

"You were not?" He asked once more to confirm, to which He Juan responded with a helpless nod. His fingers curled atop of He Juan’s shoulders as he pressed on, swallowing hard, "Then who..."

He Juan’s lips twisted in distaste, catching Mu Yuze by surprise. So there was someone in this world Juan-gege could hate. He mentally put this person on his blacklist even though he technically knew nothing about them. He Juan released a rough exhale and swiped away strands of hair that almost got to his eyes. Seeing that, Mu Yuze’s body moved faster than his brain could think as he reached out to brush He Juan’s hair back, their gazes colliding in midair.

Heat crept up Mu Yuze’s face as he tried to justify his actions, "It looks like your hair is blocking your sight so..."

He Juan’s smile deepened at his fluster, but he no longer made it difficult for Mu Yuze and replied to his previous question. "He... is the most dangerous person I have ever known. Cunning, merciless, and savage. He’s a monster dressed in human skin, an individual without an ounce of conscience. I don’t know if you have ever heard of him in your years as a police officer, but in the old days, he went by the nickname... the Master Manipulator."

The Master Manipulator!

Mu Yuze’s eyes widened in shock at that familiar moniker. All of a sudden, every piece of clue fell into place in his mind— the elevator worker they had never managed to locate in Zhao Xinya’s case until this day, the person who had disguised himself as Qin Zhen and recorded himself killing Wu Yuan’s father before provoking the whole Violent Crime Unit members, as well as the person who posed as an officer to sneak into the hospital where Wu Yuan was being treated...

They had always assumed this person to be another core member of Xuanlong. Never had they expected that he would actually turn out to be... the Big Boss’ right-hand man!

"What is it?" He Juan abruptly grew alarmed at his reaction. "Have you met him? No, has the past He Juan gone against him?! Goddamnit, this is the reason why I didn’t want to involve any more people in my business! He would definitely go after you if he discovered our relationship!" Frustration laced his tone, his entire body tensing in agitation. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

After everything he had done to keep Mu Yuze safe, he would be damned if he were to let the Master Manipulator get to him! Not under his watch!

"It’s too late," Mu Yuze gathered all his wits as a professional crime investigator as he leveled He Juan with a grim expression. "He has provoked the police again and again, it’s impossible for us – for me – to let him go just like that. Not only because of my working ethics, but also... he’s the mastermind behind your recent accident in the harbor, isn’t he, Gege? He’s also the one who took Jia Molei away."

He Juan was instantly stunned when he heard those words. "How much did you know...?"

Ah, it seemed like he had never told Juan-gege anything about this. Realizing his oversight, Mu Yuze pursed his lips tight before speaking with a hoarse voice, "I was there with you that day, Gege. I watched you... I watched you fall into the sea with my own eyes..." he choked out, the rims of his eyes reddening.

The memory of the violent explosion, which sent He Juan flying and plummeting down to the sea, still remained as clear as daylight in his mind, haunting his nightmares to this day.