Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 608: On The Same Ground

"Oh..." He Juan made a look as if someone had punched him in the gut, his expression turning ashen.

Feeling extremely distressed at the anguish in his mate’s eyes, he gathered Mu Yuze into his arms like the omega was something small and fragile. One hand cradled Mu Yuze’s head, while the other wrapped around his waist as though seeking to hide him away from the world. And Mu Yuze was more than willing to comply as he nestled deeper into the protective cocoon of his Alpha’s embrace, his own arms wrapping behind He Juan’s back. It was warm— so warm that Mu Yuze felt like he could melt right there and then.

"I–I’m so sorry, Xiao Ze..." came He Juan’s pained whisper above him. "I never meant to make you witness that. I never wanted to see you get hurt, but... time and time again, I always end up making you sad, don’t I?"

"Why are you apologizing?" Mu Yuze squeezed him tighter in gentle admonishment. "You didn’t do anything wrong at all. I just... I just feel frustrated because I couldn’t do anything for you..." Beneath his palm, he could feel the rough texture of He Juan’s scar. He couldn’t help but touch and caress it tenderly, his voice barely above a whisper, "Did it hurt?"

He could sense He Juan’s breath slowing down, as opposed to his heartbeat that pounded faster. As Mu Yuze was unable to see his expression from where his face was buried into He Juan’s chest, he could only ask again, "This wound... was it caused by your Boss and the Master Manipulator? The reason why you left seven years ago, was it also because of them?"

Silence filled the air between them for two full seconds before He Juan let out a quiet puff of laughter. Mu Yuze had no idea which part of his sentences that sounded even remotely funny, but the way He Juan melted against him and rested his chin atop his head made it absolutely impossible for him to get angry.

"Officer Mu is really sharp, huh?" He mused. "I could barely escape your eyes back then, and now, you completely saw through me."

Mu Yuze tried to comprehend the meaning behind those words. Why did Juan-gege always seem to talk in riddles? Couldn’t he be a little more straightforward? "So am I right?" he pressed for answers.

"You are," He Juan admitted as he patiently replied to Mu Yuze’s inquires one by one. "The reason why I had to leave that year... was indeed because of them, but the reason my back became the way it was is entirely due to my own choice. And it didn’t hurt. At least, I couldn’t quite remember it at that time, because there was somewhere else that hurt more..." the last few words were spoken in an almost inaudible voice that Mu Yuze could barely catch.

His brows furrowed in apprehension. What did Juan-gege mean by that?

Alas, he had just opened his mouth to ask when a loud growl interrupted him midway, causing the two of them to freeze.

It was He Juan who broke the prolonged silence, his voice laced with laughter. "Come to think of it, it’s already noon, but we haven’t eaten anything yet."

Blushing furiously, Mu Yuze buried his face deeper into He Juan’s chest and cursed his traitorous stomach. Why did it have to growl at such a crucial and sacred moment?! How embarrassing! To He Juan, though, he only responded with a light and demure hum.

"Up we go," that was all Mu Yuze received before he was once again carried into He Juan’s arms as the man made his way to the door. "The housekeeper auntie should have prepared some dishes for us. Let me see if there’s something I can heat up right away. We have a lot of stories to match, so let’s fill our stomachs first before we get down to business, shall we?"

Mu Yuze had no complaints about that, but...

"A–Are you not planning to wear some clothes?!" he blurted out the question, unable to help himself.

As though being treated to the sight of He Juan’s tantalizingly sweaty body and being clung onto was not dangerous enough for his heart, now he also had to take his brunch with this kind of mouth-watering meal sitting right in front of him?! Oh Mu Yuze was afraid he would choke to death before he could fill his tummy!

He Juan paused in his tracks as though the notion had completely slipped off his mind. But instead of retrieving his shirt from whichever corner he had thrown it to, he leaned down to catch Mu Yuze’s eyes, almost startling the poor omega out of his skin.

"Let’s see..." he raised a teasing brow, his silver eyes glimmering with devious mirth. "What do you think, Xiao Ze? Should I, or should I not wear my shirt?"

W–What kind of question was that?! Mu Yuze’s face exploded in crimson. If this were a cartoon, his ears would have spewed out a train of steam. Under He Juan’s laughing gaze, he gritted out angrily, "You’d better wear your damn shirt if you don’t want to catch a cold!"

***

In the end, He Juan did leave for the bedroom to retrieve a shirt, giving Mu Yuze ample time to regain his bearings from his relentless teasing.

He swore, the Alpha would be the death of him one day!

The two of them reheated some frozen dishes left in the refrigerator for a quick brunch, and after that He Juan invited him to the study.

Mu Yuze was grateful for his professional ethics that always required him to carry some important documents back home for perusal, and he did not hesitate to share them with He Juan.

Their time was tight; tomorrow, Mu Yuze would return to Yuyang with his team, meaning that he and He Juan would get separated for a while. And it was on the third day that He Juan promised to pay a visit to the Municipal Bureau. They still had no idea what kind of challenge awaited them, so Mu Yuze took it upon himself to brief He Juan as thoroughly as possible about the cases involving him.

The cold and taciturn Officer Mu Yuze, who wouldn’t speak more than five words if he could consolidate them into three, and could go about the entire day in complete silence, talked enthusiastically for hours; his comrades would definitely shed tears if they were to see him now. He just couldn’t help himself. This was the first time he truly felt like he was standing on the same ground with He Juan, with the man he had been chasing after for the better part of his life. And thus, Mu Yuze strived to do his best in fulfilling this task that only he could do. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Starting from the missing case of Zhao Xinya, the murder of Wu Liang – the father of He Juan’s student – to the death of Qin Zhen whose identity had been assumed by the Master Manipulator...

It was only when they reached that point that He Juan called for a stop.

"Gege?" Mu Yuze asked, taking the chance to take a sip of water. "Is there something you want to ask?"

He Juan picked up the portrait of the deceased Qin Zhen, narrowing his eyes meaningfully. "You said that you couldn’t pinpoint the exact date of Qin Zhen’s death?"

Mu Yuze nodded solemnly, "His body was frozen after death, which interfered with the forensic team’s autopsy results. The only person who might know the information, his lover, is nowhere to be found. At this point, I doubt that they really exist. After all, how could a person disappear into thin air to the point where the police couldn’t even unearth anything about them, not even their identity?" He scoffed, his displeasure and frustration evident.

He Juan hummed, his fingers drumming on the table. "Do you want to meet him?"

Mu Yuze blinked, "...Who?"

"Qin Zhen’s lover," He Juan gave a pointed glance at the portrait. Under Mu Yuze’s surprised look, he showed a helpless smile, "What a coincidence. I happened to encounter him... a few hours ago. It’s also the reason why I was gone for so long, you see."