Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 52: Careful!

He Juan was slightly taken aback. He had never expected that Wu Yuan would take the initiative to call him at a time like this. Due to them being in the same group chat, the phone screen directly displayed Wu Yuan’s profile photo of a stray yellow cat. Wu Yuan had never actually shown up in the group before. However, because He Juan had skimmed through the members in order to remember their names, he had also noticed this particular student.

What could Wu Yuan be calling him for?

He Juan immediately pressed the green button and put the phone to his ear. "Hello? Wu Yuan?"

The students and Teacher Song turned to him, surprised. He Juan gave them the gesture of ’I’ve got this’ and focused on the other line of the call. He could faintly hear the sound of cars driving past and intermittent horns. Then, Wu Yuan’s voice called out, seemingly a bit wobbly. "Teacher He..."

He Juan’s heart skipped a beat. He sensed that something was wrong right away, but he still maintained a light and casual attitude on the surface. "Wu Yuan, where are you? Everyone has been waiting for you here."

"Teacher He." His voice was firmer this time, yet just as quiet. "There’s no need to wait for me. I... I can’t go."

He Juan caught the worried look on Teacher Song’s face and offered a reassuring smile in response. He walked out of the circle of students until he was sure that nobody could eavesdrop on the conversation. Only then did he speak again. "Wu Yuan, is there something troubling you?"

A lengthy pause, then, "N–No..."

He Juan keenly noticed that Wu Yuan had said ’can’t go’ and not ’won’t go’, meaning that... he wanted to come yet something was preventing him from doing so. He Juan had no idea whether this was a hidden talent of his, but he tended to pick up on the subtle implication behind one’s sentence and pinpointed their true intention.

He did not press Wu Yuan to answer anymore. Instead, he asked, "I can hear traffic from where you are. You’re outside, aren’t you? Can you tell me your location?" Then, he softened his voice as if coaxing a frightened kitten. "Wu Yuan, it’s okay. Teacher just wants to confirm that you’re safe. Can you allow me to do that?"

"I..." Wu Yuan’s breathing suddenly accelerated.

He Juan pricked up his ear, trying to guess if the student was under some kind of danger. It sounded to him like Wu Yuan was desperately holding back his tears, but in the end, he managed to force out a landmark with a choked voice.

He Juan discreetly heaved out a sigh of relief. Wu Yuan was not far from where the school was. As he expected, the little guy had wanted to come. "Stay there. I will come to you now."

After ending the call, He Juan returned to the group and whispered the predicament into Teacher Song’s ear. A solemn look appeared on the man’s face and he gave He Juan a nod. He Juan was relieved that Teacher Song was there to comfort and accompany the anxious students. Hence, he immediately strode out of the school, half jogging and half running, toward where Wu Yuan was.

Sunday morning was the time for most people to catch up on sleep. As such, the road could be considered as very clear and smooth, the number of passersby on the street was minimal as well. The temperature had started to rise lately and by the time He Juan caught sight of Wu Yuan’s dejected figure standing under the street post, his forehead was already covered in a layer of sweat.

It was not until he confirmed that the little guy was unharmed did his heart finally fall back to his chest. He slowed down his pace and approached Wu Yuan carefully. The student still had not noticed his presence. He was lost in thought, staring at the phone gripped in his hand.

He Juan flipped through his memory on the homeroom teacher’s evaluation of Wu Yuan. He recalled that the teacher had always been full of praise, saying how obedient and brilliant of a student Wu Yuan was. It was a pity that he was not active in extracurricular activities nor did he seem to have interest in befriending other students. Or in other words, he was an introvert through and through.

"Wu Yuan," He Juan called out gently.

Wu Yuan flinched like someone had scalded him and snapped his head up. This reaction of his reminded He Juan of a startled deer he had seen in the wildlife documentary before, full of fear for the unknown.

Wu Yuan’s eyes were full of shock, apprehension, fear and something else He Juan could not comprehend. He Juan pretended as if he noticed nothing and showed a friendly smile to him. "Wu Yuan, what are you doing here?"

"T–Teacher He..." Wu Yuan straightened up. Even then, he kept his head down and did not dare to meet his eyes. "I’m sorry for bothering you. I—"

He Juan observed that Wu Yuan had donned his school uniform. He also had his backpack slung over one shoulder, indicating that he had been ready to go to school in order to compete. However, the little guy’s eyes were rimmed red as though he had been crying and there were not so obvious bruises on his neck where the collar was slightly askew. It looked like... the bruises had been inflicted not too long ago.

He Juan was taller than the other by more than a head. As such, he did not hesitate to crouch down to catch Wu Yuan’s eyes. Startled, Wu Yuan reflexively took a step backward and almost tripped on his feet.

"Careful!" He Juan grabbed his arm to steady him. But who could have guessed that as soon as He Juan touched him, Wu Yuan would grimace as if he was in a lot of pain? He Juan was stunned and immediately let go after making sure that Wu Yuan would not fall. His eyes landed on the spot where he had just touched, but because it was covered by Wu Yuan’s long sleeved jacket, He Juan was unable to discern what was underneath. "Wu Yuan, you—"

Wu Yuan cut him off with a pale and fear-stricken face. "Teacher, please don’t tell anyone! I beg you!!"

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A/N: happy one month anniversary + 100k views! Thank you so much for reading the book. I hope you will accompany He Juan and Mu Yuze with me until the end <3<3

Tomorrow, another mass release! Please wait for it~