Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 53: Do You Trust Me?

Alarm bells rang loudly in He Juan’s head. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong here. If this was just injuries due to a regular fight, then there was no need for Wu Yuan to look so terrified. After all, he was at the age where boys were especially hot-blooded and liked to tussle with others over the tiniest problems.

The right thing to do for him as a teacher was to dig into the crux of the matter and discover the source of the bruises. However, He Juan could not bring himself to do that, not when Wu Yuan was looking so agitated as if he was on the verge of breaking down.

Fortunately, the street was not crowded so early in the morning otherwise He Juan would be taken to the police station again if someone were to report him of intentional assault.

"Hey, hey, it’s okay." He Juan did not try to touch Wu Yuan again, he did not even move from where he was crouching. He kept his hands on top of his knees where Wu Yuan could see them. "Wu Yuan, it’s okay. If you don’t want to tell, then Teacher will not ask. Don’t be afraid. It’s okay, Wu Yuan..." He tried to console the anxious little guy again and again.

Perhaps it was his harmless posture, or perhaps it was his gentle and reassuring voice which contained infinite patience, Wu Yuan slowly found himself calming down. He slumped against the street post and gasped in huge gulps of air, his complexion still pale due to the fright. He timidly cradled his injured arm and glanced at He Juan with hesitation.

Meanwhile, He Juan still had that harmless smile on his face that Jia Molei claimed had duped countless others. "Have you calmed down?"

Wu Yuan pursed his lips and hung his head low dejectedly. "I’m sorry, Teacher..."

For some reason, He Juan could now understand what Mu Yuze was feeling everytime he apologized for something that was not his fault. He Juan could not help but feel amused. Even in a situation like this, he could not seem to get the omega out of his mind. He Juan forcefully shelved the image of a certain red-cheeked omega and focused his gentle gaze on the student in front of him.

"Wu Yuan, the reason why you can’t go to the competition... is it because of your injured arm?"

Wu Yuan’s eyes snapped to him in shock, seemingly not expecting that it would be the first question He Juan asked. Then, he shook his head. "It’s not. These little injuries are nothing..."

He Juan was certain that it was not ’little’ otherwise Wu Yuan would not show such an obvious pained reaction when He Juan only grabbed him lightly, but he was not going to point it out right now. They had more important matters to solve.

"Then, can you tell Teacher the reason why?" When Wu Yuan still looked hesitant, He Juan could not help but add, "You can trust me, Wu Yuan. No matter what you say here, Teacher will not tell anyone." He raised three fingers to the sky and swore solemnly. "May I be struck by lightning if I utter one word of lie here."

Wu Yuan pressed his lips together and his eyes turned red in an instant. How could he still keep it in when there was finally someone who was willing to listen to him? He had no idea how long... how long he had been secretly enduring it alone. And now, He Juan’s sincere vow was akin to the last strike that shattered the armor around his heart to pieces. Wu Yuan buried his face into the crook of his arm, his thin body was wrecked in violent trembles. Even then, he still did not cry.

He Juan was carefully observing Wu Yuan’s reaction while keeping track of the time. His phone was buzzing nonstop in his pocket, and he could bet that it was Teacher Song who was trying to reach him. Nonetheless, he acted like he noticed nothing and patiently waited for Wu Yuan to speak.

"I don’t..." The little guy forced out through gritted teeth. Although he was wearing a jacket over his uniform, he still hugged himself as if he was freezing. Even his teeth were chattering due to the nerves. "I don’t have the money to join the competition..." he said in a voice as quiet as a small mosquito, but He Juan, who had been pricking his ears up, heard it loud and clear.

"Wu Yuan..." He Juan showed an understanding look. "Is this also why you wanted to talk to me yesterday?"

Wu Yuan nodded stiffly. His appearance of wanting to cry but could only force himself to hold back was especially pitiful.

He Juan quietly heaved out a sigh. If he recalled correctly, the competition fee was not expensive at all. It could be considered as very cheap. After all, it was a provincial competition whose purpose was to gather prodigies from all over the country. They would only suffer a loss if they charged more. He Juan seemed to have discovered the reason behind Wu Yuan’s injuries and he could not help but feel a surge of anger in his chest. Nonetheless, his gentle expression remained unchanged.

He rose to his feet, causing Wu Yuan to flinch again. Pretending not to see that, he patted the nonexistent dust on his knees and asked in a casual tone, "Have you eaten breakfast?"

Wu Yuan was dumbfounded by this sudden shift of topic. It took a few seconds for him to shake his head. "No..."

He Juan tsk-ed lightly. "If you don’t eat, how can you have the energy to go through the day? Moreover, you need a lot of brainpower for the competition later." He looked around and found a beautiful bakery a few meters away. The smell of freshly baked bread wafted in the air, very appetizing and tempting. He Juan beckoned for Wu Yuan to follow him. "Come on. Take this as Teacher’s treat."

Still in daze, Wu Yuan could only fumble after He Juan’s steps. He found that he could not seem to disobey Teacher He’s words, no matter how gentle and amicable it sounded on the surface.

When he snapped out of his stupor, he found himself standing in front of the display case. His stomach growled loudly when his gaze landed on the assortment of colorful cakes with thick cream and fresh fruits on top. Wu Yuan rubbed his stomach with a pitiful look. Just in one glance, he could tell that he would not be able to afford anything—

He Juan pointed at a few mini cakes in one breath. "Give me this, this and this." Then, he thought that a growing teenager like Wu Yuan would not be satisfied with only small cakes and gestured toward the steaming bread which was still on the tray. "Give me two of those too. Can you please wrap it fast?" He Juan shot an apologetic yet dashing smile toward the young staff who could only gape at him with her cheeks flushed. "We’re kinda in a hurry."

"Y–Yes, sir!" The staff snapped back to her senses and hastened up to get He Juan’s order.

"T–Teacher!" Wu Yuan was so frightened by the increasing number on the bill that his knees grew weak. "I–I won’t be able to—"

"Hush," He Juan cut him off gently. "Wu Yuan ah... listen to me carefully, okay?" He reached out to ruffle Wu Yuan’s hair with an amused look on his face. Even then, there was gravity in his tone that left Wu Yuan with no choice but to clamp his mouth shut and listen obediently. He Juan’s smile turned brighter. "At your age, you only need to care about your performance in school, make a lot of friends, and have fun everyday. As for the rest, leave it to adults."

Wu Yuan’s eyes reddened again and his voice shook. "But—"

"I have told you before, I will definitely help you if I can." He Juan asserted gently. "Do you trust me, Wu Yuan?"

Wu Yuan stared at the man in front of him in a daze. It was so weird. He Juan was practically a new teacher who had not even worked for a week, yet for some reason, Wu Yuan got a very stable sense of security in his presence. It was warm and all-encompassing. Perhaps, this was also the reason why he chose to call He Juan of all people.

It was as if... even if the sky collapsed, this person would still stand tall to hold it up for him. Before he knew what was happening, he already gave a nod.

"Good boy." He Juan praised him sincerely. He then paid for the bread, took the plastic bag from the blushing staff, shoved a few bills inside and handed it over to Wu Yuan. The money would be enough to cover the competition fee as well as a few days’ worth of meals in case the little guy starved himself again.

"Here. You can eat it on the bus later. Let’s go, everyone has been waiting for you." He put his forefinger on his lips and winked playfully. "Don’t worry, if someone asks later, Teacher will just say that you’re getting stomachache due to the nerves, okay?"

Wu Yuan reached out both hands to hold the box of cakes and bread in his arms. His entire person was stunned silly by this kind and sincere treatment. The bread in his arms was warm... very warm, and smelled very tasty. Wu Yuan’s stomach growled again and he mutedly took out a package of bread and bit down right then and there.

The sweetness and warmth of melted chocolate and butter exploded on his tongue. It traveled down to his throat, stomach, his entire body... before settling on his aching heart.

Fat droplets of tears fell from his reddened eyes, sliding down his cheeks and getting to his mouth. Muffling in the sobs, he shoved the bread into his mouth and ravenously finished it in three to four bites.

So warm... it was as if the bone-deep coldness he felt earlier was only a mirage. Wu Yuan felt like he was cocooned in a soft heated blanket, it was so comfortable that he could not stop his tears from falling no matter how many times he wiped it.

"T–Thank you..." He choked out with difficulty. "Thank you so much, Teacher He..."

He Juan could not resist laughing as he messed up the little guy’s hair further. "If you want to thank me, then go and win a medal!"