Captured By The Cold Detective (BL)-Chapter 555: Welcome Back

However, it was soon proven that Chen Youzhi had not been hallucinating when a similar occurrence took place a few days later, one that left no room for doubt.

He was dozing off in the chair, having taken the initiative to keep guard for the night again, when his acute senses detected a silent gaze on him, tugging his consciousness to the surface. Thanks to his years of experience working in the nursing home and taking care of elderly people who required around-the-clock attention, Chen Youzhi’s body had been trained to wake up at the slightest disturbances.

Lo and behold, when he opened his eyes, it was to the sight of He Juan gazing at him!

In an instant, any traces of drowsiness evaporated from his system and he became wide awake. Straightening up, he kept his gaze locked onto He Juan, almost afraid that this was nothing more than a pipe dream. "Boss...?"

He secretly pinched his thigh after that and sucked in a breath at the sharp pain that pinched his nerves. So he was really not dreaming; He Juan had really woken up!

"B–Boss..." Chen Youzhi’s voice trembled as he struggled to suppress the violent emotions churning within him. It was then that he recalled how he shouldn’t address this person like he did in the past, and he forcibly twisted his words, praying that He Juan would not pay much attention to it. "Mr. He, how... how are you feeling? Should I call the doctor for you?"

He Juan simply stared at him for one second too long before the corner of his eyes crinkled with a subtle smile. His voice came out muffled due to the oxygen mask, "You should sleep on the couch if you’re tired, Chen’er..."

And oh how familiar it sounded— the nickname, the tone, the choice of words and the mannerism, so much that it took Chen Youzhi a while to snap back to his senses.

"Wait," he stammered, his jaws hanging open in astonishment. "Y–You remembered?! You really remembered who I am?!"

"I do," He Juan breathed and shifted his gaze to the ceiling. His voice was barely more than a murmur, "I feel like I’ve been asleep for a long, long time. Would you believe me if I said that I heard Marius’ voice in my dream?" He let out a soft chuckle. "It’s him. He is the one who roused me awake from this long slumber..."

Chen Youzhi’s jaws remained agape, his heart pounding so hard in his ribcage that it felt as if it might burst free. His breathing quickened in pace, and without a warning, tears sprung up in his eyes.

It was not like he had not anticipated this day coming— hell, the main reason why he decided to return and settle down in this country was because he was afraid that He Juan would someday regain his memories.

However, Doctor Jia had reassured him again and again that such a thing was unlikely to happen, for the lives of ’He Juan’ and ’XIU’ were extremely different, just like two parallel lines that would never intersect with each other. ’He Juan’ was just an ordinary man who unfortunately lost his memories in an accident, while ’XIU’ was anything but that. As long as this continued on, as long as there was no additional line that connected these two people, Jia Molei could guarantee that He Juan would never remember anything until the day he died.

And that was what the doctor had decided, after observing how He Juan lived and thrived by his side for seven years.

Chen Youzhi had watched over them from afar throughout the years, and he couldn’t help but agree with the doctor’s prognosis. Over these past few years, He Juan had lived a peaceful and unremarkable life – a life which people like them would never even dream of before. And Chen Youzhi had made himself content by just watching, knowing that He Juan was living his life to the fullest.

But now...

When he heard He Juan utter that endearing nickname, when he saw the smile and recognition in He Juan’s eyes, only then did Chen Youzhi realize how much he had been missing this. How lonely and forlorn he had felt, when he had to cross paths with He Juan in the middle of the street without the man ever acknowledging him.

"Ugh..." Gritting his teeth, Chen Youzhi covered his eyes with a palm as he desperately fought to suppress the tears that threatened to fall. His voice was thick and hoarse as he choked out, "Welcome back, Boss..." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"How long..." He Juan’s murmur grew softer and softer.

Chen Youzhi took a deep inhale before answering, his voice steadier this time. "Seven years. It has been seven years since then."

A brief chuckle escaped He Juan’s lips as his eyelids slowly drooped. "It’s been such a long time, huh? No wonder you’re starting to have gray hairs..."

When a sudden realization gripped him, yanking him out of the bittersweet moment, He Juan had already succumbed to sleep again. But Chen Youzhi continued to stare at the man until the moisture in his eyes dried up, as dread weighed down heavily on his chest. How much had He Juan remembered? Everything, or were his memories only partially restored? Had the effect of the Golden Sand faded away entirely?

Now that He Juan was slowly regaining his memory, would he still try to... kill himself again?

***

"Wuwuwu..."

It was such a comical sight to see five burly, fully grown men crying their hearts out until they had to gasp and wheeze for breath. Veins throbbing, Chen Youzhi gritted out, "Stop. If you keep this up, everyone will think that Boss has already died."

"But... But I can’t help it!"

"You old beast, where’s your sense of camaraderie?!"

Huang Zhiyan nodded in affirmation as he blew his nose. "You have no idea, Old Chen. We have been prepared to introduce ourselves all over again, but who could have guessed that the Boss would remember us all of a sudden?"

"Don’t pretend to act cool!" Someone pointed an accusing finger at Chen Youzhi. "Do you think we can’t tell that you have secretly cried when nobody’s looking?!"

Chen Youzhi cleared his throat and did not deign to give a reply.

Muffled laughter echoed in the room, prompting everyone to turn toward the bed where He Juan was observing them with mirth in his eyes. His condition had improved to the point where he no longer needed to wear an oxygen mask, though his complexion was still horrible nonetheless. "I’m glad to see that you guys haven’t changed at all."

Chen Youzhi’s eyelids twitched violently when he heard that. He couldn’t help but admit that he had developed a mild trauma toward anything ordinary He Juan said, as he couldn’t even begin to predict what the man was going to do next.

"Wahh, Boss—!" The group of men burst into tears once more, and it took them almost half an hour to calm down.

Afterward, Chen Youzhi kicked them outside to prevent them from spreading the crying virus everywhere. He told them to collect themselves before returning, but only he knew that he was doing this for a selfish reason. He had one important thing he had to ask He Juan, and he had to do it when they were alone as the others were still utterly oblivious to what had occurred that year.

"What is it, Chen’er?" He Juan arched his brow, asking. "You look like you have something to ask."

Trust He Juan to be able to see through him at a glance. His perceptiveness has not diminished at all. Sighing in defeat, Chen Youzhi decided not to beat around the bush and asked the question he wanted to know the most,

"Boss, have you... remembered everything?"