The suite’s living room was dead silent. Lin Shen glanced at the leather sofa against the wall and seriously considered whether he could crash there for the night.
But honestly, sleeping on the couch when there was a perfectly good room with two beds just felt way too deliberate.
He couldn’t even explain why he didn’t want to share a room with Lu Chengxuan.
It wasn’t that he hated the guy. He didn’t feel uncomfortable or annoyed.
It was just… something about it made him feel oddly uneasy.
Lu Chengxuan, on the other hand, didn’t say much. After Lin Wangye and Xu Suinian picked their rooms one after another, he turned and walked straight into the twin-bed room. Lin Shen had no choice. He quietly cursed Lin Wangye for ditching his dad the second he saw someone prettier, then sighed and followed him in.
The town sat on the mid-slope of Mount Yingtian, probably six or seven hundred meters above sea level.
Because the terrain wasn’t that steep, there weren’t any tall peaks blocking the view in the southeast, southwest, or northwest directions. So just glancing off into the distance gave you a huge, open view.
And this being a high-end hotel’s presidential suite, the view was, of course, top-tier.
The moment Lin Shen stepped into the room, the sight through the floor-to-ceiling windows stopped him in his tracks. The mountains in the distance were blanketed in white. Evergreen pines and cypress trees pierced through the snow, sketching the long, flowing curves of the mountain range like the spine of a sleeping dragon.
Clouds swirled around the mountaintops. The sky and earth blended into one. It really did feel like a slice of heaven.
Lin Shen stood frozen at the door, practically stunned. It took him a long moment to snap out of it. Then he said, totally impressed, “Damn, I’m a genius. Picked such an epic spot for a trip.”
“I thought you’d been here before,” Lu Chengxuan said.
“Never stepped foot in this place.” Lin Shen walked into the room, picked the bed closest to the window, and tossed his backpack onto it. Then he shrugged and added, “I just saw it was cheap and nearby.”
Lu Chengxuan didn’t say yes or no. Instead, he asked, “What do you want for dinner?”
Lin Shen had never spent so many hours straight on a bus before. His back was killing him, and he was exhausted.
He flopped back onto the bed, arms stretched out, eyes shut.
“Dinner, huh… I saw in some travel guide that the free-range chicken stew with wild mushrooms around here is pretty solid.”
“This time of year, there aren’t any fresh wild mushrooms,” Lu Chengxuan said. “Only the dried kind they’ve sun-dried.”
Lin Shen didn’t reply. He looked like he’d fallen asleep. After a long pause, he finally muttered, slow and lazy, “Figure something out.”
“…”
After a few seconds of hesitation, Lu Chengxuan finally replied, “Okay.”
“Okay?” Lin Shen sprang up like a shot, looking completely dumbfounded. “What, you planning to ascend into the heavens on the spot and become a god so mushrooms can magically grow in the dorm overnight?”
“There aren’t any mushrooms here, but other places have shiitake.”
As he spoke, Lu Chengxuan pulled out his phone and started typing. “I’ll just have someone pick some and bring them over. We can eat them tomorrow.”
Lin Shen quickly stopped him, stepped forward, and snatched the phone away. “Alright, alright, forget it. Dried mushrooms are fine. It’s just some mushrooms, not worth making such a big fuss over. Someone who didn’t know better might think you’re the freaking First Emperor of China.”
After making sure the message hadn’t been sent, Lin Shen handed the phone back and returned to flop down on his bed.
“But the chicken,” he said, “has to be the most tender one. Crispy on the outside, soft and melty on the inside.”
“Anything else?” Lu Chengxuan asked.
“Can’t think of anything. Just bring out whatever special dishes they’ve got.” Lin Shen stretched out in comfort, then sat up from the bed. “Also, go ask those two what they wanna eat.”
Just as he opened the door to head out, Lu Chengxuan called out to stop him. “I really wouldn’t if I were you.”
Lin Shen turned back, confused. “Why not?”
Lu Chengxuan didn’t answer right away. He paused for a few seconds, like he was trying to find the right words, before finally saying, “That room… doesn’t really need a third wheel.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? What do you mean by that?”
Lin Shen instantly got riled up. He let go of the doorknob and stood right in front of Lu Chengxuan, looking super annoyed.
“I’ve been wanting to ask for days now. I’ve been holding back to save face, but it’s driving me crazy. Do you know more than I do? Why do you always seem to know more than I do? Spill everything you know right now or I swear I’m opening that window and jumping out! I was joking about it at first, but now I’m seriously starting to think you three are ganging up to shut me out!”
“I don’t know anything,” Lu Chengxuan said calmly. “I just know that Lin Wangye told me he likes Xu Suinian. That’s all. I found out a little earlier than you.”
“And why the hell did he tell you but not me?!”
Lin Shen was furious. He spun around, about to storm across the hall and demand answers, but before he could even lift his foot, Lu Chengxuan reached out and grabbed his arm.
“They weren’t even a thing yet at the time,” Lu Chengxuan said. “You’re the type to freak out easily, and maybe he had his reasons. He probably wanted to wait until everything was settled before telling you.”
The warmth of Lu Chengxuan’s palm on his wrist made Lin Shen’s scalp tingle.
He froze right there, suddenly a lot calmer. He kept his back to Lu Chengxuan, not daring to turn around.
But as the words sank in, it finally hit him—then he exploded. He spun back around with a face full of disbelief. “So what, this punk was planning to wait until they’d already done the deed before cluing me in?! I swear, why were they both so desperate to grab the room with the big bed? What were they thinking—what the hell were they planni—mmph!”
He was just about to shout the roof off. His voice was rising like a siren, and it looked like he was seconds away from grabbing a megaphone to yell through. Lu Chengxuan didn’t even blink—he reached out, yanked Lin Shen back, and cut off the rest of his outburst in one swift move.
Lin Shen was totally caught off guard—he hadn’t expected that move at all. He lost his balance and stumbled backward, landing straight on top of Lu Chengxuan. Lu Chengxuan hadn’t been sitting steady either, so he was knocked over too. The two of them ended up sprawled on the bed like a pair of stacked Jenga blocks, staring up at the ceiling, completely stunned.
The central heating was on, and they’d both ditched their heavy coats the moment they came inside.
Now they were each wearing just a single layer—a soft knit sweater. Body heat passed straight through the fabric. Lin Shen’s back was pressed flush against Lu Chengxuan’s chest, and he could feel every breath the other man took, steady and slow.
And the worst part? Lu Chengxuan’s arm was still wrapped around his waist.
He’d grabbed him tight in that split second, probably worried Lin Shen would fall the wrong way and hit the floor. His hand had locked around Lin Shen’s waist with perfect precision, fingers digging right into that soft dip at the small of his back.
No one had ever touched him there before.
By the time Lin Shen realized what was happening, his scalp had already gone numb. His whole body went limp, and with a rough gasp, he started squirming like a fish out of water, twisting all over Lu Chengxuan in a panic.
“Ugh…sun…so soft—itchy! Let go!”
Lu Chengxuan was sweating bullets now too. As soon as he heard that, he immediately let go with both hands.
The second he was free, Lin Shen shot up from the bed like a spring. Clutching his waist, he was flushed red from his neck all the way to his ears—angry, embarrassed, and about to explode. Without even thinking, he shoved the just-sitting-up Lu Chengxuan back down onto the bed, straddled his thighs with his knees apart, and yanked him forward by the collar.
“What the hell is wrong with you?! What were you doing?!”
Lin Shen’s heart was pounding like crazy, his whole face red.
He looked absolutely furious, but for some reason, his voice suddenly dropped low.
Lu Chengxuan’s expression didn’t change much, but his breathing had quickened. He blinked up at Lin Shen from where he lay, sounding calm as ever: “You already know those two took the big bed. What do you even want to go over there for?”
Lin Shen had come in all righteously indignant, but now that he’d opened his mouth… his brain kind of stalled.
“I…”
Wait, hold on.
This isn’t what I was gonna say.
Why did I pin him down in the first place?
Lin Shen’s head was already a mess. Now that the conversation had been flipped on him, he was completely thrown off. The whole mood had gotten way too intense, and he couldn’t back down now.
So he forced himself to sound fierce and snapped, voice low and angry: “Mind your own damn business!”
“Alright then, go.” Lu Chengxuan spread out his hands, giving up all resistance.
But after being warned so clearly, there was no way Lin Shen could actually go now.
He let go of Lu Chengxuan’s collar and, as if he just needed something to argue about, shot back, “…What’s with that attitude? You speechless or something? Think I’m an idiot?”
Lu Chengxuan shook his head. “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t say it, but your eyes are screaming it loud and clear.” Lin Shen crossed his arms and glared down at him from above. “Apologize. Right now.”
“Sorry,” Lu Chengxuan said.
Lin Shen nodded in satisfaction, clapped his hands, and rolled off the bed.
“Let’s order food. Forget about what those two want. They can eat it or leave it—I’m picking stuff I like.”
Lu Chengxuan, acting like none of that had just happened, picked up his phone and started typing. “Then aside from the wild mushroom chicken stew, I’ll order the local specialties—four portions.”
Lin Shen plopped down into the lazy chair by the floor-to-ceiling window and gave a nod. “Sounds good.”
“What do you want to drink?” Lu Chengxuan asked again.
“Erguotou,” Lin Shen said.
“You sure?” Lu Chengxuan asked, looking for confirmation.
“Just kidding,” Lin Shen replied lazily. After thinking for a moment, he added, “Let’s go with a few bottles of beer. Don’t feel like drinking juice. Too boring.”
“Alright.”
Lin Shen narrowed his eyes, staring out at the view, suddenly feeling too lazy to move. He kicked off his shoes and muttered, “I’m outta energy. Didn’t Xiao Lin still want to go out and walk around? You guys go. I’m getting sleepy.”
“Then I won’t go either. Get some sleep,” Lu Chengxuan said. “I’ll tell them later.”
Lin Shen didn’t reply. He tilted his head and started dozing off.
A few seconds later, he heard footsteps nearby—and then a blanket dropped into his arms.
Lin Shen curled his lips upward a little. Wrapping himself in the blanket, he shifted into a comfy position and snuggled deeper into the lazy chair.
Outside the room, Lin Wangye had his ear pressed to the door, listening carefully to the sounds inside, eyes spinning like crazy. Shi Yuan stood beside him silently, one arm loosely out in front of him just in case the door suddenly opened and Lin Wangye fell in.
“Something’s off.” Lin Wangye pulled his ear back and looked puzzled, whispering, “Pretty sure they were arguing just now. You heard it too, right?”
Shi Yuan replied, “Seemed like it. But the hotel’s got good soundproofing—I couldn’t make out much.”
Lin Wangye rubbed his chin and lowered his head, deep in thought. “When I walked over earlier, I heard something about ‘rice being cooked.’ Then just when I leaned in to listen better, the sound cut off. But I definitely heard the bed moving. It was creaking…”
Shi Yuan: “…”
The more Lin Wangye thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. His heart gave a little thump—something wasn’t right.
“No way. You don’t think they, uh…”
Even with good soundproofing, they were still standing so close—anything could be heard. And just as Lin Wangye started to raise his voice, Shi Yuan reacted fast, slapped a hand over his mouth, and dragged him back into their room, shutting the door firmly behind them.
*
Author’s Note:
Lin Wangye is not Lin Qianqian’s (the aunt) kid.
There won’t be a second ‘Xiao Lin’ born in the current timeline.
Xiao Lin came into this world with a default background as an orphan from a welfare home. You can think of it as the system auto-fixing a bug.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
