The original plan to take a stroll around the town ended up falling through—no one actually went.
Because not long after Lin Wangye and Lin Shen got back to the room, they both dozed off.
Shi Yuan and Lu Chengxuan came out to get some water after the two of them had fallen asleep. Just their luck—both opened their doors at almost the exact same time.
They stood a few meters apart, staring at each other.
The air between them felt… awkward, to say the least.
The only reason they even knew each other was thanks to those two guys surnamed Lin acting as the middlemen.
To be fair, they’d actually crossed paths quite a few times before. It’s just that neither of them was much of a talker. From the moment they met till now, the number of words exchanged between Shi Yuan and Lu Chengxuan probably didn’t even match how much Lin Wangye and Lin Shen could chat about during one trip to the bathroom.
There was a water dispenser in the suite.
Since it was cold, all four of them had brought their own thermos bottles.
Shi Yuan and Lu Chengxuan gave each other a polite nod, then each carried two cups over to the dispenser. Lu Chengxuan was a little closer, so he got there first, placed the cup down, set the temperature, and hit start.
It was an instant-heating dispenser, super convenient—you could choose the temperature and get hot water right away. The only downside? The tech wasn’t all that advanced yet, so it poured water slower than a regular one.
With the water still trickling out and the silence dragging on, someone had to say something.
“Lin Shen, he…”
“Lin Wangye…”
They both started talking at the same time, then immediately paused, waiting for the other to go first. After a three-second standoff, Shi Yuan couldn’t help but lower his head and chuckle. “What about Lin Shen?”
“He’s asleep,” Lu Chengxuan followed up. “If you guys still wanna head out, feel free to go ahead.”
Shi Yuan unscrewed the lids of both his thermoses and set them aside one by one. “Lin Wangye fell asleep too.”
Lu Chengxuan looked puzzled. “Didn’t he seem full of energy when he got off the bus?”
“Yeah, he did,” Shi Yuan said, a bit helpless. “But probably because he knew we were going out today, he was super hyped last night. Talked on the phone really late, didn’t get much sleep. He kept dozing off the whole way here, but since he couldn’t lie down and the mountain road was so bumpy, he never really fell asleep.”
Lu Chengxuan listened calmly, then spoke.
“The mountain roads here are kind of a mess. Lots of turns that don’t even show up on GPS. It’s easy for people from out of town to get lost. I didn’t think much of it when Lin Shen said he was taking the bus, but he did complain earlier that it was uncomfortable. I’ve already arranged for a car to pick us up on the way back. A local will guide the way.”
“Thanks for that,” Shi Yuan said sincerely, smiling. “It’ll be good if they can be a bit more comfortable.”
Lu Chengxuan gave a quiet “Mm” in reply.
At that moment, the first thermos had just about filled up. He turned off the dispenser, screwed on the lid, then placed the second cup down to continue filling.
Shi Yuan figured that’d be the end of the conversation. He wasn’t planning on making small talk either. But then, unexpectedly, Lu Chengxuan spoke again.
“You and Lin Wangye seem to talk on the phone a lot at night.”
“Mm.” Shi Yuan lifted his eyes to look at him, thought for a moment, then replied, “Not that often. Just three or four times a week, maybe.”
“……”
Lu Chengxuan didn’t respond, but the look on his face practically said:
Wait—that’s ‘not’ often?
Then what is?
Once a day? And every call lasts 24 hours?
Lu Chengxuan was never the kind of person who cared much about gossip or the personal stuff going on around him, but the way Lin Wangye and Xu Suinian got along really piqued his curiosity.
What kind of force could make two people, who hadn’t even known each other that long, become this close so quickly?
There weren’t many things in life that left him completely clueless.
He really wanted to just ask straight out.
But the way he was raised, from childhood till now, didn’t allow him to go poking into someone else’s private life.
So in the end, Lu Chengxuan just gave a neutral-sounding “Mm” and left it at that.
Shi Yuan could tell he seemed curious. After a few seconds of thought, he spoke again. “Lin Wangye has pretty bad insomnia. When it’s too quiet, he actually finds it harder to fall asleep. He needs some kind of background noise. So he calls me, listens to a story or something.”
“I see,” Lu Chengxuan said.
A lot of people do have habits like that.
Listening to white noise when they can’t fall asleep—like the sound of soft rain—can actually help improve sleep quality.
But Lu Chengxuan had a hard time believing Lin Wangye was calling Xu Suinian just because he had trouble sleeping.
Following that train of thought, he tried to imagine what it’d be like if he were the one on the phone with Lin Shen.
But if Lin Shen wasn’t sleepy, he’d most likely just hop on his computer and game until sunrise. He definitely wouldn’t call anyone just to listen to a story.
In fact, he didn’t seem like the type to lose sleep over anything.
The tour bus ride here had been rough as hell, bouncing all over the place—and still, the guy managed to sleep like a rock. Then when they got to the hotel, even though he clearly hadn’t slept enough, he just plopped down on the couch and knocked right out again like it was nothing.
Not every dynamic worked the same way with everyone.
Lu Chengxuan realized that clearly. He quickly gave up trying to make sense of it.
Both thermoses filled up soon enough. After a quick nod to Shi Yuan, Lu Chengxuan took the bottles and headed back to his room. But as soon as he shut the door, he was surprised to see that Lin Shen—who had still been asleep when he left—was now awake, curled up in a blanket on the couch, staring quietly out the window.
It was nearly evening now, and from that angle, the view outside gave him a perfect look at the sunset.
The clouds hung high in the sky, glowing in shades of orange and red—one last splash of color before night fully settled in. The snow on the mountains had caught the light and turned gold, glittering softly as it ran like a ribbon down the slopes.
“Where’d you go?”
The moment the door closed, Lin Shen turned and asked.
But the second he caught sight of the thermos in Lu Chengxuan’s hand, he already knew the answer. Before Lu Chengxuan could even speak, he held out his hand.
Lu Chengxuan walked over and passed the thermos to him.
“What woke you up?” he asked.
Lin Shen unscrewed the lid, took a sip, and kept his eyes on the view outside for a while before finally replying, “I don’t know. Just suddenly woke up. Then I looked around and noticed you weren’t here.”
“I was here the whole time,” Lu Chengxuan said. “Just stepped out to get some water.”
The reason Lin Shen never struggled with insomnia was because he only ever went to sleep when he was completely wiped out. Normally, he found it hard to fall asleep in noisy or unfamiliar places.
But somehow, being around Lu Chengxuan made him feel… at ease.
So much so that even on a tour bus bumping like a tractor, he’d still managed to sleep soundly.
Maybe the real reason why he always got his best sleep in class… was because Lu Chengxuan was there too.
The truth was, the moment Lu Chengxuan walked out, Lin Shen woke up.
Given the way Lu Chengxuan had been raised, from childhood until now, there was just no way he’d make a sound when opening or closing a door while someone in the room was asleep.
That only made Lin Shen feel both amazed—and seriously confused.
Even though he kind of hinted at it with what he said earlier, he wasn’t surprised that Lu Chengxuan completely missed the subtext.
He didn’t press the topic. Instead, he asked another question.
“Has Xiao Lin come back yet?”
“No.” After answering, Lu Chengxuan realized that could be misunderstood, so he added, “He’s still asleep. Didn’t go out at all.”
“He’s still sleeping?” Lin Shen asked.
Lu Chengxuan nodded. “Yeah. I ran into Xu Suinian when I went to get water earlier—he said he was still out cold.”
“Let him sleep then.” Lin Shen set the thermos lid on the coffee table, shifted into a more comfortable position on the couch, and said, “Once he wakes up, we can all head out together. The lights around here come on in the evening—it looks way better than during the day.”
“Alright,” Lu Chengxuan said.
“I was thinking,” Lin Shen continued, “tomorrow we all wake up early and go to Yingri Peak to catch the sunrise. After that, we come back for breakfast, take a little break, and then head up to Yingfu Temple. They say the climb’s tough, so if we take our time, it’ll be easier. Let’s keep the whole day free and just enjoy the hike.”
“Mm.” Lu Chengxuan nodded. “You decide.”
“Do you have any wishes, Lu Chengxuan?” Lin Shen asked. “I get the feeling there’s nothing in your life that needs someone else’s help to make it happen.”
Lu Chengxuan nodded calmly. “Pretty much.”
Lin Shen gently closed his eyes. “Then tomorrow, when you’re standing in front of the Buddha, just wish for mine to come true.”
“Okay,” Lu Chengxuan replied.
After that, Lin Shen didn’t say anything else. A few minutes later, his eyelids started drooping again, and his head tilted to the side as he drifted off once more.
Lu Chengxuan carefully pulled the thermos out of his hands, screwed the lid back on, and silently took a seat on the other end of the couch.
The sun quietly dipped behind the mountains, and the room settled into silence.
*
“Lin Wangye, can you stop blowing that stupid whistle already?! It’s so damn loud—if you don’t quit, I’m throwing it away!”
Night had fallen, and in the center of town, all the little shops had lit up their lanterns. In the blink of an eye, the whole place had transformed into a street market that looked like something straight out of an old-time lantern festival. There weren’t just stores—there were stalls selling handmade crafts, street food, and all kinds of knickknacks.
This was also one of the highlights of Yingtian Mountain.
Every evening around this time, the tourists who stayed overnight on the mountain would usually be drawn out here to take a stroll.
Lin Wangye happened to wake up right at dusk—just in time to catch the night market.
Things sold at scenic spots were usually overpriced. Among the four of them, the only one who could actually afford to spend money was Lu Chengxuan, but he wasn’t interested in the slightest. And let’s be real—guys generally didn’t have much of a shopping instinct. So Lin Wangye and the others mostly just browsed for fun. By the time they’d made their way through the market, nothing had really caught their eye.
Except for one thing: a whistle at a small stall.
It was a little ceramic whistle shaped like a bird, hollow inside, with a tail you could blow into. If you didn’t add water, it worked like a regular whistle—straight and sharp. But if you filled it with water, it would chirp like a bird, with a surprisingly rhythmic, sing-song sound.
It was cute, cheap, and only five yuan.
Since Lin Wangye hadn’t brought any money, he bugged Lin Shen to buy it for him.
From the moment the money left Lin Shen’s hand, his ears knew no peace. For the next who-knows-how-long, it was like he was being swarmed by a dozen canaries—nonstop chirping right in his ear. He instantly regretted his decision, wishing he could snatch the thing from Lin Wangye and chuck it straight off a cliff.
Thank god the whistle’s water ran low the more it was played. And once the water started to dry up, the sound turned shrill and annoying.
After a few minutes of nonstop blowing, Lin Wangye finally stopped. He emptied out the whistle, shook it dry, and stuffed it into his pocket.
While he wasn’t looking, Lin Shen quickly snuck it out and hid it—just in case he had to hear that cursed noise again at bedtime.
The town wasn’t big, and after circling around a few times, they realized almost every shop sold the same stuff. There wasn’t much left to explore. The four of them climbed up a flight of stairs and stood in a pavilion to take in the night view for a while, then headed back to the hotel for dinner.
When they got back to the suite, the dining table was already laid out with steaming hot dishes of all kinds.
Clearly, the hotel manager knew that hosting someone like Lu Chengxuan was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Even though the portions were strictly set for four people, just like he’d instructed, the spread was nothing short of extravagant. Every plate was arranged like art, some even carved with radish flowers—basically on par with a full imperial banquet.
“Whoa!”
Starving all day without a proper hot meal, Lin Wangye didn’t even bother changing out of his slippers. He charged straight to the table, grabbed one of the tiny decorative cherry tomatoes—and got kicked straight into the bathroom by Lin Shen.
“Wash your hands first!”
After scrubbing up and finally sitting down at the table, Lin Shen suddenly remembered something and slapped his thigh hard. “Ah, weren’t we supposed to buy those glutinous rice cakes from the hotel entrance on the way back? Totally forgot!”
Lin Wangye perked up immediately. “Oh yeah!”
Hearing that, Lu Chengxuan pulled out his phone and was just about to send a message when Lin Shen looked over and said, “Hey, Emperor Qin—who are you trying to order around now? You go buy them.”
“It’s literally right outside the door.”
Lu Chengxuan lifted his eyes, meaning—just have someone from the hotel grab it and bring it over. Easy.
But Lin Shen wasn’t buying it. He spread his hands and said, “If you don’t go, I swear I’ll starve myself right here tonight. Try me.”
Lu Chengxuan didn’t argue. Not a single word. He slipped his phone back into his pocket, walked to the entryway, and changed his shoes.
By now, Lin Wangye had completely figured out Lu Chengxuan’s personality—and the whole push-and-pull of love, hate, and drama between them. So he didn’t even bother to play mediator. He just sat there grinning like an idiot.
This whole trip had been riding pretty heavily on Lu Chengxuan’s generosity, so Shi Yuan couldn’t bring himself to act that shamelessly. Feeling a bit guilty, he quietly grabbed his coat and followed him out to buy the glutinous rice cakes.
As soon as the two of them left, Lin Shen picked up his chopsticks and reached for the main dish—wild mushroom chicken stew right in the middle of the table—and fished out the tenderest chicken leg, dropping it straight into Lin Wangye’s bowl.
Lin Wangye didn’t hold back one bit. He beamed and said, “Thanks, Dad.”
“Come on, it’s just us. Don’t say stuff like that.”
Lin Shen nodded with satisfaction, popped open a beer, poured it into a glass, and then decided just eating and drinking felt kind of boring. So he roped Lin Wangye into playing a game.
So by the time Shi Yuan and Lu Chengxuan returned with the rice cakes, what they walked in on was this: Lin Wangye and Lin Shen, each holding a single chopstick, banging them rhythmically on the table like they were casting some kind of spell.
Lin Shen: “Who’s calling who Dad?”
Lin Wangye: “I’m calling you Dad. So which one of us is the son?”
Lin Shen: “You’re my son. So which one of us is the Dad?”
Lin Wangye: “You’re my Dad. So which one—”
Four or five rounds in, and Lin Wangye didn’t win a single one.
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)
