The three people present were all stunned, even Lu Chengxuan’s usually composed expression showed a crack. Lin Shen, who was always fiercely protective, was also taken aback by the police uniform, standing in shock, staring at him.
Thinking it over, he realized he and this kid had only met by chance. Aside from his name, he didn’t know a thing about him.
Damn it, could he be some kind of murderer?
But he doesn’t look like one…
Lin Wangye was also dumbfounded. After a moment of being dazed, he suddenly struggled and shouted, “What’s going on? Officer, you must have made a mistake, don’t just grab anyone!”
“We’d recognize you even if you were turned to ashes.”
“Don’t move. Move again, and I’ll cuff you! Back to the station!”
With that, the two officers didn’t hesitate for a second, grabbing him and pulling him away. Lin Wangye, who had never learned any self-defense, was no different from a puppy in the grip of two adults with superior strength. They easily dragged him off without resistance.
His mind went blank, and in his panic, without thinking, he shouted as he turned around.
“Help me! Dad!”
No matter how rebellious Lin Shen was, he would never oppose the police. For a moment, he hesitated, wondering if he should follow to see what was going on.
But as soon as he heard Lin Wangye’s shout, he froze, then immediately straightened up, turning to ask Lu Chengxuan.
“What did that kid just call me? Did you hear that clearly?”
Lu Chengxuan clearly heard it too. His lips barely moved, and it seemed he realized if he pointed out the term, Lin Shen would take advantage of it. So, he just nodded in response, his gaze complicated.
Not many men could resist the charm of that word.
Damn it, forget it!
Lin Shen gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and yelled, “Your dad’s here!”
Lu Chengxuan: “…”
In just a few steps, Lin Shen caught up with the officers ahead, cleared his throat, and braved up to ask.
“Wait! Are you real cops, or are you human traffickers pretending to be cops to steal kids…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Lin Shen was successfully swayed by the police officers flashing their badges. He immediately changed his expression and gave a deep bow. “Alright, officers, sorry to interrupt your work. Can I come along? I’m worried he might have stolen my stuff.”
Lin Wangye shot him a stunned look. Before he could retort, he was yanked and dragged away. Lin Shen didn’t dare to stop them and followed uneasily right behind, with Lu Chengxuan trailing along as well.
At the police station, Lin Wangye was still protesting.
“I haven’t done anything wrong! Why are you arresting me?!”
The officers didn’t lock him up, though. Instead, they sat him down in a chair and began a stern lecture.
From the details revealed in their words, Lin Wangye was left completely dumbfounded.
He was an orphan who grew up in an orphanage, a loner by nature. As he grew older, he became rebellious and frequently got into fights. His foster parents had returned him multiple times due to extreme behavior like running away from home or going on hunger strikes.
He should’ve been able to leave the orphanage once he turned 18.
However, due to his special circumstances and lack of proper schooling, the orphanage was concerned he might go astray and pose a danger to society, so they had requested the police to help monitor him.
And so, he found opportunities to run away, only to be caught and brought back in an endless loop.
The officers, after all, were not the bad guys.
Their harsh words during the arrest were simply to intimidate him.
Now, sitting with a thermos cup in hand, one of the officers became increasingly earnest, saying things like, “In winter, after fighting, don’t run around. You’re dressed too lightly. What if you catch a cold and get sick?”
Lin Shen and Lu Chengxuan, who had followed, exchanged a glance, completely speechless.
Lin Wangye finally stopped protesting and sat down quietly, head lowered.
Of course, all the details the officers mentioned had nothing to do with him.
He knew better than anyone who he was.
But while all of this was irrelevant to him, it clearly existed in this world.
So, either he had replaced someone who looked exactly like him and had gone through those experiences, or this world had made some kind of logical adjustment to accommodate his arrival.
Whatever the case, he had to accept it.
Because in order to live smoothly in this world in the future, he needed to have a reasonable identity. After all, he couldn’t just wander around and not even know who he was when people asked.
No matter how twisted or bizarre the situation was, he had to accept it.
For the next twenty minutes, Lin Wangye didn’t make any more attempts to defend himself. He quietly endured the police officer’s scolding, and then sincerely promised that he would never make the same mistake again.
Lin Wangye’s good looks worked in his favor. When he lowered his head and admitted his mistakes, he looked incredibly obedient.
The officer was pleased with his attitude. After a few final words of advice, he stood up.
“Alright, let’s go. I’ll take you back to the orphanage.”
Lin Wangye quickly stood up, turned, and glanced at Lin Shen. “Um, Uncle, my friend is here. Can I stay with him instead of going back to the orphanage?”
Hearing this, the officer’s gaze shifted to Lin Shen and Lu Chengxuan, who were sitting on the bench.
Lin Shen had already imagined a tragic past for Lin Wangye, based on nothing but his appearance, and now his heart was full of mixed emotions. He couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sympathy for the kid.
When their eyes met, he immediately stood up.
“Yes, officer, if he doesn’t like staying at the orphanage, that’s fine.”
“No way,” the officer immediately rejected, “You two are from No. 7 High, right? You’re both still students. How can you be responsible for his safety? It’s getting late, go home. If your parents can’t find you, they’ll probably call the police.”
At these words, Lin Wangye immediately lowered his head, his eyes filled with helplessness as he looked at Lin Shen.
“Officer, please, just make an exception. I promise I’ll look after him.” Lin Shen quickly pulled out his wallet and placed something on the desk. “Here’s my student ID. Can you make a copy and keep it?”
The officer waved his hand dismissively. “No. What can you guarantee? No negotiation.”
The officer’s firm attitude left Lin Shen with no other choice. He reluctantly put the student ID back in his pocket and gave Lin Wangye a glance, silently telling him he had done his best.
Lin Wangye never expected things to turn out like this.
The thought of being trapped in the orphanage, unable to do anything, immediately made him break into a cold sweat. He was desperately trying to think of another way out when the desk phone suddenly rang.
The officer answered the phone, listened for a moment, then looked up at the three of them.
He nodded in response, hung up, and sat back down.
“You can go now. Stay safe.”
Both Lin Wangye and Lin Shen blinked in unison, shocked. “Huh?”
“Go on,” the officer said, dismissing them.
Lu Chengxuan was the first to turn around, tossing his down jacket into Lin Wangye’s arms before pulling aside the windproof curtain and stepping outside.
Before Lin Wangye could process what had just happened, Lin Shen swiftly grabbed him and pulled him along.
As the evening grew darker, the weather forecast had been predicting snow for days, but it hadn’t arrived yet. The air was still thick with the dampness characteristic of rainy, snowy weather.
Wrapped in Lu Chengxuan’s jacket, Lin Wangye instantly felt warm and turned to smile brightly, thanking him. “Thanks, brother!”
Lu Chengxuan, hands in his pockets, responded flatly, “No need to thank me.”
“Hey, what was that all about earlier?” Lin Shen walked with confidence between the two of them, his arms casually nudging Lu Chengxuan. “Did you summon the Buddha from the Western Paradise or something?”
Lu Chengxuan didn’t answer directly. Instead, he quietly explained, “We’re both students. We can’t just take him with us. The police station has to send him back to the orphanage. If anything happens, no one can take that responsibility. But if someone vouches for him, it makes things easier.”
Lin Wangye wasn’t sure who Lu Chengxuan had gotten involved, but his admiration was clear as he looked at him, repeatedly thanking him.
“Thanks, brother Lu”
“Why are you being so friendly?” Lin Shen, feeling a little neglected, hooked his arm around Lin Wangye’s neck. “All of this is because of my connections, you know? If I hadn’t insisted on helping you, he would’ve taken a cab home by now.”
Lin Wangye lightly bumped his head against Lin Shen’s and burst out laughing.
Lin Shen ruffled his hair. “You could’ve just told me, you know. I wouldn’t have looked down on you just because you grew up in the orphanage. It’s fine. After that ‘dad’ thing, I’ve got your back from now on!”
Remembering the desperate shout he made earlier, Lin Wangye’s face flushed with embarrassment.
Though it was technically true, calling out ‘dad’ was pretty embarrassing, especially since his father was only seventeen this year. How humiliating was that?
He could clearly feel Lu Chengxuan’s gaze on them both getting more and more awkward.
They walked on for a while until they saw the familiar sign of the Qing Sen internet cafe. Lin Shen stopped and turned to face them.
“Alright, we need to discuss something now. What are you going to do?”
“Huh?” Lin Wangye looked confused. “Didn’t you say you’d look out for me? Aren’t you taking me home? You’re not planning to stay here and play games all night, are you?”
Lin Shen shook his head and shrugged.
“Of course not. The main thing is, I can’t take you home.”
After hearing the situation, Lin Wangye sighed in exasperation, unsure how to respond.
In short, his dad was currently in a cold war with his grandfather.
His grandfather had recently shut down all his bank accounts and threatened to sever their father-son relationship, kicking his dad out and telling him to get as far away as possible.
Lin Wangye didn’t know the exact reason behind the cold war, as his dad wasn’t willing to talk about it.
“I’m staying in the staff dormitory at Qing Sen for now,” Lin Shen said, turning to look at Lu Chengxuan, who hadn’t spoken a word. “I’m already squeezing in with others to sleep, so it’s not really possible to bring anyone else.”
Though Lin Shen didn’t explicitly say it, Lu Chengxuan understood immediately.
Clearly, he was the only one who could step in and handle the situation.
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)
