BTMDY Chapter 65

Just now, while Lin Shen was talking to the hotel staff, it was obvious that Lin Wangye wasn’t paying attention at all.

 

The moment they walked out of the hotel, he strolled ahead like nothing had happened.

 

Lin Shen was holding the receipt in his hand. He reached out, yanked on Lin Wangye’s hoodie, pulling him back. He was just about to start questioning him when Lin Wangye turned around and blinked at him a few times.

 

In the sunlight, the boy’s long lashes curled upward, delicate and pretty.

 

His clear eyes were so pure and innocent, it was ridiculous.

 

Whatever Lin Shen had wanted to say got stuck in his throat. He instinctively crushed the receipt in his palm, his eyes drifting back to the corners of the boy’s lips.

 

Lin Wangye’s mouth naturally had a bit of an upturned shape.

 

That flush of red shouldn’t have been so obvious.

 

But under the bright daylight, it was easy to spot—slightly swollen, standing out starkly against an otherwise flawless face.

 

Lin Shen stared at it for a few seconds. It clearly didn’t look like just dry lips.

 

More like a small tear from opening his mouth too wide.

 

Under what kind of situation would someone need to open their mouth that wide?

 

After a few moments of thinking, Lin Shen sucked in a sharp breath. He glanced down and saw the phone screen still open on a chat with Xu Suinian. His blood pressure shot up on the spot—heartbroken, furious, and utterly disappointed.

 

“Xiao Lin!”

 

Lin Shen opened his mouth several times, each time swallowing down the harsh words that nearly slipped out. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything too mean. After a long pause, he finally rephrased everything and spoke in a slow, heavy tone: “Even if you’re in a relationship, you still can’t let yourself be the one getting used. You understand that, right?”

 

Completely clueless about the receipt and what it meant, Lin Wangye had no idea where this whole lecture was even coming from.

 

He rolled his eyes around for a bit, thinking it over, then tilted his head and said, “But Xu Suinian paid for the room and the deposit. I’ve got money, but he didn’t take advantage of me or anything.”

 

Lin Shen felt a rush of heat shoot up to his head. His brain went buzz—totally blank.

 

For a second there, he nearly turned this holiday into his own funeral.

 

‘Was I talking about the money?!’

 

‘This dumb kid seriously doesn’t get it!’

 

‘What kind of karmic punishment is this?!’

 

Lin Shen was panicking like an ant on a hot pan, a mess of emotions storming through him, but his tongue just couldn’t catch up. He had no idea how to explain this to Lin Wangye in a way he’d actually understand.

 

This wasn’t the kind of thing you could just say out loud to outsiders!

 

Lin Shen thought hard for a while, then finally switched tactics and tried to gently guide him: “What I mean is—you need to learn how to say no when you don’t like something, okay?”

 

Lin Wangye had no idea what kind of riddle he was speaking in, and looked even more confused.

 

“Something I don’t like?”

 

Lin Shen nodded firmly. “Exactly! Something you don’t like! Something that makes you uncomfortable!”

 

Lin Wangye stared at him for a moment, then said,

“I don’t wanna go to the market with you. During New Year, that place is so packed, it’s suffocating. On New Year’s Eve, I went to the wet market with Xu Suinian and we nearly got flattened.”

 

“…”

 

Game over.

 

Totally over!

 

Lin Shen could only hate himself for being such a terrible talker—he just couldn’t get through to him no matter what he said.

 

The hotel wasn’t far from the Lu family’s place, so in no time, the two of them arrived. Because of Lin Wangye’s identity, it wasn’t convenient for Lin Shen to go in with him, so he simply called Lu Chengxuan.

 

“Brother Lu, I’m back. Are you home?”

 

Lin Shen was just about to leave, but the moment he heard the words ‘Brother Lu’, he whipped around to stop him. Unfortunately, Lin Wangye spoke so fast he didn’t even give him the chance. Too late.

 

“Lin Shen came back with me. Can I invite him to hang out in my room?”

 

Lin Shen’s vision went dark—he nearly dropped dead on the spot.

 

Honestly, he’d never really met Lu Chengxuan’s parents growing up, but just based on Lu Chengxuan’s personality, there were more than a few things that screamed red flags when it came to how he’d been raised.

 

So even without the whole falling out between their families, Lin Shen had never had a good impression of Lu Chengxuan’s household.

 

Especially his dad.

 

“Lin Shen?” Lu Chengxuan sounded a bit surprised too. After a pause, he said, “Sure, come in.”

 

“I’m not going—I’m not going,” Lin Shen waved his hands like crazy, shaking his head, “It’s bad luck to visit someone else’s house on the second day of the new year, seriously. If you don’t wanna go to the market, just head home. I was just gonna sneak back and play some games.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Now that he thought about it, that did sound like something people said. So Lin Wangye gave up on the idea right away and told him,

“Do you really wanna go to the market that badly? I’ll come with you then. Just wait a sec—I’ll go put the money away so no one steals it.”

 

Lin Shen, who had already convinced himself he knew exactly what Lin Wangye had been up to last night, gave him a look and sighed.

 

“Forget it. Go back and get some rest.”

 

Lin Wangye had gone to bed late the night before, and honestly, he was still kind of sleepy. But knowing Lin Shen loved joining in on anything lively, he still said, “It’s fine. Just wait a sec—I’ll go put the money back and come right out.”

 

While they were talking, they both totally forgot that the call was still connected.

 

It wasn’t until Lin Shen suddenly noticed Lin Wangye still holding up his phone that he casually asked, “You busy, Lu Chengxuan?”

 

Realizing Lin Shen wasn’t talking to him, Lin Wangye snapped out of it and quickly lowered the phone, switching it to speaker.

 

“Not too busy,” came the reply from the other side.

 

“Great,” Lin Shen said right away. “Come to the market with me. It’s obvious Lin Wangye doesn’t wanna go, and I’m not going with him.”

 

Out of the three of them, Lu Chengxuan was clearly the one least interested in crowds and noise.

 

After hearing Lin Shen’s request, he paused for a second.

 

Then, almost immediately, said, “Sure.”

 

By now, Lin Wangye was fully awake, and his brain was working fast. “Cool cool cool, then you go. Brother Lu, I’ll head back.”

 

Lu Chengxuan didn’t waste any time. He gave a quick “okay” and hung up.

 

After shoving the phone back into his pocket, Lin Wangye turned to look at Lin Shen.

 

“So I’ll just…”

 

But the moment Lin Shen caught sight of that reddish mark on the corner of his mouth, his brain automatically started playing a whole montage of R-rated scenes on loop. He instantly turned his head away like it burned his eyes and waved a hand without looking.

 

Lin Wangye took it as a very clear signal—when the situation calls for it, the third wheel needs to vanish immediately to avoid ruining the mood. So he nodded, bowed, and said with a grin, “I’m out, I’m out!”

 

With Lin Wangye making a lightning-fast exit, Lin Shen pulled out his lighter and cigarettes from his pocket, lit one up with practiced ease, and stood there smoking and scrolling through his phone while he waited.

 

Lin Wangye had thought he’d bump into Lu Chengxuan at the villa.

 

But nope—he ended up running into him on the little path instead.

 

The walk from the Lu family’s front gate to the villa wasn’t exactly short.

 

Without a car to drive you in, it would normally take a good few minutes. But Lin Wangye had barely walked for even a minute when he saw Lu Chengxuan approaching.

 

He quickly did the math. If Lu Chengxuan really came from the villa, that meant the moment he heard Lin Shen was outside, he must’ve left right away and headed out to meet him.

 

Otherwise, there’s no way he would’ve run into him right there.

 

After coming face-to-face with Lu Chengxuan, Lin Wangye froze for a second, staring at the dark navy coat he was wearing.

 

That coat… it looked an awful lot like the one Lin Shen had on today—deep gray, just a different color.

 

Were they… the same style?

 

Lu Chengxuan didn’t say much when he saw him. He didn’t even ask where he’d gone the night before. Just gave a simple nod in greeting and kept walking.

 

Lin Wangye scratched his head, too nervous to ask anything, then quickly picked up his pace and slipped away like his life depended on it.

 

By the time he got out the gate, Lin Shen was already leaning against a camphor tree by the roadside, smoking.

 

There hadn’t been any snowfall this January, but the heavy snow from just before the New Year was still clinging to rooftops and tree branches. The cold weather had kept it from melting.

 

The winter sun wasn’t harsh—it filtered softly through the treetops, casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow over Lin Shen’s body. The young man stood quietly beneath the tree, features sharp and clean, head slightly bowed. The whole scene looked like a still painting, peaceful and still.

 

When footsteps approached, Lin Shen looked up to check who it was, then turned around with the cigarette still between his lips.

 

Lu Chengxuan silently fell in step beside him.

 

Not a single extra word passed between them.

 

Like there was no need.

 

A few seconds later, Lu Chengxuan was the first to speak. “You should cut back on smoking.”

 

“Mind your own business,” Lin Shen replied, eyes still glued to the screen where he was playing Tetris. “Finally got one ‘dad’ off my back, now here comes another. Don’t be like Lin Wangye.”

 

Lu Chengxuan kept his gaze straight ahead, face calm.

 

“He says it and it matters. I say it, and it doesn’t.”

 

“Who are you even mad at?” Lin Shen gave him a sideways glance, then looked away again, grumbling, “You think I want to listen to him? He cries at the drop of a hat—who can take that? Back in school, he’d stare me down all day. Finally got a break, and he’s still hanging on. If you’ve got the guts, you try crying too.”

 

Every time Lin Shen said one sentence, Lu Chengxuan got hit with ten comebacks. Still, he didn’t get annoyed.

 

He said nothing more, just pulled out his phone, snapped a picture of Lin Shen holding the cigarette, and sent it to someone in his contacts list named ‘Xiao Lin Offers Himself.’

 

The two of them kept walking in silence for about four or five minutes. Lin Shen finally lost his round of Tetris and stuffed his phone back into his pocket. That’s when he accidentally touched the crumpled receipt from earlier. Without even thinking, he pulled it out and shoved it into Lu Chengxuan’s hand.

 

“Here, look at this.”

 

Lu Chengxuan unfolded the balled-up slip, lowered his head to scan the contents. His expression shifted—just a flicker—and then returned to normal almost instantly. He didn’t say anything for a long moment.

 

Lin Shen couldn’t help but feel suspicious—how could someone stay this calm after seeing that kind of explosive content?

 

He frowned and asked, “Say something, will you? You really don’t have anything to say about this?”

 

Lu Chengxuan glanced over at him. “Weren’t you at home?”

 

That one line completely derailed Lin Shen’s thoughts. He had no idea why he was suddenly being asked that, and his expression got even more confused.

 

“What do you mean, was I at home or not?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

But just from that one question, Lu Chengxuan instantly pieced everything together. He returned the receipt like nothing had happened and said calmly, “I told you before—whatever’s going on between those two, it’s not something you need to worry about.”

 

Lin Shen looked like he was about to explode. He had all this pent-up energy and nowhere to unload it, and now he was getting zero emotional support? His eyes were practically shooting sparks.

 

“How is this not my business?! Did you see the corner of Lin Wangye’s mouth? What the hell is Xu Suinian doing these days?! It’s the freakin’ New Year—he was supposed to take the kid home, not take him to a damn hotel! I swear, I’m gonna wait outside his shop after work today and block him at the door! Lin Wangye’s dumb enough to think he’s lucky or something!”

 

Of course Lu Chengxuan noticed the mark. It was right there on his face.

 

He just hadn’t thought too much about it at the time.

 

Now, after hearing Lin Shen’s rant and realizing exactly how that mark got there, he still didn’t say much.

 

“They’re dating,” he reminded him.

 

Lin Shen, fuming, stomped out his cigarette and chucked it into the nearest trash can.

 

“Lin Wangye is obviously just a kid! I thought these two were gonna be all innocent and pure or something—but they’ve barely been together, and it’s already turned into this? And you’re fine with that? Lu Chengxuan, you’re seriously way too wild.”

 

Lu Chengxuan stared at him quietly. “I just didn’t expect you to be so into that ‘pure love’ stuff.”

 

That calm, unreadable look in Lu Chengxuan’s eyes made Lin Shen feel like he was being silently mocked.

 

He got flustered and defensive on the spot, blurting out nonsense:

“What are you talking about?! It’s not like there’s anyone I haven’t slept with!”

 

Lu Chengxuan said nothing—clearly not taking the bait.

 

The truth was, Lin Shen was mad because he really felt like Lin Wangye had gotten the short end of the stick and couldn’t even say it to his face. He just wanted someone to lash out at, and now the more he looked at Lu Chengxuan, the angrier he got.

 

“This is all your fault! Why the hell did you call Xu Suinian last night? You should’ve called me! You always complain I don’t call you, but do you ever call me?”

 

At the mention of last night, a slight shift finally crossed Lu Chengxuan’s face.

 

He turned to look at Lin Shen, paused, then lowered his gaze slowly.

 

“That was my fault.”

 

Lin Shen, who had been spiraling into a full-blown rant without even thinking, suddenly froze.

 

In this situation, Lu Chengxuan’s words could’ve meant one of two things.

 

And for a moment, Lin Shen couldn’t tell which one that ‘my fault’ was actually referring to.

 

The two of them fell into a quiet, unspoken understanding. A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination.

 

Calling it a ‘market fair’ wasn’t exactly accurate.

 

Ningchang still had several old neighborhoods within the city, and during the New Year, these areas were always more festive than the newer districts. Since there weren’t strict hygiene regulations in place, all kinds of street vendors, carnival games like ring toss and pellet shooting, could set up shop freely without worrying about being chased off by city officials.

 

That’s why this part of town had the strongest New Year vibe.

 

Lin Shen had grown up in an old neighborhood just like this. He knew the atmosphere like the back of his hand, and even now, as an adult, he looked forward to it every year—he never missed it.

 

Maybe it was because word had spread that all the city’s old districts might be up for demolition in the next few years, but this year, there were noticeably more people at the fair.

 

Which proved one thing—Lin Wangye had great instincts.

 

And now, Lin Shen had hit his first major obstacle.

 

Even though the old streets were relatively wide, they’d been divided into sections with set entrances and exits to help keep things organized.

 

The entrance in front of them? Absolutely packed—shoulder to shoulder, no space to breathe.

 

People outside were desperate to get in, and people inside were trying to squeeze out.

 

And Lu Chengxuan? With that hair color and that vibe, he stood out like a sore thumb. In the middle of the crowd, he was turning heads.

 

But Lin Shen had already made up his mind—‘they were here, so they might as well go in’. Gritting his teeth, he rolled up his sleeves and charged into the crowd.

 

Only after squeezing in did he realize he’d seriously underestimated everyone’s battle power. From the moment he stepped inside, he had zero control over where he was going. The crowd just swept him forward.

 

In this kind of chaos, most kids were being held by their parents. Otherwise, they’d be lost in seconds.

 

Lin Shen quickly realized something was wrong and started looking around for any sign of Lu Chengxuan.

 

That’s when someone grabbed his wrist.

 

In the jostling crowd, Lin Shen turned his head.

 

Somehow, Lu Chengxuan had figured out the flow of movement. Despite the crush of people, he moved like it didn’t bother him at all. He’d entered a bit later, yet he was already ahead.

 

Lin Shen could feel the steady, firm grip on his wrist pulling him forward. The strength wasn’t rough, but it was solid and unshakable—guiding him forward like a force of nature.

 

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