The holiday seemed pretty normal on the surface, but underneath, a lot of things were quietly changing.
For Lin Wangye, the best news was that the Shenlin Esports Hotel was coming along way faster than he’d expected.
First off, Lu Chengxuan was seriously busy.
Lin Wangye didn’t really know what he was so busy with, but just like Shi Yuan, aside from that short trip to Yingtian Mountain, Lu Chengxuan was barely ever home. He was always out running around, never resting.
That made Lin Wangye feel a little unsure.
He had a hunch that, for Lu Chengxuan, this whole project probably wasn’t super high on the priority list. So he never dared to bother him.
Instead, he quietly buried himself in the work — staying up night after night, drilling into every detail, rewriting the proposal over and over again until it was just right. Only then did he pick a time when Lu Chengxuan wasn’t swamped and finally showed it to him.
Then something totally unexpected happened.
Lu Chengxuan was way more decisive than Lin Wangye had imagined.
He just sat down, read the whole proposal once from start to finish, then nodded and said it looked fine. And just like that — right after giving the green light — he wired all the startup funds over, including rent, renovation, and everything else, straight to Lin Wangye’s account and told him to take charge.
When Lin Wangye saw the bank alert showing a balance with seven figures, he honestly felt like he was dreaming. It took him a while to snap out of it.
Even more wild — Lu Chengxuan didn’t say much at all. He sent the money, then turned to leave.
Since from the beginning Lu Chengxuan had said they couldn’t let the Lu family find out, Lin Wangye had been feeling a bit uneasy. Now that Lu’s father was back home and he was living right under his nose, moving such a big chunk of money around felt super risky.
So he stopped Lu Chengxuan and asked him about it.
But Lu Chengxuan didn’t seem worried at all. He just said as long as all the transactions went through Nais Bank, it’d be fine.
Lin Wangye knew that Nais Bank was backed by Lu Wei’s family in Northern Europe — which meant it was part of Lu Chengxuan’s grandpa’s business — so he relaxed and got to work right away.
The renovation crew couldn’t start until after the holiday break anyway, so Lin Wangye figured he’d use the free time before school started to get as many things locked in as possible.
Starting from the fifth day of the lunar new year, he went crazy calling the landlord, and actually managed to drag him out of a family gathering to sign a three-year lease.
Then it was chasing down the designer for the flat layout and 3D mockups, and pestering the construction team to get started.
Somehow, holidays always feel way too short.
The day after the Lantern Festival, Ningchang No. 7 High School officially started the new term.
And finally — the Shenlin Esports Hotel renovation team got to work too.
Lin Wangye couldn’t stop worrying, so after talking it over with Yang Qingsen, he ended up poaching Wang Xiaoshuai, the network admin from Qingsen Internet cafe, and made him the site supervisor. On top of that, he officially hired him as a core team member of Shenlin Esports Hotel.
For Xiao Wang, this whole thing felt like a dream.
When Yang Qingsen patted him on the shoulder and told him to work hard under Boss Lin, Wang Xiaoshuai nearly burst into tears.
Think about it — a guy like him, just a regular internet cafe worker who didn’t even get into college because of his grades and started working right after high school — now suddenly had the chance to move up and be part of the management team.
If he had to say it, those two guys named Lin really were like angels sent to save his life.
Wang Xiaoshuai had always been super into games.
Even if he wasn’t that great at playing, he was just as passionate as anyone. Any game that was remotely popular, he’d at least tried it. He had an outgoing personality, was easy to get along with, and had built up a good relationship with a bunch of regulars.
Back when Lin Shen was on bad terms with his family, the two of them had shared a room in the staff dorm, and since they’d known each other for quite a while, Lin Shen had a solid grasp of Wang Xiaoshuai’s personality.
So when Lin Wangye was racking his brain over the staffing problems in his proposal, Lin Shen had immediately recommended him.
Lin Wangye was still in school after all — he didn’t have that much time to spare.
He could hire people through normal channels for the more technical or specialized roles, but for a mid-sized hotel — not big, but definitely not tiny either — he needed someone he could really trust to be there, watching things day in and day out.
Even if the role wasn’t super critical.
Besides being the renovation supervisor, Wang Xiaoshuai’s main job was still going to be as a network admin. Most days he’d just help guests with minor tech stuff, like when computers wouldn’t turn on or off properly — easy fixes. If anything major came up, he’d call in a pro.
He also had a ‘secret mission’: keep an eye on the other staff to make sure everyone was actually doing their jobs, and report back if anything was off.
When Lin Wangye gave him all that responsibility, Wang Xiaoshuai was straight-up tearing up from how touched he was. He felt just like Liu Shan reading ‘Chu Shi Biao’ — full of loyalty and determination. He made up his mind right then and there: he’d do a good job and wouldn’t let his boss down.
Next came the renovation work. It was slow, but careful. Lin Wangye didn’t rush it — school came first, and he focused on that.
On the first day back at Ningchang No. 7 High School, the moment you stepped through the gates, you’d see a big board with bold letters: ‘119 days until the college entrance exam.’ And right after that came the first mock exam since break. The pressure hit hard.
The intense exam ended quickly.
After turning in his paper, Lin Wangye felt like his stomach dropped. Once the teachers left, he slumped over like a deflated balloon and muttered, “I didn’t spend much time studying over the break… I feel like my score’s gonna drop.”
Shi Yuan, casually tidying up his messy desk and drawers, just laughed and said, “It’s fine. You’ll catch up in no time.”
Lin Wangye didn’t say anything. He turned his head and rested it on his arm, then used his other hand — middle and ring fingers — to mimic little legs running across the desk, chasing after Shi Yuan.
Then he climbed his ‘legs’ up onto Shi Yuan’s hand and gave it a soft poke, playful and just a little teasing.
Shi Yuan turned his wrist and grabbed him, then glanced sideways at him.
Lin Wangye looked up, the corners of his mouth curling like a little kid who got away with something. His hand stopped moving, finally behaving.
Right then, a camera shutter clicked behind them.
Having grown up constantly dodging sneaky paparazzi because of his celebrity aunt, Lin Wangye instinctively turned around — only to see Zhao Youyou pulling her phone back, totally unbothered about being caught. She cupped her cheeks and stared at the screen with dreamy eyes.
“Perfect match. You two are such a perfect match.”
“Let me see!” Lin Wangye wasn’t shy at all and leaned in right away, craning his neck.
“Here, look look!” Zhao Youyou turned the screen toward him.
The raw camera shot was super clear. Zhao Youyou had even focused right on their joined hands.
In the photo, Lin Wangye’s hand was being held tightly. His skin was soft, smooth, and pale — obviously someone who never had to do any hard labor since he was a kid.
Next to it, Shi Yuan’s hand was tanned, with a clear contrast in skin tone. His fingers were strong, joints standing out from the slight pressure, and a few veins popped on the back of his hand — the kind of hand that gave off serious strength.
For some reason, that photo made Lin Wangye’s heart skip a beat. He leaned in, covered his mouth, and whispered, “Send it to me.”
Zhao Boss instantly got it. She raised her eyebrows and flashed him an ‘OK’ with her fingers.
Shi Yuan was sitting right next to Lin Wangye. He didn’t even need to hear them clearly to know what they were up to. He smiled to himself, doting and amused, and didn’t say anything.
At the front, Lin Shen had finished packing his desk and had been waiting for a while. He turned around.
“You two done? Not leaving yet?”
“We’re going, we’re going,” Lin Wangye said, standing up quickly and looking back at Shi Yuan.
Lin Shen hadn’t completely made up with his dad, but he was back living at home now, getting 2000 yuan a month for food. Even though only Lu Chengxuan and Lin Wangye lived in the same direction, the group still had a habit of leaving school together.
But for some reason, after Shi Yuan stood up, he hesitated a little. Then, without warning, he turned his head and glanced at Lu Chengxuan before finally walking forward.
Lin Shen and Lin Wangye didn’t think much of it. They just kept walking, chatting about the upcoming Spring Season of ‘Heroes of Glory’.
But Lu Chengxuan caught something in that fleeting glance. On the way down the stairs, he slowed down on purpose and walked behind them.
After evening study ended, the stairwell echoed with the sound of students heading home.
Shi Yuan walked side by side with Lu Chengxuan, speaking low enough that only the two of them could hear.
“You have to make sure Lin Wangye goes home with you every day. Don’t let him run around on his own. It’s gonna be a problem.”
Lu Chengxuan turned his head, frowning slightly. “What’s going on?”
Up ahead, Lin Shen caught a bit of their conversation from the corner of his eye. He hooked an arm around Lin Wangye’s neck and pulled him closer, whispering, “They’re talking.”
Lin Wangye instantly turned around and shook his head like crazy.
Lin Shen thought for a second, then smacked his forehead as if a lightbulb had gone off. He turned to Lin Wangye and said, “You’re screwed.”
Lin Wangye pointed at himself, completely lost. “Me?”
“Hmph.” Lin Shen let out a cold laugh, wearing the look of someone who’d figured everything out: “I’ve known about you two for ages. Where did you and Xu Suinian sneak off to on the second day of the New Year, huh? I still have the receipt from the hotel room.”
Lin Wangye’s eyes went wide in horror, his face turning beet red. “We didn’t!”
“Still pretending?” Lin Shen tilted his head and burst out laughing. “Whatever, I already told Lu Chengxuan. What else would they be talking about back there? Your Brother Lu is probably giving him a serious talk right now. You’re next, I bet. Didn’t think he cared that much, but clearly, he does.”
Blushing furiously, Lin Wangye scratched his head. “It’s not like that! We didn’t even get that far!”
Lin Shen nodded with fake seriousness. “Right, right — those condoms were just for blowing up balloons, and you thought the lube was shoe polish.”
At that, Lin Wangye looked like he was choking on air. He flailed his hands, desperate to explain.
“Why would I lie to you of all people! If it happened, it happened! But it didn’t — we just tried… and in the end, he couldn’t go through with it.”
Now it was Lin Shen’s turn to look shocked.
His eyes went wide, and he stared like he couldn’t believe what he just heard.
“You’re serious? He stopped midway?”
Thinking about it again made Lin Wangye sigh in regret. He hung his head and covered his face.
“Ugh! Can you not bring it up again?”
Meanwhile, at the back of the group, Shi Yuan had made up his mind. For Lin Wangye’s safety, he decided it was better to just tell Lu Chengxuan the truth.
“My dad’s out,” he said quietly. “He couldn’t find me before, but I know he’s probably hiding around the school now, trying to track me down. Sooner or later, he’s gonna figure out what I’m doing, that Suinian’s in treatment. He owes a ton of money, and he’ll realize I have cash on hand. He can’t make trouble at the school or the hospital, but anywhere else… that’s not guaranteed.”
Lu Chengxuan thought fast and went straight to the point.
“Would he go after people who seem close to you?”
“I never really got close to anyone before. But yeah, knowing him? He’d totally do it. He doesn’t have any limits.” Shi Yuan let out a long breath and glanced up at the figure walking ahead. “I haven’t told him yet.”
Lu Chengxuan quickly caught on to the key point and asked to confirm: “So as long as Lin Wangye keeps going to the hospital to see your sister, your dad might figure out where the money came from?”
Shi Yuan nodded. “Yeah. And he absolutely can’t go to my house either.”
“That’s gonna be tricky.” Lu Chengxuan was straightforward. “I can’t keep an eye on him every second. Might be better to just tell him.”
Shi Yuan dropped his gaze, let out a quiet sigh.
“If I do that, he’s gonna start worrying about me every day. I don’t want him living in fear like that. I’ve been trying to figure out another way. Honestly, if I can just come up with some believable excuse to stop him from going to the hospital, that’s enough. As for my place, as long as I don’t take him there, he’s not the type to go snooping around by himself.”
“That part’s easy,” Lu Chengxuan said. “But it’s not a long-term fix.”
“There’s really no way. You don’t get locked up for long on some ‘picking fights’ charge. I’m not afraid of him, honestly. If it was just me, whatever — I’d deal with it. But now…”
He trailed off, voice fading. There were things he didn’t say out loud.
The truth was, he had no real way out of this.
No one wants a father like that, but he was born into it — and there was nothing he could do about it.
Bad luck always finds the ones already beaten down. Misery seems to know where to land hardest.
His whole family just kept getting dragged into the mess.
Things had finally started looking up, inch by inch… and then the man got out of prison, and it all started spiraling again.
Shi Yuan couldn’t think of some brilliant plan that would solve everything at once. For now, the only thing he could do was rely on Lu Chengxuan to keep Lin Wangye safe.
Lu Chengxuan wasn’t exactly the most empathetic person. He couldn’t really imagine what it was like.
But he could tell that there wasn’t much Xu Suinian could actually do in this situation — most of it was just him being powerless.
“Let’s stall for now,” Lu Chengxuan said. “Take it slow. Come up with something long-term.”
That one sentence made Shi Yuan feel like a giant weight had finally been taken off his chest. If Lu Chengxuan said that, then at least for now, Lin Wangye should be safe. He looked over with real gratitude.
“Thanks.”
“It’s nothing. He’s helped me out a lot too.”
They had slowed their pace on purpose while talking, keeping their voices low so no one else would hear. Just as they finished speaking, they reached the first floor.
Shi Yuan looked up, and all of a sudden froze, his face darkening a little.
“Where are the two of them?”
Even though evening self-study had ended, the lighting on campus was still pretty dim. All around were students trickling toward the school gate — some in groups, others walking alone.
Lu Chengxuan scanned the crowd, but didn’t see Lin Wangye or Lin Shen anywhere.
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)
