Lin Wangye quickly figured out the situation he was in and the kind of circumstances he was about to face.
At his age, Lu Chengxuan definitely still lived with his family.
The Lu family’s parents…
It was obvious even without thinking—they were no ordinary people.
Being dependent on others is always awkward, especially in such a special situation.
The thought of going to the Lu family—where big shots were everywhere—made Lin Wangye swallow nervously. No matter how young or rebellious he had been, he couldn’t be reckless now. Deep down, he was completely resistant to the idea.
But now, there was no other choice.
His father had no home of his own, and handing him over to Lu Chengxuan was the best arrangement he could come up with.
Lu Chengxuan didn’t agree, but he didn’t refuse either.
His indecision—neither agreeing nor refusing—felt oddly subtle.
If his family couldn’t afford it, or if there were strict rules forbidding guests from staying over, he would’ve made it clear. But by saying nothing, it meant he had the final say in this matter.
Yet, despite Lin Shen’s obvious hints, he didn’t actively invite Lin Wangye, which suggested that maybe he wasn’t entirely willing.
After Lin Shen’s gaze flipped back and forth between the two several times, Lin Wangye gave in and looked up at Lu Chengxuan, taking the first step and quietly asking, “Brother, can you take me in?”
For reasons Lin Wangye couldn’t understand, Lu Chengxuan gave in.
He nodded and tilted his chin slightly forward, gesturing ahead. “Let’s go, my place isn’t far.”
“Be careful on the way, see you tomorrow,” Lin Shen called out as he turned around, not forgetting to remind them, “Take good care of my son.”
Lin Wangye: “…”
Well, in some unexpected way, I was acknowledged by my dear father.
Lin Wangye sighed at the sky, silently expressing his helplessness about the difficult life he could already predict, and then obediently followed Lu Chengxuan as they headed to his home.
Given Lu Chengxuan’s personality, he naturally wasn’t the type to start a conversation.
But Lin Wangye felt the silence was unbearably awkward, so he decided to break the ice and make some small talk.
“Brother, I’m not bothering you, am I?”
Lu Chengxuan: “No.”
Lin Wangye: “Then, I’m not bothering your family, right?”
Lu Chengxuan: “No.”
Lin Wangye: “…”
So, that’s it? The conversation’s over after two sentences?
I already didn’t like you in the past life, and now, even at this young age, you’re still this hard to talk to?
Back in the day, if he had met someone like this, Lin Wangye would’ve just walked off without a second thought.
But just a while ago, Lu Chengxuan had treated him to skewers and even pulled him out of the police station. Now, he was taking him in.
One doesn’t bite the hand that feeds, and one doesn’t refuse a favor.
Even if Lu Chengxuan was ignoring him, Lin Wangye knew he had to show a good attitude.
Since small talk wasn’t working, he started thinking of another topic—something he’d find interesting but wouldn’t offend the other person, and asked, “Brother, brother, how did you meet Lin Shen?”
Lu Chengxuan, naturally, was the type of person who didn’t feel uncomfortable when alone with someone without talking. He simply didn’t care for unnecessary conversation.
But out of politeness and upbringing, he didn’t ignore Lin Wangye completely.
“We grew up together,” Lu Chengxuan answered.
“Huh?” Lin Wangye turned his head, surprised. “Childhood friends? Childhood sweethearts? You grew up together?”
Lu Chengxuan nodded, his tone calm. “We went to the same school from elementary to high school. Our families also had some business dealings, so we’ve known each other.”
Lin Wangye sensed something was off, leaning in to ask, “Just ‘know each other’?”
Lu Chengxuan lowered his gaze. His slightly narrow eyes were shadowed by thick lashes, and all emotions were hidden in the night, leaving nothing for Lin Wangye to read.
This was something Lin Wangye never could have expected.
Since he could remember, his family and the Lu family had always been fierce business rivals. Lin Shen had never said anything bad about Lu Chengxuan, and Lin Wangye had rarely interacted with him directly.
But the gossip he’d heard over the years was endless.
And the things Lin Shen did always made his stance clear—when it came to competing with Lu Chengxuan, he’d fight for every inch.
So, in Lin Wangye’s eyes, the two families were sworn enemies, and maybe, when it came time for him to take over the family business, the rivalry would carry on as a generational feud.
He never imagined that the two people who would later be locked in a life-or-death struggle would have been friends when they were young.
And even childhood friends at that.
Now, looking back, Lin Wangye couldn’t help but feel that the figure who had blocked his view at the funeral suddenly seemed much more complicated.
He couldn’t help but wonder what Lu Chengxuan had been thinking at that time.
Had he felt secretly pleased at the death of his long-time rival, putting on an act to show his supposed broad-mindedness? Or was he genuinely saddened by the unexpected loss of a childhood friend, feeling pity for the child left behind in this world?
Unfortunately, he would never know.
No one can predict what they’ll be like twenty years down the road when they’re young. No matter how meticulously you plan, life will always present those unexpected crossroads where you’re forced to make choices.
Take Lin Shen, for example. The difference between his past and present self was staggering.
Lin Wangye, who had never really known what his father was like when he was young, couldn’t imagine how the two versions of Lu Chengxuan—the one he knew now and the one from the past—could be so drastically different.
On the surface, it seemed like not much had changed.
But in truth, he had no real understanding of this person at all.
The reason he disliked him was simple—he’d grown up surrounded by people who saw the Lu family as enemies. In that environment, the seed of resentment had quietly been planted.
Lin Wangye regretted never asking Shi Yuan more about these things back then.
Shi Yuan had known Lin Shen for so long, so he must have known a lot of the inside story.
Maybe he even knew how these two had gone from being childhood friends to whatever had happened between them later.
Thinking of Shi Yuan made Lin Wangye feel a little down again.
Logically, Shi Yuan should have appeared in this timeline by now, but why couldn’t he find any trace of him in his father’s friend list?
He knew there had to be clues about his beloved, yet no matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t find a single trace.
Connections. Connections, huh.
Where the hell did that crucial connection go?
Dad, seriously, you’re putting me in such a tough spot here!
Lin Wangye was desperate, his mind racing with frustration, his thoughts spinning around the word ‘connections.’ As he pondered, something suddenly clicked, and he whipped his head around. “Brother, do you know Shi Yuan?”
Lu Chengxuan didn’t quite catch that. “Who?”
“Shi Yuan.” Lin Wangye gestured in the air, trying to explain. “Shi, like the character for time, and Yuan, like abyss—Shi Yuan.”
Lu Chengxuan thought for a moment, then shook his head. “I don’t know him.”
Lin Wangye’s heart, which had briefly sparked with a glimmer of hope, shattered like glass, and he let out a long, silent sigh. His shoulders slumped, and he followed Lu Chengxuan, no longer in the mood for any conversation.
The asphalt roads stretched out in every direction, outlining the skeleton of the city.
The difference between twenty years ago and now was enormous. Even though Lin Wangye had memories stretching back nearly ten years, the changes in the city were still striking.
People might change overnight, but cities? Cities don’t.
Cities evolve quietly, almost without notice. It’s only when you find an old photo or pass by a street and remember a little shop that used to be there that you realize how time has passed.
Right now, Lin Wangye couldn’t help but feel the weight of this truth.
Ningchang City still had the same outline he knew so well, but it had changed in ways that were hard to describe. It was like suddenly seeing an old picture of someone before they had plastic surgery—there were faint traces of the old look, but the difference was striking to the eye.
But even in this era, Ningchang was still a lively, trendy first-tier city.
Neon lights wove together a rich and romantic nightlife that glittered in the dark.
Lin Wangye walked through the dappled moonlight under the trees, following Lu Chengxuan as they passed two streets, eventually turning toward a large iron gate.
A guard at the gate saw them approach and immediately opened it with a remote control.
Lin Wangye looked around. It was hard to see clearly in the night, but he could make out some bushes and trees. From their outline, they looked like camphor trees or some other type of evergreen, and the landscaping was actually quite nice.
He recognized this location. In a few years, it would be transformed into a park.
As expected of the Lu family. Even without a strong background, they could make a lot from demolition fees, and it was enough for an entire generation of the family to live comfortably and lazily.
Even though the subway hadn’t been built yet, the real estate market was still a goldmine.
He needed to find a way to get his dad to make up with his grandfather, so they could start investing big in this direction.
Forget about all that e-commerce nonsense—real estate is the real answer!
The more Lin Wangye thought about it, the more excited he became. Though he didn’t have a single penny to his name, he couldn’t help but daydream about the happy days ahead, when he’d be a billionaire.
He followed Lu Chengxuan along the gravel path, feeling like they’d been walking forever. Unable to resist, he finally asked, “Brother, where exactly is your house?”
Lu Chengxuan answered casually, “Right here.”
Lin Wangye paused. “…?”
Wait, hold on—what did he mean?
Lin Wangye’s eyes widened, and he did a full 360-degree scan of his surroundings, stammering as he tried to process, “The ground I’m standing on… is this… your family’s land?”
Lu Chengxuan silently nodded.
Lin Wangye: “…Then what about that big iron gate we passed earlier?”
Lu Chengxuan: “That’s the side entrance.”
Lin Wangye’s knees nearly gave out. He almost dropped to the ground and kneeled right there in front of Lu Chengxuan.
The ‘gated community’ he had assumed they were entering turned out to be Lu Chengxuan’s house. And not even the front gate—it was the side gate!
So, your house is as big as the park that’s going to be built in Ningchang city, where people will walk their dogs!?
Lin Wangye’s mind spun, his sense of reality wavering.
It wasn’t that he was inexperienced. After all, he, Young Master Lin, had grown up in a large mansion. By the time he turned eighteen, he could easily cruise around in a Porsche or yacht.
But Lu Chengxuan’s family clearly existed on an entirely different level.
No matter how rich he was, there were still plenty of second-generation rich kids like him all over the country. But having a house the size of a park in a prime location of a first-tier city? That was a rarity, even nationwide.
And not just any location—this was the city center, in a school district, no less!
This land had streets on three sides and a lake on the other. It would eventually be taken over by the city for development into a public park, becoming a landmark attraction in Ningchang.
Even the subway station was named after this park!
No wonder he’d felt something was off the moment he walked in, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. If this were a regular gated community, there’d be apartment buildings. He’d looked around for ages, but he hadn’t seen a single building.
So it turns out, this is your backyard!?
Lin Wangye’s world tilted as he struggled to comprehend what he had just learned. His whole mindset shattered.
To be honest, at this moment, Lin Wangye admired no one more than his father, Lin Shen.
How the hell did his dad manage to fight against a family like this for so many years without getting completely crushed? And even manage to cause them some trouble along the way?
My dear father, you’re truly amazing!
From now on, I swear I’ll be your loyal dog in this lifetime!
But for now, the situation is tense, so I’m temporarily defecting and calling Lu Chengxuan my big brother.
I’ll definitely switch sides when the time comes.
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)
