The glass door of the police station’s household registration office slid open. Lin Wangye stepped out holding his new ID card, with Shi Yuan following him, both of them walking out together. He lowered his head, flipping through the photo on the card, muttering to himself.
“What kind of photo is this? It makes you look worse.”
Shi Yuan packed the household registration book and other documents neatly into a folder, smiling faintly. “IDs don’t usually look good.”
“Mine looks good.”
Saying that, Lin Wangye pulled his ID out of his pocket, proudly shaking it in front of him and slipping it into Shi Yuan’s hand to show him.
Actually, Shi Yuan had already seen Lin Wangye’s ID before, back when they had gone to the hotel together.
Now, under the perfect sunlight, he looked at it more closely. The blue-background ID showed a boy with bright eyes and white teeth, smiling just enough at the camera. His eyebrows and forehead were visible, but it didn’t take away from his refined looks—he radiated pure youthful energy.
Shi Yuan compared it with his own photo and realized the difference came from how serious he had been back then. There was no other way; every summer, a new semester brought a flood of students needing ID photos.
He had spent a long time waiting in line at the photo studio, just wanting to get it done and leave, not wanting to keep Lin Wangye waiting. He had sat down, snapped the photo in three seconds, and left without thinking much about it.
It didn’t really matter—any valid ID would do.
Meanwhile, Lin Wangye walked quite a distance, still staring at the name ‘Shi Yuan’ on the ID, lost in thought.
Life had twisted and turned, and though many things had changed since he came into this world, some events seemed to trigger like hidden tasks at just the right time.
Back in his previous life, Lin Wangye only knew this person by the name Shi Yuan.
Even Uncle Shi had never mentioned ever changing his name.
It wasn’t until Lin Wangye met this version of him that he learned he had once been called Xu Suinian.
He had always wondered why the name was changed.
But after the accident that brought him into this world, many things became unsolved mysteries.
Like how he ended up as his father’s son.
And why Uncle Shi had changed his name.
The first question, even Lin Shen himself couldn’t answer accurately anymore.
As for the second, he had tried asking what reason one might have for changing their name.
Shi Yuan had treated it as casual conversation, not thinking much. He had thought for a long time but couldn’t answer, finally just smiling and saying, “Maybe you just change it when you feel like it.”
Unexpectedly, an old question suddenly had an answer.
Most likely, in his past life, Uncle Shi had changed his name following his father’s suggestion, to escape debts and cut ties with Xu Suinian.
A citizen can only legally change their name after reaching adulthood.
Judging by Xu Suinian’s life and illness, he might have already lost his sister when he changed his name, later taking the name Shi Yuan to study far away in Sigwell.
Thinking of this, Lin Wangye couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
Luckily, I’m here this time.
Shi Yuan noticed Lin Wangye staring at the name on his ID, lost in thought, and sensed the unusual emotion in him. He switched the folder to his right hand, lowered his arm, and took Lin Wangye’s hand.
“You haven’t told me what this name means. What are you thinking, hiding things in that little head of yours? Now you can tell me, right? Why Shi Yuan?”
Lin Wangye tilted his head and blinked at him.
“What do you think?”
Shi Yuan gave a helpless chuckle. “You gave me the name—how am I supposed to know?”
Lin Wangye pouted and lowered his head to think.
In the end, it was you who changed your own name back then, and now you’re asking me what it means?
How was he supposed to answer that?
Clearly, this was just making things hard for the poor guy!
Shi Yuan…
The two characters lingered in his mind. No matter how he said them, they sounded pleasant and smooth. And the character ‘Yuan’ often appeared in words like ‘profound’ or ‘abyss,’ subconsciously giving a sense of depth and quiet strength.
Shi was also a relatively rare surname.
For a designer, Lin Wangye knew this name was perfect—heavy, elegant, and classy all at once.
He still didn’t know how to explain it properly, dragging his answer out longer and longer.
Now that the name was officially changed, there was no way to dodge the question. He had to give in and make something up, saying awkwardly, “In my dream, that was your name. It sounded nice, and when I thought about changing it, I thought of it right away.”
“Such a coincidence?” Shi Yuan didn’t doubt him for a second and nodded. “It does sound nice. I like it.”
Lin Wangye’s eyes curved into a smile as he affectionately pinched Shi Yuan’s fingers.
“I like it too.”
Cars passed by on the asphalt road beside them, sunlight filtered through the leaves, scattering in patches of gold across the sidewalk. Hand in hand, they walked slowly, savoring the peaceful, lazy quiet that only summer could bring.
It wasn’t until they reached the intersection that they realized they hadn’t even decided where to go.
Shi Yuan had already quit his job at the pottery shop. His only work now was tutoring Zhao Youyou’s younger brother at her house.
Originally, he had planned to quit the esports hotel job as well.
But after he started tutoring, the results were obvious. Zhao Youyou’s brother’s grades were steadily improving. When Zhao Youyou’s mother learned of his high school exam scores, she tried every possible way to convince him to stay, constantly calling him and insisting that the boy needed more support before entering high school—her persistence rivaling the famous ‘three visits to the thatched cottage.’
Actually, Zhao Youyou herself was capable; tutoring a middle schooler was no problem.
But she simply didn’t have the patience.
Her little brother was constantly under pressure and got into trouble at the slightest disagreement.
Thinking of Zhao Youyou as one of the few friends he had, and her family being kind to him, Shi Yuan eventually agreed to spend two or three days a week tutoring her brother through his summer homework.
Even so, most of his time was still free.
Having the person he liked around more often naturally made Lin Wangye happiest.
Besides, after the hotel opened, Lin Wangye had set aside a room for himself, separate from the staff dorm. Shi Yuan no longer had to go back to the home constantly harassed by debt collectors—they could be together anytime, anywhere.
But Suihe was about to be discharged from the hospital.
The esports hotel wasn’t suitable for grandparents to stay in, and it was a bit far from the People’s Hospital. Shi Yuan had already found a place near the hospital and signed the contract a few days ago.
Thinking of this, Lin Wangye turned to ask,
“So, we’re going back to the little rental to pack stuff, right?”
“Yeah.” Shi Yuan nodded. “Grandpa has already transferred the spicy hot pot stand to someone else, and I need to take my clothes and bedding.”
Lin Wangye stopped walking, holding his hand, and suggested,
“I happen to be free today. I’ll go with you.”
Ever since he knew that Lin Wangye had been extorted by Xu Shengrong at that place, Shi Yuan had felt uneasy, not wanting him to revisit the place and recall bad memories.
So, he very rarely refused any request from Lin Wangye.
“There isn’t much. I can pack it myself. You don’t need to come.”
“But I want to see it one more time.”
Lin Wangye knew what he was thinking. Looking up at him, he softened his voice, “That was the first place I spent the night with you. I miss it. Just one last time—please take me to see it, okay?”
If Lin Wangye really begged for something, Shi Yuan found it hard to refuse.
After a brief gaze into the boy’s expectant eyes, he finally changed his mind and reached up to pinch his nose.
“Alright.”
Lin Wangye’s face lit up with a wide smile as he happily hailed a taxi by the roadside.
Halfway there, Shi Yuan made a quick call to the auntie selling roasted chestnuts in the alley.
For vendors in the old neighborhood, it was usually the same familiar faces walking by, and strangers were rare. Her little chestnut stall happened to face the narrow path leading to his home, so she could see any movement.
After the incident, Shi Yuan had asked her to keep an eye out.
The cheerful auntie, having plenty of free time, agreed without hesitation.
After confirming that the debt collector who had been lurking and swearing for an entire day three days ago hadn’t returned until now, Shi Yuan felt relieved. Just to be safe, he got off the taxi a bit early and bought a mask for Lin Wangye at a nearby pharmacy, also pre-saving ‘110’ in his phone before slipping it into his pocket.
Lin Wangye couldn’t help but chuckle at his spy-like precautions.
And through that careful, protective attention, he could clearly feel the forceful love behind it.
They bought a portion of roasted chestnuts along the way and continued down the alley.
The last time Lin Wangye had come, he hadn’t even stepped inside. This time, after a careful look, he saw that the two originally shabby little rental rooms looked as if they had been thoroughly ransacked.
All the pots and pans in the kitchen were smashed.
Even the bedroom, though tidied by Shi Yuan after returning, was still in disarray, with things piled everywhere—clearly someone had gone through everything, inside and out.
Yet, this home had been dragged down by an irresponsible man and was stretched thin treating a sick child. There was nothing of value left to loot.
Lin Wangye had noticed this last time.
No matter how broken, it had still been a home they had lived in.
Walking into Shi Yuan’s bedroom, he immediately saw the desk with a broken leg overturned. He bent down and picked up a scattered stack of test papers—dozens of sheets filled with densely written practice questions.
The bed sheets had been stomped on in frustration.
Remembering that Shi Yuan used to sleep here often before the hotel opened, Lin Wangye felt a sting in his nose, his heart aching.
Shi Yuan, arriving a step late due to locking the courtyard gate, glanced around. Seeing Lin Wangye’s expression, he immediately understood, walking over to pull him into his arms and ruffle his hair.
“That’s why I didn’t want you to come back. I promised I wouldn’t let these things make me sad anymore—don’t say one thing and do another.”
Lin Wangye wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing his face against Shi Yuan’s chest, softly saying, “We’ve overcome all the hardships. From now on, things will only get better.”
“Mm, they will.”
A gentle glow shimmered in Shi Yuan’s eyes. He lowered his gaze, lifted Lin Wangye’s chin, and bent slightly, their lips meeting in a slow, tender kiss.
Lips parted easily, and the heat of their love rushed in.
The soft friction sent a shiver of delight through them.
Breaths became faster, entwining like glue, unwilling to part.
Tender exploration met eager response, both offering their love wholeheartedly.
Shi Yuan always regained his composure just before losing control, straightening up to end the kiss. He caught the wrist of Lin Wangye’s hand that had unconsciously draped around his neck and gently pulled his left hand down to examine his palm.
They had tried every method to remove the scars, but some traces still remained.
Lin Wangye, catching his breath, pressed his lips together and murmured softly, “It’s really fine now. You’re always making such a big deal…”
“The skin has healed, but the nerve was injured back then.” Shi Yuan checked carefully, finding nothing abnormal. He rubbed Lin Wangye’s palm gently, repeating his warnings over and over: “You still need to be careful. Don’t put too much strength on this hand. If I hadn’t stopped you just now, you’d be hanging on me again.”
“Ha, got it.”
Lin Wangye’s eyes curved into a smile. He rose on his tiptoes to plant a quick kiss on Shi Yuan’s lips, then sat down on the mattress, lifting the bed sheet that had been dirtied by his stepping.
“You go ahead and pack. I won’t touch anything, I’ll just sit here and wait for you.”
“Mm, be good. Don’t even think about moving anything.”
With that, Shi Yuan turned and walked into the other bedroom.
Lin Wangye looked around. He noticed that Shi Yuan had already tidied up his things the last time he came.
Shi Yuan didn’t have many clothes—only two or three changes per season—and all of them fit into a single woven bag. Besides that, there were just two cardboard boxes by the bed, probably holding miscellaneous items gathered together.
Lin Wangye suddenly remembered the little dog cup he had made at the pottery shop.
He didn’t know if it had been broken by debt collectors. With some time to spare, he bent down and opened the two boxes that hadn’t been sealed yet.
Sure enough, the boxes were filled with some old, worn-out items.
After rummaging through them for a moment, Lin Wangye quickly found the little dog cup.
He let out a relieved breath and held the cup carefully, turning it left and right, studying the tiny imperfections left from when he had made it, and grinning foolishly.
As he put the cup back, Lin Wangye noticed a corner of some paper sticking out, marked with ‘EMS.’
Curious, he reached in and pulled it out from the bottom of the box.
The paper envelope had been opened before, and it wasn’t very thick.
Blinking, Lin Wangye didn’t hesitate to take out what was inside.
Inside the EMS envelope was another folder.
But this one had writing on it. Lin Wangye recognized the English letters.
What appeared before his eyes was an ‘offer from Sigwell’.
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)
