Xie Youzhou put down his work and slowly went to open the door.
The moment he saw who it was, he transformed into a delighted “little wolfdog” greeting his owner.
“Gege, why are you here?!”
Surprised and overjoyed, Xie Youzhou opened his arms and pulled Lin Zhiyu into a tight embrace.
He had been trying hard to focus on his work, restraining thoughts of his gege, but now his already fragile self-control was completely shattered.
“Gege, did you miss me?”
Xie Youzhou’s voice was deep and magnetic, sticky and a little coquettish.
Lin Zhiyu’s cheeks flushed under his gaze.
“Of course not. I just came to see how you were doing.”
Lin Zhiyu sounded stubborn, but Xie Youzhou didn’t press him on it. Instead, he lovingly held Lin Zhiyu’s hand, leading him inside as he gently traced his fingers over Lin Zhiyu’s, making his heart beat even faster.
But rather than stopping him, Lin Zhiyu simply indulged Xie Youzhou. This quiet acceptance was the very thing that made Xie Youzhou fall for him even more, pulling him in deeper with no way out.
“Gege…you missed me.”
Xie Youzhou lowered his head slightly, and slowly arched his head to Lin Zhiyu’s neck, trying to kiss Lin Zhiyu, but a ringtone suddenly rang. It was Lin Zhiyu’s cell phone.
Lin Zhiyu’s ears turned red and his face tense. He quickly took out his cell phone, but when he saw that the caller was his father, he almost dropped his phone.
Answering quickly, he cleared his throat. “Dad…ahem.”
“Zhiyu, you must be home by eleven. Whatever you’re busy with, you need to get back and sleep at home. Understood? Otherwise…”
There was a brief pause on the other end.
“Otherwise, it’s bad for your health, and Dad can’t stop worrying about you.”
What Lin’s father said next was a cover-up. After all, he couldn’t say directly they were not allowed to spend the night outside.
Lin Zhiyu, however, didn’t catch on. He couldn’t imagine that his father might suspect something unusual between him and Xie Youzhou!
“Yes, Dad, I’ll be back soon,” Lin Zhiyu said, trying to sound natural as he subtly hinted with his eyes for Xie Youzhou to keep a distance and focus on his work.
Instead of sticking to him ambiguously and moving around!
Xie Youzhou reluctantly tore himself away, walking back to his workspace with a few backward glances.
Lin’s father continued talking with Lin Zhiyu for about ten minutes, only hanging up once he was sure Zhiyu would be home within an hour.
Ah, love is fine…
But no sleepovers allowed!
After ending the call, Lin’s father moved a chair to the balcony and stared at the entrance of the community through the window.
It’s heartbreaking for an old father.
Meanwhile, after the call ended, Lin Zhiyu didn’t immediately return to where Xie Youzhou was working. Instead, he wandered around.
Eventually, he found himself in the bedroom where Xie Youzhou had once confessed his love.
Just looking around, Lin Zhiyu was transported back to that day, his heart racing as he recalled it all.
He sat on the bed, reminiscing about how nervous and pale Xiaoyou had been, bravely expressing his feelings with a mixture of fearlessness and vulnerability. Warmth and sweetness filled his chest.
Especially that big box—its contents were things that had once shocked him beyond belief.
Xiaoyou had called it his treasure, but now it felt like a treasure to him too.
He was grateful for these keepsakes, pieces of their past captured and preserved in tangible form.
Oh, wait…
Lin Zhiyu remembered something.
There had been two boxes.
But only one was opened.
At the time, he’d been too overwhelmed to question it, much less ask to see what was in the other box.
But now, curiosity piqued, Lin Zhiyu felt an urge to know.
What had that silly boy, Xiaoyou, stored in that other box?
I wonder how many memories of their past were hidden in these things.
It was interesting to think about!
With that thought, Lin Zhiyu got up and left the bedroom, heading toward Xie Youzhou’s workspace, surrounded by computer screens.
“Xiaoyou, I suddenly want to look inside the other box where you keep your things. Can I open it?”
“Gege, go ahead! You don’t have to ask,” Xie Youzhou said with a grin, his hands flying across the keyboard as he glanced at Lin Zhiyu with fondness. “I’ve told you a million times, haven’t I? Everything that is mine is yours. I’m yours, and everything I have is yours. If you forget again, I’ll have to punish you…”
Xie Youzhou’s smile was full of refreshing and charming boyishness, with a hint of ambiguity. His deep dark blue eyes made Lin Zhiyu’s heart skip a beat.
“Well, I remember it.”
Lin Zhiyu’s ears turned red, and he turned his head away in an attempt to hide his guilt, then walked out with his long legs.
Xie Youzhou’s smile got even bigger.
His gege was just too cute!
Every playful exchange, every little flirtation—they were perfect!
Buoyed by happiness, Xie Youzhou continued typing with renewed energy, thoughts of his gege filling his mind and giving him extra motivation.
He had to finish this work quickly; he wanted to spend every moment he could with his gege tonight!
His fingers danced across the keyboard as he deftly hacked into the Wright Group’s network.
Just as he prepared to move on to the next step, something suddenly struck him.
He froze, straightened up, and then rushed toward the master bedroom where Lin Zhiyu was.
But by then, Lin Zhiyu had already made his way to the bedroom with the boxes, pulling out both from under the bed.
He would never truly feel entitled to everything that belonged to Xie Youzhou, but each time Xiaoyou assured him, he couldn’t help but feel a little warm and self-conscious.
With a touch of curiosity, Lin Zhiyu casually opened one of the boxes. The first thing he found was something that looked like a journal. As soon as he opened it and read a few lines, his expression shifted.
Lin Zhiyu’s pupils contracted in shock as he quickly flipped through the pages.
His heart pounded, his blood rushing, heating his entire body…
No wonder—no wonder!
Everything that had happened over the past six months, all the subtle oddities and inconsistencies he’d overlooked, were suddenly explained.
Lin Zhiyu’s fingers trembled slightly. He heard footsteps behind him but didn’t turn around.
He continued leafing through the small notebook, his pulse echoing in his ears, drowning out every other sound.
When Xie Youzhou saw his gege holding the notebook that contained his deepest secrets, his heart raced with a mixture of nerves and relief, knowing the truth was now out.
Yes, he had been reborn.
And he’d known…
His gege was reborn too.
Because nothing in this life followed the same path.
From the very beginning, he’d targeted the Ruan family, justifying it by claiming he’d “long ago discovered the truth about the Ruan family’s schemes.”
And his gege had accepted it without question.
But he never wanted to keep secrets from him. He had wanted to reveal everything to him!
Only…
His gege was strong and proud. Would he recoil if he knew the sufferings of Xie Youzhou’s past life—the inhumanity, the lack of dignity?
Would he…
Would he want to pull away?
“Gege…gege.”
Xie Youzhou finally spoke, his voice trembling.
“I…I’ve wanted to tell you for so long, but I was afraid, afraid…”
“Afraid that I wouldn’t be able to accept it?”
Lin Zhiyu, still crouched on the floor, spoke softly.
He didn’t turn, his expression unreadable.
Xie Youzhou’s heart clenched. He rushed forward and tightly held Lin Zhiyu’s hand.
“Gege, I…”
But words failed him.
Just then, a tear fell onto the back of his hand.
Xie Youzhou froze, his mind going blank as an overwhelming heartache filled him.
At that moment, he wrapped his arms around his ge, holding him close without another thought.
