CH 73

Gu Zhongyi left a sufficient amount of soothing pheromones in the bedroom. After carefully observing the peacefully sleeping figure, he finally felt relieved and got up to go to the living room. Sitting on the couch, he pondered and recalled Lin Yuxing’s recent loss of control, sighing with distress.

At that moment, his phone vibrated.

It was a message from a private detective. Gu Zhongyi opened it and saw a picture of a property purchase contract with the buyer’s signature: Fang Ze.

The detective sent a photo of Fang Ze: [Mr. Gu, I found the man who bought this property in M City two years ago. His name is Fang Ze, a male Alpha. He also transferred the property to Li Qing’s father.]

Gu Zhongyi had no recollection of that person: [Investigate him thoroughly.]

The private detective also attached another photo.

The person in the picture was a strange girl taking a selfie.

But the girl was not the focus; the focus was a hotel not far behind her, where Fang Ze was standing slightly sideways next to a car. A man beside him was dressed in a neat gray suit, facing away from the camera, walking up the steps.

Gu Zhongyi found the blurry figure familiar and instinctively moved his hand holding the phone.

Chen Hua?

The name of Gu Zhuang’s secretary popped into his mind.

He zoomed in on the photo, examining it repeatedly, hesitant to make a quick conclusion.

The private detective said, “[This photo was accidentally taken a year ago in front of the xx hotel in M city. It was the day when the house was transferred, and Fang Ze wasn’t alone in M city.]”

Gu Zhongyi asked, “[Who is the person next to him?]”

The private detective looked at the clues in his hand and honestly said, “[Mr. Gu, I can investigate Fang Ze and this person for you. But for anything else, it might be better for you to report to the police. This matter is not simple.]”

Gu Zhongyi immediately transferred a large sum of money to him without hesitation, saying, “[Start the investigation.]”

The private detective sighed, “[Please wait for my message.]”

Gu Zhongyi looked at the photo again, and his phone vibrated once more.

The screen displayed a message from Lin Yuheng: “[I’m downstairs in your neighborhood, bought some food. Can you come down and get it?]”

Gu Zhongyi used the display screen at the entrance to unlock the door and let Lin Yuheng come upstairs directly.

When Lin Yuheng stepped out of the elevator, Gu Zhongyi had already opened the apartment door.

Lin Yuheng was carrying several bags, containing fruits, medicine, and porridge. He bought too much and had no hand to hold an umbrella. After getting out of the taxi, he ran all the way in the rain, soaking his clothes.

He looked at Gu Zhongyi, who didn’t look too well, standing awkwardly at the door and said, “These… “

“You don’t need to buy anything; I have everything at home,” Gu Zhongyi said.

Lin Yuheng felt a bit rejected, not entering the apartment, and awkwardly said, “I thought of it, so I bought it… It’s for Xingxing, not for you.”

Gu Zhongyi took the things from him and said, “Let me get you a set of clothes.”

Lin Yuheng looked inside hesitantly and said, “I want to see Xingxing… Will I scare him if I go in? After all, he doesn’t know…”

He stopped mid-sentence and looked embarrassedly at Gu Zhongyi.

Lin Yuheng didn’t know if he was intruding, and he understood that his actions were inappropriate, which probably explained why Gu Zhongyi didn’t look well.

However, when he heard that Lin Yuxing was sick, he couldn’t help rushing over.

He tugged at the corner of his mouth and wisely said, “Forget it, it’s too late, I won’t go in.”

But Gu Zhongyi said, “Come in; he’s asleep.”

Hearing this, Lin Yuheng felt relieved and stepped inside the apartment. “Why did Xingxing get caught in the rain? Where did he go?”

Gu Zhongyi didn’t answer.

Lin Yuheng asked again, “Can I see him?”

“No,” Gu Zhongyi replied.

Lin Yuheng was at a loss for words.

“Wait a moment,” Gu Zhongyi went to the bedroom and brought a set of clean home clothes. He closed the bedroom door gently and handed the clothes to Lin Yuheng, lowering his voice, “The bathroom is over there; there’s a hairdryer and disposable towels in the cabinet.”

Lin Yuheng turned his back, secretly sniffing the clothes, afraid they might carry Gu Zhongyi’s pheromones.

Gu Zhongyi said, “The clothes are new; I haven’t worn them.”

Satisfied, Lin Yuheng quickly slipped into the bathroom.

When he came out after showering and changing, Gu Zhongyi had already made two cups of hot tea.

Lin Yuheng sat down and took a sip, remarking, “After all this effort to regain our youth, why are we still so health-conscious?”

Gu Zhongyi said, “It’s good enough that I didn’t add wolfberries; don’t be so picky.”

Lin Yuheng noticed that Gu Zhongyi had become more playful than before. He smiled and then saw a black box on the coffee table. Since he was in someone else’s home, he didn’t feel comfortable asking about it.

However, Gu Zhongyi pushed the box toward him.

“Qu Ling came back to the country,” he gestured for Lin Yuheng to open it and said calmly, “He met Yuxing.”

Lin Yuheng’s hand holding the tea cup froze.

He put down the tea cup and opened the box abruptly. What he saw made his pupils contract.

Instantly, anger surged through Lin Yuheng’s body, and the veins on his hand popped as he clenched his teeth, “Father… Is Qu Ling insane? How dare he come to find Lin Yuxing?”

” This may not be a bad thing,” Gu Zhongyi said frankly, “Sorry, I happened to read a few pages of your diary just now.”

“…”

“Yuxing probably read it too,” Gu Zhongyi said, “He likely looked up the news and found out that you saved him that year.”

Lin Yuheng was at a loss; he actually didn’t want Lin Yuxing to know about this.

He didn’t want Lin Yuxing to feel guilty about him.

Gu Zhongyi noticed Lin Yuheng’s thoughts and inadvertently glanced toward the bedroom.

“When I came back, Yuxing was crouching in the corner of the room, completely lost, not even aware that he had a fever,” Gu Zhongyi said.

“…”

“He’s emotionally unstable, just cried a lot, and finally fell asleep with great difficulty,” Gu Zhongyi said.

Coincidentally, the pages of the diary Gu Zhongyi had read were written when Lin Yuheng had just left for abroad. They were filled with missing Lin Yuxing, threats from Qu Ling and the few reasons for leaving.

Gu Zhongyi asked him, “I told you before that Yuxing doesn’t hold any grudges against you, but you didn’t believe it. Now, with him like this, do you still think he resents you?”

Lin Yuheng lowered his head, feeling a dull pain in his chest, and his eyes turned slightly red.

Time began to feel endless.

Gu Zhongyi repeated his previous words to him unchanged, ” you are still so stubborn even after coming back to life and having been given a second chance”

“…”

Gu Zhongyi said, “Yuxing’s so-called ‘resentment’ towards you has always been just an excuse to wait for you.”

Just like Lin Yuheng once confided in Gu Zhongyi, he understood his brother well  and knew his desire for a family. All he wanted was for his brother to come see him once, just once.

Such a simple wish.

Lin Yuheng lifted his head, tears swirling in his eyes, feeling his heart being pulled down.

Gu Zhongyi sighed, “Regardless of the truth from two years ago, he just wants to see you.”

Lin Yuxing had never truly resented Lin Yuheng.

And the phrase “he wants to see you” overwhelmed Lin Yuheng’s heart, making his nose completely sore.

He suddenly remembered what Lin Yuxing told him during the day, “I hope he’s doing well.”

The “he” in that statement referred to Lin Yuheng himself.

Outside the glass window, the rain gradually subsided.

Lin Yuheng clutched the diary tightly in his hands, squeezing it back and forth.

He opened his mouth, but then bit his lip tightly. Afterward, he covered his face with one hand, wiping away the tears in his eyes in a mess.

He should have known. His brother was the most naive person in the world, naive enough not to even be able to resent him properly. If it were someone else, they probably would have complained about him countless times.

But Lin Yuxing was Lin Yuxing, and no matter how time changed him, he wouldn’t change.

“I…”

Lin Yuheng helplessly stammered in front of Gu Zhongyi, unable to hold back, he asked again, “Can I go in and see him?”

Gu Zhongyi decisively said, “No.”

“I miss him too.”

“You are ‘Liao Yan’ now.”

If Lin Yuxing woke up and saw “Liao Yan” suddenly appearing by his bedside, it would surely frighten him. Moreover, Lin Yuxing was still sick, and Gu Zhongyi didn’t want him to be disturbed.

Lin Yuheng felt disappointed and dropped his gaze.

To make him feel better, Gu Zhongyi came up with another reason, “The bedroom is filled with my  pheromones as well. As an Alpha now, you might feel uncomfortable inside.”

He rubbed his eyes, a gesture almost identical to Lin Yuxing’s usual habits.

No wonder they were twins.

After being rejected for the third time, Lin Yuheng couldn’t bear it any longer. With his nature of being a bit impulsive, he said to Gu Zhongyi, “I want to tell him that I am Lin Yuheng…”

Lin Yuheng rarely stutters, “W-will he… believe me?”

Gu Zhongyi raised his hand to rub his temples, “No.”

“But—”

Gu Zhongyi interrupted him, “He will think you are insane or messing with him.”

Of course, Lin Yuheng knew this.

Regarding the situation of reincarnation, a fairy tale-like story, how many people in the world would believe it?

Lin Yuheng was troubled and hung his head. Clasping his hands together, under great helplessness, he sought help from Gu Zhongyi, “then you have to tell him surely he will believe you.”

“I’m not sure about that,” Gu Zhongyi said, ” not unless we have a way to prove it.”

For example, Gu Zhongyi said, “Predict what will happen next.”

This left Lin Yuheng puzzled, “At this time before, I was still entangled with Xu Xiangchi. This has already been changed… and you, is there anything memorable happening recently?”

“I went abroad to study at this time before.”

Similarly, the existence of Gu Zhongyi had also changed many things like a butterfly effect.

If they predicted the future according to the previous timeline, it might not be accurate. If they acted rashly, they might even complicate matters.

“We need to predict some things that haven’t been changed, not necessarily related to ourselves,” Gu Zhongyi gave some examples, “Like lottery numbers or other significant events, which should not necessarily be affected by us.”

Lin Yuheng was in a difficult situation. His luck had never been great, “I haven’t even won a lottery on Weibo.”

“I’m just giving an example.”

“Gu Zhongyi, did you ever consider telling him before?”

“Yeah.”

In their previous world, Gu Zhongyi and Lin Yuxing had never had a true reunion. Now, those hardships no longer exist, and mentioning them would only add to their troubles.

After all, everything now was a new beginning for them.

Gu Zhongyi said, “But the situation is different now. He wants to see you, and you are still alive.”

As long as it was Lin Yuxing’s wish, Gu Zhongyi would find a way to fulfill it.

Seeing that it was getting late, Gu Zhongyi handed the car keys to Lin Yuheng, “You should go back for now, and we can discuss it later.”

Lin Yuheng felt frustrated, “Liao Yan doesn’t have a driver’s license.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“I can take a taxi. You take care of Xingxing.”

After a while, Lin Yuheng stood at the entrance and turned back, anxiously saying, “Can’t I just tell him the truth? I can recount all the details from our childhood.”

“It’s not enough.”

From a normal person’s perspective, after hearing all this, Lin Yuxing would probably only think that “Liao Yan” and Lin Yuheng probably just knew each other.

Gu Zhongyi accompanied him downstairs, and the living room light was still on.

Not long after closing the door, the bedroom door slowly opened from inside.

Lin Yuxing, barefoot and weak, walked out silently, his footsteps soundless. But his body felt heavy, his thoughts sluggish, his throat painfully dry, and his body burning like fire.

He had originally wanted to come out and get some water, but when he reached the bedroom door, his head felt dizzy. Unable to control himself, he slid down to sit on the ground, leaning against the door for a long time.

Vaguely, he heard a faint conversation in the living room.

It was Gu Zhongyi’s voice, and… Liao Yan’s voice?

He thought he must still be dreaming. Why would Liao Yan be at their apartment?

Due to Lin Yuxing’s hazy state from the fever, he couldn’t hear clearly. But in his dazed state, he seemed to catch some unbelievable dialogue.

Lin Yuxing was confused and grew more anxious as he listened. He wanted to speak up and ask for clarification, but he felt like he was immersed in a dream, unable to muster any strength or make a sound.

That made him wonder if he was dreaming.

It wasn’t until he heard the sound of the door closing and there was no more noise outside that he gradually regained some strength. He propped himself up and stood, reaching the living room with effort.

The empty living room was empty, not even Gu Zhongyi was around.

The warmth in Lin Yuxing’s body hadn’t completely subsided. He stared blankly at the two cooling cups of tea on the table. Then, he closed and opened his eyes again. The cups seemed to have overlapping shadows, making it hard for him to discern how many cups were there.

He opened his mouth, silently saying, “Am I going crazy…”

Lin Yuxing sighed, realizing that he had experienced auditory hallucinations. He couldn’t believe he would hear such absurd words as Liao Yan being Lin Yuheng.

He continued to lean against the wall, slowly walking back to the table. After pouring a glass of cool water, he returned to his room with great effort.