Our Entire Family Has Secrets [Transmigrated] - Chapter 24

For most people, death is probably the scariest thing.

But not for Lin Shuanghuai.

Right now, what is more terrifying than being burned to death is that he is unscathed in this fire.

Except for being choked by the thick smoke that rushed up from the elevator shaft at the beginning, he is completely unharmed.

In the metal elevator car visibly deformed by high temperatures, he is wrapped in a protective shell resembling an eggshell.

The black smoke cannot penetrate this layer of protection, and the fire avoids it altogether.

The golden shell protects him from any harm.

Lin Shuanghuai curls up in the corner of the elevator, his expression confused and numb.

He might rather be burned to death, like an ordinary person, with his skin scorched and his bones turned to ashes.

But he has to face the fact that he is not an ordinary person.

No ordinary human would be enveloped in an eggshell during a fire, even though it looks beautiful and shimmers with a transparent golden hue.

In the tenth minute of his daze, he hears the distant sirens of fire trucks.

Lin Shuanghuai is not hoping to be rescued.

His not-so-sharp teeth bite his lips tightly, breaking the skin and drawing blood, but he continues to bite down hard.

Suddenly, he stands up, takes a deep breath, and raises his hand to strike the protective shell forcefully, trying to shatter it.

It’s useless.

This thing is much sturdier than the elevator car.

In the eleventh minute, Lin Shuanghuai shrinks back, buries his head in his knees, and waits in silence.

He begins to imagine that if the firefighters come in and see not his corpse but a glittering, transparent golden egg…

He’d rather be dead.

In the twelfth minute, the entire mall is so quiet that only the crackling sound of things being scorched and some unknown explosion can be heard.

Lin Shuanghuai stops thinking.

Avoidance can’t solve problems; this secret will be uncovered sooner or later.

If not today, then tomorrow.

Anyway, one day.

At the fifteenth minute, the elevator door moved.

Lin Shuanghuai did not have the excitement and thrill of narrowly escaping death.

His face was unusually pale, his eyes alert, his whole-body tense, retreating to the back.

As the door opened, a sense of resignation forced its way into his heart.

Finally, Lin Shuanghuai closed his eyes, ready to face the moment he would be called a monster.

“Lin Shuanghuai.”

A familiar voice, calm to the point of indifference.

Not a firefighter, not a rescue team, not anyone who would be scared off by him.

It was Yuan Bozhu.

“……!”

Lin Shuanghuai’s eyes flew open, his first reaction being that he was already dead.

Otherwise, how could he see someone he shouldn’t be seeing amidst the fire?

But Yuan Bozhu looked very real.

The bothersome glasses were removed, the fringe of hair on his forehead damp with sweat, slightly drooping, covering his stern eyebrows. His eyes, in the blazing firelight, appeared an unfathomable black.

A pair of strong, powerful hands pried open the elevator door, as if opening a gap for Lin Shuanghuai to breathe.

He felt short of breath; he needed to breathe the air from Yuan Bozhu.

But he still couldn’t speak. He thought: I can’t get out, I’m in an eggshell, I can’t go anywhere.

At this critical moment, when he shouldn’t hesitate, he didn’t dare rush towards the person who came to save him.

He was trapped in a beautiful alien world, seemingly separated from Yuan Bozhu by an unbridgeable chasm.

Suddenly, Yuan Bozhu extended his hand towards him.

“Come here.”

The voice was still deep and composed, as if he wasn’t in a sea of flames and hadn’t seen his strangeness.

Lin Shuanghuai involuntarily opened his mouth; he wanted to breathe.

Yuan Bozhu’s hand was within reach.

Lin Shuanghuai propped himself up from the ground, nervously asking, “Will you catch me?”

Yuan Bozhu told him, “I will.”

The moment he grasped that hand, Lin Shuanghuai was pulled out forcefully, through the gap in the elevator door, and into Yuan Bozhu’s arms.

“Wow!”

It was as if the cage trapping him disappeared the moment he was embraced.

Lin Shuanghuai held onto that hand, throwing himself into this safe embrace.

The whole world became real again.

But after that, Lin Shuanghuai couldn’t speak anymore—

Flames instantly surrounded the two of them, the belated heat scorching Lin Shuanghuai, making it hard to breathe.

It was as if everything just now was an illusion.

Now, without the shell protecting him, he was just an ordinary person in danger.

His body started to ache from the high temperature, and his throat hurt from the smoke.

But Lin Shuanghuai felt truly saved.

He held Yuan Bozhu tightly, convinced that this was everything he depended on to exist.

“Thank you…”

When Yuan Bozhu picked him up, he sighed imperceptibly.

The energy field around Lin Shuanghuai was very different from Yuan Bozhu’s barrier; it protected Lin Shuanghui very well, but also made him very conspicuous.

The moment the elevator door opened; Yuan Bozhu almost hesitated.

He could pretend he didn’t see it.

But if he didn’t break the energy field when touching Lin Shuanghuai’s outer protection layer, the situation would be very awkward.

At that moment, it was hard to tell whether Lin Shuanghuai’s secret or his secret was more astonishing.

Fortunately, Yuan Bozhu’s spiritual power successfully broke through it.

Thus, the show continued.

One of them was a pitiful creature trembling in the face of disaster, while the other was a great hero risking his life to help a classmate.

For now, no one opposed this narrative.

Lin Shuanghuai was as light as he imagined, easy to carry.

With the flames visibly diminishing, the entire rescue process was simple for Yuan Bozhu.

There was only one small problem:

Yuan Bozhu couldn’t use his cultivation spells in front of Lin Shuanghuai, nor could he use barriers to block the fire.

He had to run while using the wind to clear obstacles whenever Lin Shuanghuai wasn’t looking.

As Bonfire weakened over time, the fire began to die out on its own, leaving only thick smoke.

External rescue would probably arrive soon.

Yuan Bozhu kept a watchful eye on his surroundings, considering how to rescue other potential survivors, but he didn’t see anyone else.

He felt uncertain—maybe Bonfire and Blade didn’t truly intend to harm innocents.

Despite the fire’s fierce appearance, Yuan Bozhu noticed many flaws in the upper levels.

If Bonfire’s abilities weren’t failing, it meant he left some space for human survival.

Lin Shuanghuai remained very obedient throughout.

Quietly nestled in Yuan Bozhu’s arms, not crying or making a fuss, nor asking unnecessary questions.

The high temperature caused rapid dehydration, and the thick smoke forced toxic gas into the respiratory tract, but Lin Shuanghuai did his best not to burden Yuan Bozhu.

Yuan Bozhu thought Lin Shuanghuai might have been scared, as he clung tightly, hands around Yuan Bozhu’s neck, face buried in his shoulder.

Being so close, Yuan Bozhu could feel every breath Lin Shuanghuai took, short and accompanied by restrained coughing, and his unnaturally fast heartbeat.

Yuan Bozhu didn’t ask him anything because talking wouldn’t help now; getting out as quickly as possible was the priority.

Although he couldn’t set up barriers, Yuan Bozhu could still avoid most dangers.

Occasionally, exploding glass sent shards flying, hard to evade.

Yuan Bozhu would just bend down slightly to shield Lin Shuanghuai, turning his head away from the blast.

Fortunately, the shards weren’t too large.

Yuan Bozhu quickened his pace, continuing outward.

Suddenly, he felt a soft breeze against his ear, so gentle it seemed like an illusion.

He paused, realizing it was Lin Shuanghuai.

Glancing down at him, Lin Shuanghuai awkwardly explained, “Your ear… it’s bleeding…”

His voice grew smaller.

Yuan Bozhu understood his reaction.

Lin Shuanghuai likely regretted his action—blowing on an injured ear wouldn’t help in such a situation.

Lin Shuanghuai was probably dazed from the heat, his mind foggy. Despite his embarrassment.

Lin Shuanghuai reminded Yuan Bozhu of something important: it was strange that his only injury was a bleeding ear after rushing into the fire.

At that moment, Lin Shuanghuai snapped out of his embarrassment and shouted,

“Azhu, Azhu, watch out!”

Yuan Bozhu saw an advertisement board on the third floor suddenly fall, about to crash down.

He thought quickly.

Yuan Bozhu had countless ways to crush the board, but rescuing someone from a fire was already suspicious enough. If he emerged unscathed, it would be too unbelievable.

He made a decision to feign being unable to dodge.

The board, weighing dozens of kilograms, would crush a person. But if it merely grazed him, breaking bones, cutting skin, and burning him with hot metal, that would be more plausible.

Moreover, it would make him seem more like an ordinary person.

Yuan Bozhu was ready.

However, plans can’t keep up with changes.

Before the sharp corner of the billboard could leave a suitable wound on Yuan Bozhu’s shoulder, Lin Shuanghuai swatted it away with a powerful slap.

With a loud thud, the sign flew several meters away, crashing into the broken glass window of a nearby shop.

Lin Shuanghuai was startled by his own action and withdrew his hand in a daze.

Yuan Bozhu suddenly realized that under these circumstances, he might not be the only one needing to improve his acting skills.

The two of them silently exchanged a glance amidst the fire and smoke. After a moment, they looked away.

Lin Shuanghuai shrank back, burrowing his head into Yuan Bozhu’s chest, trying to make himself less noticeable.

Yuan Bozhu glanced at the back of Lin Shuanghuai’s hand, where the scraped area looked quite severe.

Lin Shuanghuai might not yet be adept at using his newly acquired power, overly relying on his physical instincts, resulting in injuries he shouldn’t have sustained.

But the situation was awkward, and it was best for Yuan Bozhu to pretend he didn’t know anything.

So he quickened his pace without a word.

To Yuan Bozhu’s relief, the three emotionally charged classmates stayed obediently where they were.

When they saw him carrying Lin Shuanghuai out, they didn’t scream and draw attention.

Instead, they covered their mouths, tears streaming down, and rushed over.

“Huai’er!”

“Oh my god, you scared me to death!!!”

“…What should we do, has he fainted?”

Yuan Bozhu didn’t stop his steps and simply said, “Call a car.”

He carried Lin Shuanghuai straight to the intersection, with the three following behind. Han Banlan fumbled with her phone to call a car, while Yu Yangen dashed to the roadside to hail a taxi.

Due to limited car space, the driver requested one of them to call another car.

Han Banlan turned to Xu Zhilong and said, “You call another one!”

Xu Zhilong was reluctant, clearly wanting to stay close by.

As they were still figuring it out, Yuan Bozhu put the feigning-faint Lin Shuanghuai into the car and stepped back, telling them, “I’m not going.”

Han Banlan: “???”

Yu Yangen was also shocked: “You just came out of there, you must be hurt! How can you not go?”

Xu Zhilong jumped up: “I’ll call another car; I won’t take this one. Yuan… Yuan… anyway, you must go, you’re covered in—”

Before finishing the word “wounds,” the three of them looked Yuan Bozhu up and down and awkwardly added, ”

—Internal injuries! You must get checked out!”

Unable to use the barrier, Yuan Bozhu’s clothes inevitably had several burns, and his face was smeared with soot.

He didn’t mind, brushed off the dust, and said, “I’ll go by myself, you go ahead.”

After speaking, he glanced at the car’s back seat.

Originally “fainted,” Lin Shuanghuai had opened half an eye to peek at him.

Caught by his gaze, he quickly closed it again.

“Then come to the same hospital with us, I’ll help you register!”

“Better if you take this car!”

“Inhaling all that smoke must be tough, don’t be stubborn!”

The three continued to persuade him, even reaching to pull his clothes.

Yuan Bozhu stepped back, dodging their hands, nodded without further comment, and turned to leave.

He didn’t specifically instruct them not to talk about today’s events, somehow trusting Lin Shuanghuai to handle it.

After all, if anything was discovered, it wasn’t clear who would be more anxious.

“Red, chaotic, unforeseen error.”

Yuan Wanjiao placed down a card and drew another. They didn’t resemble any known tarot cards, emanating a mysterious glow.

“Colorless, mercy.”

Her slender fingers circled it lightly, then tapped:

“An insignificant existence.”

Snap.

The sound of a lighter clicked.

The man sitting across lit all the cards on her table with a smile and said, “Vague answers are not your style.”

Yuan Wanjiao replied, “Relying on divination isn’t your style either, Satan.”

“I just want to know who that ‘unexpected error’ is.”

“A lich is not omnipotent.”

“Don’t be like that. Your abilities are far beyond this.”

“But I have no need to waste energy on such insignificant information.”

“How can this be insignificant?” Satan leisurely used the burning cards to light a cigarette.

“Now that Bonfire and Blade have been caught, things have become very troublesome. They are not loyal subordinates, and the Spider Domain will be exposed.”

Yuan Wanjiao glanced at the mercy card in his hand and said, “If you are talking about the Special Management Bureau, then I regret to inform you that when you took that position ten years ago, they had already placed you in the dangerous individuals’ file.”

“You’re so smart; why twist my words?” Satan explained patiently, “Soon, they will investigate our plan.”

“They already have,” Yuan Wanjiao emphasized, “they just don’t have the evidence.”

The air was silent for a moment.

Suddenly, Satan burst into loud laughter, his voice echoing throughout the room. Then he said, “I’ve been pondering a question.”

“I advise you not to think,” Yuan Wanjiao interrupted casually, “every one of your thoughts is dangerous.”

“No, no, no, this question concerns you,” Satan said with a smile, “I was wondering, is my family really that interesting?”

Yuan Wanjiao raised her eyelids to look at him.

Satan said, “You seem to be enjoying it already. Your aggression and ambition have disappeared. And you’ve even learned to talk back to me.”

“Is that so?” Yuan Wanjiao looked aside indifferently, “Maybe that’s a human trait? It seems they do have their merits.”

“Don’t joke with me like that… well, it seems you’re really not in the best state today, so I won’t press you.”

Satan stood up, adjusted his tailcoat, and took off his hat to bow to Yuan Wanjiao like a gentleman. He said,

“May you never betray your faith. Goodbye.”

When the door closed, Yuan Wanjiao suddenly shut her eyes tightly.

Three seconds later, black blood trickled from the corner of her eyes, her blood vessels contracted rapidly, and her body trembled violently.

This was the price of altering a prophecy.

Ordinary lies wouldn’t fool Satan; she had to put in a bit of effort.

When the phone rang, Yuan Wanjiao had just taken out her compact to touch up her makeup.

A strange number. She frowned slightly and, with a premonition, answered, putting it on speaker while touching up her powder. “Spit it out.”

From the other end came Yuan Qifeng’s annoying voice, “Old witch, do me a favor.”

Without a second thought, Yuan Wanjiao said, “Get lost, I’m busy.”

“I’m on the outskirts of the city, bring me some clothes.”

“What’s happened to you now?”

“Tch, don’t you know?”

Yuan Wanjiao’s expression froze for a moment, but her voice remained unchanged, “I only foresaw your doom today, good luck, you bastard.”

Yuan Qifeng sneered, “Seems like your skills are still lacking. Your brother will live a long life.”

Yuan Wanjiao hung up directly, too lazy to bother with him.

A moment later, a text message came through.

【Outskirts, West River Beach. Dare not to come, I’ll post your bare-faced photos online.】

Yuan Wanjiao frowned and blocked the number.

But in the end, she still got up, took a spare tracksuit of Yuan Qifeng’s from the wardrobe in her studio, stuffed it into her bag, and took a cab.

She really needed to go.

To kill that idiot Yuan Qifeng.

***

Today, Yuan Bozhu had faint dark circles under his eyes.

He never suffered from insomnia because, after a hundred years of cultivation, his mind was stable, and he fell asleep quickly.

But last night, he unusually couldn’t sleep.

Because no one was at home.

Mom was on a company retreat, traveling out of town for two days and one night, returning tomorrow. Dad was on another business trip for his project. His brother predictably vanished, and his sister sent a message to the family group chat saying, “still busy,” and didn’t come home all night.

Yuan Bozhu was not the kind of kid who depended on adults.

He wasn’t even a kid.

But he was sleepless at someone else’s house.

Until three in the morning, when he saw a riverside selfie posted by Yuan Qifeng on Moments.

He also saw that Yuan Wanjiao had liked it and commented: “You ugly jerk, you made me lose sleep. You should just kill yourself as an apology.”

Yuan Bozhu finally breathed a sigh of relief and slowly fell asleep.

Fortunately, once he put on his glasses, you couldn’t see the tiredness on his face.

Yuan Bozhu ate breakfast alone and left for school alone.

The fire at the Lakeside Avenue Mall yesterday, unsurprisingly, became the main topic of conversation.

“Did you see the news?”

“I did! I heard that some people woke up in the hospital and kept talking about ‘the end of the world’…”

“Yeah, they said the fire was really weird, with no source at all. It just started burning out of nowhere. A news interview with someone who was there said they saw the person next to them catch fire and turn to ashes in an instant, and then the whole mall started burning—”

“Oh my god, stop, you’re giving me goosebumps!”

“I heard a few kids from Class 3-1 were there. That’s so scary!”

“They didn’t come to school today, did they?”

“Of course not. If it were me, I’d take a week off. The scare alone is too much.”

As Yuan Bozhu walked into the school, the discussions didn’t stop, but he acted like an outsider, paying no attention.

He wasn’t surprised to hear those students had taken leave.

Even though they weren’t physically hurt, they were terrified. Especially when he had rescued Lin Shuanghuai, he saw Yu Yangen burst into tears and get a nosebleed.

Their parents were very concerned, taking them to doctors and doing everything they could to calm them down.

Han Banlan got a new phone, Yu Yangen received a game console, and Xu Zhilong was pampered with a feast at home by his mom and grandma all day.

The teachers, after seeing the news, understood and told the parents to focus on post-trauma psychological counseling for their kids.

But strangely, the only one actually injured in the fire, Lin Shuanghuai, came to school.

He acted as if nothing had happened, attending classes and eating as usual.

At lunch in the cafeteria, Yuan Bozhu saw Lin Shuanghuai laughing and chatting with other classmates.

Yuan Bozhu didn’t understand this.

Maybe Lin Shuanghuai really loved studying and school so much that he didn’t want to stay home to “calm down.”

Yuan Bozhu’s glance at Lin Shuanghuai was brief, just a casual sweep of his eyes.

Almost at the same time, Lin Shuanghuai looked back at him.

Yuan Bozhu was slightly startled, seeing the other smile at him, and suddenly thought: if Lin Shuanghuai had a superpower, it might be creating coincidences.

He looked away, but his phone buzzed.

He guessed it was Lin Shuanghuai.

Thinking this, he opened it, only to see a private message from his mom, Zhang Shu.

[Mom]: Sweetie, help mom pick an outfit. Which one looks better? I’m wearing it to the parent-teacher meeting tomorrow.

The pictures hadn’t even come through yet when Yuan Bozhu clicked the chat, ready to reply “anything is fine.”

Then he saw several photos.

[Mom]: [Image][Image][Image]

All three were bright red outfits.

Yuan Bozhu felt his vision darken.

[Yuan Bozhu]: ?

[Mom]: It’s my first time meeting my future daughter-in-law, so I want to dress festively. [Shy.jpg]

[Yuan Bozhu]: …There is no such person.

[Mom]: Is sweetie’s girlfriend a classmate?

[Yuan Bozhu]: No.

[Mom]: Then she must be from another class? Oh, what a shame.

[Yuan Bozhu]: No girlfriend.

[Mom]: Why haven’t you won her over yet?

“…” Yuan Bozhu suddenly couldn’t find a reply and silently exited the chat.

Zhang Shu would seize any opportunity to start a conversation.

Yuan Bozhu could tell at a glance.

Her intentions weren’t to choose clothes; she just wanted to tease him.

“Sit here, there’s a spot here.”

“Hey, every time Lin Shuanghuai comes to the cafeteria, it gets crowded.”

Two classmates sat down next to Yuan Bozhu.

It was normal to sit next to unfamiliar people when coming to the cafeteria alone, so Yuan Bo didn’t think much of it.

He put away his phone and began to focus on eating.

But the two beside him were chatterboxes and hadn’t stopped talking since they sat down, constantly gossiping. Yuan Bozhu had no choice but to overhear a lot of campus gossip.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t campus gossip, but gossip about Lin Shuanghuai.

“Why did Han Banlan and the others all take leave, but Lin Shuanghuai still came to school alone? Wasn’t he scared?”

“Haven’t you seen that post? It says…” The person lowered their voice, but Yuan Bozhu still heard clearly, “Don’t know who spread it, but they say he’s a jinx, bringing bad luck to anyone near him. This fire was just his bad luck affecting Han Banlan and the others. Of course, he’s not scared.”

“Nonsense, who believes that crap? Lin Shuanghuai must have offended someone, and they’re trying to mess with him.”

“I think so too, but… there was a reply saying Lin Shuanghuai caused his mother’s death at birth, and then got kicked out by his father. It sounded so convincing…”

“Are you crazy? Don’t spread baseless rumors.”

“Oh, come on, read the replies yourself! They sound so real, it’s hard not to be curious!”

Yuan Bozhu ate quickly and finished in a few minutes, then packed up to leave.

As he walked away, he glanced at the two classmates who seemed to be reading the posts on the school forum.

He never paid attention to the school forum since it was always filled with rumors that could be debunked at any moment.

Sometimes, sensitive topics would get posts deleted, and in severe cases, the students involved would be called in for a talk by the administration.

Yuan Bozhu was indifferent to these things, regardless of whether they were true or false.

Moreover, he knew very well the real cause of yesterday’s fire.

Lin Shuanghuai’s supposed “jinx” wasn’t that powerful. The so-called bad luck he brought to others was just nonsense.

…

“Yuan.”

When Yuan Bozhu walked out of the cafeteria, he knew someone was following him.

After being followed for a while, he assumed the person didn’t plan to show themselves.

Yuan Bozhu stopped and turned to look at Lin Shuanghuai. “What is it?

In fact, Yuan Bozhu had expected this.

Even just shooing away a cat for Lin Shuanghuai would earn a thank you from him, let alone saving his life.

This time, refusing would be harder because a life-saving grace would undoubtedly bring more expressions of gratitude from Lin Shuanghuai.

But it didn’t matter.

He could handle any gesture of thanks with some excuse.

Yuan Bozhu looked at him quietly.

“Nothing.” Lin Shuanghuai looked at him.

Yuan Bozhu unconsciously raised an eyebrow, showing rare surprise.

This was an unexpected answer.

But if there was nothing, that was best.

Yuan Bozhu turned and took two steps, but Lin Shuanghuai followed.

Yuan Bozhu stopped and asked him, “Didn’t you say it was nothing?”

Lin Shuanghuai answered honestly, “I want to follow you.”

“… Don’t follow me.”

“Okay.”

Yuan Bozhu was at a loss on how to respond to Lin Shuanghuai’s straightforward compliance.

The good news was, Lin Shuanghuai indeed didn’t follow him further.

The bad news was, Lin Shuanghuai ran ahead and turned to face him.

Yuan Bozhu stopped, watching him from a distance.

Upon closer inspection, Lin Shuanghuai looked different from yesterday, probably having his hair styled.

The hair Yuan Bozhu had helped cut before had grown longer.

But unlike Yuan Qifeng’s flamboyant personality, Lin Shuanghuai’s new hairstyle was simple without much embellishment.

The slightly curled ends of the hair softly rested behind the ear, shining with a golden-brown luster under the sunlight.

It indeed looked much better than a random haircut.

Some help is not worth offering even if you are busy.

“Yuan, I’ve thought about it seriously,” Lin Shuanghuai suddenly said.

Yuan Bozhu: “What?”

“You don’t like talking, chatting, noise, making friends, and you don’t like me approaching you when there are many people around.”

Lin Shuanghuai counted Yuan Bozhu’s dislikes on his fingers and then said, “If I were to follow all your preferences, I wouldn’t have any chance to get close to you. So, I must be rebellious.”

Yuan Bozhu glanced at him, trying to find a hint of humor on Lin Shuanghuai’s face.

But Lin Shuanghuai was very serious and added,

“If you get angry, I’ll stop. If you’re just a bit unhappy but not angry, then I’ll continue to be rebellious.”

“You can stop now.”

“No,” Lin Shuanghuai said confidently. “I know you’re not angry.”

Yuan Bozhu stared at Lin Shuanghuai with a blank expression.

Lin Shuanghuai’s rebellion was genuine.

He didn’t shy away from Yuan Bozhu’s scrutinizing gaze and let him look openly.

In this situation, it seemed that at least one of them would be unhappy today.

Lin Shuanghuai decided to take a gamble.

He would exchange one day of Yuan Bozhu’s unhappiness for their long-term development.

Politeness wouldn’t take their relationship to the next level, so this was a big step Lin Shuanghuai had to take.

If Yuan Bozhu got angry, he’d appease him.

If not, he would continue to push the boundaries.

Having faced life and death, he didn’t need to worry about saving face.

What does be a good child who doesn’t provoke anger get you?

Indifference, neglect, meaningless praise.

People say you’re sensible, but they give candy to the child who cries.

Now, Lin Shuanghuai was determined to “cry” to Yuan Bozhu and ask for that candy.

Yuan Bozhu asked, “What do you want?”

Lin Shuanghuai blurted out, “Candy!”

“What?” Yuan Bozhu was taken aback.

“No, no,” Lin Shuanghuai slapped his mouth. “I want to spend time with you.”

Yuan Bozhu was puzzled, “What’s the point?”

This question might have been too serious. Lin Shuanghuai thought for a long time before saying, “It seems pointless.”

“Mm.” Yuan Bozhu agreed. But then Lin Shuanghuai added, “However, my whole life is just a meaningless repetition and accumulation. Yuan, are you denying my life?”

“…Not really.”

“Then can I stay with you meaninglessly?”

That was a good question. Few people could ask a question that left Yuan Bozhu at a loss. He felt that continuously questioning Lin Shuanghuai was itself meaningless. Yuan Bozhu frowned and was about to speak when Lin Shuanghuai interrupted, “Does your ear still hurt?”

Yesterday in the fire, Yuan Bozhu, without a barrier, was accidentally scratched by flying glass. Yuan Bozhu had actually forgotten about the small wound that would heal with little notice, but when Lin Shuanghuai mentioned it, he instinctively raised his hand to touch it. The small wound had already scabbed over.

Lin Shuanghuai’s words pulled them both back into the scene where they “lived and died together.”

Although there was no real danger of life and death at that time, for Lin Shuanghuai, it was their shared hardship.

He suddenly stepped forward, Yuan Bozhu instinctively retreated, but Lin Shuanghuai grabbed his hand, “Let me see.”

“No…”

Without finishing his sentence, Lin Shuanghuai was already on tiptoe, with both hands resting on his shoulders.

Perhaps this wasn’t an overly intimate gesture, as Yuan Bozhu had seen many close peers who would hook their arms around each other’s shoulders; it wasn’t unusual.

However, Yuan Bozhu had no close peers.

For him, it was the first time he had been this close to someone.

That dry, irritated feeling in his throat resurfaced.

He resisted the urge to swallow.

Silently, he waited for Lin Shuanghuai to finish his “inspection.”

“Thankfully, there are no glass shards left inside,” Lin Shuanghuai’s voice sounded somewhat displeased. He let go of Yuan Bozhu’s shoulders, stood up straight again, and looked at Yuan Bozhu, saying, “Why didn’t you disinfect it?”

“It’s just a small wound.”

“If it gets infected, a small wound will turn into a big one.” Lin Shuanghuai threatened, “Your ear will rot.”

“No…”

“Pfft, pfft, pfft!” Lin Shuanghuai quickly undid the curse himself, “Sorry, sorry, I was talking nonsense, it doesn’t count, that doesn’t count. I’m sorry…”

Yuan Bozhu didn’t really take those childish words to heart either.

But Lin Shuanghuai was seriously apologizing, his face full of guilt and regret.

“I…” Yuan Bozhu suddenly said, “I’ll apply some medicine when I get home today.”

“Go home?” Lin Shuanghuai, reminded by him, seemed to remember something. Like performing a magic trick, he suddenly pulled out a small bottle from his pocket, “Of course, you should apply it now.”

Yuan Bozhu’s eyelid twitched slightly.

He increasingly felt that Lin Shuanghuai was a peculiar person.

He could always be very thorough in some unexpected matters.

Since it was still mealtime, there was no one on this road, but if they stayed longer, that might not be the case.

With a feeling of wanting to avoid entanglement, Yuan Bozhu took the initiative to stretch out his hand.

Lin Shuanghuai was stunned for a moment, then obediently handed it over, “Here you go…”

“Thank you.”

Taking the small bottle, Yuan Bozhu said no more and walked away.

This time, Lin Shuanghuai did not chase after him.

He covered his ears and inexplicably stomped his foot.

Yuan Bozhu walked ahead, hearing Lin Shuanghuai behind him say in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible:

“Yay!”

Author’s note:

Yuan: To save trouble, pretends to accept.

Hui: Rebelled successfully, keep it up.