Chapter 63: Starting Today

Zhou Xuan had accompanied You Chong.

Lin Yuanwei’s intention in reprimanding Lin Hexi in front of the guests was merely to appease and calm those two particular guests.

The sudden appearance of You Chong and Zhou Xuan, who seemed to have a familiar relationship with his good-for-nothing son, put Lin Yuanwei in an awkward position. Although he was an elder in front of these two, due to the powerful You family and Zhou family backing them, he didn’t dare to act superior and had to restrain his anger, letting the matter drop.

The man who had misplaced his anger on Lin Hexi and the spoiled young master were also acquaintances of You Chong and Zhou Xuan.

Seeing You Chong step in to defend Lin Hexi, the man had no choice but to turn and scold his younger brother lightly.

The young master, unwilling to admit his mistake, stubbornly blamed, “He was dressed like this, so I thought he was one of the servants here.”

Lin Yuanwei, who always valued his own reputation and the Lin family’s image above all, felt utterly humiliated by the young master’s words. He could only suppress his anger towards Lin Hexi and called Mrs. Lin over to give her instructions: “Take him upstairs to change his clothes.”

Mrs. Lin led Lin Hexi out of the banquet hall.

The man who had brought his younger brother was older than both You Chong and Zhou Xuan, and in front of him, the two had no choice but to address him as “brother.”

Catching a glimpse of the direction Lin Hexi had left, You Chong could only stay where he was, maintaining his usual expression as he exchanged a few pleasantries with the man. Then, using the excuse of going to the restroom, he left Zhou Xuan behind and followed the route Lin Hexi had taken.

It was clear that Mrs. Lin wouldn’t actually take Lin Hexi upstairs to change clothes herself. When You Chong caught up, the two of them hadn’t gone far; they were standing face to face beside a quiet, deserted staircase, seemingly at an impasse.

The sound of steady footsteps echoed from outside the banquet hall as You Chong strode towards them.

Mrs. Lin quickly adjusted her expression. “You’re not to blame for being late. Go change your clothes first, and don’t upset your father today since it’s your brother’s birthday.”

After speaking, she turned her gentle expression towards You Chong. “Young Master You, are you looking for Tongtong? He’s in the banquet hall entertaining friends.”

You Chong remained silent.

It was Lin Hexi, leaning against the shadowed side of the staircase, who lifted his head. His expression of confusion didn’t seem feigned at all. “What clothes?”

Mrs. Lin had to turn back to him, trying to handle and dismiss him first. “The suit I picked for you. I had the maid deliver it to your room earlier today.”

“The suit you picked for me?” Lin Hexi raised his eyes to look directly at her, his expression not as deferential as it usually was in front of others. “If it was really chosen for me, why is it in Lin Tong’s size? Or,” a hint of blatant innocence shone in his dark eyes, “is this year’s style trending towards three-quarter sleeves and three-quarter pants?”

Not expecting Lin Hexi to expose her in front of others, Mrs. Lin’s expression froze momentarily, and the look she cast on his face grew silently cold.

Lin Hexi met her gaze calmly, without a trace of fear on his face.

Having lived under someone else’s roof for so many years, Lin Hexi had long since shed the naive and stubborn temperament he had when he first entered the Lin family, and rarely openly resisted the Lin family members anymore.

It wasn’t that the years of mental and physical oppression had piled up like a mountain, constantly pressing against the limits of his patience, finally resulting in an emotional outburst.

In fact, it had nothing to do with any of that.

Ever since You Chong appeared here, although Lin Hexi’s face hadn’t turned even slightly in his direction, his peripheral vision couldn’t help but drift towards him.

He had already told You Chong too much about himself.

You Chong knew that no one in the Lin family welcomed him, knew that his biological father had never fulfilled his paternal duties, and knew that his legal mother was always wary and controlling of him.

Given that You Chong was aware of these things, Lin Hexi thought he could still act as if nothing was wrong.

However, when You Chong actually appeared at the Lin residence and truly witnessed how Lin Yuanwei and Mrs. Lin treated him, Lin Hexi suddenly became afraid.

He feared letting You Chong see all of this, feared letting You Chong see the side of him that, in front of Lin Yuanwei and Mrs. Lin, showed only compliance and tolerance.

Or more accurately, he feared letting the person he liked see it.

Even though this compliance and tolerance were just a false mask he wore in the Lin family.

You Chong stepped forward, reached out, and grasped his wrist, pulling him from the shadows into the light. “I’m not looking for Lin Tong; I’m looking for him.”

Mrs. Lin’s expression was unreadable as she glanced at You Chong’s hand wrapped around Lin Hexi’s wrist.

After a moment, she smiled slightly, nodded towards You Chong, and then spoke in a gentle tone, “If you don’t want to change clothes, just go back to your room and have some fun.” She took a few steps away and then turned back, “Don’t go back to the banquet hall. If your father sees you, you’ll get scolded again.”

The door leading to the banquet hall opened and then closed again, and Mrs. Lin’s figure disappeared on the other side.

Not forgetting the argument he had with You Chong over the phone, Lin Hexi sat down on the stairs, bending over, with no intention of speaking.

But when his gaze swept over the scuff mark he had left on You Chong’s shoe, his lips moved slightly.

Following his gaze to his own scuffed shoe, You Chong chuckled, “Not even a thank you?”

Lin Hexi thanked him, his brows still slightly furrowed, and reached into the pocket of his sweatshirt, pulling out a clean tissue.

You Chong’s expression froze for a moment.

The person sitting in front of him had already bent down, reaching out to wipe the scuff mark from his shoe, revealing the pure black crown of his head and his neat, lovely hair whorl.

The tea-brown short hair from memory was gone, as if it had taken away that hint of defiance and casualness from Lin Hexi’s face, replaced by black hair that made him appear even more obedient and calm.

Lin Hexi with tea-brown hair was bold, bright, and carefree.

But Lin Hexi with black hair made people’s hearts soften more easily.

It felt as though something in his heart suddenly collapsed, accompanied by a slight tightening in his chest.

As he suppressed the urge to hug the person in front of him, You Chong took the tissue from Lin Hexi’s hand and wiped his shoe with a somewhat perfunctory motion.

Lin Hexi sat on the stairs, watching him wipe off the scuff mark on his shoe, then straightened up, still holding the tissue.

Their eyes met, and Lin Hexi caught the unguarded emotions in You Chong’s gaze.

A second later, he quickly looked away and chuckled lightly, “What kind of expression is that? It’s not like I’m at home every day polishing shoes for Lin Tong’s dad and mom.” He paused, then added with an unreadable expression, “Growing up, this is actually the first time I’ve polished someone’s shoes.”

You Chong didn’t say anything.

Lin Hexi waited for a moment before asking, “The birthday banquet is about to start. Aren’t you going over?”

You Chong replied, “Zhou Xuan will pass along my birthday gift.”

Lin Hexi gave him a curious look. “You came to Lin Tong’s birthday banquet, and it’s not just to deliver a birthday gift, right?”

You Chong stood in front of him, looking down as he met Lin Hexi’s gaze. “You’re right.”

Lin Hexi nodded knowingly. “Then you can go over now.”

But You Chong remained where he was, his voice calm. “But I didn’t come here to see him.”

Lin Hexi instinctively responded, “Then you came here to—”

Before he could finish his sentence, he found himself staring into You Chong’s deep, dark eyes, like the depths of the ocean. Realizing something, he abruptly stopped speaking.

You Chong had already spoken, “I came here to see you.”

Before falling too deeply, Lin Hexi quickly averted his gaze. “If you’re here to ask about the painting,” he said, resting one hand against his face and turning his head to look elsewhere. His voice was so soft it was almost like he was talking to himself, as if explaining to You Chong but also to himself, “The painting’s ownership was mine before I gave it away, and I still have the right to decide its final destination. So, there’s nothing for us to discuss.”

You Chong’s expression remained unchanged. “Then let’s not discuss it for now.”

Not understanding why it was only “for now,” Lin Hexi furrowed his brows, wanting to say something more.

You Chong had already changed the topic: “Why did you dye your hair back to black?”

He sat down beside Lin Hexi, his long legs slightly bent, resting on the step below. He placed his palm on top of Lin Hexi’s soft, neatly combed hair, pinching the ends between his fingers and gently rubbing them. Then, raising his eyebrows slightly, he said, “I was looking for tea-brown hair in the crowd, and I couldn’t find it for a long time.”

Lin Hexi thought for a moment and finally decided to tell him everything without reservation: “She said my hair color would affect Lin Tong’s birthday banquet and told me to dye it back to black.”

“She just wanted to find an excuse for me to get scolded by Lin Yuanwei; it wasn’t worth all the trouble she went through,” Lin Hexi said with a carefree smile.

You Chong’s eyes darkened, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Hexi’s face.

This time, he didn’t hide the emotions clearly visible in his eyes.

In just half an hour, it was the second time Lin Hexi had seen that look in You Chong’s eyes.

He didn’t really like You Chong looking at him that way. When he shared his experiences with You Chong, it wasn’t to gain sympathy or pity from him.

Quite the opposite, throughout his life, the last thing Lin Hexi ever needed was sympathy or pity from others.

And whenever faced with such sentiments, his best response had always been a smile.

The smile at the corner of his lips widened, and Lin Hexi even tilted his head with interest, his expression flawless as he asked, “Do you think I’m pitiful?”

You Chong’s response was far beyond what he expected.

With an indistinct emotion, You Chong countered, “Aren’t you pitiful?”

Lin Hexi’s smile faltered slightly, and he instinctively looked up at You Chong, a hint of barely noticeable confusion flickering in his eyes.

He thought he was unassailable, yet You Chong’s words pierced through his layers of armor, carrying a sharp force that went straight to the depths of his heart.

He didn’t know how to answer this question, so he simply followed You Chong’s lead: “You’re right.”

Lin Hexi said, “My biological mother doesn’t love me; she thinks I’m her stain. My biological father doesn’t love me either; in his eyes, I’m dispensable. And I have no other relatives, nor do I have any friends. Compared to you all, I am indeed pitiful.”

His tone was calm and even, but with every word he uttered, his heart tightened uncontrollably.

He wasn’t sure if this was what heartache felt like. By the time he finished speaking, he felt as if he had detached from his own body, like an indifferent outsider standing by, watching his lips open and close.

For a long time, Lin Hexi didn’t look at You Chong’s expression; he could only hear You Chong softly calling his name: “Lin Hexi.”

He heard You Chong say, “No one loves you.”

Lin Hexi wanted to respond, to tell him, “You’re right, no one loves me.”

He opened his mouth, but his voice seemed to be blocked, caught in his throat, unable to come out for a long time.

Then there was a warm touch on the corner of his lips, followed by his cheek, his nose tip, and his eyelashes.

The warmth and softness carried You Chong’s unique scent and breathing rhythm.

Lin Hexi hadn’t finished his words.

On the narrow and quiet staircase, You Chong reached out and embraced him tightly. “Your mother doesn’t love you—it doesn’t matter. Your father doesn’t love you—that doesn’t matter either. It doesn’t matter if you have no family, and it doesn’t matter if you have no friends. None of that matters.”

The arms holding him tightened slightly, and You Chong called his name once more: “Lin Hexi.”

He said, “Starting today, I will love you.”