At two in the morning, Mo Lin pushed open the door of the Interrogation Room and fished out a pack of cigarettes from his suit pocket. At this hour, he needed a smoke to stay awake.

The empty corridor connected to the rooftop on the second floor. As he pushed open the rooftop door, it creaked, making the night feel even more desolate and silent.

With his well-defined fingers, he pulled out a slender cigarette with an exquisite filter from the pack. The golden gleam of the lighter flashed briefly.

“Ding~” After the crisp sound, a flicker of flame rose, casting shadows on his distinct features, his black hair blending into the night.

He gently crushed the blueberry-flavored bead in the filter, and the cool smoke rolled into his lungs, the burning tobacco crackling like thoughts being ground to dust.

“Kid, if you want to become strong, you must endure the pain that others cannot bear…”

“Your empathy is outstanding, but that’s far from enough. Only by experiencing the same encounters can you see the true faces behind those masks…”

“The son of a psychology professor, you have an innate talent. Dad will help you maximize it, so be obedient!”

Suddenly, the rooftop door was pushed open, and a shadow cast by the light stretched out at his feet. The owner of the shadow stood like a statue in the doorway, motionless, not even making a sound while breathing.

Mo Lin, with a cigarette between his fingers, put the lighter back in his pants pocket and looked at Gu Yuan with interest. “Started monitoring me already?”

Gu Yuan had his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. His chest heaved noticeably. “I’m tired.”

Gu Yuan was getting a bit impatient. After two hours of interrogation, the case involving Zhou Jie and Qiu Yao was finally closed, but he still hadn’t figured out what was so special about Mo Lin.

“Your place or mine?” Mo Lin exhaled a cloud of smoke, making the scene feel hazy.

This question could easily lead to wild thoughts, but since it was Gu Yuan listening, it was taken at face value.

He replied, somewhat impatiently, “The hotel.”

Mo Lin took another drag, standing in the dark, looking at the black silhouette at the door. “Not a bad idea.”

He remembered that Gu Yuan didn’t like the smell of smoke, so he stubbed out the cigarette after only two puffs, pulled out a blue candy from his pocket, and popped it into his mouth. As he walked past Gu Yuan, the air was filled with a sweet fruity scent. “Wait for me at the main entrance. I’ll go get the car.”

Gu Yuan stood at the door for two minutes, his eyelids starting to droop. Suddenly, a car flashed its lights at him twice, and the light dazzled his sleepy eyes. Mo Lin drove the car over and stopped beside him.

Opening the car door, Gu Yuan sat in the comfortable passenger seat, struggling to stay awake and wanting to take a quick nap.

Because he carelessly forgot to fasten his seatbelt, when he opened his eyes, Mo Lin’s enlarged profile was right in front of him. Mo Lin reached over to help him with the seatbelt, the proximity making Gu Yuan’s pupils contract, instantly losing his drowsiness.

“Did I disturb you?”

Mo Lin’s voice was soft, almost like a whisper, and the candy’s sweetness lingered in the air, making even the breathing feel sugary.

Gu Yuan’s hand found the seat adjustment button. He intended to recline the seat, but due to nervousness and unfamiliarity with the car, he pressed the wrong button…

As a result, his body lurched forward uncontrollably, and his lips accidentally brushed against Mo Lin’s cheek…

Mo Lin’s hand jerked, and the seatbelt slipped from his grasp, retracting back.

Embarrassed, Gu Yuan turned his head, his soft hair brushing against Mo Lin’s cheek…

His right hand frantically searched for the adjustment button under the seat, and his body suddenly pushed the seat back, finally creating some distance between them.

Mo Lin was momentarily stunned, and when he came back to his senses, he realized Gu Yuan had already maintained a relatively safe distance from him.

“I’ll do it myself.” Gu Yuan reached for the seatbelt and quickly fastened it.

Mo Lin returned to the driver’s seat, feeling a warmth in his throat. He loosened his shirt collar. “The car’s design is a bit problematic. I’ll switch to another one next time…”

Gu Yuan looked out the window, but in fact, there was nothing but darkness outside. His face was reflected in the car window. After a long pause, he replied, “There won’t be a next time.”

Meanwhile, Mo Lin noticed that Gu Yuan’s ear was already bright red, the red capillaries on the ear visible, and the blood vessels in his neck were throbbing violently.

Poor guy, he even tried to adjust the seat.

Thinking of this, he suddenly found the other person a bit cute and couldn’t help but smile. “There’s a hotel nearby. I’m a gold card member there. How about we go there?”

“Whatever.”

Gu Yuan continued looking out the window, not really seeing anything.

Mo Lin turned on the car stereo, playing a soothing instrumental track to ease the awkward atmosphere.

After checking into the hotel, Mo Lin draped his jacket over the sofa and went into the bathroom to run the water. When he came out, he wiped his hands. “Do you want to shower first?”

Gu Yuan frowned slightly. “Is there a rope here?”

“What do you need a rope for?”

“To tie you up?”

Mo Lin leaned against the wall, propping his head with one hand, struggling to hold back his laughter. “What are you thinking? I’m not that kind of person…”

Gu Yuan: “What if you spray yourself with pheromone-laden perfume while I’m showering?”

Mo Lin laughed for a while, then seriously helped Gu Yuan solve the problem. He took off his tie. “Will this do?”

“It’ll do.”

Gu Yuan took the tie and carefully tied Mo Lin’s wrists behind his back, ensuring he couldn’t untie it before entering the bathroom.

The floor-to-ceiling window reflected Mo Lin’s tall figure. He admired the knot Gu Yuan had tied on his wrists, unable to help but praise it in his mind: A forensic doctor’s knot is indeed special—not only sturdy but also quite unique.

Twenty minutes later, Gu Yuan emerged from the bathroom, his soft hair draped over his forehead, slightly dripping. He wore a white bathrobe, the collar slightly loose, revealing his collarbone, with a hint of skin below, strikingly pale.

It was Mo Lin’s first time seeing his beautiful collarbone, much more attractive than he had imagined.

“Can I untie it now?” Mo Lin asked.

Gu Yuan walked over, stood behind Mo Lin, and untied the tie from Mo Lin’s wrists. The water droplets from his hair dripped onto Mo Lin’s hand, a cool, tingling sensation.

The scent of his body wash was quite noticeable. As it wafted over, Mo Lin’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.

Mo Lin rotated his wrists. “This isn’t surveillance; it’s kidnapping.”

“No choice,” Gu Yuan said. “I’ve never encountered this situation before. I have to figure it out.”

Mo Lin turned to look at him. “I think in 24 hours, you might be even more confused…”

“Impossible… Science can explain all mysteries. If it can’t, then there must be a problem with the process.”

Mo Lin thought: I’ll see how you plan to convince yourself.

Gu Yuan lay on the bed, looking at his phone. The hotel bed was very comfortable, and since the room was spacious, the other bed was quite far away. He used the remote to close the curtains, ensuring the alarm was set for the next morning.

As he prepared to sleep, Mo Lin came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. His chest wasn’t completely dry, and his hair was still dripping. Water droplets slid down the muscles of his neck, over his strong chest, playfully jumping on his well-defined abs, before disappearing into the wide towel along with the V-line.

Gu Yuan accidentally caught a glimpse when he looked up and immediately lowered his head.

Even though it was just a glance, he saw enough. Due to his profession, he had seen many human bodies, regardless of age or gender, and they were all the same to him.

But Mo Lin was different. He found himself somewhat reluctant to look at him…

“Aren’t you cold?” Gu Yuan asked.

“Just took a shower, feeling a bit hot. Why?”

The “a bit hot” Mo Lin twisted open a bottle of mineral water, tilted his head back, and took a few sips. The movement of his Adam’s apple made it look like he was filming a TV commercial.

While drinking, his long, narrow eyes seemed to glance casually in Gu Yuan’s direction, noticing the other person was covering his ears in frustration.

He didn’t need to think to know what Gu Yuan was pondering. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but smile.

After capping the water bottle, Mo Lin went back into the bathroom to dry his hair, then came out wearing a white bathrobe, turned off the lights, and prepared to sleep.

Gu Yuan covered his burning ears, feeling increasingly strange. Despite the distance, why was he still having a stress reaction?

Gu Yuan was particularly persistent about things he couldn’t understand. His brows furrowed tightly as he took out his phone and sent a message to Wen Zihan: [What does it mean if you blush when you see someone?]

Wen Zihan quickly replied: [Do you have a crush on someone?]

Gu Yuan: [No.]

Wen Zihan: [I feel like something’s off with you lately. Why do you keep asking weird questions?]

Gu Yuan: [Maybe my social anxiety is getting worse.]

Wen Zihan: [You think it can get worse? Bro, have you seen a psychologist?]

Gu Yuan: [I have.]

Wen Zihan: [What did they say?]

Gu Yuan: [To observe for a while.]

Wen Zihan: [That’s as good as saying nothing. Should I take leave and come keep you company for a few days?]

Gu Yuan: [No need.]

Lying in bed, Mo Lin sensed that the other person was continuously chatting with someone. Suddenly, he felt a bit restless and got up to turn on the light. “Gu Yuan, my wound seems to have gotten wet. It hurts…”

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan put down his phone. “Let me see your hand.”

Mo Lin extended his right hand.

Gu Yuan knelt in front of him, peeling off the bandage on his hand. The wound hadn’t really gotten wet, but it was slightly bleeding.

He found iodine and gauze from his bag. “I’ll disinfect it for you again.”

Mo Lin sat on the bed, looking down at him, his gaze involuntarily flickering. “Do you always carry these things with you?”

“I brought them for you.” Gu Yuan said it as naturally as stating whether it was sunny or rainy today.

The iodine-soaked cotton swab brushed over the wound on his palm, like long-awaited rain falling on cracked earth…

Author’s Note: Here it is~

Happy April Fool’s Day!