Chapter 30

They stared at each other in the hallway for almost ten seconds.

“Oh… I, uh…” Lin Si pointed at the door, trying to explain that he couldn’t get in.

“You’re back,” Lu Wei said abruptly.

Lin Si froze, taking a while to process.

Lu Wei’s voice sounded a bit hoarse, for some reason giving Lin Si the feeling that they hadn’t seen each other in a long time.

And Lu Wei actually initiated a greeting with him…

Is it raining red in the heavens?

“Uh… yeah, I’m back.” Lin Si stiffly pointed at the door. “I… I think I can’t get in. Did you change the lock?”

Lu Wei walked toward him, lowering his voice as he approached. “Let me try.”

The sudden decrease in distance reminded Lin Si of the pseudo-heat that day.

Back then, Lu Wei had pressed his hand against Lin Si’s back, and with every breath, Lin Si could smell the scent of Lu Wei’s pheromones. It felt as if he had been placed inside a bubble wrapped in Lu Wei’s scent, completely forgetting himself and the world. Only by touching the tip of his nose to Lu Wei’s exposed shoulder could he find a sense of grounding and security.

“Should I try?” Lu Wei asked again when Lin Si didn’t move.

Lin Si immediately slid to the side, practically gliding with his luggage in tow.

Lu Wei stood in front of the scanner, and with a soft click, the lock released. He pushed the door open with his hand and said, “It’s open.”

Lin Si scratched the back of his head and muttered softly, “I’ve only been away for a few days, and it’s already treating me like a stranger?”

Lu Wei pulled the door back with a snap and looked at Lin Si. “Then let’s start over and try again.”

“Huh? Try again?” Lin Si found the suggestion rather pointless, but since Lu Wei proposed spending time on this, he had no choice but to comply. Stammering, he said, “O-okay, sure.”

As he moved, his leg got stuck against the luggage. In the next moment, Lu Wei reached out with one hand, collapsed the handles of both suitcases, and dragged them behind the two of them.

Lin Si thought it was all very strange. It was as if both the door and Lu Wei in this house were fake. Either that or he’d been hit on the head by a meteorite.

Lin Si stood dumbly in front of the scanner. After a moment, there was still no response.

“Step back a bit,” Lu Wei instructed. “Look here.”

“Oh.” Lin Si awkwardly stepped back. Sure enough, he heard the familiar unlocking sound. Grasping the handle, he mumbled in embarrassment, “Maybe I’ve gotten used to staying in hotels and forgot where to stand for the scanner…”

“Mm.” Lu Wei casually pushed the door open wider for him.

Lin Si turned his head in jerky increments, glancing at Lu Wei.

This has to be a fake Lu Wei!

You’re fake, aren’t you?!

After a round of silent staring, Lin Si gave in.

“I… uh, my luggage…” Lin Si gestured awkwardly at his suitcases.

Lu Wei released his grip on the suitcase handles, and when Lin Si reached out with both hands to grab them, Lu Wei only handed him one.

Lin Si’s remaining hand froze awkwardly in midair.

Lu Wei seemed not to notice, firmly taking over one of the suitcases. “Go on in,” he said.

Lin Si looked down at his own palm, slowly retracting his hand in a stiff, almost glitching motion. Still dazed, he stepped inside.

Has the world gone mad, or have I?

Is this some kind of alternate dimension?

Pushing his suitcase leisurely back to his room, Lin Si closed the door and stood there for a moment, deep in thought. Something about Lu Wei’s behavior today felt completely off.

Could it be that he had been away for so long that Lu Wei actually… missed him?

…No way, no need for that.

Or maybe it was because of what happened last time with the suppressant?

But Lin Si had been far more troubled about that than Lu Wei. After it was over, he hadn’t been in the right state of mind and had only managed a casual “thank you” before leaving. He had even disrupted Lu Wei’s work. There was no reason for Lu Wei to suddenly treat him better now.

After much internal conflict, Lin Si arrived at a less-than-ideal conclusion.

It must be that while he was away, Lu Wei brought someone else home. Or maybe Lu Wei was planning to discuss it with him…

Could their two-person apartment be upgrading to a three-person one???

The more Lin Si thought about it, the worse it got. He changed into his pajamas and wandered into the kitchen.

Through the glass window, he saw Lu Wei standing at the counter with his back to him.

Given Lu Wei’s unusually pleasant demeanor today, Lin Si greeted him as he entered. “You didn’t have dinner yet…?”

As he spoke, he bent down to open the fridge and grabbed a bottle of mineral water.

“I already ate,” Lu Wei replied, turning around.

From this angle, Lin Si could see into the pot on the stove. What he saw was… tragic, to say the least. It was a complete massacre of food.

He raised his head to look at the kitchen’s executioner.

Lu Wei had his shirt sleeves rolled up halfway to his forearms, but not a single button on his collar was undone. He didn’t look even remotely like someone who was cooking.

“…” Lin Si pointed at the steak on the stove. “Is this… a late-night snack?”

Lu Wei looked up but didn’t say anything.

Lin Si swallowed nervously. “About last time… thank you.” He stepped closer to Lu Wei and softly suggested, “If you don’t mind, I can take over.”

Lu Wei immediately let go and handed him the spatula.

Lin Si grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the cabinet, turned off the stove, and asked, “How do you like it cooked?”

“Medium,” Lu Wei replied.

Setting the spatula down, Lin Si turned around, only to bump into Lu Wei, who was standing right in front of him.

So close.

They both froze for a moment.

Lin Si quickly stepped back. “I was just going to get the black pepper…”

Lu Wei stepped aside to make way for him.

“Do you want any sides?” Lin Si asked. “Mashed potatoes might take too long, but we have asparagus and…”

“Onions,” Lu Wei said.

Lin Si quickly found the onions, chopped up some rosemary and thyme, then washed the small onions. With impressive speed, he sliced them into several clean, even rings.

The onions made his eyes sting slightly. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and squinted, preparing to open them again when a hand appeared in his view.

Lu Wei was handing him a tissue.

Lin Si tilted his head and looked at him, then pointed to his own eyes. “I’m not crying.”

“…” Lu Wei looked at his slightly reddened eyes. Indeed, there was no sign of tears, so he retracted his hand. “Alright.”

“Yeah… I cut fast enough that I don’t tear up,” Lin Si explained.

Though, honestly, he found it incredibly odd to be explaining this to Lu Wei at all.

Lin Si washed the knife clean and pressed lightly on the steak. Judging by the texture, Lu Wei must have only cooked it on low heat for a short while. It could still be salvaged. He picked up the steak with his chopsticks, brushed it generously with butter, and turned the heat to high. Once the butter started sizzling, he placed the steak back in the pan.

In the spacious kitchen, the only sound was the sizzling of the frying pan. Lin Si sprinkled sea salt and rosemary over the steak and asked casually, “Do you want extra black pepper?”

“Up to you,” Lu Wei replied.

Lin Si seasoned the steak according to his usual preference, then flipped it over to cook the other side. As he waited, he idly tapped the spatula handle with his index and middle fingers. When it was almost done, he repeated the seasoning and used his chopsticks to hold the steak upright, searing the edges.

Just as he was about to plate it, Lu Wei’s arm reached over his head, retrieving a plate from the cabinet and handing it to him.

It was the first time Lin Si had felt in sync with Lu Wei. He took the plate, placed the steak on it, and quickly arranged some onion rings and leftover rosemary for garnish. He handed the plate to Lu Wei. “That should be about right.”

“Thank you,” Lu Wei said.

“No need…” Lin Si rinsed his hands, intending to clean up, but Lu Wei stopped him. “Leave it. I’ll tidy up after I eat.”

Lin Si wanted to say it would only take two minutes, but since Lu Wei insisted, he didn’t argue. He dried his hands and trailed after Lu Wei out of the kitchen.

Having made Lu Wei a late-night snack, Lin Si suddenly didn’t know what to do with himself. The atmosphere tonight was undeniably strange. He debated between chatting with Lu Wei for a while or retreating to his room, gulping down half a bottle of mineral water as he mulled it over.

“Did the movie wrap up?” Lu Wei asked suddenly.

Lin Si choked on his water, coughing before he managed to respond. “Yeah, it wrapped.”

After that, silence fell between them again. Lin Si stole a glance at Lu Wei, thinking how impossibly composed he looked.

His shirt was immaculate, his posture perfectly straight, and even the way he held his knife and fork was exceptionally refined. He didn’t look like someone who was hungry enough to need a midnight snack.

So far, Lu Wei hadn’t mentioned anything about Omegas or cohabitation. Lin Si figured that probably wasn’t the reason for Lu Wei’s sudden change in attitude toward him.

Lin Si didn’t care all that much about what Lu Wei was thinking. As long as they could coexist peacefully under the same roof, that was all he needed. The current level of distance and attitude was perfect for him. He could repay Lu Wei’s help by cooking him a late-night snack or assisting with small tasks, but that was as far as he was willing to go.

“You’re not using the bathroom, right?” Lin Si asked, ready to make his escape via a long bath. “If not, I’ll go take a shower first.”

Lu Wei looked up at him, his deep gaze lingering for a long moment without a word.

Lin Si blinked a few times. “So… you need to use it first?”

“There’s something I want to talk about.” Lu Wei put down his knife and fork.

Lin Si took a deep breath, his mind racing. It’s over. He’s still going to bring that Omega back to live with us.

“Think it through…” Lin Si blurted.

“Think what through?” Lu Wei asked, frowning slightly.

Lin Si quickly adjusted, not daring to outright reject him. Instead, he said tactfully, “Nothing, go ahead and say it. We can discuss it calmly.” But there’s no way I’ll agree to this!

“Do you remember Bu Wannian?” Lu Wei asked.

Lin Si’s expression changed dramatically. His face went pale, his lips pressed into a tight line. After a long pause, he managed to squeeze out a hoarse reply: “It’s hard to forget.”

“There’s now evidence of Bu Wannian’s embezzlement and illegal clinical trials. If you want, you can file a lawsuit against him,” Lu Wei said.

Lin Si’s head snapped up, his chest heaving slightly. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. Only on his second attempt did he manage to ask, “What… what did you say?”

“If you want to sue him, I’ve prepared all the evidence,” Lu Wei repeated. “I’ll ensure confidentiality. You won’t need to spend much time on it—I’ve already found a lawyer. Don’t worry, none of your personal cases are included in this. I’ll prepare a separate set…”

Lin Si stared at Lu Wei, his hands trembling slightly as he clenched them into fists. It felt like the world had tilted on its axis, his mind struggling to process what he’d just heard.

“Are you sure?” Lin Si asked, his voice steady but with a hint of disbelief. “Are you certain you want me to handle this?”

Lu Wei clasped his fingers together, his shoulders slightly lowering as he leaned forward—an unmistakable gesture of trust.

“I’m sure,” Lu Wei replied firmly.

“Alright,” Lin Si agreed without hesitation. “I’ll cooperate fully. I can make time whenever you need.”

Lu Wei gave a small nod. “When everything’s ready to begin, someone will contact you.”

Lin Si took a deep breath, unclenching his tightly balled fists. “Alright.” After a pause, he added, his voice quieter but filled with sincerity, “Lu Wei, thank you.”

“No need,” Lu Wei said simply.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll go…” Lin Si trailed off, suddenly forgetting what he was planning to do.

“Take a shower,” Lu Wei reminded him.

“Right.” Lin Si lowered his head and quickly left the room. As he passed through the hallway, his shoulder bumped against the wall, but he barely noticed it. He opened the door to his room and slipped inside, shutting it behind him.

Leaning against the wall, he braced his elbows on his knees. A dull, familiar ache began to resurface, rolling through him like waves of molten iron, threatening to tear him apart.

The fear of being pushed into a corner, the piercing pain of needles stabbing into his skin—no matter how many years had passed, the memories clawed at him with a force that made his lashes tremble, shattering every mask of calm and cheerfulness he had carefully constructed.

He didn’t know how much time passed before the shrill sound of his phone ringing pulled him back to reality. It was a voice call.

Lin Si didn’t move, stretching his arm out as far as he could to grab it, but the phone was just out of reach. Reluctantly, he pushed himself off the floor, crawling over to pick it up. As he did, the call ended.

On the screen, the display read: Missed Calls from Y – 9.

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Author’s Note:
Lu Wei: That steak was amazing.

T/n : A bit heavy chapter but we are finally getting glimpses of the past of both of our leads. Stay tuned for next chapter😄. If you want to support me you can buy me a Ko-Fi or go to my paypal page.