Chapter 36

At 3:30 AM, Lu Wei pressed his hand against the back of his neck. When he turned his head, he noticed that the person who had been sitting beside him was nowhere to be seen. He looked back.

Lin Si was asleep, leaning sideways against the back of a folding chair. His wrists were neatly crossed on his lap.

On the screen, data was beginning to recover on its own, currently at 13%.

Lu Wei pushed his chair back and got up, walking toward Lin Si.

At moments like this, with his eyes lowered, Lin Si looked like an innocent young boy untouched by the world.

A single long eyelash had fallen onto his pale cheek, curling delicately.

Lu Wei bent his index finger and gently brushed it across Lin Si’s cheek, picking up the stray eyelash.

As he leaned in, he could hear Lin Si’s soft breathing and catch a faint scent of fresh milk from him—light, yet intoxicating.

Before he could fully register the scent, Lin Si stirred slightly, his shoulders curling inward.

Lu Wei instinctively took two steps back. After confirming that Lin Si hadn’t woken up, he walked over and closed the window gap a little more.

Then, he took off his sweater and draped it over Lin Si, covering his shoulders and chest just enough.

Progress bar: 56%.

Lu Wei crossed his arms and leaned against his chair, tilting slightly toward Lin Si’s side. His eyes stayed on the time, planning to retrieve his sweater before dawn.

Progress bar: 71%.

Progress bar: 100%.

The thin morning light filtered through the window lattice, blending with the bright white light that had been on all night.

Lin Si shifted slightly. A sharp ache shot through his neck, making him momentarily wonder if it was about to snap.

Grimacing, he carefully straightened his neck. That was when he felt something slide off his shoulder.

A light brown sweater slipped down his legs. Lin Si quickly caught it before it could hit the floor.

This sweater…

He clutched it in his arms and looked toward Lu Wei, who was sitting in front of the computer.

Lu Wei was asleep.

His arms were crossed, chin slightly raised, sitting upright in an ordinary ergonomic chair. He wore only a thin, black long-sleeve T-shirt.

Lin Si glanced at the sweater in his hands, then back at Lu Wei. He repeated the action twice, still not quite processing what had happened.

Until he finally realized—Lu Wei had taken off his sweater to cover him.

The sky outside was still a deep blue. At 6:13 AM, Lin Si carefully got up, tiptoeing around Lu Wei’s back and tapping the mouse.

The screen lit up.

Progress bar: 100%.

Lin Si froze in place, clutching Lu Wei’s sweater. He wasn’t sure whether to cover him with it again or just wait for him to wake up.

Seventeen minutes later, Lu Wei’s phone vibrated in his pocket.

He opened his eyes instantly, took a few seconds to register his surroundings, then immediately turned to look for Lin Si.

Lin Si had also heard the vibration and had been waiting for him the whole time.

Their eyes met. Lin Si stared at Lu Wei, noticing the red veins in his tired eyes.

Lin Si hesitated for a moment before softly asking, “You’re awake?”

“Mm,” Lu Wei responded, his voice hoarse.

Lin Si got up, handing over the neatly folded sweater from his lap. “…Thanks.” His thumb pressed lightly against his index finger as he added, “You should go get some sleep. The surveillance records have been restored—I can take care of the rest.”

Lu Wei put on his sweater. “Did you sleep well?”

Lin Si blinked, caught off guard. Then, his words tumbled out in a slight stammer. “Oh… I-I… I slept fine. You covered me with your sweater…”

He rubbed his wrist, struggling to piece together everything he wanted to say. Thoughts and words jumbled in his head, but none formed a complete sentence.

The image of Lu Wei staying up all night and the sweater draped over him planted a deep seed of guilt in Lin Si’s heart.

“…Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” Lin Si mumbled, lowering his head before looking back at Lu Wei. “Are you hungry? I can go get you some breakfast.”

Lu Wei tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of Lin Si’s chair. “Don’t run off.”

Lin Si let out a quiet “Ah?” looking puzzled. “Then… where should I go?”

“Sit here.” Lu Wei dragged Lin Si’s chair closer to his own before turning back to the computer, organizing the recovered files and re-importing them.

Lin Si sat beside him. “Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine.” Lu Wei found the timestamp from yesterday and played the footage, watching intently.

Lin Si unconsciously held his breath and sat up straight.

“Look here.” Lu Wei pointed at the screen.

Lin Si nodded.

Five minutes later, Lu Wei pressed pause. “Are you hungry?”

“No.” Lin Si shook his head, then asked, “Isn’t your work shift starting soon?”

“I’ll make it on time.” Lu Wei called Duan Yang, gave him instructions for the morning, and asked him to bring breakfast over.

The sky had brightened. Lin Si rubbed his eyes, propping himself up with one arm as he leaned against Lu Wei to watch the screen. He wanted to chat a little, but Lu Wei’s intense work ethic was honestly intimidating, making Lin Si unconsciously tense up as well.

The footage played in fast-forward. Both of them stared at the screen, unblinking. Suddenly, something flashed by, and Lin Si grabbed Lu Wei’s arm. “Hey!”

Lu Wei hit pause.

Lin Si patted his arm. “Go back a little—right here, right here.”

Lu Wei rewound to the spot Lin Si indicated.

“There he is.” On the screen, Bai Fan stepped out of the B24 elevator. He glanced around to the left for about a minute before walking straight ahead and disappearing from view.

Lin Si calculated the time. “He was inside B24 for about twenty minutes.” He frowned in thought. “Does this prove he came here just to take photos?”

Lu Yan saved a timestamped screenshot. “We’ll probably need more evidence—his movements before and after.”

Lin Si nodded like a pecking chick. But Lu Wei didn’t press play immediately. Instead, he turned his head and stared at Lin Si.

Lin Si stiffened under his gaze, instinctively pulling his neck back. “What?”

Lu Wei’s eyes lowered slightly, his gaze seeming to linger around Lin Si’s collarbone—or maybe his elbow. But after a brief pause, he turned back to the screen and resumed the video. His voice was low. “Nothing.”

Something felt off. Lin Si took a moment to process, then quickly retracted his hand from Lu Wei’s arm. Feeling guilty, he even covered it with his other hand.

“…Sorry.” He shifted his shoulders, putting a little more distance between them.

Now that they had a rough time frame, searching became much easier.

Partway through, Liao Ji called. He said no one had been able to contact Bai Fan since yesterday—he wasn’t at the company-arranged apartment. Also, the acting coach was willing to vouch for Lin Si, and several fellow singers from the same company had volunteered to speak up for him on social media.

Meanwhile, Lin Si and Lu Wei checked the surveillance for Building 17’s elevator and the 25th floor from the same timeframe. There was no sign of Bai Fan entering or exiting.

The paparazzi’s car was also caught on camera—a plain black sedan. It had entered the neighborhood in the afternoon, circled a few times, and finally parked in a public spot. Not long after Bai Fan left, the car followed suit.

With a more precise timeline, clues became easier to trace. Bai Fan’s car had entered from the northeast Xijiang entrance. Lu Wei noted both license plates and sent them to Duan Yang for investigation.

At 7:40 AM, Lin Si and Lu Wei wrapped up their work. They had found everything they could. Lin Si stretched and let out a tired sigh. “Finally done.”

Lu Wei uploaded the necessary data to the cloud and made a copy for Lin Si to take with him.

“Lu Wei.” Lin Si took the hard drive and looked at him seriously. “Thank you.”

He wanted to give a slight, formal bow, but before he could, Lu Wei pressed his palm against Lin Si’s forehead.

The morning air was chilly, his forehead cool to the touch. The warmth of Lu Wei’s palm was strikingly distinct. Lin Si lifted his head under the pressure of that hand.

“Hm?” His vision was blocked by Lu Wei’s arm, so he could only see his chest.

The light brown sweater had a diagonal weave, not too tightly knit. Each fold was even, every space identical—just like Lu Wei himself, precise and meticulous.

The man, usually so reserved, withdrew his hand and said, “Good morning.”

When Lin Si’s vision cleared, he met Lu Wei’s deep gaze—steady, unreadable. For a fleeting moment, it felt like time collapsed, as if parallel worlds overlapped.

For a fleeting moment, he thought Y was standing in front of him.

Lin Si squeezed his eyes shut.

Lu Wei, unseen, curled his lips slightly.

“Go home.”

Lin Si, still dazed, nodded and followed behind Lu Wei. After a few steps, he unconsciously touched his forehead.

Why did he touch my forehead?

Why did he tell me good morning?

And why did he cover me with his sweater?

“Lu Wei.” Lin Si called out from behind, finally voicing the question that had been stirring inside him. “Don’t you hate me?”

A slant of soft morning light spilled into the corridor, landing on Lu Wei’s hair—warm, golden, almost fluffy.

“I don’t.” Lu Wei stepped closer until he was right in front of Lin Si. “For the things I said to you in the past, I apologize.”

Lin Si stood frozen, blinking in disbelief. “Huh?”

“For everything unreasonable I’ve done and said, I apologize,” Lu Wei said, his tone steady. “Five years ago, when I pushed you away—that, too.”

“Lin Si, I’m sorry.”

A dull ache spread in Lin Si’s chest. He didn’t know what this was, but it made him feel suffocated.

His resentment toward Lu Wei stemmed from his cold indifference and superiority in their youth. He had reached out to Lu Wei during the lowest point of his life, but got nothing in return.

He had told himself that Lu Wei wasn’t obligated to help him—kindness was a choice, not a duty. But even so, he had never been able to separate Lu Wei from Lu Shaoming in his mind.

Perhaps Lu Wei had never truly been in the wrong.

But Lin Si had held onto this grudge for years.

Lu Wei’s unexpected humility completely threw Lin Si off balance.

He clenched the hem of his shirt, feeling like he had lost his voice. He wanted to speak but couldn’t. His mouth opened several times, yet not a single sound came out.

“Your phone,” Lu Wei reminded him.

Lin Si lowered his hand and fumbled in his pocket. He checked the wrong side first before switching to the other, answering without even looking at the caller ID.

“I’ve got everything sorted on my end. The dashcam footage from the nanny van has been officially documented for verification,” Liao Ji reported. “How’s the surveillance? Do you need me to send someone to help?”

“Oh.” Lin Si pressed his fingers against his temple. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lu Wei pointing downward, signaling him to follow as they headed downstairs. He spoke while walking. “I found Bai Fan on the security footage. It proves he deliberately went downstairs to take photos.”

A loud clap came through the phone, ringing in Lin Si’s ear.

“Fantastic!” Liao Ji exclaimed. “Even the best plans have flaws! Lucky for us, Xijiang’s surveillance was still intact!”

Lin Si corrected him tactfully. “Actually, it was deleted.”

“What?!” Liao Ji nearly lost it. “Deleted?!”

“Lu Wei recovered the data,” Lin Si explained. He glanced at Lu Wei, who was walking under the shade of the trees. “He stayed up all night working on it.”

After a brief explanation, Lin Si told Liao Ji they’d go over the rest when he arrived. Then he jogged to catch up with Lu Wei, entering the elevator right behind him.

The numbers climbed steadily. On the 25th floor, Lu Wei opened the door to his apartment and stepped aside to let Lin Si in first.

Lin Si changed his shoes slowly. When Lu Wei stepped onto the raised platform at the entryway, Lin Si finally called out.

“Lu Wei.”

Lu Wei turned, looking down at him. “Hm?”

“I will never forgive Lu Shaoming,” Lin Si said. “But—”

He stood at the bottom of the steps, eyes glistening with emotion.

Like this, he was much shorter than Lu Wei. His Adam’s apple bobbed nervously. He wiped his hand on his clothes, then lifted it toward Lu Wei, palm open in invitation.

“If you don’t mind… would you be my friend?”

---

Author’s Note:
Lu Wei: How about boyfriend instead?

T/n: New chapter is up Stay tuned for more! if you want to support me you can buy me a Ko-Fi or go to my paypal page. Happy Reading