Midnight Revelations

As if scalded, Lu Lin abruptly snatched his hand back.

His voice dropped to a low murmur.

“It has nothing to do with you.”

Half-sober from the alcohol, Su Yan was suddenly speechless, for he had instantly spotted Lu Lin’s hand concealed within his sleeve.

On what was once a beautifully articulated hand, a prominent knife wound now stood out, seemingly untreated, allowing the gash to scab over naturally.

The process, at the very least, must have been excruciating.

Su Yan remained silent for a long moment before finally asking, “Is it because of me?”

Lu Lin’s clear, pleasant voice drifted down from above him.

He denied it swiftly, yet he didn’t directly answer Su Yan’s question.

“It doesn’t hurt.”

“No,” he added, as if recalling Su Yan’s actual question.

With that, he moved to pick at the scab, intending to prove his claim of not being in pain.

Witnessing this, Su Yan immediately swatted his hand away, a flicker of anger igniting within him.

He couldn’t comprehend why someone would treat their own body with such disregard.

In his previous life, even if he hadn’t died saving the little girl, some other illness would have eventually claimed him.

Even a minor cold would run rampant through his body, yet despite this, he never succumbed to despair, continuing to study diligently and strive for improvement every day.

His sole hope had been to finish university before he died.

That hope, however, had dissolved into a mirage, only to be replaced by an even brighter future.

Lu Lin stared blankly at Su Yan’s tightly pursed lips, then snapped back to reality, letting out a soft chuckle.

“Are you worried about me?”

“In that case, I… seem… to be in a lot of pain now,” Lu Lin enunciated slowly, his gaze fixed on Su Yan’s moist eyes, which were brimming with unconcealed amusement.

Su Yan sniffed, utterly at a loss for words.

He could already surmise that Lu Lin was deliberately harming himself with such abandon simply because Su Yan had offered a few words of concern and a mild rebuke when Song Xingyu was injured.

‘Lunatic.’

In a normal relationship, if one partner saw the other injured, they would undoubtedly rush to the pharmacy for medicine.

Unfortunately, they were not a typical couple.

Su Yan also didn’t want to show excessive concern, fearing it would complicate his eventual withdrawal.

A voice in his mind warned him: ‘If you verbally attack Lu Lin, you’ll be dragged to bed and ‘sauced and brewed’.’

Su Yan: ‘…’ ‘How utterly vulgar.’

Su Yan seemed to have never noticed that Lu Lin was wearing the same hoodie as him, or perhaps he had noticed and simply grown accustomed to it.

With an unreadable emotion in his eyes, Lu Lin stared unblinkingly at the sliver of Su Yan’s fair calf that was exposed, then let out a soft, amused laugh.

“How about this? The dorms are closed, so let’s just make do at my place for the night.”

Su Yan pulled out his phone and checked the time; it was indeed almost three o’clock.

The fine drizzle had begun to thicken, and a clap of thunder rumbled, as if to frighten the two of them away.

If he were to go home at this hour, his parents would undoubtedly string him up and beat him.

He might even be ridiculed if he admitted it, but despite being an adult, he was still strictly forbidden by his parents from frequenting places like bars.

Su Yan still felt uneasy, until Lu Lin repeatedly assured him that he wouldn’t force him to do anything, claiming to be an exceptionally good person.

‘As if anyone would believe that.’

Yet, he still nodded.

After all, if Lu Lin were truly that deranged, he would have made a move on him days ago.

Upon receiving an answer, Lu Lin instructed Su Yan to wait by the roadside while he went to fetch the car.

Su Yan squatted back down, falling into a contemplative silence as he watched Lu Lin’s retreating figure.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that he and Lu Lin had met before, long ago.

Certainly not just on the first day of school.

After a short while, Lu Lin drove the car over.

Su Yan was prone to motion sickness, always preferring the passenger seat, so he naturally opened the front passenger door this time as well.

Lu Lin seemed somewhat incredulous.

He had expected Su Yan to be the type to grumble and declare, “I, Su Yan, would never sit in the passenger seat of someone as filthy as you.”

If Su Yan had heard these internal thoughts, he would undoubtedly have retorted: ‘Are we filming a TV drama?’

‘Socializing and studying every day is exhausting enough; must emotions be so exaggerated?’

Su Yan lowered his gaze and quietly fastened his seatbelt, completely ignoring Lu Lin’s predatory look, as if he wished to devour him whole.

“Aren’t we leaving yet?”

A closer look, however, would reveal his hands trembling slightly as he buckled the belt, his breathing becoming erratic.

He regretted his decision.

He had a pervasive feeling that sleeping under a bridge for a night would be safer than going to Lu Lin’s house.

Lu Lin, seemingly oblivious to Su Yan’s unusual unease, curved his eyes into a smile, his mood noticeably more buoyant, and he chuckled several times.

Su Yan furtively glanced at Lu Lin, swallowing with difficulty.

Thankfully, he possessed considerable courage, or he might have fainted from fright.

The young man’s silver hair blended into the night, his laughter ceaseless, as if he had unearthed a hidden treasure, and the car’s speed steadily increased.

Su Yan: ‘…’ ‘Mom and Dad, I think I’m going to die.’

Lu Lin had played the role of a good person for too long; Su Yan’s agreement to go to his house tonight seemed to have triggered some hidden switch within him.

Soon, the car slowly entered Haishi’s upscale villa district, a serene environment enveloped by vast expanses of greenery, with an exquisitely beautiful fountain gracing the central area.

After parking the car in the garage, Lu Lin, ever the gentleman, opened the door for him.

Yet, Su Yan’s backside felt as if it were glued to the seat, making him extremely reluctant to alight.

“Do you want me to carry you out of the car?”

Su Yan imagined that ‘elegant’ scene, and his eyes burned with discomfort.

Lu Lin knew the person before him wished to avoid physical contact, but he had no objections; after all, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Stepping into the villa, Su Yan felt a slight constriction in his chest at the monotonous decor, the uniform color palette tightening his heart with a profound sense of unease.

Lu Lin, however, found it quite normal.

He raised his chin towards Su Yan.

“Would you like something to eat?” he inquired.

“We have everything at home.”

Su Yan rubbed his stomach, his initial panic completely overshadowed by hunger, and he actually placed an order.

“Noodles, please.”

Lu Lin responded with a soft, “Mm.”

Lu Lin then went upstairs to a room on the second floor, retrieved a pair of long trousers, and handed them over.

“Change into these.”

Su Yan felt a touch of warmth in his heart and politely replied, “I’m not cold.”

Lu Lin maintained his previous posture, ignoring Su Yan’s words.

Instead, he curved his lips into a faint smile, remaining silent, his gaze fixed intently on Su Yan’s fair calves.

Su Yan: ‘…’ ‘Oh, I understand now.’

Too weary to argue with Lu Lin, he took the clothes and walked towards the room Lu Lin had indicated.

As he passed another room, he inadvertently noticed a plaque on its door: ‘Yanyan’s Exclusive.’

Su Yan: ‘Is that ‘Yanyan’ who I think it is?’

He didn’t dwell on it, however.

After changing his trousers, he went downstairs, falling into deep thought as he watched Lu Lin’s busy figure in the kitchen.

This villa housed at least a dozen servants, and despite the late hour, they remained awake, standing quietly to the side.

There were more servants here than at his own home, yet why was Lu Lin still doing the cooking himself?

Lu Lin quickly finished cooking and brought the noodles to the table.

He hadn’t prepared a bowl for himself, instead casting a cold, warning glance at the servants.

What he was warning them about, Su Yan couldn’t discern.

He also found it inappropriate to pry too much into another household’s affairs.

The moment Su Yan stepped into the villa, he had noticed that most of the furniture was remarkably new, and the servants’ impassive gazes were fixed on him, as if he were a prisoner under surveillance.

The original novel hadn’t elaborated much on Lu Lin’s background, only mentioning his wealth and that his family had been merchants for generations.

Yet, Su Yan felt as though he was beginning to piece something together.

Cameras were installed everywhere in the living room.

One slowly swiveled towards them, its gaze lingering on the two figures, its infrared light feeling toxic, causing an irritating itch to spread across Su Yan’s skin.

Even as he ate his noodles, Su Yan was distracted.

Lu Lin, who sat opposite him, propping his chin on his hand and watching him eat, casually remarked, “Are you curious about me?”

The young man’s voice was clear and crisp, sending a shiver down Su Yan’s spine.

When he smiled, the mole beneath his peach blossom eyes became strikingly apparent.

Su Yan didn’t look up, quietly eating the plain noodles in his bowl.

Lu Lin’s knuckles bent, tapping rhythmically on the table, a sound that slowly permeated Su Yan’s chest, plucking at the string of ‘nervousness’ within him.

His voice devoid of any emotion, Lu Lin stated softly, “They are only responsible for monitoring me.”

“They are not responsible for my daily needs.”

“I won’t mention anything else,” Lu Lin added, a playful smile gracing his lips, “I’m afraid you might feel sorry for me.”

Su Yan seemed to understand why Lu Lin had developed such a twisted personality.

“You can think of me as a friend,” he found himself saying.

The moment he finished speaking, Lu Lin’s face across the table instantly turned cold, and he spoke with an almost obsessive intensity.

“I don’t need any hypocritical friends.

I only need you.”

“Just leave the bowl in the sink; I’ll come down and wash it later.

Your room is the third on the left on the second floor.”

‘It’s not even that ‘Yanyan’s Exclusive’ room.’

Su Yan sighed, realizing that becoming friends seemed a distant prospect indeed.

With that, Lu Lin ascended the stairs alone, his retreating back appearing quite solitary.

It was a pity, Su Yan thought, that he genuinely didn’t like men, nor did he wish for an early demise.

Since their red strings of fate had already intertwined, it would naturally take some time to untangle them.

Later, deep into the night, he found himself parched, blaming the bowl of noodles he’d eaten earlier.

He had found the flavor too bland and added too much salt, and now, he was being punished with thirst in the middle of the night.

He slowly opened his door, seemingly hearing the sound of things being smashed downstairs.

He lifted his eyelids and peered down, observing that some of the living room furniture lay shattered, and the surveillance cameras were either destroyed or damaged.

Lu Lin reclined casually on the sofa, his long legs crossed, a surveillance camera clutched in his hand, which he observed intently.

Before long, he suddenly exerted force, smashing it onto the floor, where it exploded into a grating, ear-splitting noise.

After the smash, he slowly began to laugh, a sound that was utterly eerie in the silent night.

The lights hadn’t even been turned on.

Su Yan retreated until his back pressed against the wall.

This, he realized, was the real Lu Lin.

His thirst suddenly vanished.

He leaned against the wall, lost in thought, and less than five minutes later, Lu Lin’s voice came from behind him.

“Aren’t you going to get a drink of water?”

‘How does he seem to know my every move?’

Su Yan flinched, startled.

Lu Lin had somehow appeared behind him.

He reached out, briefly encircling Su Yan’s slender waist, then immediately released him.

He didn’t want to hear harsh words escape Su Yan’s beautiful lips.

Su Yan didn’t dwell on being groped; after all, he had been secretly observing someone’s midnight madness.

Feeling a pang of guilt, he dared not look up, fearing he would stutter if he spoke.

Lu Lin’s cold voice drifted from above his head, carrying a hint of plea.

“Don’t be afraid of me.”

Su Yan softly “Mm-ed,” retreated inside the room, and quietly said, “Good night.”

Only after the door clicked shut did he slowly slide down, leaning against it, still reeling from the shock, breathing in ragged gasps.

He had believed he was no longer afraid of Lu Lin, but now he understood that he was only unafraid of the *disguised* Lu Lin.

The true Lu Lin was indistinguishable from the character described in the original novel, yet now, looking at him, Su Yan felt a genuine flicker of pity.

It was no longer pure fear and disgust.

He slept terribly that night, dreaming of hands reaching inside his clothes, touching him here and there, and then of being bitten by a venomous snake, struggling for breath.

By the time he awoke, it was already nine in the morning.

Such was the tyranny of his biological clock; though still profoundly sleepy, his body had roused him prematurely.

Morning light streamed into the room, creating an incredibly warm atmosphere.

Only then did Su Yan notice how incongruous this room was with the rest of the villa.

Decorated in blue and white, the floor was covered with carpet, all sharp edges had been thoughtfully padded, and the wardrobe was filled with clothes in his size.

‘Prepared specially for him?’

The thought sent a peculiar shiver through him, like ants crawling beneath his skin.

His phone chimed with a message notification; the sender seemed to have pinpointed the exact moment of his awakening.

[Lu Lin: I went out to buy breakfast. It’s from that steamed bun shop in Chengnan, your favorite.]

[Lu Lin: QWQ]

‘When had he ever said he wanted to eat from that steamed bun shop in Chengnan? Could it have been that casual remark he made while chatting with friends in high school?’

‘How did he know?’

If he remembered correctly, that steamed bun shop was at least dozens of miles from his home, and due to its immense popularity, it didn’t even offer delivery, requiring people to queue up as early as four or five in the morning.

Su Yan: ‘!’ ‘What a strange feeling.’

He hesitated for a moment, then sent a “Thank you” along with a transfer of five hundred yuan.

The other party immediately replied.

[The transfer has been refunded.]

[Lu Lin: Yanyan, you’re making me so sad.]

He didn’t reply further, instead idly scrolling through his phone.

He waited a long time, but Lu Lin never appeared, and he even discovered that the villa’s main door was locked.

This was not unexpected.

So, he slipped on his slippers and wandered aimlessly, eventually finding himself in front of the ‘Yanyan’s Exclusive’ room.

The room seemed to beckon him inside, its door even creaking open a crack with a soft ‘zhiya’ sound.

He ultimately couldn’t resist entering, but the sight before him brought all the blood in his body to a standstill.

He stood rigidly to the side, his beautiful pupils brimming with moisture, his fingers trembling slightly at his sides, a sudden chill enveloping his entire being.

It wasn’t until a voice drifted from behind him that he snapped back to reality.

“Yanyan, running off again.”