Chapter 99

After the stream ended, Ji Wei scanned the painting and posted it on Weibo.

Because Lu Shenxing was busy with filming at the end of the month, he came back very late. He thought his idol hadn’t seen his Weibo post.

But when he woke up the next day, he found that at some point, his idol’s Weibo profile picture had quietly been changed to the painting he did yesterday.

For some reason, he suddenly felt very happy.

Happier than winning a major award for his work.

He got out of bed for breakfast. Huang Bo came in with a dismantled package. “Something Mrs. Lu sent for A-Xing from Russia.”

Lu Shenxing took a piece of toast to dip in his milk, unconcerned by Huang Bo’s words.

He was clearly used to it.

Something from Russia?

Ji Wei took the gift box from Huang Bo’s hands, handed it to Lu Shenxing, and sat down at the dining table himself to eat his porridge.

Lu Shenxing just placed the box to the side, looking uninterested.

He couldn’t help but curiously peek at the gift box in Lu Shenxing’s hands.

Knowing Mother Lu, if she were to send something, it would definitely be clothes. But looking at the box, it was only about five inches wide, so it couldn’t be clothes. What else could it be?

Perhaps sensing his gaze, the man finished the last sip of his milk and opened the gift box with a blank expression.

—It was a black peach wood photo frame.

Inside the frame was the photo Mother Lu had taken of them last time. He and Lu Shenxing were both sitting on the sofa, with Lu Shenxing kissing his cheek, and the sunlight shining on their faces created a flowing halo.

Along with the photo frame was a postcard.

—Isn’t it cute? It would be perfect in the living room.

Ji Wei was drinking his porridge and hadn’t expected Mother Lu to send such a gift. When he saw the contents of the postcard, he nearly choked. Fortunately, Lu Shenxing gently patted his back.

He was red-faced from choking. Because Huang Bo was still in the living room, he lowered his voice and said, “Maybe we shouldn’t put it in the living room?”

Although their home rarely had visitors, he still felt quite embarrassed.

The man gave a faint “mhm.”

Ji Wei breathed a sigh of relief. His idol must also be quite troubled by his mother’s enthusiasm.

His idol and Mother Lu were like people from two different worlds.

“I’ll be back tonight.”

Lu Shenxing stood up.

Ji Wei nodded and continued to eat his breakfast.

After finishing his meal, as he was about to go downstairs to the collection room to copy some paintings, he suddenly saw the photo frame from Mother Lu displayed at the entrance. You could see it as soon as you walked in!

His face instantly turned red, and he couldn’t help but ask Huang Bo, “Why is it here?”

Huang Bo was just heading out to buy groceries. Seeing the photo frame, he said, “I didn’t put it there. A-Xing put it there before he left.”

Ji Wei: …The living room would have been better.

He suddenly felt that, in a way, his idol and Mother Lu were very much alike.

He shyly took the photo frame back to the bedroom and placed it on the bedside table.

He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at it for a while. The man’s expression was serious as he kissed him, his Adam’s apple particularly prominent.

What should he do? It was still so embarrassing.

Plop.

The young man buried his head in the pillow.

***

Shanghai, Lin Residence.

“Why isn’t uncle here yet?”

Lin Yishen sat in the main seat, frowning.

Lin Yiqiu was his elder, and he had always maintained respect for him. He usually went to visit him and rarely invited Lin Yiqiu to the old residence.

However, from the message his secretary brought back, he could guess that the Lu family’s targeting of the Lin family was definitely related to Lin Yiqiu. It might even involve some dark and scandalous secrets of his generation. His heart sank.

But he waited from morning till evening, and Lin Yiqiu never came.

His patience was worn down bit by bit, until it was completely gone.

Lin Yishan sat on his right, sipping this year’s newly harvested tea, his expression unreadable. “Stop waiting. He’s not coming.”

This uncle of his only had eyes for paintings, not for the Lin family. Even if the Lin family were to fall from grace, it’s unlikely he would shed a single tear. His older brother actually thought Lin Yiqiu would come and go at his beck and call.

He shook his head.

“Make another call.”

Lin Yishen instructed his secretary.

“Yes.”

The secretary left the main hall.

Just as the secretary pushed open the door, Lin Yiqiu arrived at a leisurely pace.

“You may leave.”

Lin Yishen said to the secretary.

Lin Yiqiu was, after all, an elder of the family, so he still saved him some face. Only Lin Yishan, Lin Yiqiu, and himself were left in the main hall.

The door was gently closed.

Leaving behind a deathly silence.

“The Lu family wants to know what you did back then?”

Lin Yishen had originally intended to question him, but he softened his tone.

For some reason, even though this uncle of his had no power in the Lin family, he didn’t dare to be presumptuous in his presence.

“Does the Lu family want to know? Or does Lu Shenxing want to know?”

Lin Yiqiu spoke slowly. “Let’s start a video call.”

Lin Yishan was somewhat surprised, not expecting Lin Yiqiu to be so accommodating.

Lin Yishen breathed a sigh of relief, called his secretary, and started a video call.

However, it was one-sided. The other end didn’t turn on their camera or microphone.

It was clear that Lu Shenxing had no intention of talking to them, merely listening like a superior.

Quite arrogant.

But they could only accept it.

Lin Yishen suddenly missed the days when the Lin family was at its peak.

***

Through the screen—

This was the first time Ji Wei had seen Lin Yiqiu. It was hard to describe his aura in words.

He had a pair of melancholic brown eyes, and even in a crowd, he exuded a sense of cold detachment from the world. In his youth, he must have attracted countless people like moths to a flame, yet he had never married and had no children.

“So this is Lin Yiqiu.”

Huang Bo couldn’t help but sigh.

Lu Shenxing just lowered his gaze and said nothing.

He had just returned from a banquet and was still wearing a formal suit. The tailored suit fit his tall and imposing figure snugly, and a corner of a precious white silk handkerchief peeked out from his breast pocket.

Lin Yiqiu faced the camera and was silent for a moment. “I did indeed do something wrong back then. I don’t expect to be forgiven, but my conscience won’t be clear if I don’t speak out. It’s also an injustice to my poor student, Ye Lang.”

“He was a truly good child.”

He looked straight at the camera, as if he could see into people’s hearts.

Ji Wei suddenly had the illusion that Lin Yiqiu was really standing in front of him.

Speaking to him.

***

Lin Yishen frowned upon hearing Lin Yiqiu’s words.

He had never liked Ye Lang, but his sister did. She liked him so much that her doting father ignored their difference in social status and agreed to the marriage. The only daughter of the Lin family married a madman.

Ye Lang’s existence was a disgrace to the Lin family.

“I’ve hidden a secret. Ye Lang was not born a madman.” Lin Yiqiu’s tone was slow but clearly audible. “He was driven mad by someone, and that person is a member of the Lin family.”

Lin Yishan’s eyes filled with utter astonishment. “You—”

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t say who it is,” Lin Yiqiu interrupted Lin Yishan, still speaking slowly.

“After all, I am also a member of the Lin family. But I hope that person, after hearing my words, will voluntarily step forward, admit his crime, and give Ye Lang justice. He has already endured too much suffering that wasn’t his to bear.”

There were only three people present. Lin Yishen looked at his younger brother, Lin Yishan.

“When I found Ye Lang, he was imprisoned in the basement. He begged me to let him out, but I hesitated,” Lin Yiqiu said with a complicated expression.

“Because I was afraid of damaging the Lin family’s reputation. I didn’t tell him who it was, and I only let him go after he promised not to tell anyone. The next day, he slashed my hand.”

“I deserved it.”

He caressed his right hand.

“I thought things would just blow over, but I never expected that while I was lying in the hospital, A-Jing would die in a car accident.” His eyes gradually reddened.

“I knew right then that it wasn’t a car accident, it was murder. And after that, Ye Lang became the madman everyone talked about.”

Hearing this, Lin Yishan suddenly lowered his head.

“But I couldn’t say anything. I could only bury these things in my heart,” Lin Yiqiu sighed deeply.

“Until today, when Yuanyuan came to my villa to watch cartoons and asked me if bad guys always get punished. I was speechless. So I decided to tell everything today.”

Lin Yishan suddenly raised his head. Lin Yiqiu just looked at him and said, “It’s been so many years.”

Lin Yishen stood up in shock. “Yishan, that was your own sister!”

Lin Yishan took a deep breath and said slowly, “Yes, she was my sister. But I just didn’t like how the whole family revolved around her. I’m clearly the youngest child in the family, so why did I have to give way to her in everything?”

Lin Yishen was so angry he was speechless, pointing a trembling finger at Lin Yishan.

“Yes, it was me who imprisoned Ye Lang. I was just playing a joke, and my sister actually said she was going to send me to the police station.”

Lin Yishan clenched his fists. “If my father found out, he would definitely kick me out of the house. So I had no choice but to kill her and disguise it as a car accident. You can’t blame me.”

“You bastard, why don’t you just go die!”

Lin Yishen took out some medicine from his pocket and swallowed half a bottle, which was the only thing that kept him from fainting from agitation.

“If you do something wrong, you need to atone.”

Lin Yiqiu, who had been silent all this time, handed him a knife.

Lin Yishan stopped talking and looked at Lin Yiqiu, his eyes filled with deep fear.

His hand trembled as he took the sharp knife. He stared at it for a while, seemingly engaged in a fierce internal struggle. Then, when no one expected it, he suddenly plunged the knife into his own heart!

Instantly, blood splattered.

Lin Yiqiu was closest to Lin Yishan.

Blood from the wound spattered onto Lin Yiqiu’s hand. He just frowned, took out a handkerchief, and wiped it clean.

He walked to the camera to turn off the video. Just as he was about to turn it off, perhaps thinking of something, he looked up at the camera and smiled. “Let me say it in advance.”

“Happy birthday, Lu Shenxing.”

***

The video had ended.

But the screen didn’t go dark, frozen on the black call interface, seemingly still stained with traces of splattered blood.

Although this video could clear Ye Lang’s name, Ji Wei suddenly felt an inexplicable fear.

But Huang Bo was completely unfazed. Instead, he commented with the tone of a professional, “He was quite ruthless with himself, stabbing directly into the main artery. At that depth, even if he doesn’t die, he’ll become a vegetable.”

Lu Shenxing watched quietly for a while. “This is truly a significant gift.”

“If he’s dead, so be it. If not, have him come to Yancheng for treatment.”

Huang Bo didn’t delay any longer. He turned and walked out. “Leave it to me.”

Lu Shenxing turned off the screen to stop the recording and said to Ji Wei in a low voice, “Don’t be afraid.”

Ji Wei lowered his head and hummed in agreement. He wasn’t afraid of the gore; it was just a knife piercing a heart, the visual impact wasn’t that strong.

But the image of Lin Yiqiu wiping the blood with a handkerchief kept replaying in his mind.

Perhaps it was because of his preconceived notions. Although the crimes Lin Yishan confessed to were terrifying—he didn’t know how many days Ye Lang was imprisoned, or how he was imprisoned, or how he was finally driven mad—he found Lin Yiqiu even more terrifying.

Judging by his appearance alone, he had a face that would easily make people like him.

He lowered his head, and his gaze inevitably fell on the folded handkerchief in Lu Shenxing’s breast pocket.

It was also snow-white—

He shouldn’t be afraid.

He swallowed, averted his gaze, and suppressed the urge to tremble.

Lu Shenxing had been watching Ji Wei the whole time, taking in the young man’s reaction.

He lowered his gaze and suddenly said, “Handkerchiefs aren’t used like that.”

His tone was flat.

Then how are they used?

Ji Wei looked up in confusion and met the man’s clear, distinct eyes.

He was stunned.

Suddenly, without any warning, the man reached out and covered his eyes with the handkerchief. The silk handkerchief was soft to the touch. It wasn’t complete darkness; a faint white light seeped through, but he couldn’t see anything clearly. His vision was a blur.

He could clearly feel the warmth of the hand through the handkerchief as he lowered his eyes.

The next second—

The man’s warm kiss fell.

Covering his eyes with one hand, while slowly and deliberately kissing him with the other.