Lin Xinyuan was on the verge of breaking down, his words incoherent as if he was about to pour out all the negative emotions he had been bottling up inside these past days.
Qin Nanfeng remained silent, instinctively reaching out to touch the thin back of Lin Xinyuan through his coat.
The moment he touched him, Lin Xinyuan trembled slightly, then gradually regained composure, not resisting Qin Nanfeng’s touch, allowing him to gently pat and stroke.
Like a cat…
Qin Nanfeng thought this, a strange feeling stirring in his heart, only to vanish quickly.
For something as fantastical and strange as Lin Xinyuan’s situation, he was helpless.
Because no matter how wealthy one is, there are still one percent of problems money cannot solve—and it was clear that Lin Xinyuan’s problem did not belong to that one percent.
Besides, Qin Nanfeng wasn’t even that rich yet…
Listening to Lin Xinyuan sob and mutter, Qin Nanfeng knew that reasoning wouldn’t help right now. Perhaps silent comfort was the best solution.
He believed Lin Xinyuan wouldn’t remain trapped in this state forever, because he knew this person fairly well.
After all, he had been a somewhat close friend before…
This guy wasn’t optimistic, but he was definitely clingy to life—fearful of death—and that was enough…
Qin Nanfeng kept patting his back with his hand. Despite the coat between them, he could still feel an astonishingly soft and smooth texture.
It was like they were two completely different people…
After an unknown amount of time, just as Qin Nanfeng had thought, Lin Xinyuan gradually calmed down from his emotions, wiping his tears little by little with his small hand.
He hadn’t felt much before, but now that he had come to his senses, he suddenly felt cold. The door to the downstairs stairwell was wide open, and a cold wind rushed in, making him shiver.
Lin Xinyuan furrowed his handsome brows, glancing sideways at the youth, only to find him staring at himself. Their gazes met.
After a moment, Lin Xinyuan was the first to look away, unable to endure the eye contact.
Staring at the somewhat dirty surface of his shoes, Lin Xinyuan muttered, “Shabi… You come in and don’t even close the door? It’s freezing…”
Qin Nanfeng heard this and knew that Lin Xinyuan’s mood had relaxed. After all, he dared to speak to him so freely now. He wondered if it was because Lin Xinyuan had realized that he knew he was actually Lin Xinyuan’s alter ego, Lin Xinyuan.
Speaking of which, this name was something Qin Nanfeng had imagined himself. When he first heard it, he was stunned, but didn’t think much of it, assuming it was a coincidence or that he had misheard…
After all, given the situation at the time, no one would have connected the two of them, at most thinking they were siblings.
In the end, it turned out to be the same person—thanks to some kind of force beyond current scientific understanding…
“What? You’re feeling cold now? Weren’t you crying your eyes out just a moment ago? Didn’t feel cold back then?” Qin Nanfeng teased.
“If something like this happened, something so unbearable, wouldn’t you cry?” Lin Xinyuan retorted, annoyed. Now that this guy had found out, he no longer cared much about previous reservations.
Looking at the person beside him with a flushed face and watery eyes staring at him, Qin Nanfeng was reminded of Lin Xinyuan’s alter ego.
So… this was the real him?
The old Lin Xinyuan did sometimes show this temper when very angry, but most of the time, it was directed at Qin Nanfeng with a hint of flattery.
No wonder he had felt a strange familiarity when interacting with Lin Xinyuan…
“I would, but definitely not as pathetic as you.” Qin Nanfeng shook his head and added with mock seriousness, “Yeah… like a stray dog rolling in the mud in the countryside…”
Hearing this, Lin Xinyuan grew even more annoyed and reached out to lightly slap him in playful revenge.
But Qin Nanfeng reacted swiftly, dodging his clumsy attack.
“I’m going to close the door. Don’t want to see you shivering so much that you walk like a crab later.” Saying that, Qin Nanfeng quickly stood up, creating some distance and assuming the position to close the door, avoiding Lin Xinyuan’s second round of attacks.
“You coward, don’t you dare hit me?”
After two failed attempts, Lin Xinyuan was quite frustrated, but then suddenly realized what he had just done. Raising his hands and looking at them, he was momentarily stunned.
Had he really become like this without noticing?
He used to never be so bold, especially in front of the blonde brat…
“I’ll just stand here and let you hit me, come on!” Qin Nanfeng leaned against the door frame, not intending to close the door yet, arms crossed, wearing a teasing expression.
Just then, he saw Lin Xinyuan freeze again. Qin Nanfeng frowned and slowly walked back, bending down to pat his shoulder.
Suddenly, Lin Xinyuan sharply turned sideways, his small hand swiping quickly to smack Qin Nanfeng’s thigh. The force wasn’t much, more ticklish than painful.
“Haha, got you!”
Lin Xinyuan’s face was full of joy. Though his palm stung a little, it didn’t seem to have caused any harm. The joy of finally hitting the blonde was overwhelming.
He flared his nostrils, looking quite pleased with himself.
Hearing his soft voice, Qin Nanfeng quickly snapped back to reality and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Lin Xinyuan, I always knew you were a bit childish, but I didn’t expect I still underestimated you—you’re seriously childish…”
As he said this, Qin Nanfeng knew Lin Xinyuan’s stunned expression wasn’t fake, but… even so, it was good to see him happy now…
That way, there was no need to overthink things. Just as he was thinking this, Lin Xinyuan’s small hand punched his chest.
By now, Lin Xinyuan had stood up. Because of their height difference—and the fact Qin Nanfeng was standing a step above him—Lin Xinyuan had to raise his arm to hit Qin Nanfeng’s chest.
Shabi blonde! Why so tall? Does it fill your stomach?
Lin Xinyuan was a bit out of breath and inwardly resentful of Qin Nanfeng’s height, but since hitting someone in the chest seemed manly and brought some satisfaction of revenge, he quickly forgot the unpleasant feelings.
“So what if I’m childish? I’m a man. Men are boys until they die, don’t you get it?” Lin Xinyuan said smugly.
Watching him like this, Qin Nanfeng thought if he had a tail, it would definitely be wagging high…
And that complex expression of being both unhappy and happy just now—although Qin Nanfeng’s sexual orientation was normal and he didn’t want to admit it—he really found Lin Xinyuan a bit… too adorable…
This was a man… although he didn’t look like one right now…
It was kind of ridiculous…
Qin Nanfeng’s mouth twitched into a smile, but he tried to suppress it, making Lin Xinyuan think his expression was strange.
The way the youth’s mouth twitched made Lin Xinyuan believe Qin Nanfeng was speechless.
He quietly celebrated his little A Q Victory Method in his heart, and Qin Nanfeng’s next words only strengthened his conviction.
“Since you’re up, let’s go. I’m hungry, and you probably are too. I came all this way just to find you…”
This time Qin Nanfeng didn’t argue. His words weren’t sharp or the speechless kind Lin Xinyuan expected.
To be honest, if he wanted to argue or swear, few could stand against him.
He was just humoring the person beside him. After all, he glanced at the time—it was already past one o’clock. They had been here for over an hour…
“Hehe, let’s go!” Lin Xinyuan saw the youth’s ‘surrender’ expression, rubbed his stomach, feeling a bit hungry, and rubbed his still damp and reddish eyes while muttering.
With that, he went ahead, bypassing Qin Nanfeng.
Qin Nanfeng smiled helplessly, watching the figure that now seemed much livelier, and followed after him.
The door closed, the stairwell sank back into darkness, and the dampness on the steps hadn’t yet fully dried…