Chapter 10

The third floor was quiet, with people dressed in the uniform coats of the Alliance Police occasionally passing by. Lin Shuicheng deduced that this level must be a resting area for the police attending the meeting.

Room 313 was the second-to-last one along the corridor, adjacent to the atrium coffee shop. Before entering, Lin Shuicheng went to the coffee shop to buy a light meal and a bottle of warm milk, planning to rest well after eating.

He tapped his card against the door, and after two beeps, he entered.

The room was pitch black. Lin Shuicheng closed the door and casually placed his belongings on the coat rack by the entrance before reaching out to plug in the power.

It was in that moment that he realized something was amiss. He had touched a file folder on the coat rack, and upon taking a step forward, he found himself stepping on a pair of disposable felt slippers haphazardly left at the doorway.

Someone was here. Had he entered the wrong room?

As this thought crossed his mind, Lin Shuicheng's wrist, which was reaching for the light switch, was suddenly held down. Startled, he swung his elbow backward, aiming for the figure that had appeared in the darkness, only to miss.

From seemingly nowhere, the person used their other hand to block and pull him in, as if handling a small rabbit. Then, Lin Shuicheng heard a familiar, low, magnetic laugh. "You still know how to fight back, huh?"

"Are you hiding from me? Why would you hide from me? Do you find overtime fun, Lin Shuicheng, hmm?"

"Speak, or I'll silence you."

Fu Luoyin's voice was gentle, but his gaze made one's scalp tingle uncontrollably.

Lin Shuicheng was on the verge of tears.

He never expected to encounter Fu Luoyin here – after all the hiding and evasion, even going so far as to book a room near school to avoid going home, he ended up bumping into Fu Luoyin himself!

Now, no matter what he said, he couldn't explain himself. Fu Luoyin's gaze at him seemed to want to devour him alive without showing any emotion.

...

Lin Shuicheng dozed off several times, only to be awakened again, his tears continuously flowing.

After Fu Luoyin carried him to clean up, Lin Shuicheng, still dazed, vaguely remembered sending a message to Wang Pinyuan to ask for leave. He had a big class scheduled for the following afternoon, and he didn't know if he would make it in time. Regardless, he decided to ask for leave first.

Seeing Lin Shuicheng lying on the bed seriously asking for leave, Fu Luoyin found it amusing and pulled him into his embrace.

Seeing that Lin Shuicheng ignored him, he softly coaxed, "Why are you crying? You're already an adult."

Lin Shuicheng still paid him no attention, getting out of bed to rummage through the food and milk Fu Luoyin had bought. Although the takeout meals were wrapped in insulated aluminum foil, the food inside had long since cooled down after such a long time.

Fu Luoyin, witnessing Lin Shuicheng's pitiful attempt to enjoy his cold beef rice, got out of bed and gently pulled him back. He patted Lin Shuicheng's back and said, "Get dressed, let's go out to eat. We'll return for sleep after that."

Lin Shuicheng's voice still carried a hint of a stuffy nose; he sounded utterly innocent. "I don't have any spare clothes."

He was slightly fastidious, changing his clothes daily even in winter. He had planned to sleep until seven the next morning before returning home to bathe and change. Now, with Fu Luoyin's commotion, his clothes were soiled - especially his inner shirt, which couldn't be worn out again.

Fu Luoyin casually tossed his shirt to him. "Wear it for now. Zhou Heng can bring you clothes tomorrow morning."

The conference lasted for four days, and Fu Luoyin usually carried two or three sets of spare clothes in case of unexpected missions. Getting out of bed, Fu Luoyin fetched some clean clothes for Lin Shuicheng to wear. They were a bit oversized, but in the autumn weather, they wouldn't appear too conspicuous.

Lin Shuicheng was only half a head shorter than Fu Luoyin. When the latter tossed him his jacket, Lin Shuicheng earnestly picked it up, sniffed it, and examined it closely, as if he found it somewhat displeasing.

There was no other scent apart from the faint mint fragrance that clung to Fu Luoyin's person.

Fu Luoyin held back his irritation: "I didn't wear it out. It was washed and dried this afternoon before being delivered." Only then did Lin Shuicheng put on the jacket.

The two descended the stairs and didn't venture far. They had their meal at the student food court within Star University. It was already two or three in the morning, but they chose a light and savory Cantonese-style beef hotpot, which warmed their stomachs on this chilly autumn night.

As Lin Shuicheng ate, he couldn't help but feel drowsy. Fu Luoyin sipped slowly on the free beef offal soup provided by the restaurant and noticed Lin Shuicheng's eyes struggling to stay open. Amidst the billowing steam, Lin Shuicheng's face appeared pale and haggard.

Lin Shuicheng dozed off with his cheek in his hand, while Fu Luoyin waited patiently, casually scrolling through reports on his phone.

It was almost dawn when the café owner appeared ready to close up, and Lin Shuicheng stirred, slowly opening his eyes.

Fu Luoyin said, "Your wallet is in your pocket."

Only then did Lin Shuicheng recall that he was wearing Fu Luoyin's clothes. He reached in and found Fu Luoyin's ID card – black, with seven characters on it.

The café owner's face lit up at the sight of the card. "Oh, you're one of the officials here for the conference. The school sent out a notice saying all attendees won't be charged."

Lin Shuicheng was momentarily taken aback, glancing again at the card before tucking it back into his wallet.

"What's the matter?" Fu Luoyin asked.

"Didn't you run a company? How did you end up in the military?" Lin Shuicheng was somewhat puzzled.

When he first met Fu Luoyin, he had been the client for their project team. Zhou Heng had addressed Fu Luoyin as both boss and young master, leading Lin Shuicheng to assume Fu Luoyin was indeed a businessman.

Fu Luoyin chuckled, giving him a quick glance. "The boss got it wrong. Unit 7 is not a military organization; it's a research institution. Explaining it would be quite complicated. I am just a businessman. But I did serve two years in the military before being discharged."

"Oh," Lin Shuicheng said.

Fu Luoyin found out that this guy actually knew nothing about his background – but then again, explaining the Fu family to a bookish and diligent student like Lin Shuicheng might have been too much for him. An ordinary person would probably be smug about having someone with connections on their side.

In a way, Lin Shuicheng was innocent and genuine; he seemed to genuinely like him as a person.

Or perhaps it was because Fu Luoyin had neglected Lin Shuicheng so much in the past two years that Lin Shuicheng didn't even know his true identity.

Back in his room, Fu Luoyin instructed, "Don't go home for the next four days. Come straight here after work and wait for me."

Lin Shuicheng looked at him quizzically.

"What's wrong?" Fu Luoyin asked. "Unwilling?"

Lin Shuicheng tried to protest, "The Chief needs to be fed."

Fu Luoyin replied, "Call Zhou Heng to do it."

Lin Shuicheng said, "I'm working overtime."

"I'll come to your lab if you keep working overtime, got it?" Fu Luoyin pinched his chin with a teasing smile, "Behave, and I'll spare you the torment."

Lin Shuicheng remained silent.

Lin Shuicheng expected another round of intimacy upon returning, but Fu Luoyin didn't initiate anything this time. He lay down beside him, sensing Fu Luoyin's reaction, yet Fu Luoyin merely tossed him the blanket and softly warned, "Don't be too playful." Then, he made no further advances, allowing Lin Shuicheng to succumb to deep sleep.