Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Pei Sheng noticed a flurry of messages on his phone and also observed Gu Lin’s typing suddenly speeding up.

Gu Lin was sending messages to Zheng Wei.

LL: Unsend the messages you sent to Pei Sheng!

LL: Unsend them now!

But Zheng Wei had already stopped responding. Gu Lin facepalmed in frustration, glancing sideways as Pei Sheng picked up his phone at a red light. Instinctively, Gu Lin grabbed it.

“Hmm?” Pei Sheng looked at him, puzzled.

“No texting and driving. Focus on the road,” Gu Lin said urgently.

“We’re stopped at a red light.” Pei Sheng held out his hand, waiting for Gu Lin to return the phone.

Instead, Gu Lin clutched the phone to his chest. “It’ll turn green any second.”

Pei Sheng was half-amused, half-annoyed. “Want to check my messages?”

“Yeah…” Gu Lin wanted to delete them but couldn’t admit it outright, so he flipped the accusation. “Are you really supporting another sugar baby? Why so many messages?”

“Since when can I afford that?” The light turned green, and Pei Sheng pulled forward.

“Then why are you always replying to someone?” Gu Lin had always been curious about who Pei Sheng messaged so often.

Pei Sheng eyed him. “Why are you being so defensive?”

“I’m not!” Gu Lin hadn’t expected the topic to circle back to himself.

“If not, why do you want to see my phone? Who was it that said you shouldn’t snoop through others’ phones?” Gu Lin’s expressions were too transparent—Pei Sheng could see right through his little schemes.

Gu Lin, cornered, pouted and resorted to his last resort. “Please, just let me take a quick look.”

He tugged lightly at Pei Sheng’s sleeve, careful not to distract him from driving. “Please, Pei Sheng. I’m so curious. If you don’t let me see, I’ll dream about it and wake up.”

“You only wake up from holding your pee.” Pei Sheng mercilessly called him out.

“Pleeease~” Gu Lin clasped his hands together, staring at him with puppy-dog eyes, like a puppy begging for treats.

Pei Sheng gently pushed his head away. “You’re such a handful. 135711—the lock screen password.”

“Heh.” Satisfied, Gu Lin finally withdrew his hand and unlocked the phone, quickly deleting all the risqué videos Zheng Wei had sent.

He let out a sigh of relief, patting his chest. “Good, all clear.”

Pei Sheng watched, knowing he was up to something—though recovering deleted files was easy enough.

Gu Lin wasn’t trying to snoop through Pei Sheng’s private messages, but as he exited, he spotted a contact saved as “Wang Yang” with a message preview: *Bro, have you transferred Gu Lin’s backup files yet?*

His backup files?

Before he could dwell on it, Gu Lin hastily returned the phone.

Pei Sheng eyed his contented expression. “Find that other sugar baby?”

Gu Lin turned red. “N-no, nothing like that.”

Pei Sheng's aloof tone came from the side: "I'm not interested in *anyone* else either."

Gu Lin asked curiously, "Then are you interested in me?"

Pei Sheng looked at him but didn’t speak. However, Gu Lin could see three words in his eyes—*You tell me.*

Gu Lin huffed indignantly, muttering to himself that it’s *clearly* Pei Sheng’s own hang-up rather than him being unattractive!

*

When the two arrived at Zhou Shaoran's uncle Zhou Zheng's psychotherapy clinic, Gu Lin shadowed him step-for-step.

Having spent a long time in hospitals before, he knew *that* clinical once-over doctors gave patients.

The warm, kindly uncle before him was looking at him with that very gaze.

But when they entered earlier, he had seen the sign for the psychological counseling center.

Pei Sheng led him into an office. "Gu Lin, answer whatever Uncle Zhou asks you honestly later."

Gu Lin nodded with a smile. "Copy that. A hundred per session—*consider it done.*"

Pei Sheng felt a pang of guilt—like conning a kid. He rested his hand briefly on Gu Lin’s head, hesitating to speak, but ultimately said nothing and turned to leave.

Gu Lin watched the door close, his grin slipping as he nervously approached Uncle Zhou, suddenly awkward.

"Take a seat, Xiao Lin." Uncle Zhou's reassuring smile eased some of the tension.

Gu Lin sat down earnestly. "*I’m* not crazy."

"Everyone here says that."

Gu Lin: "..." When Pei Sheng had him admitted to the psychiatric hospital before, the staff had said the same thing!

"*Relax*, I’m messing with you," Uncle Zhou chuckled and poured him a cup of warm water. "And you’re not playing dumb just to ease Pei Sheng’s worries either."

"I know he wouldn’t hurt me." Though Gu Lin didn’t understand Pei Sheng’s intentions, he trusted him nonetheless.

"He just needs a clean bill of mental health from you." Uncle Zhou knew Gu Lin was perceptive and didn’t want to deceive him.

"What’s the point of that?" Gu Lin was puzzled.

Uncle Zhou wasn’t sure either. "Dunno. Said he *needed* it. It won’t affect you in any way."

He took out a booklet. "Just fill this out based on how you feel."

"Okay." Gu Lin dutifully scanned the questions.

---

After waiting outside for about an hour, Pei Sheng finally saw Gu Lin emerge, still beaming like sunshine—clearly, there were no issues.

"Come here." Pei Sheng called out, and Gu Lin walked over, sitting down beside him casually. "Yeah?"

The next moment, Pei Sheng handed him a bottle of warm milk.

Gu Lin happily took it. "Where’d you get this?"

"Vending machine." Pei Sheng stood up after passing him the milk. "No rush."

"Okay!" Gu Lin took a sip—the milk steamed slightly. Watching Pei Sheng enter the office, he knew he must be reviewing his evaluation. *Just what* was Pei Sheng scheming?

Pei Sheng sat in front of Zhou Zheng and asked, "Does he have depression?"

"He doesn’t have depression, but there are other concerns."

Zhou Zheng first handed Pei Sheng the proof of Gu Lin's mental health, then showed him the test Gu Lin had just completed. He asked, "Has he recently experienced abandonment or lost someone very important?"

"Not sure," Pei Sheng said, shaking his head, lowering his gaze to the thin sheet of paper filled with his name.

"What does he depend on most emotionally? Pei Sheng."

"What would make him feel anxious, uneasy, or even pained if lost? Pei Sheng."

"What has he been dreaming about lately? Pei Sheng."

"If Gu Lin were an empty bottle, you’re probably what fills it. Based on the current test results, he has mild separation anxiety toward you," Uncle Zhou said. "He’s terrified you’ll leave him."

Pei Sheng could tell Gu Lin had strong emotional needs—his craving for affirmation, attention, and care. Even when someone like Chu Yu, who he’d just met, left, Gu Lin showed excessive sadness upon parting.

Pei Sheng tucked the answer sheet away. "If I were to make him leave me, what would happen?"

"He’s sensitive but also very sensible. Just talk to him honestly. If things get bad, he might even sleepwalk from anxiety."

"Thank you, Uncle Zhou." Pei Sheng nodded, getting it, and took Gu Lin’s mental health diagnosis.

As he stepped out of the office, Gu Lin sat quietly on the bench, drinking milk. It took Pei Sheng back to when Gu Lin sat alone at the police station, just like he himself had once done abroad.

Pei Sheng walked over to him. Gu Lin, like he always sensed him, immediately looked up with a bright smile. "So, am I okay?"

"Yeah." Pei Sheng bopped him on the head with the paper. "Let’s head out."

He passed the sheet to Gu Lin, who skimmed it. Though he couldn’t fully understand it, the word "healthy" reassured him. He trailed after Pei Sheng, grinning. "Are we going to the company or home?"

"Home." Pei Sheng wanted to talk privately about school.

It was only around 3 or 4 p.m. when they got home. As soon as they walked in, Gu Lin yelled, "Lado! We’re back!"

After changing his shoes, he dashed toward Lado, pulling the dog to the TV, trying to sneakily put his little movie plan into action.

Watching him bounce around, Pei Sheng wandered into the living room and stood by the sofa.

"Gu Lin, do you want to go back to school?" Pei Sheng probed.

"Huh?" Gu Lin turned to look at him. "What school?"

"That paperwork clears you to go back to school." Pei Sheng’s words left Gu Lin stunned.

"School? University?" Gu Lin asked uncertainly.

Pei Sheng nodded. "I already canceled your leave request. You can go back now."

Gu Lin shot up, eyes lighting up. "Really?!"

He rushed over, his face full of anticipation.

"Yeah." His reaction eased Pei Sheng’s worries a little. "I’ll take you there tomorrow."

Gu Lin had never imagined he could return to school. He was so happy he didn’t know what to do with himself.

Looking at Pei Sheng’s face, he grabbed Pei Sheng’s face and smothered him in kisses. "Thanks, Pei Sheng! Mwah! Mwah! Love you the most! Mwah!!"

Pei Sheng: "?"

He tried to step back, but his calf bumped against the sofa, the momentum sent him collapsing onto the sofa. Gu Lin, however, smoothly perched just below his waist.

Seeing Gu Lin lean in for another kiss, Pei Sheng pressed a hand against his recklessly grinning mouth, his eyes narrowing sharply. "Gu Lin!"

Realizing he'd gotten too carried away, Gu Lin let out protesting noises as his mouth was covered.

Pei Sheng felt the warmth of Gu Lin's lips against his palm and instinctively loosened his grip, instead squishing his cheeks together as a reprimand. "What did I tell you in the office?"

Gu Lin blinked his bright, dark eyes and mumbled, "Can't use kisses to say thank you."

"And what else?" Pei Sheng's face burned from the kisses, his voice growing sterner.

"Can't always think about kissing people." Gu Lin answered correctly, but his eyes still danced with mischief, showing no sign of remorse!

He even eagerly leaned down to kiss the mole at the base of Pei Sheng's thumb, his voice dropping lower. "Pei Sheng, I'm so happy."

The warm, damp sensation seared through Pei Sheng, every sense overwhelmed by the sweltering heat.

The unmistakable hardness beneath them was impossible to ignore.

Gu Lin felt something pressing against him and wriggled. Pei Sheng's hand immediately tightened around his waist, his voice rough with restraint as he warned in a low voice, "Don't move."