Chapter 104

**Chapter 104**

Gu Lin felt as though his soul had left his body. He stood in a shabby, cramped room, staring at a drunken man lying unconscious on the floor.

He recognized him instantly—this was the original Gu Lin from his former world.

Their worlds had swapped.

Gu Lin glanced around and realized this was a construction site dormitory. His old roommates were still there. They ignored the drunk man sprawled on the floor, muttering quietly to each other: "What’s wrong with Gu Lin? I heard he gambled away all his savings for a house."

"He used to work nonstop, saving every penny just to buy a place. Now it's like he's a different person—drinking, smoking, gambling, not even working properly. The foreman’s about to fire him."

Listening to their words, Gu Lin looked down at the drunken mess on the floor.

His heart ached over the money—it had been painstakingly saved through backbreaking labor at the construction site. ¥123,600. He had planned to save a bit more to afford a small one-bedroom apartment in an older neighborhood. It wouldn’t have been much, but it would’ve been enough. And now, all of it was gone.

He’d never liked this job to begin with. With that money, he could’ve quit and found something he actually enjoyed. But now, he had gambled everything away.

He had always assumed the original Gu Lin’s despicable actions were forced by Li Chunhua’s influence. Yet now, living this new life, it was just as miserable.

"Shut up!" the drunk man snapped. "Stop bothering me!"

The roommates exchanged glances, recalling how kind Gu Lin used to be, and silently walked out.

Gu Lin followed them outside and saw the high-rise they had worked on—now fully built.

Had it really been that long since he left this world?

Like a ghost, he roamed without purpose around the construction site. He saw the tiler who had once trained him, now teaching a new apprentice—a young kid, but eager to learn.

He spotted Lao Wang, who’d worked alongside him plastering walls. Lao Wang still lived frugally on pickles and steamed buns, saving every penny to send to his academically gifted son.

Drifting aimlessly, he felt everything was familiar yet foreign.

Suddenly, he wanted to visit his mother. Now, he could ride the bus to the cemetery freely.

He found her grave. The tombstone was neatly kept. The burial plot had cost him dearly, but he had bought it anyway—he wanted her resting place to be clean and peaceful.

He knelt down, staring at her photo. At least here, she’d never grow old.

"Mom, I went to another world. I met someone I really care about—his name is Pei Sheng. You’d like him too," Gu Lin murmured. "He’s gentle, gets annoyed when I act up, but never stays mad for long. Only downside? He eats like a horse, especially junk food."

Suddenly, he realized—if he was here, what about Pei Sheng?

Would Pei Sheng think he was gone for good?

But Gu Lin had no idea how to return.

He sat by the grave for a long time, his heart aching. He knew Pei Sheng would be devastated.

He loved him so much.

Gu Lin abruptly stood up. He had to find a way back to Pei Sheng. Like the wind, he bolted outside, but despair weighed on him—this world didn’t even have Ning City.

So there was no Pei Sheng either. Where could he go to find a phantom?

Like a chicken with its head cut off, he desperately searched for any possible sign of him. But the rundown old neighborhood yielded nothing, Jiangshui Bay yielded nothing, and neither did Ning University. Finally, he stopped in front of a convenience store, unsure where else to go.

He stood alone under the streetlight as a light snow began to fall. He couldn’t feel the cold, but the flakes landed on his eyelids, and they felt slightly cold.

"Hey, one grilled sausage, please," a voice called out. Gu Lin instinctively bolted forward excitedly, squashing his face against the glass door, only to see the man turn around.

It wasn’t Pei Sheng…

He wasn’t Pei Sheng…

Gu Lin sank to his knees in disappointment. Pei Sheng didn’t exist in this world.

The man left, and so did Gu Lin. He returned to the construction site dormitory and saw the original owner of the body, now sober, grab his phone and storm out, muttering angrily, "Pathetic. Twelve grand and still broke."

Watching his retreating figure, Gu Lin could only sigh in resignation.

He lay down on his own bed. The familiarity of it all washed over him—he had lain here before, closed his eyes, and woken up in a world where Pei Sheng existed.

Closing his eyes now, his roommates’ snores filled the room. Gradually, his eyelids grew heavy, and he could’ve sworn he heard someone say his name: "Someone just said Gu Lin got arrested."

"Arrested? For what?"

"Who knows? These days, he’s capable of anything."

The voices were noisy. Gu Lin tried to open his eyes, but they felt like lead.

In his muddled consciousness, he heard doors opening and closing, and finally, the distant wail of a police siren. Chaos surged through his ears.

The sounds around him grew fainter, muffled, as if underwater. He could tell people were speaking, but their words blurred together.

He struggled to breathe, his mind feeling as though it were being crushed by an unseen force. Gritting his teeth in pain, he heard a voice, choked with emotion, call out:

"Brother Pei! Brother Pei!"

Then he felt himself pulled into a bone-crushing hug, as if the other person wanted to fuse their very bones together.

"Gu Lin, wake up. Please wake up." The barely audible plea echoed in his ear, growing clearer until warm tears dripped onto his face, one after another.

Dazed, he opened his eyes. A tear landed on his long lashes, and he blinked blearily at the blurry face above him.

Then that face pressed down, the warmth of tears soaking into him.

Gu Lin’s lashes fluttered slightly as the familiar press of lips met his—Pei Sheng’s.

"Pei Sheng," he whispered almost soundlessly, the salt of tears on his tongue.

Pei Sheng was crying…

The chest pressed tightly against his own heaved violently. When he looked up, he saw Pei Sheng staring at him—those usually sharp, clear eyes now filled with fear and desperation, red-rimmed and exhausted.

He looked utterly disheveled.

Suddenly, the muffled noise around them sharpened and rushed in.

"Doctor! Has the doctor arrived yet?" Zhou Shaoran’s frantic voice rang out as he ran away.

"Brother Pei, calm down. You haven't eaten for days—getting worked up could make you lightheaded."

"Brother, let go of Gu Lin first. He can't breathe."

But Pei Sheng only held Gu Lin tighter in his arms, as if cradling a child.

Gu Lin watched as Pei Sheng reached out to touch his face, completely lost. His thoughts were a mess—he didn’t know if this was just a wishful dream or if he had truly returned.

"Are you real?" Gu Lin asked hoarsely.

Pei Sheng gripped his hand and sank his teeth into his wrist. The sharp pain snapped Gu Lin back to reality. Staring at the hollow-cheeked, worn-out man before him, tears began to fall.

"I’m sorry. I just... suddenly collapsed. I scared you." Gu Lin reached up to wipe the dampness from Pei Sheng’s eyes. "I’m sorry for frightening you."

But Pei Sheng remained silent, only pulling him into another crushing embrace. He buried his face in Gu Lin’s hair and let out a long breath, like a weight lifted.

The others, who had been tense for days, finally relaxed as well.

When the doctor arrived, Gu Lin was wheeled off for tests, with Pei Sheng following closely behind.

After the tests, the doctor reviewed the results. "There’s a mild concussion, but everything else seems fine."

"Will he pass out again?" Zhou Shaoran asked worriedly from the side.

"His numbers look good now. If he suddenly loses consciousness again, I recommend a follow-up at the neurology department of First Hospital in the capital."

"I’m fine," Gu Lin reassured them. "I really won’t faint again."

Everything related to Gu Lin in that other world had vanished. Perhaps this sudden collapse was his way of saying goodbye to his mother.

Pei Sheng’s eyes still held disbelief. Gu Lin thought to himself—Pei Sheng seemed traumatized, as if suffering from shock.

Back in the hospital room, Pei Sheng still refused to let go, holding onto him for dear life.

Gu Lin coaxed him gently, "I’m really okay now. Don’t be afraid. It was just a quick faint—no big deal."

He stroked Pei Sheng’s back and kissed his lips. "Don’t be scared."

But Pei Sheng remained unmoved, holding him so tightly it felt as if he wanted to press him into his bones.

Gu Lin could feel how utterly drained Pei Sheng was, yet he refused to close his eyes and rest—nor would he let Gu Lin sleep.

Helpless, Gu Lin glanced at Wang Yang for help.

---

Wang Yang handed Gu Lin a glass of water. "Make my brother drink some."

Noticing Pei Sheng’s chapped lips, Gu Lin urged, "Drink some water."

Pei Sheng mechanically drank most of it but then immediately resumed holding him. Within half an hour, his eyes started drooping, and he fell asleep against Gu Lin.

"I slipped a sleeping pill in the water. He hasn’t slept much since you collapsed," Wang Yang explained, pulling the blanket over Pei Sheng. "He hasn’t spoken a word."

"He’s lost his voice?" Gu Lin asked anxiously, realizing Pei Sheng hadn’t spoken since he woke. "How did this happen?"

"The grief was too much. He believed he'd lost you for good," Wang Yang said quietly.

"I also thought I wouldn't come back," Gu Lin sat on the hospital bed, watching the sleeping man whose brows were still tightly furrowed. "I know he must have been terrified."

"It's good you're back. Everyone was scared to death." Wang Yang recalled how Pei Sheng went crazy after receiving Hu Guangxu’s call at work, and how he looked when he arrived at the hospital to see Gu Lin unconscious.

He looked like a wreck, unable to speak even a word.

Luckily, Gu Lin came back.

Otherwise, Wang Yang wasn’t sure what his brother might have done—he had always been a little unhinged.

Gu Lin wiped at the corner of his eyes. "It won’t happen again. I won’t leave."

Wang Yang handed him a tissue. "Stay here and rest with my brother."

After Wang Yang left, the room fell silent. Gu Lin lay beside Pei Sheng, pulling him into a tight hug and burying his face in the crook of his neck. "Dummy Pei Sheng, working himself up like this."

He choked up as he spoke—Pei Sheng had been too afraid of losing him.

*

Pei Sheng didn’t know how long he had slept. He could sense the faint scent of apples from Gu Lin’s body, like soft threads enveloping him. It felt as if he saw Gu Lin frantically searching for him.

When he opened his eyes, he met those bright eyes gazing at him.

His pupils flickered slightly as he took in the face of his beloved. A smile played at his lips, his dark eyes clear and luminous.

His own reflection stared back.

Seeing Pei Sheng’s dazed expression, Gu Lin leaned down and pressed a light kiss on his eyelids. "I woke you with a kiss, Pei Sheng."

The warmth in Gu Lin’s eyes drowned out the overwhelming panic in Pei Sheng’s heart. He tilted his head up and kissed the corner of Gu Lin’s lips.

Thank God—his lover was still here.

Pei Sheng made Gu Lin stay in the hospital for two more days before finally allowing him to go home on the third day.

The house had been sitting empty for a while. Lado had been staying with Zhou Shaoran’s parents, so they picked him up on their way back.

As soon as the door opened, Lado dashed around excitedly, and Gu Lin joined in—his injuries had fully healed.

But Pei Sheng insisted he take it easy, so Gu Lin just crouched on the floor unpacking his suitcase from the hospital.

He was about to take his clothes to his own room when Pei Sheng stopped him, pointing toward his own room. "Put them in my room."

"Huh?" Gu Lin was puzzled.

"No sleeping apart." Pei Sheng’s speech had returned—it had only been temporarily lost due to emotional distress. Now that he was calmer, his voice was back.

"Okay!" Gu Lin lit up like a kid on Christmas, darting back and forth between the rooms to move all his belongings into Pei Sheng’s room.

When he opened the bedside drawer, Gu Lin found a whole drawer full of condoms—a gift from Zheng Wei, he recalled.

Looking down at himself, he realized he hadn’t checked if Little Gu Lin still worked during this time.

His mind raced with dirty thoughts until Pei Sheng knocked on the door. "What are you doing crouching there?"

Gu Lin instinctively shut the drawer. "N-nothing."

He jumped up, guilt plastered all over his face. Pei Sheng wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Why’s your face so red? What were you looking at just now?"

"Nothing! I was being totally innocent!" Gu Lin nudged him. "I’ll toss the clothes in the wash."

Pei Sheng knew from his flirtatious look that there was nothing innocent about it. At that moment, his phone rang—Zhou Shaoran was calling.

He answered, and Zhou Shaoran's excited voice came through: "Brother Pei! Cheng Zhiqing is under judicial investigation! It's blowing up online!"

"It was only a matter of time," Pei Sheng replied calmly.

Zhou Shaoran was clearly thrilled: "My dad even praised me—it's the first time he's ever done that. He said Lingyun is great."

Pei Sheng watched as Gu Lin bent over, tossing dirty clothes into the washing machine, revealing a slender, pale waist.

His body, pent-up for weeks, immediately sparked desire. He responded to Zhou Shaoran, "You've always been outstanding."

"Brother Pei! Praise me some more!" Zhou Shaoran would’ve served Pei Sheng for lifetimes at this point.

But Pei Sheng dismissed him with a simple, "No time."

With that, he hung up abruptly and leaned against the doorframe, admiring Gu Lin’s sharp profile before letting his gaze drift down to his elegant throat, stirring his desire.

Gu Lin, meanwhile, felt the bank card in his pocket, unaware of Pei Sheng’s burning stare. Thinking of the five million yuan, he felt a surge of joy.

He could finally return the money to Pei Sheng—though the thought of giving away six or seven million made his heart ache.

But since the money wasn’t his to begin with, he hurried back and smacked the card against Pei Sheng’s chest. “Take this and rebuild your empire—become an even bigger boss than Cheng Zhiqing!”

Pei Sheng knew Gu Lin had no concept of his assets. Hearing this, he took the card and asked, “You’re really giving it all to me?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s all yours.” Gu Lin couldn’t take his eyes off the card—he’d never had so much money in his life.

Noticing how much it pained him, Pei Sheng closed the distance between them, his lips almost brushing Gu Lin’s nose. “No other conditions?”

Surrounded by his scent, Gu Lin felt *Xiao Gulin*, dormant for so long, awaken instantly, reacting at once.

Blushing, he pulled Pei Sheng into his room, opened the drawer full of condoms, and asked shyly, “Can we try again tonight?”

Pei Sheng glanced at the assortment of condoms, then scooped Gu Lin up in his arms. Gu Lin hastily grabbed several boxes before being carried—condoms and all—into Pei Sheng’s room.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a golden glow across the room, warm and bright.

Gu Lin was tossed onto the bed, and Pei Sheng leaned down, capturing his lips in a kiss before murmuring,

“I’ll make sure you get your fill tonight.”

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