Warm body heat permeated the cold skin, entering the blood and traveling up along the veins.

Color once again dyed Cheng Huanzhen’s world.

Amid the torrential rain, all other sounds became faint and inaudible; only the young man’s scolding echoed in his ears.

Rainwater dripped down from his wet hair into Cheng Huanzhen’s eyes, stinging them so much that he subconsciously closed them, struggling before forcing them open again.

Eyes closed, then opened—the young man was still in front of him, he hadn’t disappeared.

Not a hallucination.

A voice, hoarse and deep from two whole days of silence, called out softly and unsteadily amidst the crashing rain, seeming so insignificant.

He called out in a dazed, low whisper: “…Uncle.”

The young man sighed softly. Holding an umbrella in one hand and Cheng Huanzhen’s wrist in the other, he moved the umbrella across his body to shield both of them.

He led him into the house and closed the door, shutting out the crashing storm behind the heavy door.

Cheng Huanzhen stood on the rug in the entryway, soaked through.

Water dripped from his hair, his eyelashes, his clothes, his trouser legs—drip, drop, drip, drop—quickly soaking the rug.

A bath towel hung on the coat rack by the entrance.

As soon as they entered, Lin Chen took the towel, spread his hands, and the towel arced through the air, landing on Cheng Huanzhen’s head.

Lin Chen rubbed it a couple of times, then let go, saying, “Dry yourself off. And also, I am not your uncle.”

Cheng Huanzhen stood motionless, staring unblinkingly at Lin Chen.

Cheng Huanzhen asked hoarsely, “Then, Lin Chen? Brother Lin? Uncle Lin? Ah-Lin? Brother Chen? Uncle Chen? Ah-Chen?”

Lin Chen: “…”

Lin Chen: “You’d better just call me Uncle.”

Cheng Huanzhen: “Uncle.”

Seeing he still wasn’t moving, Lin Chen repeated: “Dry yourself. Once you’re not dripping, go into the room, shower, and change your clothes. After you’ve washed and changed, we’ll talk.”

Only then did Cheng Huanzhen reluctantly agree: “Okay.”

Cheng Huanzhen had no mind for showering.

He quickly rinsed off, changed clothes, and returned to the living room, locking his gaze on Lin Chen as he strode toward him.

At this moment, Lin Chen was sitting on the sofa, legs crossed.

Seeing him come out, Lin Chen turned his head slightly, gave him a shallow smile, and beckoned: “Come, sit.”

Lin Chen motioned for him to sit on the side sofa.

Cheng Huanzhen didn’t want to go there; he went and sat right next to him on his sofa.

Cheng Huanzhen called out hoarsely: “Uncle.”

Lin Chen sighed lightly, turned sideways, and raised a hand to gently brush the corner of his eye.

Lin Chen asked him: “Why are your eyes red?”

Cheng Huanzhen answered muffledly: “Got rain in them.”

Lin Chen blinked slowly: “Alright. Making it look like I bullied you… It was you who insisted on coming to find me.”

Cheng Huanzhen didn’t refute his words.

He just called him again in a hoarse voice: “Uncle.”

Lin Chen responded patiently: “Mm. What do you want to tell me? Just say it.”

Cheng Huanzhen was silent for a moment before asking in a low voice: “Can I hug you?”

An unexpected request.

Was he uneasy? Was he terrified? Was he confirming his existence?

Lin Chen studied the young man before him carefully, sighed for who knew how many times that night, and finally opened his arms, saying: “Alright, come here.”

Cheng Huanzhen practically pounced.

Lin Chen realized for the first time that Cheng Huanzhen’s not-so-robust body could unleash such great strength!

It was like being tackled by a giant animal; immediately, he was held tight and nuzzled. Slightly damp hair rubbed incessantly against his ear, while warm, rapid, broken breaths fell against his neck, sliding down the gaps of his clothes.

A hoarse voice called over and over in his ear: “Uncle, Uncle…”

He whispered: “I looked for you for so long, so long, Uncle.”

There seemed to be a hint of crying in his voice, yet not quite. Lin Chen wasn’t sure. Cheng Huanzhen had buried his head in his neck, so he couldn’t see his expression at all.

The low, husky voice continued: “I found a lot of evidence, lots and lots, but I didn’t want to use evidence to force you to acknowledge me.”

“But, Uncle, if I hadn’t pestered you like this, would you have never come to acknowledge me?”

“…You clearly said that as long as you could survive, you would come back to find me. I did exactly what you said—bought one piece of clothing I liked every month, went to one place I liked, ate at one restaurant I liked. I… I didn’t turn back into a robot, but you still didn’t come find me!”

Silence for three seconds. Lin Chen felt the head buried in his neck grow heavier. Warm moisture was brushed lightly onto his neck by eyelashes.

Cheng Huanzhen whispered: “You’re just a liar, Uncle.”

Lin Chen responded gently, asking: “You think I’m a liar, yet you still call me that?”

Cheng Huanzhen didn’t make a sound. Only the head at his neck and the arms around his waist grew heavier and tighter.

Lin Chen patted his head soothingly and looked down, saying: “Alright, stop rubbing. Didn’t you want to talk? Sit up, let’s have a good chat.”

Lin Chen waited patiently for about three minutes before Cheng Huanzhen finally, very reluctantly, pulled away from his neck.

The weather outside was terrible.

Wind and rain raged, lightning flashed and thunder rolled, lighting up the sky intermittently. The gale slapped rain against the floor-to-ceiling windows; if it were any stronger, one would worry the glass might break.

But inside, the atmosphere was exceptionally peaceful.

Lin Chen got up and put on a vinyl record. Soothing, gentle music softly filled the living room. Lin Chen returned to the coffee table and sat on the sofa opposite Cheng Huanzhen.

Cheng Huanzhen tried hard to control himself from getting up and sitting opposite him.

His eyes followed the young man opposite him closely. The young man was wearing a navy blue robe; this shade was much more restrained and steady than his uncle used to wear—not as colorful, but with more charm.

The young man crossed his legs, leaned back lightly against the chair, interlaced his fingers casually on his knee, and said to him: “Tell me all your plans. You dared to come find me like this—didn’t you consider what you’d do if I really wasn’t Cheng Yiming?”

Cheng Huanzhen shook his head: “Never thought about it.”

He paused, then explained: “Many characteristics can’t be explained by coincidence. For example, when you’re unhappy, the downward curve of your mouth is always identical. When you’re thinking, your blinking speed always slows down. When you’re confused, you like to tilt your head slightly to the left, about ten degrees.”

“Besides that, there are many other traits and evidence. These proofs might be weak individually, but when piled all together… it’s hard for it to be a coincidence.”

Lin Chen wasn’t surprised by this. He praised: “You observe very carefully.”

Cheng Huanzhen stared at him: “Uncle, you were the one who taught me that.”

Lin Chen skipped that topic and asked: “Have you told your father and grandfather about looking for me?”

Cheng Huanzhen shook his head: “They know I’m looking for Uncle, but they don’t know I’ve gotten this far… and they certainly don’t know I found you.”

Lin Chen: “If they knew, they might be angry.”

Cheng Huanzhen was silent for a moment, then said: “I can keep it from them.”

Lin Chen asked curiously: “Aren’t you angry?”

Cheng Huanzhen lowered his eyes and said honestly: “I want to be angry too, Uncle. But I feel…”

He was quiet for three seconds, then whispered: “Seeing you again is more important than anything. If not being angry means I can see you, then I won’t be angry.”

Lin Chen smiled.

The smile dyed every part of his brow and eyes; even his eyelashes seemed to curl up happily.

He bent down, rummaged through the cabinet underneath for a box of cold medicine, poured a pack into his cup, and said: “Drink this medicine in a bit. You just got rained on, be careful not to catch a cold.”

Cheng Huanzhen stared at his smile and asked: “Are you happy because of me? Uncle?”

“Because I discovered your secret but didn’t get angry?”

Lin Chen’s smile didn’t fade. He stirred the cup twice with a stick and pushed it in front of him: “Is that how you ask questions? Since you’re not angry now, then don’t be angry. I’ve finished my questions; now it’s your turn.”

Cheng Huanzhen was about to speak when Lin Chen pressed a finger to his lips.

Lin Chen smiled and said: “Oh, but you can’t ask about my identity or any information related to it. Those questions where answers are hard to get directly, or difficult to explain—you can’t ask those either. Otherwise, don’t call me Uncle anymore.”

Cheng Huanzhen silently closed his mouth.

He struggled to endure for three seconds, then choked out: “But Uncle, you just wiped out ninety percent of my questions!”

Lin Chen lifted his eyelids lightly, glancing at him: “Didn’t I leave you ten percent?”

Cheng Huanzhen stared at the faint smile on Lin Chen’s lips and suddenly remembered how his uncle used to interrupt his plans every day back then.

He wasn’t the type to just act on whim at all.

So when he interrupted his plans back then, was he just like now—secretly gloating and watching his amusement?

Yet Lin Chen, seeing him silent, looked up and asked in a gentle voice: “Why not ask? Don’t worry, I will answer honestly whatever questions I can.”

Before Lin Chen spoke, the sky outside the window turned exceptionally bright.

Just as his voice fell, continuous, magnificent thunder rolled in from the distance.

“Rumble rumble—”

At that very moment, an overly familiar and cheerful voice appeared in Lin Chen’s mind simultaneously.

The system greeted him happily: “Host! Surprise! I woke up half a day earlier than expected! Hehe, did you miss me terribly while I was gone? Don’t worry, your loyal AC9999 is here to—Whoa! Cheng Huanzhen—why is he here!”

The system was startled.

Lin Chen was also startled by the sudden thunder exploding in his brain.

Cheng Huanzhen froze, then immediately strode around the coffee table, covered Lin Chen’s ears tightly with both hands, and turned Lin Chen’s head towards him so he wouldn’t see the lightning outside from the corner of his eye.

He subconsciously coaxed his uncle: “Don’t be afraid, Uncle, close your eyes, I’m here.”

The system froze for three seconds, then turned pale with shock: “—‘Uncle’?!!!”