TMWTGD CH42

After he spoke those words, both of them froze for a moment.

Lu Li was searching his memories; after all, so much time had elapsed that many details were no longer entirely clear.

Meanwhile, as if suddenly remembering something, Xie Jianwei asked, “Speaking of which, it seems I never properly introduced myself to you?”

Lu Li stared at him without blinking, clearly still straining to recall what had happened back then.

Xie Jianwei smiled faintly and said, “My name is Xie Jianwei. From now on, just call me Jianwei; you don’t have to follow the others and call me young master.”

He spoke in a gentle, warm tone, yet Lu Li’s heart pounded violently, thumping so fiercely it threatened to leap straight from his chest.

Though Xie Jianwei’s complexion was haggard, his brows and eyes were gentle, exuding an innate elegance and nobility bred in his bones, carrying a touch of detachment, yet softened into approachable warmth by the slight upturn of his lips.

The hazy memories of Lu Li’s past abruptly snapped into sharp focus.

Like a black-and-white film blooming into three-dimensional color, all the details he had once overlooked became vivid and radiant because of these few words and this single expression.

That year, Lu Li had been fifteen, an age meant for brazen arrogance, yet he had lived in wretched gloom.

His mother’s dream of becoming a wealthy matriarch was all but shattered, and after drinking herself into a stupor, she took her fury out on him.

When that frail woman flew into a frenzy, her strength was surprisingly formidable. Lu Li could easily have overpowered her, of course, but she was his mother; no matter how wretched or cruel she was, she had carried him for ten months to bring him into this world.

She had given him this life, and for that reason alone, Lu Li would never lay a hand on her.

She beat and cursed him. Alcohol had ravaged her sanity, amplifying every dark impulse without limit; in her vicious rage, she had even hurled a wine bottle straight at Lu Li’s head.

Though Lu Li dodged it, the sound of the bottle shattering had fractured his heart into pieces as well.

Had he not dodged, would she truly have killed him?

Merely pondering the answer made Lu Li’s breath hitch.

On one such sweltering night, his mother, that deranged woman, finally collapsed from chronic alcoholism.

Lu Li rushed her to the hospital, but their destitute household couldn’t scrape together a fraction of the exorbitant medical fees.

Watch her die?

Perhaps that would have been a release, but if she died, he would be left with nothing in the world.

A fifteen-year-old youth stood all night in the frigid hospital corridor, lost and bewildered, unable to find a sanctuary or see any road ahead.

Until the pale rays of dawn pierced the gloom, scattering across the grey marble floor, and he laid eyes upon a youth who seemed carved from light itself.

Though they were similar in age, that boy was like an angel perched atop the clouds, blessed with fair skin, a radiant smile, and boundless happiness. By comparison, Lu Li was like a monster crawling through the mire—filthy, degraded, sinking relentlessly into the abyss of hell.

In that fleeting instant, a dark, venomous impulse had reared its head in Lu Li’s heart: he wanted to destroy him. Spurred by that extreme injustice, that cruel disparity dealt by fate, he wanted to…

Yet the youth, in a clear and melodious voice, had asked him softly: “Do you need help?”

Lu Li had not known what to say.

The youth tilted his head slightly to question the person beside him, a hospital physician who glanced at Lu Li before explaining his situation in hushed tones.

Having listened, the youth looked at Lu Li: “Rest assured, your mother will be fine.”

Many years later, Lu Li could no longer clearly recall the boy’s face. He only knew he was the Third Young Master of the Xie family, a proud darling of the heavens elevated on high, showered with boundless adoration, distant and untouchable.

Yet at this very moment, as he looked at Xie Jianwei, the two figures suddenly overlapped.

His heart hammering violently, Lu Li was so stunned by his own realization that he practically lost the capacity to think.

What was going on?

Could it be that the youth back then wasn’t Xie Zhiwei, but Xie Jianwei?

Yet… wasn’t Xie Jianwei in poor health at that time, kept secluded at home?

Countless questions flooded Lu Li’s mind, leaving him unable to untangle the threads for the moment.

Yet deep in his soul, a voice clamored incessantly: It was Xie Jianwei who saved him back then. The youth who granted him a second life was Xie Jianwei. After all those twists and turns, from the very beginning to this moment, the one he had held dear all along was this person.

This notion took root like an enchanted magic bean, sprouting with wild abandon and instantly conquering his entire universe.

How wonderful.

Their initial meeting had been so beautiful; did that mean their eventual outcome would turn out better as well?

While his thoughts ran rampant, Xie Jianwei was also watching him unblinkingly.

Ever since he first heard about Lu Li’s mother, this plan had taken root in Xie Jianwei’s mind.

What the objective truth was didn’t matter in the slightest; what mattered was what Lu Li believed.

If Lu Li believed Xie Zhiwei had saved him back then, then it was Xie Zhiwei.

Now that Xie Jianwei dropped hints that he was the one who had saved him, Lu Li couldn’t help but lean into that thought.

Between Xie Zhiwei and Xie Jianwei, who Lu Li would favor required no contemplation whatsoever.

He loathed Xie Zhiwei and loved Xie Jianwei. That scene fifteen years ago was of immense significance to him; if that person had been the very one he loved today, such a wondrous coincidence would set anyone’s heart fluttering.

Even if Lu Li noticed discrepancies, as long as Xie Jianwei continued supplying suggestions and filling in the blanks, he could rewrite even the ‘past.’

What was more, Xie Jianwei had already laid down ample groundwork long before this.

With past events of this sort, even without the aid of the ‘Will of God,’ Military Advisor Xie could forge them with sufficient plausibility to pass as genuine, let alone now when Lu Li’s own subconscious was assisting.

Lu Li asked him with cautious hesitation: “Do you… still remember what date that was?”

Xie Jianwei had long done his research; the date that slipped from his lips jolted Lu Li’s soul once again.

Recalling carefully, that day indeed coincided with roughly two days after his mother had been admitted for treatment.

Could it be… that the youth back then truly was Xie Jianwei?

Yet why had Xie Jianwei forgotten everything? Why did Xie Zhiwei know about it? Or rather, which of them was the true Third Young Master of the Xie family?

By this point, Lu Li was already thoroughly inclined to believe that the youth back then had been Xie Jianwei. Setting aside personal emotions, the mere mention of that precise date from Xie Jianwei’s lips was enough to shake Lu Li to his core.

He had indeed recounted this incident to Xie Jianwei in the past, but Xie Jianwei could never have known the exact date back then.

After speaking merely those few sentences, exhaustion washed over Xie Jianwei’s features. Tilting his head against the pillow, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep shortly after.

Snapping to his senses, Lu Li immediately went to find the doctor. When he explained the recent episode, the doctor pondered briefly: “Conventionally, such an occurrence shouldn’t happen, however…” The doctor paused before continuing, “Certain individuals exhibit atypical reactions to anesthesia, potentially entering a subconscious state while the residual effects have yet to fully wear off.”

Frowning slightly, Lu Li asked, “Then… are the things he said true?”

The doctor offered an analogy: “It is somewhat akin to a drunken state, making veracity difficult to gauge… It is quite possible that he voiced things he himself was consciously unaware of, yet which remain grounded in truth.”

Lu Li stood there for a long time, eventually seeking out neurology experts to consult on memory-related matters.

The information he ultimately gathered indicated that with professional psychological conditioning and pharmacological control, a person could indeed be made to forget many things, or even have their memories substituted.

Yet such induced amnesia came with severe side effects, capable of shattering the individual’s mental faculties outright. Even if successful, it remained highly volatile; without continuous conditioning and drug administration, the suppressed memories could gradually resurface.

Though Lu Li was physically in Country M, his trusted confidants held the fort back in Country Z. Issuing directives down the line, he initiated a deep investigation into the Xie family’s hidden secrets.

Over the next few days, Xie Jianwei’s body was frail, spending most of his time in a lethargic slumber. Even when awake, he didn’t necessarily speak, sometimes gazing blankly into the distance, other times recognizing Lu Li and asking a few questions about their initial encounter.

Lu Li longed to speak with him more, yet feared straining his fragile health, forcing himself to hold back from prying.

Xie Jianwei’s groggy state was entirely designed to grant Lu Li time to investigate.

He had already laid all the groundwork before arriving in Country M; what Lu Li could unearth now was strictly what Xie Jianwei permitted him to find.

Besides, the original memory narrative was riddled with glaring loopholes to begin with.

Consider this: why would a living, breathing person like Xie Jianwei have been kept concealed within the Xie family all along?

Why would a perfectly healthy boy be raised as a girl?

Even if he genuinely suffered from mental illness, he would have required treatment, wouldn’t he? How was that treatment administered?

Another suspicious point: why did Xie Jianwei and his mother leave the Xie family? Was it truly due to marital discord between mother and father as Xie Zhiwei claimed?

No matter how bitter the discord, would she really abandon everything and flee with only a sickly young child? What about the other two sons? Did she simply wash her hands of them?

Furthermore, with the Xie family’s immense influence, if they had genuinely wanted to track Xie Jianwei down, why would it take until today?

There were far too many ambiguous fractures in the story, so no one could blame Military Advisor Xie for capitalizing on them to spin a grand narrative.

Thus, after days of frantic digging, what Lu Li uncovered were scandalous secrets of the Xie family that left one flabbergasted.

Military Advisor Xie’s formidable logical prowess and masterful control over detail were on full display, weaving those dubious points together to delineate a ‘new past.’

The Xie family had indeed been prominent, but prior to Xie Xing, they held nowhere near such monolithic political power.

The ruling power back then was the Qi family. Mr. Qi had only a single daughter, pampered from childhood, uninvolved in politics, and devoid of ambition to expand their dynasty. Mr. Qi hadn’t pressured her; after all, times had changed, and ruling factions were no longer meant to monopolize political power indefinitely.

He had intended to relinquish control, yet someone hungered after the authority in his hands.

Xie Xing had already been married at the time with two sons, yet he decisively divorced his wife and staged a chance encounter with Miss Qi.

Miss Qi was innocent and romantic; meeting such a handsome, charming, and perceptive mature gentleman, she fell head over heels in an instant.

Xie Xing won the beauty’s hand and secured a formidable father-in-law in the process. Mr. Qi had only this one daughter; though displeased that she chose a man with two sons, he couldn’t withstand his daughter’s pleading and conceded.

Moreover, Xie Xing was indeed exceptionally talented, talented enough to inspire admiration.

Especially to a patron of talent like Mr. Qi, who, for the sake of his daughter and son-in-law’s future, even helped conceal the origins of the first two children. He led outsiders to believe they were Miss Qi’s biological sons; after all, the boys were young, and with tampered paperwork, those in the know dared not speak over time, while the common populace took it as fact.

Later, Miss Qi finally gave birth to her first child with Xie Xing, who was Xie Jianwei.

Xie Jianwei was brilliant from infancy, his astonishing intellect sweeping all before him, graduating university at age twelve with a boundless future, becoming the brightest star of the Xie family.

Yet right at that juncture, Mr. Qi passed away, and the vast Qi family holdings had fallen entirely under Xie Xing’s control.

Having scaled the pinnacle of power, Xie Xing revealed his true colors, and Miss Qi’s idyllic marriage cracked open to reveal a pitch-black abyss.

Miss Qi, who had trusted her husband implicitly, finally discovered she had been living within a colossal deception.

Though Xie Xing had divorced his ex-wife, they had maintained an illicit liaison all along. His two elder sons knew where their mother was, Xie Xing spent the night with her regularly, and even more outrageously, that woman had given birth to a baby boy almost simultaneously with Miss Qi.

With the Qi family consumed, Miss Qi’s innocence was reduced to tragic folly.

Xie Xing held little true affection for his ex-wife, yet she was an exceptionally shrewd woman who held far too many of his secrets; a single move from her could burn everything he possessed to ashes.

Having endured for so many years, living in the shadows for so long, watching her biological sons address the woman who stole her life as their mother… did she harbor hatred?

She hated with every fiber of her being. Yet she could not direct that hatred at Xie Xing, so she focused it entirely upon Miss Qi.

She wanted to reclaim what belonged to her, make that Qi woman taste her agony, bestow the Xie surname onto her youngest son, and return to the Xie household in triumph!

Thus, a vile, sordid conspiracy quietly wrapped its coils around Miss Qi and her brilliant young child.

First, Xie Jianwei was subjected to brutal psychological manipulation; oblivious, Miss Qi assumed he had fallen ill. Having trusted Xie Xing completely, she became utterly dependent on him.

Even vicious tigers didn’t eat their cubs, yet who could have imagined that for the sake of his status and power, Xie Xing would strike so ruthless a blow against his own flesh and blood.

As Xie Jianwei’s condition deteriorated, Xie Xing suggested Miss Qi take him abroad for recuperation.

Naturally, Miss Qi agreed at once, and the moment she departed, the political landscape back home underwent a tectonic upheaval.

Only when Xie Zhiwei took his place as the new Third Young Master of the Xie family, and that deranged woman confronted Miss Qi to lay bare the truth, did Miss Qi wake from her dream.

Why all those years Xie Xing had refused to let Xie Jianwei step into the public eye.

Why all those years Xie Xing had refused to make Xie Jianwei’s name public.

The Third Young Master of the Xie family, so brilliant, so peerless, yet the world only ever knew the title of the Third Young Master, while what this young master was actually named was known to almost no one.

Xie Xing had explained to Miss Qi: The tree that stands tallest in the grove is the first to be battered by the wind; our child is far too exceptional, with too many eyes watching him, so revealing his identity will only bring him harm.

Having been kidnapped three or four times in her youth as the sole heiress of the Qi family, Miss Qi understood all too well the perils facing children born at the apex of power, placing absolute faith in Xie Xing’s arrangements without second-guessing.

Yet now, the full truth was unveiled.

Her son’s glory, her son’s future, everything that rightfully belonged to her child had been stolen by someone else.

Xie Zhiwei… how was he ever worthy of the title of the Xie family’s Third Young Master?

Later, Miss Qi was driven to suicide, and Xie Jianwei, lost to mental disarray, was completely cast out into exile.

All of this unfolded merely days after Xie Jianwei had saved Lu Li.

Back then, Xie Jianwei had been only fourteen. Tormented for two years, sixteen-year-old Xie Jianwei gradually recovered his faculties, yet forgot those traumatic events. Taken in by an adoptive family, he finished high school, miraculously gained admission to the film academy, debuted as an actor… and subsequently crossed paths with Lu Li.

Reading through this dossier, blue veins bulged across Lu Li’s temples. With a resounding crash, he slammed his fist into the wall.

Crimson blood smeared across the wall, yet he felt no pain whatsoever; compared to the monstrous hatred burgeoning in his chest, what did this trivial pain matter?

The youth he revered as light itself, the person he treasured with his entire being, had actually suffered such horrific torment.

Unimaginable…

Lu Li thought of that proud, delicate youth, and then of the Xie Jianwei who had persistently ingratiated himself to secure crumbs of favor…

The overlapping anguish struck like a three-pronged blade, grinding his heart into a bloody ruin.

Xie Xing, the Xie family, how could mere death and destruction ever atone for your sins!

Yan Ke had watched with his own eyes as Xie Jianwei orchestrated the narrative. Witnessing the complete reversal, he was on his knees in sheer reverence: “When it comes to master screenwriting, My Lord, you truly take the crown.”

Military Advisor Xie smiled subtly: “After all, I make my living with my brain.” Big Li loved directing melodramas too, but when all was said and done, he was a military general at heart…

By the time Lu Li had ‘uncovered’ everything, Xie Jianwei began to stir from his slumber.

He was already able to leave his bed. Winter had arrived outside; withered yellow leaves trembled on the branches in the courtyard, reluctant to fall yet powerless to remain, clinging to every fleeting second like lovers lingering in farewell, fated to part.

When Lu Li pushed the door open, what met his eyes was the youth seated beside the window.

He wore a white hospital gown, yet the skin exposed was paler than any white in the room. He gazed out the window with poised posture, yet that straight back radiated helplessness and fragility.

Lu Li suddenly felt terrified of approaching.

Right then, Xie Jianwei turned his head, his obsidian eyes like deep night, enveloping him completely.

Lu Li froze where he stood.

Xie Jianwei spoke slowly: “I truly never imagined we would end up like this.”

A simple sentence, yet laying bare everything.

Perhaps from the stimulation of anesthesia, perhaps because the time had come, or perhaps neural pathways had revived following severe illness, Xie Jianwei had remembered everything.

His blissful childhood, his proud youth, and every shred of wretched humiliation that followed.

Looking at this Xie Jianwei, Lu Li had no idea what he could say.

He had disgraced his savior, using the identity of a patron to defile the one who had granted him new life.

Lu Li detested the Xie family, yet at this moment, he detested himself just as fiercely.

Xie Jianwei beckoned to him: “Come here.”

Lu Li walked toward him.

Xie Jianwei tilted his head up to look at him, a faint smile playing across his pale face: “You are far more handsome than you were back then.”

Fifteen-year-old Lu Li, subjected to persistent violence and abuse, living in the murky gutter, had been gaunt and somber, esembling a feral wolf cub ready to bite at any moment, guarded and suspicious of the entire world.

Xie Jianwei’s gaze was infinitely soft: “It’s very good. The way you are now… is very good.”

As he sighed softly, not a single tear fell from Lu Li’s eyes, yet his expression looked as though he were weeping, his voice hoarse beyond measure: “I’m sorry.”

Xie Jianwei said, “What is there to apologize for? I should count myself lucky that it was you I met, and…” Lowering his eyes, he added with a hint of embarrassment, “You were very good to me.”

Hearing those words again now, Lu Li could no longer describe what he felt.

Before, he had been angry that Xie Jianwei only treated him as a financial backer, but now he wished with all his heart that Xie Jianwei had truly seen him as nothing more than that.

That way, the youth would not be in so much pain.

Just what kind of heartache was Xie Jianwei enduring right now?

A former darling of the heavens, reduced to offering his body to serve another.

However proud he had once been, that was how humiliated he must feel now.

Especially when that person was Lu Li, the very boy he had personally saved and bestowed kindness upon.

Through a cruel twist of fate, he had ended up submitting beneath him for the sake of power and money.

How were the two of them supposed to face each other now?

Lu Li was filled with guilt and apprehension, while Xie Jianwei seemed overwhelmed by the bitter irony of fortune.

The hospital room sank into a heavy silence. Xie Jianwei sighed softly, changing the subject. “What happened to my health?”

Since the surgery had succeeded, there was no longer any need to keep him in the dark, so Lu Li explained his diagnosis.

Xie Jianwei gave a self-deprecating smile. “Perhaps I should never have been born.” He had ruined his mother, and ruined himself. What purpose was there for such a wretched existence to continue? It was no wonder heaven had stricken him with this disease.

Lu Li seized his hand in a panic. “Don’t say that. If not for you, I…”

Without Xie Jianwei, the young Lu Li would have had nothing left but despair.

Looking down at their joined hands, Xie Jianwei whispered, “Even without me, you would have lived a wonderful life. Yet look at me now.” He gently pulled his hand away and turned his head aside. “I have only brought you trouble.”

Lu Li wanted to say more, but opening his mouth, he found that all words felt hollow on his tongue.

He could not comfort Xie Jianwei, could not lift his spirits, nor could he erase what he had done to him over these years.

To a Xie Jianwei who remembered everything, those memories would only feel like monumental humiliation. Trading his body for money was a devastating blow capable of shattering the proud Third Young Master Xie’s spirit.

Lu Li stood frozen for a moment. Suddenly, he dropped to one knee, looking up at the seated Xie Jianwei and speaking with deep earnestness. “In truth, I have loved you all along.”

Xie Jianwei froze visibly.

Taking his hand once more, Lu Li spoke in a low, husky voice. “All these years, I stayed with you because I loved you.”

Xie Jianwei closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he replied softly, “A-Li, I know you are kind, but I don’t need your pity.”

In his current state, Lu Li saying such things seemed like nothing more than an attempt to console him.

Their relationship had started as a transactional arrangement between a sugar daddy and a kept lover, but coating it in romance made it seem far more dignified.

Yet Xie Jianwei was no fool, assuming this was merely Lu Li’s compassionate goodwill.

Lu Li said with solemn urgency, “I never said anything because you didn’t love me, and I was terrified that confessing would drive you away. But I love you, so very deeply. From the moment we first met, all I ever wanted was to keep you by my side.”

Xie Jianwei said, “You couldn’t have known who I was back then.” They had only met a handful of times in their youth, and after more than a decade, the boy had grown up completely different from his past self.

Lu Li shook his head. “Not thirteen years ago, but three years ago.”

He paused before continuing, “If I didn’t love you, I would never have acquiesced to such an arrangement. I knew you were merely using me, yet I was entirely willing.”

Xie Jianwei looked down at him in silence. Lu Li’s expression held nothing but undisguised devotion as he added softly, “These past three years were not as wretched as you imagine. It was solely my own greed, my desperate attempt to keep you near.”

After a long while, Xie Jianwei squeezed his hand in return, sounding faintly exhausted. “Thank you, A-Li. Thank you.”

Previously, Lu Li had never dared tell Xie Jianwei of his love because he feared the youth would find it cumbersome and abandon him. Now, however, he could finally confess, because this confession could piece together Xie Jianwei’s shattered dignity.

Perhaps Xie Jianwei had never loved him from start to finish, yet in this moment, Lu Li saw hope, like a beam of sunlight piercing through thick clouds right before his eyes.

The current Xie Jianwei might genuinely accept him now.

After all, their initial meeting had been so beautiful, and although these three years bore an unseemly label, their time together had been filled with genuine joy and compatibility.

In the past, Lu Li had felt that Xie Jianwei was heartless and incapable of love.

But now that he remembered everything, Xie Jianwei had become whole again. He had a heart. Did that not mean there was a possibility he might accept him?

It might take a very long time, but Lu Li was willing to wait. Even if he had to trade an entire lifetime for a single second of love, he would gladly do so.

Because this was Xie Jianwei, and his love was the most magnificent aurora in the entire world.

After talking for a while longer, Xie Jianwei returned to bed to rest.

His body remained frail and required heavy rounds of treatment daily, leaving him with little energy.

Lu Li pushed aside all professional obligations, keeping vigil beside him day and night.

Xie Jianwei was awake for only a few hours each day, and Lu Li made sure to accompany him attentively through every single one of them.

They chatted about small, mundane matters. Lu Li no longer hid his feelings, gazing at him with deep devotion and attending to him with gentle care, pouring out his love at every opportunity.

Dedicated as he was to acting, Military Advisor Xie nearly pounced on his Big Li on multiple occasions.

With his lover adoring him so earnestly, he only wanted to tell him that he loved him too, and that he desperately wanted to roll in the sheets with him.

However, the time was not yet ripe, so he had to keep playing along. Success was in sight, leaving no room for the slightest mistake.

Even though Lu Li acted as the god of this dream, he could barely withstand watching over him around the clock. Waking in the middle of the night by chance, Xie Jianwei felt a pang of heartache seeing Lu Li slumped by the bedside.

Yet the moment he shifted slightly, Lu Li’s eyes snapped open, his dark gaze instantly alert. Clearly, he had not fallen into deep sleep, which was why the faintest rustle woke him.

Lu Li asked, “Why are you awake? Do you feel unwell anywhere?”

Xie Jianwei said, “I’m fine.”

Lu Li asked, “Would you like some water?”

Xie Jianwei nodded. “Yes, please.”

Lu Li rose to pour water. By the time he returned with the glass, Xie Jianwei had sat up. The dim bedside lamp cast a warm, amber glow across his neck, lending a touch of life to his pale skin.

Lu Li’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Leaning down, he propped a pillow behind the youth’s back.

Xie Jianwei lowered his head to sip the water. Lu Li cautioned, “Careful, take it slow.”

Xie Jianwei said, “I’m fine, really. I am not as frail as before.”

Lu Li smiled faintly.

Xie Jianwei handed the glass back. After setting it down, Lu Li returned to pull up the blanket for him.

Blinking, Xie Jianwei remarked, “The bed is quite spacious.”

Lu Li was struck speechless.

Xie Jianwei said, “You can’t go on like this forever. Come up and sleep for a while.”

Lu Li paused before murmuring, “No need.”

Xie Jianwei knew what he was worried about. Given their past dynamic, the time they spent doing other things in bed far exceeded actual sleep.

It was not that Lu Li did not want to sleep beside him, but that he did not dare.

He feared having an inappropriate physical reaction and frightening Xie Jianwei.

Xie Jianwei chuckled nonchalantly. “Don’t overthink it. It isn’t as though I’ve forgotten.”

Lu Li felt parched. “I…”

Xie Jianwei had already shifted aside, making room for him.

Lu Li stared blankly for a moment, but eventually slipped off his shoes and lay down beside him.

Xie Jianwei lay down properly, though the smile curling his lips was impossible to suppress.

Xie Jianwei’s body was genuinely exhausted. Resting beside Lu Li put his mind completely at ease, and he drifted into a sound slumber.

Once asleep, however, he ceased to be well-behaved. He kicked the blanket aside, and when Lu Li reached over to tuck him back in, he looped his arms around Lu Li’s, curling straight into his chest.

Lu Li kept his other arm extended, unsure whether to put it down or leave it floating.

After holding it awkwardly in the air for a while, he finally lowered it, gathering the beloved person at the core of his heart into a gentle embrace.

Once embraced, Xie Jianwei nuzzled against his chest, instinctively settling into an even cozier position.

This likely stemmed from physical muscle memory. After all, their three years together through countless nights had formed countless habits, all etched deeply into their bodies.

Holding him close, Lu Li felt both warm and intensely nervous.

He assumed he would fall asleep quickly, yet the tactile sensation beneath his hands stirred a flood of memories. That faint fragrance teasing his nose caused Big Li, who had gone without intimacy for so long, to stand firmly at attention.

Lu Li smiled wryly, not daring to move a muscle. Lying in this bed was practically worse than staying awake.

Xie Jianwei, on the other hand, slept splendidly.

The next morning, Xie Jianwei’s leg brushed against a familiar, rock-hard presence.

Lu Li froze in silence.

Xie Jianwei asked, “Need some help?”

Lu Li hurried to say, “No, it’s just morning…”

Xie Jianwei reached out and took hold of it.

Lu Li inhaled sharply, whispering, “You don’t have to do this.”

“Do what?” Xie Jianwei countered.

All the blood in Lu Li’s body rushed to one place, his voice trembling slightly. “Between us right now…”

Xie Jianwei chuckled softly. “If we are dating, aren’t we supposed to do these things?”

Lu Li whipped his head around to stare at him.

Xie Jianwei averted his eyes, the tips of his ears tinged red. “I… I must like you too. Otherwise, I wouldn’t…”

He spoke with subtle reserve, yet his words burst like fireworks in the night sky, giving Lu Li a dazzling, breathtaking rush.

In the end, Lu Li could not resist kissing him. It was a kiss overflowing with devotion, tender and deeply moving.

Although Xie Jianwei was merely pretending to start falling for him, he had actually loved him to the marrow of his bones all along. Facing such a lover at such a moment, how could he not react?

Lu Li looked down at him. “Don’t move.”

With that, he shifted slightly and brought Xie Jianwei to completion with his mouth.

Xie Jianwei shuddered with pleasure down to the roots of his hair. Even though they had done everything imaginable and knew each other inside out, right now it felt just like their very first romance, tentative and careful, every touch filling their hearts with sweet intimacy.

Lu Li was in wonderful spirits. Xie Jianwei’s physical condition was stabilizing by the day, and their budding affection grew steadily like fresh sprouts in gentle rain and breeze.

Xie Jianwei continued adjusting his demeanor. He was an inherently strong individual, and the brilliance of his youth had never been an empty boast, but a tangible truth.

Lu Li asked him, “Once you recover, do you still wish to act?”

Xie Jianwei shook his head. “I’d rather do research. I’ve always wanted to study medicine more deeply.”

Lu Li thought whatever he chose was fine, unable to stop the gentle smile tugging at his lips whenever he looked at him.

Xie Jianwei said, “Will our relationship affect your career?”

After all, Lu Li remained a prominent public figure. Having a male partner would inevitably become sensational gossip, leaving him with no peace.

Lu Li’s mind was consumed entirely by the phrase “our relationship.” What relationship? He and Xie Jianwei were now officially dating.

Although Xie Jianwei was still gradually warming up to him, as long as there was a beginning, the road ahead was filled with light.

Lu Li said, “I will transition behind the scenes from now on.”

Xie Jianwei said, “That works too.”

Neither of them had mentioned the Xie family during this period. Now, seeming to have finally untangled that knot, Xie Jianwei brought it up himself. “Was the one who provided the bone marrow Xie Zhiwei?”

Lu Li said, “Yes.”

Xie Zhiwei was the only person left from the Xie family. Finding a matching donor in such a short window could only have been him.

Xie Jianwei knitted his brow, remaining quiet for a long moment before speaking. “I cannot forgive him.”

It was time to deal with Xie Zhiwei. Having remembered everything, Xie Jianwei could fuel the flames and pile on the drama.

Lu Li said, “Of course you shouldn’t forgive him.” All those filthy deeds made him want to rip the Xie family apart bone by bone.

Just then, Xie Jianwei added another sentence. “My mother was murdered by Xie Zhiwei.”

A life for a life. Since Lu Li’s split personalities disappeared if they died within his dream, by the same logic, if the consciousness of this entity died in the dream, would it vanish as well?