The sky was already completely dark.
Only the automatic sensor lamps by the side of the villa glowed quietly.

The light wasn’t bright; it barely brought the person waiting at the door into its cold, faint circle.

Cheng Huanzhen thought, Lin Chen probably wouldn’t come back today.

Leaving earlier and returning later each day—how could he not understand Lin Chen’s attitude?

Was he…avoiding him?

Or did he just not want to see him?

If everything was really as he suspected—that his uncle and Lin Chen had some kind of extremely close connection—

Then…was this actually his uncle’s attitude?

He was willing to spend a whole year, and even more time in the future, to search for his uncle.
But if his uncle didn’t want to see him, even wanted to avoid him…

Leaning outside the empty villa, for the first time, Cheng Huanzhen felt lost and bewildered.
He thought: what should he do if that was really the case?

Just then, quick, crisp footsteps sounded nearby.

A hand, just taken from a warm pocket, reached out to him.
Lightly patting his hair, then his shoulder, shaking loose the fine snowflakes that had fallen on him.

Under the starry night, the young man’s gaze was gentle and calm.

There was no avoidance, none of the unwillingness he had feared; it was as if Lin Chen had really just gone out on business, and truly felt sorry for Cheng Huanzhen’s long wait.
He said, “Next time, call me before you come… Come in and stay the night.”

Cold wind rustled, but the inviting hand was warm.

All of Cheng Huanzhen’s thoughts, all his disappointment and confusion, were swept away in that instant.

He replied in a hoarse voice, “Okay.”

He followed Lin Chen into the house.

As soon as they entered, Lin Chen poured him some hot water.

After being out in the cold wind all day, the warmth of the cup shot up from Cheng Huanzhen’s hands to the crown of his head; it felt wonderful.

Then Lin Chen searched through boxes and cabinets for new toiletries and bathing supplies for him, and even found a brand new, unworn robe.

He stacked everything into Cheng Huanzhen’s arms.

Lin Chen’s body hadn’t recovered fully yet, so after a bit of movement, he was quickly spent.

He took a couple of quiet breaths, then simply sat down on the sofa to rest, beckoning Cheng Huanzhen to sit beside him too.

Since entering the house, Cheng Huanzhen had silently followed him the whole time.

Lin Chen teased him: “Are you stuck to me or something?”

Cheng Huanzhen hesitated.
“…Am I bothering you?”

Arms full of overnight supplies, he shifted his gaze and said, “Actually, it’s not too late to go home now. I can come again tomorrow.”

Lin Chen shook his head: “Who lets a guest wait outside all day, then tells him to go home and come back tomorrow?”

He thought for a moment, then invited Cheng Huanzhen to the balcony.
There was a big lounge chair there, and Lin Chen added another for company.
“Leave your things and come sit here, let’s enjoy the moonlight.”

Cheng Huanzhen nodded and joined him.

Lin Chen lay back comfortably, then said, “Don’t just sit, lie down and relax.”

Not used to lounge chairs, Cheng Huanzhen fidgeted a while before finding a somewhat comfortable position.

Once he’d settled, Lin Chen turned his head and casually asked, “So, what did you come to see me about today?”

Then, remembering previous excuses, smiled: “To deliver a book? Forgot something? Or too many gifts arrived at home?”

One by one, he listed all the reasons Cheng Huanzhen had given before.

Those excuses didn’t sound lame back then.

But hearing Lin Chen list them, Cheng Huanzhen felt his own reasons were—rather weak.

He silently deleted today’s intended excuse from his mind.

After a moment, he said slowly, “Actually…I just wanted to be friends with you.”

Lin Chen blinked slowly, tilting his head, “Hm?”

Cheng Huanzhen looked at him.

The snow had stopped, and the clouds in the sky had cleared.

Bright moonlight spilled onto the ground, illuminating everything, just as it had the night his uncle left home—bathed in vigor, hope, and happiness.

Cheng Huanzhen said, “There are lots of fun places in the capital.
The ones I’ve been to, and the ones I know, are many.
If you’d like, I’d love to invite you to explore the city with me.”

Lin Chen looked surprised.

Cheng Huanzhen didn’t know what that meant.

Before Lin Chen could answer, he quickly added, “Of course, if you don’t like playing, I know lots of great places to eat too.
Or…do you like shopping for clothes?
Besides the big brands, I know a lot of unique little boutiques.”

Lin Chen patiently let him finish.

After thinking a moment, he said, “Thank you for the invite, but…aren’t we already friends?
Why do you need to invite me out for that?”

He rested his head on his hand, saying calmly, “I’m just an ordinary medium after all.
If Young Master Cheng just needs some help, you don’t have to go to such trouble.
You’ve already helped me before, so even if you want a favor in return, that’s only fair.”

Cheng Huanzhen didn’t like hearing this.

Frowning, he sat up.
“Don’t call me Young Master Cheng. Just use my name!”

Lin Chen agreed good-naturedly, “Alright, Huanzhen.”

Cheng Huanzhen expressionlessly said, “I don’t want favors. I just want us to be closer, better friends.”

He said this very seriously.

Lin Chen could hear the sincerity and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

He replied slowly, “Mmm—I’m not familiar with the capital, so if you want to take me out, you’ll have to be the guide.”

A guide?

Cheng Huanzhen thought, that’s something he was very familiar with.

He hurried to his car for his tablet, then spent a whole hour planning a detailed three-day itinerary.

That night, he slept deeply.

This wasn’t the first time he’d tested the “uncle” theory.

Previously, when he probed Li Shuyun, everything fit perfectly—his preferences matched his uncle’s exactly.

So this time, naturally, Cheng Huanzhen picked places he thought his uncle would like best for Lin Chen.

Strangely, Lin Chen didn’t seem to have any special affection for those spots or foods.

His stomach had recovered a lot, so he could eat most dishes.
For two days and six meals, Cheng Huanzhen drove him to restaurants his uncle would have loved.

But after every meal, Lin Chen’s reactions were always mild, as if he’d only eaten a plain bowl of rice.
At most, he’d nod politely and say, “Not bad,” and that was all.

…Strange, strange, very strange.

Didn’t Lin Chen like the places his uncle liked?

But if his suspicion was correct, Lin Chen and his uncle should…

But—

Suddenly it struck him:

If Lin Chen, his uncle, and Li Shuyun—all with such different personalities—were actually the same person, then wasn’t he, in a sense, the same as his father?

This thought made Cheng Huanzhen a little dazed.

Under the neon lights, the young man lowered his eyes, his expression unclear—upset or worried.
Absent-mindedly picking at his fingernails, scribbling absentmindedly with his tablet pen.

He ended up changing all the next day’s plans.

Preferences are easy to disguise; hiding what you truly like isn’t hard.

So…what if he tried something different?

To make things convenient, after the first day’s outings, when driving Lin Chen home, Cheng Huanzhen made a request:

“Can I stay at your house these few days?
It’s a hassle to drive over every morning.
Too far.”

Lin Chen teased him, “Are you paying me back for all the days I stayed at your place?”

But he didn’t refuse.

When Cheng Huanzhen finished revising the schedule, Lin Chen had just finished washing up.

On his way to his bedroom, Lin Chen poked his head in:

“Not sleeping yet?”

Cheng Huanzhen stood up, “Just finished planning for tomorrow. Going to wash up now.”

Leaning against the doorframe, Lin Chen asked, “Going out tomorrow?
Where—to the park, museum, shopping street?”

Lin Chen didn’t sound particularly excited.

Cheng Huanzhen shook his head: “No…don’t ask, just follow me tomorrow.”

Lin Chen blinked, “Oh, alright.”

The next day, Cheng Huanzhen, a little anxious, took Lin Chen out again.

In the morning: the city’s main shopping mall.

Afternoon: a basketball game.

Evening: a concert by a wildly popular pop band.

Midway through the concert, the crowd was in a frenzy.

Waving glow sticks, shouting and singing.

But in one quiet corner, someone sat still, not waving, not singing, and not even looking at the stage—totally out of place.

Cheng Huanzhen dropped his own pretense of having fun, withdrawing even his gaze from the show.
He focused instead on the young man beside him—

Who leaned with his head propped on his hand, eyes closed, drifting on the edge of sleep.

So this is what Lin Chen looks like when he genuinely dislikes a place.

Looking back, Cheng Huanzhen realized Lin Chen had always seemed quiet but attentive when accompanying him, and always replied with a mild “not bad” after each outing—

That was probably Lin Chen’s version of “liking.”

Amongst the roaring crowd, Cheng Huanzhen gently nudged Lin Chen and nervously whispered, “Uncle?”

Lin Chen’s head nodded sleepily.

Cheng Huanzhen tried again, softly, “Lin Chen?”

Lin Chen’s head nodded sleepily.

After thinking a moment, Cheng Huanzhen leaned in and whispered, “Tired? Let’s go home?”

Lin Chen gave a heavy nod, waking halfway.

He blinked drowsily, took in his surroundings, then slowly asked, “Did you just say something to me?”

Cheng Huanzhen focused earnestly. “If you don’t want to listen, let’s just leave?”

Lin Chen let out a long breath and seemed to relax.

Smiling lightly, he said, “Let’s go.”

Lin Chen had found the day so exhausting that he was truly drowsy.

Now, finally free, he breathed in the fresh air outside and his mind cleared.

Turning to find Cheng Huanzhen’s car, he saw instead that Cheng Huanzhen was behind him, staring intently.

“What is it?” Lin Chen asked in confusion.

Only then did Cheng Huanzhen’s gaze shift.

He looked down at his toes.

After a year of searching for his uncle, he’d learned to deal with all the emotions—good and bad—on his own, wrapping them up into the calm, mature persona he could now present.

In a steady voice, he said, “I just thought of my uncle.

He’s got lots of interests and tries new things.
Spending time with him, every day was a different adventure.”

“But there were also things he disliked.
He liked walking streets, but not big malls;
enjoyed sports, but not watching games;
liked concerts, but not pop shows.”

Lin Chen, hearing this, recalled: did he ever show his dislikes in front of Cheng Huanzhen?
He shouldn’t have taken him to those places…

He asked, “So you went to all those places with your uncle?”

Cheng Huanzhen replied, “No.
But whenever he picked, he’d repeat places he liked rather than choose things he didn’t.”

Lin Chen looked away. “…I see.”

They wandered aimlessly outside the concert.

Cheng Huanzhen said, “I’ve looked for my uncle for a long time.
From the day he left, I’ve been searching.
I waited at his favorite places, asked friends to help, researched, and discovered…a lot of clues.”

His voice dropped.
“Those clues added up, and I realized…maybe my uncle didn’t die, maybe he just became someone else.
Or maybe…he was never really my uncle to begin with.”

The winter night was still chilly.

Lin Chen wrapped a scarf around his neck as he listened.

Cheng Huanzhen continued quietly, “This idea sounds crazy, and I tried to disprove it for a long time.
But there’s little evidence against it, and a lot in favor.”

“If it’s true, all the questions are answered.”

“But it also means…maybe everything from the past wasn’t real.”

He fell silent for a long time.

Lin Chen waited quietly.

The wind rustled through the trees, bowing bare branches in the same direction.

With downcast eyes, Cheng Huanzhen continued, “But I thought about it.
Even if it was fake, it doesn’t matter.
The life, the memories, and all the emotions and changes I gained—they were real.
They existed.”

“I don’t really want much else.
I just want my uncle back, to see him healthy and happy.”

Finally, he looked up at Lin Chen.
“Do you think that’s possible?”

The night wind fully woke Lin Chen.

He looked back at the young man beside him and saw a touch of nervousness beneath his outward calm.

Cheng Huanzhen was a good kid—the one most affected by him so far.
Since their first meeting, he had changed immensely.

He knew that Cheng Huanzhen’s motivations were pure—never aggressive or risky like Li Yunhui’s search.

That’s why he allowed, even indulged, Cheng Huanzhen’s approaches, not hiding the things he liked to eat or do.

After all, if he had to spend another birthday like last year—with not even someone to share a cake—it would be too dismal.

But even so—

Was Cheng Huanzhen really ready to face the truth?