Chapter 81

Five people sat neatly around the dining table.

Yan Mu and Jiang Zhihuo sat on one side, while Du Zhe, Wen Da, and Qu Xiao sat opposite them.

No one spoke, unsure of what to say.

Jiang Zhihuo had originally planned to have a meal after the exam and explain everything clearly. However, Wen Da and Qu Xiao had suddenly barged in without any warning. No one could have prepared for that. It left everyone stunned.

For a moment, the atmosphere was unbearably awkward.

Du Zhe, completely in the dark, had been dragged here without any explanation. Still dizzy from the alcohol, his head was spinning. Looking around in confusion, he still couldn’t grasp what was going on. All he could do was ask, “Can someone please tell me what this is all about?”

Just as he finished speaking, the doorbell rang.

This time, Jiang Zhihuo made sure it was the delivery guy before opening the door. As he returned, Yan Mu stood up and brewed a glass of honey water for Du Zhe.

“Th-thank you.” Du Zhe was caught off guard by the gesture and held the glass carefully in both hands. Since no one was offering any explanation, he started glancing around the house.

How could Young Master Yan be living here?

This small? Only one living room, one bedroom, one bathroom, and the kitchen were connected to the dining area.

The cups on the table and the cushions on the sofa were all arranged in pairs.

Du Zhe was even more astonished—

Such a small place, how could it possibly fit two people?

While Du Zhe’s thoughts drifted in that direction, on the other side of the table, Wen Da and Qu Xiao had been staring intently at Jiang Zhihuo. Their brows were tightly furrowed, their gazes sharp and unyielding, as if they meant to bore holes through him.

Jiang Zhihuo was so unnerved by their stares that goosebumps rose all over his arms. Unable to endure it any longer, he raised a hand to cover his forehead. A few seconds later, Qu Xiao stood up, swatted his hand away, and pointed at him with a sharp look. “You’re the second personality. You’ve got dissociative identity disorder, haven’t you?”

Wen Da had his own guess. “You’re twins. Are you the older brother or the younger one? Where’s Shin?”

Jiang Zhihuo: “……”

Qu Xiao pressed further, “Or maybe you’ve been possessed? Are you a time traveler? Do you have a mission? A system? Can I see it?”

Wen Da quickly followed up, “Could it be you have two souls in one body? One takes over during the day, the other at night? Different personalities?”

Qu Xiao shot him a sideways glance, full of disdain. “Isn’t that just multiple personalities?”

Wenda responded matter-of-factly, “There’s still a difference.”

Jiang Zhihuo: “……”

These two couldn’t be allowed to continue. At a time like this, imagination was a terrifying thing. If left unchecked, their guesses might only grow more bizarre.

When Jiang Zhihuo was about to step in and stop them, Yan Mu spoke up first.

“Actually…”

Wen Da and Qu Xiao immediately fell silent, their attention directed to Yan Mu.

Indeed, having Yan-ge speak was much more appropriate than letting Jiang Zhihuo explain things himself. Jiang Zhihuo also turned to look at Yan Mu, smiling slightly and giving him a nod, signaling for him to continue.

He had been listening attentively, ready to cooperate at any moment. But then Yan Mu unexpectedly said, “Shin changed because of me.”

The smile on Jiang Zhihuo’s face slowly shifted into confusion. “?”

Yan-ge, since when did your face become this thick?

You can really say something that shameless?!

“Ah?” Wen Da and Qu Xiao were equally stunned, their eyes fixed on Yan Mu, completely bewildered.

Yan Mu replied with a look of seriousness, nodding with the calm power of a top student.

Wen Da and Qu Xiao blinked in perfect sync. A few seconds later, both let out a drawn-out “Oh~” at the same time.

Sudden enlightenment. A moment of epiphany.

Qu Xiao exclaimed, “I get it now!”

Jiang Zhihuo: “?”

What exactly do you get??

Wen Da added, “I see! So that’s how it is!”

And what do you know???

Du Zhe, still completely lost, asked, “What’s going on here, exactly?”

Thinking he had connected all the dots, Qu Xiao slapped the table and confidently began explaining to Du Zhe, his tone full of certainty. “You just got back, so you don’t know the whole story. At first, Young Master Yan and Shin were love rivals, both chasing the same girl. Later… they brought the girl into a private room, and after she fell asleep, they started kissing each other. We saw the whole thing.”

Du Zhe’s eyes flew open. “What the hell?????”

Wen Da picked up where Qu Xiao left off, continuing excitedly, “Later, the two of us realized. It wasn’t what we thought at all! Shin was pursuing that girl only to get closer to Young Master Yan. That wasn’t a kiss. It was a forced kiss!! Shin loves Young Master Yan so much he’s completely lost control, completely consumed by it!!”

Jiang Zhihuo: “??”

Qu Xiao wore a deeply meaningful expression. “To go from love rivals to lovers, all for love. If someone can go to such extremes, then changing one’s personality for love doesn’t seem so unbelievable after all!”

Du Zhe, still not fully sober, was totally swept up by their words. His rational thinking collapsed entirely. “Oh my god, Zhihuo, you’ve sacrificed so much! I wish you both happiness!”

Wen Da, moved to the core, patted Jiang Zhihuo on the shoulder. “It’s so touching. You worked hard to become more outgoing and changed yourself for Young Master Yan. I’m genuinely moved! This is true love!”

Qu Xiao sighed with heartfelt emotion. “So this is the power of love!!”

Jiang Zhihuo: “……”

Jiang Zhihuo stiffly turned his neck, only to see Yan Mu leaning lazily against the back of his chair, posture relaxed, letting out a low “Mhm” as if enjoying a good show.

From only one sentence, Wen Da and Qu Xiao had filled in the entire story themselves. Any cheating was merely their imagination. The ‘real story’ was that Shin had changed for love.

A tale of devotion that moved heaven and earth, enough to bring tears to the eyes!

Young Master Yan remained the same as ever. Loyal and unwavering!

And Shin? Still the cold and aloof Shin! Just changed, all because of love!

How very beautiful!

The two exhaled in relief, picked up skewers from the table, and began to eat, sighing emotionally between bites.

“Love is magnificent, isn’t it, Second Young Master Qu?”

“You’re absolutely right,” Qu Xiao agreed with a sigh. “Suddenly, I seriously want to fall in love.”

Du Zhe, holding his cup of honey water, murmured, “So sweet… Can gay love be this sweet, too?”

“…” Jiang Zhihuo ignored Du Zhe’s clueless words and turned to Yan Mu. “That’s enough, right, Yan-ge? Time to stop watching the show?”

Yan Mu had spent enough time with Wen Da and Qu Xiao to know precisely how to deal with them. Making up a random excuse wasn’t without its purpose.

With those two blockheads and their boundless imaginations, if you didn’t let them run wild a bit before revealing the truth, they’d bombard you with questions for half the day.

“Mhm.” Yan Mu responded, then asked, “How were you planning to explain it?”

“Tell them straight.” Jiang Zhihuo answered.

“You sure you can say it?”

“I can.”

“I’ll do it.”

Jiang Zhihuo had not ordered many skewers. It was just a craving, a desire to sample the taste. However, in no time, Wen Da and Qu Xiao had eaten everything, leaving only a few wooden skewers in the takeout box.

While they were still finishing the last skewer, Yan Mu opened a news article and slid his phone in front of Wen Da and Qu Xiao.

The article was brief. It reported on the recent, widely discussed ‘running away from home’ incident. Due to its serious negative impact, it had remained on the trending list for several days and sparked a series of related debates.

Anyone who spent time browsing online would have heard something about it.

Qu Xiao glanced at the article and asked, “What is it, Young Master Yan?”

Yan Mu pointed at the pixelated image and said, “Fu Xiuwang. A regular at your bar.”

Qu Xiao: “Ah?”

Yan Mu replied concisely, “The man in the suit. He asked why Shin didn’t come.”

There was no one else in a suit who ever came to the bar, so Qu Xiao remembered it clearly. “What the hell? It was him?? Human trafficking?”

“Wait, why did he come to our bar? Who was he trying to abduct? Did he have his eye on someone there?!”

Wen Da reacted faster than Qu Xiao. He immediately turned to Jiang Zhihuo with a look of shock. “Shin?!”

Young Master Yan would not have brought up this person without reason. Fu Xiuwang was definitely connected to Shin in some way.

“Sorry about that.” Jiang Zhihuo gave a calm smile. “I accepted a mission to investigate Fu Xiuwang. Had to put on a bit of an act. I hope you two young masters won’t hold it against me.”

Wen Da and Qu Xiao were stunned on the spot. It took them a while to recover before they managed to ask, “Young Master Yan, you knew all along?”

Yan Mu: “Which part?”

Wen Da: “Everything?”

“No.” Yan Mu replied. “I only learned about the investigation later. Oh, and there’s one more thing.”

Wait, wait, wait!

Qu Xiao and Wen Da turned to look at Jiang Zhihuo at the same time.

Once they fully processed the information, their eyes lit up so brightly it seemed as though stars might burst from them. Was there anything more impressive than Shin’s entire personality being a deliberate disguise, all for the purpose of approaching a human trafficking suspect?

No. Absolutely not.

Not now, not ever.

So overwhelmed were Wen Da and Qu Xiao that they didn’t even feel the urge to keep listening when Yan Mu said, “There’s one more thing.”

A disguised personality.

A secret mission.

An investigation into a criminal suspect.

How impossibly cool was that?

“Let me introduce my boyfriend, Yun Zhou,” Yan Mu said.

Still caught up in the emotion of the revelation, Wen Da, without thinking, reached out and shook hands with Jiang Zhihuo after Yan Mu finished speaking.

“I know, boyfriend, right? You two must be together. Shin—ah, Yun Zhou, nice to meet you…” Wen Da’s expression suddenly froze, and the handshake stalled midair. Two seconds of daze passed before he exclaimed, “Yun Zhou?!”

“Hahaha…” So easily startled. After spending so much time at the bar, Jiang Zhihuo had grown used to it. “Hello, hello, I’m Yun Zhou.”

Qu Xiao glanced at Jiang Zhihuo, then at Yan Mu, and turned to Du Zhe with a foolish grin. “He’s Yun Zhou!”

Du Zhe, who had been asking questions all night, looked confused. “Yun Zhou? Aren’t you called Jiang Zhihuo?”

His question remained unanswered. Qu Xiao slowly turned his head, then the next moment stood on tiptoe and reached across the table, grabbing Jiang Zhihuo by the collar. “Holy sh*t, y-y-you’re Yun Zhou? Young Master Yan’s white moonlight? It’s you? Holy sh*t?”

Jiang Zhihuo grabbed his wrist. “Damn, you’d never guess, right?! Who could’ve figured that out?! I was totally stunned when I found out too!!”

Wen Da was shocked. “You didn’t know? You even came to ask us? Damn, I thought I was about to ruin Young Master Yan’s relationship!!”

Jiang Zhihuo: “How would I have known?! I was even planning to go fight the white moonlight! After you said that, I was completely dumbfounded!!”

Wen Da appearedcompletely flustered. “Brother, I’m just as confused!!”

Qu Xiao swayed along with him, tugging Jiang Zhihuo forward again and again. His lips parted several times but no words came out. In the end, all he managed was, “What the f*ck????”

When they stepped out of Yan Mu’s place, both Wen Da and Qu Xiao were totally dazed.

The amount of information they had absorbed tonight was just! too! much!

The ridiculously cool ‘undercover’ identity was already shocking enough.

But to top it off, the twist of the white moonlight having been right beside them all along?!!

There was truly nothing more to say. All they could do was exclaim: WTF!!

Before entering, it had been Wen Da and Qu Xiao supporting Du Zhe. Now, it was Du Zhe holding up his two stunned friends.

As soon as the door opened, the familiar corridor of the residential complex came into view once again.

Du Zhe hadn’t been involved in the whole matter concerning Shin, Yun Zhou, and the white moonlight. He didn’t fully understand it. Compared to Wen Da and Qu Xiao, his night hadn’t been quite as explosive. Still, he found it hard to believe that Young Master Yan was actually living in a place like this.

Du Zhe genuinely couldn’t understand. How could Young Master Yan be living in a place like this?

Wasn’t a grand villa, with a spacious garden and a large terrace, far more appealing?

Before leaving, Du Zhe couldn’t hold it in any longer and asked, “Young Master Yan, why are you living here? This place is just… honestly a bit… shabby! Why not live with Uncle Yan? That place must be much better, right? It’s noisy living next to the school, with so many children around. Why not stay with Uncle Yan instead?”

Jiang Zhihuo: “…….”

He truly hadn’t expected that just as they were about to leave, this airheaded Du Zhe would blurt out another ‘Uncle Yan’ ?!

“Young Master Yan, you—”

Still going?!

Jiang Zhihuo nearly rushed forward to cover Du Zhe’s mouth.

Before he could move, Yan Mu interrupted Du Zhe’s words.

“Du Zhe,” Yan Mu said, “don’t have any more contact with Yan Buwei for the time being.”

“Why? You called Uncle Yan by his full name? Isn’t he your father? The two of you can’t possibly be—”

Yan Mu had no patience to listen any further. He cast a light glance at him, yet that gaze felt almost tangible cold as an ice pick. Du Zhe instinctively shrank back and closed his mouth without another word.

“Head back now.” Worried that Du Zhe might blurt out another emotionally explosive word, Jiang Zhihuo hurriedly pushed the three people out and stuffed the plastic bag containing the takeout boxes into Du Zhe’s hands. “Be careful on the way. Let me know when you’re home.”

He then closed the door and locked it.

Sitting down in front of the coffee table, he was met with a surface scattered with practice papers. Yan Mu’s mood visibly dropped once again.

Yan Mu could not be blamed. Things had been far too sensitive lately.

Jiang Zhihuo wrapped an arm around his shoulders, rubbing gently along his back.

“I’m sorry,” Yan Mu said. “I couldn’t hold it.”

Jiang Zhihuo gave a soft laugh, his voice brushing past his ear. “Throw all the negative energy at me. I’ll take it all. I love every bit of Yan-ge‘s mood.”

The words were spoken casually, as if in passing, yet Yan Mu could hear the seriousness behind them.

There had never been a need to hide emotions between them. If they felt upset, they would say so; if they wanted comfort, they would show it. That had always been their way of getting along—genuine and unreserved.

Wen Da and Qu Xiao’s visit had delayed them considerably. Even at their usual pace, by the time they finished all the papers, it was already close to two in the morning.

With less than five hours of sleep left, Jiang Zhihuo dropped his pen and jumped straight into bed.

The practice papers were scattered messily across the coffee table. Sorting them was always Yan Mu’s responsibility. He categorized them, organized everything neatly into the bag, ensuring not a single sheet would be left behind the next day.

When he entered the bedroom, Jiang Zhihuo had already turned off the main light and switched on the small lamp on the nightstand. As Yan Mu lay down, Jiang Zhihuo leaned over and kissed the corner of his lips.

It was already past midnight, and exhaustion had set in to the point of shaking. When Jiang Zhihuo kissed him, he hadn’t given it much thought. At this hour, there was no possibility of doing anything more. Otherwise, they might as well not attend class the next day.

It was just a goodnight kiss. A brief touch of lips, then sleep.

That was what he had thought. Yet the moment his nose was enveloped by that fresh, clean pheromone, all reason vanished in an instant.

Jiang Zhihuo froze, then lunged in with near madness, biting, sucking, desperately seizing that faint warmth between their breaths with a savagery he had never shown before. Even he nearly suffocated from it.

At first, Yan Mu was momentarily dazed, then slowly closed his eyes.

—He would never push Jiang Zhihuo away, no matter the situation.

By the time Jiang Zhihuo managed to grasp a sliver of awareness, he had already lifted the hem of his own clothes, guiding Yan Mu’s hand toward himself.

The late hour, coupled with excitement, made his heart pound with abnormal intensity.

Jiang Zhihuo’s movements halted abruptly.

What am I doing?

He questioned himself.

—If his previous loss of control could be explained by having too much energy, then what about this time?

Just now, he clearly hadn’t been thinking about anything, so how did things turn into this before he even realized it?

For the first time, Jiang Zhihuo distinctly sensed that something was wrong.

He released Yan Mu’s hand, straightened his clothes, then propped himself up and reached for the masking spray by the headboard. After spraying it on the back of Yan Mu’s neck, he leaned in for a sniff. Once he confirmed he could no longer detect the pheromones, he tucked himself back under the blanket.

“Sorry, I acted on impulse earlier.” Jiang Zhihuo closed his eyes, not daring to meet Yan Mu’s gaze. “Good night, Yan-ge.”

“Go to sleep.” Yan Mu lay down as well, and while doing so, gently adjusted Jiang Zhihuo’s posture, turning him from lying on his back to lying on his side. He wrapped an arm around his waist and held him as they slept.

The two grown boys had just stirred up a moment of heat. Now, with their warm bodies pressed together, that heat seeped through the thin layers of clothing. Before long, the blanket was filled with warmth.

Yan Mu kissed Jiang Zhihuo’s hair.

“Good night, Xiao Zhou.”