Chapter 28
The guesthouse owner looked at the man in front of him. He had the same skin tone as Lin Zheng, was tall, even taller than him.
Remembering that Lin Zheng came here after breaking up with his boyfriend, and this man claimed to be Lin Zheng’s boyfriend…
The owner shrugged, glanced away, and said, “Sorry, I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
Yan Yang wanted to say something, but before he could open his mouth, he saw Gu Lin take out his phone, find a photo, and show it to the owner, “Please.”
The owner looked.
The photo showed the man in front of him and Lin Zheng together. The two were leaning against each other; Lin Zheng was smiling and reaching for the camera; the background looked like an amusement park.
They appeared very loving.
The guesthouse owner looked up at the man again, then put down the glass he had just wiped, placed the white cloth on the table, his gaze shifting between the two men in front of him. He tilted his head, “He did stay here, but unfortunately, shortly before you came, he just left with his luggage.”
Gu Lin’s eyes paused; his voice was slightly hoarse when he spoke, “Left? Where did he go?”
The guesthouse owner shook his head, “I don’t know.”
Yan Yang asked, “Do you have his contact information?”
Lin Zheng had changed his number. Although his old card hadn’t been canceled, it was unreachable.
The guesthouse owner shook his head again.
This wasn’t a formal hotel; the guests weren’t complicated; they were treated like friends, so they weren’t forced to leave their contact information.
Although he originally wanted to exchange contact information with Lin Zheng—he liked Lin Zheng, he was a very interesting person—unfortunately, before he could exchange numbers, Lin Zheng had already left.
Lin Zheng and Zhao Yi sat in the back seat, wearing headphones and glasses, enjoying the island scenery from the air. Lin Zheng regretted that he had come to the island so many times but had never experienced this before. It was spectacular. Looking at the mountains and the vast sea below, everything else seemed insignificant, but his heart felt broader.
Zhao Yi looked at him, “Do you like it?”
Lin Zheng adjusted his headphones, “Yes, yes, very satisfied. Five-star review.”
Zhao Yi was amused.
Lin Zheng added, “But when are we leaving for City R?”
Zhao Yi said, “Whenever you’re ready.”
Lin Zheng: “Okay!”
City R was a city not far from this island, a city in a niche country. It was Lin Zheng’s second destination; he planned to stay here for over a week before heading there.
But upon hearing that he was going to City R, Zhao Yi said his destination was also City R and asked if he wanted to go together. Lin Zheng thought about it. The temperature difference between City R and this island was negligible, and Zhao Yi told him that there would be a celebratory event in City R the day after tomorrow, and it would be very lively at night. Tempted by this, Lin Zheng decided to go with Zhao Yi.
When vacationing, Lin Zheng didn’t like crowds and noise, but when participating in fun activities, the more lively, the better.
Since he was already here, missing this opportunity felt like a pity.
By the time they arrived in City R, it was already dusk.
Lin Zheng took his luggage and was about to book a hotel when Zhao Yi said, “If you don’t mind, why don’t you stay at my place?”
Lin Zheng put one hand in his pocket, thinking he had misheard, “Your place?”
Zhao Yi smiled at him, revealing a sunny quality somewhere between boy and man.
Lin Zheng’s jaw almost dropped.
Zhao Yi had once again refreshed his perception.
City R had a famous ancient castle, a landmark building whose luxury was beyond imagination. Zhao Yi’s house was almost the same as that castle.
The vast grounds, rows of maids and butlers, red-carpeted floors, luxurious furniture.
Lin Zheng stood at the entrance with his suitcase, thinking he hadn’t entered a novel, but a fairy tale.
Zhao Yi truly lived up to his status as the heir of the KW Group.
Zhao Yi took him to an upstairs guest room. Lin Zheng looked at the maids following behind. Zhao Yi also glanced back and then dismissed them.
Zhao Yi said, “Don’t be too restrained; treat it like your own home.”
Lin Zheng: “Mm.”
Before leaving, Zhao Yi told Lin Zheng that he lived next door and that he could call him if he needed anything.
Lin Zheng agreed.
After putting his luggage in the room, Lin Zheng threw himself onto the large, soft bed, looking at the branches swaying in the wind outside the semi-circular window. He checked his phone. Since he changed his number, except for companies and hotels, no one had called him.
Suddenly, he felt a little empty.
He held his phone and stared blankly at the bed.
Zhao Yi had just hung up the phone when the room door rang. He opened the door to see Lin Zheng leaning against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, muttering, “Do you have a karaoke place here?”
Zhao Yi paused.
Half an hour later.
In the KTV private room.
“Unload all the baggage you gave!”
“Take everything you want!”
“If you’re going, take it all!”
“Let go of the hands we once held!”
“Wasting time is my pleasure!”
“Breakups should be graceful!”
Lin Zheng held a bottle of alcohol in one hand and a microphone in the other, one foot on a soft stool, belting out a breakup song.
He would take a sip of alcohol and then continue shouting into the microphone.
Zhao Yi, sitting next to him wearing earplugs: “…”
Was this person just now realizing that he had broken up?
Zhao Yi took off his earplugs and looked at the person who had almost gotten up close to the screen, “Do you like Gu Lin?”
Lin Zheng pointed to his mouth, his mood instantly changing, calmly, “He took my first kiss, can’t I just sing a song?”
Then he continued belting out the breakup song.
Zhao Yi couldn’t help but laugh or cry.
After watching the figure for a while, Zhao Yi lowered his eyes and muttered to himself, “Can you just not like him?”
Lin Zheng turned off the music and turned around, “What did you just say?”
He seemed to have heard Zhao Yi speak.
Zhao Yi looked up and shook his head, “Nothing. You must have heard wrong.”
“Oh.”
Lin Zheng turned back.
“Oh! I dare to give, I dare to have a broken heart!”
“Leaving should be graceful!”
“…”
After the karaoke session, they came out of the private KTV.
Lin Zheng was in a good mood, walking on the bustling street.
One hand was in his pocket, the other holding a double-flavored ice cream, one blue and one green, one blueberry and one mint.
He raised his hand and ate both flavors together, then looked satisfied and sighed, “This is so delicious.”
Then he turned to Zhao Yi beside him, “Try some.”
Zhao Yi also had the same ice cream. He listened to Lin Zheng and took a bite. As soon as it entered his mouth, he was shocked by the mint flavor.
Lin Zheng laughed beside him, “Hahahahaha…”
Zhao Yi: “…Tricked.”
A child passing by, held by his parent, looked at them like they were some kind of strange creature.
The two continued walking.
Lin Zheng avoided the green part, eating only the blue, “Sometimes I feel like you’re a lot like my younger brother.”
Then, fearing Zhao Yi would ask about his younger brother, he added, “It’s not a biological brother, just an acquaintance.”
Lin Zheng said, “I do a lot of boring things, but he will always be there for me.”
He leaned closer to Zhao Yi, implying something, emphasizing, “Just like now, even if my singing is so bad that he wants to take out his ears, he would, like you, continue to accompany me, although not with earplugs, but with headphones.”
Zhao Yi: “…” He felt like he was being treated as someone impolite.
Lin Zheng stood upright again, his tone relaxed, “Of course, I don’t mean anything bad about you. You’re a good person.”
This wasn’t a lie. For some reason, after getting along well with Zhao Yi, Lin Zheng subconsciously felt that Zhao Yi was a good person.
“Was that a friend zone card?” Zhao Yi asked.
“Don’t good people deserve friend zone cards?” Lin Zheng laughed.
Zhao Yi seemed to recall something and smiled, “You’ve said many times that I’m like your younger brother.”
Lin Zheng looked at him amusedly, “You didn’t hear that in a dream, did you? When did I say that many times?”
He had only said it once.
Zhao Yi sighed, “Maybe. Maybe it was a dream.”
Lin Zheng clicked his tongue and walked on.
Zhao Yi looked at the figure bathed in the streetlight, thoughtful, “Lin Zheng, if I were your brother, and I made a mistake, would you forgive me?”
Lin Zheng, having just walked under the streetlight, heard Zhao Yi’s words, turned around and looked at him, then seriously tapped his chin, “It depends on the severity of the matter. If it doesn’t harm anyone, doesn’t cross the line, others should be…forgivable?”
Zhao Yi smiled.
In the island guesthouse.
Gu Lin received a call. The person on the other end said something, and he said sternly, “What? He suddenly disappeared?”
The person on the other end said, “Yes, it’s likely that he or someone else intentionally hid his information.”
Gu Lin repeated in a low voice, “Hidden?”
The person on the other end said, “Yes.”
Gu Lin was silent for a moment.
Having not heard Gu Lin speak for a long time, the person on the other end called out, “Young Master?”
Leaving a note and running away irresponsibly?
Gu Lin’s eyes were bloodshot. He instructed, “Keep looking.”
Remembering something, Gu Lin lowered his eyes, “Find KW Group heir Zhao Yi’s itinerary and send it to me.”
Gu Lin looked at the bed where Lin Zheng had slept, coldly, “I don’t care what methods you use; even if you turn the earth upside down, you must find Lin Zheng for me!”
The person on the other end hurriedly said, “Yes!”
After hanging up, the room became quiet again.
Gu Lin lowered the hand holding the phone, walking towards the bed.
He sat down by the bed.
Looking at the clean white sheets that still seemed to retain Lin Zheng’s scent, he said to Yan Yang, “Didn’t you say before that I shouldn’t let Lin Zheng be alone for too long, otherwise, before the ‘xiangsi kou’ was given, he would run away?”
Yan Yang instantly remembered the joke he made the day Gu Lin went home. Cold sweat trickled down.
He never imagined his joke would come true!
Gu Lin stared at the ‘xiangsi kou’ that he hadn’t had a chance to give, then closed his large palm, clenching the clasp, his voice cold, “This time I’ll listen to you. After I find him, I will… keep a close eye on him.”
Author’s Note: Lin Zheng: “I feel a hint of danger.”