No wonder Gu He was so worried. Lin Ru'an and Cheng Zan were now famously eligible bachelors in both the business and entertainment circles. Not to mention that business and entertainment were already intertwined—with their exceptional qualities, even many young celebrities fell short in comparison. Naturally, gossip about the two of them had always been a staple on the front pages of entertainment magazines.
If their relationship were exposed at this point... the already murky rumors swirling around them would inevitably trigger an unimaginable uproar.
Lin Ru'an froze for a moment, then let out a sighing laugh. "Yes, I wasn’t thinking carefully enough." He had only been considering the impact on Cheng Zan, forgetting that they were practically bound together now—if he was affected, how could Cheng Zan escape unscathed? "We must stop that reporter’s article, no matter what it takes. As for those old men at Aoyu... I truly didn’t expect them to still be scheming even after our last negotiation." Whether this was intentional on their part or not, Lin Ru'an could already picture Aoyu going bankrupt in his mind.
Lin Ru'an hung up the phone. When he turned around, he saw Cheng Zan standing behind him, holding a glass of water.
Cheng Zan’s gaze was unusually bright in the dim light, as if just being looked at by him could steal one’s soul away.
Lin Ru'an didn’t know what he was thinking. He only watched as Cheng Zan set down the glass and turned to walk upstairs.
Lin Ru'an stared at his retreating figure until it disappeared at the top of the stairs, then sighed softly. He didn’t know how much Cheng Zan had heard or what he was thinking, but right now, he was utterly tormented over how to explain his own experience—one that defied common sense. More importantly, would Cheng Zan think that the person he loved was the one from his past life, and not the present him?
Of course, he might just be labeled a madman instead. Lin Ru'an smiled bitterly.
Exhausted from the day, Lin Ru'an took a quick shower on the first floor and went upstairs in his bathrobe. The bedside lamp in the second-floor bedroom was on. Cheng Zan lay on the edge of the bed, turned away from him, without a blanket covering him.
This bed was a new addition Cheng Zan had bought later—a king-size double bed. He had said it was to cheer Lin Ru'an up, though who knew where that sudden idea had come from. Lin Ru'an walked over quietly and reached out to pull the thin blanket over Cheng Zan, but before he could finish—his hands were suddenly seized by Cheng Zan, who had opened his eyes. With a forceful tug, their positions reversed, and Cheng Zan was now pinning Lin Ru'an down.
Cheng Zan was panting heavily, his whole body trembling slightly like a beast on the verge of collapse. "Tell me, you had nothing to do with my mother’s death!"
Lin Ru'an stared at him in shock.
Cheng Zan’s mind was in complete chaos. Earlier, when facing Lin Ru'an, his head had already begun to ache. He tried to calm himself by drinking cold water and splashing his face, desperately suppressing the long-dormant agitation inside him—the urge to hurt others or himself. But when he returned to the living room, he overheard Lin Ru'an mentioning "Aoyu Company" during his phone call.
In that instant, his mind went blank. Maybe he couldn’t think of anything, or maybe a thousand possibilities flashed through his head.
Was this the reason Lin Ru'an couldn’t explain things clearly yet? No, impossible—of all people in the world, he was the last one who could be involved. Absolutely impossible!
If he just waited, Lin Ru'an would eventually tell him everything. Listen to him, give him time... Cheng Zan repeated this to himself over and over. But when he pretended to sleep and Lin Ru'an approached with concern, he couldn’t hold back anymore—he just blurted it out.
Yet after saying those words, he was the one most afraid.
"Zan... you suspect that I... killed your mother?" Lin Ru'an’s voice trembled, his gaze unsettled.
Cheng Zan couldn’t bear to see him like this—it felt like his own heart was being pierced by that look. He didn’t want to press further.
He had once exhausted all means to uncover his mother’s whereabouts, but her records had been meticulously concealed by her family. So why did Lin Ru'an know so much about her? And why couldn’t Lin Ru'an explain it, yet seemed connected to Aoyu...
Then Cheng Zan suddenly remembered being summoned by his father not long ago, questioned whether the Lin Rong Enterprise had hostile intentions toward the Cheng family...
Lin Ru'an... wouldn’t... couldn’t...
"Ah—!!"
With a roar, Cheng Zan slammed a fist into the mattress, then sat up and swept everything off the nightstand—the lamp, the photo frame—before turning his violence toward the wall, punching it relentlessly.
Lin Ru'an hurriedly wrapped his arms around Cheng Zan’s upper body, trying to stop him from hurting himself. But Cheng Zan continued to rage: "I’m insane, I’m insane! Give me my meds! I’m insane!"
"Don’t do this..." Lin Ru'an held him tightly, and for once, Cheng Zan couldn’t break free. After a while, Cheng Zan finally calmed down, half-resigned, half-moved. In this world, the only one who could restrain him was indeed Lin Ru'an.
"The insane one isn’t you—it’s me." He heard Lin Ru'an’s voice, but Cheng Zan wondered if he was hallucinating, because every word seemed to carry Lin Ru'an’s heartache.
"Cheng Zan, I love you. I’ve loved you since my past life, but I forgot to tell you." Lin Ru'an loosened his grip, lowering his face so his bangs obscured his expression. "I... am someone who died once. I was 28 when I died. Before my death, I watched you jump off a building right in front of me."
Lin Ru'an slowly lifted his head, reaching out to touch Cheng Zan’s cheek. Only then did Cheng Zan realize—Lin Ru'an was crying.
"I avenged you, then lost all will to live, so I died. I don’t know if the King of Hell rejected me because my resentment was too deep, or if the heavens took pity—but somehow, I was given a second chance at life." Lin Ru'an smiled, tears glistening in his eyes.
"So you must have wondered why, from the moment we met, I knew all your likes and dislikes. I knew you were afraid of the dark, that you hated seeing people cry, the bars you frequented, the things you loved, your family, your parents, your mother’s tragic fate..." Lin Ru'an withdrew his hand, wiping his tears, still smiling. "I think the purpose of my rebirth was for you. Only... only your mother’s fate was something I couldn’t change. I’m sorry for that." He closed his eyes, like a prisoner awaiting sentencing.
A heavy silence fell between them. Neither spoke, standing like that for a long while.
Then Cheng Zan cupped Lin Ru'an’s face. Lin Ru'an’s tears hadn’t stopped, streaming down the beautiful lines of his eyes, wetting Cheng Zan’s hands.
"You... died once, and then came back to life?"
Cheng Zan asked softly, gazing into his eyes. Lin Ru'an opened his own, nuzzling Cheng Zan’s palm like he was cherishing the touch. He held that hand tightly, swallowing hard before finally asking, uncertainly:
"Will you... have me sent to a hospital again?"
Cheng Zan’s chest suddenly ached so badly he could barely breathe.
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