BTMDY Chapter 133

Xiao Lin’s grand plan of playing matchmaker for his ‘parents’ love story’ kicked off pretty quickly.

But a plan is just a plan—life always finds a way to mess it up.

Not to mention how swamped Lin Shen and Lu Chengxuan were, thanks to the kidnapping case piling up a mountain of unfinished work, even Lin Wangye himself was drowning in his own stuff. Running a kiddie ride business wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

The boom of the e-sports hotel industry was bound to happen sooner or later. Lin Wangye had just gotten a head start by riding the wave of information gaps.

After Shenlin E-sports Hotel made a splash, it didn’t take long for others to smell the opportunity. One by one, e-sports hotels started popping up all over Ningchang. With e-sports tournaments getting more and more attention, these hotels spread across the country like mushrooms after the rain.

And once there were plenty of choices, customers would naturally go for places closer to home, or shiny new hotels they hadn’t tried before.

This was Lin Wangye’s first real venture, and he was scared of tripping if he took too big a step. He didn’t dare rush into opening more branches just to chase quick success.

So naturally, Shenlin E-sports Hotel’s business started taking a hit.

It wasn’t bad enough to bleed money, but it was enough to give Lin Wangye a headache.

Even Lu Chengxuan told him there was no need to worry. The dip in profits wasn’t because of bad management—it was simply that the starting point was too high, and the market had shifted.

But Lin Wangye, who wasn’t even Lin Shen’s real son, somehow inherited Lin Shen’s stubborn streak. He set his heart on catching up with his past self, determined to shine again.

So Lu Chengxuan didn’t bother stopping him. He just let him toss and turn with it.

And just like that, everyone who should be busy—and even those who shouldn’t—were running around with their feet barely touching the ground.

Shi Yuan, on the other hand, turned into a certified slacker. After finishing his driving license, his daily routine was basically: wake up young master Lin, cook for young master Lin, drive young master Lin to work, pick him up after work, and tuck him in at night.

Meanwhile, the kidnapping case was still moving forward. But since it had ties to the casino, things were bound to drag out longer than usual.

Lin Wangye knew his dad could handle it, and there was no way it’d ever fall to him anyway. Besides, he had zero interest in dealing with those toxic Lin relatives ever again.

Especially now, when there was some huge good news.

Xu Suihe had finally found a suitable donor match. Once her body was ready, she’d be able to go in for surgery.

Lin Wangye didn’t care about those rotten people at all anymore. All he wanted was a good life—no fights, no grudges, no bitterness. He wasn’t going to bother with them again.

As for his part, just providing his statement and the injury report was more than enough.

Lin Shen, who was blackmailed, and Lu Chengxuan, who was injured during the mess, both had the right to press charges. With the two of them keeping watch, Lin Wangye really didn’t need to worry.

Hu Haoyang and his mother might have still been ‘under questioning,’ but in reality, half their bodies were already buried in prison dirt.

Work, school, lawsuits, surgery—one thing after another piled up, and everyone was so busy that the New Year slipped by in a blur.

Before anyone realized it, spring had arrived. A sleek black G-wagon rolled down the road toward Ningchang University. In the passenger seat, Lin Shen sat upright with his seatbelt strapped tight, arms crossed, complaining.

“Unbelievable. After half a lifetime away, I’m still just another college boy!”

Behind the wheel, Lu Chengxuan kept his eyes on the road and said casually, “I’ve got things covered at the company. You just focus on school.”

“Are you really not trying to take my spot?”

Lin Shen knew it was nonsense, but he still couldn’t help asking seriously.

“The more I think about it, the more it feels wrong. I’m the boss, and here you are, this administrative assistant with only five thousand on your paycheck, kicking me out of the chairman’s office so I can go to class. And then you sit in my boss chair and review files—don’t you think that’s a bit… bold?”

“My credits are already enough. I’ll graduate on time when the moment comes. Right now, Shi Yuan is on a break here in the country, and once Lin Wangye graduates, he’ll go with him to study at Sigwell. When you go back to school now, he’ll be there with you. In a couple of years, when you return, you’ll be on your own. Won’t you be bored?”

After that, Lin Shen fell silent for a long moment. Finally, he managed to mutter:

“I’ve noticed you’ve been talking a lot more than usual.”

Lu Chengxuan glanced at him, then quickly looked forward, saying lightly, “I just filter out what’s unnecessary. Doesn’t mean I’m mute.”

“No, no, no,” Lin Shen denied quickly, turning to the side. “Before, you’d only say, ‘Okay, what do you want to do?’ You’d respect my opinion and never talk this much. But now… all these words of yours are basically trying to control me, making me listen to you and go back to school. Why the hell should I?”

Lu Chengxuan knew Lin Shen had never liked being told what to do. Seeing his stubborn streak show up again, he exhaled calmly and pressed the brake at the red light without a word.

“So what do you want to do?”

“I’m asking why I should listen to you,” Lin Shen pressed again.

Lu Chengxuan spent a long time trying to figure out what Lin Shen was thinking but came up blank. The safest answer, one that wouldn’t provoke him, was: “I’m just suggesting. You don’t have to listen to me.”

Lin Shen narrowed his eyes slightly, then leaned back.

“I’m going back to class not because I’m listening to you, but because I think you’re right.”

Lu Chengxuan didn’t really understand the difference, but he nodded anyway: “Okay, fine.”

They fell into silence for a while after that.

It wasn’t until Lin Shen caught a glimpse out the corner of his eye that it seemed like they weren’t taking the usual route to Ningchang University—Lu Chengxuan seemed to be taking a detour—that he sat up and asked, puzzled: “Where are we going?”

“Picking up Lin Wangye,” Lu Chengxuan said.

“Huh?” Lin Shen didn’t get it. “He has a car and a driver. Why are we going out of our way to pick him up?”

“He said the car I bought him is too flashy. He doesn’t want to be so conspicuous at school. Wants to keep it low-key.”

“….”

Lin Shen was speechless for a long moment, looking around at the familiar interior of the car he was sitting in. His lips twitched. “What’s so special about this car of yours anyway?”

Lu Chengxuan reasoned calmly: “Maybe because it’s not red.”

“….”

Completely out of words, Lin Shen flopped back in his seat and closed his eyes to rest. He only lazily opened them when he vaguely felt the car stop, casually turning to glance out the window. That’s when he saw someone running toward the gate of the apartment complex nearby—and his eyes went wide in shock.

“My own son dyes his hair the same color as yours, and you’re sitting here grinning like an idiot! You even have the nerve to talk! I should’ve known he’d been turned by you. You two are clearly in cahoots, using your ‘know-more-than-me’ advantage to bully me with your memories! Now even his hair color is bullying me! Only Xu Suinian is hopelessly soft, the love-struck type—if their partner dyes their hair the same color as someone else, they just close their eyes and say it looks good! Try dyeing it green and see how he freaks out! Where is he? Bring him over so I can yell at him!”

Skipping the rougher, more complicated life of his previous life, Lin Shen had never grown into a calm and steady chairman.

Big things, he could stay composed. Small things? He’d blow up at the slightest spark.

Like a thyroid problem with free rein, his mood was wildly unpredictable.

For Lin Wangye, this irregular storm of yelling was nothing new—he was used to it. He wasn’t fazed at all and responded calmly after Lin Shen ranted: “He’s at the hospital with Suihe. She’s going to have surgery soon.”

Lin Shen wasn’t really angry. He wasn’t really looking to settle scores either.

He turned to sit properly, cleared his throat, and stared through the rearview mirror at Lin Wangye’s golden hair for a long moment before asking,

“Why the sudden color change?”

“I thought Brother Lu’s hair color was cool, so I took a little inspiration!”

Lin Wangye leaned forward, hands gripping the passenger seat, lowering his voice like a secret. “Also… I think Shi Yuan’s acting weird lately.”

“What’s weird?” Lin Shen closed his eyes, fiddling with the power bank in his hands, his cheeky habit kicking in: “Caught him cheating, huh?”

“No way!” Lin Wangye immediately denied it, leaning closer to continue.

“Seriously, don’t tell him, okay? It’s a secret!”

“Spit it out already, stop dragging it,” Lin Shen said, slapping the back of Lin Wangye’s head. “Even the Lu kid has learned to speak like a human, and here you are being mysterious. Did dyeing your hair take over your brain or something?”

Lin Wangye adjusted his hair and cleared his throat.

“I think… he might be planning to propose to me.”

At that, Lin Shen immediately stopped fiddling with his power bank and turned to him: “What the heck—propose?”

“Yeah.” Lin Wangye nodded seriously, a blush creeping across his cheeks. “White Day is coming up. Yesterday he asked me seriously to make sure I keep time free. I have this strong feeling—he’s definitely going to propose!”

After saying that, Lin Wangye stretched his hand forward to show Lin Shen right in front of him.

“Look, I already got a ring! I feel like I shouldn’t wear it then. If he proposes, he’ll probably give me a new one. Should I put this one away for now?”

Looking at the platinum ring sparkling on Lin Wangye’s ring finger, Lin Shen’s throat tightened. He felt a strange, indescribable twist in his chest.

It wasn’t that his own ‘cabbage’ was being snatched away.

It was because a simple promise like ‘forever’—so straightforward—was something Lin Wangye had probably heard countless times already, and he was about to receive a second ring.

Yet, those vows, those mountain-high, sea-deep promises that could be spoken with just a few words, he had never received.

Even though they had done every intimate thing possible under the sun.

*

Author’s Note:

Next chapter will be the finale!

Just giving my dear readers a heads-up so it doesn’t feel too sudden.

There’ll be plenty of extras after this—lots of sweet daily moments between the couples, and stories from their previous lives too.

There’s still a lot of sugar left to go around, so no need to worry!

Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters.  (๑>ᴗ<๑)