BTMDY Extra 1

The gentle early autumn sunlight spilled lazily across the windowsill.

 

A soft breeze stirred the white curtains, carrying away the lingering, intimate heat in the room.

 

“Lu Chengxuan, hurry up…”

 

The rhythm of his breathing had already changed noticeably. The mattress shook, swallowing the curse caught in his throat. Lin Shen gasped for air, his hoarse voice ragged and broken: “I mean… hurry up to ‘finish’, not… damn it… hmm—”

 

Luckily, the custom-made bed was welded to the wall, impossible to move by human force. Otherwise, after all these nights making noise, the neighbors downstairs would have only two options: jump out the window or call the police.

 

Nearly half an hour later, the noise in the room finally came to a pause.

 

Some privileges really are only available during school days.

 

Not even counting the easy, slack-off-friendly courses in college, once Lin Shen officially got his Ningchang University diploma and stepped into the working world, he even found himself missing high school.

 

Sure, he had to sleep early and wake early, and there were endless classes and homework.

 

But one person eating well meant the whole family wasn’t starving. He didn’t have to worry about anything except grades. All the time was his own, and he could slack off, play games, and not feel guilty at all. The pressure was practically zero.

 

Not like now, when every single day was spent at this lousy office, juggling endless projects.

 

He used to think that as long as he didn’t demand too much from himself, staying chill and making sure he had enough to eat and wear would be enough.

 

Now he finally understood what his mother had said when he was a kid.

 

When you reach a certain height, there will be countless people pushing you forward.

 

Back then, young Lin Shen didn’t get it.

 

He thought it was just about squeezing onto a crowded bus.

 

Now, standing where he was in life, he truly understood.

 

In this era, if you don’t keep moving forward, you risk being left behind someday. Sure, the assets under his name could keep him living comfortably for generations, but hundreds of people at Linhong’s company relied on him to keep their jobs.

 

Right now, his main focus was traditional business—a sector facing huge blows from e-commerce. Achieving a healthy, profitable cycle required serious brainpower; there was no way to just relax and coast.

 

If the company failed, very few would walk away unscathed.

 

The majority would end up unemployed.

 

So he had no choice but to push himself, keeping the company afloat, making sure employees had steady pay, sitting through long office hours, approving piles of infuriating project files, and only leaving work once it was all done.

 

Lin Shen was, by nature, an extremely lazy guy.

 

The crushing work intensity of the past years had been unavoidable—an emergency measure.

 

Now, with Huanghe Road Commercial Street officially open, its unique Chinese-style culture making it a landmark shopping center in Ningchang City, profits were soaring exactly as expected. The cash flow was rolling in.

 

But even so, there were still new projects to study, countless things to worry about.

 

For Lin Shen, it was almost lethal.

 

That’s why Lin Shen was genuinely stunned at how Lu Chengxuan could juggle every single company and project under his name, pull overtime to help him with work, and still find time to learn cooking so he could make breakfast and dinner every day—doing it all like it was nothing.

 

Just how many brains did this guy have?

 

Why the hell did his brain work so much better than everyone else’s?

 

Today, Lin Wangye had said he’d be flying back to the country. Lin Shen had even set an alarm, planning to pick him up at the airport, but one thing led to another and—bang—time slipped away.

 

Once he confirmed he couldn’t make it in time for the landing, he gave up on picking up his son altogether, curled up under the covers for a bit longer, and only crawled out after calculating that breakfast was probably almost ready. He took a shower, blow-dried his hair halfway, and wandered out of the bedroom in his pajamas, lazy and slow, grabbing a steaming fried dough stick from the table and stuffing it into his mouth.

 

“Has our son arrived yet? He didn’t even call me.”

 

“He’s landed. On the way now.” Seeing him come out, Lu Chengxuan brought over a bowl of porridge from the kitchen, set it down in front of him, and sat opposite him.

 

Lin Shen frowned, clearly unhappy. Cheeks puffed out, he chewed and swallowed before snapping, “Why’d he call you but not me? I swear this kid’s stopped treating me like a person. Ever since he ran off to Sigwell, he didn’t even come back for my birthday—just called and sent me a watch to brush me off. But for my sister’s birthday, he actually flew back.”

 

“He told you back then, didn’t he? He couldn’t spare the time, that’s why he didn’t come,” Lu Chengxuan said evenly.

 

“He didn’t know you were going to pick him up. He thought you were still sleeping at this hour, so he didn’t call.”

 

“Don’t explain. I’m not listening.”

 

Lin Shen waved him off, pulled out his phone, placed it on the table, and dialed Lin Wangye’s number on speaker.

 

On the other end, just off the plane and in a car, the call connected quickly.

 

“Hey! Dad!” Lin Wangye’s voice burst through, full of energy—nothing like someone who’d just crossed time zones and sat on a plane for twenty hours. He sounded bright as ever: “Why’re you up so early? Did Brother Lu tell you I’ve landed?”

 

Lin Shen didn’t bother with small talk, going straight to the point.

 

“If Lu Chengxuan and I both fell into a river, who would you save first?”

 

There was a stunned pause. Lin Wangye scratched his head in the car, completely caught off guard.

 

“I’m asking you! Don’t think—answer in three seconds! Who?” Lin Shen barked.

 

Lin Wangye didn’t know what was going on, but boy, did he know how to handle things. Without even thinking, he blurted out, “You! You, of course! I’d definitely save you!”

 

Lin Shen followed up immediately: “And if Xu Suinian and I both fell in the water?”

 

“…”

 

There was a few seconds of silence. Then the line went dead.

 

Lin Shen had only asked on a whim, but seeing his brat of a son dare to hang up on him, his temper spiked. He took a deep breath and dialed again, only to get the ‘temporarily unavailable’ message.

 

Inside the taxi, Lin Wangye switched his phone to airplane mode, then turned to the person sitting next to him. “Later, I’ll say I saved him first. But of course, I’d actually pull you out first. Let him swim for a bit. Be good, don’t get jealous, okay?”

 

Shi Yuan lowered his head, smiling as he adjusted his glasses.

 

“I know. I’m not that petty.”

 

“Just didn’t want you to be upset.” Lin Wangye toyed with his eyes, smiling warmly as he deliberately reached out to pat his hair gently: “Xiao Lin loves you.”

 

“Hurry up and call him back,” Shi Yuan kindly reminded. “Otherwise, Lu Chengxuan’s going to get scolded to death.”

 

Knowing full well what kind of temper his dad had, Lin Wangye quickly turned off airplane mode and called back.

 

Sure enough, the moment the call connected, Lin Shen’s furious roar poured through the line like a raging firestorm, almost physically battering Lin Wangye’s eardrums.

 

“You! Dared! To! Hang! Up! On! Me!”

 

“I didn’t hang up! The signal suddenly got bad! I couldn’t hear you!” Lin Wangye opened his eyes wide, scrambling to cover for himself and quickly returned to coaxing his dad: “No matter who falls into the river, I’d save you first! Even Shi Yuan would have to swim a bit first. How could I ever leave you behind, dear dad?”

 

After a full minute of Lin Shen angrily berating Lu Chengxuan while Lin Wangye coaxed Shi Yuan, his temper finally cooled.

 

“Really?” he asked.

 

“Really! Lying to you is for puppies!”

 

Lin Shen leaned back in his chair, feeling refreshed, and took a sip of porridge. “When will Uncle Lu’s surprise for me arrive?”

 

“Still a little while. A bit of traffic.”

 

Lin Wangye craned his neck to peek at the navigation, fully trusting that Lu Chengxuan’s gift would be perfect. He could barely contain his excitement.

 

“What is it, what is it!”

 

Lin Shen, intentionally teasing to make him anxious, smirked mischievously, letting the tone rise at the end.

 

“Not telling you.”

 

“Aiya!” Knowing his dad’s personality, Lin Wangye instantly figured out what was happening, stomping in frustration: “Old Lin, you’re so annoying!”

 

“Haha. Is there anything you want to eat? You haven’t been back for a while. Whatever it is, I’ll have Lu Chengxuan make it for you.”

 

Lin Wangye, naturally not holding a grudge over something so small, brightened immediately at the change of topic. His eyes sparkled with anticipation. “I want roujiamo! Been craving it forever—the kind with a mix of fat and lean meat and green peppers! Do you think Brother Lu can make it? Sounds kind of tricky. I was actually planning to park near the snack street and just grab one from a street stall.”

 

Technically, buying it from a street vendor would be easiest.

 

But knowing Lin Wangye was home today, neither Lin Shen nor Lu Chengxuan had to go to work.

 

Since they were free anyway, and with green peppers at home, Lin Shen looked up and asked: “Roujiamo? Can we make that happen?”

 

Ever since that White Day when they’d confessed to each other, it had only been a few days before they flew to Northern Europe to register for a quick, impromptu marriage.

 

Although this marriage certificate held no legal weight in the country, it had a surprisingly strong effect on their mindset.

 

From two independent individuals, they had become a family.

 

Unconsciously, four years had passed since finishing school and entering the working world, and now here they were. Time had just flown by.

 

Life was like that—day in, day out, a constant loop.

 

With Lu Chengxuan’s personality, even if he’d learned to communicate, he wouldn’t change much. Lin Shen, on the other hand, was too lazy to put in effort, preferring to spend any spare time lying around playing games.

 

Expecting the two of them to have the same sense of romance as Lin Wangye and Shi Yuan—constantly creating special moments—was just too hard.

 

So life had settled into a quieter, simpler rhythm.

 

Outside of work, their daily routine revolved around meals, gaming, bed, and sleep.

 

Neither of them minded it, really, though Lin Shen occasionally got bored and liked to stir things up, picking fights and joking about divorce just to feel a little thrill.

 

In other words, he was bored out of his mind.

 

Lu Chengxuan had never made roujiamo before, but he could learn.

 

Hearing Lin Shen ask, he immediately recognized his partner was just looking for fun. Without thinking twice, he nodded, and after breakfast, he started looking up recipes and kneading dough in the kitchen.

 

Lin Shen curled up on the sofa, watching a movie and yawning as he waited for Lin Wangye.

 

The airport was a bit far from the city, and during the morning rush, the drive could take quite a while.

 

About half an hour into the call, the doorbell finally rang. Lin Shen slipped into his slippers and lazily went to open it. The moment he turned the knob, his son came barreling in like a gust of wind, leaping and throwing himself onto Lin Shen.

 

“I missed you so much, Old Lin! You’ve gotten even more handsome since the last time!”

 

Given how big his son was, the impact was strong enough to almost knock Lin Shen over. He stumbled back a few steps out of habit, nearly toppling over.

 

He exchanged a glance with Shi Yuan, then carefully peeled Lin Wangye off himself, bent down to put on the slipper he’d dropped, and looked up to study his son with a beaming smile, reaching out to pinch his cheeks.

 

“A whole year without seeing you… you’ve put on some weight, huh?”

 

“Right! You notice it too, don’t you!” Lin Wangye hadn’t gained much, just a little roundness along the side of his face. He glanced at Shi Yuan and complained, “Blame Sigwell’s food! I couldn’t get used to it. He tried all kinds of recipes every day, and before I knew it… I ate too much!”

 

Finished with that, he didn’t linger chatting and immediately got to the point, looking around eagerly.

 

“Weren’t you supposed to have a surprise for me? Where’s the surprise?”

 

Lin Shen opened a drawer near the entrance, picked up a set of keys, twirled them on his fingertip, and handed them over.

 

Lin Wangye at first assumed it was for a new car.

 

But taking a closer look, he realized it wasn’t a car key—it looked more like a house key.

 

Seeing his puzzled expression, Lin Shen looped an arm around his neck and led him to the front door, pointing at the door across the hall.

 

Lin Wangye froze for a moment, then quickly realized what was happening. Eyes wide, he exclaimed, “This apartment across the hall is mine?!”

 

“Yes,” Lin Shen said, very pleased with his reaction, nodding. “Lu Chengxuan is giving it to you as your dowry.”

 

Once Shi Yuan finished his studies and returned to China, Lin Wangye naturally wanted to live closer to Lin Shen for convenience. But this high-end downtown apartment was expensive. For Lin Wangye and Shi Yuan, while technically affordable, it would definitely hurt financially.

 

Hit by such a huge surprise, Lin Wangye stood there dazed for a long moment. Only after a while did he react, clutching the keys but not rushing to check the apartment across the hall. Instead, he dashed into the living room, hunting for Lu Chengxuan, babbling incoherently:

 

“Where’s Mom?!”

 

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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)