BTMDY Extra 24

Lu Chengxuan clearly hadn’t expected this either. All that huge, mind-blowing information from just now—layer after layer, explosive enough to fry anyone’s brain—and Lin Shen#’s focus actually landed ‘here’.

 

But when you really think about it, it made sense.

 

No matter which timeline it was, the person Lin Shen cared about most was always Lin Wangye. Just thinking about how Lin Shen, back when he was a teenager, would secretly overthink things because of the relationship between Lin Wangye and Shi Yuan was enough to show how much he cared about his best friend ending up with his own son. Let alone how complicated Lin Shen#’s feelings had to be at his current age.

 

Under Chairman Lin’s sharp, pressure-filled stare, Lu Chengxuan lowered his eyes and gave a quiet “Mm.”

 

“They’re both doing fine.”

 

That was Lin Shen#’s conclusion. Then, with a blank face, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialed a number—and all he got was a recorded message saying the number didn’t exist.

 

“Shi Yuan changed his phone number. It’s not the old one anymore,” Lu Chengxuan reminded him.

 

Lin Shen# closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 

After living this long, sitting high up in the business world and going through so much, keeping his emotions in check wasn’t exactly hard for him. He took a short moment to sort through all the information in this strange story. Then he lifted his gaze to Lu Chengxuan, stayed silent for a few seconds like he was thinking something over, looked away, turned around, and walked out of the study that made him feel uncomfortable. He stopped in the hallway.

 

“What about Xiao Lin? Where is he?”

 

“I don’t know,” Lu Chengxuan answered honestly. “If he ran into the same situation as me, he should come looking for me.”

 

Truth was, Lu Chengxuan himself had plenty of doubts.

 

Lin Wangye and Lin Shen had vanished out of nowhere. After searching inside the well, all they found was water and a few coins. He and Shi Yuan thought the whole thing felt way too strange, so they went down the well with a cautious, testing mindset, having no idea what would actually happen.

 

He never expected to really end up in this past timeline they’d already lived through.

 

And with Lin Shen recently going on and on about things like ‘rare celestial events’ and ‘five stars in a line,’ it was hard for Lu Chengxuan not to suspect that the world had run into some kind of time-space mess.

 

What made it even crazier was that the person he met wasn’t any of the other three—but Lin Shen#, who at this point in time had already been dead for many years.

 

Lu Chengxuan should’ve been more worried about where the other three had gone.

 

But right now, he couldn’t force his attention onto anything else.

 

He watched Lin Shen#, who was still standing there with his eyes lowered in thought, and suddenly spoke.

 

“Lin Shen… I’m sorry.”

 

The second-floor hallway of the empty villa was unnervingly quiet.

 

Lin Shen# knew Lu Chengxuan was used to silence.

 

These days, he himself was quiet most of the time too.

 

So when Lu Chengxuan was the one to break the silence, it caught him off guard.

 

That apology, too, came out of nowhere.

 

Lin Shen# didn’t answer. He turned his head and shot him a questioning look.

 

“I was always too slow when it came to feelings,” Lu Chengxuan continued. “When you needed it most, I didn’t let you feel how firm I was. We shouldn’t have ended up like that. After you left back then, I kept thinking—if I were given another chance, could I have done better? Later, when I really went back to our school days, I…”

 

“Lu Chengxuan.”

 

Lin Shen# looked straight at him and cut him off, his voice steady and calm.

 

“There’s no need to apologize. Some things we both understand already, and you don’t need to explain them to me. Feelings are between two people. You alone couldn’t have ruined everything. We’re not kids anymore. In the adult world, there are many things more important than love—like responsibility. You and I both chose to take responsibility for our families. No one was wrong. No one owes the other anything.”

 

This Lin Shen# was completely different from the Lin Shen who had married Lu Chengxuan—yet he still felt strangely familiar.

 

After all, they had once lived side by side.

 

Lu Chengxuan met his gaze for a long time, then quietly swallowed the words he hadn’t finished earlier.

 

He hesitated, clearly unsure.

 

“Then you…”

 

Lin Shen# closed his eyes again, as if finally accepting the fact that he had already died seven years ago—and that until the very end, he had never chosen honesty. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze dropped slightly, and his voice carried what sounded like a sigh so soft it was almost impossible to hear.

 

“Lu Chengxuan, I did love you.”

 

‘But later, it was just obsession. It wasn’t love anymore.’

 

After the words fell, Lu Chengxuan didn’t respond for a long time—just like Lin Shen# remembered so well, sinking back into that long, familiar silence.

 

Yeah.

 

So many things were already understood without being said. Any explanation now would just be extra.

 

Back in those years when they were always clashing, outsiders thought the two of them were locked in some bitter, life-or-death feud. But that was never the case. Not even close.

 

For the people involved, there was only unspoken regret.

 

Passionate feelings couldn’t survive being worn down again and again.

 

The love Lin Shen# had always refused to say out loud eventually turned, as time passed, into that unresolved ache from youth—something you could never quite let go of.

 

And maybe only someone as clumsy and stubborn as Lu Chengxuan could hold onto that dull yet pure love and carry it through the long river of years, never letting it fade.

 

The two who had reunited after so long stared at each other in silence, naturally falling into quiet once more.

 

Just then—

 

From the silent study came a dull thud, like something heavy hitting the floor. At the same time, the doorbell at the entrance started ringing over and over again, loud and annoying.

 

The two standing in the hallway exchanged a glance, then turned and headed in opposite directions.

 

Lin Shen# pushed open the study door and found himself face-to-face with Shi Yuan.

 

Shi Yuan looked like he’d fallen from somewhere really high and was now sitting on the floor. His eyes swept over the room, and when he accidentally caught sight of Lin Wangye’s black-and-white photo on the desk, his face changed instantly.

 

Downstairs, Lu Chengxuan opened the door—only to be hit head-on by Lin Shen’s furious shouting.

 

“Holy shit, what the hell is going on, Lu Chengxuan!?”

 

Things were heading in an even more bizarre and ridiculous direction.

 

A few minutes later, the four of them were sitting around the sofa in the Lin family villa’s living room.

 

Shi Yuan stared at the two Lin Shens and the middle-aged version of Lu Chengxuan, his expression complicated.

 

Lin Shen and Lin Shen# were staring at each other too.

 

One was forcing himself to stay calm, but couldn’t quite suppress the twitch at the corner of his mouth.

 

The other was staring hard at the person sitting across from him—someone whose face looked almost exactly like his, yet clearly worn by time—so shocked his eyes were practically about to pop out.

 

After Lu Chengxuan briefly explained what had happened, Lin Shen seemed to need a long while for his brain to finish loading before his language function came back online. Then he exploded, shouting straight at the Lu Chengxuan sitting opposite him:

 

“What the hell, Lu Chengxuan? Didn’t you say I was dead!? Then who the hell is this guy!?”

 

As the words landed, Lin Shen#’s brow twitched along with the corner of his mouth. He turned to Lu Chengxuan, put on a polite smile, and asked,

 

“So… this idiot wouldn’t happen to be me when I was younger, right?”

 

Lu Chengxuan had nothing to say. He closed his eyes in silence.

 

Lin Shen’s brain short-circuited on the spot—buzz—and he shot upright, rolling up his sleeves.

 

“Who the hell are you calling an idiot!?”

 

“Whoever gets mad is who I’m talking about.” Lin Shen# smiled faintly.

 

“You—”

 

Shi Yuan, who still hadn’t fully recovered from the massive shock in front of him, hurried to smooth things over. He waved his hands at the two of them.

 

“Hey, hey, you two yelling at each other—does either of you actually win anything? Let’s just drop it, okay—”

 

Lin Shen# looked at his much younger friend, and his eyebrow jumped again.

 

In the past, he definitely would’ve given Shi Yuan some face.

 

But after finding out not long ago that this guy had laid a hand on his son, Lin Shen# just snorted coldly, didn’t bother responding, and shifted his focus back to Lin Shen.

 

“My brain was pretty useless when I was young. A real dumbass. Forget it—I won’t stoop to his level.”

 

“Oh, now you’re really feeling yourself, huh?” Lin Shen laughed in anger. “Calling me stupid? Even if my brain isn’t great, I still pass my health checkups every year. At least I didn’t get myself killed and leave Lin Wangye an orphan with no parents!”

 

“Lin Shen…” Lu Chengxuan sighed helplessly. “Enough. Just drop it.”

 

Lin Shen snapped his head toward him, eyes wide as his voice shot up.

 

“Lu Chengxuan! Who are you taking sides with!? When he insults me, you don’t stop him. When I talk back, you jump in and tell me to let it go? Damn you! I can’t live with you another day! Divorce! Right now! Immediately!”

 

Seeing that neither of them was willing to give an inch—and that this mess was way out of his control—Shi Yuan simply sat back down obediently and watched the show.

 

Lu Chengxuan hadn’t expected two Lin Shens from different timelines to show up at the same time.

 

He couldn’t afford to offend either one.

 

And he couldn’t let either one feel wronged.

 

Faced with the questioning, he felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. After racking his brain, he finally managed to put together some words and spoke gently,

 

“Well… you did insult him first. Two rounds is enough. Let’s not fight.”

 

Before Lin Shen could even come up with a comeback, Lin Shen# let out a lukewarm chuckle first, his tone loaded with meaning.

 

“Wow. You’re really keeping things nice and balanced.”

 

After those words, Lu Chengxuan lowered his head and pressed a hand to his forehead.

 

Lin Shen, who was still in full-on rage mode, suddenly went quiet too.

 

He glanced at the ‘himself’ sitting opposite, all proper and stiff, then looked over at Lu Chengxuan. His tone unexpectedly calmed down.

 

“Lu Chengxuan, why are you sitting next to him instead of next to me?”

 

Lin Shen# seemed to hear something amusing and let out a soft scoff.

 

Lu Chengxuan, who had just picked a seat without thinking, had no idea how to explain himself. By reflex, he turned his gaze toward Shi Yuan, who was sitting beside Lin Shen.

 

There were four sofas around the rectangular coffee table in front of them.

 

Two were double seats, two were single seats.

 

They were placed opposite each other on both sides.

 

When they’d come downstairs, everyone was familiar enough that no one overthought it. They’d just sat wherever.

 

Shi Yuan immediately caught on.

 

“Ah… my bad. That one’s on me.”

 

He stood up and moved to the single sofa on the other side, clearing some space and backing away from the battlefield. Instead of relief, Lu Chengxuan shot him a confused look.

 

It took Shi Yuan a few seconds to realize—way too late—that he wasn’t helping smooth things over. He was tearing the bridge down.

 

Just a moment ago, Lu Chengxuan could’ve said he didn’t sit over there because someone was already next to Lin Shen.

 

Now? Now he had no excuse. He had to pick a side.

 

The moment that hit him, Shi Yuan yanked his gaze away at lightning speed.

 

For the first time in his life, Lu Chengxuan truly understood what it meant to feel like he was sitting on needles. He wished every sofa and chair in the house would vanish on the spot. After his brain spun at full speed, he chose to glance sideways at Lin Shen#’s expression.

 

Lin Shen# met his gaze, looking calm and indifferent.

 

“I don’t care about things like that.”

 

Hearing this, Lu Chengxuan relaxed just a little. But the moment he stood up and walked toward Lin Shen, Lin Shen immediately blew up, glaring at him in frustration.

 

“Get lost! Don’t come anywhere near me!”

 

As long as Lin Shen was still willing to explode instead of clamming up in silence, his temper was at least still within a controllable range. Stuck between both sides, Lu Chengxuan let out a sigh and headed for the single sofa across from Shi Yuan.

 

He sat down.

 

For a moment, no one said a word.

 

Right in the middle of this weird, awkward atmosphere—so quiet it felt like the air itself was dead—the phone in Lu Chengxuan’s pocket suddenly rang.

 

He had been desperately thinking about how to deal with the mess in front of him. The ringtone felt like a stay of execution. He let out a breath like he’d been spared, didn’t bother checking the caller ID, and answered right away.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hello? Uncle Lu…? Confirm the code: ‘wisdom tree bears wisdom fruit!’”

 

“…Under the Wisdom Tree, there’s you and me.”

 

“Ahhhh! That’s it, that’s it! Thank God, it’s really you, Brother Lu! Oh my god, save me—I time-traveled again! Have you seen my dad? Where are you? I’m coming to find you right now!”

 

The villa was dead quiet, so Lin Wangye’s completely unrestrained voice blasted through the phone and was heard clearly by everyone in the room.

 

Lu Chengxuan glanced at his two “dads” and replied quietly,

 

“I’m at your place. Come over.”

 

“Got it! I’m on my way!”

 

With that, Lin Wangye hung up.

 

Lu Chengxuan set the phone down, and silence returned to the villa.

 

Shi Yuan#’s place wasn’t far from the Lin family villa. Not long after, there was movement at the front door.

 

The villa had stayed mostly the same since the father and son had left. Lin Wangye’s fingerprints on the door lock had never been removed. Since his brain worked faster than Lin Shen’s, he skipped the knocking part entirely and just pushed the door open.

 

The moment he saw the newcomers, Lin Shen suddenly let out a drawn-out “aha,” propped his chin on one hand, and flicked his tongue at Shi Yuan with raised brows, clearly amused.

 

“Interesting… surnamed Xu also comes in twos. Brilliant, just brilliant!”

 

Lin Wangye and Shi Yuan# walked in side by side. When they saw the scene in the living room, both froze without thinking.

 

Shi Yuan#’s arrival reminded Lin Shen# of something extremely important.

 

For Shi Yuan#, Lin Shen# was a friend who had been gone for many years.

 

But from Lin Shen#’s perspective, it was just that he hadn’t seen Shi Yuan for a short while.

 

Then, suddenly, he learned that this person was with his son.

 

The whole ‘Lin Wangye coming back to life’ thing was too unbelievable. Shi Yuan# had already built up a bit of mental preparation for this, so he wasn’t overly shocked—though seeing another version of himself did make his expression a little complicated.

 

But when he saw the younger and middle-aged ‘Lin Shen’ sitting face to face, his gaze immediately lit up with surprise.

 

And when Shi Yuan watched Lin Wangye clinging affectionately to the other Shi Yuan’s arm, his eyes drooped ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly.

 

Realizing this a moment too late, Lin Wangye quickly let go, standing there dumbfounded, scratching his head in confusion.

 

Shi Yuan# stepped forward, ready to reminisce with Lin Shen#. But he saw Lin Shen# staring at the other version of himself, voice stiff.

 

“How long have you two been together?”

 

For some reason, even though Lin Shen# looked almost exactly like the Lin Shen he knew, Shi Yuan felt nervous, like a son-in-law meeting his father-in-law for the first time.

 

But his relationship with Lin Wangye wasn’t something to hide.

 

He quickly adjusted to a calm, confident stance and moved his lips to speak—only for Lin Shen to beat him to it, jabbering to Lin Shen#:

 

“Let me tell you, they started kissing back in high school. I couldn’t even watch. This Xu guy is impossible. If Xiao Lin could have kids, the whole street would have to take his surname!”

 

At that moment, both Lin Shen# and Shi Yuan# fixed their scrutinizing gazes on Shi Yuan.

 

He instantly felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.

 

Lu Chengxuan, feeling refreshed and quietly entertained, stood up from the sofa as if nothing had happened.

 

“I’ll go make some tea.”

 

Once Lu Chengxuan left, Lin Shen# looked up at Shi Yuan#, as if expecting a reasonable explanation.

 

Of course, Shi Yuan# couldn’t explain.

 

He hadn’t actually done anything—but at the same time, he wasn’t entirely blameless.

 

No one could explain this properly if it weren’t them.

 

Lin Wangye, who hadn’t seen his father from another timeline in a long time, blinked his bright, sparkling eyes and ran happily toward him.

 

“Dad! Awesome! You’re here too!”

 

This immediately set Lin Shen off again.

 

“What the hell!? What do you mean!? Lu Chengxuan abandoned me, and now you’re ignoring me too!?”

 

Halfway through running, Lin Wangye suddenly slammed on the brakes, turned to Lin Shen, and said with a completely innocent, honest look,

 

“Come on, I’m just happy to see my dad after so long! Look, you’re overreacting again!”

 

Lin Shen exploded with rage:

 

“Ha! Overreacting? I’m not overreacting! Not at all!”

 

Lin Shen# curved the corner of his mouth into a small smile, lifted his arm, and waved at Lin Wangye.

 

“Xiao Lin, come over here.”

 

At this point, Lin Wangye had no idea how serious the situation was. Without thinking, he scampered over. Before he even had a chance to sit down, Lin Shen barked.

 

“Lin Wangye! Come here right now!”

 

Lin Wangye froze mid-step. He looked at his dad, then at his other dad, and realized suddenly that the two of them clearly didn’t see eye to eye. Only then did he understand why Lu Chengxuan had been dodging the tension—and he broke out into a cold sweat.

 

“Why are you scolding him?” Lin Shen# raised an eyebrow at Lin Shen, smiling faintly.

 

“I’ve never shouted at him once in his whole life.”

 

“I’m not scolding him! Don’t put words in my mouth!”

 

Seeing things about to blow up again, Lu Chengxuan, who had just gone to make tea, quickly returned with the teapot. He placed a cup in front of every seat, poured the tea, then sat back down in the single sofa he’d been in before, spreading his hands calmly.

 

“Everyone, sit down.”

 

Lin Wangye stared at the only two seats available next to his two dads, scratching his head like a clueless little kid. He had no idea where to sit.

 

Lin Shen# said again: “Xiao Lin, come here.”

 

Lin Shen added: “Come on, sit next to me!”

 

Lin Wangye broke into a cold sweat. His brain was overloaded, practically smoking at the top. After wracking his mind for a while, he finally came up with a plan. He spun around, pulled Shi Yuan up from the single sofa across from Lu Chengxuan, and took his spot. Then he waved both Shi Yuans, who hadn’t sat down yet.

 

“Clear seats!”

 

Anyone with eyes could see that Lin Wangye desperately needed a way to save face.

 

Of course, Shi Yuan and Shi Yuan# weren’t about to make things difficult for him.

 

The two Shi Yuans exchanged a glance, then simultaneously looked away, their faces unreadable.

 

The ‘battle for the seats’ had finally drawn to a close.

 

Around the square coffee table, Shi Yuan# chose to sit side by side with Lin Shen#, while Shi Yuan naturally took the seat next to Lin Shen.

 

Lin Wangye and Lu Chengxuan settled into the single sofas, each quietly letting out a sigh of relief.

 

But the friction was far from over.

 

Once everyone was seated and had picked up their cups, this twisted, unpredictable tea gathering finally began in earnest.

 

Lin Shen# picked up the conversation he hadn’t finished earlier. He looked at Lin Wangye and subtly gestured toward Shi Yuan.

 

“Did you make the first move?”

 

The soul-searching questions from a father might be delayed, but it never fails to show up.

 

And so, the day had come.

 

When it came to this relationship, Shi Yuan was open and honest, while Lin Wangye looked a little guilty in front of his father and Uncle Shi.

 

Because if it weren’t for the world’s ‘bug’ that erased the age boundary, he never would’ve had such an easy time winning him over.

 

He knew that better than Shi Yuan himself.

 

“Yes.” Lin Wangye nodded, admitting honestly in front of his father, and resolutely declaring, “Dad, we truly love each other.”

 

Hearing this, Lin Shen# didn’t scold him. Instead, he turned to Shi Yuan# and, riding the moment, asked naturally, “Truly in love?”

 

Logically, this was a question Lin Shen# should have asked the Shi Yuan sitting across from him—the one who had fallen in love with Lin Wangye back in high school.

 

But he deliberately chose to ask the one sitting beside him.

 

Shi Yuan# couldn’t answer.

 

‘Yes’ or ‘no’ were both wrong. This question simply wasn’t his to answer.

 

From the bottom of his heart, Lin Wangye wanted to help Uncle Shi out of this awkward spot—but he was even more curious to see how he would respond. So, after thinking it over, he deliberately stayed silent.

 

Seeing that Shi Yuan# still hadn’t responded, Lin Shen# lowered his gaze and spoke seriously, his tone calm but weighty.

 

“He’s young and doesn’t understand boundaries. You need to understand that.”

 

Sensing a faint trace of reproach in his father’s words, Lin Wangye immediately stopped worrying about anything else and hurried to explain for Shi Yuan#:

 

“Dad, Uncle Shi didn’t do anything. I’m the one who liked him on my own—it wasn’t anything he did.”

 

From Lu Chengxuan’s account, Lin Shen# only knew that Shi Yuan had been with Lin Wangye.

 

When the boy was very young, Lin Shen# had entrusted him to Shi Yuan#. Later, his work became too busy, and he had no way of knowing what was going on behind the scenes—or whether both timelines really existed.

 

Realizing he might have misjudged his friend, Lin Shen# tilted his head slightly and sought confirmation: “Really not?”

 

“No.”

 

Shi Yuan# shook his head slowly. He exchanged a glance with Lin Wangye, who had hurriedly defended him, and continued: “But it takes two to clap. He’s just a child. The responsibility for this falls on me.”

 

Hearing that, Lin Wangye pressed his lips together and looked down, a little embarrassed and guilty.

 

At last, Shi Yuan, who had been quietly observing from across the table, couldn’t help but speak to Lin Shen#: “Lin Shen, if your wish is to have someone take good care of Xiao Lin, there’s no one better than me.”

 

He deliberately paused there and glanced at Shi Yuan#.

 

“Either one of us could do it.”

 

Lin Shen# stayed silent for a few seconds, then nodded in quiet approval.

 

“Alright. Since Xiao Lin chose, I won’t interfere with his matters.”

 

With that, he picked up his cup and began sipping his tea, signaling that the topic was over.

 

Lin Wangye finally exhaled in relief—but before he could even catch his breath, Lin Shen burst into loud laughter, his interest clearly piqued, and shouted excitedly:

 

“This drama of yours is too good! Is there another act? I want to see more! I love it!”

 

Lin Wangye gritted his teeth: “Shut up, Old Lin!”

 

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