Zhuang Yihan raised his hand to loosen his tie and slowly exhaled. He was contemplating how to explain what had just happened to Chen Shu when a hand suddenly landed silently on his shoulder, gently pushing him into the passenger seat. A deep voice said, "You don't have to talk if you're in a bad mood."

After saying that, Chen Shu closed the door for him before walking around to the other side, getting into the driver's seat, and starting the car. Although Zhuang Yihan was usually inscrutable, Chen Shu knew him so thoroughly that he could notice the slightest thing amiss.

Zhuang Yihan was taken aback by his words, finding it inexplicably amusing. "How could you tell I was in a bad mood?"

Chen Shu stared at the road ahead. The dim yellow halos of the streetlights scattered across the windshield, casting mottled shadows on his well-defined face, creating a contradictory feeling of both coldness and warmth:

"I could tell from everything. If you're in a bad mood, just lean back and sleep for a while."

Zhuang Yihan felt a little uncomfortable. "Aren't you going to ask me why I'm in a bad mood?"

Chen Shu didn't actually seem to care much. "You'll tell me when you want to."

Conversely, if Zhuang Yihan didn't want to talk, you couldn't pry his mouth open even if you threatened him with death.

Zhuang Yihan's voice was low. "You say that as if you know me so well."

But Chen Shu did know him very well. He could guess everything spot on. "You didn't really like that group of friends from before."

Zhuang Yihan raised an eyebrow slightly. "Did I?"

He remembered that he didn't seem to have said anything harsh. At most, there was just a tacit undercurrent with Fang Yiting, which outsiders shouldn't have been able to pick up on.

Chen Shu hummed in agreement. "When you greeted them, you didn't stand up."

Although Zhuang Yihan was aloof and proud, it didn't mean he lacked manners. Quite the contrary, he was very particular about such things. When greeting friends in his circle, he would never be so impolite as to remain seated while the other party stood. If such a situation occurred, it could only mean their relationship was not close, and Zhuang Yihan looked down on them.

Zhuang Yihan was speechless for a moment. "Couldn't it just be that we're such good friends that I couldn't be bothered to stand up?"

Chen Shu: "The better your relationship with someone, the more you care about them. You wouldn't do something so rude."

Friends might not be so particular about etiquette with each other, but that's in private. In a public setting, Zhuang Yihan would never embarrass someone like that.

Zhuang Yihan said nothing upon hearing this, but ripples of emotion couldn't help but appear in his eyes, which were as still as a cold pond. He couldn't hide the astonishment in his heart. They clearly hadn't known each other for long, so why did Chen Shu seem to understand him so exceptionally well, as if they had known each other for many years?

Zhuang Yihan suppressed the slightly upturned corners of his mouth and asked, "Am I as good as you say?"

"You are,"

Chen Shu's voice was soft and light,

"You've always been very good..."

He had always thought so in his past life.

Zhuang Yihan was a very, very good person. He could pour his heart and soul out for the one he loved, and if that person didn't love him back, he could silently watch over them from the side, waiting from seventeen all the way to thirty-five. A full eighteen years, even longer than the nine years he himself had spent by Zhuang Yihan's side...

Although that kindness was not directed at him—not at the vile and insecure Chen Shu—he had watched from the sidelines, had been envious, and because of it, had been jealous.

His well-defined hands gripped the steering wheel. In a trance, Chen Shu saw that black snake coiled around his wrist again, its scarlet tongue flicking lightly as if mocking his jealousy, which, like weeds, could never be fully rooted out.

Chen Shu's eyelashes trembled, and he couldn't help but tighten his grip on the steering wheel. He was unaware that Zhuang Yihan beside him had been thrown into disarray by his casual remark. Zhuang Yihan's heart felt both numb and itchy, and all he could do was helplessly adjust his posture.

One of them tossed and turned in hatred, the other in love, yet what separated them was not just a paper-thin window, but an insurmountable chasm spanning past and present lives.

After an unknown amount of time, the car finally reached its destination and slowly pulled over to the side of the road. Zhuang Yihan found the nearby scenery strangely familiar, and then it belatedly dawned on him. "Isn't this my home?"

Chen Shu unbuckled his seatbelt. "It is. Go upstairs and get a good night's sleep. Don't think about those things."

Zhuang Yihan sounded surprised. "How do you know where I live?"

Chen Shu: "The car's navigation system has a 'home' marker. I saw it."

He then added, "You should go upstairs. I'm heading back to school."

Zhuang Yihan was a little annoyed at himself for being so foolish. He had been so preoccupied when leaving the restaurant that he hadn't even noticed what Chen Shu was doing. He subconsciously reached out and grabbed Chen Shu. "Didn't we agree that I would take you back to school? Why did you bring me home instead? It's already dark outside. Come on, I'll take you back to school."

Chen Shu glanced at the hand Zhuang Yihan was using to grip him. His side profile became even more defined in the dim yellow glow from the car window. He merely lifted his eyes, his long eyelashes tracing an arc in the air. A simple movement, yet it made one's heart inexplicably flutter in the dead of night. "I'm not a three-year-old. I don't need someone to take me back to school."

Zhuang Yihan raised an eyebrow, thinking, 'This guy isn't being sarcastic with me, is he?' "I'm not a three-year-old either, so why did you bring me home?"

Chen Shu was silent for a moment. He couldn't very well say that he had been taking him home for nine years in his past life and was used to it.

Habit truly is a terrifying thing. You might think it's at most a form of muscle memory, something that seeps into your flesh and bones, but it turns out that even the soul can be stained by it, impossible to strip away even with rebirth.

Zhuang Yihan frowned. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Chen Shu smiled. "...Because I wanted to. Is that okay?"

His gaze was so intense it was almost unbearable. Zhuang Yihan was stunned for a second. When he came to his senses, he subconsciously turned his head and looked away, feeling flustered and helpless. Even his tone softened. "Then why don't you... drive my car back."

Chen Shu pointed out the window. "I already called a car with my phone."

After speaking, he subtly pulled his hand free from Zhuang Yihan's grasp, opened the door, and got out. Sure enough, a taxi was parked not far down the road, though it wasn't obvious under the shade of the trees. A cold wind blew, causing the plane tree leaves to rustle, and the corner of his coat was also tousled by the wind.

Chen Shu strode toward the taxi, opened the door without looking back, and got in. The engine roared to life, and in an instant, it disappeared into the vast darkness of the night.

His manner of leaving seemed a bit heartless, but that was normal. After all, there's no such thing as deep affection without reason in this world. He and Zhuang Yihan had only known each other for a short time. If he acted like he was dying of love, it would be strange and would only arouse the other's suspicion and doubt.

Chen Shu was waiting, waiting for the right opportunity. In his past life, he had lost everything because he was too hasty. In this life, he had nothing in abundance but patience. After all, only the most patient hunter can capture the most bountiful prey.

...

Not long after Zhuang Yihan returned home that day, he had someone look into Chen Shu's recent situation. It was the same reason as before: he didn't believe a university student would have an urgent need for a million. However, as he looked at the information showing that the other party had a father at home waiting for surgery, he propped his chin on his hand, leaned back in his office chair, and fell into a subtle silence for a moment.

No wonder he agreed so readily...

Zhuang Yihan's father had been dead for a long time, nine years if he counted carefully. Although he could now support the family business on his own, whenever he recalled those dark and gloomy days, he still felt suffocated.

Chen Shu's current situation was somewhat similar to his own back then, but not entirely. Perhaps it was even worse.

Zhuang Yihan stared at Father Chen's hospitalization records on the computer, lost in thought. In the end, he called his childhood friend, Xue Miao. He vaguely remembered that his friend's father was an authoritative professor of cardiac surgery, who also ran a private hospital and was well-connected in the medical community.

...

Meanwhile, Chen Shu was attending a lecture. The school held several such special lectures every year. Although the content was dry and boring, many students still attended to rack up credits. He was sitting in the back row with a few of his roommates. Because their spot was inconspicuous, no one cared that they were playing on their laptops.

Duan Chengcai happened to be sitting next to Chen Shu, dozing off lazily on the desk. He lifted his eyelids and saw Chen Shu's laptop on the desk, his fingertips nimbly tapping the keyboard as if testing some program. The colorful code was impossible to understand.

"I saw you at dinner the other day." Duan Chengcai suddenly spoke out of the blue, almost making it seem like he was talking to the air.

Chen Shu showed no sign of panic, his tone calm. "So?"

He had also seen Duan Chengcai that day but hadn't said hello. Everyone has their own way of life; there was no need to interfere in other people's social circles.

Duan Chengcai seemed to want to say something, but seeing Chen Shu's nonchalant expression, he swallowed his words. "Nothing. The food at that place was pretty good."

After saying that, he turned the other way and went back to sleeping on the desk.

Chen Shu stopped typing, glanced at Duan Chengcai, and then silently closed his new laptop. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his seat to rest with his eyes closed. He didn't stir until the phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated several times, finally catching his attention.

It was a call from his younger brother, Chen Ji.

Ever since Zhuang Yihan had someone transfer five million to Chen Shu, he had bought a phone for Chen Ji to contact him. His brother knew he was usually busy with classes, and since the issue of the surgery fees had been resolved, he wouldn't disturb him lightly. A sudden call at this time probably meant something had happened.

Using the excuse of needing to use the restroom, Chen Shu quietly left the classroom through the back door and answered the call in the hallway. "Did something happen at the hospital?"

On the other end of the line, Chen Ji was clearly anxious, his words stumbling out. "Brother, you finally answered. This morning... this morning, I don't know why, but a group of people suddenly came and transferred Dad to a different bed. They moved him to a VIP room upstairs and said they've invited some specialist to perform his surgery. The attending doctor said that if we want, we can complete the transfer procedures tomorrow and move Dad to that big hospital downtown. I was too scared to sign anything. They're not trying to scam us out of our money, are they... I... I... I..."