MVCFO CH71

“—I’m sorry, Lu Cong, I’ve thought about it, and it seems I still can’t accept your liking for me. I’m truly sorry, let’s just be friends from now on!”

“It’s okay, if you don’t accept…”

Lu Cong heard himself slowly say, word by word,

“Then it will be my way.”

Suddenly, he felt his body being forcefully shaken by someone.

The next second, Lu Cong woke up with a start from his dream.

He saw Lin Xiangqi nervously gripping his arm, constantly calling his name.

“Lu Cong, what’s wrong?”

Lin Xiangqi saw him open his eyes and quickly asked him, “You suddenly started releasing pheromones while sleeping. I feel like your condition is very unstable. Is your gland in disorder—ah, Dr. Tang said last time you might enter a susceptible period, is it because of that? I’ll go call Dr. Tang now!”

The last time Lu Cong was affected by Lin Xiangqi’s pheromones, his gland briefly went out of control. Tang Zhe believed this might lead to Lu Cong experiencing susceptible symptoms.

But was Lin Xiangqi present when that was said? Lu Cong couldn’t quite recall.

If he wasn’t, how did Lin Xiangqi know he might enter a susceptible period?

Lu Cong rubbed his temples, feeling his mind was unclear.

“I think I had a… nightmare.”

He slowly blinked, trying to sort out his chaotic thoughts.

All this was due to the irritable emotions brought on by that dream. Lu Cong actually felt a rare unease.

He was worried he might affect Lin Xiangqi, so he gave Lin Xiangqi a comforting smile, “It’s fine, it’s just a dream. No need to call Tang Zhe.”

“Wow, you actually have nightmares,” Lin Xiangqi said. “I thought your emotions were so stable that even your dreams were about handling official business.”

Lu Cong reached out and pulled Lin Xiangqi into a tight embrace, turning sideways to kiss him, half-jokingly saying, “Handling official business also counts as a type of nightmare.”

Lin Xiangqi was amused and wiggled around in his arms, laughing: “You seem to joke more than before.”

Lu Cong suddenly asked, “Then, do you think the old me was better, or the current one?”

“Both are good,” Lin Xiangqi said without hesitation. “You haven’t changed much anyway. You were good before, and you’re good now.”

“What if I’ve changed a lot?” Lu Cong uncharacteristically pressed, “What if I’m not the ‘Lu Cong’ you imagine, would you… not want me?”

Lin Xiangqi tilted his head, a little confused: “How could that be? You are Lu Cong. How could you be different from Lu Cong? What exactly is wrong? What did you dream?”

Lu Cong frowned, and a wave of uncontrollable irritation suddenly rose in his heart.

Just as he was about to continue discussing with Lin Xiangqi whether the current him was better or the him from ten years ago, he suddenly heard a soft gasp from behind him:

“…Lu Cong?”

At that moment, Lu Cong’s body was almost rigid.

He closed his eyes tightly. After several seconds, he forced his tense muscles to relax. When he opened his eyes, the “Lin Xiangqi” in his arms had disappeared.

Turning around, Lu Cong found the real Lin Xiangqi standing by the bed, looking at him with an innocent and pure smile:

“What were you talking to yourself about just now?”

Lu Cong’s palm suddenly felt a sharp pain, and he realized that his hand was clenched too tightly, piercing his skin.

The seeping blood carried the highly agitated pheromones of an Alpha.

He sat up, the momentary daze on his face fading, replaced by a relaxed look as if he had just woken up. He reached out to Lin Xiangqi.

Lin Xiangqi kicked off his slippers, climbed onto the bed, and leaned in, holding Lu Cong’s hand.

Lu Cong wrapped his arm around him: “It’s so late, why aren’t you sleeping? Where did you go?”

Lin Xiangqi chuckled: “I was so happy I couldn’t sleep. I was tossing and turning in bed, afraid of waking you, so I went out for a bit.”

“What are you happy about?” Lu Cong’s voice was impossibly hoarse, but he still deliberately maintained a calm and indifferent demeanor.

“You’re asking despite knowing,” Lin Xiangqi rubbed his chin against Lu Cong’s neck. “I’m in love, can’t I be happy? You’re my first love, you know!”

Speaking of which, Lin Xiangqi felt a little unbalanced.

They had both confessed their feelings, but Lu Cong seemed much calmer than he was.

When they walked out of the office, their identities had shifted from good friends to boyfriends. Lin Xiangqi was so excited he was moving awkwardly, but Lu Cong seemed a little distracted.

At that time, Lin Xiangqi told him, “It’s a shame my old house was torn down, and nothing inside was saved. Otherwise, I could have gone to retrieve our photo album—you remember, right? I had an album for the two of us, with photos from childhood to adulthood! If it were still there, I’d want to take a picture today and put it in.”

Lu Cong’s reaction was a little strange. His gaze shifted, as if he didn’t want to talk about the topic much, only replying, “Yeah, that’s a shame.”

of course.

He, who had come specifically to confess to him, probably had other important matters delayed, so a little distraction was understandable.

“It’s okay, it’s not too regrettable, the album,” Lin Xiangqi said. “This time, I’ll entrust it to you for safekeeping.”

Lu Cong still seemed very supportive, giving him a deep look, “Let’s make a new one from now on.”

Lin Xiangqi wasn’t like Lu Cong, who had so many important things to do and so many problems to think about.

After the confession, his mind could only think of Lu Cong, and a large amount of his energy was spent replaying their conversation in the office.

Countless “I love you”s lingered in his ears.

Lin Xiangqi secretly blushed countless times by himself.

When it was time to sleep, Lu Cong gave him a goodnight kiss, and Lin Xiangqi closed his eyes, secretly anticipating, wondering if Lu Cong, now his boyfriend, would do something else.

But Lu Cong took a sleeping pill and fell asleep.

He.

Just fell asleep!!

Actually, Lin Xiangqi was the one who first suggested Lu Cong take sleeping pills.

Lu Cong had always suffered from insomnia. Lin Xiangqi, sleeping beside him, would occasionally wake up in the middle of the night to find Lu Cong wide awake, sitting at the head of the bed, staring at him with dark, deep eyes.

Lu Cong would go whole nights without sleeping.

Lin Xiangqi was startled into cold sweats many times, feeling both exasperated and amused, asking Lu Cong why he never slept.

Lu Cong only said it was a habit.

Lin Xiangqi felt that long-term sleep deprivation was much more dangerous than taking one or two sleeping pills, so he advised Lu Cong to use medication to regulate his sleep.

Lu Cong, who always listened to him, didn’t refuse and got the medicine from Tang Zhe. He indeed slept better.

But Lin Xiangqi didn’t expect him to take medicine today!

No, buddy.

Is this what we do?

First day of dating, and both are each other’s first loves, shouldn’t there be… some special program?

Lin Xiangqi was already ready to interrogate Lu Cong about when he started having a crush on him.

But Lu Cong had already peacefully and serenely entered dreamland.

Lin Xiangqi couldn’t sleep; he tossed and turned, thinking about many things.

Ever since he frankly admitted that he liked Lu Cong, Lin Xiangqi discovered that many past memories had changed.

He looked at his childhood and growth with Lu Cong through a different lens, realizing with surprise that they were two people destined to be together.

Because they were always so compatible, they were meant to love each other.

He had made such a big discovery, yet he couldn’t share it with the sleeping Lu Cong.

Lin Xiangqi simply got out of bed and found something to pass the time, Browse online posts about first dating experiences, finding them quite amusing.

Suddenly, he heard someone speaking in the room.

So Lin Xiangqi turned off his terminal and ran from the living room into the bedroom. He just happened to see Lu Cong talking to himself.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiangqi casually asked, “You still haven’t said, what were you doing just now?”

Lu Cong gave him a faint smile: “I don’t know, maybe talking in my sleep.”

“Hmm?” Lin Xiangqi was a little surprised. “You actually talk in your sleep? What did you dream about?”

Lu Cong said: “I dreamed about you.”

Lin Xiangqi curiously leaned on his shoulder and pressed: “Dreamed about me? And then?”

Lu Cong: “I forgot, I only remember dreaming about you.”

Lin Xiangqi scratched his ear shyly: “Oh, you’re quite good at saying sweet things.”

Lu Cong pinched his cheek with a knowing smile, but didn’t continue speaking.

But Lin Xiangqi clearly still couldn’t sleep. Taking advantage of Lu Cong being awake, he started pestering Lu Cong to chat.

Lu Cong indulged him, accompanying him in whatever Lin Xiangqi wanted to talk about.

Lin Xiangqi admitted that he awakened to his feelings a bit later than Lu Cong.

But he wasn’t truly foolish.

He had the ability to sense anomalies.

He could tell which topics Lu Cong was casual about, which ones he was sensitive about, which questions he was willing to answer, and which ones he would evade with vague responses.

For example, Lin Xiangqi asked Lu Cong how he managed to be promoted to Major General at such a young age.

Lu Cong, in just a brief minute, summarized his many life-and-death battles with a single sentence.

He didn’t mention how he turned the tide in the civil war, nor did he talk about how he rallied all allied nations to resist the invasion.

He simply said, “I fought several victorious battles. The Alliance wanted to reward me, but unfortunately, they couldn’t give me what I wanted, so they just threw a Major General title at me to appease me.”

There was no hint of pride, even a touch of mockery.

Lin Xiangqi immediately picked up on something unusual in that statement. He asked Lu Cong, “Then what did you originally want?”

Lu Cong looked at him, then suddenly smiled, saying, “You.”

Lin Xiangqi: “?”

Lin Xiangqi just took it as a joke: “Well, they certainly couldn’t give you that.”

Lu Cong’s brows furrowed slightly, his expression faint: “Yes, they couldn’t.”

And for instance, Lin Xiangqi asked Lu Cong how the room he woke up in after his revival looked exactly like Lu Cong’s bedroom from ten years ago. He asked Lu Cong why he had replicated it.

Lu Cong said, “I needed some things related to you. I needed them to confirm that our past was real.”

This statement also made Lin Xiangqi ponder.

Firstly, why would he need to confirm it was real?

Secondly, if it was to commemorate Lin Xiangqi, why didn’t he replicate Lin Xiangqi’s room?

Lin Xiangqi then asked him, “You were able to move things out of your house, which means the house hadn’t been torn down yet. So why didn’t you move my bedroom out too?”

Lin Xiangqi asked this question not to blame Lu Cong for not preserving his belongings, but simply because he genuinely couldn’t understand.

His old house was demolished, but Lu Cong had time to move his own bedroom out, yet didn’t have time to move Lin Xiangqi’s bedroom.

That didn’t make sense.

And Lu Cong’s answer to this also left Lin Xiangqi dissatisfied.

He said, “I forgot.”

This answer was too ridiculous, clearly telling Lin Xiangqi: I’m lying, but I haven’t figured out how to cover it up yet. So I’ll just give you a casual answer for now.

The more Lin Xiangqi talked with Lu Cong, the more he realized that Lu Cong had some things from those ten years that he didn’t want to tell him.

But Lin Xiangqi didn’t press him further.

Ten years, not ten days.

Who doesn’t have one or two secrets?

Actually, Lin Xiangqi had also hidden some things from Lu Cong.

In middle school, Lu Cong was especially popular.

He was one of the first boys among his peers to show Alpha traits. While other boys were still like rowdy kids bouncing around, Lu Cong was already strikingly handsome.

So he would always receive many love letters, from various grades and all genders.

Lin Xiangqi, at an age when he hadn’t even learned about emotions, first learned about jealousy.

Watching Lu Cong receive love letters every day, he felt particularly annoyed at the time. He thought it was competitiveness, that he was jealous Lu Cong received letters and he didn’t.

Unfortunately, he was a late bloomer, and his features were still childish. Both boys and girls found him too young, and no one sent him love letters.

So Lin Xiangqi wrote one for himself.

During break time, while Lu Cong was in the office, he put the love letter on his desk and then pretended to go to the restroom.

He originally wanted to wait for Lu Cong to return and see the love letter, then he would casually walk back into the classroom, feign surprise, pick up the love letter, and open it in front of Lu Cong…

However, he was very unlucky.

When Lin Xiangqi returned, Lu Cong was doing his exercise book, but his love letter was gone.

Lin Xiangqi searched thoroughly inside and outside his desk several times but couldn’t find it.

He was so frustrated he asked Lu Cong, “When did you come back? Did you see anything on my desk?”

Lu Cong looked bewildered: “What thing?”

Lin Xiangqi: “…Never mind.”

He could only blame the fact that there were too many people in the classroom at the time, making it chaotic. Lin Xiangqi couldn’t pinpoint the culprit.

He originally wanted to save face in front of Lu Cong, to let Lu Cong know that he also received love letters. But in the end, the love letter vanished without a trace, and to this day, he doesn’t know who was so mean as to steal his love letter.

This incident was one of Lin Xiangqi’s countless small embarrassments during adolescence, and he had never told Lu Cong about it.

Actually, it wasn’t a big deal, but telling it would be embarrassing. So he kept it a secret.

See, it’s normal for a person to have a little secret.

So even if Lu Cong had hidden something about those ten years, Lin Xiangqi was understanding.

Later, when they got tired from chatting, Lin Xiangqi drowsily fell asleep in Lu Cong’s arms.

He vaguely felt himself being released, and somewhat reluctantly reached out to grab Lu Cong, but didn’t catch him, so he half-opened his eyes.

He saw Lu Cong sitting by the bed, pouring many, many pills from a small bottle, and swallowing them all at once.

Lin Xiangqi, in a sleepy haze, called out to him: “…Lu Cong.”

Lu Cong paused slightly, then turned to look at him: “You’re not asleep?”

“Almost there,” Lin Xiangqi genuinely couldn’t keep his eyes open, so he just asked drowsily, “What kind of medicine is that? Why are you taking so much?”

“Nothing, just a kind of medicine to delay the susceptible period.” Lu Cong rubbed the ends of his hair. “Go to sleep, good boy.”

“Lu Cong…” Lin Xiangqi was already on the verge of sleep, probably hadn’t even heard Lu Cong’s words clearly, relying on his subconscious to hold on, and mumbled, “I like you so much…”

Lu Cong’s hand, holding the medicine bottle, involuntarily clenched, crushing the bottle, and the pills scattered everywhere.

He casually threw away the broken bottle, wiped the medicine smell from his hands, and then lay back down beside Lin Xiangqi.

After confirming that everything was real, Lu Cong gently hugged Lin Xiangqi: “Yan Yan, my Yan Yan…”

He didn’t dare to exert force, unsure whether it was to avoid waking Lin Xiangqi or to avoid waking himself.