Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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At 6:40 AM, Lin Jianlu, who had just slept for forty minutes, opened his eyes, woke Yan Han beside him, and the two quickly got ready. They returned to the dormitory building one after the other unnoticed.
Their decision to stay out overnight went unnoticed by other students. In fact, because the evening free time was not strictly managed, a considerable number of students did not return to their dorms. Having finally gotten out to participate in a group activity, many students didn’t want to waste this precious time, even if it meant staying up all night chatting, rather than simply going back to their dorms for a quick sleep.
It didn’t matter if they were listless or lethargic during the day; they didn’t have to study or use their brains. No matter how bad their performance or grades were during the training, they would still be fine back at school.
Therefore, many people were yawning constantly. The morning’s activities consisted of practical exercises in the wilderness survival skills taught the previous night, including collecting branches, starting a fire, and gathering water.
Most of the students were uninterested. Some found it fun and would run around aimlessly following the instructors. Of course, there were also some students, like Yan Han, who did a much better job than the instructors.
Yan Han had rested well last night and wasn’t tired at all.
However, when he was running around with the others, he couldn’t help but take a closer look at Lin Jianlu.
Lin Jianlu was also very serious, doing whatever the instructor told him to do. His handsome face was always taut, making it impossible to tell his emotions or anything unusual.
Only occasionally, in just a few unintentional moments, did Yan Han notice that Lin Jianlu looked a little tired.
In fact, he had noticed this tired look on Lin Jianlu for more than just a day or two.
The other person had his own unique way of resting his brain, but ultimately, no one had his skill. If you observed carefully, it wouldn’t be hard to notice that his reactions in his movements were sometimes a few beats slower.
This “slow” reaction wasn’t usually obvious on Lin Jianlu. He was always very steady when doing things, thinking things through before acting. He didn’t give the impression of being slow, but rather composed.
But after spending more time with Lin Jianlu, Yan Han could still notice a few differences. Combined with the occasional weariness that Lin Jianlu sometimes showed… this made Yan Han even more curious. What was Lin Jianlu doing all night instead of sleeping?!
Whatever he was doing, he certainly wasn’t spending the whole night in the bathroom.
Lin Jianlu had the ability to teleport; he could be far away in the blink of an eye. Yan Han really couldn’t guess what he was doing.
But now that he’d noticed, he couldn’t ignore it.
He thought about asking, but then he thought that since Lin Jianlu hadn’t told him, there must be something he couldn’t say. He’d tell him when he wanted to…
Having absolutely no dating experience, this was the first time Yan Han had faced such a tricky situation. He racked his brains, agonizing over it all day, and finally decided to observe him further that night before making a decision.
That night, the two of them sneaked into the RV as usual. Before going to sleep, Lin Jianlu said goodnight to him without any apparent abnormality.
Yan Han responded with a “goodnight,” but didn’t fall asleep. He lay there quietly, listening to Lin Jianlu’s increasingly shallow breathing, feigning sleep with his eyes closed.
After what seemed like an eternity, when the vibrations beside him returned, he still pretended to be asleep, carefully listening as Lin Jianlu tiptoed towards the bathroom.
The bathroom door closed gently; he was very careful, making only slight noises.
A while later, Yan Han suddenly opened his eyes, jumped out of bed, and flung open the bathroom door. It wasn’t locked, and it was empty. There was no one there! Only a discarded nightgown indicated that Lin Jianlu had changed clothes there and then left.
Yan Han, still unwilling to give up, searched the car thoroughly, checking every nook and cranny. He was no longer in the car. He reached for his phone and checked the time… 12:40 AM, less than two hours after they had said goodnight.
He’d only slept for a short while… what on earth had Lin Jianlu gone out to do?
Yan Han couldn’t sleep much afterward.
To be precise, he knew he should sleep, that there was no need to think too much, but his brain refused to sleep, endlessly repeating meaningless guesses and thoughts, wondering what Lin Jianlu was up to.
The more he thought, the colder his heart grew.
What important matter could have made him run out in the middle of the night, stay out all night, and not return until dawn?
And he’d gone out secretly, without even telling him…
It wasn’t pleasant to have someone keeping something from you, especially when that person was your bedmate.
Yan Han tossed and turned all night, but he wasn’t the type to allow such suspicion to affect his daily life, so at four in the morning he forced himself to sleep for a while, waking up promptly at six. His bedside was still empty; Lin Jianlu hadn’t returned yet… even later than yesterday!
…Absolutely unbearable, Yan Han almost dialed his number after checking the time on his phone again. Just then, the bathroom door opened, and Lin Jianlu came out.
In that instant, Yan Han didn’t know what he was thinking. He subtly hid his phone under his body, closed his eyes, and pretended he had never woken up.
Lin Jianlu who had already changed back into his pajamas, climbed back into bed, and, just like yesterday, held his hand in his palm before instantly falling asleep.
Yan Han didn’t open his eyes again for a long time.
His mind was still filled with the expression on Lin Jianlu’s face that he had never seen before when he came out of the bathroom.
—Brother Lin yawned.
Everyone yawns; for example, even half of the students in Class 10 couldn’t help but yawn during physics and chemistry classes.
But Lin Jianlu never did.
Aside from giving his brain a massage, he always managed everything about himself perfectly, including his body and his sleep schedule.
He would feel tired and need sleep, but at least… at least after all this time together, this was the first time Yan Han had ever seen him yawn.
In that instant, the anger he had felt for his lover wandering around outside all night for no reason was somehow suppressed. Not only could he not vent his anger, he couldn’t even bring himself to confront Lin Jianlu directly.
Lin Jianlu wouldn’t have done this unless it was something important.
Everyone knows how comfortable a good night’s sleep is.
As for why he hadn’t told him and wanted to act alone… Yan Han had been somewhat dazed all day. It was impossible for him not to mind, but to ask… to be honest, the older brother was a little cowardly.
Because he couldn’t figure out what Lin Jianlu was doing, couldn’t guess what explanation he would give if he asked, and didn’t know if he could accept it…
In a sudden moment, Yan Han realized he was still completely clueless about relationships.
He even felt a little lost, unsure if he truly understood Lin Jianlu.
Torn between these anxieties and uncertainty, Yan Han couldn’t even focus on the winter camp, constantly glancing at Lin Jianlu, seemingly more easily distracted than he was.
Then, in this state of confusion, he was assigned another task— a talent show on the last night of winter camp, tonight. Besides the instructors performing for them, each class had to put on a show.
The notice about having to perform came so suddenly that no class had prepared anything. Luckily, each class had one or two talented students, and the students in Class 10 collectively thought of their school beauty.
—For the talent show, all they needed was a solo dance from the school beauty; she was guaranteed to outshine everyone else and be the most beautiful girl on stage!
Yan Han, unaware of everyone’s thoughts, was thinking that Lin Jianlu seemed even more silent and tired than usual today when the class monitor secretly came over to tell him about it. It was obvious that Lin Jianlu wasn’t always this sleep-deprived; he’d only been absent at night these past two days.
This deeply affected Yan Han, so much so that when the class monitor whined and begged him to perform, he didn’t listen at all and simply agreed. By the time he realized what he’d done, he overheard the others discussing his performance.
Yan Han: “…”
The party was scheduled to start promptly at 8 PM. The plan was to have dinner at 6 PM, and preparations to begin at 7 PM. All students, except for the performers, were required to change back into their school uniforms and assemble in the small auditorium at 7:30 PM.
While everyone was back in their dorms changing, Lin Jianlu singled Yan Han out.
It was completely dark outside at 7 PM in winter, except for the streetlights in the four corners of the courtyard, which allowed him to clearly see Lin Jianlu’s appearance and expression.
Under the streetlights, Lin Jianlu looked at him with a hint of worry: “What’s wrong with you today? You’ve been staring at me, and you seem a little dazed?”
“Huh?” Yan Han remained dazed, not expecting Lin Jianlu to have noticed his unusual behavior.
He hadn’t decided whether to ask Lin Jianlu, but since the other had already noticed… Coming back to his senses, Yan Han clenched his fist, scratched his head, and finally asked, “Um… what did you do last night?”
Lin Jianlu paused slightly, his eyelashes drooping, his gaze on Yan Han unreadable.
Yan Han continued scratching his head, “Hey, I didn’t mean to press you…”
“Sorry, I didn’t expect to wake you up.” Lin Jianlu remained gentlemanly and refined.
“It’s not about waking you up.” Yan Han simply gave up, “And the night before last, you went out too.”
Lin Jianlu: “So you know everything.”
“…”
Know what?
T/N: Dun dun dun…. the suspense is killing me… JK I have already read ahead!!!
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