Chapter 95: You just can’t believe him

Life at the military camp had become routine for Xu Lin—training, missions, sleep. Everything went on as usual.

Since leaving Dan City, he had heard nothing about Ji Jinxuan.

But he knew that was probably fine. If anything had happened, Zong Xi would have contacted him. No news was the best news.

In the military, Xu Lin rarely had a chance to leave except for missions. After the New Year, he hadn’t seen Pu Sha again.

He hadn’t told Pu Sha about his trip to Danshi or the explosion—he didn’t want to worry him. During those months, Pu Sha had called a few times, but he hadn’t been suspicious. Even if he’d noticed something off, Xu Lin had brushed it off.

Pu Sha seemed in good spirits. Probably getting along well with that unnamed person hiding in his room.

“That’s good,” Xu Lin thought. At least someone was keeping Pu Sha company.

He’d go home for the New Year and check things out. That way, he wouldn’t be the big lightbulb—the unnamed person wouldn’t have to hide.

Since using the new XH3 suppressant, Xu Lin’s heat cycles had stabilized. The suppressant worked perfectly. He had no side effects, safe, effective, and convenient.

Fang Rong once joked, “You don’t need an Alpha’s pheromones or a mark. You don’t rely on any Alpha. You’re hardly an Omega.”

Before Xu Lin could respond, Fang Rong added, “I remember this suppressant was developed by Chief Ji. Amazing. It’s like it was custom-made for you.”

Fang Rong said it casually, but it struck Xu Lin differently.

“Fang Rong,” Li Mu interrupted, changing the subject.

Xu Lin stared into space, silent.

His feelings about Ji Jinxuan were complicated now. After seeing everything in that villa, he felt like a fallen leaf drifting on water—unable to sink, unable to fly, just carried along.

If this had been before, Fang Rong’s words would have been just a joke. But now, he couldn’t dismiss them so easily.

Days passed, and soon, another New Year approached.

A month before the holiday, Pu Sha called to ask if Xu Lin was coming home.

“Of course I am,” Xu Lin said.

They chatted for a while. Xu Lin hesitated, then asked, “Has everything been okay at home?”

Pu Sha sounded puzzled. “Fine. Why?”

“Has anyone strange come around?” Xu Lin asked, his voice trailing off.

Pu Sha was silent for a moment. “You mean him?” He tactfully avoided saying Ji Jinxuan’s name.

Xu Lin didn’t deny it.

“No. He hasn’t come,” Pu Sha said. “I haven’t seen him.”

In the past year, Ji Jinxuan had kept his word and stayed away from District Thirteen. Maybe he had finally learned to keep his promises. Or maybe his leg was still too injured.

When Xu Lin was preparing to go home for the New Year, he lingered over the ticket booking page, his cursor hovering between Danshi and District Ten.

In the end, he chose District Ten.

He arrived home a day early. It was dusk when he reached the yard. As he was about to push open the gate, he noticed a figure in the yard.

A man sat in a wicker chair, his back to Xu Lin. Even seated, his long legs gave away his height. A crutch leaned against the chair—he seemed to have trouble with his legs. Pu Sha was crouched in front of him, sleeves rolled up, tending to the flowers.

Ji Jinxuan?

Xu Lin pushed the gate open. The sound startled the two people in the yard, and they both turned to look at him.

Xu Lin’s eyes were fixed on the man in the chair. But when the man turned, Xu Lin froze. It wasn’t Ji Jinxuan.

But the face looked somewhat familiar.

Before he could place it, Pu Sha dropped his tools and rushed over, muddy hands and all, blocking Xu Lin’s view. “I told you to let me know before you came home!”

Xu Lin knew then—this man was the unnamed guest from before. But with a face so similar to Ji Jinxuan’s, and Pu Sha’s flustered reaction, he grew suspicious. This time, he wouldn’t let it slide.

“Who is he?” Xu Lin asked.

Pu Sha stammered, unable to answer.

Xu Lin’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean—” Pu Sha avoided his gaze, confirming his suspicion.

The man stood up, moving slowly, and walked up to Xu Lin.

“Hello. I’m Ji Hongyun,” he said, extending his hand.

Xu Lin’s mind went blank.

Pu Sha pulled Xu Lin aside to explain.

As they reached the yard gate, Pu Sha glanced back and frowned. Ji Hongyun had crouched down, sleeves rolled up, trying to tend the flowers like Pu Sha had. He was clearly inexperienced, splattering mud everywhere and uprooting a few plants.

“Don’t touch that!” Pu Sha called out.

Ji Hongyun withdrew his hand sheepishly and idly flicked a flower petal.

Pu Sha turned back to Xu Lin, whose expression was unreadable.

“Since when?” Xu Lin asked.

“Two years ago. After he woke up, he just showed up out of nowhere. I never expected him to wake up.”

Xu Lin looked at him, then at Ji Hongyun in the yard. “So you’re back together?”

Pu Sha rubbed his chin. “Not… really.”

“Is that okay?” Xu Lin pressed.

Pu Sha paused.

Xu Lin’s expression was serious. “He put you through so much. You want to go through all that again?”

Pu Sha lowered his hand, a faint, almost sad smile on his lips. “I told you before—the world isn’t black and white, and people aren’t either. I wasn’t just saying it for you. I was saying it for myself too.”

He gazed at Ji Hongyun’s back. “I gave up on him once. That’s why I ended up here. I gave up on him for years and never looked back.”

“And now?” Xu Lin asked.

Pu Sha was silent for a moment. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I thought he’d tricked me. I hated him. I was afraid to trust anyone. I thought I’d live out the rest of my life that way. Then someone told me I had it all wrong. I got confused.”

“I don’t understand,” Xu Lin said.

“Neither do I, really,” Pu Sha said. “I thought I hated him. I was ready to hate him forever. But then I realized, maybe I hated him for the wrong reasons.”

Pu Sha looked down, scuffing the grass with his shoe. “I thought we’d been apart so long, there was no point in going back. What if we just made the same mistakes again? I was scared.”

“But then he stood in front of me—you’ve seen him. He was never like this before. It’s like how you said you don’t hate Ji Jinxuan completely. I’m the same.”

Xu Lin had a guess. “You’re going to forgive him, aren’t you?”

Pu Sha didn’t answer.

“Not now, but eventually.”

Pu Sha smiled, saying nothing.

Xu Lin thought it over but still couldn’t understand. “Teacher, don’t you feel any resentment?” He pointed at Pu Sha’s chest. “He left a bullet hole here. Even if it was a misunderstanding, the fact remains—he hurt you. He nearly killed you.”

“Yes,” Pu Sha said. “But he also carved out his own gland because of me. That’s also fact.”

Xu Lin had no response.

“I know what you’re afraid of,” Pu Sha said. “I’m afraid too. But if I let fear of something that might never happen hold me back, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

Pu Sha knew Xu Lin was trapped in a corner of his mind. He tapped Xu Lin’s forehead lightly. “It’s the same with you and Ji Jinxuan.”

“He lied to you, trapped you in Danshi for six years, turned you into an Omega, made you suffer. You have every right to hate him. But have you noticed?”

Xu Lin looked lost. “Noticed what?”

“Every time you talk about him, is there nothing else besides hatred? When he was here last year, why did you get so upset when Little Fatty played that prank on him? If you really hated him, you wouldn’t have reacted that way.”

Xu Lin’s lips parted. “I just hate those kinds of pranks. It wouldn’t matter who it was.”

“He wants to make things right with you. Maybe he’s finally realized his mistakes and wants to make amends. You have your reasons for not accepting him.”

“Reasons?” Xu Lin echoed.

“Because you don’t believe him,” Pu Sha said. “You were fooled once, so you’re afraid to trust him again. Maybe he’s lying again. Maybe he’s scheming again. Maybe he’s just pretending.

“You’re scared to move forward because you’re afraid his feelings aren’t real. Afraid he’s just tricking you again.”

Xu Lin’s pupils trembled. He wanted to argue, but the words stuck in his throat.

“You asked if I’ll forgive him,” Pu Sha said. “I don’t know. I can’t answer that now. But here’s the simple truth—it’s not as complicated as you think.

“Whether you want to forgive someone comes down to whether your heart is still willing to trust them. Whether you’re willing to give them a chance.”

“Loving at the wrong time is still better than never having loved at all, isn’t it?”