Lu Chenzhou knelt on the study's carpet, his fingers absently tracing the patterns in the floorboards. Fu Jingshen had sent him to retrieve a file from a hidden compartment in the bookshelf, saying a business partner needed it urgently.
He rarely came into this study. Fu Jingshen seldom let him touch anything here, always warning, "Don't mess with things you shouldn't." Now, sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the floor. Tiny dust motes danced in the air, and the silence was so profound he could hear his own breathing.
He found the compartment and reached inside for the file folder tucked at the very back. But his fingertips brushed against something cold and metallic first. It didn't feel like paper; it felt more like a box.
Lu Chenzhou paused, a flicker of curiosity passing through him. Fu Jingshen's things were always meticulously organized, and the hidden compartment was supposed to hold only important documents. Why was there a box?
He hesitated for a moment, then pulled the box out. It was a rectangular silver case, its edges slightly worn, looking like it had been around for years. It wasn't locked. The lid lifted easily.
Inside weren't any valuables, just a stack of photographs and a very old-looking fountain pen. Lu Chenzhou picked up the photo on top. The moment his eyes landed on it, his breath caught slightly.
The photo was slightly yellowed. The background looked like a university sports field, with a red synthetic track and poplar trees nearby, their leaves a vibrant green. In the center stood two young men. One was tall and upright, his features sharp with youthful vigor— unmistakably a younger Fu Jingshen.
And the one next to him…
Lu Chenzhou's fingers gently brushed over the face in the photo. A strange sense of familiarity washed over him. The young man wore a simple white T-shirt and was smiling brightly, a hint of a canine tooth showing, his eyes shining as if filled with light. The contours of his features, even the curve of his eyes when he smiled, bore a resemblance to Lu Chenzhou himself.
The shape of his jawline was almost identical.
Lu Chenzhou's grip on the photo tightened slightly. It felt like something had pricked his heart—not painful, but leaving a numb tingling. He flipped through a few more. They were all photos of that young man. Some were solo shots, others were with the young Fu Jingshen. The backgrounds changed from the sports field to a library, then to a graduation party. It was clear the two had been very close.
"Did you find it?"
Fu Jingshen's voice came from the doorway suddenly. Lu Chenzhou started like a startled bird, his hand jerking, the photo falling onto the carpet. He scrambled to pick it up, but his fingers froze just before touching it.
Fu Jingshen had already walked in. His gaze fell on the scattered photos, and his face darkened instantly. It wasn't his usual cold, imposing expression, but one of anger at a privacy violated, his eyes icing over.
"Who told you to touch this?" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable sharpness.
Lu Chenzhou stood up, one photo still clutched in his hand, his fingertips white from the pressure. He looked at Fu Jingshen. He wanted to ask, "Who is he?" but the words that came out were: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I was just trying to get the file…"
Fu Jingshen didn't listen to his explanation. He bent down and quickly gathered the scattered photos, his movements hurried, with a barely detectable panic, as if trying to cover something up. He placed the photos back in the box, snapped the lid shut, and shoved it back deep into the hidden compartment, as if nothing had ever happened.
"The file is here." Fu Jingshen took a folder from another slot and handed it to him, his tone returning to its usual aloofness. "Get out."
Lu Chenzhou took the folder, his fingertips feeling cold. He looked at Fu Jingshen's tense profile. The fleeting panic he'd just witnessed lingered in his mind.
Who was that young man? What was his relationship with Fu Jingshen? Why did Fu Jingshen hide his photos so deeply? And why… did he look so much like him?
Countless questions sprouted, winding around his heart like vines, making it hard to breathe.
He opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but seeing the clear resistance in Fu Jingshen's eyes, he swallowed the words back down. What was he, after all? Just someone Fu Jingshen kept imprisoned. What right did he have to ask about his past?
Lu Chenzhou said nothing more. He turned and walked out of the study.
Back in the living room, he placed the file on the coffee table but didn't go to sit on the sofa as usual. He walked to the window, looking out at the garden enclosed by wire fencing. That strange feeling inside him grew clearer.
Why had Fu Jingshen noticed him in the first place?
That first meeting in the alley behind the club, Fu Jingshen's gaze had been strange—assessing, probing, and carrying a complex emotion he hadn't understood at the time.
Later, using his sister's illness to threaten him, bringing him to this villa, forcing his obedience through various means… Was all of that really because of "love at first sight"?
Or was it that, from the very beginning, he was just a replacement?
The thought surfaced, and Lu Chenzhou forcefully crushed it. He shook his head, thinking he must be overthinking it. A man like Fu Jingshen could have anyone he wanted. Why would he need a replacement?
Maybe it was just a coincidence. Maybe that young man was someone very important to Fu Jingshen, which was why he was so tense.
He tried to comfort himself with this, but the thorn in his heart felt like it had pierced flesh, aching dully.
That evening, when Fu Jingshen returned from work, he found Lu Chenzhou sitting on the sofa, lost in thought, the sapphire pendant at his neck glinting under the light. He walked over and ruffled Lu Chenzhou's hair as usual. "What's on your mind?"
Lu Chenzhou snapped out of it and shook his head. "Nothing."
He looked up at Fu Jingshen. The other man's expression was natural, as if the incident in the study that morning had never happened. But Lu Chenzhou couldn't help staring into his eyes, searching for some clue.
Fu Jingshen grew slightly uncomfortable under his gaze and raised an eyebrow. "What? Is there something on my face?"
"No." Lu Chenzhou looked down, avoiding his eyes, and picked up a glass of water from the table to take a sip, hiding his unease. "It's just… Mr. Fu seemed a little different today."
"Oh? Different how?" Fu Jingshen sat down beside him, his fingers idly tracing the pendant at Lu Chenzhou's neck.
Lu Chenzhou's heart skipped a beat. He wanted to say, "You seemed like you were hiding something today." He wanted to ask, "Who is the person in that photo?" But the words that came out were: "It's nothing. Probably just my imagination."
In the end, he didn't dare ask.
He was afraid of hearing an answer he couldn't accept. Afraid that the resistance and anger he'd barely managed to suppress these past days would erupt again because of it.
Even more afraid… that Fu Jingshen would take out that remote again, or use his sister's illness to threaten him, if he pressed further.
Fu Jingshen watched his hesitant expression, a flicker of understanding in his eyes, but he didn't comment. He knew Lu Chenzhou had seen the photos. He knew there must be questions in his mind.
But he didn't want to explain.
That part of his past was too heavy, so heavy he himself didn't dare touch it lightly. And as for Lu Chenzhou… he wasn't ready to drag this person into his tangled history.
He just wanted Lu Chenzhou to stay obediently by his side, just like this: quiet, compliant, belonging only to him.
"Next week, we'll take Yao Yao to the convalescent home in the suburbs for a while. The environment there is good, suitable for recovery." Fu Jingshen changed the subject, his tone deliberately gentle. "You'll come too. Consider it a change of scenery."
Lu Chenzhou was taken aback, not expecting this. "...Alright."
He looked at Fu Jingshen's profile. The man was looking out the window, his expression calm, as if he were genuinely concerned about his sister's health. But the thorn in Lu Chenzhou's heart dug deeper.
He didn't know if Fu Jingshen truly cared, or if it was because of that similar face that he showed such consideration for him and those close to him.
This uncertainty hung between them like a mist.
Lu Chenzhou lowered his head, his fingers stroking the sapphire pendant at his neck. The cool touch brought him a slight clarity.
Whatever the reason, as long as his sister was well, that was enough.
As for the person in the photo, as for the secrets Fu Jingshen kept buried in his heart… he didn't want to investigate anymore.
But that unspoken thorn had already silently embedded itself in his heart, waiting only for the right moment to break through the soil and grow into thorns sharp enough to tear everything apart.