Chapter 2452: Another Me 21

Perhaps it was because of the unexpected power outage last night and the fruitless probing; Lin Wan no longer noticed any obvious abnormalities, and finally felt relieved.

At breakfast the next day, Lin Wan put down her coffee cup and directly said to Li Chi, "Xiao Chi, let's go to Yingguo with Mother after a while."

"The educational resources there are better, and they are more advantageous for your future development."

Li Chi's hand holding the spoon froze.

He lifted his head, his brows slightly furrowed, "I've already applied to Tsinghua University; the resources there are no worse than abroad."

Lin Wan obviously hadn't expected him to refuse so bluntly; she was somewhat taken aback, then replaced by annoyance.

"Xiao Chi, do you really want to disappoint Mother?"

Li Chi looked at her.

"Mother, I've passed the age when I need you."

Lin Wan was choked, her face turning pale.

She sprang up, and the chair legs scraped the floor with a harsh sound.

All those years of absence were like an unbridgeable chasm, making her realize she fundamentally lacked the standing and ability to truly control this son.

Lin Wan ultimately couldn't say anything else, carrying anger with nowhere to vent, she turned and left the restaurant.

Li Chi listened to the advertisement sound coming from the Living Room TV, and a thought suddenly sprang to mind.

After thinking for a while, he spoke in his mind, "Brother, I want to go traveling."

No need for bustling prosperity; just a quiet place where only he and his brother would be fine.

Jin Chen naturally went along with whatever, "Okay."

Immediately afterward, he recalled Lin Wan's oddness, and Jin Chen always felt she was hiding something from Li Chi.

【Zero Egg, how's the investigation into Lin Wan's overseas affairs?】

Ling Gun Gun crawled up from under the table, 【Found it! Sending it to you!】

Over these years, Lin Wan had already formed a new family; unfortunately, due to a career change, she divorced again and was grooming her second child as the heir.

But just at the beginning of this year, the boy who was a few years younger than Li Chi suddenly fell ill and was hospitalized, diagnosed with a genetic disease.

On the day before Lin Wan prepared to return to the country, she still went to the hospital to see him, and then transferred him to a sanatorium for ordinary recuperation, no longer urgently seeking a cure.

Ling Gun Gun and Jin Chen both clicked their tongues.

【I know this one!】 Ling Gun Gun shouted, 【At that time, Lin Wan just happened to know that the Main God was no longer mute, felt she could replace that child, and so came back.】

Jin Chen nodded.

It was only that Lin Wan hadn't anticipated Li Chi would start showing signs of the so-called split personality, which made her so impatient.

If Li Chi were willing to go abroad, that would be fine, but he has only just stabilized his emotions not long ago; rushing abroad, what's the difference from abusing him?

Jin Chen had an idea in mind and again urged Ling Gun Gun to speed up the creation of a new identity.

Regarding Li Chi's desire to go traveling, Lin Wan naturally disagreed at first.

But strangely, she later received a phone call; not knowing what was said on the other end, she fell silent for a long time, and when she looked at Li Chi again, her eyes were complex and hard to read.

Lin Wan then stopped insisting on stopping him, even unusually taking out a bank card and handing it over, "When you're out and about, there are many places where you need money."

Li Chi looked at that card, didn't reach out to take it, "No need, Mother."

——

The trip went smoothly.

The plane shot up into the clouds, passed through the cloud layers, and landing seemed like just a blink of an eye.

Only when standing in the unfamiliar airport, breathing in distinctly different humid air, did Li Chi truly feel a sense of distance—home was now far, far away.

A sense of ease from freedom quietly arose.

The place they chose was very secluded, a verdant mountain peak rarely visited by tourists.

The guesthouse at the mountain's foot was ancient and tranquil; a summer breeze brushed by, bringing just the right coolness, not sweltering.

Jin Chen dragged his suitcase toward the guesthouse's Main Gate, where two young girls were holding up cameras, taking pictures of each other.

One of the girls saw the approaching figure, her eyes lit up, and she smiled warmly and generously in greeting.

"Hey, handsome guy! Are you here alone? Want to team up for the mountain tomorrow?"

Jin Chen's steps didn't stop; his aura was aloof and cold, he politely declined, "Thanks, not needed."

He walked straight into the guesthouse front desk to check in.

In his mind, Li Chi couldn't help feeling a bit sour, "Brother, you're so popular."

Jin Chen took the room card handed over by the front desk, the corner of his mouth curved slightly, as he walked toward the stairs he responded in his mind.

"It's you who should be welcomed, handsome guy; they're looking at this face."

Li Chi only then reacted, also gave a light laugh, then fell silent again.

He quietly rebutted in his mind.

Not the same.

Brother is so dazzling; even using the same body, they are completely different.

The room was on the third floor, old-fashioned; pushing open the carved wooden window, the view suddenly opened up.

In the distance, the mountain peaks rose in layered ridges, mist swirling around the mountainside like a fairyland.

At the mountain's foot lay a winding stone-paved ancient street, dotted with old houses of gray tiles and white walls, cooking smoke curling gently.

Here, no one knows them, there are no shadows of the past, only belonging to each other.

Li Chi felt genuine ease, "Brother, I really like this place."

They rested for a day.

Considering Li Chi's physical condition wasn't too strong, Jin Chen didn't plan to tackle mountain climbing on the first day.

In the afternoon, Li Chi, in the ancient street alley at the mountain's foot, discovered a small shop selling art supplies, and bought a simple sketchpad and paints.

There is a large old locust tree in the guesthouse's backyard, with a stone table and stools placed beneath it.

The setting sun cast a gentle gold‑red glow over the small courtyard.

Li Chi sat on the stone bench, holding the paintbrush somewhat awkwardly, and quietly brushed color onto the distant mountain outline dyed red by the setting sun.

He painted very slowly and very attentively.

On the canvas, above the hazy mountain silhouette, two boys stood side by side.

Suddenly, a crisp shutter sound rang out not far away.

Li Chi's hand holding the paintbrush trembled, and he turned in surprise toward the sound.

It was a man wearing a baseball cap, with a professional camera slung around his neck.

He lowered his camera, stepped out from behind the flowers at the corner of the courtyard, looked to be in his twenties, and had a bright smile.

"Sorry to disturb you." The man approached, his gaze falling on Li Chi's sketchpad, and with appreciation said, "You've captured a lot of feeling—is this you and your brother?"

He pointed to that figure on the canvas.

Li Chi looked at the hazy shadow on the canvas and said, "It's my boyfriend."

The photographer nodded in realization, then sat down on a nearby stone and handed over a business card from his pocket.

"I'm the freelance photographer around here; you can call me Lan Shan. I often come here for inspiration—if you want to take some special travel photos, you can find me."

"By the way, did you come here with your boyfriend? Is he nearby?"

Jin Chen listened and thought, "How is this not right?"

This person is quite good at steering the conversation.

"Little Chi, let me take over."

Li Chi, who already didn't like talking much with strangers, obediently closed his eyes.

Jin Chen glanced at the sketchpad, added a few strokes, then turned to Lan Shan, who was waiting nearby for a reply, and said, "You'd better stay away from me."

Lan Shan blinked and said, "Huh?"

Jin Chen's gaze was stern as he slowly said, "My boyfriend is very fierce—he can take on three with one punch. If you get too close to me, he'll beat you up."

Lan Shan: "... No, it can't be that serious… are you two… in a normal relationship?"

Although he said that, he still honestly shifted his butt a bit to the side.

Jin Chen was satisfied and asked again, "Is there anything else you need?"

Lan Shan suddenly forgot why he had come.

"It's fine, it's fine."

Lan Shan said, "I also stay at this guesthouse; I'll send you the photos once they're developed tonight."

Jin Chen glanced back at his retreating figure, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Li Chi's amused voice rang out, "Brother, can you really take on three with one punch?"

Jin Chen hummed in acknowledgment and continued working on the unfinished painting.