Money.

When Xu Duwan said those words, there was no hesitation in his voice. His eyes were locked onto Shen Mingjin's face, refusing to miss even the slightest change in his expression.

He had expected Shen Mingjin to be shocked, maybe even angry. But instead, Shen Mingjin simply turned over, pulled Xu Duwan into his arms to keep him from falling off the bed, and calmly replied:

"Alright."

"..."

Now, it was Xu Duwan who was stunned.

He stared wide-eyed, his round almond eyes full of disbelief, like a curious kitten about to pounce.

"You agreed?"

"What's the big deal? Just moving bricks at your place instead of working here. Nothing wrong with that."

Shen Mingjin closed his eyes, looking completely at ease.

"Moving bricks pays better than working at a food stall."

"..." Xu Duwan was caught off guard by that response. The happiness he had felt a moment ago was instantly replaced by disappointment. He quickly tried to explain:

"No, that's not what I—"

"It's late. Let's talk tomorrow." Shen Mingjin turned his head slightly, pulling Xu Duwan closer into his embrace. He patted him lightly, his tone half-hearted.

"I'm tired."

Noticing how pale Shen Mingjin looked, Xu Duwan hesitated. He knew Shen Mingjin really wasn't feeling well, so he swallowed back the words he wanted to say and obediently kept quiet.

As the steady sound of breathing filled the room, Xu Duwan carefully lifted his head and glanced at Shen Mingjin. Then, little by little, he inched closer into his arms before peacefully closing his eyes.

What he didn't notice was that the supposedly sleeping Shen Mingjin had the faintest smile curling at the corner of his lips.

—

That night, neither of them had any dreams.

The next morning, Shen Mingjin's fever had mostly gone down. Xu Duwan helped him get discharged from the hospital. In the middle of it, he received a message from his father, asking him to come home for dinner. He refused without a second thought.

"Why don't you want to go back?"

Sitting in the car, Shen Mingjin tilted his head slightly at the impatient tone Xu Duwan had when rejecting his father.

"Did you have a fight?"

"No, I just don't want to go."

Xu Duwan frowned, thinking about the mess at home—his troublesome stepbrother and the so-called mother. He didn't want to get into it, so he changed the subject.

"Are you going back to the food stall later?"

"I should. I still haven't gotten this month's pay. I need to talk to Yu Qingbie before leaving."

"You're really going to move bricks?" Xu Duwan didn't like the idea of Shen Mingjin doing manual labor. He hesitated before bringing up the topic again.

"Why don't you just—"

"Where did you get this necklace?"

Shen Mingjin interrupted, leaning in close and reaching out to touch the chain peeking from under Xu Duwan's collar. His fingertips brushed against the cool metal, and his warm breath tickled Xu Duwan's skin, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Paraiba tourmaline, neon blue glow… Looks about five carats. Where did you get it?"

"It's fake." Xu Duwan's attention was successfully diverted. He lowered his head, lightly touching the silver chain, then glanced at Shen Mingjin with a complicated expression.

"The real one is with my brother."

"Fake?"

Shen Mingjin paused, eyes lingering on the gemstone. He fell silent for a moment, but he couldn't bring himself to agree with Xu Duwan's words.

Back in college, he had taken jewelry appraisal as a second degree. He had long forgotten about studying, but those skills were carved into his mind.

Still, he didn't say anything right away. He had no tools to verify it at the moment. So, under Xu Duwan's watchful gaze, he slowly shut his mouth.

—

At the food stall, after explaining the situation to Yu Qingbie's father, Shen Mingjin collected his final paycheck and left. Xu Duwan had arranged for him to start working at Yuanlong.

Because of his good looks—and the fact that he had Xu Duwan's special attention—many people at the construction site knew he had connections with the higher-ups. No one made things difficult for him.

But through these past few days, Shen Mingjin had started to suspect his past identity had something to do with antiques or appraisal. However, he wasn't entirely sure. So, in his free time, he would visit museums, hoping to trigger some lost memories.

But every time he got close to remembering, his head would start throbbing with pain, like his body was rejecting the idea of uncovering the truth. The pain grew worse each time. Eventually, he gave up on that approach and just focused on working.

Despite his young age, Shen Mingjin was not a loner. In fact, he got along well with the older workers. Sometimes, they would go out for drinks or meals together. Shen Mingjin found himself blending in just fine.

One evening, after showering, he stepped out of the dormitory bathroom and saw one of his roommates hunched over the table, sobbing quietly. The screen of his phone was still lit, showing a picture of a young girl.

She looked youthful, almost childlike, dressed in a hospital gown, holding up a peace sign to the camera.

Shen Mingjin took one glance and immediately understood. Without a word, he hung his towel to dry and hesitated for a moment before gently reminding:

"I'm done in the bathroom."

The roommate's crying paused. After a long moment, it seemed he had finally realized someone else was in the room. He wiped his tears messily with his sleeve and turned away, his voice stiff.

"Got it."

"..."

Seeing that the roommate didn't want to talk, Shen Mingjin didn't press further. He was about to head back to his room when the other suddenly called out to him.

"Shen…"

In the small, dimly lit dorm room, his voice trembled slightly. He sounded afraid, but for the sake of his loved one, he had to gather his courage.

"Can you lend me some money?"

Shen Mingjin turned around and met his roommate's gaze. He noticed how nervous the other guy was, fidgeting with his fingers. After a brief pause, he spoke calmly, "How much?"

The young man, barely in his twenties, hesitated before saying, "Three hundred thousand."

"I don't have that much."

Shen Mingjin's response was quick. "I can lend you thirty thousand."

That was his entire salary from the past few months.

His words were like a needle, instantly popping his roommate's bubble of courage. The young man lowered his eyes, deflating like a balloon with a slow leak. He collapsed onto the couch, burying his face in his knees. He sniffled quietly but didn't say anything else.

"You really need money?" Shen Mingjin dried his hair with a towel and sat beside him, pretending not to know the answer. "What for?"

"My little sister is sick. We need a lot of money for her treatment."

The guy looked young, with tanned skin that spoke of long days under the sun. He had an honest but stubborn face, like a kid from the countryside who had learned to be tough. His 6-foot frame looked strangely comical with tears clinging to the corners of his eyes.

"But my family... we're just poor farmers. We have nothing. There's no way we can come up with that kind of money."

"There is."

Shen Mingjin had been listening quietly, but now, he suddenly spoke up.

His words cut through the despair like sunlight breaking through thick clouds. The roommate's eyes widened in disbelief.

"How? We don't have anything."

"You see this bracelet?"

Shen Mingjin raised his hand and pointed at the photo on the roommate's phone—at the bracelet around the little girl's wrist.

"This is an agarwood bracelet. I don't know where your family got it, but one thing's for sure—it's valuable."

"?"

His roommate scratched his head, looking skeptical. "They say my great-great-great-grandfather brought it back from the war. We never really knew what it was."

"…You guys are really something."

Shen Mingjin sighed. "Tell your parents to bring the bracelet tomorrow. Just in case, I'll take you to an expert for appraisal. Then we'll sell it at an auction. That money should be enough for your sister's treatment."

Hearing this, the young man's eyes lit up. He stopped crying instantly, sat up straight, and almost wagged an imaginary tail out of excitement.

"Thank you, Shen bro!"

"No problem. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight."

Shen Mingjin nodded, lazily finishing drying his hair before getting up and heading back to his room.

He sat on his bed for a while, then suddenly remembered—Xu Duwan had told him to call every day.

Dragging his still-damp slippers, he reached for his phone and made a video call.

Normally, whenever he called, Xu Duwan would pick up in an instant. But today, for some reason, Shen Mingjin waited a whole forty seconds before the call was finally answered.

The screen shook a little before revealing… a man's collarbone.

It was delicate and striking. His fair neck disappeared into the folds of his shirt, and under the light, there was even a faint pink hue to his skin.

Shen Mingjin waited for Xu Duwan to adjust the camera, but the other man didn't seem to have any intention of showing his face. Instead, he cleared his throat and acted as if nothing was wrong.

"You're calling me pretty late today."

"What's wrong with you?" Shen Mingjin frowned. "Why aren't you showing your face?"

Xu Duwan went silent for a few seconds before mumbling, "…I stayed up late last night. My dark circles are bad. I look ugly, so I don't want to show my face."

Shen Mingjin exposed him without hesitation.

"Last night at 10:30, you were talking to me. You fell asleep while we were still on the call. That's what you call staying up late?"

Xu Duwan: "..."

"Lift the camera. Let me see you."

Shen Mingjin shifted his posture. His voice, without him even realizing it, carried an unmistakable sense of authority.

"I'll count to three."

"One… Two… Three…"

Just as the last number fell from his lips, Xu Duwan finally moved. A pale hand reached into the frame, and then the screen tilted—

Revealing Xu Duwan's face.

It looked like he had just showered. His hair was still damp, water droplets trailing down his cheek, making his delicate features look even clearer. But—

Shen Mingjin's gaze sharpened.

On Xu Duwan's usually fair and flawless right cheek, there was something new.

A glaringly red… handprint.