Chapter 44 Glimmer (13) Missing you.

A fierce wind, carrying the chill of winter, lashed against the French windows, crackling and slapping, shrouding the entire city in a damp, cold, and gloomy atmosphere.

The study was illuminated only by the cold white light of the screen, reflecting on Wen Chen's focused profile. Wearing his gold-rimmed glasses, his long, slender fingers lightly clicked the mouse, about to save the node details.

With a soft "buzz," an electric current surged through the air.

The screen suddenly went black, and the air conditioner stopped running.

Everything fell into a pitch-black silence, with only the occasional pale flashes of lightning outside the window illuminating the model on the desk in a flickering light.

Wen Chen's fingers hovered in mid-air, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly. Before he could adjust to the darkness, hurried footsteps echoed from the living room, accompanied by the dull thud of a knee hitting a hard object, making one's heart tighten.

"Wen Chen?"

A man's voice pierced the darkness, filled with barely suppressed anxiety, "Where are you?"

Wen Chen didn't move, his hand still resting on the malfunctioning mouse. He blinked in the darkness, his voice calm: "Study."

Immediately afterwards, a blinding white light pierced the darkness.

Gu Moheng rushed in, holding his phone flashlight. The light was so bright that it revealed his slightly trembling hands. The beam shone directly on Wen Chen's face, and only when he saw that Wen Chen was sitting properly did Gu Moheng's tense shoulders relax.

He took a breath, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Don't move."

"Don't move," Gu Moheng said immediately, his tone like an order. "The ground is covered with blueprints and models; it's dark, and you might trip over them."

The beam of light moved downwards, sweeping across a pile of expensive architectural model materials on the ground.

"I'll go check the electrical box," Gu Moheng said, then turned and left.

Wen Chen squinted, adjusting to the darkness after the light faded. He leaned back in his chair, listening to the metallic clanging sound of the electrical box cover being opened from the entryway.

The rain outside the window seemed to intensify, cascading down and washing over the entire city.

A few minutes later, the beam of light returned, casting a long shadow in the corridor.

Gu Moheng stood at the door of the study, the light from his phone shining upwards, highlighting his furrowed brows.

"It wasn't a power outage. I just called the property management; the heavy rain caused a transformer failure throughout the area."

"Repairs are underway..." Gu Moheng paused, "...at least two hours."

Two hours.

This meant they would have to be alone in this enclosed darkness for 120 minutes. Wen Chen raised an eyebrow slightly and tapped his fingertips lightly on the blackened table, making a rhythmic tapping sound.

"What about the backup power supply?" Wen Chen asked.

Gu Moheng pursed his lips: "The wiring was being repaired a while ago, so it hasn't been reconnected yet."

Wen Chen sighed, "You must have candles, right?"

"Yes, there is..."

Wen Chen looked at him leisurely: "Hmm?"

Gu Moheng looked away awkwardly, not daring to meet Wen Chen's all-seeing eyes in the darkness. "But I... put them in the box at the very back of the storage room."

Darkness amplifies one's senses infinitely, making even the sound of breathing unclear.

"The innermost part of the storage room?" Wen Chen chuckled softly in the darkness, a hint of casual teasing in his voice. The faint light from his phone screen illuminated his profile, highlighting his straight nose and the half-smile on his lips.

"Mr. Gu's emergency plan is subpar."

Gu Moheng felt as if the tip of his ear had been burned, the heat was astonishing. Fortunately, the darkness concealed his embarrassment. "Immediate rectification..."

Wen Chen didn't continue the topic, but simply stood up, supporting herself on the edge of the table.

"Lead the way." He turned on his phone's flashlight, the light piercing the darkness. "Is the storage room at the end of the corridor, turn left?"

"……Um."

The two walked out of the study one after the other.

Thunder rumbled from deep within the clouds, causing the windowpanes to tremble slightly.

The corridor was completely dark, with only two beams of cell phone light flickering. Wen Chen walked ahead, her steps unhurried; Gu Moheng followed half a step behind, the darkness seeming to breed some kind of hidden desire.

He stared at the slender figure in front of him, his fingers unconsciously curling. He raised his arm, intending to lightly touch Wen Chen's elbow, but stopped abruptly just before making contact, then quickly withdrew it.

Just then, the light source in front of us stopped without warning.

Gu Moheng was caught off guard, struggling with self-control, when the momentum caused him to stumble forward, his chest almost touching Wen Chen's back. He hurriedly steadied himself.

Wen Chen's voice rang out in the cramped and dark space, her back to Gu Moheng.

"Gu Moheng, I'll give you three seconds to tell me what else is in the storage room besides emergency supplies?"

"……What?"

Why are you suddenly asking this?

"three."

Before Gu Moheng could react to the question, Wen Chen started the countdown, her tone flat and without any fluctuation.

"two--"

"We have a spare tool kit! And two cases of bottled water!"

Gu Moheng spoke rapidly, "And..."

His voice lowered, as if revealing a secret that had been hidden for too long, "...and a box of your architectural model magazines. The out-of-print set. I...secretly collected them."

The corridor fell into a deathly silence; even the sound of rain outside the window seemed to have faded away.

Gu Moheng stood in the darkness, his palms damp with a thin layer of sweat. If it were the Wen Chen of the past, perhaps she would have been pleasantly surprised. But now?

Do you think he's a pervert? Do you feel like you're being spied on?

a long time.

After a long silence, Wen Chen's voice came from the front, devoid of emotion: "Why did you stop?"

Gu Moheng slowly raised his eyes, gazing at that retreating figure. In this thick darkness, he finally dared to lay bare the emotions that had been building up for eight years, emotions that had almost burned him apart:

"I miss you." Each word seemed to be crushed from his chest. "I can't understand complex structural diagrams, nor do I understand those design concepts... but when I miss you, I look at these things you've seen." He took half a step forward, close enough to feel the warmth emanating from the other person's clothes.

"It seems like this... will bring me a little closer to you."

Even if it's just a temporary fix.

That was the only color in his dark years.

In the darkness, Wen Chen remained silent. The beam of light shone silently on the wall in front of him, and dust particles floated in the air.

Wen Chen's phone beam flickered, illuminating the path leading to the storage room.

"Keep up."

Wen Chen continued walking forward, but this time, his pace slowed down noticeably.

The rain outside the window showed no signs of letting up, and the dull rumble of thunder rolled overhead, making the floor beneath my feet seem to tremble slightly. Two beams of cold light from cell phones clashed in the darkness, illuminating the swirling dust particles.

"We've arrived." Gu Moheng stopped in front of a dark brown wooden door.

Gu Moheng reached for the doorknob with his left hand, but the door was old and the lock cylinder was rusty, so his left hand didn't feel comfortable.

"Clatter, clatter."

The dull creak of metal scraping against metal echoed in the deathly silent corridor, the door lock remaining motionless.

"It's probably because it hasn't been driven for too long and it's rusted..." Gu Moheng explained in a low voice.

Wen Chen didn't reply, but took a step forward and shoved the phone in her hand into Gu Moheng's arms. "Take it."

The distance suddenly closed, and Gu Moheng could even smell Wen Chen's crisp scent, mixed with the dampness of the winter rain. He hurriedly took the phone, and the two beams of light overlapped.

Wen Chen gripped the cold metal doorknob with both hands, feeling the rough, worn texture in his palms.

He took a deep breath, tightened his waist and abdomen, and suddenly exerted force in his wrists.

"Clang—"

With a crisp click, the rusted bolt finally gave way.

However, the door panel came loose too suddenly.

Wen Chen hadn't expected the door to spring open so quickly; the inertia caused his body to lean backward abruptly. The moment he lost his balance, the feeling of weightlessness made his heart skip a beat.

"Watch out!" A low shout rang in my ears.

Gu Moheng reacted almost instinctively, not even bothering to steady the light source in his hand.

"Bang!"

The two bodies collided violently in the narrow, dark space. Wen Chen's back slammed into a hot and firm embrace, an arm tightly gripping his waist.

The phone slipped from his hand and fell onto the carpet. Although the beam of light didn't go out, it shone obliquely upwards from below.

This kind of deathly overhead lighting usually makes people look ferocious. But in this moment, it froze the two people into a highly dramatic silhouette.

The world seemed to stand still.

All that remained was the sound of the torrential rain outside the window and their intertwined breaths.

Wen Chen, still shaken, steadied himself and instinctively grabbed Gu Moheng's clothes at the waist. Through the fabric, he could clearly feel the muscles beneath his hands taut to the extreme, stiff with a tension that was both poised to strike and desperately trying to control itself.

"Are you hurt?" Gu Moheng's voice was right next to her ear, his warm breath brushing against Wen Chen's sensitive earlobe, sending a slight shiver down her spine.

Wen Chen looked up and, using the corner of her eye on the ground, saw Gu Moheng's face so close to hers. Those eyes, usually as deep and unfathomable as the sea, were now filled with undisguised fear and tension.

Wen Chen suddenly found it somewhat interesting, and relaxed her body slightly, letting half of her weight lean on Gu Moheng.

"Gu Moheng." Wen Chen's voice carried a hint of nonchalant laziness, like a hook in this cramped space.

"Hmm?" Gu Moheng's Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes fixed on Wen Chen's face, not daring to look away even a fraction.

"Your heart is beating very fast."

The rapid, pounding heartbeats, transmitted through their pressed chests, even caused Wen Chen's back to tremble. Each thud was heavier than the last, so rapid it seemed as if it would burst his chest.

Gu Moheng stiffened, but he didn't let go of Wen Chen's arms; instead, he tightened his grip. He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes casting shadows beneath his eyelids, trying to conceal the turbulent emotions surging within them.

"...It's because I was afraid you'd fall." He found the most reasonable excuse.

"Is that so?" Wen Chen chuckled and released her grip on Gu Moheng's clothes.

In the dim, ambiguous light, that slender, fair hand slowly moved upwards. Finally, the cool fingertips landed on Gu Moheng's left chest.

There, the heart is pounding wildly.

Even through the shirt, the coolness of the fingertips contrasted sharply with the burning heat of the skin.

Gu Moheng's breath hitched, and his entire body instantly tensed up like a fully drawn bow. Wen Chen felt the almost uncontrollable tremor under his fingertips, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

He leaned close to Gu Moheng's ear, a mischievous glint in his eyes behind his glasses, "Since it's because you're afraid I'll fall..."

Wen Chen lightly pressed a button, as if pressing a confirmation button, "I'm standing still, why now..."

His voice was low, his breath sweet and fragrant, carrying a deadly allure.

"It's jumping faster now?"

The tingling sensation in Wen Chen's fingertips hadn't yet subsided when he withdrew his hand. The ambiguous tension that had reached its peak in the narrow space was abruptly cut off by his single movement.

The heart in Gu Moheng's chest, which had just been pressed, suddenly felt weightless, and an empty feeling spread throughout his body along his blood vessels.

"Alright," Wen Chen slowly straightened up, "Don't really damage your heart."

Gu Moheng remained leaning forward, like a large dog that had been stroked but suddenly pushed away, his ears red, his eyes still filled with longing mixed with confusion. He subconsciously reached out to grasp Wen Chen's hand hanging at his side.

"Weren't you looking for candles?" His voice was light and airy, gently pulling the invisible line between them back to a safe distance. "Which floor are they on?"

Gu Moheng's hand grasped at empty air, his fingertips awkwardly curling up. He forcibly suppressed the surging disappointment in his heart, held up his phone, and followed them inside. "At the very top... that red tin box."