Three days.
That was all the time left before the next deeper forensic scan ran across the entire Jǐngchéng Tech system.
Lin Yuè felt every hour like sand slipping through his fingers.
The weekend blurred into a haze of intimacy and quiet dread. Guàn Jǐngchén had taken Monday off entirely, declaring it "our day." They spent it in the penthouse — lazy mornings in bed, slow kisses that turned into heated lovemaking against the windows, shared showers where hands explored with familiar hunger, and quiet evenings on the couch where the CEO held Lin Yuè like he was something fragile and precious.
That Monday night, after another round of slow, emotional sex, they lay tangled in the sheets, skin still damp with sweat. Guàn Jǐngchén's arm was locked around Lin Yuè's waist, his larger body curled protectively around the smaller one.
"I cancelled all my meetings for tomorrow too," Guàn Jǐngchén murmured against his hair. "I want more time like this. Just us. No company, no scans, no whispers."
Lin Yuè turned in his arms, pressing his face into the CEO's chest. "You don't have to do that for me."
"I want to." Guàn Jǐngchén's hand stroked down his back, fingertips tracing the curve of his spine. "You've changed everything. For the first time in years, I don't feel like I'm fighting ghosts every day. I just want to be with you."
The words hit Lin Yuè like a blade. He closed his eyes, guilt and love twisting together so tightly he could barely breathe. "I feel the same," he whispered, the honesty burning his throat. "Being with you… it's the first time I've felt safe in a long time."
Guàn Jǐngchén tilted his chin up and kissed him — slow, deep, full of quiet devotion. The kiss deepened, hands roaming, bodies pressing closer until they were moving together again. This time it was unhurried, almost reverent. Guàn Jǐngchén entered him slowly, eyes locked on Lin Yuè's the entire time, whispering "I love you" with every deep thrust. Lin Yuè clung to him, legs wrapped around his waist, soft moans escaping as pleasure built in waves.
When they came together, it felt like a promise.
Afterward, as they lay catching their breath, Guàn Jǐngchén held him close and spoke into the darkness.
"The scan is set for Wednesday morning. After that, I'm shutting down all active investigations into the old Eclipse case. I don't want it hanging over us anymore."
Lin Yuè's heart slammed against his ribs. Three days. The deeper cross-reference would dig into financial trails, old IP logs, and subtle coding signatures. Even with the backdoor dormant, one tiny inconsistency could connect Lin Yuè to Eclipse.
He forced his voice to stay soft. "Are you sure? You've been chasing that ghost for years."
Guàn Jǐngchén's arms tightened. "I have something better now. Someone better. You."
The next day passed in a similar haze of domestic bliss and hidden terror.
Guàn Jǐngchén cooked breakfast while Lin Yuè helped, stealing kisses between chopping vegetables. They watched movies on the couch, Lin Yuè curled in the CEO's lap, fingers intertwined. In the afternoon, they made love again — this time in the large bathtub, water sloshing as Guàn Jǐngchén took him slow and deep, eyes never leaving his face.
Every touch, every "I love you," every tender moment carved deeper into Lin Yuè's heart.
That night, while Guàn Jǐngchén slept soundly beside him, Lin Yuè slipped out of bed once more. He went to the study, opened his hidden tablet, and stared at the dormant backdoor.
He could still trigger a final redirect. Slow the scan. Buy a few more weeks of this fragile happiness.
His finger hovered over the command.
But he didn't press it.
Instead, he opened the unsent letter he had written days ago and added one line:
*If the scan finds me, please remember that every time I said "I love you," it was real.*
He saved it, then closed everything.
When he crawled back into bed, Guàn Jǐngchén instinctively pulled him close, murmuring sleepily, "Cold?"
"A little," Lin Yuè lied, curling into the warmth.
Guàn Jǐngchén kissed his forehead. "I've got you. Always."
Lin Yuè lay awake until dawn, listening to the steady heartbeat beneath his ear.
Three days.
The scan was coming.
The whispers were growing.
And the boy who had once been Eclipse had never felt more terrified… or more in love.
He had chosen this path with open eyes.
Now he could only wait for the moment when the hunter finally caught the ghost — and pray that love would be enough to survive the fall.
End of Chapter 31