After returning home, Yan Shuoyun embraced his parents and they cried together.

He knew that his parents believed in him, and he quickly told them stories about the future.

Yan Shijin couldn’t believe how much his son had grown. Compared to his previous carefree, aimless self, he now had a maturity that came from experiencing the business world.

His son even pointed out potential areas and lands that could be developed in the future, suggesting that if possible, Yan Shijin should invest early. This way, the Yan family could rise to new heights. He also talked about future AI technology, which left Yan Shijin feeling both amazed and dazzled.

There was so much useful information that Yan Shijin almost wanted to insert his son directly into the company…

But they still had to wait until he graduated.

“Did you meet that kid?” Yan Shijin was actually quite curious. He didn’t know when his son met that male lover, and his curiosity was piqued.

He originally wanted to oppose it, but now, with how advanced surrogacy had become, along with options like adoption and fostering, he decided to let go of his old-fashioned views, preferring his son’s happiness over his own prejudice.

“Not yet, but we should be able to meet next week.” Actually, Yan Shuoyun felt uneasy. This time, the timing of meeting Yichen was much earlier than before. They had originally met after his parents passed away, when he was handling affairs. It had taken several months, almost until the end of the semester, before they finally met.

But now, things were happening much sooner. What if Fu Yichen didn’t like him this time?

He had once wanted to ask Fu Yichen when he had fallen for him, but Fu Yichen said that he would only tell him after they were truly together, otherwise he’d be too embarrassed.

So, he never got an answer, and he truly regretted not agreeing to date Fu Yichen earlier.

If he had, he’d know if Fu Yichen liked him now.

I like you, and I want to meet you, Yichen.

Yan Shuoyun thought to himself, wishing he could fast-forward to next Friday. He was practically living day by day, barely even realizing how he managed to finish his exams.

When the long-awaited Friday finally arrived, he was extremely nervous.

Today, he would finally see Yichen.

If Fu Yichen didn’t like him yet, he would start from being friends. This time, he would be the one to chase Fu Yichen.

He wore his usual style of a light windbreaker jacket, tidying up his appearance a little.

Everyone said he looked effortlessly handsome this way. He walked into the izakaya.

As soon as everyone saw him, they gasped, “Oh my god, it’s really Senior Shuoyun!”

“My gosh!” Both guys and girls started chattering all at once.

But Yan Shuoyun didn’t care about them. He just scanned the room with his eyes, trying to spot where Fu Yichen was.

Finally, in the long middle aisle, he saw him. Fu Yichen was wearing a simple off-white casual T-shirt and cute khaki shorts. He was chatting and laughing with a group of people, but when he turned his head, his gaze locked onto Yan Shuoyun.

The moment Fu Yichen met his gaze, his face turned bright red. His mouth opened in shock, and he stared, wide-eyed, unable to look away.

For Yan Shuoyun, time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Fu Yichen, so you liked me this early, huh?

That look warmed his heart… but also brought a pang of sadness.

The warmth came from realising that Fu Yichen had liked him for such a long time, but the sadness stemmed from the fact that even after so long, even until death he never got a commitment from him.

Thinking from the other side, it was as if his heart was being torn apart.

Fu Yichen never expected to see Yan Shuoyun in a place like this.

He had observed that Yan Shuoyun hated noisy environments.

In fact, Fu Yichen had secretly taken many of the same electives as Yan Shuoyun, but they rarely ran into each other directly because he always made sure to avoid him, being too cowardly.

But in a classroom with hundreds of people, he could always spot Yan Shuoyun immediately, noticing even his smallest emotions.

So he knew Yan Shuoyun hated gatherings like this… and disliked people who tried to suck up to him. Why was he here?

Did he look too sloppy just now? Fu Yichen worried that he had made a bad impression, causing Yan Shuoyun to keep looking over here. But then again, maybe he was overthinking.

Why would someone like Senior Shuoyun pay attention to a regular junior like him? He was telling himself this when suddenly, Yan Shuoyun walked straight to his table, smiling as he asked, “Is there still a seat at this table?”

Fu Yichen almost dug a hole to crawl into, while the others instantly made space for Yan Shuoyun.

“Yes, yes, yes! Of course, Senior!” Everyone excitedly invited him to sit down.

And just like that, Yan Shuoyun sat diagonally across from Fu Yichen.

Fu Yichen’s heart was pounding uncontrollably. How… this is amazing.

He was overjoyed, never expecting Yan Shuoyun would be willing to sit here.

Little did he know, this was all part of Yan Shuoyun’s plan. Once he realized that Fu Yichen already liked him at this point, he couldn’t resist.

The idea of quickly establishing a connection grew in Yan Shuoyun’s mind, and he couldn’t believe how cunning he still was.

He chatted and joked with the juniors around him, casually sipping his drink. Then he said, “Today, it’s on me. Everyone, eat more and drink as much as you like.”

“Whoa!”

“What a bro!” Chen Hanlian, at the next table, shouted excitedly.

“Thank you, Senior!” The other juniors were thrilled, not expecting such a treat.

As everyone celebrated boisterously, Fu Yichen didn’t dare speak much, quietly sipping his drink and stealing glances at Yan Shuoyun.

He’s really handsome.

That’s what he thought inside.