By the time Lu Yan met up with Fang Xu, it was already noon. In just two days without seeing him, Fang Xu looked like a completely different person—utterly defeated, with lifeless eyes and such heavy dark circles that they were practically hanging off his face. Lu Yan only recognized this gloomy figure in front of him as Fang Xu when he got closer.

“What happened to you?” Lu Yan barely finished his question before Fang Xu lunged forward, wrapping him in a tight hug.

“I got dumped.” Fang Xu, being tall and sturdy, nearly suffocated Lu Yan with his embrace.

“Geez, did you roll around in tobacco or something? You reek of smoke,” Lu Yan muttered, pushing against Fang Xu’s shoulders in an attempt to free himself.

“Even you’re despising me now,” Fang Xu murmured, holding onto Lu Yan without letting go. His head slumped against Lu Yan’s shoulder, and his voice was muffled and raspy.

“Weren’t you fine just now when we were on the phone?” Lu Yan struggled, trying to shove Fang Xu’s head away from his neck.

“I had to act normal, or you wouldn’t have come out,” Fang Xu complained, sounding aggrieved.

As the two of them tussled, people around them started to gather and stare. Lu Yan wished he could smack some sense into Fang Xu, urging him to behave properly.

“Whose clothes are you wearing? They’re way too big,” Fang Xu tugged at Lu Yan’s collar, almost peeking down to inspect further.

“Can you let go of me?” Lu Yan pulled Fang Xu’s hair with one hand to push his head back and used the other hand to press against Fang Xu’s shoulder, trying to push him away.

“Can’t you be a bit less cold-hearted?” Fang Xu hugged Lu Yan like a bear, almost lifting him off the ground.

Lu Yan glanced around and froze. There was a crowd gathering, and Fang Lin, not far away, was holding up a phone, seemingly recording or taking pictures of them.

When Fang Lin noticed Lu Yan’s gaze, she even waved at him.

Lu Yan smacked Fang Xu on the head. “Let go of me!”

Fang Xu, stunned by the slap, loosened his grip, but by then, Fang Lin had already disappeared.

“Why did you hit me?” Fang Xu rubbed his head, staring at Lu Yan in confusion.

Lu Yan frowned at Fang Xu, suddenly feeling like his head was about to explode. Fang Xu looked like a foolish puppy to him—a heartbroken, forlorn puppy.

Even during lunch, Lu Yan was still wondering why Fang Lin was taking pictures. Was she going to show them to Wei Yuhe?

“What are you thinking about? You’re just holding food without eating,” Fang Xu mumbled as he wolfed down his food, looking like he hadn’t eaten in days.

Ignoring Fang Xu, Lu Yan sent a message to Wei Yuhe: “Where are you?”

Immortal Silence: “Have you eaten?”

Lu Yan didn’t expect a quick reply, but surprisingly, Wei Yuhe responded in under a minute.

. : “Not yet.”

Immortal Silence: “Has anyone sent you anything weird?”

. : “?”

Immortal Silence: “Nothing, just checking.”

Lu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Even though he and Fang Xu were just friends, his reputation was well-known, so misunderstandings were bound to happen.

“It’s rare to get you out here, so why are you glued to your phone?” Fang Xu observed Lu Yan’s fluctuating expressions with interest. Lu Yan’s face was a mix of joy and worry, a sight he only got to see once in a blue moon.

“What would you know?” Lu Yan put down his phone and finally turned his attention to Fang Xu.

“There’s still a few days left in the break. Why don’t you move in with me?” Fang Xu suggested, his mouth full of food, sounding muffled. “I get so bored alone.”

“No way,” Lu Yan declined immediately. “I’m staying with Wei Yuhe. When would I have time to go to your place?”

Fang Xu bit his chopsticks, glaring at Lu Yan. “Favoring romance over friendship.”

“Then why did you come out to hang out with me today?”

“Because Wei Yuhe’s not home today. I don’t know where he went.”

Fang Xu fell silent. No wonder.

“Are you serious this time? You’re already staying at his place?”

Lu Yan chuckled. “When am I ever not serious?”

“I mean serious like me, or like something grand—something long-lasting and true,” Fang Xu said, sounding genuinely concerned.

Lu Yan looked at Fang Xu in astonishment, biting his chopsticks. “Like you? Long-lasting?”

“Didn’t you just tell me you broke up? Don’t use your failed experiences to lecture me,” Lu Yan shot back with a smirk.

Fang Xu sighed. “Fine.”

“So, are you coming back with me or not?”

Without even glancing up, Lu Yan dismissed him, “No.”

After finishing his meal, Lu Yan looked at Fang Xu and said, “How about we go to a barbershop afterward?”

Fang Xu scratched his near-buzz-cut head, puzzled. “Why the barbershop?”

Lu Yan answered matter-of-factly, “To cut your hair. Why else?”

Fang Xu was confused. “Why would I cut my hair?”

Lu Yan teased, “Starting fresh.”

Fang Xu groaned, “…”

Looking at Fang Xu’s nearly shaved head, Lu Yan chuckled, “How about shaving it all off?”

“Heh.” Fang Xu took another bite of food, muttering, “No way.”

“Tch…” Lu Yan’s mockery was interrupted as his hand slipped, and a piece of red-oil-covered chicken fell straight onto his white hoodie.

“Oh, come on,” Lu Yan groaned, jumping up as quickly as he could. The chicken dropped to the floor, but it left a massive oil stain on his hoodie.

“I was going to ask earlier—whose clothes are you wearing? They look awful,” Fang Xu said, laughing at his misfortune.

“Wei Yuhe’s,” Lu Yan retorted, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, you’re already wearing his clothes? Moving fast, huh?”

“Of course. Do you know who you’re talking to?” Lu Yan smirked, grabbing some napkins to clean the stain before heading to the restroom.

Fang Xu waited idly for Lu Yan to return, planning to ask him a few more questions.

But the moment Lu Yan left, Fang Xu felt a cold sensation on his back, as if someone was staring at him intensely.

He looked around, scanning the crowd, only to meet the blank gaze of Wei Yuhe himself.

If not for the direct line of sight, Fang Xu would have doubted that someone with Wei Yuhe’s poker face was even looking his way.

Fang Xu couldn’t understand why Wei Yuhe was staring at him. He waved, but Wei Yuhe ignored his greeting, his face expressionless. However, the girl next to him noticed and asked who he was looking at.

Wei Yuhe withdrew his gaze without another word and walked into the restaurant next door with the girl, who was none other than Aunt Chen and Fang Lin.

“Nothing,” Wei Yuhe replied in a low voice, his tone unreadable as they stepped into the neighboring restaurant.

When Lu Yan returned, Fang Xu was debating whether or not to tell him that Wei Yuhe was out shopping with a girl. But seeing Lu Yan frowning and obsessively inspecting the stain on his shirt, he decided against raining on his parade.

“Forget about the shirt. Eat some more vegetables.” Fang Xu placed some leafy greens on Lu Yan’s plate.

“I’m full,” Lu Yan replied, still fixated on the stain. “I want to go back and change.”

“Wanna come to my place?” Fang Xu asked.

Lu Yan shook his head. “No. Wei Yuhe gave me the keys to his place, so of course, I’m going back there.”

Fang Xu hesitated, then kept his thoughts to himself. He figured Lu Yan was due for a wake-up call. Wei Yuhe felt different from the rest of them. If Lu Yan’s chase didn’t succeed, that might actually be for the best.