Yin Xin’s date was very flexible in terms of timing.

His art exhibition was not very big. At the request of the organizers, about twelve oil paintings were displayed, along with a few sketches, specifically for the younger students of the academy to study and learn from.

An Le Yan nodded repeatedly as he observed the works.

When he worked as an assistant to Fu Shicang in the past, he had also helped manage some of the art collections left behind by Fu Xingshan. To better complete the work, he had studied up on art collections.

It was clear that Yin Xin had a solid foundation in art. However, while his techniques were impressive, the paintings seemed to lack something.

This was probably the key that Yin Xin was working on at the moment.

At noon, the two of them had a light meal at the café in the art gallery. Yin Xin recommended some delicious thick egg toast, and they enjoyed the meal together.

After resting for a while, Yin Xin shyly asked, “I’ve always wanted to paint you. Could you come to my studio with me this afternoon?”

An Le Yan blinked, “You want me to be your model?”

He pretended to refuse, “I won’t pose as a nude model. That’s too scary.”

“Wh-what? No way!” Yin Xin stammered, flustered. “I wouldn’t ask you to do that! I’ll paint you as you are, no need to take off your clothes!”

“Hahaha,” An Le Yan laughed happily, “Don’t worry, I’m just kidding. Just focus on painting.”

They packed up and headed to Yin Xin’s studio. An Le Yan also bought a big bag of snacks and drinks for the cameraman, Xiao Li, so he wouldn’t get bored in the afternoon.

By around 4 p.m., Yin Xin had only finished half of the painting.

An Le Yan had been sitting for the entire afternoon. He stood up to stretch and walked behind the easel to take a look.

One glance, and he was stunned.

Yin Xin’s painting was not entirely realistic, but the way he depicted An Le Yan’s eyes was extremely detailed.

What was depicted was not the adjusted eye shape that everyone usually saw, but An Le Yan’s natural eyes.

Shaped like peach petals, with the outer corners slightly tilted, carrying a hint of arrogance and sharpness, these were the eyes he had before he died in his past life.

Yin Xin, this genius artist, had seen through all the layers of disguise and captured his true essence!

An Le Yan marveled inwardly. He pulled Yin Xin over and said, “You’re amazing, but you probably won’t finish it today. I’ll make sure to come back and model for you another time.”

Yin Xin reluctantly covered the painting with a cloth and hesitated, “Are you going to meet Anderson now? I… I’ll take you there.”

An Le Yan nodded and smiled, “Sure.”

But when they arrived at the next destination, the back gate of Haishi University, Yin Xin saw no sign of Anderson.

An Le Yan grinned, “I was joking. It’s not time yet. Anderson’s appointment is at seven.”

Yin Xin looked at An Le Yan in confusion, and the boy opposite him had a proud expression, “You set me up with such a nice date, of course, I need to repay you. Let’s go, I’ll take you to a fun place.”

While being a model in the afternoon, An Le Yan had checked Yin Xin’s resume and found out that this genius artist was actually self-taught!

Because of his condition with the Wu Lin disease, Yin Xin couldn’t receive a normal education during his childhood. He completed high school at the affiliated art school of the museum and was almost isolated from the outside world.

Later, although he attended university, it was a special distance learning program for people with Wu Lin disease. It could be said that Yin Xin never had the experience of a normal student’s academic journey and never experienced the colorful extracurricular life of university students.

What An Le Yan took him to do were the typical activities that university students do to pass the time when they’re bored, but it felt like a whole new world to Yin Xin.

They spent a long time playing the claw machine on the street corner. An Le Yan was so good at it that he almost always caught a doll. They even managed to win a large teddy bear.

They traded the pile of little dolls for a half-human-sized teddy bear and left the shop under the owner’s displeased gaze.

“This is for you!” An Le Yan shoved the bear into Yin Xin’s arms. “Just treat it as your good friend.”

Yin Xin was a bit excited and nodded, “Alright, I’ll name him Xiong Xiaoan.”

The two laughed as they parted ways. Yin Xin placed the teddy bear in the front passenger seat and even buckled it in with the seatbelt.

An Le Yan waved at the car as it drove away, then turned around and saw Anderson.

The tall boy was dressed in a casual, hip-hop style today, with a loose T-shirt and pants, wearing a bandana. He looked simple and carefree.

An Le Yan smiled and glanced at his own artistic shirt. He called out, “Wait for me a moment” and darted into the nearby restroom.

When he came out again, he was wearing a loose white T-shirt and ripped jeans. He grabbed Anderson’s sleeve, “Let’s go!”

Anderson was pleasantly surprised, “You even brought a change of clothes!”

An Le Yan sighed, “It’s all Zhang Dao’s fault, insisting on giving me two dates. Of course, I had to prepare a bit more. Fortunately, I didn’t mess it up. This outfit matches with you perfectly.”

Behind them, the cameraman Xiao Li couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

What does “match perfectly” mean? Obviously, they’re a perfect match! When An Le Yan wore the artistic shirt, he matched perfectly with Yin Xin, and when he wore casual clothes, he matched perfectly with Anderson. Who knows how he looks with others, but for sure, An Le Yan matches everyone!

It was already evening, and even though it was summer and the sunset was late, the sky was gradually darkening.

An Le Yan was curious about what Anderson had planned.

To his surprise, Anderson took him to a little two-dimensional shop co-sponsored by the school’s animation club!

“Wow! There are so many A Wu Lie peripherals here, and even Yilan Ser!” An Le Yan exclaimed, looking at the surrounding displays.

“And there are so many comics here, even the latest ‘Wu Mi Chuan’! Didn’t the artist’s wife just submit the manuscript last week? They already have the book for sale!”

“And that, that, the big sword of Chi Lei Nu, Jin Zhi Yan’s short knife…”

An Le Yan excitedly looked around, his eyes sparkling with joy, “This place is truly heaven!”

Anderson smiled, “I knew you’d like it. Come on, let’s go grab something to eat.”

When it was time to eat, An Le Yan hesitated, not wanting to leave. But since it was a date and Anderson only had time for one meal, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

However, instead of taking him out, Anderson walked into a small room at the back.

As soon as An Le Yan stepped inside, he froze.

The small room was lined with bookshelves. One wall was covered with vinyl records and CDs of famous anime songs, while another wall was filled with display shelves showcasing anime character figurines.

These were all the characters he had cosplayed in the past.

After coming to this world, An Le Yan had gone through the original owner’s Weibo and found excuses to ask the company’s assistant for the original owner’s past materials, trying to understand the original’s life.

The original owner wasn’t a well-known cosplayer, and most of the characters they had portrayed were obscure.

The logic of this world was self-consistent, but the anime was somewhat different from those in his original world.

He had worked hard for several days, finally becoming familiar with those characters.

But now, these characters were vividly and tangibly standing before him.

An Le Yan turned around, deeply moved, to look at Anderson. Only someone with the same passion could have created such a space. He couldn’t help but think that there was also a bit of a “chuunibyou” spirit in all of this.

At that moment, Anderson brought over two glasses of red wine, a plate of crackers, and cheese.

“They don’t allow hot food here,” Anderson’s voice was soft, “So, let’s have these for now.”

He gentlemanly pulled out a chair for An Le Yan to sit in, then walked over to the bookshelf, picked out a vinyl, and placed it on the record player.

A beautiful male voice slowly floated out—it was a song from a popular anime last year.

“When I saw you for the first time, I knew we would become the best of friends…”

The song drifted gently through the small room.

“But friend, oh friend, in this moment, I wish time could stop, so you could always stay in my dreams…”

An Le Yan took a sip of red wine, quietly listening to the song, his consciousness drifting back to his past life, to the day he first met Fu Shicang.

In the dark little room, there was only a beam of light, shining on that person’s face.

The tall young man reached out a hand toward him.

He said, “Don’t be afraid, I’m a friend.”