Confirmed, He Really Likes Me

Lu Jin swept his gaze across the room. He hadn’t paid much attention when he came in earlier, but now that he looked, the living room was quite similar to his grandparents’ house. His grandparents didn’t like living in overly spacious homes, so they chose a smaller place. Most young people around him either lived in villas or large apartments, so small units like this were rare.

Although the space didn’t seem particularly roomy, he liked it. It had a very homely vibe, warm and full of life.

After a bit of casual chatting, the pots in the kitchen began to make noise. Jiang Yi immediately ran toward the kitchen. “I’ll check on the food. You two talk first, dinner will be ready soon.”

That left only Su Ran and Lu Jin in the living room. Su Ran wasn’t sure what to talk about and felt a bit awkward. Leaving someone alone in the living room didn’t feel quite right. After thinking for a moment, he tentatively asked, “Would you like to see the cake I made?”

Lu Jin glanced at his face and nodded. “Sure.”

Su Ran led Lu Jin to the kitchen. The island counter still had half-finished cakes, just waiting to be put into the oven.

“It’ll be ready soon. I just need to finish these, then I can put them in the oven,” Su Ran said as he washed his hands, then grabbed a lump of dough from the bowl and started kneading it.

Lu Jin stood quietly nearby, watching. When Su Ran worked, his expression was serious, his gaze focused on the dough in his hands, his eyelashes fluttering with each blink.

Unconsciously, Lu Jin became captivated. His eyes followed from Su Ran’s soft hair to his sharp nose, then down to his rosy lips. He watched as Su Ran formed the dough into a smooth, round ball, his delicate fingers working the dough into shape.

Gradually, his attention locked onto Su Ran’s focused face. It wasn’t until Su Ran looked up and asked, “Would you like to try?”

Lu Jin blinked for a moment before instinctively answering, “Yeah, I’ll try.”

Lu Jin took off his suit jacket, revealing a shirt underneath. He rolled up his sleeves and removed his watch as though preparing for some serious task. His arm muscles became more defined with the movements. He even washed his hands before taking a small piece of dough, which was soft and fragrant. After a few attempts, his hands were covered in dough, causing his brows to furrow. He found it tricky.

Su Ran looked at him and laughed. “Sorry, I forgot you’re a beginner. Just put a bit of oil on your hands next time, it’ll help.”

“What should I do now? Should I wash it off?” Lu Jin asked.

Su Ran immediately stopped him. He didn’t want to waste any dough. He grabbed Lu Jin’s wrist gently and began to remove the dough bit by bit with his fingers.

Lu Jin opened his palm, and Su Ran’s fingers slid back and forth across his skin, making his hand tingle with an itchy sensation. He felt like curling his fingers in, and his ears started to burn.

He could’ve done it himself, but being this close, the sweet scent from Su Ran was overpowering.

He almost suspected Su Ran was doing it on purpose.

At that moment, Jiang Yi, who was busy cooking, turned around and smiled at them. “Lu Jin, you want to learn to bake now?”

Lu Jin didn’t respond to him but instead looked at Su Ran, who had cleaned his hands. “Let Mr. Lu try it,” Su Ran said, as if helping a child with a new task.

Su Ran was quick and efficient. Before long, all the dough had been shaped and placed on several trays, ready to go into the newly bought oven.

Now it was just a matter of waiting. Su Ran washed his hands and then realized that in his excitement to bake, he hadn’t shown Lu Jin around the house. The last time, Lu Jin had only entered Jiang Yi’s bedroom before leaving, so he should have shown him around properly.

He led Lu Jin to Jiang Yi’s room. “This is A Yi’s room. You’ve seen it before.”

Lu Jin nodded. He hadn’t really looked around during his previous visit. Honestly, he wasn’t too interested in touring the rooms, but it was just a courtesy.

However, a moment later, his brow furrowed slightly. Something felt off. The room didn’t have the unique scent of Su Ran that he was familiar with. It just smelled like faint baking, much like the rest of the house.

Su Ran’s words were also a bit odd. “Jiang Yi’s room?”

Su Ran hummed in affirmation. “Yes, this is his room.” He then led Lu Jin to Ye Qiao’s room, opened the door, and said, “Right now, this room is being used by A Yi’s younger brother. He’s out, but he’ll be back in a few days.”

The room was similar in size to Jiang Yi’s, simple and neat. Lu Jin didn’t pay much attention, as the house itself was small. After seeing two rooms, they were done.

As Lu Jin was thinking this, Su Ran added, “You haven’t seen my room yet.”

Lu Jin froze for a second and asked, “Your room?”

“Yes,” Su Ran said, feeling a little embarrassed since his room was the smallest. “By the way, the clothes you lent me last time are all washed.”

Lu Jin gave him a dubious look, following him into his room. When the door opened, the familiar pleasant scent hit him, and Lu Jin could confirm this was indeed Su Ran’s room.

The space was tiny, and the two of them were so close that they could almost bump into each other with a turn. Lu Jin looked around carefully. The fresh, bright-colored curtains and bed sheets were clearly Su Ran’s style. But the room was pitifully small. He didn’t understand—weren’t they supposed to be sleeping together?

Was there something going on?

The thought swirled around in Lu Jin’s mind, his thoughts intertwining, though he knew clearly that whether they slept together or not had nothing to do with him.

At this moment, Su Ran crouched down to open the bottom drawer. He neatly folded Lu Jin’s clothes and placed them in a box. After putting the box in a paper bag, he stood up. The next second, his body swayed.

It might have been because he stood up too quickly, or maybe he was too engrossed in creating new desserts these past days, or he hadn’t eaten anything yet today. Whatever the reason, he suddenly felt lightheaded and dizzy.

Lu Jin’s attention was still on the elegant box. He noticed Su Ran sway, and instinctively reached out to steady him. The next moment, Su Ran collapsed into his chest, his soft hair brushing against his jaw. The sweet scent flooded his senses, and his body immediately tensed.

At that moment, his chest felt tight, as if something was pushing against it. His thoughts became muddled, flashing with various memories of Su Ran—him asking to stay for soup, touching his neck, Su Ran blushing in front of him, and now, suddenly embracing him…

The thought occurred to him more than once but had been ignored, yet now, it was too strong to dismiss. Was this true? Did Su Ran like him? Did he really like him, constantly drawing his attention, tempting him?

Su Ran could hear his heart pounding faster and faster. Weakly, he whispered, “Sorry, I think I have low blood sugar.”

Lu Jin, however, heard nothing. He was still in shock, unable to pull himself together.

After a few seconds, Su Ran’s vision cleared, just in time for Jiang Yi to call from the kitchen. “The food’s ready! Come eat!”

Su Ran quickly pulled away from Lu Jin’s embrace, almost instinctively. Jiang Yi was highly suspicious, and last time, he had checked Su Ran’s clothes when he borrowed Lu Jin’s. If he saw them like this, there was no telling what kind of misunderstanding might arise.

Lu Jin’s face, usually sharp and cold, was expressionless now, his eyes vacant, seemingly lost in thought.

Su Ran looked at him, feeling a bit awkward. He was about to speak, but Lu Jin’s eyes finally focused, and he gave a quiet “shh.”

Lu Jin’s gaze drifted from Su Ran’s brows to his nose, then to his lips. His throat bobbed as he swallowed, but his face remained calm and expressionless. He said, “Let’s eat first. We can talk about it later.”

With that, Lu Jin left first. Su Ran felt strange but didn’t think too much of it and followed him out.

At the dinner table, Jiang Yi talked animatedly while Lu Jin didn’t seem to be listening, his gaze occasionally landing on Su Ran. He watched Su Ran’s composed demeanor as he served food, moving gracefully as if he were a perfect wife.

It was as though everything that happened earlier had never occurred. In his room, Lu Jin had eagerly embraced Su Ran, but now, it felt like all of that was just a figment of his imagination.

Su Ran played the perfect host, offering Lu Jin more food, but Lu Jin remained distant, barely touching it.

Su Ran couldn’t join in their conversation about investments, so after taking care of the guests, he lowered his head to eat.

At that moment, System 555 suddenly appeared. “Ran Ran! The plot is going really well today! Lu Jin’s storyline should unlock another part soon.”

“I have to admit, sometimes the plot really moves quickly,” Su Ran said, surprised that his progress had jumped so much from just having a simple meal.

“And you know what? The intensity has doubled!” System 555 said excitedly.

“Huh?” Su Ran was puzzled. What had happened that was so intense?

He glanced between Lu Jin and Jiang Yi. It felt strange.

Could it be because this was the “Stimulating Space”? Did it have something to do with that?

When they were about to leave, both Jiang Yi and Lu Jin escorted Su Ran to the door. Lu Jin remained cool and distant but responded courteously to their words, creating a sense of distance that made the two think the dinner had been a failure.

As Lu Jin reached the door, Su Ran suddenly remembered, “Mr. Lu, let’s add each other on WeChat. If you ever want cake, just tell me, and I’ll bring it over.”

Lu Jin turned, his gaze first falling on Su Ran’s sincere face, then moving to Jiang Yi’s smiling one behind him. His expression remained unchanged, though his heart seemed open.

If he only knew what had happened earlier in the bedroom—how Su Ran had embraced him. Would he still be smiling?

Lu Jin had always believed he wouldn’t do anything morally questionable, but now he had to admit that a dark, guilty pleasure had emerged in his heart.