When Wei Yuhe came out of the bathroom, Lu Yan was nowhere to be seen in the room. The next time he spotted him, Lu Yan was sitting on the living room sofa watching cartoons, wearing a mask and keeping his head down, making it hard to read his expression.

As soon as Wei Yuhe got close, Lu Yan noticed him and looked up.

“Heading out?” Lu Yan asked, coughing lightly. The mask, along with his already soft voice, made him sound a little muffled.

Wei Yuhe nodded, and Lu Yan put away his phone and stood up, but his path was blocked by Wei Yuhe. They looked at each other for a moment, neither saying a word.

Wei Yuhe had intended to step aside, but then he noticed Lu Yan’s red ears. Instantly, he recalled what had just happened in the bedroom, and his face turned red again, his gaze lingering.

Lu Yan looked up and their eyes met, intensifying the already awkward atmosphere.

“Let’s go,” Lu Yan finally broke the silence, his heart calming as he noticed that Wei Yuhe’s face was still flushed. The awkwardness he’d felt earlier vanished in an instant.

His earlier fluster had likely just been a reaction to being startled by Wei Yuhe, but now, feeling calm again, he started thinking about how he might tease him.

Wei Yuhe was dressed in a black hoodie and a black baseball cap. After the umpteenth time of catching Lu Yan glancing at him, he pulled his hoodie up to further shield himself from Lu Yan’s gaze.

“What kind of food do you want?” Lu Yan asked, moving to the side where he couldn’t see Wei Yuhe, so he skipped ahead, walking backward to face him.

“Anything,” Wei Yuhe replied coolly. His naturally aloof appearance, paired with the all-black outfit, gave him an extra edge of coolness. Lu Yan would call him a classic “cool guy.”

“Is there anything you don’t want to eat?” Lu Yan simply couldn’t get enough of Wei Yuhe’s face. Blushing, irritated, blank-faced—it didn’t matter; each expression was charming. He could stare at him every day and never tire of it.

“No.” Although Wei Yuhe’s voice was cold, at least he was answering.

Even though they were walking side by side, Wei Yuhe avoided looking at Lu Yan’s eyes. Every time he glanced at him, he’d remember the dream from last night, and his face would flush even redder.

He couldn’t understand why he’d had that kind of dream, especially one with Lu Yan as the main character. But then again, he had no one else close by other than Lu Yan.

“What are you thinking about?” Lu Yan’s voice snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts.

“Nothing.” Wei Yuhe turned his head slightly, avoiding Lu Yan’s probing gaze.

They arrived at the supermarket early, so it wasn’t crowded. Wei Yuhe pushed the cart behind Lu Yan, watching him carefully pick out items. He wasn’t sure if Lu Yan actually knew how to cook, but his methodical choices suggested he might.

Even Wei Yuhe didn’t know why he’d agreed to stay with Lu Yan and have hot pot with him at home.

“Wei Yuhe?” As he rounded a corner with the cart, a familiar face greeted him.

“Shopping for groceries?” Fang Lin looked at Wei Yuhe’s shopping cart with surprise, as if she’d seen a ghost.

“Aunt Chen,” Wei Yuhe greeted the woman beside Fang Lin.

“I only come to the supermarket once in a blue moon, and here I run into you.”

“Are you home alone?” Aunt Chen asked.

Wei Yuhe nodded, and she quickly replied, “After you went to college, the housekeeper quit, so it must be inconvenient being home by yourself. Come over to my place for meals anytime.”

“Hello, Auntie.” Before Wei Yuhe could say anything, Lu Yan chimed in politely.

Aunt Chen looked at the well-behaved young man standing next to Wei Yuhe. “Is he your classmate?”

Wei Yuhe nodded, and Aunt Chen immediately smiled, “No wonder you’re not coming to my place—you already have plans with a friend.”

Fang Lin had noticed Lu Yan from the start, but she hadn’t understood why he was with Wei Yuhe, let alone shopping together.

“Are you two living together?” Fang Lin asked, glancing at the contents of their shopping cart.

Lu Yan nodded eagerly, “Yep! It’s the holiday, and I didn’t have anywhere to go, so thankfully, junior here let me stay over.”

“When did you two get so close?” Fang Lin frowned slightly, looking at Lu Yan.

Lu Yan placed his items back on the shelf and boldly linked arms with Wei Yuhe, “We’ve always been close.”

He could sense she was interested in Wei Yuhe—she had that look of a rival.

“He even cooked me a bowl of veggie noodles last night,” Lu Yan added, turning to Wei Yuhe, “Isn’t that right?”

Wei Yuhe stayed silent, but Fang Lin’s face showed her annoyance, while Aunt Chen laughed, “Little He can cook now? Having a good friend around really makes a difference.”

“Bring your friends over to Auntie’s house to play sometime.”

With a nod from Wei Yuhe, Aunt Chen said, “Well, we won’t keep you any longer.”

She then pushed her cart forward, moving on.

“Who was that?” Lu Yan asked, watching Fang Lin glance back every few steps.

“My mom’s friend,” Wei Yuhe replied, glancing at the cart, unsure if they still needed more items.

“I wasn’t asking about Aunt Chen; I meant the girl beside her.”

Lu Yan hadn’t taken his eyes off Fang Lin’s direction.

“I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere,” he murmured, scratching his head. He definitely thought she looked familiar.

Wei Yuhe turned to look at Lu Yan, his usually cool gaze holding a hint of curiosity. After a moment, he said, “She’s in my class.”

Lu Yan nodded, “No wonder she looked familiar—I must’ve seen her when I came to find you.”

When Fang Lin’s figure finally disappeared, Lu Yan turned back to Wei Yuhe, “Are you two close?”

Wei Yuhe frowned slightly, eyeing Lu Yan. He gave off the same vibe as he had when he’d tracked him down backstage at the Mid-Autumn Festival Gala—curious and maybe a little too interested.

“Did you know her from way back?” Lu Yan kept pressing.

“We met when we were kids?” Lu Yan asked again.

A little annoyed, Wei Yuhe nodded and replied coldly, “Yes.”

After that, Lu Yan fell silent. He looked thoughtful, as if he were hatching some kind of plan.

“Go grab some vegetables; I’ll get the hot pot base,” Lu Yan said, heading toward the condiment section. Wei Yuhe stood in place, watching him for a moment before turning toward the fresh produce area.

Lu Yan carefully inspected the items on the shelf, ignoring the person beside him entirely. Fang Lin looked at him and asked, “Senior, why are you at Yuhe’s place?”

Without looking up, Lu Yan continued selecting hot pot ingredients, “He invited me, obviously.”

Fang Lin pursed her lips, “Oh, come on. Wei Yuhe would never invite anyone over himself.”

Lu Yan chuckled, “I’m not just anyone.”

“Do you really like Wei Yuhe?” Fang Lin asked.

Lu Yan nodded, “I like him the most.”

Fang Lin shook her head, “I know your type. You say that to every fling you have, but Yuhe doesn’t even like guys. Maybe you should just give up.”

Lu Yan turned and looked at her, “So, you like him too?”

A simple question, but it made Fang Lin’s face turn beet red, leaving her tongue-tied.

Lu Yan smirked, “You can’t even admit you like him, and you’re telling me to back off?”

Fang Lin stammered, “He… he doesn’t… like me.”

Lu Yan shrugged, “Then don’t blame me for taking the lead.”

Fang Lin opened her mouth but was at a loss for words.

Watching her cheeks flush deeper and deeper, Lu Yan suddenly felt like having a bit of fun. “How about this—I’ll give you a chance. Let’s compete fairly?”

Fang Lin stuttered, unable to reply for a long moment. Only when Aunt Chen called out to her from not far away did she find an escape, bolting down the aisle and disappearing out of sight.