The hot pot was bubbling away, and as soon as Lu Yan turned off the heat, Wei Yuhe returned. Lu Yan glanced back and called him over to help.

Wei Yuhe stood hesitantly at the door, hands in his pockets. Lu Yan called him a few more times, “What are you doing over there?”

Suddenly, Wei Yuhe stepped forward, taking something out of his pocket and handing it to Lu Yan. His large hand enveloped it completely, concealing even a hint of what it was.

“What is this?” Lu Yan reached out, only to realize it was burn ointment.

The back of his hand was still red and swollen, looking quite severe. But only Lu Yan knew it just looked bad; it was actually much better by now.

Without a word, Wei Yuhe handed the ointment to Lu Yan and then busied himself carrying the plated dishes to the table.

Lu Yan stood there, holding the burn ointment, lost in thought for a long while. It wasn’t until Wei Yuhe had brought all the dishes to the table, plugged in the hotpot, and started cooking the meat that Lu Yan finally snapped out of it. He hurried over to chase after Wei Yuhe, asking, “Did you go out just to buy this for me?”

Wei Yuhe still didn’t reply, so Lu Yan added, “And you say you don’t like me.”

“This is the first thing you’ve ever given me. I’m going to keep it safe.”

Wei Yuhe paused in his movements, frowning slightly. He turned to look at Lu Yan, “It’s for using, not for keeping.”

Grinning ear to ear, Lu Yan couldn’t hide his excitement, practically glowing with happiness. He insisted on sitting right beside Wei Yuhe during dinner.

“When are you going back?” Wei Yuhe suddenly asked, catching Lu Yan off guard.

“Are you kicking me out?” Lu Yan’s eyes became misty from the steam, making him look almost teary.

Setting down his chopsticks, Wei Yuhe looked at Lu Yan, “I have my own things to do too.”

Lu Yan pouted, “Then I’ll just wait here for you at home.”

“Or you could give me a spare key.”

Wei Yuhe frowned at him, feeling like he’d made himself quite clear. Did he really need to explicitly ask him to leave?

Lu Yan stared at him with a hint of grievance, “What, do you expect me to wait downstairs?”

Expressionless, Wei Yuhe replied, “You can go back home.”

Lu Yan said, “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Yuhe?”

“Junior?”

“Xiao He?”

“Shut up.” The way Lu Yan called his name in that sticky, clingy tone was giving Wei Yuhe a headache.

“How am I supposed to eat if I shut up?” Lu Yan asked with a serious face.

At this point, Wei Yuhe didn’t know what to say. Lu Yan kept alternating between “junior” and “Yuhe,” and his words made Wei Yuhe’s ears feel uncomfortably warm.

He couldn’t help but wonder if Lu Yan was like this with everyone. How else could he be so good at it?

Eventually, after much pestering and coaxing, Lu Yan managed to snag a spare key.

Truthfully, Lu Yan had never acted so shamelessly while pursuing someone before. Wei Yuhe was the first and, he believed, likely the only one he’d ever be this way with. He simply liked Wei Yuhe too much. Liked him so much that just seeing his face made him want to eat an extra bowl of rice.

That night, Lu Yan lay in bed, unable to sleep with the spare key in his hand. Since Wei Yuhe had given him a key to his home, even if he didn’t like him yet, he at least trusted him, right?

The next morning, as usual, Lu Yan knocked on Wei Yuhe’s door. He knocked for a good while, but there was no response. When he pushed the door open, the bed was neatly made, looking as if it hadn’t been slept in.

He checked the bathroom and the living room, but there was no sign of anyone. He tried calling Wei Yuhe, but the call was declined, and his messages were left unanswered.

“Where did he go?”

After searching the apartment, he couldn’t find anyone. Just then, he got a call from Fang Xu.

Fang Xu: “What are you up to?”

Lu Yan: “Got something to say?”

Fang Xu: “Come hang out. Aren’t you alone in the dorm?”

Lu Yan: “I’m not in the dorm.”

Fang Xu sounded surprised, “Where are you this early in the morning? Out all night?”

Lu Yan: “I’m at Wei Yuhe’s place.”

Fang Xu took a sharp breath, his voice a few notches higher, “ Wei Yuhe?”

“You already won him over?”

Lu Yan: “Not yet, but I think I’m close.”

Fang Xu: “Have you been staying at his place these past few days?”

There was a hint of pride in Lu Yan’s voice, “Yep.”

Fang Xu: “Does Liang-ge know?”

After a brief silence, Lu Yan replied, “Don’t tell him. If he finds out, he’ll call and nag for ages.”

Fang Xu: “I won’t say anything. So, are you coming out? Let’s grab some food together?”

Thinking that Wei Yuhe would probably return later that evening, Lu Yan agreed, “Alright.”

Lu Yan had only brought one set of clothes, so he’d been wearing Wei Yuhe’s for the past few days. Since he was shorter than Wei Yuhe and had a smaller frame, the oversized hoodie ended up looking like an impromptu streetwear look on him.

With no bag, he twirled a keyring around his finger and hummed a tune as he walked out. But the moment he saw the person coming his way, he froze, dropping the key and stopping mid-song.

Of all people, Lu Yan hadn’t expected to run into Shen Zhixing here. Back when he’d tried to pursue Shen Zhixing, he could barely catch a glimpse of him even after days of waiting. Now, when he’d already moved on, they seemed to be running into each other constantly.

Shen Zhixing wore a long, brown trench coat, tall and elegant, giving off serious K-drama male lead vibes.

“Senior, what a coincidence!” The surprise on Lu Yan’s face wasn’t feigned; he genuinely hadn’t expected this.

Shen Zhixing hadn’t anticipated running into Lu Yan either, but he took it in stride. He paused for a moment, then smiled and greeted him, “What a coincidence.”

Lu Yan asked, “Does Senior live here?”

Shen Zhixing replied, “My sister lives here. I came to pick something up. What about you?”

Lu Yan grinned, “I’m visiting a friend who lives here.”

Raising an eyebrow, Shen Zhixing looked at Lu Yan, his face smiling, but his eyes scanned Lu Yan’s clothes from top to bottom.

It was understandable that he was curious; the hoodie on Lu Yan was noticeably loose, more so than usual. Lu Yan also never used to wear this style, and this particular piece looked like something his nephew would wear.

“What’s Senior looking at?” Lu Yan glanced down, checking for any stains or dirt on his clothes.

Shen Zhixing smiled, “I just thought this outfit looked familiar.”

Lu Yan couldn’t imagine why it looked familiar. All white hoodies looked more or less the same, right? The only difference might be that Wei Yuhe’s were pricier and less common. But with no logo on it, how did he find it familiar?

“What part of it looks familiar?” Lu Yan asked, puzzled.

Shen Zhixing answered, “Maybe because my nephew has an identical one.”

Lu Yan immediately imagined Shen Zhixing’s nephew as a little kid. “Your nephew must be developing well, then.”

Shen Zhixing: “…” Developing well?

Lu Yan continued, “Wearing adult-sized clothes at such a young age?”

Shen Zhixing recalled his six-foot-tall nephew. “Yes, he’s grown well.”

“Your family must have good genes,” Lu Yan added, forgetting that he shouldn’t be flirting with Shen Zhixing anymore.

“What’s kept you busy lately? You haven’t messaged me in a while.” Shen Zhixing looked at him with his charming eyes, brimming with amusement. If Lu Yan didn’t know Shen Zhixing looked at everyone like this, he might have thought he was being flirted with.

Lu Yan: “…” Busy chasing someone.

Before he could respond, Shen Zhixing continued, “So, have you set your sights on someone new?”

Lu Yan almost choked. This guy already knew but was still playing along?

“Well, you were too hard to catch,” Lu Yan said, feigning innocence.

“Hard, really?” Shen Zhixing didn’t seem to realize how difficult he was to chase.

“It was like a hell-level dungeon,” Lu Yan replied.

Shen Zhixing suddenly leaned in, smiling as he asked, “Would you like me to lower the difficulty for you?”

Lu Yan looked at him, already feeling he was being teased. This guy was clearly trouble, using such smooth lines to flirt.

Lu Yan grinned, “Depends on how much you’re lowering it.”

Shen Zhixing frowned, as though it was a hard question. After a moment, he replied in a joking tone, “How about I make it beginner level?”

Lu Yan: “…” He definitely felt flirted with.

“Well, thank you, Senior.”

“I actually have something to do, so I’ll get going.” Without waiting for Shen Zhixing’s response, Lu Yan grabbed his keys and hurried off.

Watching Lu Yan’s bunny-like, bouncing steps as he ran off, Shen Zhixing couldn’t help but chuckle, “Little liar.”

He knew that Lu Yan had set his sights on someone else, though he didn’t know who.

He wondered how long Lu Yan would stick with this one.