Lu Yan had just arrived home when he got a call from Liang Mu. The elevator’s signal was weak, so he planned to call back after getting out. But as soon as the elevator doors opened, he spotted Liang Mu leaning against his door.

“Why didn’t you answer my call?” Liang Mu asked, still holding his phone to his ear as he eyed Lu Yan.

“I was in the elevator, no signal.” Lu Yan shrugged. “Why are you here?”

Liang Mu followed him inside, standing next to Lu Yan to change his shoes. “Do you know who the actual boss behind the acquisition of your company is?”

Lu Yan paused slightly, and Liang Mu immediately guessed he’d already met Wei Yuhe.

“You’ve seen him?”

Liang Mu suddenly stopped, reaching over to pull Lu Yan closer. “What happened to your neck?”

Lu Yan was still in his formal clothes, so the bruise on his neck was fully visible if he didn’t make an effort to hide it.

Just as he was trying to think of an excuse, he heard Liang Mu ask, “Was it Wei Yuhe?”

“Are you planning to resign?”

Lu Yan thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah.”

“Want me to go with you?” Liang Mu offered.

Lu Yan shook his head. “No need, my assistant will be with me.”

Liang Mu joked, “So you’re saying I’m not as good as your colleagues?”

Lu Yan rolled his eyes. “Exactly. My assistant is way better than you.”

Liang Mu wasn’t offended; he just sighed, “You little ingrate.”

“Oh, please, you’re barely older than me. Stop acting mature,” Lu Yan said, flopping down on the sofa. It’d been a while since they’d hung out so casually.

“Seriously, though, let me go with you tomorrow,” Liang Mu insisted.

Lu Yan turned to him. “No, I don’t need you to babysit me. I’m not a kid. Going to resign with a chaperone? What would people think?”

Liang Mu looked back at him. “Since when do you care what people think?”

Lu Yan raised an eyebrow. “Guess I have no choice. I’m kind of a big deal now.”

“If you join me, there’s no need to care about others’ opinions,” Liang Mu replied.

Lu Yan chuckled. “You’re still trying to convince me?”

Liang Mu raised his brows. “I just don’t get why you won’t join me. The whole studio was set up for you.”

Lu Yan said, “Change the name ‘Mu Yan’ first, and then I might consider it.”

Liang Mu waved it off. “What’s wrong with the name? It sounds way better than your current company’s.”

Lu Yan shot back, “I’m a reformed man now. Doesn’t matter what you call your studio; it won’t tempt me.”

Liang Mu moved a little closer to Lu Yan, tilting his head with a teasing smile. “Are you sure you’re unshakable?”

Lu Yan shivered under that look. Since when did Liang Mu learn to flirt like this, with eyes that could hook a person in?

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m immune to your type,” Lu Yan said.

“Oh? Then what’s your type?”

Liang Mu’s question was casual, and Lu Yan didn’t pay it much mind, but his thoughts wandered, and before he knew it, an image of Wei Yuhe popped into his mind.

They’d once shared some happy days, brief as they were, but enough to make it impossible for him to forget. He doubted he’d ever fully erase the mark Wei Yuhe left on his mind.

Meeting someone so captivating, so out of reach, having a love so intense—it left a trace that made anyone else seem insignificant by comparison.

“You don’t know my type?” Lu Yan smiled, brushing it off.

Liang Mu didn’t reply. He knew all too well, which is why it annoyed him.

“Do you want some ointment for your neck?” Liang Mu asked, pointing at the bruise on Lu Yan’s neck.

Lu Yan shook his head. “It’ll fade soon. It just looks bad; it doesn’t actually hurt.”

“So, what brought you here today?” Lu Yan asked, shifting the topic.

“Why, can’t I come without a reason?” Liang Mu raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, I’m a popular streamer now. You can’t just drop by anytime. Imagine if there’s a scandal—what would we do?”

Liang Mu laughed. “If there’s a scandal, I’ll just marry you. Problem solved.”

Lu Yan scoffed, “Get lost.”

Liang Mu chuckled, but he didn’t push it. Lu Yan used to be the one who loved saying flirtatious things like that.

“What’s up? Got something else to say?” Lu Yan asked.

“Why are you so cold to me these days?” Liang Mu looked at Lu Yan, feigning seriousness.

“I’ve always been like this, haven’t I?” Lu Yan replied.

Liang Mu shook his head. “No, you weren’t like this before.”

At least, not when he was tangled up with Wei Yuhe. Or maybe things changed after he realized Liang Mu had feelings for him.

Lu Yan gave him a curious look. “So, what was I like back then?”

Liang Mu stared at him quietly for a while, then just ruffled his hair and sighed, “You figure it out.”

“I’ll head out now. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.”

Without waiting for Lu Yan to refuse, he moved to the entrance, put on his shoes, opened the door, and left, giving Lu Yan no chance to protest.

The room returned to its usual quiet. Lu Yan sprawled on the sofa for a long time, thoughts drifting between memories of the old Wei Yuhe and the one he’d seen just today. Scenes of their brief sweet moments intermingled with bloody, painful memories.

Suddenly, Lu Yan shot up from the sofa, his face twisted in delayed anger. After a long moment of silence, the stillness of the living room was broken by his exasperated outburst.

“What’s his problem?” Lu Yan was suddenly wide awake, a mix of emotions flashing across his face as he sat there, finally venting in frustration.

“When did I ever act slutty?” he muttered, feeling like someone who’d lost an argument and was now rehashing it in his head, frustrated by his own timid response at the time.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Sleep was impossible now.

He turned on the TV and mindlessly clicked through the channels. When an old animated show popped up, he paused, letting himself get absorbed by the laughing characters on the screen.

He couldn’t believe this show was still on air. Back when he was trying to woo Wei Yuhe, he’d spent hours at his place, watching snippets of it. He couldn’t imagine now how he’d had the patience to thaw that iceberg’s heart.

If there was a moment when Wei Yuhe’s attitude softened toward him, it was probably that National Day holiday. Lu Yan had shamelessly insisted on tagging along with him home.

Every time the school went on break, it felt like an amusement park after hours—empty and deserted. Lu Yan didn’t return to his own dorm but made a detour to Wei Yuhe’s dorm building.

He didn’t even know if Wei Yuhe was still there; he just wanted to take a chance. And apparently, his luck was good because not only was Wei Yuhe still there, but his dorm door was even open.

“Not leaving yet, junior?” Lu Yan asked, leaning against the door, staring at Wei Yuhe.

“Can I come in?”

Wei Yuhe glanced at him. He knew that even if he said no, this guy would still waltz right in, so asking was pointless.

“Why haven’t you packed your stuff yet?” Lu Yan asked, noting how spotless the dorm was. There wasn’t even a suitcase out.

“Not taking anything back?”

“No.” Wei Yuhe closed his book and neatly placed it back on the desk.

He hadn’t planned to leave so soon, but now that Lu Yan had found his dorm, he figured he might as well go home.

All he had was a small, flat athletic bag slung across his shoulder—didn’t seem like he’d packed much.

“Let me buy you a meal before you go?” Lu Yan suggested. “Eat before you leave.”

“No need,” Wei Yuhe replied coolly, standing by the door with his keys, looking at Lu Yan expressionlessly.

It had only been a couple of days without contact, yet he was back to his icy self. Lu Yan couldn’t understand him; his heart was like a needle at the bottom of the ocean.

Without sparing him a glance, Wei Yuhe walked toward the school gate, Lu Yan trailing behind, ignored as if he were invisible.

He called out, “Junior!” No response.

“Handsome!” No response.

“Cutie!” Still nothing.

“Wei Yuhe!” For the first time, Lu Yan called his full name. Maybe it was his usual casual nicknames, like he was just toying with him, but the seriousness in his voice caught Wei Yuhe’s attention. He finally turned to look.

Lu Yan couldn’t keep a straight face for long. The moment he saw him look over, he started teasing again. “You like me calling you by your name?”

“Then I’ll call you by your name from now on, sound good?”

He was back to his mischievous, playful self.

“No,” Wei Yuhe responded coldly.

“Why not? Don’t like it?” Lu Yan squinted at him, the sunlight making his skin almost translucent.

“How about Xiao Yu?” he tried, but Wei Yuhe didn’t reply, his gaze only getting colder.

“Or Xiao He?”

Those dark, icy eyes seemed to draw him in, brows knitted with annoyance.

“Yu He?” Lu Yan thought that was normal enough.

“Hmph…” Wei Yuhe didn’t agree or refuse, just gave a soft grunt, his icy gaze showing signs of softening.

Oh, he likes being called Yu He?

“Yu He…” Lu Yan murmured, his tone warm and intimate. Though he said it this way to everyone, it somehow felt extra affectionate when he said it now.

“I want to go to your place.” Lu Yan clutched onto his bag’s strap, looking at him with eager puppy eyes.

While they were talking, Lu Yan had unconsciously moved closer until he was gripping the strap of his bag.

Other students coming and going mostly just glanced at them, but some couldn’t resist whispering and pointing at Lu Yan.

But he seemed used to it. He didn’t care what people said about him. From the moment he realized he could be with a guy, he was all in, and his relationships were as high-key as they got.

“Why’s he pestering Wei Yuhe again?”

“God, he’s shameless.”

“He’s wasting such a good-looking face. Can’t he be a bit more reserved?”

A few girls at the gate started whispering when they spotted Lu Yan beside Wei Yuhe, their words tinged with disdain.

Lu Yan, however, didn’t get mad. Instead, he turned to wave cheerfully at the girls, his delicate, fair face lighting up with a smile.

“Oh my god…he’s gorgeous.”

“Who can possibly handle this heartthrob?”

“Seriously, I’m done.”

Their voices grew louder, and even Wei Yuhe turned to glance at them. But his gaze landed on Lu Yan instead, whose cheeks were flushed from the sun.

This guy must have a screw loose. Even when people badmouth him, he just smiles at them.

Just then, the car arrived. Without thinking, Wei Yuhe pulled Lu Yan into it. Only after they’d driven a bit did he realize what he’d done.

“Where are you going?” His tone was stiff, as if still annoyed that he’d let Lu Yan get in.

“Wherever you go, I go,” Lu Yan replied, settling comfortably in the back seat, his tone cheerful. He hadn’t expected Wei Yuhe to actually bring him along.

He had those girls to thank for the assist! His dear little junior, Wei Yuhe, was way too easy to fool.