In the car, Lu Yan initially wanted to chat with Wei Yuhe, but the other guy sat there with his arms crossed, eyes closed, clearly not interested in talking. Lu Yan had no choice but to keep quiet.

The silence was so thick that after half an hour, Lu Yan finally couldn’t hold on and drifted off to sleep.

Once his companion had gone quiet, Wei Yuhe turned to see what Lu Yan was up to. This was probably the longest Lu Yan had ever stayed silent around him.

Lu Yan had his head tilted against the window, his soft hair catching the sunlight and practically glowing. The car window wasn’t fully closed, so a chilly breeze slipped through the gap, ruffling his fluffy hair and making him subconsciously huddle his shoulders.

Seeing this, Wei Yuhe leaned over to close the window.

“What are you doing?” Lu Yan muttered, half-awake, looking at him in confusion.

Lu Yan’s hands moved faster than his brain, and before Wei Yuhe could pull back, Lu Yan had grabbed the two strings dangling from his hoodie, effectively keeping him in place at a close but not-too-close distance.

“Let go,” Wei Yuhe’s hoodie strings had tightened, bunching up around his neck.

“Believe me, I didn’t do it on purpose,” Lu Yan said, finally awake. He quickly loosened his grip on the strings, even reaching to smooth out the bunched-up hood.

But as he moved his hand over, Wei Yuhe blocked him, throwing him a glare that could freeze anyone.

Lu Yan was pretty much immune to those frosty glares by now. After seeing them so often, he even found them kind of cute.

After all, no matter how cold he tried to be, he was still just a teenage boy.

“I really didn’t mean it,” Lu Yan said seriously, nearly raising a hand as if to swear. But his soft, almost wheedling tone didn’t exactly sell the sincerity.

“The driver can vouch for me,” Lu Yan added, giving the driver a sincere look through the rearview mirror.

The driver: “…”

The driver had no idea what had happened, nor could he be a witness.

Throughout this, Wei Yuhe remained silent, his expression as indifferent as ever, making it impossible to tell if he was angry or not.

No matter what Lu Yan said, he got no reaction. When he finally seemed too noisy, all Wei Yuhe said was, “Be quiet.”

Those two words had an effect…for about five minutes. After that, he’d have to repeat himself, and this cycle continued until they reached their destination.

After getting out of the car, Wei Yuhe stood by the door and told the driver, “Please take him back. I’ll cover the fare.” Without waiting for Lu Yan’s reaction, he shut the door firmly.

“I’m not leaving; I’m getting out here,” Lu Yan called out, hopping out of the car, shutting the door, and chasing after Wei Yuhe in one smooth movement.

“You can’t just lock me in the car like that,” Lu Yan grumbled in protest.

“Don’t follow me,” Wei Yuhe said, striding ahead without looking back. After a while, he realized there were no footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw Lu Yan standing where he’d stopped, looking at him with a pitiful expression.

Since when was he this obedient? He actually stopped when told not to follow?

Sighing in resignation, Wei Yuhe walked back over. Seeing Lu Yan’s pitiful look, his face softened slightly, though still tinged with annoyance. “Come on, then.”

With that, Lu Yan cheekily stretched out a hand toward him, making his intentions all too clear. Something about this moment felt strangely familiar.

In the end, Wei Yuhe couldn’t bring himself to leave Lu Yan standing on the street, so he took his hand and led him back home.

It felt odd, like picking up a pretty little stray pet from the street. Only, he didn’t know if this pet already had an owner, or if he took it home, whether it would grow attached to him or rely on him to the point of not wanting to leave. That uncertainty kept him hesitant.

Lu Yan shuffled along in oversized slippers, sitting primly on the sofa like a guest, adding to the absurdity.

“When are you planning to leave?” Wei Yuhe asked bluntly.

Lu Yan frowned. “What kind of host asks when you’re leaving right after inviting you in? Besides, your place is so big; it wouldn’t hurt to spare me a room, right?”

“Leave after dinner,” Wei Yuhe cut off Lu Yan’s suggestions.

“Are you cooking?” Lu Yan asked, surprised, staring at him.

“Takeout,” Wei Yuhe replied expressionlessly.

Lu Yan blinked, putting on his most endearing expression. “How about I cook?”

Wei Yuhe looked at him, clearly skeptical about Lu Yan’s cooking abilities. Lu Yan kicked off his slippers and hopped over to sit on the sofa opposite him.

“Forget takeout; let’s buy groceries instead?” Lu Yan used Wei Yuhe’s hand to open up a shopping app on his phone.

Without saying a word, Wei Yuhe watched Lu Yan scroll through grocery options with such focus, like he was choosing some kind of experiment materials.

“No need. I already ordered,” he replied, shutting off his phone and shifting a bit to put more space between them.

Lu Yan protested, “I’ve never cooked for anyone before. You’d be the first. Are you sure you want to pass that up?”

To him, “first-time cook” just sounded like a bigger reason to refuse.

The takeout arrived quickly, within half an hour, but Lu Yan looked deflated. Mainly because he knew as soon as he finished eating, he’d be asked to leave.

He stalled for as long as possible, not putting down his chopsticks until the food was cold. Back in the day, he would never have believed he’d one day find himself humbling like this to chase after someone.

“Do you really have to kick me out?” Lu Yan asked, giving him a pleading look.

Without a word, Wei Yuhe packed up the food containers, carried the trash to the door, and opened it, looking back at Lu Yan.

“So stingy,” Lu Yan muttered as he went to put on his shoes.

“Have you ever had classmates over?” Lu Yan suddenly asked as he was about to leave.

Wei Yuhe shook his head. “No.”

“What about friends?” Lu Yan asked again.

Another shake of the head. “No.”

Instantly, Lu Yan’s gloomy mood brightened. “Then that makes me the only one who’s ever been to your place, right?”

Wei Yuhe didn’t respond. He wouldn’t say “yes,” but neither would he say “no,” as Lu Yan was indeed the only one who’d been here.

“So…can I come over and visit you again sometime?” Lu Yan knew he’d be refused but couldn’t help asking. Even a less-than-firm refusal would make him happy. It was a strange feeling, this idea of letting someone else’s reaction sway his own mood so much.

“No.” Unfortunately, there was no hesitation in Wei Yuhe’s rejection.

“Oh, don’t be so heartless,” Lu Yan teased, unfazed, still smiling playfully at him.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Lu Yan asked casually, barely giving him a chance to respond before adding, “I’ll come hang out with you. Sound good?”

“Guess I’ll be off then.” Before waiting for an answer, Lu Yan turned and dashed out of sight.

After disposing of the trash, Wei Yuhe returned to his place. The slippers Lu Yan had worn lay haphazardly by the door, the couch pillows were scattered all over, and on one side of the room was the same neatness as usual, while the other bore signs of Lu Yan’s presence. Even the dining chair where he’d sat was slightly askew.

Somehow, in the short time he’d been here, Lu Yan had managed to leave traces of himself everywhere, his untamed messiness imprinting itself onto the apartment just like his own chaotic, carefree personality.

Lost in thought, Wei Yuhe stood there until his phone rang, snapping him back to reality.

“Hey, Uncle,” he greeted.

“You don’t have other plans for National Day, right?” The voice on the other end was a gentle, low tone, sounding quite young.

“No, I don’t.”

“Then remember to come by tomorrow. Your grandparents will be here too.”

Instead of immediately agreeing, his thoughts drifted to Lu Yan, who had said he’d come by tomorrow.

Before he even realized it, the words slipped out: “I actually have plans tomorrow. I’ll come by the day after.”

“That’s fine. Just take care of your own things first.”

After hanging up, he stood there for a while, still unsure of what had just happened. He didn’t know what had gotten into him. He could easily ignore Lu Yan; it wasn’t like he’d promised him anything.

Or he could simply message Lu Yan, telling him not to come tomorrow. But despite how easy it would be, he had no intention of doing so.