“You…” Wei Yuhe seemed a bit dazed. “What are you doing?”

Lu Yan blinked, looking at Wei Yuhe standing in front of him. The guy’s face was red all the way down to his neck, and with that bite mark still visible on his lower lip, Lu Yan finally realized he hadn’t been dreaming just now.

“If I said it wasn’t on purpose, would you believe me?” Lu Yan, for once, felt his own ears heating up.

Wei Yuhe didn’t look pleased; with his reddened lip, he almost seemed like he’d just been roughed up by Lu Yan.

“Let go,” Wei Yuhe demanded, his breath a bit uneven, maybe from anger.

But Lu Yan held on tight, not daring to let go, fearing that if he did, Wei Yuhe would throw him out the door.

“Don’t be mad.”

Lu Yan offered, “How about you bite me back?”

Wei Yuhe glared at him, looking even more annoyed, clearly not buying that it was unintentional.

“I was half asleep just now, and I didn’t even see who it was. I’m really sorry.”

But instead of calming down, Wei Yuhe seemed even angrier after hearing this.

What did he mean by “didn’t see who it was”? Did Lu Yan mistake him for someone else?

“Let go.” Wei Yuhe’s dark eyes were locked onto Lu Yan, not blinking.

“Promise me you’re not mad?” Lu Yan tried to negotiate.

“Stop talking.” Wei Yuhe looked away, no longer staring at him.

With that cue, Lu Yan quickly picked up the bowl of noodles on the table and started slurping it down.

As Wei Yuhe turned to leave, Lu Yan hooked his leg around Wei Yuhe’s, stopping him. “Wait for me to finish, and we’ll go up together.”

Wei Yuhe still looked like he wanted to leave, so Lu Yan quickly added, “I’m scared to be alone.”

Wei Yuhe clearly didn’t believe him. If Lu Yan was really scared, how did he come down alone to grab food without even turning on the lights?

Holding the bowl, Lu Yan’s face was lightly flushed from the steam, giving his pale cheeks a faint red tint.

For some reason, Wei Yuhe found himself sitting back down. Lu Yan, with his bowl in hand, scooted over next to him, slurping his noodles.

As Wei Yuhe glanced at him, he realized he hadn’t even tasted the food.

“Is it good?” The question slipped out of Wei Yuhe’s mouth before he even realized it.

“It’s good,” Lu Yan turned to look at him, his eyes practically crinkling from his smile.

To show his appreciation, Lu Yan even drank all the soup, demonstrating through action that the noodles were, indeed, delicious.

With his hunger satisfied, Lu Yan now felt even sleepier. As he washed the dishes, he could see Wei Yuhe waiting at the kitchen doorway every time he turned around.

After finishing up, Lu Yan even washed a glass and filled it with water, handing it to Wei Yuhe as a peace offering.

“You came down for water, right?” Lu Yan asked.

“Yeah,” Wei Yuhe nodded. He’d almost forgotten he was thirsty until Lu Yan mentioned it again.

Wei Yuhe lifted his head slightly, his jawline sharp and clean, and as his Adam’s apple bobbed while he drank, Lu Yan felt his own mouth go dry just watching.

Lowering his gaze, Wei Yuhe noticed Lu Yan staring directly at him. Lu Yan’s skin was flawless, and in the soft yellow light, his face looked even gentler, his delicate nose catching the warm glow.

“Go back to sleep,” Wei Yuhe said, pulling his gaze away and walking out of the kitchen after setting down his glass.

Lu Yan quickly caught up, trailing behind. “Do you have any plans tomorrow?”

“No,” Wei Yuhe replied.

“Then how about we have hot pot at home tomorrow?” Lu Yan suggested happily, acting as if it was a plan for the both of them.

“You’re not going back tomorrow?” Wei Yuhe stopped abruptly, turning to look down at him.

Lu Yan gave him a pitiful look. “Can’t you let me stay a bit longer? We can go back to school together.”

“Please?” Lu Yan clasped his hands together, looking at him with hopeful eyes.

But Wei Yuhe replied with a blank expression, “No.”

Lu Yan wasn’t ready to give up. “Don’t reject me so quickly! It’s not like you have anyone else here. Isn’t it nice to have me around for company?”

“We could do so many things together. It’d be way more fun.”

Wei Yuhe, already taller than Lu Yan, was now standing on a few steps above him on the staircase, making Lu Yan look even shorter. He stared at Lu Yan in silence, as if to say, “And what exactly would we be doing?”

“We could watch movies together, I could cook for you, and I could even play games with you.” Lu Yan listed off enthusiastically.

“I don’t play games, and I don’t watch movies,” Wei Yuhe rejected bluntly.

“I don’t believe that,” Lu Yan pouted.

Since the soft approach didn’t work, he tried a different tactic. “Unless you beat me up and throw me out, I’m not going anywhere.”

“If you actually hit me, I’ll show up here every night, knocking on your door so you can’t sleep.”

Lu Yan tilted his head with a smug grin.

“Suit yourself.” Wei Yuhe threw down these words and headed up the stairs.

Lu Yan was puzzled. Did “suit yourself” mean he was free to pester him, or that he could stay?

He hurried to catch up with Wei Yuhe, stopping him just before he entered his room. “What do you mean by ‘suit yourself’?”

“Move aside.” Wei Yuhe was getting a bit of a headache. He’d never met anyone as persistent as Lu Yan in his entire life, and he doubted he ever would again.

Everything Lu Yan did should’ve been enough to anger him, but one look at that feigned innocent face, and he just couldn’t stay mad.

Lu Yan leaned against the door, one hand on the doorknob, the other gripping Wei Yuhe’s shirt, clearly signaling he wouldn’t let him enter without a proper answer.

“Move,” Wei Yuhe said, frowning at him.

Lu Yan shook his head. “Nope.”

Wei Yuhe glanced at the doorknob, then reached over, his hand directly covering Lu Yan’s. His hand was dry and larger, easily enveloping Lu Yan’s.

The warmth made Lu Yan flinch, gripping the doorknob even tighter.

For someone who blushed after saying a single line, how could he just go for it like this?

Ignoring Lu Yan’s overactive thoughts, Wei Yuhe exerted a bit of force, turning the doorknob.

As the door swung inward, Lu Yan, who was leaning against it, started to fall back.

Wei Yuhe watched as Lu Yan began to fall, showing no intention of catching him. He figured it was time to teach him a lesson.

But he’d forgotten Lu Yan was still gripping his shirt, so in a tug and pull, he ended up stumbling forward several steps into the room with Lu Yan.

In the end, he had no choice but to catch Lu Yan, stopping both of them from crashing onto the floor.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Lu Yan held onto Wei Yuhe’s shirt, not missing the chance to tease. “Hey, you’re picking up some bad habits…”

With their faces so close, Lu Yan’s breath brushed against Wei Yuhe’s neck, and Wei Yuhe’s movements stiffened as his arm relaxed a bit around him.

“Don’t loosen your grip, alright?” Lu Yan reminded with a grin.

After he was steady, Wei Yuhe let go. Lu Yan, now distracted by exploring Wei Yuhe’s room, didn’t notice that the person behind him was frowning at his wrinkled shirt.

“I’m going to bed,” Wei Yuhe said abruptly, startling Lu Yan, who immediately turned to look at him.

Lu Yan: “…Oh no, he’s mad.”

Deciding not to push his luck, Lu Yan quickly left before Wei Yuhe’s mood worsened, even making sure to close the door behind him.

Finally alone, Wei Yuhe breathed a sigh of relief, staring at the closed door.