Bai Jian pretended not to notice Jiang Cheng’s bewildered gaze and leisurely turned her head, taking a sip of tea.

After a long pause, Jiang Cheng hesitantly spoke, “…So, what do you want? I… I’ll treat you to a meal?”

Bai Jian shook her head, “No, no, I’m not short of a meal.”

Jiang Cheng, feeling defeated, said, “Then I guess I can’t figure it out. Just tell me directly.”

Bai Jian’s lips curled into a slight smile before quickly smoothing back into her usual expression. She coaxed him gently, “…How about you come home with me tonight? The bed at my place is super big and luxurious, way more comfortable than yours! The little cat even does backflips.”

Jiang Cheng almost choked on his soup. That line sounded so much like something a shady guy would say to coax an innocent girl. Their roles were completely wrong. He gave Bai Jian an unspeakable look and immediately shook his head.

Bai Jian was just testing the waters. She knew she wasn’t going to get him to come home with her so easily, but it was worth a try. Whether he agreed or not, it wouldn’t be a loss for her. She sighed quietly, sounding disappointed, though her eyes clearly showed cunning. “Okay, fine—can you at least show me your phone?”

She wanted to see what kind of relationship Jiang Cheng had with Yu Wanlai and why they were so close. Every time they met, he just jumped into the guy’s arms. The two of them better not have that kind of relationship, or she’d lose her mind! They were both girls, and she’d wanted to hug Jiang Cheng for so long, but he refused to let her even hold his hand. But he was so generous with Yu Wanlai! It was absolutely outrageous!

Jiang Cheng: *…* This request was so strange. But of course, he couldn’t let Bai Jian see his phone. What kind of character was she, really? He couldn’t help but start questioning her character again.

“No way!”

Bai Jian grumbled under her breath, “Damn it! There’s definitely a secret!” She took a step back, “Then… how about you pin me on WeChat? You’ll have to reply to my messages first from now on.”

Jiang Cheng quickly nodded, eager to avoid any further difficult requests. “Okay, okay, I’ll do it right now.”

Bai Jian leaned in closer to Jiang Cheng, smelling a faint rose scent on him. She was about to glance at his screen but stopped when she noticed Jiang Cheng looking at her. She immediately averted her gaze and acted casual.

She placed one arm over the back of the chair behind her, and from a distance, it looked like she was holding Jiang Cheng in her arms. Bai Jian seemed a bit enchanted. “Chengzi… What’s that smell on you? It smells so good.”

Jiang Cheng: *…* Oh my God, this is so weird. Really, really weird. The female lead is like some kind of vampire trying to suck his blood.

He quickly shoved his phone in front of Bai Jian’s eyes, and while she wasn’t paying attention, he stood up and moved to a different spot. “Look! I’ve set it up. Remember, no more adding ‘little’ to my name.”

Bai Jian happily nodded, “Alright! Got it.”

Thinking about Jiang Cheng’s slightly fearful look earlier, Bai Jian pondered for a moment before asking again, “By the way, Chengzi, do you use any kind of perfume or body wash? The scent is really nice, can you send me a link?”

Jiang Cheng: *…* Oh no, he felt guilty towards the female lead. She was so kind and pure, how could he avoid her like this? What if she’s upset? Her expression really looked a little downcast. And besides, she only smelled around his neck without any physical contact. He shouldn’t have taken advantage of the situation. But the problem was, what if Bai Jian misunderstood and thought he hated her because of his earlier reaction?

Jiang Cheng then moved back to his original position and handed her the body wash he was using, explaining carefully, “…This body wash does smell nice, and I think it’s good, but the price is pretty average. You might not get used to it. Maybe you can try finding a brand with a similar scent, something even better.”

Bai Jian watched Jiang Cheng’s serious side profile and the delicate, slender neck. She swallowed, feeling a bit dry in the throat. She picked up her cup and took another sip of tea. In her mind, she thought, ‘How easy it is to deceive this little cutie! Changing the brand wouldn’t work, because if she switched, she wouldn’t smell like the little cutie anymore.‘

—

Yu Qingyue returned to the hospital room and saw Yu Wanlai lying quietly on the bed, thinking he had fallen asleep. He turned to gently close the door and planned to lie down with Yu Wanlai for a while. But just as he turned around, he saw Yu Wanlai sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring at him with a somewhat displeased expression.

Yu Wanlai had indeed felt sleepy earlier, but when he lay down, he just couldn’t fall asleep. His mind was filled with images of Yu Qingyue and Bai Jian hugging together. Yu Qingyue’s heart skipped a beat. He took a deep breath and walked over to Yu Wanlai. First, he moved the chairs they had been sitting in back to their original positions, then he brought over an untouched chair and sat down.

“Brother, you’re not sleeping?” Yu Wanlai watched Yu Qingyue’s series of strange movements and twitched his mouth. He thought Yu Qingyue must be so OCD that he couldn’t bear other people touching the female lead’s things. Then again, he might just not want someone else to touch her stuff. Yu Wanlai’s mood instantly soured. He scrutinized Yu Qingyue a few times, then asked, “Finished eating so soon? Didn’t you take Bai Jian with you?”

Both of them ate that quickly?

“If you have something to do, you can go. After you’re done, no need to come back here,” Yu Wanlai added.

Upon hearing this, Yu Qingyue immediately became displeased. He looked up sharply at Yu Wanlai, “I don’t…”

“…Brother, do you want to kick me out?” Yu Wanlai said, slowly lowering his head, looking somewhat wronged.

Yu Qingyue: … This is such an injustice. He wasn’t trying to chase him away! He just thought he had interrupted the development of the main couple’s relationship, so he wanted to make up for it. How could that be considered kicking someone out??

Yu Wanlai felt that once he heard the news of these two successfully getting engaged, he could retire with dignity and move out of the Yu family. His mood lifted. “I’m not kicking you out, I just don’t want to delay you.”

Before he could finish, Yu Qingyue cut him off, “Not delaying.”

Yu Wanlai: Lies! The male lead has changed! I still preferred the aloof version of you!

Since Yu Qingyue insisted he wasn’t busy, Yu Wanlai couldn’t really argue. He put on a big brother expression. “Well… how about we chat for a bit? We never really talk much.”

It had gotten a bit warm, so Yu Qingyue stood up, hung his coat, and sat down again, then replied, “Sure, brother, what do you want to talk about?”

So now he’s calling him brother instead of little brother? Yu Wanlai felt a chill down his back and wrapped himself in the blanket.

“Well… What do you think of Bai Jian?” Yu Qingyue asked.

A fleeting shadow passed through Yu Wanlai’s eyes, but it was quickly hidden. His expression remained normal as he searched for unflattering words, “She doesn’t act like a lady, she’s noisy, messy, irresponsible, and stupid.”

Yu Wanlai inhaled sharply. Was he talking about the female lead? She seemed like a refined lady. He looked at Yu Qingyue in disbelief. Then it dawned on him: he was probably trying to ward him off, worried that he would compete for her. So it turns out… they were already emotionally connected before the engagement…

Yu Wanlai felt like he’d uncovered the truth. He ignored the slight discomfort in his heart. “So, do you… have anyone you like now?”

Yu Qingyue’s ears turned red, his heart filled with joy, and a subtle expectation appeared in his eyes. “Brother… what exactly do you want to say?”

Although Yu Wanlai didn’t get a clear answer, he didn’t hear any denial either, and somehow, he felt like he had been struck by an arrow in his heart. “…I think… you’re still young, and there’s no rush to talk about relationships. Maybe we can think about this in a couple of years?”

He had completely forgotten the original intention of their conversation.

Yu Qingyue pressed his lips together. He thought… he really shouldn’t have had any expectations of this person. He didn’t want to listen to Yu Wanlai anymore, so he kicked off his shoes and threw himself onto the bed. “Brother, I’m cold.”

Yu Wanlai immediately pulled the blanket over to Yu Qingyue’s side. “Cold? Why didn’t you say something sooner…?”

Before he could finish his sentence, Yu Qingyue reached out and hugged him. “Brother, can you warm my hands, please?”

Yu Wanlai put down the blanket and reached out his hand. Just as he was about to take Yu Qingyue’s hand, he felt a chill on his waist. It startled him for a moment.

“You…” Yu Qingyue’s hand slipped under his shirt and landed on Yu Wanlai’s abdomen. He had originally wanted to touch, but didn’t dare, so he obediently kept his hand still there.

Yu Qingyue tilted his head in confusion. “What’s wrong? I think this spot warms up quickly. Is it not okay?”

Yu Wanlai’s breath faltered for a moment. He nodded, “…It’s fine.” He retracted his hand, clutching the edge of the blanket, and covered both of them. He asked while looking down at Yu Qingyue, his chin lightly tickled by Yu Qingyue’s soft hair. “Still cold?”

Yu Wanlai’s voice vibrated through his chest, and Yu Qingyue felt his face heat up again. He shook his head. He wasn’t really cold.

Then, thinking of something, he suddenly looked up to check on Yu Wanlai. “Brother, tomorrow is Lantern Festival, we should…” buy some rice dumplings.

The latter half of the sentence faded away, as his forehead suddenly brushed against something soft. When he realized what it was, Yu Qingyue felt like smoke was about to rise from his head.

Yu Wanlai hadn’t expected it either, but since they were both men, it wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t pay it much attention, but still tilted his head back, stepping back a little. “What’s up with the rice dumplings?”

Yu Qingyue looked at the distance that had unconsciously formed between them, and his expression darkened. Despite trying to suppress his heartbeat, there was still a slight tremor in his voice. “…Let’s go to the supermarket and buy some ingredients to make them ourselves. Can you do that, brother?”

Yu Wanlai blinked, confused. “…Are you sure?” When did the male lead suddenly become interested in cooking?

Then, his thoughts shifted… Ah! He must want to make them for the female lead!

Yu Wanlai: ‘So I’m just a tool… fine, well, he’s my brother after all.‘

The next morning, Qin Shuang and Yu Cheng came to pick them up. Initially, Yu Qingyue didn’t want them to come, but then he worried that Yu Wanlai might feel left out, so he didn’t say anything. Besides, he hadn’t found a good enough reason to tell his parents not to come, especially since Qin Shuang had been showing a lot of care for Yu Wanlai recently.

It was almost the same scene as before, the last time Yu Qingyue left the hospital, now Yu Wanlai was leaving. Yu Qingyue and Yu Wanlai were walking behind Yu Cheng and Qin Shuang.

Yu Qingyue pressed his lips together. Seeing that Yu Wanlai still didn’t seem inclined to hold him, he moved closer to Yu Wanlai.

Yu Wanlai clicked his tongue and lowered his gaze to Yu Qingyue, but Yu Qingyue wasn’t looking at him.

Yu Wanlai: “…What’s going on? Why is this person squeezing me today? I’m going to be pushed into the flower bed!”

Suddenly, an idea struck Yu Wanlai, and with a quick twist of his waist, he turned and pushed Yu Qingyue half a step to the side with his bottom.

Yu Qingyue staggered and blushed, his face turning red from the wind. He looked up and glared at Yu Wanlai, “What the hell was that push for?”

Yu Wanlai realized what had happened and found it a bit funny. He couldn’t help but tilt his head and chuckle softly.

Yu Qingyue got even angrier. “What are you laughing at?”

Yu Wanlai shook his head, biting his cheek, trying to hold back his laughter, but the amusement still spread across his eyes. He lifted one hand and gently touched Yu Qingyue’s slightly flushed cheek. He thought to himself, *His face is all red from the cold wind. The weather has started warming up, it’s not really cold anymore. Even Yu Wanlai, who is afraid of the cold, has switched to wearing a coat.* But seeing how delicate the young master was, Yu Wanlai couldn’t help but think to himself, ‘He really is spoiled.‘

Without stopping, Yu Wanlai pulled a black mask out of his pocket, raised his hand, and put it on Yu Qingyue. Now, only Yu Qingyue’s bright eyes were visible. He lowered his gaze to glance at it and reached up to take it off. As he moved, the mask shifted with his movements. “What’s this?”