Li An's Worry

"..." Liu Neng and Xue Chen exchanged a wordless glance, both rolling their eyes inwardly. Wife-stealing grudge, my ass. Still, they both nodded perfunctorily, lest the other man lose his temper.

Whether it was deliberate or not, after Li An had arranged everyone's seats, the only spot left was beside Lin Ran, so he naturally sat down there.

Lin Ran had initially wanted to get up and leave, but then he felt that if he really left or changed seats, it would make him seem like he was afraid of the other man. So he could only force himself to stay seated, then glare at him.

Li An did not seem bothered. Smiling, he urged him to eat. "These are all your favorites. Give them a try. Don't worry, they're not poisoned." He barely suppressed a laugh as he spoke.

"Hmph, who said I liked these?" Lin Ran deliberately added the dish he hated most, chicken stewed with mushrooms, then stuffed it straight into his mouth.

"Fine, fine. You like it, so eat more." Li An sounded helpless.

"What's with that tone you use to coax a child? Are you plotting something?" Lin Ran narrowed his eyes at him.

"Then you've misunderstood me. How would I dare plot anything? We've been romantic rivals for years. We can be considered friends, at least. I wouldn't do something like that.

"It's mainly because I sympathize with you. You're being way too conspiratorial." Li An shook his head as he spoke, a hint of smugness in his eyes.

"Hmph, you can actually say that with a straight face? Why do I feel like you're getting craftier and craftier?" Lin Ran shot back, not believing him at all.

"Haha, isn't this for everyone's good? We're in college now. We can't keep butting heads over something so trivial, can we?" Li An smiled and shook his head, then spun the lazy Susan toward Lin Ran. "There's plenty more here that you like. Hurry up and eat."

"That's more like it."

"Brother Chen, do you think that love triangle between Lin Ran, Li An, and An Duo that caused such a stir back then... was they really fighting over An Duo?" Watching the two interact, Liu Neng looked skeptically at Xue Chen.

"I only heard about it from others. I never saw it myself. Besides, An Duo didn't seem to come forward and say anything at the time," Xue Chen said.

Liu Neng stroked his chin. "Brother Chen, I suddenly have a... hmm."

"Don't say anything yet. This is all just speculation. Don't forget about An Duo and Su Feifei." Xue Chen glanced around and saw that no one was paying attention to Li An and Lin Ran. He quietly sighed in relief, then shook his head at Liu Neng.

"I understand. I know."

"It's good that you understand. Maybe it's just an illusion..." After saying that, Xue Chen drank another glass of wine. He suddenly thought of Fu Hengzhou and wondered what the other man was doing now.

Li An's Worry

"I hope you all have bright futures and smooth sailing ahead!" Their homeroom teacher, Old Chen, was practically beaming. This year, the students in his class had scored better than one another, especially the few students he cared most about, who had been admitted directly to Imperial Capital University. That was something countless people could only dream of. Seeing them filled with hope for the future, the little reluctance in his heart vanished. He only wanted to send them home as soon as possible.

"Thank you, Teacher!" the whole class said in unison.

Old Chen's expression immediately softened. "All right, it's about time. Head home early! See you tomorrow!"

Everyone left the hotel reluctantly after saying their goodbyes. Xue Chen glanced toward Li An and Lin Ran, who were tugging at each other not far away.

"I'm warning you, let go!" Lin Ran glared with his large, watery eyes, looking furious enough to grit his teeth.

"I want to tell you something. Actually, I..." Li An paused, just about to continue.

"Hey, hey, hey... What's going on with you two? Why do you start fighting the moment you meet? Tell me, what are you two talking about?" Liu Neng, who had not left yet, happened to spot them. He hurried over and wedged himself between them, then casually used the opportunity to pull them apart.

"Liu Neng?" Li An asked, sounding both surprised and annoyed.

"Old Li, jokes are jokes, but before you have the strength to back yourself up, it's better not to cause trouble for others." Liu Neng cheerfully moved closer to Li An, lowering his voice so only the two of them could hear. "Don't forget that what happened before wasn't that long ago. Would your father agree to the two of you being together? What about Lin Ran's parents? Are you sure that once you make it clear, Lin Ran will be able to face it easily?"

Li An fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly. "This is my own decision. But I won't let him suffer even the slightest harm."

Liu Neng looked at him, then removed his hand from Li An's shoulder. "Then... good luck."

Li An looked at Lin Ran beside him, lowered his head, and sighed. Then he said, "I... am leaving for France tomorrow. I may be gone for a long time. I... can we make an agreement? Until I come back, don't get a girlfriend."

"What the hell?" Lin Ran froze, wondering if he had misheard.

"I know that right now, I'm not worthy of you. But if one day I can achieve something that makes everyone take notice, then I'll prove to the whole world that I'm worthy of you!" Li An raised his head, his gaze resolute and sincere. Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left. A car was parked in the distance, and it had probably been waiting there for quite some time.

Lin Ran watched the car drive away, then turned back toward Liu Neng and Xue Chen with a baffled expression. "Did you two hear what he just said...?"

"Not sure?" Xue Chen had no intention of getting involved in their relationship. In his previous life, he had never heard that Lin Ran liked men, so in this life, he would not interfere with someone else's sexual orientation either.

"What? Did Li An reveal some earth-shattering secret? What did he say? Spill it?" Liu Neng put on an expression of innocent curiosity, successfully making Lin Ran shut his mouth.

"Your acting is terrible." Xue Chen shot him a glance.

Liu Neng gave him a look in return. "As long as it works."

"You guys go on ahead. I'll walk around a little longer." Lin Ran's thoughts were in turmoil. He could not understand it at all. Why had Li An suddenly said those things to him? Had what happened recently rattled him? This was completely absurd!