Do You Really Not Know, or Are You Pretending?

"Mm."

Yu An gave He Li'an a relaxed smile, but his hand remained clutching his sleeve.

He was not afraid at all.

Those people's gazes were merely curious, without any malice.

It was just that He Li'an seemed to think he was weak and fragile, unable to bear even this kind of scrutiny, and had even begun to feel sorry for him.

Yu An knew that this was the kind of emotion that could strengthen a relationship.

So he had no intention of explaining.

He Li'an lowered his eyes to glance at his sleeve, then silently used his other hand to press the elevator button.

Yu An obediently followed him inside. When he lowered his head, he pretended to have only just noticed that he was still holding He Li'an's sleeve and immediately let go. "Sorry."

As he spoke, he watched He Li'an's expression.

He Li'an was merely gentle toward others; he did not look gentle. When he was not smiling, he had an aloof, aristocratic air that made him seem unattainable.

"It's fine." He lowered his eyes to look at Yu An, a faint smile at the corners of his eyes.

This was the expression he habitually wore when speaking to people, so it gave others the impression that he was incredibly soft-hearted, inside and out.

As if no matter how excessive someone's actions were, he could simply smile them off and forgive them with ease.

But a person—

A person of flesh and blood—how could he possibly be soft all the way through?

He was not a cotton doll.

Still, for now, He Li'an seemed to be very taken with this act of his.

—A well-behaved, obedient, studious, polite junior.

"Are you sure this is the place?"

At the restaurant entrance, He Li'an stopped and turned his head to ask Yu An in a low voice.

Yu An tilted his head slightly to look at him and answered frankly, "Yes."

He Li'an pressed his lips together slightly, as though he felt a little embarrassed about what he was about to say.

After two seconds, he asked again, "Do you know what kind of place this is?"

Without hesitation, Yu An said, "A restaurant."

It was just a couples' restaurant.

But he had to pretend not to know.

They were both in uniform. One was clean-cut and delicate-looking, the other handsome and composed. Standing at the entrance of a couples' restaurant, they made quite an eye-catching pair, and every passerby looked their way.

He Li'an began, "You..."

The suggestive looks from passersby clearly meant they had already misunderstood their relationship. If he refused to go in with Yu An now, he would probably hurt Yu An's pride.

Yu An pretended not to notice his hesitation. "What is it?"

"Nothing." He Li'an said, "Let's go in."

Yu An's eyes lit up. He looked deeply at He Li'an, and the instant he turned to enter, his lips slowly curled up.

He knew it was a couples' restaurant, yet he still agreed to go in with him.

Did He Li'an not know how to write the word "refuse"?

Whatever.

He would take it as He Li'an accepting his pursuit.

As long as He Li'an accepted his pursuit, he would have a chance to marry him.

Once they were married, he could share He Li'an's wealth as stated in the marriage law, and might even inherit his deceased husband's estate.

This was a clear, practical goal. To Yu An, it was simpler and more reliable than making things up to gain He Li'an's trust.

Life was easy as pie.

The restaurant lighting was designed to create a strong atmosphere, and its decor was filled with thoughtful touches. Each dining table had half-open screens to increase privacy.

The expression on He Li'an's face was a gravity Yu An had never seen before. After just one glance, he lowered his head and secretly smiled.

He Li'an was truly too kind.

So kind that Yu An felt like he was bullying him.

And it felt as though the more he bullied him, the gentler and more honest he would become.

"Sorry, gentlemen, this is the only table left." The server leading them stopped and asked carefully, "Will that be all right?"

The uniforms on these two guests were easy to recognize. They were students of St. Phelien Noble Academy.

Ninety-nine percent of the students at that school came from wealthy or influential families. Even without those uniforms, their outstanding looks and bearing made it clear they were not from ordinary backgrounds.

Their restaurant was not particularly upscale and had hardly ever received guests like them, so he was somewhat nervous.

Almost immediately, Yu An answered, "I'm fine with it."

Then he and the server turned to look at He Li'an.

"Mm." He Li'an responded in an indifferent tone.

But Yu An, who knew him well, could still hear his discomfort.

The table was tucked into a corner without any windows and was extremely secluded. Unless someone deliberately called a server over, no one would pass by. For a normal couple, it would be quite intimate.

But for people who were not a couple—it would make them feel terribly awkward.

Just like He Li'an did now.

When he opened the menu, it was filled with couples' set meals.

It suddenly felt scalding in his hands, and he snapped the menu shut.

The movement was a little loud. Yu An promptly looked up. "What's wrong, Senior?"

The warm lighting was cozy and romantic. Shining on that fair, lovely face, it gave him the texture of an oil painting, delicate and beautiful.

He Li'an only met his gaze for a second before looking away. There was a trace of forced composure in his voice. "Nothing. You order. I can eat anything. I'm not picky."

"Mm."

Yu An was a little confused.

He was very observant, so he could sense He Li'an's abnormality and unease. But he had met too few people, so he could not tell what exactly He Li'an was feeling right now.

He Li'an looked very uncomfortable, but not repulsed. He even seemed a little nervous; the tips of his ears were red.

The last time He Li'an's ears had turned red was when Yu An had praised him and made him shy.

But he had not praised He Li'an just now.

Yu An felt a little annoyed.

Not understanding He Li'an's emotions would affect the progress of their marriage.

Yu An opened the menu and silently looked at it for two seconds before raising his head in surprise. "Senior... I didn't know this restaurant was like this..."

As he spoke, his voice trailed off, and he looked helplessly at He Li'an.

Seeing him look as though he had done something wrong, He Li'an felt a rare flicker of irritation.

His speech was a little faster than usual. "You didn't know what?"

Yu An lowered his eyes as if trying to avoid the subject and said softly, "I didn't know it was a couples' restaurant."

He could hear that He Li'an was unhappy.

He had made He Li'an angry.

He really was something else.

"Do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?" He Li'an gave a soft snort, drawing out the final note slightly, as if carrying some sort of expectant emotion.

An idea suddenly came to Yu An. He tested the waters. "Pretending not to know."

He Li'an's hand, which had been resting naturally on the table, suddenly clenched. "You tricked me into coming to a restaurant like this. Aren't you afraid I'll get angry?"

Though his tone was a little stiff, Yu An could sense that he was clearly happier than before.

It seemed he had given the answer He Li'an wanted.

It was a little like... he wanted to be tricked.

"Then are you angry?" Yu An asked with complete sincerity.

He truly wanted to know the answer.

He Li'an's reaction right now was somewhat different from what he had analyzed.

Logically speaking, He Li'an should hate being deceived.