He Liked Being Kept Hooked

Yu An asked curiously, "How are you going to help me?"

Song Yuechi looked around, confirmed that Zhu Wen and the servants were on the other side and couldn't possibly hear them, then curled his lips into a wickedly confident smile. "If you want to pursue a man, you first have to understand men!"

Yu An said, "I'm a man myself."

Song Yuechi shook his head. "No, you're a baby."

"..." Yu An actually found the term "baby" rather embarrassing, but Song Yuechi said it so naturally and frankly that he reluctantly accepted it.

"For a man like He Li'an, who's famous, wealthy, powerful, and surrounded by admirers, you can't be too proactive with him. You have to keep him hooked! That's the only way he'll feel that sense of novelty."

Song Yuechi narrowed his eyes slightly. He looked much smarter than usual, and even what he said sounded exceptionally reasonable.

Yu An listened intently. "How do I keep him hooked?"

Song Yuechi asked, "Do you know how fishing works?"

Yu An nodded. He had played fishing games on the computer.

Song Yuechi raised a brow. "Tell me."

"Fishing means putting bait on the hook, casting the line far away, and waiting for the fish to bite. It looks as though it has swallowed everything whole, but in reality, you're in control of the entire situation."

After Yu An finished, he realized Song Yuechi was already staring at him dumbfoundedly. "Was I wrong?"

Song Yuechi gave him a thumbs-up. "That was exactly right!"

Having received approval, Yu An's eyes brightened a little.

"But keeping a man hooked isn't the same as fishing. The purpose of fishing is to make the fish bite, but with men, it's the exact opposite. When he wants to bite, you refuse to let him. Let him look but not touch, make him itch with desire until he can barely control himself!"

The more Song Yuechi spoke, the more confident he became, clenching both fists.

Yu An looked at his fists, admiration rising in his heart. "I understand now. Song Yuechi, you're amazing. How are you so good at keeping men hooked? Have you hooked a lot of them?"

"..."

If Yu An's eyes had not remained so clear and bright, Song Yuechi would have thought he was mocking him.

Song Yuechi quite enjoyed Yu An's admiring gaze and said smugly, "I'm someone with a fiancé, of course I understand."

He Li'an had a dinner engagement that night and did not get home until ten. Yu An had already gone upstairs to sleep, while Zhu Wen was still making dried persimmons with the servants.

When the time was about right, Zhu Wen went to the front gate to greet He Li'an.

Social occasions like dinner engagements were always draining. He Li'an wore a faint look of fatigue. "Zhu Wen, you don't have to keep coming to the gate to meet me."

Zhu Wen took his coat respectfully. "It's no trouble, Young Master. It's only a few steps."

He Li'an knew he could not persuade him otherwise and gave a helpless, faint smile.

There was some distance between the gate and the villa where they lived. The two walked that stretch in silence. Nearing the villa, He Li'an stopped and looked up at the third floor.

Zhu Wen knew what he was looking at. "Young Master Yu An has already gone to sleep."

"He actually knew to go to bed on time today." He Li'an stepped inside and saw two very handsome persimmons prominently displayed on the coffee table in the living room.

The reason they were so handsome was that they were not only the same size, but even the curves of their plump, round shapes were identical.

"Did Yu An pick these?" He Li'an walked over as he spoke, though the question was directed at Zhu Wen.

"Yes." Seeing the smile appear on He Li'an's face, Zhu Wen's lips curved as well. "Young Master Yu An said he picked them for you and specifically asked me to make sure I gave them to you."

He Li'an picked one up and examined it carefully, his smile deepening. "Even when picking fruit, he has to save the best ones for me."

Zhu Wen agreed, "Isn't that so? Young Master Yu An's feelings for you are very genuine."

The next morning, the moment Yu An opened his door, he saw He Li'an seemingly passing by the doorway by chance.

Yu An said, "Good morning, Senior."

He was dressed neatly. He Li'an's gaze swept over his impeccably tied tie, and a trace of disappointment flickered through his eyes, too subtle to notice. "I already ate the persimmons you saved for me."

Yu An said, "Oh."

The two walked side by side toward the elevator. He Li'an slowed down to match Yu An's pace. "They were very sweet."

Yu An said, "Mm."

Although He Li'an had already learned that Yu An was more emotionally detached than most people, at times like this, he could not help feeling that Yu An might not actually like him at all.

Yet Yu An made his liking for him extraordinarily obvious.

Noticing He Li'an's silence, Yu An turned to look at him.

Only then did he realize that He Li'an was observing him too, his gaze deep and complicated.

Yu An recalled that He Li'an had mentioned the persimmons and especially emphasized how sweet they were. He must have been a little happy.

But Song Yuechi had told him not to be too proactive. He needed to be elusive to keep things fresh.

Yu An looked away. "I just picked them casually."

He did not avoid looking at He Li'an because he felt guilty about lying. He did it to appear cold and indifferent.

He Li'an was somewhat surprised. Yu An had always been straightforward. He had used a phone case with He Li'an's portrait on it right in front of him without trying to hide it, so why was he acting bashful over picking a few persimmons?

Could he be embarrassed?

That seemed like the only possible reason.

He Li'an decided to protect the child's little secret and said solemnly, "Mm, I could tell."

Yu An heard the amusement in his voice and turned back in confusion, only to indeed find a smile in his eyes.

What was wrong with this person?

What exactly was he happy about?

Could it really be like Song Yuechi said? Did he like being kept hooked, being ignored and brushed off?

After arriving at school, Yu An told Song Yuechi about it.

Song Yuechi excitedly slapped his thigh with loud smacks. "See? Wasn't I right? Isn't this how you have to handle a man?"

Yu An nodded hard. "Yes! That's right!"

After putting it into practice, he completely believed Song Yuechi's "fishing" theory.

The phone case giveaway Song Yuechi had helped Yu An set up was a huge success. Many people left comments asking for the same design, and Yu An suddenly became busy.

Every day after class, he rushed home to make phone cases. Whenever he went to He Li'an for the key, he did not even have time to say anything extra to him.

By the time he finished the first batch of phone cases, half a month had already passed.

It happened to be the weekend, and Zhu Wen's dried persimmons were finished as well. He pulled Yu An over to taste them together.

The dried persimmons were a little too sweet for Yu An. After eating one-quarter of one, he refused to eat any more no matter what.

Zhu Wen had always been confident in his skill at making dried persimmons, and he felt deeply defeated for a moment. He chased after Yu An, trying to get him to eat more.

"Young Master Yu An, at least eat another half, all right?"

"No."

Yu An's foot was almost completely healed. He got up and ran at once, just in time to see He Li'an coming downstairs. He called out to He Li'an for help from afar.

"He Li'an."

"Slow down!"

He Li'an was still worried about Yu An's foot. He quickened his pace, frowned, and reached out to catch him.

But he caught nothing.

Yu An slipped directly behind him. "Zhu Wen insists on making me eat dried persimmons. I don't want to eat them."