Wait for You to Hang Up First

By the time they got to school on Monday, Sheng Yilin's situation had already spread far and wide. Everywhere Yu An went, he could hear that name.

"What a pity about Sheng Yilin."

"Yeah. They still haven't found the culprit?"

"No. I think he probably just fell on his own. Who would dare lay a hand on someone from the Sheng family?"

"That's true..."

Yu An kept his head down and ate. Today's main dish was lion's head meatballs. He had never had them before; they were complicated to make, but delicious. He wanted to eat them again that night.

Song Yuechi was outgoing. He went over to gossip with them for a while, then came back and told Yu An everything he had learned, a little like a dog bringing some rare treasure it had found outside back to share with its friends.

Yu An was not very interested and could not join in.

"I heard he's still unconscious. I think it'd be better if he died."

Yu An finally had something to say. "He won't die."

His tone was so certain, as though he knew something, that Song Yuechi asked, "How do you know?"

Of course he knew.

When he smashed him, he had aimed for the right spot and assessed the extent of the brain damage. Sheng Yilin had a fifty percent chance of becoming a vegetable, and a fifty percent chance of waking up as a literal idiot.

Yu An said calmly, "A scourge lives for a thousand years."

Just like him.

Hated and abandoned, yet still lucky enough to have survived until now.

Song Yuechi nodded in agreement without thinking. "Makes sense."

Yu An realized that no matter what he said, Song Yuechi seemed to believe him completely.

So stupid.

But he did not mind having a stupid friend.

After eating, Yu An checked his Moments and saw a picture of a little dog flying through the air with all four limbs spread wide. Thinking Song Yuechi had posted it, he casually gave it a like.

When he exited Moments, he saw a message from He Li'an.

[He Li'an]: Can you spare two hours this afternoon?

[Yu An]: Yes

[He Li'an]: Aren't you going to ask what I need?

[Yu An]: What do you need?

In his office, He Li'an saw Yu An's reply and could not help curling his lips into a smile.

One question, one answer. He really did feel a little like... Little Robot.

He directly called Little Robot.

"Hello." Even Little Robot's tone when answering the phone was flat.

"There's a promotional lecture at the law school this afternoon. Can you come listen with me?"

"Yes."

Even more like Little Robot.

"I'll come find you then."

"Mm."

Based on their usual calls, Little Robot would hang up at this point.

He Li'an waited a few seconds and found that the call was still connected. "Yu An?"

"Mm."

"Why haven't you hung up?"

"Waiting for you to hang up first."

He Li'an's heart stirred. "Why?"

"When talking to someone you like on the phone, you're supposed to wait for the other person to hang up first."

He Li'an had been about to drink some water when he was caught off guard and choked, coughing nonstop. "Who taught you that?"

He did not think this was something Yu An would come up with on his own.

Yu An was silent for two seconds. "I saw it online."

There was all kinds of information online. He selectively learned from it, then put what he learned into practice.

Judging from He Li'an's reaction, it did not seem very useful. He had not been moved by such a thoughtful gesture.

"Don't look at that useless stuff." He Li'an cleared his throat. "Hang up."

Yu An obediently ended the call.

Feeling someone watching him, he turned his head and found Song Yuechi staring at him darkly.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Song Yuechi put on a profound expression. "You're a master. Those straight balls are hitting hard."

Yu An did not understand. "Hm?"

Song Yuechi gave him a thumbs-up, then silently walked away.

The lecture was hugely popular. By the time Yu An and He Li'an arrived, the entire auditorium was already full.

He Li'an had reserved seats in the last row, which were not very conspicuous, but there were too many people. Before they could even find their seats, someone spotted He Li'an, and the auditorium instantly erupted.

"It's Senior He!"

"He looks so handsome and gentle, ahhh~"

"If I'd known, I would've sat in the last row too..."

Fortunately, the layout of the auditorium kept them from going too wild. Still, Yu An was a little traumatized by it. He quickened his pace, putting some distance between himself and He Li'an, then found his seat and sat down.

Throughout the entire lecture, more than half the audience kept staring at He Li'an with infatuated looks.

No wonder Zhu Wen said there were so many rivals.

Yu An had not cared much before, but now he had a new thought: he should work a little harder.

Near the end of the lecture, the school sent in more security personnel to maintain order, and Yu An and He Li'an left early.

It was just dinnertime, and Yu An spoke before He Li'an could. "We've been eating out a lot lately. Let's not go out for dinner today."

He Li'an did not suspect anything. "Then where should we eat?"

Yu An took the initiative to suggest, "At my place."

"Hmm?"

"I'll cook for you."

At that, He Li'an's previously calm face immediately became a little uncomfortable. He said tactfully, "It's already six. It's rush hour now, so it'll take an hour on the road. The earliest we can have dinner is eight."

And Yu An's dinner time was always precisely six.

Yu An immediately said, "It's fine. Eating two hours late won't kill anyone."

No matter how early or late it was, he would still get to eat.

But He Li'an might not.

If he did not step things up, someone else might beat him to it.

Yu An looked completely unconcerned as he said it, but He Li'an's heart skipped a beat.

There was no need to guess why Yu An had suggested eating at his place, because he had not hidden it at all. Besides, he had been bold these past two days. Whether it was yesterday's conversation or what he had said on the phone that day about letting He Li'an hang up first, it was no different from a direct confession.

But only now did He Li'an truly feel Yu An's concern and affection for him.

That affection had taken shape in something concrete—being two hours late for dinner was fine.

It was actually a trivial matter, but he knew how strong Yu An's sense of order was. Delaying a meal was not a small thing to Yu An.

He Li'an did not say anything for a long time, so Yu An reached out and gave him a push. "He Li'an?"

He Li'an seemed to finally come back to himself. He gave a vague "Mm," then turned and walked outside.

Did that mean he agreed?

Yu An happily followed after him.

"There aren't many ingredients at my place. We need to buy groceries first, then cook."

"Okay."

"What do you like to eat?"

When he had stayed at He Li'an's home before, the dishes had been different every day, and He Li'an was not a picky eater, so Yu An could not tell what he liked.

"Anything but onions."

"Oh, I don't like onions either. I don't like scallions, either."

He Li'an laughed. "What about leeks?"

"Sometimes I like them, sometimes I don't."

"Why?"

"When I eat roast duck and wrap leeks in the pancake, I like them."

"And you don't like them at other times?"

"Mm."