Thank You for Being So Generous

He Li'an sat on the small sofa, looking at his phone. Yu An walked over and handed him a dried persimmon.

He looked up but did not take it. There was expectation in his eyes, and his complexion looked slightly better than before, though not by much.

"I guessed you might be a little hungry, but eating dried persimmons on an empty stomach isn't very healthy. You can only have half." Yu An reminded him very seriously, looking sensible and considerate.

He Li'an clenched and loosened the hand resting on his knee before taking the dried persimmon. "I can eat one."

He had noticed Yu An coming over.

But he had thought Yu An was coming to explain—explain why he had kept staring at that cashier earlier. He did not believe Yu An could not tell that he was angry, yet Yu An had merely come over to bring him a dried persimmon and calmly reminded him that he could only eat half.

Then he insisted on eating a whole one.

Right in front of him, He Li'an took a huge, spiteful bite and bit off half the dried persimmon, his gaze fixed directly on Yu An.

Yu An's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

He Li'an was usually refined when he ate, but he was eating so fiercely now... as if he were angry.

But even if he was angry, he could not disregard his health.

So when He Li'an was about to take a second bite, Yu An reached out and took away the remaining half of the dried persimmon.

"You can't eat any more."

"I can."

Yu An ignored him. Hearing the water come to a boil, he put the remaining half of the dried persimmon in his mouth and turned toward the kitchen.

Behind him, a blush slowly spread from the man's ears after his brief outburst.

Yu An was making vegetable soup. After finishing that half of the dried persimmon, he added the tofu and greens he had chopped earlier, seasoned it with a little salt, stirred it, and took a taste. Satisfied, he nodded.

"He Li'an, dinner..." He turned around and found no one on the sofa, though there was movement in the bathroom.

So he had gone to the restroom.

The apartment itself was very small. To make it feel more spacious, it had an open kitchen, with a retractable little bar separating the kitchen from the living room that also served as a dining table.

Yu An brought all the dishes over and arranged them on the table. Seeing that He Li'an still had not come out, he quietly sat at the table to wait for him.

Before long, He Li'an pushed the door open. Yu An looked up at the sound, but He Li'an seemed startled by him. His steps paused before he lowered his eyes and walked over.

Yu An's gaze followed him the whole way. Once he sat down, Yu An said, "Eat."

"Mm." He Li'an sat across from him, picked up his chopsticks, but did not move.

Yu An knew it was guest etiquette. When eating at someone else's home, one had to wait for the host to use their chopsticks first. He picked up some vegetables and put them into his bowl. Once He Li'an also began eating, he asked, "Why have you been keeping your head down instead of looking at me?"

He Li'an gave a quiet cough. "I haven't."

Yu An frowned. "Not looking at the other person while speaking is very impolite."

Only then did He Li'an raise his head. He had probably washed his face in the bathroom just now. A few damp strands of hair hung over his forehead, and perhaps because he had scrubbed too hard or for some other reason, his face was a little red. He looked very different from usual, yet even more attractive.

Yu An was so captivated that he could not look away. Generously, he said, "I forgive your impoliteness."

He Li'an looked as though he wanted to say something, then stopped. After watching him for a moment, he chuckled. "Thank you for being so generous."

Yu An accepted this happily. "Mm."

But He Li'an suddenly laughed even harder, his shoulders shaking.

Yu An looked baffled. "What's wrong with you?"

They were only having a normal conversation. What was so funny?

He Li'an barely managed to stop laughing. "The fish is delicious."

"Thank you." Yu An stubbornly returned to his earlier question. "What were you laughing at just now?"

His curiosity was strong. Whenever he had a question, he had to get to the bottom of it.

But He Li'an refused to let him have his way. "I'm not telling you."

Yu An: ...

It was rare to see such a defeated expression on the child's face. He Li'an struggled to suppress the curve of his lips. "The soup is good too."

Yu An did not say thank you this time. He stared at him blankly.

He was so awful. Yu An decided not to speak to him again until they finished dinner.

Yu An was used to portioning his meals. He was not particularly greedy, and once he was full, he put down his chopsticks. He Li'an was still eating and appeared to have quite a good appetite.

When he cooked for himself, if he happened to finish all the food just as he became full, he would feel happy. But that happiness was different from the happiness he felt now as he watched He Li'an gradually finish the food.

Still, He Li'an's appetite seemed larger than usual today.

Maybe dinner had been delayed by two hours, and he was hungrier than usual.

Yu An asked with concern, "Are you full?"

He was a little worried that He Li'an had not eaten enough.

"Mm." He Li'an stood and began clearing the table.

Yu An hurriedly stopped him. "I'll do it."

He was pursuing He Li'an now. How could he let the person he liked do chores?

"Sit." He Li'an's tone was gentle and mild, but it carried an undeniable firmness.

It felt a little domineering.

Yu An obediently sat still, but his gaze clung openly to He Li'an without the slightest attempt to hide it.

Even with his back to him, He Li'an found it difficult to ignore that gaze. He instinctively tensed his back and tried to ease the inexplicable nervousness through conversation.

"Did you learn how to cook from books too?"

"Mm."

"That's impressive."

"Of course."

He Li'an could not help laughing, but when he thought of how Yu An had always lived alone and carefully taken care of himself, his heart ached terribly.

Yu An waited for a long time without receiving a response, so he boredly called his name. "He Li'an."

"Mm." He Li'an's voice sounded a little hoarse.

"Why aren't you talking?"

"I'm busy."

"You can multitask. You can talk to me while you work."

"Okay."

His unreasonable demand was gently accepted, and Yu An became happy.

He hummed a song as he went to prepare fruit for after dinner.

Today's after-dinner fruit was the small carrots he and He Li'an had bought at the supermarket earlier. They were crisp and had a distinctive scent caused by their carotene content. Some people found the smell unpleasant, and the taste had a hint of bitterness, but Yu An liked them very much.

After washing the small carrots, he placed them on the dining table and waited for He Li'an to finish up so they could eat together.

He Li'an only ate one. Yu An ate the remaining half bowl by himself.

The clock hand passed ten. He Li'an turned to Yu An. "I should go."

Yu An was still holding half a carrot. He paused before nodding. "Mm."

His current place was too small, so it would not be convenient to have He Li'an stay the night.

He Li'an lived in a big house himself. He needed to get a big house too, so he could support He Li'an.

Yu An saw He Li'an to the door. Once He Li'an had changed his shoes, Yu An opened the door. "Goodbye."

It was too cold outside, and he had not planned to walk He Li'an downstairs.

He Li'an pressed his lips together tightly and stared at him for a long time before seeming to make up his mind. "What do you think is attractive about that boy?"

"Hm?" Yu An would normally be getting ready for bed at this time. Sleepiness hit him now, and he began yawning. He had not heard what He Li'an said at all.