Uncertain? Keep Pretending

Yu An's voice was a little low, and He Li'an wasn't quite sure what he had heard, so he asked again, "What did you say?"

"I said, forget it." Yu An leaned back in his wheelchair, his tone lazy.

For a moment, He Li'an couldn't quite make out the emotion in Yu An's words.

But one thing was certain: Yu An had rejected him again.

This was the second time today.

After a few seconds of silence, He Li'an asked, "Why?"

"I don't like waiting." There was a faint note of irritation in Yu An's voice.

That year, when his parents took his younger sister on a trip, they told him to wait for them to come back.

He waited year after year, his longing and anticipation slowly turning into utter despair.

They never came back.

So.

Waiting was the most meaningless thing in the world.

He Li'an didn't think much of it, assuming Yu An was just being childish and changing his mind on a whim.

After leaving the school clinic, He Li'an crouched in front of Yu An and asked, "Should I notify your family to pick you up, or should I take you home?"

"There's no one in my family." Here, he didn't even have a home.

He Li'an seemed to think of something, and his gaze softened further. "Is there anyone else who can take care of you?"

Yu An frowned in confusion. "You don't want to take care of me?"

He had been hurt because of He Li'an, so he thought He Li'an should take care of him.

Although He Li'an was innocent too, he was determined to cling to him anyway.

At that thought, he suddenly understood why he had been transported into this novel.

Probably because he was just as uncivilized as those people who had stepped on him before and refused to apologize.

No one had ever questioned He Li'an like that.

Yu An's tone wasn't sharp. On the contrary, his excessive calm made him sound perfectly justified. After meeting those clear, innocent eyes for a moment, He Li'an actually felt a trace of guilt.

"I do."

"Then let's go."

"Where?"

"To your house."

"..."

"Wow~"

Sitting in his wheelchair, Yu An tilted his head up at the enormous, luxurious crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and exclaimed, "What a huge light."

If something that big fell down, it could probably crush ten of him to death.

"Is it that big?" He Li'an copied his pose and looked up at the chandelier. "Doesn't your house have one like this?"

There wasn't a trace of malice in his tone. He was simply curious.

The house Yu An had lived in before wasn't actually small either.

But compared to He Li'an's house, it was completely insignificant.

Remembering his earlier guess, he said with a straight face, "No. My living room is too big, so we installed three chandeliers. They're a little smaller than yours."

"Three?" He Li'an sounded as though he didn't quite understand. Then, as if he had convinced himself, he added, "Your living room really is very big."

Did he believe that?

Then did that mean he could have a huge house big enough for three chandeliers?

Uncertain? Keep pretending.

Yu An cleared his throat and said modestly, "It's all right, I guess."

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

He Li'an's expression remained gentle, and he didn't seem to suspect him at all.

"Young master."

A man approached them.

He looked to be around thirty. His suit and hair were impeccably groomed, and even the curve of the folds in his bow tie was perfectly even. He looked elegant and composed.

He Li'an gave a slight nod and quietly told Yu An, "This is my butler, Zhu Wen."

Then he turned to the butler. "Zhu Wen, this is my junior, Yu An. He'll be staying at my house for a while to recover from his injuries."

"Young Master Yu An." Zhu Wen bowed respectfully to Yu An, his shoulders, back, and legs all held ramrod straight, forming a perfectly standard ninety-degree angle.

Yu An stared at Zhu Wen in amazement, wanting to confirm whether he had an invisible ruler strapped to his back.

He was someone with strong concentration, and that applied to looking at people too.

Even He Li'an noticed that he had been staring at Zhu Wen the whole time, yet Zhu Wen didn't so much as blink. He merely asked He Li'an respectfully about his lunch preferences, his professionalism evident.

"Young master, shall lunch be prepared according to your usual preferences?"

He Li'an didn't answer. Instead, he bent down and asked Yu An, "What do you want to eat?"

Without a second thought, Yu An gave his requirements. "Meat, vegetables, and rice. I want low-sugar fruit after the meal."

He Li'an straightened and looked at Zhu Wen. "Prepare it according to his preferences."

"Understood." Zhu Wen tilted his head slightly and instructed the maid behind him, "Go prepare it."

After the maid left, Zhu Wen said, "I'll prepare a guest room for Young Master Yu An."

Before leaving, Zhu Wen gave Yu An another look.

There wasn't the slightest ripple in that glance, but Yu An sensed hostility.

Zhu Wen had an issue with him.

Before lunch was ready, He Li'an took Yu An around the house.

After all, Yu An would be recovering at his home for some time. As the host, it was necessary for him to familiarize his guest with the place.

The He family estate was huge. Further inside stood several separate buildings, and behind them stretched a vast lawn and woodland, though Yu An had no idea what they were for.

He Li'an explained, "Behind that is an orchard Zhu Wen had people plant. When we have time, I'll drive you over there."

The lawn sloped downward, concealing the orchard behind it.

An orchard. Driving there. Inside the house.

Yu An felt that his story about a house with three chandeliers had been far too conservative.

He should have just said he lived in a castle.

Just then, Zhu Wen came looking for them.

"Young master, Young Master Yu An, lunch is ready."

After saying that, he moved forward to help push Yu An's wheelchair.

Yu An maneuvered his electric wheelchair aside himself and rejected him without expression. "No need."

Zhu Wen's expression stiffened slightly. "My apologies. I overstepped."

Yu An stared silently at Zhu Wen for two seconds before turning to smile at He Li'an. "Senior He, can you push me back?"

There were several places on the way back where he would need to turn, and he couldn't be bothered to control the wheelchair himself.

Zhu Wen had an issue with him. He was afraid Zhu Wen would take the opportunity to retaliate.

People's hearts could be terribly cruel.

But He Li'an wasn't cruel.

"Of course." He Li'an came over without hesitation to push his wheelchair.

"Young master..." Zhu Wen wanted to say something else, but when He Li'an shot him a warning look, he fell silent.

Lunch was lavish.

The dishes covered half of the two-meter-wide dining table.

Zhu Wen and the servants stood by the table serving the food. Knowing He Li'an's dietary preferences, he skillfully arranged He Li'an's meal, when Yu An's voice sounded from nearby. "No."

He Li'an turned to look as well.

Every time a servant reached their chopsticks toward a dish, Yu An only repeated those same two words. "No."

Zhu Wen frowned, but considering He Li'an's attitude toward Yu An, he didn't speak. Instead, he checked He Li'an's expression first.

Yu An was thin. Sitting at the long table, he looked tiny, with a pale, frail face. The way he frowned and said no wasn't annoying at all; it only made people feel sorry for him.

He Li'an sighed inwardly. Sure enough, he was a picky child.

He raised his hand, signaling for the servants to leave.

Only then did he ask Yu An, "What's wrong? None of it suits your taste?"