Chapter 64: Don’t know what it’s called

Holding the juice, Xie Xiaobao suddenly shivered for no apparent reason.  

He released the straw, feeling a sudden chill, and instinctively pulled the fluffy Xie Meili into his arms to warm her up.  

Qu Yanning told him a lot about running a shop, and Xie Xiaobao listened carefully, storing the information away—it might come in handy someday.  

After finishing their juice, they got ready to head home.

The later it got, the more crowded the place became.

By the time they were leaving, every table around them was occupied.  

“Excuse me, could you please move?” Xie Xiaobao hugged the fluffy ball that was Xie Meili and looked at the girl standing with her back blocking the aisle.  

The girl was whispering something to her companion and jumped in surprise when she heard him.

She turned around and blushed deeply upon seeing Xie Xiaobao.  

“No, sorry about that.”  

“It’s okay, thank you.” Xie Xiaobao smiled at her and stepped forward to leave.  

Qu Yanning followed behind him, glancing at the surrounding customers.

The few tables closest to them were all full, mostly with girls who hadn’t eaten much after ordering but whispered among themselves, occasionally casting glances at Xie Xiaobao.  

Qu Yanning quickened his pace to catch up and quietly asked, “Those girls earlier… aren’t they your fans?”  

Xie Xiaobao was somewhat of an internet celebrity after all, so Qu Yanning’s guess wasn’t unfounded.  

“Probably,” Xie Xiaobao glanced back slightly.

He had noticed it too, but since no one came up to ask for his autograph, he decided to pretend he hadn’t seen anything.  

They took the elevator down to the basement to get the car.

Qu Yanning joked, “You’re going to have to wear a mask whenever you go out now, right?”  

Xie Xiaobao stuck out his tongue, “No way.”  

They drove back to Jade Garden.

The commute coincided with rush hour, so they were stuck in traffic for a while before arriving.  

As they drove past the He Family’s courtyard, Xie Xiaobao caught a faint familiar figure but quickly shook his head.

It was only Thursday—He Yu should be at the company, not at Jade Garden.  

After dinner and a bit of TV, Xie Xiaobao went back to his room by half past nine.  

Lying on his pillow, he swiped through his phone screen, which was open to He Yu’s WeChat chat window.

He wanted to send him a message but hesitated, recalling Xie Qi’s words.  

“If you don’t like him, then keep your distance and don’t waste anyone’s feelings.”  

Xie Xiaobao poked the screen a few times in frustration and muttered to himself, “Maybe it’s not that I don’t like him…”  

He Yu was his best friend—the first person who made his heart race whenever he saw him.  

In over twenty years, Xie Xiaobao had never experienced such complicated feelings before.

He believed he liked He Yu, but he was afraid, as his second brother said, that what he thought was liking was just friendship or dependence on He Yu…  

If he found out later he was wrong, would He Yu be heartbroken?  

—He had already accepted what Xie Qi said—that He Yu liked him too.  

The first time falling in love, Xie Xiaobao let out a troubled “ah,” then suddenly turned back into a cat and buried his head under the pillow, ostrich-like, refusing to think about this unsolvable cat problem.  

He slept soundly through the night.  

The next morning, Xie Xiaobao woke up lively and energetic again.

He stretched his paws and leapt down from the second floor to the first.  

He was up early; the others were probably still asleep.

The first floor was quiet, with only a ray of morning light streaming through the window and casting shadows on the white wall.  

After changing into his workout clothes, Xie Xiaobao jogged out the door.  

Since so many things were confusing him, he decided not to think about them.

Xie Xiaobao thought cheerfully, “Just go with the flow. Better to exercise and lose weight than waste time worrying.”  

He ran along the sidewalk outside the gate, slowing his pace to steady his breathing.

Though his training had been irregular, he never gave up, so his stamina had improved quite a bit.  

As he circled the sidewalk and passed the He Family courtyard for the second time, the gate suddenly creaked open.

A familiar figure dashed out.  

Xie Xiaobao froze, staring at He Yu coming out of the courtyard, and instinctively called out, “He Yu? Why are you here?”  

He Yu seemed to have just noticed him and naturally showed a surprised expression.

“Xiaobao? Weren’t you in the mountains? You’re back so soon?”  

Xie Xiaobao had long forgotten the lie he had made up, and now being caught in the act, he blushed and stammered, “Ah, yeah, I’m back.”  

“What about you? Not going to work today?”  

“I’m taking a few days’ annual leave. Came back specifically to catch you.”  

He Yu smiled slightly, and Xie Xiaobao suddenly got goosebumps on the back of his neck.  

“Oh…” Xie Xiaobao looked down at the ground, torn between wanting to leave and wanting to stay.

Finally, he dropped his head and asked, “Wanna run together?”  

“Sure.” He Yu’s lips curved up as they ran side by side.  

He Yu’s stamina was far better than his.

After three or four laps, Xie Xiaobao was gasping for breath, while He Yu remained effortlessly by his side, not even out of breath.  

“I’m done, I need a break.” Xie Xiaobao held his knees, sweat dampening his hairline.  

“Let’s stand for a bit.” Seeing how exhausted he was, He Yu reached out and supported him.  

His warm, slightly damp hand rested on Xie Xiaobao’s shoulder, making him shiver.

His face flushed red as he tried to pull away.  

“Let’s go.”  

But He Yu seemed oblivious to his struggle.

With his left hand gripping Xie Xiaobao’s arm and his right hand on his shoulder, he half embraced him forward.  

There was a bench ahead, but it was a little distance away.

He Yu supported him and said softly, “Let’s rest over there.”  

Feeling the warmth radiating from He Yu’s back, Xie Xiaobao’s entire body stiffened, and the flush on his face never faded—his neck turning red as well.  

“I can walk by myself…” Xie Xiaobao protested weakly.  

He Yu smiled with pursed lips, his eyes gleaming dangerously but his voice unusually gentle.

“Don’t push yourself. It’s just a short distance; we’ll be there soon.”  

Xie Xiaobao bit his lip, too shy to look at him.

His heart was pounding wildly.

Resigned, he relaxed and leaned on He Yu’s strength.

As for what his brother said… as long as he didn’t speak, his second brother wouldn’t know, and he wouldn’t be called a bad cat who deceives feelings.  

They walked slowly, each lost in thought.

When they finally reached the bench, they both felt a little disappointed, as if their slow pace had stretched out the moment.  

He Yu released his grip and softened his gaze, looking gently at the still-shy Xie Xiaobao.

“Let’s sit here for a bit.”  

Xie Xiaobao nodded and said, “You sit too.”  

He Yu sat down right next to him.  

The bench was spacious, but He Yu deliberately sat close, their legs touching, occupying only half the seat between them.  

Xie Xiaobao awkwardly pulled his legs in and glanced at He Yu cautiously.  

He Yu smiled at him and took out a tissue, offering it he said, “Wipe the sweat off your forehead, or you’ll catch a cold in the breeze.”  

Xie Xiaobao reached out to take it, but He Yu extended his hand further, their fingers touching, and they could feel each other’s warmth.  

“Thanks.”  

Xie Xiaobao withdrew his fingers, took the tissue, and shifted uneasily to the side.  

But since he was sitting on the far left and He Yu was right beside him, there was nowhere for him to move except to get up and leave.  

He nervously crossed his legs, trying not to be too close, but he also didn’t want to leave.

The two little voices in his head were fighting fiercely.  

In the end, he stayed put.

They sat quietly for a while until He Yu sensed that he had rested enough and stood up.

“Wanna run more?”  

“Two more laps.” Xie Xiaobao stood and stretched, then ran alongside He Yu again.  

After two more laps, it was nearly nine o’clock.

Xie Xiaobao needed to get back for breakfast, so he said goodbye.  

“I’m heading back first.”  

He Yu’s hand was in his pocket, wearing his usual gentle smile.

“Come for lunch. Grandma Li said she’s been missing you.”  

Xie Xiaobao was about to refuse but hesitated when he heard Grandma Li’s name.  

“Come back quickly. Be here by eleven for lunch. Grandma made some snacks herself.” He Yu ruffled his hair and didn’t give him a chance to decline, waving as he walked back to his own courtyard.  

Xie Xiaobao opened his mouth, the refusal swirling around on his tongue, then sinking back into his stomach.  

The more he didn’t want to go, the more he felt drawn there.  

Two hours flew by like the wind.

The minute hand had just passed the “ten” mark—ten minutes until eleven.  

Xie Xiaobao tapped his nails anxiously and ran to find Qu Yanning in the kitchen.  

“Grandma Li just called me to lunch, and I said yes. Please don’t make my share.”  

Qu Yanning nodded, “Okay. Take some of yesterday’s cured meat with you. Remember to come home early.”  

Xie Xiaobao replied “Got it,” grabbed a piece of cured meat from the fridge, packed it up, and headed to He Yu’s house.  

“Lunch’s almost ready? Where’s Xiaobao going?” Xie Qi, carrying his sister downstairs, saw only a figure leaving and asked Qu Yanning in confusion.  

“He’s going to Grandma Li’s house for lunch.” Qu Yanning was still in the dark and said it offhandedly.  

Xie Qi’s face darkened, and his whole cat aura turned cold.  

***

Xie Xiaobao carried the cured meat toward He Yu’s house.

From a distance, he saw someone standing at the courtyard gate.

As he got closer, he realized it was He Yu.  

“Why are you standing here?” Xie Xiaobao waved at him.  

He Yu smiled and fixed his gaze on him, “Waiting for you.”  

Xie Xiaobao froze, then tucked the cured meat behind his back, “It’s so close, you don’t have to meet me.”  

“It’s not about the distance.” He Yu smiled and walked in beside him.

“I just wanted to wait for you.”  

That sounded way too ambiguous.

Xie Xiaobao didn’t know what He Yu meant, so he awkwardly looked away.  

He Yu raised an eyebrow and stared at the blush creeping up on his ears.  

This was the second time Xie Xiaobao had eaten at the He Family’s house with He Yu present.  

This time, besides He Yu’s parents, his cousin He Yi and cousin He Qi were also there.  

He Yi was a refined middle-aged man, quite a bit older than He Yu by almost ten years, as he was the eldest son in the He Family.

Seeing He Yu come in with Xie Xiaobao, he teased, “Little Yu left early today. Turns out he went to pick up Xiaobao.”  

He Qi’s eyes studied Xie Xiaobao, and he laughed in agreement, “If he’d picked up a girl, Grandma would have been so happy.”  

He Yu ignored their teasing and introduced, “This is my cousin He Yi, and this is my cousin He Qi.”  

Xie Xiaobao greeted them politely and then followed He Yu to sit on the other side.  

Ayi had already prepared the dishes, and as guests arrived, the food was brought out one after another.

Grandma Li came from the back courtyard and was delighted to see Xie Xiaobao, holding onto him for quite a while.  

Once all the dishes were on the table, everyone sat down to eat.  

But the meal was incredibly agonizing.

Even dull-witted Xie Xiaobao noticed that apart from Grandma Li, everyone’s eyes were on him.  

He Yu kept whispering to him, while his parents glanced at him occasionally and then whispered to each other.  

There was also a strange, uncomfortable gaze that made Xie Xiaobao uneasy.  

He lifted his eyes and caught He Qi looking at him.

He Qi smiled and said, “Eat more, don’t be polite.”  

Xie Xiaobao nodded and lowered his gaze again.  

Throughout the meal, Xie Xiaobao wasn’t even sure what he’d eaten.

Subconsciously, he felt something was off, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.  

In the end, he could only blame his second brother’s influence—that he was just overthinking everything.