He Yu’s proposal was politely declined, and Xie Xiaobao said with a heavy heart that they could meet another day.
[*Alright then.*]
[*How about next weekend?*]
Xie Xiaobao thought about it and figured he shouldn’t have anything going on then, so he agreed.
After a few more words, Xie Xiaobao finished his fruit and then tiptoed over to Xie Yan’s study, peeking inside.
Xie Yan was typing.
Noticing the movement at the door with his peripheral vision, he paused and looked over at him.
“Something you need?”
Xie Xiaobao was startled and clung to the doorframe, showing his face.
“Big brother, I’m going out to eat with He Yu next weekend.”
“That’s your business; you can decide for yourself.” Xie Yan replied calmly.
“No need to report to me.”
“But…” Xie Xiaobao hesitated, lowering his voice.
“I still haven’t finished copying the clan rules for the week. Can I take it a bit slower?”
Xie Yan raised an eyebrow and stared at him for a moment before saying, “Fine.”
Xie Xiaobao’s eyes lit up immediately, and he brightened.
“Thanks, big brother!”
Xie Yan had work to do and didn’t say more, waving him off to go play on his own.
Having gotten permission, Xie Xiaobao dashed back to his room, feeling even more motivated to copy the clan rules.
The week flew by quickly.
On Wednesday, Xie Xiaobao visited the Animal Shelter again.
With Xiao Hei backing him up, Xie Xiaobao got along very well with the animals at the shelter.
Coupled with his naturally gentle personality and the fact that he always brought plenty of snacks, he was popular on both sides.
This was Xie Xiaobao’s last visit to the shelter for the time being.
They had already completed half of the footage needed for the promotional video, and with a bit more material, they could start editing according to the shelter’s ideas.
Xie Yan had driven him to the shelter this time.
While Xie Xiaobao played in the backyard, Xie Yan waited in the car.
When Xie Xiaobao came out after playing enough, Xie Yan saw a little dirty cat with a dusty face.
Xie Xiaobao tilted his head back and meowed at Xie Yan, directing his attention to the other side of the fence.
Xiao Hei was sitting upright on the fence, meowing in greeting towards them.
Xie Xiaobao happily responded with a meow, then turned to introduce them both.
“This is Xiao Hei, my good friend.”
Xie Yan glanced at the black cat and nodded at her, “Hello.”
Xiao Hei couldn’t understand Xie Yan’s words.
She scratched an itch with her hind leg and asked Xie Xiaobao curiously, “What is this human saying?”
Xie Xiaobao meowed back, “This is my big brother. He’s saying hello to you.”
Xiao Hei understood but was never very close to humans.
She lazily flicked her tail and told Xie Xiaobao she had to go back.
Xie Xiaobao said goodbye to her before getting in the car with Xie Yan.
Seeing how dirty he was but how happy he looked, Xie Yan asked, “Having fun?”
Xie Xiaobao’s ears twitched.
“Very happy! Xiao Hei even taught me how to hunt. I can already catch sparrows on my own.”
Watching him chatter away, Xie Yan reached out and patted his head.
“As long as you’re happy.”
Xie Xiaobao rubbed his head against Xie Yan’s hand, his tail flicking back and forth in delight.
After returning from the shelter, Xie Xiaobao obediently copied the clan rules for two days and finally finished half of them.
Early Saturday morning, he greeted Xie Yan, slung his bag over his shoulder, and cheerfully left the house.
First, he stopped by Hu Jiuli’s house to pick up his phone and wallet, then took a bus to meet He Yu.
When Hu Jiuli heard that the person Xie Xiaobao was meeting was He Yu, he paused for a moment.
But seeing how happy Xie Xiaobao looked, he didn’t say anything.
They agreed to meet at Tianhong Plaza.
Last time, He Yu had mentioned a newly opened restaurant there that was quite good.
He Yu had sent Xie Xiaobao the restaurant’s homepage earlier, and he had been thinking about it for a while.
Since he was the one inviting He Yu this time, he had specifically chosen that place.
It was a busy weekend at the plaza.
After getting off the bus, Xie Xiaobao looked around but didn’t see He Yu’s car.
He scratched his face, about to call He Yu, when suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind.
Startled, Xie Xiaobao shrank his neck and turned around sharply.
“Looking for me?”
It was He Yu.
He Yu was dressed casually today: a simple black T-shirt paired with jeans.
Compared to his usual formal suits, he looked much younger.
His habitually slicked-back hair was let down, slightly falling over his forehead.
If not for his imposing height, he could almost pass as the nice older brother next door.
Xie Xiaobao’s shock quickly turned into joy.
“I was just about to call you.”
His eyes scanned He Yu’s body a few times.
He Yu raised an eyebrow and asked, “Why?”
Xie Xiaobao grinned, “You look a lot younger like this.”
He Yu laughed lightly and tapped Xie Xiaobao’s forehead.
“I’m only about four or five years older than you.”
Xie Xiaobao covered his forehead, mumbling, “You don’t look it at all usually.”
He Yu was speechless but rubbed the top of his head.
“Let’s eat first.”
The mention of food made Xie Xiaobao forget their previous topic, and he happily followed He Yu to find the restaurant.
The restaurant was on the second floor of the mall.
Xie Xiaobao had booked a table in advance.
They followed the waiter inside.
The overall lighting was dim, with the ceiling designed like a night sky.
Stars of various sizes hung suspended, emitting soft light.
As they walked through, most of the diners were couples.
Xie Xiaobao vaguely felt the atmosphere was a bit strange.
He whispered to He Yu, “The vibe here… did we come to the wrong place?”
He Yu glanced around at the paired couples and raised his brows.
He hadn’t expected this to be a romantic restaurant, but judging by the decor, it wasn’t hard to understand.
He shrugged and said, “It’s just a place to eat.”
Xie Xiaobao said “Oh” and sat down to order together.
Before coming, Xie Xiaobao had researched which dishes were good.
But since he was hosting today and He Yu was the guest, he politely pushed the menu over to He Yu first.
He Yu glanced at him from the side.
Xie Xiaobao’s focus was entirely on the menu, quietly contemplating what to order, completely unaware of He Yu’s gaze.
He Yu smirked and ordered all the restaurant’s signature dishes.
When all the dishes he wanted were ordered, Xie Xiaobao gently poked him, “Have you been here before?”
All the dishes He Yu ordered were highly recommended on the guides.
“This is my first time,” He Yu said with a smile, “but I checked the reviews before coming. I ordered the ones that got good feedback.”
Xie Xiaobao immediately felt like he had found a kindred spirit and said he had also read the guides.
The restaurant was quiet, and the two spoke softly, almost with their heads touching.
From behind, they looked especially intimate.
Du Ziwen checked a few times before confirming the person sitting diagonally across was indeed He Yu.
He Yu was wearing the T-shirt and jeans he never wore before, sitting in a couples’ restaurant with a boy, speaking intimately.
Du Ziwen withdrew his gaze in a daze.
His female companion looked at him oddly and asked, “What’s wrong? I called you twice and you didn’t respond.”
Du Ziwen smiled apologetically and replied, “I saw a friend. I was surprised.”
The woman pursed her lips and swirled her wine glass.
“Want to go shopping with me later? I want to buy something for my aunt.”
She was Du Ziwen’s blind date, set up by his mother.
They had only had dinner three times, but his mother was very pleased with her.
So even though Du Ziwen wasn’t too happy, he always tried to accommodate her.
But today, he had no patience.
He subtly frowned and declined, “Sorry, I have other plans tonight. Maybe another day?”
She paused, set down the glass, and looked displeased.
“You’ve been distracted since dinner started. If you’re not interested, just say so.”
“Sorry,” Du Ziwen said calmly, apologizing with his mouth but showing no emotion in his eyes.
After staring at him for a moment, the woman grabbed her bag and left.
Du Ziwen sighed, drained his glass in one gulp, and then got up to approach He Yu and Xie Xiaobao’s table.
He Yu was exchanging food recommendations with Xie Xiaobao.
Of course, most of the time it was Xie Xiaobao talking, with He Yu chiming in occasionally.
“Ah He Yu, fancy meeting you here.”
Du Ziwen patted He Yu on the shoulder and greeted him over the partition.
He Yu was surprised to see him.
“What are you doing here?”
Du Ziwen shrugged and said, “Blind date. Just blew it.”
“Don’t mind if I join you, do you?” He looked at Xie Xiaobao, raising his eyebrows with a hint of flirtation.
He Yu introduced, “Xie Xiao, my friend.”
Du Ziwen bent slightly, extending a hand with charm.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Du Ziwen, a good buddy of He Yu’s.”
Xie Xiaobao was a bit taken aback by the formal introduction but shook his hand.
“I’m Xie Xiao.”
Du Ziwen smiled, waiting for more, but Xie Xiaobao, feeling he had said enough, withdrew his hand and returned to the menu, spotting a few desserts worth ordering to take back to his big brother.
Du Ziwen was a bit stunned at the lack of response and could only awkwardly scratch his nose and sit down, saying to He Yu, “Your friend is really interesting.”
Knowing Du Ziwen’s personality, He Yu frowned slightly, giving a subtle warning.
“Don’t get any ideas.”
Du Ziwen shrugged helplessly.
“The rabbit doesn’t eat grass by its own burrow.”
He Yu finally relaxed his brows and let Du Ziwen order.
With an extra person, the atmosphere felt a bit off.
Xie Xiaobao was shy and spoke less with Du Ziwen there.
He Yu wasn’t much of a talker either.
The three sat in a triangle of silence.
The waiter brought the food.
With the arrival of dishes, Xie Xiaobao’s nervousness melted away.
Out of politeness, he greeted Du Ziwen once, then focused on eating.
Though Du Ziwen was good at socializing, he found it hard to approach the focused Xie Xiaobao and could only laugh ruefully at He Yu.
“Your little friend here is really something.”
Xie Xiaobao heard him talking about himself, glanced up, then lowered his head to eat again.
He Yu picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and placed it in Xie Xiaobao’s bowl, saying softly, “Remember what you just said.”
Du Ziwen cleared his throat, smiling.
“I won’t disturb your private time. Enjoy your meal; I have to go now.”
He Yu showed no intention of keeping him and nodded, saying they’d meet again next time.
That was that.
Xie Xiaobao asked, “Aren’t you going to have some more before you leave?”
Du Ziwen laughed aloud, then said again to He Yu, “Your little friend is really something. No wonder you’re so good to him.”
He waved off the comment and left.
Xie Xiaobao craned his neck, watching his retreating figure, then whispered to He Yu, “Do you have any more weird friends like him?”
He Yu patted his head and replied, “He was my roommate abroad. Sometimes he’s a bit…”
He paused to think, then added, “A wanderer.”
Xie Xiaobao nodded vaguely and told He Yu to eat, “It won’t taste good if it gets cold.”
The food at the restaurant was indeed delicious.
After finishing the entire table, Xie Xiaobao let out a small satisfied burp and rubbed his belly contentedly.
He Yu called the waiter over to pay.
Xie Xiaobao was eager to pay himself, sternly saying that this time it was his treat.
He Yu couldn’t argue and let him swipe the card.
Then they left together.
It was still early after the meal.
He Yu said there was an arcade nearby and asked if Xie Xiaobao wanted to go.
Actually, He Yu had already looked it up.
Since Xie Xiaobao had the heart of a child, he might like it.
Sure enough, as soon as Xie Xiaobao heard this, he was interested and asked He Yu to take him.
The arcade was on the first floor of the mall.
Even before entering, booming music and noisy chatter could be heard.
Inside, there were many young men and women, laughing and shouting wildly to the upbeat music.
He Yu led Xie Xiaobao to the counter to exchange Game Tokens and then took him around to play.
It was Xie Xiaobao’s first time there, and he wanted to try everything.
He was especially fascinated by the basketball shooting game, watching intently as others played.
He Yu pulled him over, inserted tokens, and let him try.
Xie Xiaobao held the basketball, took a few aimless shots, then tentatively threw it.
The ball missed the hoop completely and flew out the back.
Disappointed, Xie Xiaobao sighed.
The timer on the machine ticked down rapidly as he hurriedly threw again, but he failed to score several times in a row—either bouncing around the rim or missing the hoop entirely.
By the end of the game time, Xie Xiaobao hadn’t made a single basket.
He hung his head dejectedly but immediately fed three more tokens into the machine, glaring at the moving basketball.
He Yu saw he wasn’t going to give up easily and, stifling a laugh, took a ball and taught him shooting techniques.
The two stood very close.
He Yu, older by a few years, held Xie Xiaobao’s hands from behind, guiding his wrist strength and trajectory, making their interaction especially intimate.
Both were strikingly handsome.
The people around exchanged meaningful glances and stopped to watch with interest.
Xie Xiaobao was fully focused on the basketball, unaware of the attention.
He Yu noticed and only slightly frowned but showed nothing.
Xie Xiaobao cupped the basketball in his palm, and He Yu’s hand covered his, helping him flick his wrist and shoot the ball.
The basketball easily went through the hoop.
Xie Xiaobao cheered excitedly and, without waiting for more instruction, grabbed another ball and threw it with the same feeling.
The ball scored again.
Xie Xiaobao excitedly hugged the ball, throwing one shot after another…
He Yu kept feeding him more tokens, waiting until Xie Xiaobao’s hands grew sore and he couldn’t throw anymore, then moved on to another game.