Yingqu Liuzi was pampered by her wealthy daddy.

The next morning, Shen Yu'an woke up to find the bedside empty.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up, hearing noises coming from the living room, and also heard Xize's voice.

He got dressed and went outside, where he saw Xize standing at the kitchen door, holding a glass of water and talking to his mother.

His mother asked him what he wanted to eat for breakfast. Xize understood the word "breakfast," but he didn't understand the rest.

He frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Anything is fine." His pronunciation wasn't quite right, but the meaning was. His mother smiled at him, then turned to Shen Yu'an and said, "Your boyfriend speaks pretty good Chinese."

Shen Yu'an walked over and stood next to Xize, asking him if he slept well last night. Xize said the bed was a bit small, but he slept very well.

Shen Yu'an's ears turned red because the bed was indeed very small, and the two of them squeezed together for one night.

Breakfast was porridge and steamed buns. It was Xize's first time eating steamed buns. After taking a bite, his expression changed, and he looked down at the filling for a long time.

Shen Yu'an asked him if it was delicious, and he said it was, then finished it in two bites. Seeing that he was enjoying it, his mother gave him another one. Xize said thank you, Auntie, and this time his pronunciation was more accurate than yesterday.

In the morning, Dad was sitting in the living room watching TV, and Xize was sitting next to him.

The news was playing on TV, and the host was speaking very fast. Xize couldn't understand it very well, but he sat quietly and occasionally asked Shen Yu'an the meaning of a few words.

Shen Yu'an explained them one by one, and Xize remembered them.

By lunchtime, Xize had already learned to use chopsticks to pick up peanuts.

Although he still falls short, he's made a lot of progress compared to yesterday. Looking at his focused expression, Dad said, "This young man has a good learning ability."

Shen Yu'an translated for Xize, who nodded and said in Chinese, "Thank you, Uncle." Dad was quite pleased to hear this.

After dinner, Mom took out a photo album for Xize to look at.

All of them are photos of Shen Yu'an when he was a child, from birth to high school.

Xize flipped through the pages very carefully, examining each one meticulously.

He saw a photo of Shen Yu'an drawing when she was a child, paused for a long time, and asked his mother when the photo was taken.

Shen Yu'an translated from the side, saying that his mother said this photo was taken when he won an award in a painting competition in the fourth grade of elementary school.

Xize stared at the photo for a while, then looked up at Shen Yu'an. Shen Yu'an felt a little embarrassed by his gaze and said that the drawing wasn't good back then.

Xize said you've always been serious since you were little. Shen Yu'an's ears turned red.

In the evening, Shen Yu'an took Xize out for a walk. The streets outside the residential area were bustling with activity.

Xize would look at everything he saw for a second, so Shen Yu'an would explain to him what this was and what that was. When they came to a stall selling roasted sweet potatoes, Shen Yu'an stopped, bought one, broke it in half, and handed it to Xize.

Xize held the half sweet potato, looked at it, smelled it, and took a bite.

Shen Yu'an asked him how it was, and he said it was very sweet, unlike the ones in England. Shen Yu'an laughed and said, "Have you eaten sweet potatoes before?" Xize said he had, but never roasted ones.

Two people stood by the roadside eating sweet potatoes, their breath turning into white mist in the cold air.

Surrounded by residents coming and going, Shen Yu'an took a bite of sweet potato and felt that this was just an ordinary night in the place where he used to live.

But Nishizawa's presence made this ordinary evening different.

When they got home, their parents were already getting ready for bed. Shen Yu'an and Xize returned to the small room and closed the door. Xize sat at the desk flipping through Shen Yu'an's old sketchbooks, while Shen Yu'an lay on the bed watching him.

"When your mother showed me the photos, there was one of you drawing when you were little," Caesar said in English. "You were lying on the ground with paint on your face. You looked very focused."

Shen Yu'an thought about the photo and said that it was from when he was very young and he didn't remember what he was drawing.

Xize closed the sketchbook and turned to look at him. "You've been doing the same thing your whole life."

"I like drawing." Shen Yu'an rolled over and lay on his back, looking at the ceiling. "That hasn't changed."

Xize stood up, walked to the bedside, and leaned over him, supporting himself on top of him. The two faced each other, very close.

"There's one thing that hasn't changed for me either," Caesar said.

"What?"

I like you.

Shen Yu'an was stunned for a moment, then laughed, reached out and put his arm around his neck to pull him down.

The two of them squeezed onto that small single bed, their legs crossed and their arms intertwined.

Shen Yu'an pressed her face against Xize's chest and heard his heartbeat, steady and strong.

He closed his eyes and felt as if the room had grown larger, big enough to hold everything that would have been there if one person had become two.

This night was ordinary, much like any other night Shen Yu'an had ever stayed here.

But Caesar is here.

That made everything better.

On the third day, Shen Yu'an's phone rang.

His best friends from high school bombarded him in the group chat, asking when he was coming back and inviting him out for dinner.

Shen Yu'an said he had been back for two days, and his friend said, "Why didn't you say so earlier? We have to get together tonight."

Shen Yu'an looked up at Xize sitting next to him and asked him if he would like to come along.

Xize agreed.

Shen Yu'an hesitated a bit, saying that they might be a bit noisy, and while they could understand some of your English, they weren't very fluent.

Xize said it was fine, he could just listen from the side.

Shen Yu'an replied to her friend's message, saying that she would bring her boyfriend along.

He was met with a barrage of news.

They arranged to meet at a hot pot restaurant that evening. When Shen Yu'an and Xize arrived, there were already four people sitting in the private room: three men and one woman, all of whom were Shen Yu'an's good friends from high school.

Upon seeing Shen Yu'an enter, the two most active boys immediately stood up and shouted that Yu'an had arrived.

Shen Yu'an greeted them with a smile, then stepped aside to let Xize behind him pass.

There was a moment of silence in the private room. All eyes turned to Xize.

He was so tall that he almost pressed against the door frame when standing at the entrance of the private room, which was at a normal height. He had dark blond hair and gray-blue eyes, and wore a dark turtleneck sweater, which contrasted sharply with the warm yellow lighting of the hot pot restaurant.

The first girl to react was named Lin Wei. After looking at it for two seconds, she nudged the person next to her with her elbow and said, "Don't be silly."

Then she stood up, smiled at Caesar, and said "Hello" in English.

Caesar nodded and replied in English, "Hello."

Shen Yu'an led the two people to their seats.

Xize sat next to Shen Yu'an, his long legs feeling a bit awkward under the table.

Although Shen Yu'an's friends were still observing him, they had already begun to return to their usual lively state. Some were ordering food and calling for waiters, while others were handing over menus. Some were asking Shen Yu'an how things were going in England.

Shen Yu'an said it was fine, and then briefly talked about school. While he was talking, several friends next to him kept glancing at Xize, but they were very careful and their movements weren't very obvious.

The atmosphere became more relaxed after the food was served. The boys opened a few bottles of beer, poured a glass for Shen Yu'an, and then looked at Xize and asked him if he wanted a drink.

Xize said yes. His friend poured him a glass. Xize picked it up, took a sip, and his expression didn't change much.

After they had eaten enough, Lin Wei asked Xize in English how he knew Shen Yu'an.

Xize said that it was a rainy night when he saw Shen Yu'an taking shelter from the rain while driving by. After hearing this, Lin Wei translated it into Chinese for the person next to her. The group exchanged glances, their expressions complicated.

"So he picked you up from the roadside and took you home?" a boy asked Shen Yu'an.

Shen Yu'an said it was about right, and then laughed.

Lin Wei then asked Xize what kind of work he did. Xize gave a brief answer, without mentioning any specific title, only that it was a family business.

My friend understood the term "family business" and figured it probably meant someone whose family was quite wealthy and ran a business.

Then the conversation turned to Shen Yu'an's high school days.

A boy named Chen Zhe told Xize in English that he was exceptionally good at drawing in high school and had won many awards. Xize understood and nodded, saying, "I know, I've seen it."

Another friend chimed in, saying that he was also very popular and that many people liked him.

Shen Yu'an tried to stop him when he heard this, but it was too late.

Chen Zhe had already started speaking, telling Xize in broken but clear English that during his senior year of high school, a girl from the next class would bring him water every day, and that younger students would come to visit him at the entrance of their classroom.

Xize listened very attentively.

His expression remained polite, with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, and he didn't seem to have any particular reaction.

But Shen Yu'an noticed that his hand was under the table, gently pinching his leg. Just for a moment, then he quickly withdrew it.

Shen Yu'an quickly said, "Don't talk nonsense, it's not true."

Lin Wei laughed at his blushing face and said, "Of course you did! Didn't you accept the chocolate that girl gave you?" Shen Yu'an replied, "She insisted on giving it to me, so it wouldn't be right for me to refuse."

He turned to look at Xize, wanting to explain, but Xize's expression remained unchanged, revealing nothing.

But then his hand reached out from under the table and placed on Shen Yu'an's thigh, his thumb slowly rubbing against it.

Shen Yu'an felt that the gesture was more effective than any expression.

Chen Zhe then asked Xize how many days he would stay in China, and Xize replied about a week.

Chen Zhe said, "When you have time to go out and have fun, I'll take you to see some of the local attractions." Xize nodded and said thank you, then said "Okay" in Chinese. His pronunciation was good, and everyone laughed.

As the event was drawing to a close, Lin Wei said to Xize, "Yu'an is a very good person. Be good to him." Xize nodded and said, "I know, I will."

Shen Yu'an listened from the side, her ears feeling a little hot.

As I left the hot pot restaurant, a night breeze blew in my face.

His friends waved goodbye, saying they'd meet up another day. Shen Yu'an said goodbye to them and then walked home with Xize. After walking for a while, Shen Yu'an turned to look at Xize.

Were you jealous just now?

Xize didn't stop walking: "No."

"You pinched my leg."

"I was touching you."

Shen Yu'an chuckled, took two quick steps forward, turned around to face him, and walked backwards: "You asked about the chocolates. You clearly care."

Xize reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him back to his side, saying he didn't mind.

Shen Yu'an said, "Fine, if you say you don't care, then you don't care." But looking at Xize's expression, he felt that although his face was still calm, the corners of his mouth were pursed a little tighter than usual.

He reached out and took Xize's arm, walking alongside him.

"I never agreed to be with any of those people in high school. You're the first."

Xize glanced down at him, remained silent for two seconds, and then said in Chinese, "I know."

Not entirely accurate, but Shen Yu'an understood. He pressed his face against Xize's sleeve and smiled.

The two walked down the streetlights. The street was quiet, with only the occasional car passing by. Shen Yu'an felt Xize's arm tighten around him, and he pulled Xize closer to him.

After he said that, Xize's lips seemed less tight.

Shen Yu'an thought that he should stop his friend from leaking information again next time. But today was fine too, at least it let him know that Xize would also be jealous of him.