BFILWY CH 24

Chapter 24: Misunderstanding

“An Yue, I feel… I really like you. Can I pursue you?” Ye Qinghe said somewhat shyly.

He wasn’t unfamiliar with saying “I like you,” nor had he never said that he wanted to pursue someone.

During those reckless years, words like “I like you,” “I love you,” and “I’m going to pursue you” were always on his lips, ready to be said at any moment. Those so-called declarations of pursuit were nothing more than a way to show off his bold, aggressive tactics, as if announcing to the world that he was about to let someone go.

But this was the first time that when he said “I like you,” his heart truly felt the same way. It was also the first time he was sincerely asking if he could pursue someone, hoping for a chance to get close to the adorable An Yue—openly, not secretly or with hidden motives.

Ye Qinghe was still smiling, waiting for An Yue’s response. However, An Yue remained silent, and Ye Qinghe grew increasingly uneasy. He couldn’t see that An Yue’s expression had changed, but the delicate wrist in his hand felt tense and stiff to the touch.

“An Yue?” Ye Qinghe gently squeezed his hand and called his name, trying to bring him back to reality.

An Yue finally moved. He twisted his wrist, breaking free from Ye Qinghe’s grasp, and pulled his hand back. He touched the lingering warmth on his wrist, feeling his heart gradually grow colder. He heard his voice, hoarse and more unpleasant than usual, “No.”

Ye Qinghe paused for a moment, his breath catching slightly as he waited for An Yue to speak.

“You can’t pursue me. Haven’t you…?” An Yue cleared his throat, unwilling to mention anything about boyfriends, not wanting to sound like he was being jealous. Besides, his refusal to accept Ye Qinghe’s pursuit wasn’t just because Ye Qinghe had a boyfriend. An Yue rephrased, “I… I don’t like men.”

Ye Qinghe tilted his head in confusion. “Is that so? Are you sure you don’t like men?” But from the earlier actions, Ye Qinghe was now more certain than ever that An Yue was part of their circle. What straight man, when grabbed by another man during a confession, would feel their heart race?

“I’m sure,” An Yue quickly replied.

Ye Qinghe lowered his head, touching the bridge of his nose, feeling somewhat disappointed. “Then… I misunderstood. I thought you… had some feelings for me too.”

“It’s a misunderstanding,” An Yue quickly interjected. “I only see you as my boss, paying me for work. Nothing else.” He thought for a moment. Though it was a bit harsh, he felt he had to clarify. “The longevity noodles were something Aunt Chen asked me to make, not something I did on my own. I lied to you earlier because I didn’t want you to blame Aunt Chen for being meddlesome. I’m sorry. If that was the reason you misunderstood, then I’m clearing it up now.”

Ye Qinghe nodded calmly. “I understand.”

Seeing Ye Qinghe like this still made An Yue angry. This person was always so irresponsible, flirting without regard for time or place. Unable to help himself, he added, “There are a lot of people who care about you, who like you. I advise you to cherish the people around you more.” After saying that, he cleaned up the table and went to his room.

Ye Qinghe sat by the dining table, letting out a bitter smile. Isn’t this me trying to cherish the people around me? Unfortunately, the people around me don’t let me cherish them.

It turned out that catching happiness wasn’t as easy as it seemed.

Ye Qinghe slowly walked back to his room. As soon as he entered, he realized He Zhifan hadn’t gone to sleep. He was lying on the sofa bed, making sneaky chuckling sounds, clearly stifling laughter under the covers.

“What are you laughing at?” Ye Qinghe asked helplessly.

He Zhifan couldn’t contain himself any longer and burst into loud laughter, prompting Ye Qinghe to take off his slippers and toss them straight toward the sound of the laughter.

The slippers landed perfectly on He Zhifan’s head before falling onto the blanket, and He Zhifan casually swiped them off to the floor. He kept laughing for a while before speaking up.

“I told you to properly coax Teacher An, not scare him! You got rejected, huh? Hahaha, the great love master got rejected! Today is truly a memorable day.”

Ye Qinghe was fuming. “It’s your fault, talking about how he has feelings for me, which made me lose my mind and confess right away.”

“You really did lose your mind. Are you suffering from post-accident effects? How is your way of pursuing someone so terrible?” He Zhifan sighed. “I could hear it from inside, and I was anxious for you.”

“Who gave you permission to eavesdrop?”

“I just wanted to go out for some water! Who knew I’d overhear such a polite request? Come on, help yourself, pursue him already, stop asking questions. Are you going to start asking things like, ‘Can I kiss you?’ or ‘Can I sleep with you?’ or ‘Is it okay if I…’?”

“Zhifan,” Ye Qinghe’s voice suddenly turned stern, halting He Zhifan’s words, “I’m not like that with An Yue. Don’t speak like that.”

I’m not like that with An Yue. I’m sincere!

He Zhifan was startled and quickly sat up straight. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”

Ye Qinghe knew his friend didn’t mean any harm. He sighed and sat down at the edge of his bed, frustratedly running his hand through his hair. “I know this question sounds strange and my method of pursuing him is awful. But I don’t want to use tricks with An Yue. I want to pursue him genuinely, I want him to know how I feel, and I want it to be something he agrees to.”

He Zhifan looked at Ye Qinghe with sympathy. “Pursuing someone requires skill. That’s not what I’d call tricks. Don’t make things more difficult for yourself.”

He knew about Ye Qinghe’s insecurities. In the past, when Ye Qinghe played the field, he was always very calculated—little gestures here and there, making people swoon and fall completely for him. Those tricks worked smoothly for the young Ye Qinghe, but now, the former playboy Ye Qinghe wasn’t using any of them.

He didn’t want to.

He Zhifan watched his friend, who was still making things difficult for himself, and shook his head. “I know you don’t want to use tricks. But don’t misunderstand. Your pursuit techniques, if used in the right way and at the right time, are called charm. If you really like Teacher An, why should he be treated so bluntly and roughly? Doesn’t he deserve someone who understands the subtleties of the situation?”

“But…” Ye Qinghe seemed troubled. “I… I don’t know how to do it. I don’t want to trick him.”

“Who said anything about tricking him?” He Zhifan clicked his tongue. Was his friend’s brain really that stuck? “What you did before—that was tricking. Now, it’s about seriously pursuing him, about charm. Do you see the difference? It’s in the heart!” He Zhifan emphasized the words. “The key is your sincerity. Do you think of Teacher An as a game?”

“Of course not,” Ye Qinghe replied, his tone firm.

“Then there you go,” He Zhifan slapped his thigh. “Now, go ahead and use those skills. Charm him until his legs are weak. Even animals have to woo their partners so they’re willing!”

“Hey, hey, hey, why are we talking about this again?” Ye Qinghe protested halfway, but was interrupted.

“Shut up,” He Zhifan pointed at Ye Qinghe, then remembered that Ye Qinghe couldn’t see, so he awkwardly lowered his hand. “What’s wrong with wooing someone? What’s so dirty about it? If you like someone, want to kiss them, hug them, want to be with them… How is that dirty? It’s natural and beautiful. Don’t tell me that after all this effort, you’re going to keep complicating things. I’ll say this now: we’re both men. If Teacher An lets you pursue him, do you really want to treat it like some Platonic relationship? You don’t want it, but don’t think Teacher An won’t want it too. Stop pretending, trying to act all pure like Liu Xiahui^[1]. Have some self-respect! Tsk. Don’t be afraid that Teacher An will think you’re impotent and kick you out.”

Ye Qinghe finally relaxed and laughed. “Heh, thanks.”

“Thanks, my ass!” He Zhifan cursed, but Ye Qinghe was still laughing.

“But just now, Teacher An said he wasn’t like that. You can’t just turn someone gay, right?” He Zhifan suddenly remembered An Yue’s refusal and became a bit worried that his persuasion wasn’t very ethical. He seemed reluctant to believe it. “No way? I have a great read on people. Teacher An is like that.”

“Are you only worried now? Isn’t it a bit too late?” Ye Qinghe clicked his tongue. “Don’t worry, he is. When I held his hand just now, his heart was racing, speeding up like crazy!”

“He might have been so excited he wanted to punch you.”

“Hey! Which side are you on?” Ye Qinghe grabbed another slipper, ready to throw it.

“I’m on your side!” He Zhifan quickly yielded. “Then why did he use that excuse to turn you down? If he didn’t like you, why not just say it? Why make up a reason? It doesn’t make sense. I didn’t see any dislike in his eyes.”

He Zhifan scratched his head, confused.

“Making up excuses is to cover up the real reason,” Ye Qinghe replied.

“And what’s the real reason?” He Zhifan asked.

“He likes me,” Ye Qinghe said with confidence.

“Idiot. If he likes you, why didn’t he accept your pursuit?” He Zhifan threw himself back into bed, too tired to think clearly.

Ye Qinghe hesitated a bit. “Could it be… I’m too handsome? He doesn’t have confidence in himself?”

“… Whatever makes you happy! It’s your birthday, you’re the boss!” He Zhifan glanced at the time. It was already past midnight, and the shameless birthday was over. He couldn’t help but add, “An Yue’s not any worse than you. He’s still young. A fresh piece of meat. I advise you to step up your game.”

“Then that means he doesn’t have confidence in himself,” Ye Qinghe kept his tone. “Do you think he might know… about my past?”

“Probably not,” He Zhifan sat up straight. “That was six years ago. Who would know about that? Six years ago, Teacher An was still a kid. How could he know?”

Ye Qinghe nodded. “Yeah, he probably doesn’t know.” He Zhifan nodded as well, as if that was the final confirmation.

The room fell silent for a few minutes before He Zhifan’s confused voice broke the stillness. “But… what if he does know? No, we absolutely can’t let him find out.” He Zhifan’s tone turned serious. “He’s such a kind-hearted person, volunteering at a children’s eye clinic, telling stories to kids. If he finds out about you… Anyway, we can’t let him know.”

Ye Qinghe didn’t say anything. Despite telling himself that this time he’d pursue someone properly, sincerely, and honestly, just two minutes later, he had already contradicted himself. If An Yue had heard about the Second Young Master of the Ye family’s past, he’d just have to admit his mistakes honestly. But as for the little things… there was no way in hell he would admit them. That was too disgraceful. He would never admit it, not even if he died.

(To be continued…)