BFILWY CH 23

Chapter 23: Can I Pursue You?

“Sorry, the noodles I made for you to bring good luck turned out so bad. It seems like they made you even more unlucky.” An Yue looked a bit dejected amidst Ye Qinghe’s laughter.

“It’s fine. I didn’t know you’re not supposed to add salt to noodles,” Ye Qinghe smiled gently. “I should thank you for celebrating my birthday. It was thoughtful of you.”

“Huh? You knew?” An Yue was surprised, then felt a little awkward. “Don’t blame Aunt Chen. It was… it was me who asked her. She mentioned you don’t celebrate birthdays, and I just took it upon myself.” When you’re being loyal, you have to own up to it, right? At this moment, An Yue felt like he needed to take responsibility.

Ye Qinghe’s expression softened even more. “It’s not that I don’t celebrate birthdays. It’s just that the people who used to care about my birthday aren’t around anymore, so there’s no real need for me to celebrate it.” Ye Qinghe spoke slowly, “But now that you care and are willing to celebrate my birthday with me, I’m very happy.”

“…” An Yue’s delicate brows furrowed. It seemed like his sense of loyalty might have been misplaced. Did he make Ye Qinghe misunderstand? Looking at Ye Qinghe, who suddenly appeared so affectionate, An Yue felt a chill on the back of his neck. He wondered if he should just confess that Aunt Chen had set it all up. But seeing Ye Qinghe’s longing expression for warmth, An Yue couldn’t bring himself to break the illusion. Forget it. A misunderstanding is a misunderstanding. It’s not like it’s going to cost him anything. Making the boss happy is part of the job too. If he looked at it that way, maybe he could make his boss even happier.

An Yue went back to his room and took something out, pushing it into Ye Qinghe’s hand. “Since you’re willing to celebrate your birthday, then this is for you. Consider it your birthday gift. It’s not wrapped, so don’t mind it, but it’s very practical.”

Ye Qinghe felt the object in his hand. It was a long, slender item, with a fish-shaped cover over it. The overall shape looked like a small fish on a skewer. The small fish could move, but it was stuck at both ends, so it couldn’t be removed. Ye Qinghe pressed both ends of the skewer, leaving small circular impressions on his fingertips.

Ye Qinghe slid the little fish back and forth and asked, “What is this? A straw?”

“Yes, a floating fish straw.” An Yue answered.

He brought an empty cup and a water bottle over, placing the straw into the cup. The tail of the little fish hit the bottom of the cup with a clink. An Yue took Ye Qinghe’s hand and demonstrated.

He had Ye Qinghe hold the cup with his fingers below the rim, resting on the straw, then poured the water in. Due to buoyancy, the little fish swam upwards as the water level rose, and when the fish’s mouth touched Ye Qinghe’s finger, An Yue stopped pouring.

Ye Qinghe immediately understood. This straw was a practical tool for helping blind people pour water. He asked An Yue not to help and to let him try pouring the water himself this time. He successfully filled the cup to about 80%, then took a sip from the straw. “How did you know about this? It’s really useful.”

“I used to volunteer at a children’s ophthalmology clinic. When I’d go tell stories to the kids, I’d bring little prizes for a quiz game. This was one of the prizes that didn’t get given away, and I found it again while cleaning today, so I decided to give it to you.” An Yue scratched his head and smiled. “It’s not much of a gift, but I hope you like it.”

“I really like it,” Ye Qinghe said. “I can get a box to store it in so I can carry it with me.”

Even though Ye Qinghe couldn’t see, there was still a sense of being looked at when his eyes were on someone. An Yue suddenly felt uneasy under his gaze and quickly carried the bowls and plates into the kitchen.

“Have you had the fried milk cake yet? It’s really good. You can air fry it a bit, and we can have some sweet treats.” Ye Qinghe called out uncertainly from the dining room. “You know how to use the air fryer, right?” He was actually already a bit full and feeling slightly nauseous, but he still wanted to spend more time with An Yue, so he suggested having dessert.

“Yes, give me a minute.” An Yue replied. After washing the dishes, he set up the air fryer and started frying the milk cakes. Before long, Ye Qinghe smelled something burning.

“…” Ye Qinghe wrinkled his nose. “An Yue, do you smell that?”

“What… Ah!” An Yue let out a distressed yell as smoke poured out when he opened the air fryer basket. Half of the milk cakes had turned black.

“Ugh, I forgot to reset the temperature.” An Yue stomped his feet in frustration. The last time Aunt Chen used the air fryer to fry chicken, she set it to 200°C, and An Yue didn’t pay attention, just using the same setting. He had spaced out for a while, and the milk cakes ended up burnt.

Ye Qinghe’s mind immediately flashed a banner—no talent, so pitiful. He leaned on his head, laughing with a helpless expression.

An Yue, feeling annoyed, threw the burnt milk cakes away, but fortunately, there weren’t many to begin with. A few pieces remained in the air fryer. This time, he adjusted the temperature to a lower setting, continuously opening the fryer to check. After ten minutes of fiddling, he brought out a small plate of milk cakes.

“Only four pieces left,” An Yue said regretfully.

“You eat them,” Ye Qinghe pushed the plate towards An Yue. “I already had some at the restaurant.”

An Yue picked up a piece of the fried milk cake and took a small bite, the rich taste of milk filling his mouth. He looked at Ye Qinghe in surprise. “This is really delicious.”

Ye Qinghe nodded. “Told you, didn’t I? I’ll take you there next time. The freshly fried milk cake tastes even better. I’ll tell you, Yupin Lou isn’t just famous for its dim sum; their roast duck is also well-known, and the lobster and bamboo shoot fish are quite good too.”

“Then I couldn’t possibly… it sounds expensive, doesn’t it?” An Yue said as he ate. He had only had two small pieces of pork’s trotter and a big bite of bad-tasting noodles for dinner, so his stomach was still a little hungry. Now that he was eating such delicious snacks, he lost control and quickly finished all but the last piece. “Chairman Ye, there’s one piece left… you…” An Yue hesitated and pushed the plate towards Ye Qinghe, gently touching the back of his hand on the table.

“I really don’t want it. You eat it.” Ye Qinghe smiled and pushed the plate back. “Yupin Lou might seem expensive just by looking at the prices, but the ingredients are fresh, and the flavors are authentic. Once you’ve eaten there, you’ll know it’s worth it.”

An Yue shrugged. This kind of polite talk wasn’t new to him, and he casually agreed. After finishing the last piece of the milk cake, he grabbed the plate and was about to head back to the kitchen.

“When are we going?” Ye Qinghe sensed An Yue moving and accurately grabbed his sleeve, asking.

“Huh?” An Yue was surprised at Ye Qinghe’s insistence on confirming the time. “Didn’t you just eat there today? Why are you so eager to go again? Isn’t it a bit much?”

“Going with you is different.” Ye Qinghe found An Yue’s hand through his sleeve and held his wrist. “Eating with someone you like feels different.”

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

An Yue stood frozen, staring at Ye Qinghe in shock. The wrist that was held became stiff, and soon the feeling spread throughout his body.

He stood still, awkward and angry. Your boyfriend is sleeping in the room, and you’re confessing to someone in the living room?

What the hell did I just hear?

You idiot. This guy has always been an idiot.

(To be continued…)