Chapter 18

He Xìnjiā stared at him for a few seconds, his tone light and airy: "Even though I don't know if you two knew each other when you were kids, do you think I don't know what you looked like when you were little?"

Chen Baifan didn't bother to argue with her. He leaned back and lay down on the sofa, looking despondent.

He Xìnjiā was a bit exasperated. "Is this really necessary?"

"You've never been in love, so you wouldn't understand," Chen Baifan whispered.

He Xìnjiā remained silent for a moment, then he kicked him lightly and got up.

He went to his room, took a coat he hadn't worn in a while, and rummaged through the dresser. He found a large black mask and put it on. Then he left his room.

Noticing his actions, Chen Baifan sat up and his expression showed a bit of energy. "Is it about me and An Nuo?"

He Xìnjiā lowered his gaze, put the backpack with his laptop in it, and responded quietly, "Yes."

"Are you going to write about the story between me and her?"

Chen Baifan began to say something but didn't finish. He was interrupted by He Xìnjiā, who had a sardonic smile on his face. "This might be my first BL novel."

Chen Baifan replied, "..."

Chen Baifan watched the door that had been slammed shut, feeling rather amused by the situation. He decided to open his Weibo app and send a private message to Xin Shu, choosing a more diplomatic way to deflate his confidence.

@DidXinShuQuitToday: I read your latest chapter.

@DidXinShuQuitToday: Just want to say, I've never seen such a terrible story before.

@DidXinShuQuitToday: I suggest you do some major revisions, or maybe just quit writing altogether.

Seeing the instant "read" notification, Chen Baifan grinned, pleased with himself. Instead of waiting for a response, he switched to another private message conversation with An Nuo.

"You think Xin Shu's story is good?"

An Nuo finished a large part of her painting, and when she looked at her phone, it was already noon.

She glanced at it and realized that Chen Baifan had not only changed his WeChat name but had also sent her two messages.

11:13 AM.

Today's day off: I'm taking the day off today, so I woke up a bit late.

Today's day off: Do you think Xin Shu's story is good?

"Why did he change his name so suddenly? Did a patient keep bothering him?" An Nuo wondered. His work number and personal number were supposed to be separate.

Without dwelling on it, she quickly replied, "Just enjoy your day off."

An Nuo: I've been busy with my painting, so I haven't checked my phone.

Because he asked, An Nuo felt compelled to respond truthfully.

— Xin Shu's book is actually quite good.

After a while, he replied:

Today's day off: Do you like reading it too?

Today's day off: It's okay, I don't spend all my time on my phone either.

An Nuo breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "I read it while I was designing the cover for his book."

An Nuo: Yeah, that's it. I'm going to have lunch now.

An Nuo got up, thinking about what food she had, and then her phone on the table vibrated once more.

Today's day off: When are you going back to Pocheng?

Seeing this question, An Nuo remembered that her father had been quite annoyed when he heard she was planning to go back in March.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she reluctantly replied: Probably in April.

Then there was no response from the other side.

An Nuo waited for a few minutes and then added: But I'm not entirely sure.

It was during dinner that An Nuo once again brought up her plans to return in March. Her father furrowed his brows and questioned her decision.

He said, "Why do you want to go back so early? What are you planning to do there? You're all alone, and you hardly know anyone. Your work is not there, so why not just stay at home?"

An Nuo couldn't come up with a good reason and said hesitantly, "I heard it's snowing over there, and I want to see it."

An Nuo's mother added, "I bet Nuo Nuo is looking for a boyfriend over there."

Her father was surprised, "You're looking for a boyfriend?"

An Nuo blushed and immediately denied it, "No way! Don't make wild guesses."

Noticing her daughter's embarrassed expression, her mother continued, "What's the rush then? You're still quite young. If you don't have any news when you come back next time, I'll arrange a blind date for you."

An Nuo felt powerless in the face of their words and stammered, "Dad told me not to date until after college."

Hearing that, her mother glared at her father and didn't say anything. Her father snorted and grumbled, "You're still so young; you don't need to be thinking about dating."

An Nuo’s mother raised her voice angrily, saying, "Shut up!"

An father immediately closed his mouth and didn't even dare to eat his meal.

Hearing the response she wanted, An Nuo couldn't help but smile and said, "In that case, I'll book a flight in a while, and I'll transfer the payment to you in a couple of days."

"Alright, your payment isn't even as much as the allowance I give you for living expenses."

...

He Xinjia stayed in the milk tea shop until 8 o'clock in the evening.

The living room was not lit, only the bathroom light was on.

The door was wide open, and the bright light shone from inside.

But because the living room was spacious, the overall brightness was still quite dim.

Soon, Chen Baifan walked out of the bathroom with his back to the light, his expression somewhat mysterious.

The light created a soft halo around him, making the contours of his hair ends even clearer.

He Xinjia reached out and turned on the living room light, saying, "What are you doing? You're scaring me."

"I forgot to turn on the light." Chen Baifan wiped his hair with a towel and casually sat down on the sofa.

He Xinjia looked at his nonchalant expression, deep in thought. How could he be back to normal so quickly?

He Xinjia didn't pay him any more attention and threw his backpack onto another sofa. "I'm going to take a shower."

Chen Baifan's hand paused in its hair-rubbing motion, and he raised an eyebrow. "You're not normal."

"What do you mean?"

"You showered just the day before yesterday. You can't possibly be showering again today."

Like being pricked in a sore spot, He Xinjia exploded, "Isn't your apartment already renovated? How much longer are you going to mooch off me?"

"No, An Nuo lives across the hall." Chen Baifan leaned back lazily. "How about you move out? I'll give you my house keys. It's nicely renovated, and you'll like it."

Although he was just joking, he never expected Chen Baifan to become this shameless.

Chen Baifan tilted his head, propping up his chin, and thought seriously for a moment. "Did you meet a girl you like when you went out?"

He Xinjia's expression froze, as if his thoughts had been exposed. He looked somewhat awkward. "How did you..."

"The way you're looking now is a bit like the way An Nuo used to look at me in the past."

He Xinjia took a deep breath and said angrily, "You won't get any girls this way, and if you keep this up, I'll just give you this apartment!"

With that, he stormed back into his room.

Chen Baifan lowered his eyelids, picked up his phone, and muttered to himself, "Scored an apartment."

He Xinjia has no idea; confidence is key when pursuing girls, Chen Baifan thought.

He tapped open his chat with An Nuo and looked at what she had said before.

—It should be in April.

Chen Baifan suddenly remembered a question he had asked her during a meal with An Nuo.

—"Are you planning to settle down in this area in the future?"

Her response at the time was something like—

"Not necessarily."

Chen Baifan rubbed his brow and, with a blank expression, dialed An Nuo's number.

Hearing her clear, crisp voice on the other end, he raised the corner of his mouth and said softly, "An Nuo."

Startled by his sudden call, An Nuo sounded a bit nervous. "What's up?"

Chen Baifan thought for a moment and asked directly, "Are you not planning to live here anymore? I just saw a stranger coming out of your place."

"That should be my friend. I'm going back on March 2," she whispered.

Chen Baifan made a noise and his eyes turned as dark as ink, his hair falling over his forehead and ears.

Then, almost imperceptibly, he said, "That's still twelve days."