[Chapter 074] “I like you,” Bian JinYuan said.

    Bian JinYuan considered this for a moment and said, “The weekend then.”

    This way, he would be able to spend the entire day with Lu YunFei.

    Lu YunFei naturally agreed, “Great, the weekend it is.”

    “Mmm,” Bian JinYuan nodded.

    Bian JinYuan’s birthday approached as the sports festival drew closer. Even though Lu YunFei had said he would celebrate his birthday on Sunday, he had still eaten a meal with him on his birthday—after his after part-time job was over.

    “This is your present,” Lu YunFei handed a box to him, “As for the cake, you’ll have to wait till Sunday.”

    Bian JinYuan opened the box to find a phone.

    He had been using his current phone for the past four years. Over the years, the cheap phone had accrued problems. It was a good thing that Bian JinYuan didn’t play mobile games. He usually used it to watch videos, check his WeChat, or search for information, and so it was still usable.

    However, being usable and being good to use were two very different matters.

    Lu YunFei had wanted to change out his phone long ago, but the value of a phone wasn’t easy to cover up. Bian JinYuan would be able to easily look up the price of the phone online. Lu YunFei had wanted to buy him a good model, yet was afraid that he wouldn’t accept it. That was why he had waited till now to gift one to him.

    “Keep it. This way we could play games together.”

    Bian JinYuan looked at the phone in the box, and then at him.

    Lu YunFei was afraid that he wouldn’t accept it, and said gently, “Keep it. Don’t you want to play games together?”

    He wanted to, but…

    As Bian JinYuan pondered, he heard a male voice call out brightly, “Lu YunFei.”

    Lu YunFei looked up to find that it was Dai HanSen.

    Similar to the previous year, they had a birthday meal at the school canteen. However, what differed from last year was that they didn’t have málà hotpot this time.

    Dai HanSen walked over and spotted the phone on the table, “Whoa, new model?”

    Bian JinYuan silently closed the box and put it away.

    Seeing this, Dai HanSen guessed that the phone was an important clue. Bian JinYuan would definitely not have bought such a new model, which meant that this was very likely to be a gift from Lu YunFei. And if Lu YunFei chose to gift it to him today, it meant that this date was an important day to Bian JinYuan.

    Dai HanSen had initially wanted to speak to Lu YunFei about Bian JinYuan during the sports festival. However, since they were already here, he felt that it was a good day for him to seize the chance. After all, didn’t Bian JinYuan accept Lu YunFei’s gift just now?

    Such a happy occasion ought to be followed by a sorrowful event.

    And so he walked forward and took a seat beside Lu YunFei.

    Lu YunFei asked perplexedly, “You’re here for something?”

    “Of course,” Dai HanSen glanced at Bian JinYuan.

    Unexpectedly, Bian JinYuan remained calm, almost as if what he was about to say had no effect on him at all.

    Dai HanSen scoffed inwardly and thought: Continue your act then.

    He looked back at Lu YunFei and said with malice, “Lu YunFei, I’ve been mulling over something for the past few days, and thought that it’s best to tell you after all.”

    “What about?”

    “It’s about last week. Weren’t you unwell at school one day? Back then…”

    “Lu YunFei,” Bian JinYuan spoke at this point and interrupted Dai HanSen. He stood up and said, “Let’s go, class is about to start.”

    Dai HanSen smiled and thought: He’s flustered as expected.

    “Don’t go, you should let Lu YunFei hear what I’ve got to say.”

    Lu YunFei’s gaze jumped between the two of them and wondered if something had happened while he was asleep that day? He’d have to ask Bian JinYuan about it when they got back.

    “I’ll be going off first,” he told Dai HanSen.

    Dai HanSen quickly stood up and reached out to grab him, but was obstructed by Bian JinYuan, “Scram.”

    “Heh, you’re the one who should scram,” Dai HanSen shook him off, “Why don’t you dare let him listen? Are you afraid that he would be disgusted with you after hearing it and tell you to scram instead? I’m going to tell him.”

    “Lu YunFei, that day you…”

    “I don’t want to hear it,” Lu YunFei stopped him, “don’t tell me, I don’t wish to know about it.”

    Dai HanSen froze. Taking this opportunity, Lu YunFei pulled Bian JinYuan with him as they left.

    “Lu YunFei you think of him as a friend, but he…” Dai HanSen chased after them.

    Bian JinYuan unconsciously clenched his fist. But before he could react, Lu YunFei put a stop to Dai HanSen’s words — he turned around and pushed a sour candy into his mouth.

    Dai HanSen’s mouth instantly turned sour.

    “It’ll turn sweet later on,” Lu YunFei smiled, “eat slowly and don’t talk anymore.”

    Saying this, he turned to leave and peeled a sweet for himself as well.

    Dai HanSen no longer chased after them, and Lu YunFei and Bian JinYuan walked towards the classroom.

    “Don’t you wish to know what he wanted to tell you?” Bian JinYuan suddenly asked.

    Lu YunFei said honestly as he ate the sweet, “Of course I do, but you don’t wish to let me hear it right?”

    He turned to face Bian JinYuan, “Anyway, you’ll tell me if I have to know about it.”

    Bian JinYuan turned to look at him, and Lu YunFei smiled as he asked, “Could I learn about it?”

    He was different from Bian JinYuan. He was a very curious person, it was just that he was able to control his curiosity.

    Bian JinYuan saw his bright smile, and his steps slowed.

    Lu YunFei also halted his steps.

    Sunlight shone on his face, a canvas of purity.

    Bian JinYuan looked gently at him. Time seemed to still.

    Just as Lu YunFei thought that he was going to remain silent, the bell rang for class. Lu YunFei unconsciously emitted an “ah”, and it was at this moment when he heard four very gentle words.

    “I like you^#,” Bian JinYuan said, “that’s what you were meant to know, and it’s also what Dai HanSen wanted to tell you.”

    Lu YunFei froze, and couldn’t help but stare at him.

    Bian JinYuan gave him a small smile, “I’m not joking. I’m serious, I like you.”

    The bell finished ringing, but Lu YunFei felt that it continued to ring.

    His heart raced as he fixed his gaze on the familiar face before him. In that moment, he didn’t know how to answer him.

    Bian JinYuan didn’t intend to make things difficult for him, and so he ruffled his hair and said, “Let’s go back in, we’re going to be late.”

    Lu YunFei nodded. He was so flustered that he almost entered the classroom awkwardly with the same leg and arm.

    Lu YunFei became oddly silent the entire afternoon.

    He’d never have thought that Bian JinYuan would suddenly drop such a heavy bomb on him. It was so explosive that he didn’t know how to respond to it.

    Did he like Bian JinYuan? Of course he did. But his like was obviously not the same kind of like as Bian JinYuan’s. His attitude towards Bian JinYuan was the purest of friendships. He had never thought to turn from friends to lovers!

    Lu YunFei fell into a brooding mood.

    As he fretted for an afternoon, so did Bian JinYuan allow him the space to worry for the afternoon. It was only when school let out when he said to him, “I’ll be off first, thanks for your gift.”

    Lu YunFei nodded with his head lowered, as he didn’t dare to look at him.

    Seeing this, Bian JinYuan bent at his waist and looked up at him. Lu YunFei saw his face appear from under him and raised his head back up in fright.

    Bian JinYuan then straightened his back and smiled, “Am I that frightening now? You don’t even lower your head this much when you meet the department head.”

    Lu YunFei: …

    Lu YunFei struggled to present an awkwardly polite smile, “Goodbye.”

    “See you tomorrow.”

    Bian JinYuan said as he carried his bag to walk down the steps and out of the classroom.

    Seeing that he had left, Lu YunFei finally breathed out a sigh of relief, and packed his bag to hurry towards Li YuanQing.

    After work, Bian Jie picked Shuang Shuang up and headed to the hotpot restaurant that she had arranged to meet Bian JinYuan at earlier. Bian JinYuan was already there, an eye-catching sight as he waited in the main hall of the shop.

    Bian Jie walked over and noticed that he seemed to be fiddling with a new phone.

    “You changed your phone?”

    “Mmm,” Bian JinYuan replied.

    Bian Jie was acutely aware that he seemed to be in a good mood.

    “Looks like our Xiao Yuan is in a good mood today.”

    Bian JinYuan smiled and poured her a cup of tea. He was indeed in a good mood, because Lu YunFei hadn’t outright rejected him.

    Bian JinYuan had imagined various scenarios before his confession. Among them, the most occurring was what he would do should Lu YunFei reject him. Lu YunFei was a very blunt person when it came to emotional issues. In the one year that Bian JinYuan knew him, he had seen numerous girls confess to him, and had also witnessed his straightforward rejections to all of them.

    “If I can’t promise them, then I should not make a promise from the start, lest they gain false hope,” he had said, and had acted accordingly.

    This time however, he had not been as outright as he usually said and acted.

    Bian JinYuan had actually prepared to be rejected outright. If Lu YunFei rejected him, he would simply find another way to court him. He would find the patience and perseverance as long as it was Lu YunFei. Yet, Lu YunFei had not rejected him.

    Even though he hadn’t accepted him, he had also not rejected him. This was out of the norm for Lu YunFei’s character, and so Bian JinYuan was delighted. At the very least, it signified that he had a chance.

    Here someone was celebrating, while there someone else was agonizing. The one celebrating was Bian JinYuan, while the one worrying was naturally Lu YunFei.

    “Tell me, just what is happening right now?!” Lu YunFei looked at his two good friends and barely refrained from hitting the railings in frustration.

    Li YuanQing and Wen MingYi shared a look with each other, both of them confused, and they didn’t react for a moment.

    “Bian JinYuan likes you?”

    “Yep.”

    “Not as a friend?”

    “Yep.”

    “He wants to sleep with you?” Wen MingYi stated crudely.

    Lu YunFei: …

    Even though he wanted to deny it, but, “… Correct.”

    Silence, silence. Silence was no longer tonight’s Cambridge. Silence befell the three people, Lu, Li, and Wen.

    Lu YunFei looked at his buddies, “Did I call you to perform silence?”

    “Isn’t it because it’s the first time I’ve encountered such a thing in real life, I don’t have any experience in such matters,” Li YuanQing was still in shock.

    Lu YunFei turned his focus to Wen MingYi. Wen MingYi was also speechless, “It’s also my first time encountering this my dear!”

    “Aren’t your parents in the arts? Wouldn’t they have encountered this before?” Li YuanQing reminded him.

    “Well said,” Wen MingYi slapped the table, “Come, let us count the number of times I’ve met my parents over the last three years. Did I see them three times? Had we ever met for more than three hours each time? Hmm?”

    Lu YunFei: …

    Li YuanQing: …

    They’d forgotten. This was a child who was left behind.

    “So what do we do now?” Lu YunFei worried.

    “Ask yourself,” Li YuanQing lifted his chin, “Do you like Bian JinYuan? Do you want to sleep with him?”

    Lu YunFei: …

    “Spill it,” Wen MingYi nudged him.

    “I… I don’t know,” Lu YunFei covered his face.

    “Then do you wish for other people to sleep with him?” Wen MingYi went about it another way.

    Lu YunFei: ????

    “I’ve never thought of it before.”

    “Then you ponder over it. If you don’t wish to be with him, that means that he’d be with someone else. Will you be okay with that?”

    Lu YunFei thought carefully, “That depends on who he gets together with. I’d be okay if he got together with someone who treats him well. If they don’t, then I’d definitely not be okay.”

    “What do you mean by treating him well or not? What constitutes as good for him?” Wen MingYi continued questioning.

    “Simple. Treats him with respect, understands him, and supports him. Knows how to protect and take care of him. Knows not to force him when it comes to things or people that he doesn’t like. Tries hard to understand things that he likes. Don’t interfere too much in his affairs, but makes sure that he’s not neglected as well. Don’t judge his family, and also don’t pry too much into his household. But don’t ignore it either. It’s better to have a certain level of understanding regarding his family members. Don’t…”

    Wen MingYi silently made a motion for him to stop, “Don’t you think that you have too many conditions?”

    “I’m just telling like what it is.”

    “I now understand why Bian JinYuan likes you. You’ve already done so much,. Who else would he like if not you?”

    Li YuanQing, “1^✚.”

    Lu YunFei: …

    “So if the other party isn’t able to do what you said, do you think they can be with Bian JinYuan?”

    Lu YunFei covered his face with a hand, “Then I think that Bian JinYuan probably wouldn’t be with him.”

    “Then if Bian JinYuan doesn’t get together with him and continues to be single, do you think it’s fine?”

    “Of course not!” Lu YunFei declared without hesitation.

    “Then, to get together with you, or for him to stay single, which would you choose?”

    Lu YunFei: … This was too difficult!

    Li YuanQing saw him frown and tried to help him analyse, “Didn’t we break this down already? The conditions that you stated are so difficult that most people can’t meet them. He won’t consider those who can’t meet those criteria and will stay single. Then doesn’t this leave getting together with you or staying single?”

    Lu YunFei: … It did seem like this was the case.

    He let his head fall onto the table, thinking that this question was so difficult that he really didn’t know how to solve it!

    Lu YunFei, Li YuanQing, and Wen MingYi spent an entire night analysing the situation, and still weren’t able to decipher if he liked Bian JinYuan or not. From his point of view, romantic relationships relied on fate. If it were fated, he would like the other party. If it weren’t fated, he wouldn’t like the other party.

    But he didn’t know if he and Bian JinYuan were fated or not.

    At this point, Lu YunFei sorely wished that he had x-ray vision to check if he had a red string on his hand that led to Bian JinYuan.

    At the end of the meeting, Li YuanQing saw that he was still thinking about it, and couldn’t help but sigh, as he said what he had wanted to say all these time.

    “Are you still thinking about whether you like Bian JinYuan or not?”

    “What else?” Lu YunFei was deflated.

    “Then have you ever thought about why you’re agonizing over this question?”

    Li YuanQing looked at him, his expression calm while his eyes serious, “You’ve received numerous confessions before. Which one had made you mull over it before? Don’t you outright reject them if you don’t like them?”

    Lu YunFei froze.

    Li YuanQing continued, “Moreover, Bian JinYuan is a guy.”

    “If another guy confessed to you today, would you be wondering whether you liked him or not?” His gentle voice fell clearly onto Lu YunFei’s ears, “And so seriously at that.”

We. Are. Getting. There!

# “I like you” in Mandarin is 我喜欢你 (wǒ xǐ huān nǐ), which is four words.

✚ Li YuanQing is verbally expressing his agreement by saying ‘1’. ‘+1’ is used online to mean ‘agree’, or here’s another one who agrees with the aforementioned statement.