Pei Yi's father died young, and his mother Shu Wan was not accepted by Master Pei because of her background and family. The latter even forcibly took Pei Yi away when he was still an infant.

In recent years, Shu Wan has been living with her eldest daughter Pei Yuan.

After so many years, the youngest son who was considered "stupid" suddenly recovered, and met such an excellent lover as Bo Yueming, and was accompanied by such excellent juniors as Qin Yishun, Li Yu'an and Yan Cen.

Shu Wan was so happy to eat this New Year's Eve dinner that came early.

She thoughtfully prepared big red envelopes for the children, one for each of them, and even Yan Cen, who "came to eat temporarily", did not miss any.

The dinner lasted until almost ten o'clock.

Pei Yi remembered the number of steps on the fourth floor and was concerned about his friend's foot injury. "Liyuan, let's find someone to carry you down. Don't step on the air and get hurt."

Although he said this to Li Yu'an, his eyes quietly moved to Yan Cen.

Yan Cen received Pei Yi's assisting gaze, but unfortunately his voice was still a step late, "I..."

"I'll do it."

Qin Yishun, who has always been "protective of his younger brother", walked to Li Yu'an first and bent down to signal, "Xiao An, you come up."

The two did not communicate much at the dinner table. Li Yu'an did not expect Qin Yishun to call him "Xiao An" as soon as he opened his mouth. He was a little flattered for a while.

He was used to doing things by himself, and didn't dare to bother Qin Yishun, "I can walk by myself, don't bother me."

Qin Yishun turned his head and looked at him, "What's the problem with being a brother carrying his younger brother? When Xiaoyi was injured, I carried him on my back."

Since Pei Huan and Li Yu'an's life story was exposed, Qin Yishun, as a "cousin", learned a lot about Li Yu'an from Pei Yi.

He deeply recognized Li Yu'an's character and personality.

At dinner tonight, Qin Yishun watched Li Yu'an from being restrained when he entered the door, to being flattered after receiving the red envelope, and then to the envy and obedience when watching them talk at the dinner table -

Qin Yishun secretly felt emotional, and also felt the heartache and love as a brother.

Qin Yishun tried his best to soften the sternness he had acquired in the army, and urged in a low voice, "Come up quickly."

Li Yu'an pursed his lips, and his eyes unconsciously glanced at Yan Cen behind him.

The next second, he heard Pei Yi speak deliberately, "Liyuan, come up quickly! Or, do you want someone else to carry you?"

Li Yu'an denied it, "No!"

After that, he quickly climbed onto Qin Yishun's shoulders.

Yan Cen heard the slight loss of control in Li Yu'an's "no", and gave a very faint smile, reaching out to support the other's back.

Qin Yishun, who was a soldier, was best at investigation. He noticed the subtleties between Yan Cen and Li Yu'an, and his eyes unconsciously darkened, and he carried Li Yu'an downstairs.

As if he was afraid that Yan Cen would follow him up.

Li Yu'an, who was on Qin Yishun's back, didn't dare to move. He just looked down at Qin Yishun carrying him steadily down the stairs. A kind of dependence on family affection rose in his heart.

From childhood to adulthood, he grew up as an "only child", lacking the laughter and help of brothers and sisters.

During the most difficult time for the Li family, Li Yu'an was desperate and had an idea.

If only he had an older brother, with a brother standing in front, maybe he wouldn't be so tired.

And now, the wish seems to have come true belatedly.

A group of people arrived downstairs.

Qin Yishun carefully put Li Yu'an on the ground, "Xiao'an, how did you get here?"

Yan Cen answered instead, "I came in my car."

Qin Yishun heard this and turned his head to stare at Yan Cen who was following closely behind him, as if to say: Did I ask you?

"..."

Yan Cen pushed his glasses lightly, not daring to argue with his future brother-in-law.

Although he and Li Yu'an's relationship has not yet been established, he has known for a long time that

Qin Yishun is a brother-protecting maniac from the inside out, from beginning to end, because he and Bo Yueming have been friends for many years!

First, Bo Yueming "took away" the "cabbage" Pei Yi, and now he has to be on guard against him "stealing" another cabbage?

Qin Yishun turned around and pointed at Li Yu'an, "Brother will take you back, you..."

Pei Yi interrupted, "Let's go the same way we came here?"

He tried to create opportunities for Li Yu'an and Yan Cen, and did not forget to show concern, "Brother, you live in two directions from us, so don't send us back and forth, go back and rest early."

Yan Cen nodded silently in his heart, but he would never provoke Qin Yishun on the surface.

Qin Yishun was blocked by Pei Yi's concern and had to change his words, "Okay."

"Xiao An, send me your home address later. Your foot injury makes it inconvenient. If you need help, you can always call me for help. Got it?"

Li Yu'an's eyebrows revealed a touch of emotion, "Yeah."

...

The car door closed and drove away.

Yan Cen looked at Qin Yishun in the reversing mirror and breathed a sigh of relief as if jokingly, "This President Qin is worthy of being a retired soldier. The look in his eyes is like interrogating a prisoner."

Li Yu'an didn't understand for a moment, "Interrogating a prisoner?"

Yan Cen raised his eyebrows slightly, taking the opportunity to express his attitude, "He has a sharp eye and should be able to see that I have feelings for you."

"..."

Li Yu'an's ears burned and he didn't say anything.

Yan Cen had long guessed that Li Yu'an would react like this, and naturally changed the topic for him, "Didn't you just accept the New Year's money from Aunt Shu? Don't you want to see how much there is?"

Li Yu'an was also a little curious, and took out the red envelopes that were carefully hidden in his pocket. After confirming the number, he was a little surprised, "Five hundred?"

Apart from Pei Yi, Shu Wan herself was not rich. There

were six children at this table today, and she gave out red envelopes alone, which showed that she cared most about Pei Yi and others.

Yan Cen intended to increase the contact between the two, "Mine is also in the pocket of your clothes, can you open it for me to see?"

Li Yu'an's eyes moved to his clothes, and his refusal was tinged with a little arrogance, "Open it when you get home."

Yan Cen smiled, "The amount should be the same, so Aunt Shu spent the money."

"Yes."

Li Yuan carefully stuffed the banknotes back, then folded the seal intact, and deliberately used his fingertips to He twirled the red envelope around, with a little joy in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.

Yan Cen caught a glimpse of his little movements from the corner of his eye, "Why are you pretending to be back?"

Li Yu'an answered seriously, "The New Year's red envelope must be placed under the pillow and cannot be officially taken out until New Year's Eve."

This is what Li Xiao told him. The other party passed away. After that, Li Yuan never received any red envelopes from his "parents".

Yan Cen chuckled, "Is there such a rule?"

"Well, doesn't your family give out red envelopes during the Chinese New Year?" Li Yu'an blurted out, and then fell silent in an instant -

with Yan Cen's family background, even if there was New Year's money, probably It was also replaced by bank cards, checks or other expensive gifts.

Yan Cen felt the pressure from Li Yu'an, and his eyes deepened.

He did not deliberately speak to ease the atmosphere, but quietly increased the speed of the car.

…

The car stopped at the familiar apartment building.

Li Yu'an unbuckled his seat belt and opened the car door. "Thank you for troubling you today."

He was polite as always.

He had already confessed his love and had already broken through that window. paper, but their relationship was not at all tense, instead it seemed as if it had returned to the beginning.

Li Yu'an always kept a distance from him, and the reason was still unclear.

Yan Cen unbuckled his seat belt and said, "I'll take you up."

Li Yu'an refused, "There is an elevator in the apartment. I can go back on my own with my crutches." , it's no trouble."

Yan Cen refused, "Trouble? Since it has been a 'trouble' for so long, I don't mind a few more minutes."

He walked around to the door of Li Yu'an's car, "I carry you? Or do I hold you in my arms? You? "

Li Yu'an met Yan Cen's unquestionable gaze under the mirror and chose the first option.

It was strange to say -

Yan Cen and Qin Yishun were clearly reciting the same words, but Li Yu'an's body and mind could not stop The tension made all the senses sensitive.

The tip of his nose would smell the scent of Yan Cen, his skin would feel the temperature of Yan Cen's body, and his ears would clearly sense Yan Cen's breathing.

All his senses were concentrated in his brain, paralyzing his body and mind. It makes people gradually sink.

Li Yu'an knew that he shouldn't do this, but he couldn't resist the throbbing in his heart and secretly tightened his arms.

In fact, without anyone telling him, Li Yu'an also knew that he was very awkward -

he knew that he When facing Yan Cen, he hesitated too much, was too worried, and had too much self-abasement, so he chose to avoid her.

However, the feelings accumulated in his heart for many years were disobedient, making him particularly eager for Yan Cen to get close to him.

Li Yu'an felt like a rubber band stretched to the extreme, with one end being rational and the other end being emotional. If he continued to pull like this, sooner or later he would completely break.

The elevator stopped on the third floor. Yan Cen had already noticed that Li Yu'an was Quietly tighten the force.

The moment he stepped out of the elevator, he couldn't help but ask, "Why are you hiding from me?"

Li Yu'an denied in a muffled voice, "No."

Yan Cen stopped in silence in front of the closed electronic door and said The most straightforward feeling since they met today, "Li Yu'an, I don't understand."

Li Yu'an felt Yan Cen's sudden change of mood and was anxious to get off, "We're home, I..."

"Why is the password set to My birthday?"

"..."

Li Yu'an froze, and felt that the blood in his body quickly froze, "What, what?"

Yan Cen lost his gentleness and showed a rare tough attack. He quickly pressed the " 0219" and successfully opened the door and entered the house.

The house was dark with only a faint light.

But Yan Cen took Li Yu'an to the sofa in the living room with ease. He wrapped his gentleness in his toughness and trapped Li Yu'an between the sofa and himself without saying a word.

He couldn't escape, and he wasn't allowed to escape.

Yan Cen kept on asking him, "Answer me, why is the door lock code my birthday?"

Li Yu'an suddenly felt his breath trembling, "Yan Cen."

He couldn't remember how the other party knew it . His door lock has a code!

The view from inside the room was very dark.

Because of this, the breathing sounds of the two people were infinitely amplified.

Li Yu'an closed his eyes as if to escape. Until this moment, he still didn't want to reveal the deep feelings he had for many years. The hidden feelings were exposed in front of the other party.

The more at this juncture, the more he didn't want to use the feelings of many years to hostage.

"I, I didn't know it was your birthday, I just made it up."

Yan Cen heard this easily-confused excuse and felt Li Yu'an's obviously tense body. He had a clear answer in his heart -

Li Yu'an was He does have feelings, even if he doesn't admit it now!

Yan Cen continued to ask the previous question, "Why are you hiding from me?"

Li Yu'an found Yan Cen's outline in the dim light, and hesitated to speak, "I..."

If possible, he also wanted to get to the bottom of it.

Yan Cen noticed that Li Yu'an had relaxed for a moment, and his interrogation turned into a plea, "Can you stop hiding from me?"

"If you have any emotions or questions, You can show it in front of me."

"Yu An, I want to know your joys and sorrows. I said I like you, and it's not fake."

Another confession fell into my ears.

Li Yuan's inner defense collapsed again. He endured it and asked, "What do you like about me?"

"I'm not a very outstanding person, and my family situation is a mess. Since we met, , I was embarrassed, lost my composure, and even had an emotional breakdown in front of you two out of three times. "

"You said you like me, but you didn't say when your 'like' started?"

"So, I thought to myself--"

Li Yu'an's voice was very soft, so soft that it easily revealed fragility and uneasiness in the darkness.

Yan Cen thought of his impulsive confession on New Year's Eve, and began to realize the problem belatedly.

He held his breath and continued to listen to Li Yu'an's rare confession, "What did you think?"

"You said that you admire Pei Huan very much. Even after five years, you still remember his name and know that he is your junior."

"When Pei Huan called you senior, you never refused. I saw all of this."

"I always thought you liked Pei Huan. At least before the accident, you had a good impression of him."

Yan Cen felt like something was stuck in his throat, "I..."

For the first time in his life, he wished that time could go back so that he could go back and give his "unclear" self two more slaps.

"Pei Huan said, and you said it too, that the two of you first met at the award ceremony of that competition. I think all your admiration or good impression of Pei Huan originated from that competition."

"Some time ago, I exposed the fact that Pei Huan competed for me in the hospital corridor, and not long after, you suddenly said that you liked me."

"..."

Yan Cen's heart tightened. He didn't expect Li Yuanan to misunderstand to this extent.

Li Yuanan didn't mention a word about his secret love. No matter how much he liked her, he chose to refuse. "Yan Cen, I'm not the Li Yuanan of the past. If I go back to compete now, I might be eliminated in the first round. Don't like me because of this."

This kind of liking was not what he wanted.

Yan Cen took a deep breath, feeling helpless and guilty, "Li Yu'an, do you think I'm someone who dwells on the past? Or do you think I'm the type who can easily switch my feelings?"

Li Yu'an didn't answer, but he instinctively knew the answer in his heart -

no.

Yan Cen is not that kind of person.

Yan Cen continued, "You are you, and Pei Huan is Pei Huan. I've always been very clear about the difference, and I've never felt that you two have anything in common."

"Whether you believe it or not, I drew a clear line with Pei Huan a long time ago and asked him to stop calling me 'senior'. To be honest, I want to hear someone call me 'senior', and I hope it's you."

Li Yu'an's breathing tightened when he heard the second half of the sentence.

"I thought I made my feelings very clear, but in fact, that confession was very sudden and inexplicable to you, and I didn't realize until now that it has brought you trouble. I'm sorry."

Li Yu'an said in a muffled voice, "You don't have to apologize."

Yan Cen replied, "I want to apologize, and I should make it clear to you."

"Li Yu'an, in my eyes you are excellent, especially excellent."

"I know it's inappropriate for me to say that, but during college, my admiration for Pei Huan should have belonged to you. It was a mistake caused by my lack of knowledge of people. You can think of me, scold me, or blame me whatever you want."

"But I must tell you, I don't like Pei Huan."

Yan Cen was about to graduate at that time, and he was busy with both completing his studies and starting his career. How could he be distracted by the so-called feelings?

He did not deny that he had "admiration", but it certainly did not reach the point of "liking".

After the reunion at the Bo family banquet, Pei Huan did try to ask him out.

But before the two met, Yan Cen learned some inside information through Pei Yi and Bo Yueming, and doubted Pei Huan's character. Later, the more he learned about him, the more disappointed and alienated he became.

"You said that you changed your major and career direction, and you think your current performance is not good enough to be looked up to, but I think you are better than any of us."

Persevere in adversity and be reborn in adversity.

How strong and hard-working does a person have to be to survive these years without anyone to rely on?

"Didn't you ask me when I started to like you?"

Yan Cen sensed that Li Yu'an's mood had obviously calmed down, and threw out a fishing hook, "Before answering this question, I'll tell you a secret first, do you want to listen?"

Li Yu'an shook his eyelashes slightly, "What?"

Yan Cen confessed, "When I temporarily graduated, I did have a momentary fluctuation of affection, but it was not for Pei Huan."

Li Yu'an's emotions, which had just been raised, stagnated, "Oh."

Yan Cen chuckled, "It was on the eve of graduation, when I was driving to the back street of Xueyuan Road, I was suddenly rear-ended by someone."

"I got out of the car first to check the situation, and the problem was not serious. Coincidentally, the license plate number of me and the other party was only one digit different. Don't you think it's a coincidence?"

Li Yu'an suddenly widened his eyes, and his surprise was self-evident.

"The car owner was wearing a mask and a cap, hiding most of his face, leaving only a pair of particularly beautiful eyes, red and panicked."

"I was thinking, it's not a turtle, it's a rabbit."

Li Yu'an mumbled in his throat, "It's not a rabbit."

Yan Cen didn't hear the muttering clearly, but he guessed that he should have remembered it, and laughed, "I asked and found out that it was a junior from the same school. He was very sincere when he bowed to apologize to me, but he may not even know it himself-"

Li Yu'an pursed his lips, "Don't know what?"

"His hair on the back of his head is messy, and it's frizzy in all directions, very cute."

"..."

Li Yu'an's cheeks flushed, but fortunately he didn't show it because of the dimness.

He thought Yan Cen would not care about such a "not so good" encounter.

Yan Cen continued, "I was thinking at the time that this junior was quite interesting, maybe we could become friends by accident."

"However, before I could exchange contact information, he hurriedly answered a phone call. I could see that he was in a hurry, and I happened to have a phone call urging me."

Yan Cen changed the subject and asked, "Do you know what I was in a hurry to do at the time?"

Li Yu'an was led by him, "What?"

Yan Cen said the reason that he had not told him at the time, "Because the investment competition is finally going to award the prizes, I was in a hurry to meet the second place winner who I had never met."

Li Yu'an's brain was suddenly blank.

"Yu'an, do you know?"

"Perhaps such a first meeting cannot be over-generalized as 'favorable', but if I really want to talk about it, it was one of the few times in college that I became interested in a person."

"One was you, and the other was actually 'you' as well."

Later, after graduation, Yan Cen was busy with his career and could only bury this brief, shallow "interest" behind his mind until they met again at the Bo family banquet.

"I felt familiar when I first saw you in the corridor, but it was a pity that after so many years, I didn't remember it at the first time."

"Later, you represented "End of Mist" to participate in the competition, and I noticed your license plate number again. When you exchanged candy for cigarettes, you showed the same panic eyes as you did that year, and I was thinking-" "

It's great to see you again."

Li Yu'an's eyes were filled with sourness.

He never thought that his six-year crush, which he thought was unsolvable, turned out to be such an unexpected encounter from Yan Cen's perspective.

"You asked me when I started to like you? Sorry, I really can't tell you a specific date."

Yan Cen told him frankly, repeating more firmly, "But please believe that I must have liked you earlier than you knew it."

"This liking is not based on how good you are."

"The Li Yu'an I like can have messy hair, can wear a dirty suit covered in powder, can smoke secretly when nervous, and can show the little child side when facing dessert."

"In front of me, you can be angry, you can be a wolf, you can be in pain, you can lose control, but don't deny yourself."

"..."

Li Yu'an really couldn't stop the tears that were about to burst, and after struggling to control it, he still overflowed with trembling sobs.

Yan Cen touched the corner of his eye in the dark and wiped away the moisture. "I'm sorry, I said so much in a moment, but I hope--"

"You understand my thoughts from my mouth, instead of thinking about it yourself in the dead of night."

Li Yu'an was moved and took a deep breath.

"Yan Cen."

"I'm here."

"You didn't lie to me?"

"I won't lie to you."

Yan Cen took back his hand and changed his words that day, "Li Yu'an, I really don't force you to give me an answer, but I want to clarify something with you."

Li Yu'an raised his eyes and saw Yan Cen through the moisture. "What is it?"

Yan Cen closed the distance between the two, "From now on, can I officially pursue you?"

The sound of breathing lingered again and again, and their eyes reflected each other.

After a long while, Li Yu'an finally gave in to the desire deep in his heart, softly and gently -

"Hmm."