"In the beginning it’s always like this, and you haven’t even been through a week yet. Once you get through a month, you’ll get used to it."

"Hmm."

"Then... I won’t disturb your sleep anymore."

"Wait..." Huang Ying hurriedly stopped him.

"What’s up?"

"You... called so late just to ask this? Is there nothing else?"

"No, I just have things to do and can’t go to Jie Rui to see you every day, so I’m calling you now. I tend to sleep late, didn’t realize you were an early bird who had already gone to bed."

"Oh, I get it, no need to come see me every day if you’re busy. I’ll do my job well, I can be independent!" Huang Ying said firmly.

"Haha, I didn’t doubt your ability to be independent. Can’t I just come see you?"

"Oh..."

"I have nothing else to say. Do you have anything you want to tell me?" Li Yan asked with a smile.

"Me? No, nothing." Huang Ying, who had just been woken up, was still a bit confused.

"Is that so? Sigh... I’m so upset, I thought you would miss me, turns out it’s just wishful thinking on my part." Li Yan sighed deliberately.

Huang Ying was stunned and quickly said, "No, of course I miss you... It’s just... there’s no need to say it out loud, right?"

Li Yan could almost see her anxious expression, knowing she didn’t take teasing well, so he gently said, "Xiao Ying, it’s up to you whether you want to say it, but I want you to know that whenever I come to the company to find you or call you, it’s because I miss you, regardless of whether there’s anything else."

Lying in bed, Huang Ying’s heart skipped a bit faster. She wanted to say something similar, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Her personality made it so that even calling Li Yan was a big deal for her and she wouldn’t actively go see him.

Seeing she didn’t say anything, Li Yan quietly asked, "Have you fallen asleep?"

"No! I was just thinking... I seem to rarely call you or visit you, but that doesn’t mean I don’t miss you, it’s just..." Huang Ying hesitated, not knowing how to express herself.

"It’s just you don’t know how to express that you miss me?" Li Yan thought of how shy she was, difficult to speak either face-to-face or over the phone, so he suggested, "How about this, if you miss me, you can just send me a message. That way, I can know regardless of where I am."

"Oh... got it."

"Alright then, you can sleep well now. There’s something you must do every night before going to sleep, do you know what it is?" Li Yan said with a smile.

Huang Ying softly said, "Think of you once?"

"No."

"Think of you... many times?"

"The thing you must do every night before you sleep... is close your eyes."

"..." Huang Ying was caught off guard by his words, what kind of answer was this! She thought he was going to say something else.

"Haha, I’m not teasing you anymore, sleep well. But before you hang up, give me a little kiss."

"Huh? How do I kiss you over the phone?" Huang Ying softly protested, even though she was alone at home, she acted like she was afraid of the neighbors overhearing.

"Just give me a little kiss sound... I’ll go first, mwah!" Li Yan exaggeratedly made a kissing sound.

Huang Ying felt mortified, being all cozy in her warm blanket, she now buried herself completely under it, only making a small "humpf" sound from there.

"Got it! I’m hanging up now."

The phone call left Huang Ying with rosy cheeks, her heart fluttering, all traces of sleepiness vanished. Li Yan, on the other hand, felt entirely lifted, his mood greatly improved. Looking up at the sky, even though it was nighttime, it seemed as if he could see the light shining through.

...

Li Yan originally thought of calling Wen Qianyi, but considering Wen the fox’s eloquence and sharp mind, he knew she’d easily outplay him. With his unusual behavior, she might get suspicious, leading her to draw things out of him.

He then thought of Xiao Di, it had been several days since there was any news from her, ever since she left that day. Initially, he didn’t want to damage their familial relationship, so he held back, kept calling until he couldn’t get through, and then resorted to sending messages, asking her to call back. But with no response, he started to worry. Hopefully, nothing bad happened...

Li Yan understood well, whether the phone was confiscated or lost, as long as Xiao Di wasn’t restricted, she would call him immediately, it’s impossible for her to forget his number. This lack of contact meant she probably agreed to something with her parents!

But now it’s important to understand her situation, if she’s still attending school normally, then perhaps things could be calmed down first, and he could find a chance to learn more from her. The best way to get this information is to ask her roommates!

With that in mind, he immediately dialed Chu Yi’s number to ask for Ling Wua’s phone number. Upon hearing his agitated tone and recognizing that Li Yan was driving outside, Chu Yi misunderstood and asked if he was overwhelmed by desire and wanted Xiao Ai to relieve him. This led to Li Yan criticizing him. He then realized it was to contact his girlfriend through Xiao Ai.

After getting Ling Wua’s phone number from Chu Yi, Li Yan called right away, ignoring whether they were asleep or not.

"Hello, may I ask who’s this..." Ling Wua a cautious tone as she answered.

Li Yan was contemplating how to phrase his words when he overheard someone else say, "Why would you answer an unknown number? No sound, right? Must be a pervert prank caller!"

This voice sounded familiar, seemed like Xiao Xun MM. It seemed the ladies’ numbers would get out occasionally, resulting in strangers calling in pursuit of the MMs, even some making silent prank calls. And because Ling Wua had outside contracts, she knew more people, making it difficult to avoid answering unfamiliar numbers.