As he approached Wen Qianyi’s place, he made a phone call first, fearing she might have good wine and kindly invite Hai Fu to share it, which would be awkward.

"Li Yan? Have you arrived?" Wen Qianyi’s voice seemed deliberately lowered over the phone.

"Yes, should I come up to find you, or will you come down? There’s no one else at your place, right?" Li Yan was worried that Hai Fu might be visiting her, seeing that she seemed inconvenienced while talking.

"No one. Um... aren’t you taking me out for dinner? Let’s find a restaurant first. There should definitely be a spot now, find a nice seat, and after I put on makeup and change clothes, I’ll come to find you!" Wen Qianyi quickly said.

"Alright, I’ll wait for you!"

It wouldn’t matter to sit for a while upstairs, but Li Yan was concerned Wen Qianyi would suggest it was too early and propose they play some games or watch a movie before dining, which would eat up too much time.

He had passed a restaurant earlier that seemed nice, so he had already booked a table by calling them. So at this point, there was no need to rush, and he continued driving over to wait for her.

Near the neighborhood, to avoid running into Hai Fu, he didn’t get too close. He stopped at a place where he could see her coming out, maintaining some distance on the opposite side.

In bed, he checked the time; today was her birthday, maybe she’d dress up a bit more, put on makeup, and change clothes, so she shouldn’t be too quick. Should he go buy a bouquet of flowers to wait with?

But today is Sunday, with crowds coming and going; bringing a bouquet would look too silly, a bit too old-fashioned, right? If he stood there with flowers waiting, he’d just be observed by everyone... thinking about that scene made him uncomfortable. Anyway, with Wen Qianyi, he didn’t even know what flowers would suit her, and with the wrong flower language, it might backfire. Better to wait honestly!

... 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

While waiting, Li Yan called Duan Haibo to tell him he’d pack up and head back soon.

Duan Haibo chuckled knowingly, "Brother Li, are you making up with your girlfriend?"

Li Yan felt a bit awkward and didn’t admit it, "What are you talking about? I just found somewhere better to move to."

"Heh, understood! We’re keeping that room open for you, you’re welcome anytime. Like when you’ve had too much to drink and your wife won’t let you in..." Duan Haibo continued to tease. After two weeks, they had grown familiar and closer.

"Cough... Is that your personal experience speaking?" Li Yan chuckled dryly, "I’ll just quickly pack my things and leave, probably won’t run into them. Please convey my thanks for their care. Living with you guys has been unrestricted and a lot of fun!"

"Sure thing. Everyone had a good impression of you too!"

The two of them continued to chat for a bit, not bringing up last night’s robbery incident.

After hanging up, Li Yan smoked a few more cigarettes, pondering over the mysterious stone issue.

Finally, he saw Wen Qianyi come out. She hadn’t driven out, but walked.

This could be considered a date; even if they didn’t feel like they were dating, going out for dinner in separate cars was really a mood-killer. Now, they could ride together, allowing for more chatting space on the way back.

But watching her, Li Yan frowned!

Because... Wen Qianyi didn’t come out alone; she was with a man. From a distance, he couldn’t see clearly, but he could tell it was also a mature man. His build, clothing, and walking posture were all stylish. Wen Qianyi’s face had the usual happy smile but... her arm was hooked around that man’s arm!

Seeing this scene, although he knew he had no right to demand anything from her, Li Yan felt really down; his chest felt stuffy and uneasy, as if the car was cramped, and he felt better after opening the window. But when he went to open the window, he realized it had already been opened because he had been smoking...

At that moment, he understood why Wen Qianyi had lowered her voice earlier; it was because this man was beside her, and she had to step aside and couldn’t speak loudly. Asking him to go to the restaurant first was just a way to send him away, preventing him from coming up, and as for makeup and changing clothes, it was just to buy time for that man to leave.

Li Yan scratched his head, took a furious drag of his cigarette, as if inhaling not smoke but fresh oxygen to relieve his frustration.

He didn’t start the car to leave since he’d parked at a distance, so there was no need to worry about Wen Qianyi seeing him. He thought about calling her, asking if she’d left yet or where she was now, to see if she’d lie directly, or if she’d panic in front of that man.

But then he thought, forget it, he’s not a little boy anymore, don’t be so childish. Even if he called, then what? Watch her performance and embarrassment, would that be satisfying? In the end, wouldn’t he just be tormenting himself?

He smoked silently, watching silently, seeing them continue talking there for a while, then Wen Qianyi hailed a taxi, embraced the man for a while longer, and then saw him off into the taxi.

This made him chuckle bitterly to himself; in the half-year since they’d met, including the first few months of close companionship, they seemed to have never shared such a harmonious and natural warm embrace at her initiative.

Watching Wen Qianyi wave to the taxi, Li Yan suddenly thought of a crucial point—time!