Why are you always thinking about dating me?

Cha Cha sent him a picture, but the picture showed a bunch of exquisitely packaged takeout boxes. Judging from the ingredients and the quality of the dishes, Lin An thought the takeout must be quite expensive, and smiled helplessly.

After lunch, he returned to his room and continued playing games with Chacha. After three o'clock, Chacha logged off because she was going out shopping with her best friend. Lin An agreed and then logged off the game.

He doesn't play games when he's alone. For him, games aren't a way to relieve stress. He has clear goals, and besides, playing games alone is boring.

He lay down on the table and started drawing. He had been learning to draw for two years, but drawing is actually a very expensive thing. If you want to learn systematically and professionally, you need a lot of money. Lin An was just a self-taught amateur who figured things out by himself by following tutorials. But no matter what he learned, he could do quite well by spending an hour every day for two years.

The scene he drew was of Su Yuejin sleeping in bed today, with a slight smile on her lips. However, this scene was deconstructed and abstracted in his mind, and the style leaned towards a Japanese anime girl. It was a simple, uncolored sketch that appeared on the paper.

This process took quite a while. Lin An uploaded a status update with the photo, and quickly received many likes. Unfortunately, he hasn't had any clients contacting him recently.

It was past four o'clock when the wind blew open the curtains. Lin An stood by the window, looking at the wind and the gloomy clouds outside. It had been raining a lot lately, as if the rainy season was not over yet.

He stood by the window, watching the dark clouds for who knows how long, as if hoping for rain. But the rain never came. Instead, he heard footsteps and was gently hugged by the girl behind him.

Xu Qinghuan's chest was really big, allowing him to deeply feel the soft touch on his back. At this moment, Xu Qinghuan's voice became soft and gentle, "What are you thinking about?"

"No, I'm just looking at the sky."

"My little brother often suddenly spaces out. When he does, he comes to find his older sister."

"Ah? It's okay." Lin An shook his head and turned around. Xu Qinghuan let go of his hand and sat down by his bed. She was wearing his white T-shirt, which was loose but inexplicably beautiful. Perhaps it was because her legs, though not long and slender, were fair, straight, and had a beautiful shape. She was the kind of petite girl who made you want to hold her in your arms and cherish her.

Her collarbones are also beautiful.

In Lin An's eyes, Xu Qinghuan has always been beautiful. No matter if she has long or short hair, or what she wears, she is always that little devil who is sometimes gentle and sometimes mischievous. This strict older sister side is rarely seen, except when she slapped him twice the day before yesterday.

Such a girl easily evokes a desire to protect her, but when Xu Qinghuan is in front of him, she always has a strange, seemingly innocent charm. Perhaps it's because of a hint of shyness, or perhaps it's because of her unintentional actions. Lin An watched as her tongue lightly brushed across the corner of her mouth, her pink tongue being especially alluring.

"How are things with Luo Shuishui?"

"We've already broken up," Lin An replied with a bitter smile. Xu Qinghuan glanced at him for a second or two and could tell that he wasn't feeling good. Whether it's love or not, people always feel bad when they are abandoned or exiled.

So at this moment, a hug was needed. Xu Qinghuan generously opened her arms, and Lin An was happy to sit on the edge of the bed and be hugged by her. He liked to look down and smell the faint fragrance in her hair. It smelled very good and made him feel at ease.

“My brother is a gentle person,” she murmured softly, though her eyes held a somewhat hazy emotion that was hard to discern. Then she added softly, “You can learn even more from Su Yuejin.”

"What did I learn? I don't think she could teach me anything."

"Learn to be loved." Xu Qinghuan's smile was gentle. "Whether you are naive or mature, Lin An, you also need to learn to understand what it means to be loved and what it means to love someone. Once you fully understand the essence of it, we will no longer need those strange constraints."

"If you find another woman then, I'll really get angry." Xu Qinghuan separated his five fingers with her small palm, interlocked her fingers with his, gently shook them, and then held them up for him to see, her eyes sparkling.

"After all, there was a boy in the orphanage who held up the candy I gave him and said he would marry me. Don't forget that."

Lin An suddenly smiled, looked into her eyes, and nodded gently, "I remember."

--------

P.S.: There will be another chapter when I wake up in the morning.

Chapter Twenty-Five: Disgust and Disdain

Lin An and Xu Qinghuan chatted for a while longer. Xu Qinghuan then went to sleep on Lin An's bed, pulled up with a small blanket. Lin An was looking at his phone, checking Su Yuejin's QQ signature, logs, messages, and QQ space, as well as the QQ space of a friend who frequently left messages.

Unfortunately, she doesn't post much. She might occasionally share some nice photos, but there aren't many comments. Perhaps it's because she doesn't have many friends. Her personal signature rarely contains the cringeworthy, childish remarks she made during her awkward phase, missing out on Lin An's quirky humor.

In Lin An's mind, these simple, unraveling clues gave him a clearer picture of Su Yuejin's personality. Studying Su Yuejin's growth trajectory from junior high to high school didn't take much time, and there was nothing worth writing about. She wasn't the kind of person who liked to post things late at night and suffer from depression; true depression is silent.

When Lin An turned around, Xu Qinghuan was sleeping soundly, only her legs had kicked off the blanket. Lin An wanted to cover her up, but when he saw her fair legs and slender ankles, he couldn't resist gently stroking her legs with his fingertips a few times. It wasn't until Xu Qinghuan seemed to be groggily crying out that it was ticklish in her sleep that he, like a thief caught doing something wrong, covered her up with the blanket.

Lin An left a small gap when closing the window to prevent the room from becoming too stuffy. Then he prepared to go out. Before leaving, he took a shower and changed into a black T-shirt. He still preferred black; white was not dirt-resistant and was troublesome to wash.

As for his outfits, he naturally went for the simplest and cleanest style. Lin An didn't have the time to follow fashion bloggers or take care of his appearance. All his clothes were bought by Xu Qinghuan; they weren't particularly cheap, but they were simple and clean.

That was enough for him, he thought, and then headed towards Su Yuejin's house. Before leaving, he sent Su Yuejin a message to avoid any unexpected accidents, as he didn't really like surprises.

However, surprises are one of the interesting tricks to quickly enhance feelings during the dating stage. Surprises also include alternating emotions. For example, the most shameless way now is to tell Su Yuejin that he is not coming, that the person he likes seems to be in a bad mood and he needs to comfort her, and then he appears at her door a minute or two late, vaguely explaining why he came.

Let her guess based on the hints, but that would be pointless. Lin An asked Su Yuejin if she had eaten, and she replied that she didn't have much of an appetite. Lin An asked her if she would eat what he had made, and she said she wanted sweet and sour pork ribs.

This guy really knows how to torture people.

However, Lin An still went to buy a pound of pork ribs and tomato sauce. She already had the rest of the seasonings at home. Lin An had noticed this in the morning. When she arrived at the door, Su Yuejin hurriedly put on her slippers and opened the door.

She was wearing a white sundress.

Lin An really likes suspender dresses, or rather, men like them. They exude a sense of purity with a hint of desire. Small-breasted girls can look ethereal in them, while larger-breasted girls can look sexy. They're both adorable.

Su Yuejin had a very good figure, and Lin An really liked looking at her neck, which was slender and snow-white.

Su Yuejin's shoulder straps were loose, but her eyes were bright, the kind of bright eyes you see when you see someone you want to see or like. Lin An was momentarily dazed, and she had already taken his hand and walked in.

Lin An was still carrying the pork ribs he had bought. Su Yuejin was a little stunned. "You can really cook?"

"I know a little bit, but it's not very tasty. If you want some... I can make it."

"Eat." Su Yuejin pouted slightly. She and Lin An walked to the kitchen. Lin An saw the bowl soaking in the sink. She must have already drunk the porridge.

"You made porridge, how thoughtful of you, such a sweetheart?" She wrapped her arms around Lin An's neck from behind, her voice sweet and affectionate.

"Is your throat better?"

"I feel much better now. I took my medicine again at noon."

Lin An nodded slightly and then began to make sweet and sour pork ribs. This dish is not difficult. First, you need to prepare a batter to coat the ribs. After coating them, fry them in oil until golden brown. Then, prepare a thick sauce of tomato sauce, salt, and vinegar, and mix it with the fried ribs.

Su Yuejin was in the kitchen watching his profile as he leaned against the wall, his eyes brimming with joy. She felt that he was shining, especially when he was cooking, so focused and so gentle.

Lin An made a plate of pork ribs, then asked Su Yuejin if she could cook. Su Yuejin shook her head innocently and stuck out her tongue, so Lin An washed the rice and started cooking it himself. Su Yuejin watched him from the side and asked, "How much water should I put in?"

Why are you asking this?

"Next time you come to my house, we can divide the work reasonably. You cook the dishes, and I'll cook the rice."

Lin An thought for a moment, "There probably won't be a next time, so there's no need to learn it." As he said this, Su Yuejin's eyes immediately turned resentful. She looked into his eyes without saying a word, her lips pouting, as if she was a little angry.

Lin An ignored her and started making sweet and sour pork ribs after cooking the rice. Su Yuejin secretly took a fried pork rib and put it to her mouth. Lin An had just said "Be careful, it's hot" when Su Yuejin had already put the pork rib in her mouth. Then, because it was hot, she immediately spat it out, and it rolled onto the ground.

"Why didn't you say so earlier? It's so hot... my tongue, my tongue is burned."

"It's my fault." Lin An nodded, then ignored Su Yuejin and continued making the sugar patties. He asked her if she liked them a little sour or a little sweet. Su Yuejin, without any ulterior motives, replied that she wanted them sweet.

When Lin An used to make this dish for Xu Qinghuan, Xu Qinghuan would ask if her younger brother preferred it sweeter or sourer. She was fine with either. Although Lin An always gave in to her in the end, the way Xu Qinghuan spoke was heartwarming.

Lin An finished making the sweet and sour pork ribs, and the rice in the pot was probably cooked by now. It was just the right consistency – not too soft and sticky, not too dry. Then he served the rice, and Su Yuejin watched the whole process. After Lin An served the rice, he even gave her chopsticks.

"What about you?"

"I'll eat at home in a bit," Lin An replied.

"Isn't it troublesome for you to cook when you get home?"

"I can eat instant noodles."

"But I can't finish all this rice you cooked, and you also have so many ribs."

"You can make fried rice with eggs tomorrow morning."

"I can't," Su Yuejin said innocently, sticking out her tongue.

"Then I'll eat some for you." Lin An served himself half a bowl and went to the living room with her. Su Yuejin turned on the light. The crystal chandelier hanging in the room was very beautiful and quite valuable.

After the two ate together, Lin An noticed that there was a piano in one of the rooms in Su Yuejin's house. Of course, he knew nothing about pianos; it was not an instrument he was qualified to learn.

Su Yuejin noticed his gaze, and a smug look appeared on her face. "I'm really good at playing the piano, I'll play for you in a bit."

"Okay." Lin An nodded and lowered his head to eat. He actually preferred the sweet and sour pork ribs to be a little sour.

After Su Yuejin tasted one piece, she couldn't stop. She didn't eat her meal and just kept eating the ribs, praising him indistinctly, "It's so delicious!"

"Practice makes perfect," he said.

After dinner, Lin An cleared the table and was about to wash the dishes when Su Yuejin threw them into the dishwasher. Then, she took his hand and led him to the room with the piano and a guitar. Su Yuejin sat down in the chair, tilted her head, and asked him what he wanted to hear.

At this moment, she seemed to have a different temperament, ethereal and otherworldly, as if her whole being was bathed in light. Lin An didn't have anything in particular he wanted to hear, so he requested "My Soul".

He sat quietly in a chair to the side, listening as Su Yuejin played quietly. The music flowed through the room, as if the notes were flying from her slender, fair fingertips onto the keys. It sounded quite beautiful, he thought.

“I can also dance,” she said.

"Yes, that's impressive."

Lin An thought that she must be the kind of dancer who can actually dance, unlike Xu Qinghuan. Xu Qinghuan's otaku dance doesn't require learning too much; she just needs to act cute. Xu Qinghuan said that all the hardcore otaku and anime fans nowadays fall for this kind of thing. While mocking the dance section for selling sex appeal and visiting brothels, everyone still went for it.

After she finished playing the piece, Lin An kept staring at her profile, as if he were lost in thought or just looking at her, until Su Yuejin stood up and walked up to him. "Hmm? What are you thinking about, Lin An?"

"It's nothing, it sounds great."

"Are you completely infatuated with your sister?" The woman shamelessly boasted. Lin An nodded and said yes. Making the sweet and sour pork ribs and eating took about an hour. He was thinking about what to do next.

Su Yuejin led him to sit on the soft sofa, then turned on the TV and asked him what he wanted to watch. He said anything was fine, really anything was fine, because he usually doesn't watch dramas and doesn't have time.

Su Yuejin turned off the living room lights, leaving only the cold light from the screen. She was watching a horror movie, Saw, which she had wanted to see for a long time, but she was too scared to watch it alone. Now she had someone to keep her company.

When she saw a part that she thought was scary, she clung to Lin An like a little rabbit, wanting him to hold her tightly. Lin An agreed, like a puppet being pulled along, holding her waist, his gaze fixed on the screen without much hesitation.

He was less interested in horror movies, probably because Xu Qinghuan had dragged him to watch them too often. Xu Qinghuan was a classic tormentor; if she wanted to watch something but was too scared to, she would always drag Lin An onto his lap, have him put his arm around her waist, and then watch the show together. Occasionally, Lin An could let his hands wander a little and ask for a small treat.

But when he saw that it was 7:40, Lin An thought for a moment and said, "I'll leave at 8:00."

"What are you doing? In a hurry to get home? Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, I have something to do, I need to go back and work on my writing." Lin An casually made up an excuse. Su Yuejin then remembered that Lin An had mentioned that he was also a writer. She leaned against him and said, "Send me what you've written later."

"it is good."

"Also... if you're writing, I have a computer too, you can just use mine."

"I'm more comfortable using my own keyboard."

"My sister's keyboard feels better, her chair is more comfortable, and her screen is of better quality... You don't really think that you're coming to my house tonight just to hug me and then leave, do you?"

Hearing her slightly raised tone, Lin An moved closer to Su Yuejin's face, but his eyes turned a little colder.

"You just changed into this dress, and you must have taken a shower, but you smell of smoke. It's faint, but my nose is still quite sensitive."

His tone was slow and quiet, but Su Yuejin was stunned for a moment, her eyes showing a hint of panic. She subconsciously looked into his eyes, but all that remained in them was disgust and disdain.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Luo River Water

There was a moment of silence in the living room.

Lin An's expression was indifferent, or rather, somewhat disdainful. His hand did not make direct physical contact with Su Yuejin, and his eyes did not question her; it was as if he was simply stating a fact.

Su Yuejin panicked. She hurriedly reached out to grab Lin An's hand, saying, "When I threw away all the cigarettes this morning, I saw there was one left in the box, so I lit it... I will never smoke again!"

"You seem to have misunderstood me, Su Yuejin." Lin An subtly pulled her hand away, her voice calm and devoid of anger, though her eyes held a hint of coldness.