They don't actually think I like them, do they?

"Really," Lin Han said. "But it'll have to wait a while. This apartment is too small; I'm only renting it here short-term. After a while, I'll move to a bigger place, and then you can move in."

Lin Han doesn't have the habit of sharing a room with others, so even if he has a good relationship with Brother Hui, he can't ask him to move in now.

When the house gets bigger and there are extra rooms available, then that's fine.

Xu Hui was so moved by Lin Han's words that he burst into tears. "Lin Han, you're really my best brother for life!"

Xu Hui wiped away his tears, stood up from the ground, and said,

"However, I think it's better not to live together."

"Why?" Lin Han asked in surprise.

"As long as you don't apply the glue in front of me, you can do it as many times a day as you want."

"Not this one." Xu Hui smiled somewhat sheepishly.

"What kind of two male college students live together? You're in college now, surrounded by so many girls, you're bound to date someday! Why don't you live with your girlfriend instead of me? Isn't that interfering with your relationship with your girlfriend?"

Lin Han was taken aback.

He didn't like hearing those words.

"You know me perfectly well."

"First of all, I don't date."

"Secondly, women are not as important as brothers."

"Hey, you little rascal, you don't know how lucky you are." Although Xu Hui was somewhat touched, he still pretended to be disappointed in him.

Because in this world, if even Xu Hui is too lazy to persuade Lin Han, this guy might really end up alone.

The conversation ended unhappily, and Lin Han began to style Xu Hui's hair.

He had Xu Hui sit in front of the dressing table, and then took out scissors and a hair dryer himself.

To put it simply, Xu Hui isn't actually ugly. Aside from having a lot of acne and dark circles under his eyes, overall, Xu Hui has a fairly fair complexion.

It's mainly that sense of decadence. It sounds simple, but it's actually quite difficult to get rid of.

An occasional makeup session might be able to temporarily conceal a change, but if you really want to change, you need to be more positive in your daily life, find something you can consistently do, become self-disciplined, and when your mindset is good, your overall demeanor will naturally improve.

In fact, Xu Hui has already been doing this.

Unfortunately, the disciplined thing he chose to do was write novels.

Writing novels is really not something a human being can do. Not only do you often have to stay up all night, but you are also prone to developing a series of diseases such as arthritis, back pain, and hunchback due to prolonged sitting.

Furthermore, due to prolonged periods of staying at home and lack of social interaction, people become increasingly gloomy, their social anxiety intensifies, and they transform into autistic orphans who are aggressive online but timid and submissive offline.

This is a common situation in the novel writing industry; nine out of ten veteran authors are withdrawn.

While sighing, Lin Han finished styling Xu Hui's hair.

He covered his pimples with BB cream, styled his hair in his favorite middle part, and changed his clothes from loose to stiff T-shirts.

Everything is ready, let's go!

015. Cute little Ya girl

The two met at a barbecue restaurant in the city center.

Xu Hui's family wasn't well-off, but he had recently made some money writing novels. He had really gone to great lengths for this meet-up, determined to leave a good impression on his female fan no matter what.

It's strange, really. This is supposed to be a scene where female fans can finally meet the author they've been longing to see, and the pressure should be on them. But the one who's most nervous and scared is actually Xu Hui himself.

On the way to the restaurant, Xu Hui asked Lin Han a lot of questions.

After all, in Xu Hui's eyes, Lin Han was a Casanova, surrounded by countless beautiful girls.

In reality, things were a little different from what Xu Hui had imagined.

The good thing is that Lin Han used to be a typical immature Chinese teenager.

Its main characteristic is that although they are not very bright when it comes to their own love life, they are usually quite clear-headed when it comes to giving advice to others.

Lin Han could tell that Xu Hui was more serious this time than ever before, so he also carefully analyzed the problem for Xu Hui.

"First and foremost, put away your abstract attributes! Think before you speak, don't be so impulsive!" Lin Han said seriously.

Although Lin Han had said this to Xu Hui many times, this time, Lin Han demanded that Xu Hui must do it.

"it is good!"

Xu Hui also seemed very enthusiastic, "How about this, if you feel I'm about to have an attack, cough to remind me!"

"OK!"

The two good brothers looked at each other and nodded firmly. Although they had already failed once before, it did not diminish their determination in the slightest!

Just as they were about to enter the restaurant, Lin Han pulled Xu Hui along and raised his index finger at the entrance.

At this moment, Lin Han was like a father sending his son to a blind date, giving his son his final instructions.

"Remember, you're the author she admires. No matter what happens, you must maintain your composure and never lose your dignity..."

"Hui Dada!!"

A familiar, sweet, girlish voice rang out. In the distance, a brightly dressed girl with pigtails waved excitedly and ran quickly to Lin Han and Xu Hui's table.

"Fuck!!"

Upon seeing the girl for the first time, Xu Hui jumped up from his seat, his hands trembling so badly he could barely move.

"Y-you-you hello...!!"

Lin Han, who was standing to the side, covered his eyes, unable to bear to watch.

How embarrassing!

However, Xu Hui cannot be entirely blamed for this.

When Xiaoya appeared in the restaurant, her loud shout instantly attracted the attention of many guests.

A rebellious outfit with a dress reminiscent of landmines, purple pigtails, a small face, and an innocent look beneath the rebellious attire. Long eyelashes flutter.

The customers eating barbecue on both sides stared wide-eyed.

She's really pretty, the kind of cute anime girl in the traditional sense. Seeing her always reminds Lin Han of a song, the recently popular "I'm Sorry for Being So Cute".

Unexpectedly, the girl's voice and appearance matched perfectly. Before coming, Lin Han had already imagined a series of scenarios where the meeting would end in disaster and Xu Hui would instantly become a clown!

Lin Han even felt a little regretful that he didn't get to see any fun.

"Brother Hui, I'm so glad to finally meet you in person!"

Xiaoya stood in front of the table, clenched her fists, and said excitedly.

Xu Hui clearly felt a little lost, scratching his head with an embarrassed look on his face, "What do you want to eat?"

"Whatever, I'm fine with anything."

Xiaoya hummed a little tune, then put down her bag and sat down opposite Xu Hui.

At this moment, Xiaoya finally shifted her gaze from Xu Hui and noticed Lin Han.

Xiaoya blinked, looking at Lin Han with curiosity.

"introduce!"

Xu Hui realized what was happening and quickly said, "This is my brother, Lin Han, from Beijing University."

Wow, a top student from a top 100 university! Hello!

Xiaoya greeted Lin Han, and Lin Han responded with a smile.

Then, Xiaoya immediately turned back and looked at Xu Hui.

It seems that Lin Han's worries were somewhat unfounded.

From the moment this girl walked in, her eyes were completely fixed on Xu Hui.

After ordering, the two started chatting.

They started by discussing a few questions about Xu Hui's novels, the same topics they usually talk about on QQ.

Xu Hui, who used to be a chatterbox on QQ, was noticeably quieter in front of the young girl. Xiao Ya did most of the talking, with Xu Hui offering only a few words of support.

The less he said, the fewer mistakes he made; at least Xu Hui kept his composure and didn't break character!

He looks every bit the mature and composed novelist!

Lin Han ate his meal alone, inwardly praising Xu Hui—well done!

When talking about the novel, Xiaoya's face was full of excitement, and it was clear that she genuinely liked what Xu Hui wrote.

However, as they chatted, Xiaoya, cupping her face, suddenly changed the subject.

"Hui, you're much more handsome than I thought."

"Uh...uh?!"

Xu Hui was stunned, and his old face immediately turned red.

He quickly replied, "No...no! You are! You're so incredibly cute! Even prettier than I imagined..."

"Cough cough cough!!"

Lin Han coughed loudly, quickly stopping Xu Hui.

Xu Hui quickly realized his lapse in composure and awkwardly lowered his head to eat the barbecue.

This is the Rat Man.

When a girl compliments him, elevating him to a certain status, he feels incredibly embarrassed, as if he owes her something and feels compelled to immediately return the compliment, afraid she might feel awkward afterward. This then elevates the girl's status back to above his own.

Actually, when a girl compliments you, she doesn't necessarily need to get a response from you.

But alas, the mice are too kind and too insignificant, like a speck of dust in the vast Milky Way. Once someone shows them kindness, they feel they cannot bear such kindness and try their best to reciprocate with even greater kindness.

Seeing Xu Hui suddenly lower his head, a hint of disappointment flashed across Xiaoya's beautiful face.

After that, the two of them spoke much less, both keeping their heads down and focusing on eating. Occasionally, they would exchange a few words about school.

From being extremely enthusiastic at the beginning to now being unable to finish a sentence.

Xu Hui clearly sensed the change in atmosphere and felt very anxious, but he didn't know what to do.

He didn't understand why, even though he had done everything perfectly tonight.

He was polite and answered all questions without saying anything further.

Aside from the initial praise of traditional Chinese culture and the impulsive effusive praise he gave earlier, Xu Hui maintained the persona of a humble and reserved novelist throughout.

While this is basic for most men, it was already quite an achievement for Xu Hui, who was used to abstract concepts.

It's fair to say he's never been so dashing in his entire life!

What did I do wrong?!

019. Xu Hui's Struggle

"Thank you for hospitality."

After finishing her meal, Xiaoya stood up and expressed her gratitude to the two of them.

The little girl smiled brightly throughout, and her mine-themed outfit revealed the heart of a well-behaved girl.

“I’ll take you back to school. I need to go back too,” Xu Hui said, standing up as well.

Xiaoya stroked her chin, pondered for a couple of seconds, then looked up and smiled.

"it is good."

"I'm going to the restroom first." Watching Xiaoya leave, Lin Han gave Xu Hui a meaningful look.

Xu Hui plopped down in his seat, looking completely indifferent. He picked up the Coke on the table and drank it blankly, giving off a somewhat self-destructive vibe.

"The girl hasn't even left yet, and you're already going to give up?" Lin Han teased.

“It doesn’t matter,” Xu Hui said. “From the very beginning, I’ve been deluding myself.”

"She's just a reader who likes my work, so she chats with me. And me? She chats with me for a couple of days, and I assume she's interested in me, fantasizing about kissing and hugging. But to her, I'm just a tool to kill time. After a while, she'll find something new to amuse herself and ignore me. Then I'll be heartbroken, like I've just broken up with her, checking WeChat every few minutes. I'll look like a complete idiot. It's better to cut off all hope from the start..."