Chapter 203 Say It Again, I Want to Hear

It was eleven o’clock on a Saturday morning, and the sunlight in A City was unbelievably good.

Leng Keyan was riding his small electric scooter toward the hospital, a silly corgi butt keychain dangling from his rearview mirror.

He wore a white hoodie under a blue denim jacket, his hair carefully styled. To avoid messing it up, he didn’t wear a helmet.

At a red light, he balanced on one foot, pulled his phone from his pocket, and sent a WeChat message to Yin Siyao:

[Teacher Yin, heading out now, should be there in about half an hour.]

Yin Siyao replied instantly: [Stay safe.]

Leng Keyan grinned from ear to ear. Just as he was about to send another sticker, the light turned green.

He quickly shoved his phone back into her pocket and twisted the throttle.

“Blue jacket—pull over,” a voice called.

Leng Keyan froze and turned his head. A traffic cop had appeared beside him out of nowhere, looking stern.

Five minutes later.

Leng Keyan stood at the roadside, holding a fifty-yuan fine slip in his hand.

He took out his phone, snapped a photo of the ticket, and posted it to his social feed.

Caption: “We’ve known each other for less than a minute, and he already asked me for fifty yuan. Honestly, I don’t like materialistic men.”

Within minutes, likes and comments poured in.

Lu Er: “He studied hard for over ten years to see you, taking exams after exams, getting up early and staying up late, even dressing up just so he wouldn’t miss you. This is true love.”

Leng Keyan snickered.

Yin Siyao: “He’s the first one—if you make a mistake, he’s the first to run to you.”

Song Jingmo: “Be grateful. So many people don’t even get to meet the person and are fined five hundred.”

Leng Keyan read the comments and laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

Just as he was about to message Yin Siyao and act cute, his phone vibrated.

It was a transfer alert from Yin Siyao.

Amount: 500 yuan.

[Cheer up, stay safe. Don’t rush, I’ll wait for you.]

His heart felt like a spoonful of hot honey had been poured into it—so sweet it was almost cloying.

After accepting the transfer, he replied: [Teacher Yin, you’re the best! I’m on my way!]

He put his phone away, got back on his scooter, and this time, wore his helmet properly.

Even if it would flatten his hair, Yin Siyao had said: safety first.

The meeting spot was a trendy local restaurant with a vintage industrial style—old bicycles and vinyl records hung on the walls. Weekends were always packed.

Yin Siyao had already been waiting by the window for twenty minutes.

Today, he was wearing a light gray sweater instead of a shirt, with a hint of white T-shirt peeking out at the collar.

His hair fell softly over his forehead, making him look at least five years younger than his actual age.

When the server came over for the third time to ask if they wanted to order, Yin Siyao glanced at his phone. Leng Keyan would arrive in five minutes.

“Order.”

Yin Siyao handed back the menu: “We’ll take the two-person set. Swap the drinks for hot soy milk, and one without sugar.”

“Okay, sir.”

When the food arrived, Yin Siyao took out his phone and snapped a photo of the table.

He had found the perfect angle—the sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows gilded the steamed sea bass in gold.

The boiled greens looked lush and vibrant, and even the tomato-egg soup looked irresistible.

He sent the photo to Leng Keyan: [The food’s here. Where are you?]

Almost at the same time, the restaurant door opened.

Leng Keyan immediately spotted Yin Siyao by the window. His eyes lit up. Like a large dog finding its owner, he bounded over in three quick steps.

“Teacher Yin! I’m here!”

Yin Siyao looked up at him, cheeks flushed from running, sweat glistening on his forehead, hoodie hood lopsided.

A faint smile appeared in his eyes. “Sit down. Catch your breath.”

Leng Keyan plopped down across from him, grabbed a glass of water, and drank deeply.

Finally, he exhaled: “Traffic was insane. Even the scooter lanes were jammed. Ridiculous.”

Yin Siyao pushed a bowl of soup toward him: “Drink.”

He took it with a grin, scooped a spoonful, blew on it, and just as he was about to sip, an unpleasant voice floated over.

Two young female staff members at the cash register were chatting quietly:

“Tch, one of those people. Orders the cheapest set, then has to take photos and post to social media.”

“Yeah, even angles, as if everyone needs to know they’re eating here.”

“Never seen the world before, I guess.”

Leng Keyan froze mid-spoon and turned to the two girls.

They looked barely over twenty, in uniform aprons, smiling politely—but their words were sharp and harsh.

Yin Siyao frowned slightly.

Leng Keyan set down his spoon, picked up his water jug, and with a flick of his wrist—

“Whoosh.”

The water spilled all over the floor.

The girls’ chatter stopped immediately.

Leng Keyan looked up, face bright with a dazzling smile: “Excuse me, the water spilled here. Could you come clean it up?”

All the customers in the restaurant turned to look.

The girls’ faces flushed red and white, frozen for a few seconds, before one reluctantly grabbed a mop.

“Please clean it properly.”

Leng Keyan added with a smile: “The floor is slippery. If a customer falls, you’d have to pay the medical bills.”

The staff bit their lips and hurried to mop.

Once the girls left, Yin Siyao whispered: “Why bother with them?”

“Some grudges have to be settled on the spot.”

Leng Keyan put a piece of fish into Yin Siyao’s bowl: “I can’t stand seeing you wronged.”

He quietly ate the fish.

Leng Keyan set down his chopsticks. “By the way, Teacher Yin, there’s something I want to ask your opinion on.”

“Hm?”

“Tomorrow my parents and cousin are coming to A City.” He looked at him intently. “Do you… want to meet them?”

Yin Siyao froze mid-bite.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting bright patches on the table.

His fingers rested along the edge of a light spot, long and clean, subtly tightening.

Leng Keyan added: “Just a meal, nothing else. If you don’t want to meet them, it’s fine—I can just say you’re busy.”

“Do your parents know me?” Yin Siyao interrupted, voice calm.

“Yes, they don’t have… any strong objections.”

“Better wait until I have time to bring something over formally. Meeting suddenly like this would be too abrupt.”

Leng Keyan paused, then nodded quickly: “Right, you’re correct. I didn’t think it through. Then we won’t meet—maybe later.”

Yin Siyao noticed the flash of disappointment in her eyes.

“It’s not that I don’t want to meet them.”

He put down his chopsticks, looking at him seriously: “Meeting your parents is important to me. I need to prepare—I don’t want to leave a bad impression. Because I care about you, I care about what they think of me.”

Yin Siyao rarely expressed his feelings so openly.

Leng Keyan nodded vigorously, feeling a pinch in his nose.

After finishing their meal, they left the restaurant.

The weekend streets were bustling, the sunlight warm on their skin.

Leng Keyan held Yin Siyao’s hand.

He stiffened, instinctively wanting to pull back, but he held tight.

“Just for a little while,” he whispered. “No one here knows us.”

Yin Siyao glanced around. Young people were shopping; couples holding hands was normal.

He moved his fingers slightly, then finally clasped his back.

Leng Keyan’s eyes lit up, grinning like a kid who had stolen candy.

“Teacher Yin.”

“Hm?”

“You just said you care about me.”

“…”

“Say it again.”

“…”

“Just say it once, I want to hear it.”

Yin Siyao stopped walking; Leng Keyan did too, tilting his face up, eyes sparkling with expectation.

He sighed helplessly: “I care… very much.”

He turned and continued walking, ears bright red.

Leng Keyan froze for three seconds, then squealed, leapt forward, and grabbed his arm.

“Teacher Yin! Say it again, just once!”

“No.”

“Say it, say it~”

“This is the street.”

“So what? My boyfriend cares about me. I want the whole world to know!”

Yin Siyao felt a headache from his shouting, but a smile tugged at his lips uncontrollably.