A social phobic can also fall in love.

Yan Tingmo had been feeling troubled lately.

He suspected that Qi Xing might be trying to flirt with him, but he couldn’t find any solid evidence.

This was because Qi Xing acted so casually and naturally when they were together, never crossing any boundaries or saying anything inappropriate.

Oh, wait, that’s not entirely true. Occasionally, when he wanted to get a little playful, Qi Xing would set him up and get his consent.

He was caught off guard every time, always being led by Qi Xing.

With only a few days until Qi Xing’s birthday, since Yan Tingmo had already agreed to spend it with him, he wasn’t going to back out.

But spending the day with him was one thing, and getting a gift was another.

He had never given anyone a birthday gift before, so he couldn’t decide whether to buy sneakers or a watch.

Of course, the price had to be reasonable; he couldn’t afford anything too expensive.

He had been fretting about it for days and finally sneakedly asked Zhou Wen for advice.

He just thought he had good taste.

“Buy a watch,” Zhou Wen suggested. “A mechanical one would be the best.”

Yan Tingmo nodded seriously and made a note on his phone.

Zhou Wen found it amusing: “Whose birthday is it that you’re so serious about?”

Yan Tingmo froze for a second, then pretended to act clueless: “Whose birthday?”

Zhou Wen raised an eyebrow: “Who do you think?”

“I don’t know.” Yan Tingmo lowered his head. “I just wanted to buy one for myself.”

“Oh?” Zhou Wen gave him a half-smile. “But that doesn’t seem to fit your usual style.”

Yan Tingmo muttered softly, “People change.”

Zhou Wen clearly heard him, paused for a moment, then nodded: “Yes, people do change.”

Yan Tingmo didn’t fully understand and glanced up at him.

Zhou Wen smiled, then returned to the previous topic: “Have you found a watch you like?”

Yan Tingmo immediately nodded and handed over his phone: “Yes, what do you think of this one?”

Zhou Wen looked it over: “Hmm, it’s nice, but it’s a bit pricey.”

Yan Tingmo also thought the price was too high, but it was the one he liked most, and he didn’t care for any of the others.

He quietly opened his WeChat balance and took a look—well, it wasn’t impossible to buy, but he would have to be careful with his spending for the rest of the month.

On March 15th.

Yan Tingmo got his package early, opened the box, and carefully placed the watch into its packaging.

At 4:25 p.m., after his last class, he packed his things and came out through the back door.

But just as he had walked a few steps, he froze in place.

He had spotted Qi Xing, who was leaning against the wall wearing a black and white striped T-shirt, casually looking at his phone.

He stood quietly, and Qi Xing seemed to sense his presence, glancing over at him.

Their gazes met for a brief moment, and Qi Xing stepped toward him.

“What are you looking at?” he snapped his fingers in front of him. “Stop spacing out. Let’s go, I’ll take you out to eat.”

As he spoke, he naturally took his hand, and they walked out of the teaching building, one after the other.

Yan Tingmo’s gaze fixed on their intertwined hands, thinking to himself: So this is what flirting looks like!

Qi Xing’s birthday was celebrated quite low-key, with just a few close friends for a meal, followed by some karaoke afterward.

Among the group, Yan Tingmo noticed that aside from Qi Xing, he didn’t recognize any of the other four people. In fact, he had never seen them before.

Seeing his confused expression, Qi Xing introduced them: “Xing Yi, my brother I grew up with, we call him ‘the life of the party.’”

“Ming Cheng, Zhao Li, Liang Xiao, my high school classmates, we’re really close.”

“And this is Yan Tingmo,” he announced confidently, “my future boyfriend.”

Yan Tingmo was suddenly stunned and stared at him in disbelief.

Qi Xing casually asked: “Isn’t that right? Or have you been lying to me all along?”

Yan Tingmo was speechless. He knew he couldn’t win in a verbal battle with Qi Xing, so he simply turned his head and ignored him.

Qi Xing was just joking. If Yan Tingmo hadn’t agreed to be with him, he wouldn’t have pushed the issue.

But seeing Yan Tingmo in someone else’s arms, he couldn’t stand it and didn’t want to experience that feeling.

“I was joking,” he laughed lightly. “Don’t take it seriously, just listen to it.”

“Let me reintroduce everyone,” he said seriously. “This is Yan Tingmo, the school’s top student. He has a great temper, is super gentle and cute, and he’s the person I like.”

Xing Yi, who had been annoyed by Qi Xing’s behavior, now had a gentle smile as he spoke to Yan Tingmo, responding with a calm, slow voice that matched his tone.

“I heard you’re from the Art College?” he asked. “Are all your classmates as good-looking as you?”

Yan Tingmo’s ears turned slightly red, and he stammered: “Uh, yes, I guess… I’m not really sure.”

Xing Yi raised an eyebrow: “Are you nervous?”

Yan Tingmo bit his lip, his hands fidgeting nervously.

Qi Xing frowned and interrupted Xing Yi, gently patting his hand: “Are you two that close? Talking about this kind of thing?”

Xing Yi rolled his eyes at him, the previous gentle demeanor gone, now with a mischievous smile, his expression rebellious.

Qi Xing’s three high school friends were all very distinct: Liang Xiao was steady, Zhao Li was lively and cheerful, and Ming Cheng—Yan Tingmo couldn’t quite figure him out. He seemed like a smiling tiger, always grinning, but for some reason, he felt that his smile didn’t reflect his true intentions.

Qi Xing noticed Yan Tingmo staring at Ming Cheng and raised his hand to cover his eyes, saying in a low voice: “Don’t look.”

It was very possessive, very Qi Xing.

Yan Tingmo was speechless, pulling his hand away and giving the others a shy smile.

“Let’s stop chatting, let’s eat,” Ming Cheng said. “The food will get cold.”

“Right, right!” Zhao Li said with a grin, picking up a piece of meat and chewing loudly. “So good! So good! You guys should try it too!”

Liang Xiao helplessly patted Zhao Li’s back, saying gently: “Slow down, you’ll choke.”

Zhao Li waved him off: “It’s fine! Liang Xiao, try some too…”

Qi Xing felt embarrassed and sighed as he followed them.

The meal lasted about an hour and a half. Yan Tingmo, who wasn’t a fan of socializing, surprisingly didn’t feel bored or nervous. In fact, he got along well with Qi Xing’s friends. They were very considerate of him, always talking about topics related to his field of expertise.

He felt great, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Qi Xing. He knew it was thanks to his efforts that he could experience all this.

Qi Xing’s friends treated him well, and it was clear they did so because of Qi Xing. Regardless, he was grateful to him.

He was grateful for his attentiveness, and he was grateful for his love.

What he didn’t know was that Qi Xing’s friends didn’t treat him well just because of Qi Xing.

At first, they had respected and supported the person Qi Xing liked out of loyalty to him. But as time passed, they genuinely grew to like this quiet, obedient boy—like a younger brother, like a friend.

Qi Xing was grateful for his close friends, who would defend his relationship and would also help Yan Tingmo find someone who truly cared for him.

After dinner, everyone decided to move on to the next venue.

Qi Xing had booked a private room in advance and asked Xing Yi and the others to go ahead, saying he still had some things to handle.

Before leaving, Ming Cheng gave him a faint glance, smiled lightly, and then walked off without saying a word.

Yan Tingmo felt uneasy. He actually wanted to leave with Ming Cheng and the others, but Qi Xing tightly held onto his hand, refusing to let him go.

“Mo Mo,” Qi Xing was so close that his voice almost turned into a whisper, “Did you prepare a birthday gift for me?”

Yan Tingmo hesitated: “Who asks someone directly for a birthday gift?”

Qi Xing didn’t answer directly: “I do.”

Yan Tingmo glared at him with wide eyes.

Qi Xing tilted his head and smiled: “Do you have one?”

Yan Tingmo hesitated for a couple of seconds and then nodded honestly: “Yes.”

Qi Xing asked: “What is it?”

No matter what Yan Tingmo gave him, he would cherish it because it was the first birthday he spent with him, and the first gift he had ever given him.

Yan Tingmo suddenly felt a little shy. Qi Xing looked at him with full anticipation, and he slowly took out a delicately wrapped box from his backpack and handed it to him: “Happy Birthday.”

Qi Xing felt a surge of emotion he couldn’t quite describe. His nose tingled, and he felt a little choked up. He looked up at the ceiling briefly and then lowered his head to take the gift.

“Thank you, Mo Mo,” he said quietly.

Yan Tingmo, embarrassed, touched the tip of his nose: “It’s not an expensive gift, I picked it out after a lot of thinking.”

“Mhm.” Qi Xing’s voice softened unconsciously. “I’ll like anything you give me.”

He carefully untied the bow on the packaging and opened the box, revealing an Omega mechanical watch inside.

“This must be expensive,” his mood shifted from excitement to concern. “Did you spend a lot of money on it?”

Yan Tingmo whispered: “It’s not that bad,” though the balance in his account said otherwise.

Qi Xing closed the box and said firmly, “Take it back.”

Yan Tingmo looked up in disbelief, his eyes filled with surprise, grievance, and sadness.

Was it because the gift he picked wasn’t good enough?

He pouted, feeling wronged, but didn’t say anything.

Qi Xing could tell he misunderstood, so he quickly explained: “Mo Mo, that’s not what I meant. The watch is really expensive. I don’t want you to spend so much money on me.”

Yan Tingmo sniffled and mumbled: “I wanted to buy it… If you don’t want it, then never mind.”

Qi Xing started to panic: “Hey, Mo Mo, I like it, please don’t cry.”

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry,” he immediately apologized, holding him gently. “I really like it, how could I not like it? I’m just worried, worried you spent all this money for nothing. I feel bad, don’t you know? I feel bad…”

Yan Tingmo didn’t know why, but feeling wronged made his tears fall uncontrollably, streaming down his face, and he sobbed with heartache.

Qi Xing was heartbroken. He wanted to slap himself. He pulled Yan Tingmo into his arms, gently rubbing the back of his head: “Please stop crying, Mo Mo.”

“I like it.”

“Seeing you cry makes my heart hurt.”

He kept repeating these few words, wondering if all the books he read had been in vain.

His partner was crying, yet he couldn’t find the right words to comfort him.

“Oh,” Yan Tingmo wiped his tears on his shoulder and murmured, “I don’t want to give it to you anymore. Give it back to me.”

“No!” Qi Xing immediately refused.