Honestly, it is sad that Xinlu doesn’t even understand what “liking someone” really means right now, and he’s starting to get confused about his own feelings... But as time goes by, he comes to understand and distinguish them. In the RAGA side story, Xinlu admits that he was like that because of his hatred and anger toward Ilay, and he tells Yuri that in his entire life, he has never thought about anyone the way he thinks about Yuri.
That’s why RAGA teaches us what love really means, through Yuri’s perspective Sorry for going off-topic, but honestly, I find it even sadder that so many people still can’t understand what Yuri’s “first love” for Xinlu actually meant, when love isn’t always connected to sexual desire. Sometimes, it can simply come from deep admiration.

Novel readers does xinlu yearn for yuri like he did for taeui? Bcz he better be chasing yuri too