Chapter 70: You Want to Use the Tricks I Used on Other Girls… on Me?
This was something Xia Changyu used to wonder about.
Now, the mystery behind Lin Yibai's bare face had finally been solved.
Some girls look beautiful only after putting on makeup, so their beauty is uncertain. But the girl in front of him, her beauty was real.
Do you know what "plastering a wall" means?
Because Xia Changyu knew a bit about makeup, to him, girls putting on makeup was like smearing plaster on their faces. What they originally looked like didn’t really matter, what mattered was how thick the foundation was, and how skilled the makeup artist was at “carving” the final look.
But was that really their true face?
No, it was just a competition to see who could "carve" the thick makeup better.
As for Lin Yibai, she didn’t have many thoughts about this.
If Xia Changyu saw makeup as smearing plaster, then Lin Yibai had the simple view many boys have, thinking makeup was like painting on your face.
Most boys don’t really like that kind of thing, right?
She thought Xia Changyu still didn’t believe her, so she grabbed his hand, placed it on her cheek, rubbed it a few times, and said, “See? I told you… I’m really not wearing any makeup.”
Xia Changyu: “Huh?”
Lin Yibai said, “You still don’t believe me?”
But does it really matter if he believes her or not?
At that moment, Xia Changyu was thinking, ‘If I say I don’t believe her… can I touch her face a few more times?’
But as soon as that thought came up, he suddenly felt really guilty.
She’s such a good girl!
Xia Changyu scolded himself in his heart. ‘She helped me so many times before, and now I’m having such dirty, shameful thoughts… trying to take advantage of her. I’m such a terrible person.’
Everyone likes beauty. A good man will naturally be drawn to a lovely lady.
That’s the only way Xia Changyu could comfort himself. Otherwise, he couldn’t face what he was feeling inside. He realized that as long as he stayed near this girl, he would feel this scary kind of greed.
His good upbringing told him. Never take advantage of someone. But in reality… he wanted to get closer to Lin Yibai. He wanted more. Much more!
“Lin Bai…” Xia Changyu pulled back his hand, which could’ve touched her more, and said, “Can I call you Miss Baiyi?”
Lin Yibai: “Huh?”
Xia Changyu continued, “Or… can I call you Classmate Baiyi?”
Lin Yibai waved her hand and said openly, “Why are you calling me ‘Miss’ or ‘Classmate’? If you want to be my friend, just call me Baiyi… or Xiao Bai is fine.”
But the moment she said that, she regretted it.
Actually, I don’t want to be friends with you anymore. It’s your fault, I said those polite words without thinking!
And besides, how dare you, my love rival, call me Xiao Bai?! That’s a nickname only my dorm buddies can use!
Xia Changyu paused for a moment, then nervously tried calling her, “Xiao… Xiao Bai?”
“……!”
You really called me that?! Just because I said it, you actually went and did it?!
What an annoying guy! Can't you read the mood?! Shouldn’t you wait for me to say “yes” first?
“Xiao Bai?”
“……”
Ugh! If I don’t reply, will I seem rude? No! I can’t let him think I’m impolite.
Lin Yibai took a deep breath, gently nodded, and softly replied, “Mm.”
Hearing that, Xia Changyu felt a wave of happiness wash over him.
He was so pleased inside, and just as he was about to call her name a few more times, he noticed that “Xiao Bai” was giving him a strange look, like she was silently saying, ‘Enough is enough!’
Lin Yibai picked up the makeup tools again. Then softly said, “Why don’t we hurry up and get started now?”
Xia Changyu: “Okay!”
Lin Yibai asked, “So, how do you do makeup? Where do we start?”
Xia Changyu replied, “No rush.”
Lin Yibai: “Huh?”
Xia Changyu said, “Makeup might not be a super advanced skill, but it still has a lot of theory and techniques. Let’s start with the basics…”
He dares to teach, and she dares to listen?
Even the girls walking past the classroom couldn’t help shaking their heads. Are you two writing a makeup research paper here or what?
It really felt like a teacher giving a theory class.
The funny thing was that Lin Yibai was listening very seriously. She even thought it all made sense.
Xia Changyu asked, “Did you learn it?”
Lin Yibai replied, “No, I'm confused.”
Why was her first lesson in makeup all about skin types and how products react, and from a guy, no less?
And somehow, this situation felt familiar?
She suddenly remembered, back when she was still a guy, she didn’t know anything about makeup either. But she used to say the same kind of things in front of Gu Xiaoxue.
She felt bad for Gu Xiaoxue putting on makeup, thinking it might be bad for her skin. So she would always try to persuade her not to wear it.
But!!
Here comes the real twist.
Now… those same words she once said to another girl were being used on her?
She looked deeply at Xia Changyu. That guy was already wrapping up his “lecture” with a strong conclusion.
“So, if it’s not necessary, it’s better not to use makeup, because that might…”
Before he could finish, he saw Lin Yibai giving him a strange look. His final conclusion was interrupted. The girl’s face looked like she just had a sudden realization.
She cut in and said, “Let me guess, you were going to say makeup is bad for the skin, and that you already think I’m beautiful as I am, and that you don’t care how pretty I am because natural beauty is the best, right?”
Xia Changyu: !!!?
Holy crap! How did she say exactly what I was thinking?!
What Lin Yibai just said… it wasn’t just close. It was exactly what he had in mind.
Lin Yibai rubbed her forehead. After seeing the shocked look on Xia Changyu’s face, she was sure they were thinking the same thing.
Xia Changyu asked, stunned, “How did you know what I was going to say? And you got it almost perfectly right?”
Lin Yibai kept rubbing her forehead.
How did I know? Because we’re both guys, okay?! I know all those little thoughts in your head.
That straightforward way of talking? It’s just the classic “dumb guy” script!
The same tricks you used… I used them on other girls before too. And now you’re trying to use them on me?
Lin Yibai didn’t bother to explain more. She picked up an eyebrow pencil and placed it in Xia Changyu’s hand.
Xia Changyu looked confused, “What’s this for?”
Lin Yibai took a deep breath, then said seriously, “Stop with all that nonsense. Didn’t you say you were good at makeup? Then help me draw my eyebrows.”
Xia Changyu: “Right now?”
Lin Yibai: “Yes, right now.”
Xia Changyu: “But…”
Lin Yibai cut in, “What do you mean ‘but’? Don’t tell me you’re about to say my eyebrows are already perfect and don’t need any drawing?”
Crap! She guessed what I was thinking again!
Lin Yibai acted like she had read his mind from the start. She gave a cold little snort and said, “I seriously doubt you even know how to do makeup. Just be honest, if you know how, then say so. If you don’t, that’s fine too. But why do you keep saying I look great and don’t need makeup? What does that even mean?”
Xia Changyu: “Baiyi… Xiao Bai, let me explain…”
Lin Yibai cut him off, a faint smile on her lips, “I don’t want to hear it. If you really don’t know how, don’t pretend to be an expert. I won’t force you, I’ll just find someone else… another guy to help me draw them.”
Xia Changyu: !!!!
Letting another guy draw her eyebrows?! No way!
Also, what’s up with this girl?
It’s like she lives inside my heart, knowing everything I’m thinking!