Chapter 83: I Didn’t Mind You Being Dirty, So Why Are You Disliking Yourself?
As a person, you should have some self-respect. But you shouldn't be too reserved either. Otherwise, it just looks fake.
Lin Yibai looked at her “love rival”. Thick eyebrows, big eyes... okay, actually he didn’t really have thick eyebrows or big eyes, but he was pretty good-looking. Mainly, she just thought Xia Changyu seemed like a very honest guy.
Since he looked so honest, Lin Yibai figured he would definitely turn her offer down shyly!
After all, boys and girls were different. And people often said polite things in situations like this.
So here’s the situation:
As long as Xia Changyu dared to accept, Lin Yibai swore she would dare to do it!
And then…
"Th-then I’ll trouble you," Xia Changyu said, looking down awkwardly, trying to pretend to stay calm. He even mumbled that she could just put it on casually, no need to worry too much.
Lin Yibai: !?
Yeah, you and your innocent-looking face! You seemed so honest and reliable, didn't you?
Guess I was wrong about you. Didn't think you were like this.
Of course, all these complaints stayed inside her head.
If he dared to say it, could she not dare to do it?
If Xia Changyu had the courage to accept, then Lin Yibai definitely had the guts to follow through!
Inside the already-torn open package, there was a bottle of cheap-looking body lotion.
Something called "Vitamin whatever" body lotion, Lin Yibai had searched online and saw people said it worked well, so she bought it.
More importantly, it was only 10 yuan! She wouldn’t even spend extra for a fancier one!
Now, her hand was pale and dry.
She squeezed out a little white lotion, ready to rub it on Xia Changyu's neck, but his eyes flickered with hesitation.
"Um, maybe... I mean, maybe I should go wash my face first? I sweated a lot today, I probably smell bad, and I look kinda dirty too..."
Lin Yibai said, “You talk way too much.”
Xia Changyu, still feeling conflicted, started to say, “Actually, I—”
Before he could finish, Lin Yibai cut him off sharply, “Shut up! I don't even mind you being dirty, but you’re the one complaining about yourself? That’s just too funny!”
Even though she said that, there wasn’t a hint of mockery or teasing in her voice.
She pulled a small pack of wet wipes from her pocket.
In the past, she never understood why girls always carried tissues or wipes around. She even thought it was kind of silly. But after becoming a girl herself, Lin Yibai completely understood.
Think about it, when guys go to the bathroom, they just stand and flick it a couple of times and they're done, but girls can't do that at all! Our legs get numb, and it still doesn't dry properly by itself.
Xia Changyu asked curiously, “What’s that?”
Lin Yibai replied, “Wet wipes.”
Xia Changyu scratched his head and asked again, “Why do you carry wet wipes with you?”
Good question, very much a ‘guy’ kind of question.
It was a deep one too, making Lin Yibai pause for a second, thinking about how to answer without making it sound awkward.
She finally said, “For cleaning.”
Xia Changyu followed up, “Cleaning what?”
She said, “Cleaning there.”
Xia Changyu blinked, “Where’s ‘there’?”
Lin Yibai, without saying another word, tore open a wet wipe and smacked it onto Xia Changyu’s neck.
“There is there! And you’re asking way too much! Knowing too much won’t do you any good, so just shut up, you dummy!”
Seriously, stop asking. If you keep asking, I might have to "silence" you! Got it?
Maybe because she was dissatisfied with his body temperature, she wiped a little harder than she meant to, making it sting a bit.
At first, Xia Changyu didn’t feel much. But when the wet wipe touched his sunburned neck, a sharp, stinging pain immediately shot through.
But right after the sting, a cool, refreshing feeling spread over his skin.
The two were already sitting very close. Because Lin Yibai had to wipe Xia Changyu’s neck, she leaned in even more. From the side, it almost looked like she was hugging his neck.
At that moment, a lonely single college guy happened to walk by.
From his point of view, it looked like some random girl was sitting on the stairs, clinging onto a guy and kissing him!
He couldn’t help but scoff and quickly walked away, feeling defeated.
Ugh, this college, this world, is just so unfair on single people!
Meanwhile, Xia Changyu stiffened up. A light, sweet smell floated into his nose, and there was also that natural kind of scent from a girl that could easily stir up a guy’s instincts. All of it was making his heart race uncontrollably.
Lin Yibai casually tucked some hair behind her ear.
Hmm... seems like her hair was getting a little long. Maybe she should get it trimmed soon?
But if it got any shorter, it might not look good once she turned back into a girl…
Her thoughts drifted far away for a moment.
Noticing Xia Changyu’s strange expression, Lin Yibai asked, confused, “What’s wrong? You look really nervous. Or... do I look like I’m about to eat you or something?”
No, you don’t look like you're going to eat anyone.
It's more like... anyone who sees you wants to ‘eat you up.’
Xia Changyu let out a warm breath and shook his head quickly, “I’m fine. Maybe it’s just because the weather’s a little hot.”
“True that,” Lin Yibai agreed, nodding. “It’s like 37 or 38 degrees today. You running around outside at noon. Aren’t you afraid of getting heatstroke?”
She still hadn’t realized it yet. The real reason Xia Changyu was acting like this… was entirely because of her.
But honestly, since she had become a girl, she hadn’t once thought about how her appearance could attract other guys. So of course she wouldn’t notice!
At least for her, it wasn’t like one second she was a guy, then the next second she became a girl and instantly started planning how to flirt with boys.
In Lin Yibai’s mind, this was just two "guys" hanging out.
But during their little interaction, this "boy" in a girl’s body was suddenly praised by Xia Changyu.
“What perfume are you wearing? It smells really good!”
“Perfume?”
Lin Yibai finished wiping his neck. She tossed the used wet wipe like a basketball into a trash can under the metal stairs.
Then she shrugged and said casually, “You’re overthinking it. It’s just the scent from my air freshener. Good perfume is too expensive for me, and the cheap ones aren’t even as good as a freshener!”
Xia Changyu was stunned. “Air... air freshener?”
Lin Yibai nodded, “Yeah. I put it in my room, turn on the air conditioner overnight, and the smell sticks to my clothes for days.”
“You know a lot.”
“Yeah right!! I just happened to ride in a relative’s car once and thought the air freshener smelled good, that’s all. Simple as that.”
“How much does the freshener cost?” he asked.
“Special sale, 29.9 yuan a bottle. Super expensive for me!”
“......”
Xia Changyu raised an eyebrow. Why did he feel this weird mix of wanting to laugh but also feeling bad?
What kind of girl uses a car air freshener instead of perfume?
Well... not that it’s wrong. Even in ancient times, people used scented sachets. And as long as the scent’s on the clothes, not directly on the skin, it’s fine.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little bad for her.
“How about... I buy you a bottle?” he suggested.
But a small hand cut him off mid-sentence. Lin Yibai lightly dabbed some of the body lotion onto the sunburn on Xia Changyu’s neck.
Her fingertips were soft and gentle. For a moment, it felt like Xia Changyu’s soul had been completely melted.
But that happiness didn’t last long.
Lin Yibai quickly grabbed a bottle and pushed it into his hand, “This one’s for you. No need to thank me.”
Then she jumped down from the stairs, acting like there was no special connection between them at all. Just casual, polite friends.
Yet, somehow, their relationship… seemed to have gotten a little closer.