Chapter 134: I'm Losing Too Much, One More Loss and I’ll End Up as His Girlfriend

Could this be another sneaky plan by that annoying love rival?

But, it didn’t really look like it. There’s no way he would give me free helpers just to mess with me, right?

Thinking it over, it didn’t seem like a big deal, so Lin Yibai told Xia Changyu where she was.

“Walk about 400 meters from university, there’s a newly opened bubble tea shop doing a promotion. You’ll see it right away when you get close.”

Xia Changyu typed, “Will I see you working inside the bubble tea shop?”

Lin Yibai quickly replied, “No, no, no, not inside! I’m outside!”

Xia Changyu: “Outside?”

Lin Yibai sent a thumbs-up emoji and added, “Yup, I’m the bear at the door.”

Xia Changyu asked, “You mean that annoying bear? What about it?”

Lin Yibai: “...Yeah, that annoying bear… is me.”

Oh boy.

Xia Changyu had thought Lin Yibai was inside, making bubble tea or lemon water or something.

But when he personally took the mascot head off her, and saw sweat rolling down her pretty face, gathering at her chin and dripping down. For a moment, Xia Changyu’s heart felt like it was breaking.

She’s so beautiful… Why is she doing such a tiring job?

Xia Changyu gently touched her cheeks, brushed aside her bangs stuck to her forehead, and wiped away the sweat on her face with his thumb.

Lin Yibai shook her head, breaking free from his hand, and said. “Hey hey, we’re in public, please be a bit more mindful, okay?”

Xia Changyu said with concern, “Can you stop doing this part-time job? It’s so tiring and hard on you.”

Lin Yibai rolled her eyes and said, “If I stop working, who will support me?”

Xia Changyu answered seriously. “I’ll support you.”

Lin Yibai: “......”

Dude, did you have to be so direct? Can’t you act like in the movies and pretend you can’t afford it?

But no, you’re standing there like not only could you support me, you could even give me a comfortable life!

Ugh… this evil love rival is really dangerous, he's trying to break my defenses!

To hide her embarrassment, Lin Yibai quickly grabbed the mascot head back, put it on again, and said, “If you’ve got something to say about the company, just say it. I still need to finish my shift. It pays over 300 yuan a day.”

Xia Changyu looked worried and said, “If you worked for me, you'd make way more than that in a day... But why do you choose to suffer here, instead of working in my company with air conditioning?”

Through the mouth of the costume, Lin Yibai gave him a quiet, serious look. “A man should be strong and independent.”

Xia Changyu replied, “But you’re a woman.”

Great.

You killed the conversation again, buddy.

Xia Changyu went into the bubble tea shop, and who knows what he said to the manager. But somehow, he actually managed to borrow Lin Yibai’s time!

Unbelievable, he really seemed like he could do anything!

But no, absolutely not. I must not think that another guy is amazing or unstoppable!

Still, Lin Yibai was curious. She couldn’t help but ask, “Hey, how did you even manage that?”

Xia Changyu gently touched her head again after she took off the mascot head. Even her hair was soaked with sweat.

Then he said, “I ordered a drink for my friends, classmates, and even coworkers working overtime. So the shop owner let me borrow you for a bit!”

Lin Yibai quietly said, “I feel like I’m some kind of item.”

Xia Changyu immediately replied, “A one-of-a-kind item that only belongs to me?”

“Ugh… smooth talker.”

Since Lin Yibai was wearing a big mascot costume, it was impossible for her to go very far.

Luckily, the newly opened bubble tea shop had a nice environment. There were seats on both the first and second floors, and a few tables set up outside as well.

After a group of customers left one of the outdoor tables, the two of them quickly grabbed the spot. Lin Yibai ordered a cup of lemon water, and Xia Changyu took out a laptop and said, “Why don’t you first say hi to the new department members?”

An online meeting?

But… dressed like this, she really didn’t look proper at all.

Still, she thought about it and decided it was fine. After all, she just needed to give them some work guidance.

The new department had six people in total. A mix of experienced employees and some new hires.

Lin Yibai smiled and greeted them. “Haha, hi everyone!”

“Hello, Boss!”

“So you’re the team leader?”

“You’re even more impressive than we heard! When will you start working with us in person?”

“Baiyi, it’s me, Xiao Jing!”

“……”

So this is what it feels like to have your own team?

Lin Yibai felt a bit strange, but also a little proud and happy inside. The department was just created. Right now, everyone still felt a bit lost.

Things like, what do we do next? How should we do it? What’s our direction?

Lin Yibai had a few thoughts.

“Creating a brand is never easy, and you should never expect to make big money with little effort. Before doing anything, we should all figure out our roles and positioning clearly.”

Xiao Jing asked, confused, “Isn’t our positioning just being 'Chinese-style'?”

Lin Yibai made an X sign with her hands in front of the camera and replied, “It has to be more clear and detailed than that. Since we don’t have a big company budget, the more accurate our focus, the better chance we have at success.”

Xiao Jing said, “Can you give an example?”

Lin Yibai smiled and said, “Good question! For example, take the current tension between men and women online. Do you want to target women or men? Even within that, do you want to use controversial topics to gain attention, or avoid them? Do you want quick cash, or build something steady and long-term?”

“……”

Lin Yibai spoke clearly and confidently.

Some of the newer team members who might have been skeptical at first gradually started to agree with her ideas and plans.

Because she was both a girl and had the mindset of a guy, her insights were incredibly sharp and thoughtful.

After the short meeting ended, Xia Changyu clapped and said, “See? You were born to be a leader! Why are you wasting time with that silly part-time job? You should just work for me!”

Lin Yibai pouted and replied, “No way, I’m not working for you.”

Xia Changyu: “……”

Lin Yibai finished her lemon water in one big gulp and said, “Are you done talking now? If you are, I really need to get back to work.”

Xia Changyu said, “I’ll wait for you.”

“Wait for what?”

“For you to get off work.”

Lin Yibai hesitated for a moment, then finally agreed. “Fine, if you’re really willing to wait, I’ll give you a little gift when I’m done.”

What? A gift?

And it would be from her, personally?

Let’s just say, Lin Yibai really knows how to make a guy feel special!

The long, boring wait suddenly became exciting and full of anticipation.

After 10:30 p.m., the student street finally started to quiet down a bit. But it still wasn’t closing time yet. This street usually stayed busy until one or two in the morning.

After getting off work, Lin Yibai collected 360 yuan from the bubble tea shop owner for her part-time job.

Wearing a hot and stuffy mascot costume in summer, 360 yuan for a whole day really wasn’t much.

When Xia Changyu saw the amount, he couldn’t help saying, “Only 360? Seriously, you’d be better off working for me!”

Lin Yibai felt a little frustrated and snapped back.

“Why are you so obsessed with making me work for you? Ugh… forget it. Don’t say anything else for now, I’m taking you to a nice place.”

A nice place? Was it the kind of “nice place” Xia Changyu was thinking of?

Turns out, he was totally wrong. But for guys, this place did count as a good spot. It was a computer accessories store.

A girl going to a place like this?

Even stranger, Lin Yibai seemed very familiar with it. She walked in confidently, picked out a Logitech mouse, and there was a hint of desire in her eyes.

“Boss, can you make it cheaper?”

“It’s already the same price as the official website,” the store owner replied. “And this is a physical store, you know. It’s hard to go any lower.”

“Alright then,” Lin Yibai said, feeling a little pained. Still, she asked the boss to wrap it nicely. “Please pack it well! Maybe I’ll come back next time to buy a keyboard.”

The store owner responded quickly. “Sure, sure! But hey, why did you pick a men's style mouse? At the same price, we have some cute pink ones over there!”

“Because it’s a gift,” Lin Yibai replied.

The store owner looked like he understood and asked, “A gift? Is it his birthday today?”

“No.”

“Then…?”

“He gave me flowers yesterday. This is my return gift.”

What? A return gift?

The store owner finally looked up at Lin Yibai seriously, as if he’d just seen something surprising. After a moment, he said, “I’ve run this shop for years. I’ve seen plenty of girls buy gaming gear for guys, mostly just to be polite. But giving one as a return gift? That’s a first for me.”

The way he wrapped the gift box even became more careful. He believed girls who made the effort to give a meaningful gift deserved better service.

Then he looked deeply at Xia Changyu. He couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous. Anyone with eyes could see that the gift was clearly meant for him.

Ding! You’ve received 214 yuan.

The shop owner patted Xia Changyu on the shoulder and said, “Bro, you’re lucky!”

Xia Changyu: “Hahaha!”

Lin Yibai looked annoyed at both of them and said, “Why are you both so confident that I'll give it to him?”

Xia Changyu was surprised, “Wait, it’s not?”

Seeing the confused and worried look on his face, Lin Yibai finally said, “Yes, yes, it’s for you! Happy now?”

Xia Changyu let out a sigh of relief and said excitedly.

“If you were my girlfriend and gave me such an expensive gaming gift, I’d call you my wife on the spot!”

Wife? Seriously?

Ugh, that’s not allowed, got it?