Chapter 139: When Feelings Settle, They Turn Into Honey Wine, Right?
Don’t keep lowering yourself. Otherwise, just wait to be defeated by the love rival!
Lin Yibai originally planned to give her annoying love rival a good lesson, but when the words came to her lips, she lost the energy, and it felt meaningless.
With a light sigh, she stood up and was about to leave.
At that moment, Xia Changyu finally panicked. He hurriedly stood up, grabbed the girl's hand, and said seriously.
“I really don’t dislike the food you made. In fact, I really like it… I just... I just wanted an excuse to take you shopping and out to eat, that’s all.”
Lin Yibai was stunned. “That’s all?”
Xia Changyu nodded and said earnestly, “You know me. My first ever relationship was with a weirdo like Gu Xiaoxue. Luckily, you were there to help, and I'm so glad I discovered how wonderful you are and fell in love with you.”
Lin Yibai felt a bit uncomfortable with the emotional talk. She quietly said, “Life has many possibilities. I’m just passing through in your life. You should meet more girls. Maybe you’ll meet someone even better.”
But Xia Changyu didn’t agree with that.
“Before I met you, I used to think a relationship was about meeting the right criteria or fitting the social expectations. But you’ve shown me that this isn’t about following the crowd. It’s about finding someone who doesn’t just fit into your life, but makes your life feel fuller, more meaningful, and complete. So…”
“So, what?”
Xia Changyu took a deep breath and said, “I like you. And now I also like the food you make. So, can I... have a chance?”
“Stop!” Lin Yibai took a few steps back.
Although she felt like she was becoming more feminine, her stubbornness still wasn’t at the point of being completely exposed. She was like the strongest shield, but with some cracks starting to form.
But don’t think you can easily break me down. The strongest shield won’t fall easily, you still have a long way to go!
“We...” Lin Yibai hesitated but still said, “Maybe we’re not at the stage of love yet. I mean, you understand, right?”
Xia Changyu wasn’t in a hurry. Being rejected like this wasn’t new for him. He took a deep breath and said, “I understand, so I’ll keep pursuing you. I'll work hard to be the person you can rely on. Please keep preparing yourself!”
Lin Yibai anxiously said, “Hey, why don’t you ever listen to advice?”
“I always listen to your advice. You yourself said that if you like someone, you should win their heart. All I’m doing is following your advice.”
She did say that, but don't do it to her! Lin Yibai, now really anxious and said, “Hey, I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m leaving.”
Xia Changyu stood up and followed her. “I’ll walk you.”
Lin Yibai waved her hand. “No need.”
Xia Changyu grabbed her hand, which was swinging, and said,
“Humility is a virtue, and for a guy to walk a girl is a gentleman’s gesture. You can’t let your humility stop me from showing my manners, can you?”
Lin Yibai couldn’t help but roll her eyes and said, “Who taught you this nonsense?”
Didn’t need anyone to teach him that. First of all, he couldn’t win her heart through normal means. After thinking about it, the conclusion was clear. He had to be more active. So, he wasn’t taught, he was pushed into it. That’s what happened when you’re in love with someone, you grow!
Lin Yibai originally wanted to resist. But now, her hand was already in the hands of the annoying love rival. Her ring finger, middle finger, and index finger were all being held in his palm.
The scary part was that she didn’t even feel disgusted inside.
She didn’t like it, but she didn’t hate it either. In other words, it was just accepted, allowed...
Ah, this is so annoying! Should she just angrily scold her annoying love rival?
At that moment, a medium-sized delivery truck rushed through the intersection, barely making it before the yellow light turned red. Xia Changyu yelled, “Watch out!”
Lin Yibai was so scared that she broke into a cold sweat, then felt her hand being grabbed and pulled.
She took a step back, just managing to escape a dangerous situation.
“Thank you,” Lin Yibai was about to say “thank you, my savior,” but she felt something was off with her hand. When did it go from her finger being held in his hand to their fingers being interlocked?
Xia Changyu calmly said, “You’re welcome. Some of these truck drivers have no manners.”
Lin Yibai replied, “You’re right.”
Then, she raised the hand that was still locked with his, thinking, ‘If those truck drivers have no manners, what about you, love rival? What do you call this? Can I say, shameless?’
Xia Changyu kept his eyes straight ahead and was silent for a while before muttering, “Baiyi, let me explain.”
Lin Yibai had clearly figured out his intentions and asked back, “Explain? What do you want to explain? How did we end up with our fingers interlocked like this, out of nowhere?”
This couldn’t just be called an accident anymore.
If it wasn’t an accident, then it must have been intentional, right? You have a lot of bad intentions, huh?
Uh-oh, did she get mad?
But it seemed like Lin Yibai wanted to be angry, but couldn’t quite manage to do it.
She could only softly comfort herself inside, thinking, ‘It’s okay, this feeling is normal. I’ve heard that many guys feel a little fondness if another guy treats them nicely.’
Many guys: That’s nonsense.
You’ve fallen for it, don’t drag us into this, thank you.
So, did she really fall for it? No, that’s impossible.
Lin Yibai decided that she just didn’t dislike Xia Changyu. If other guys treated her like this, she would have already slapped them away.
So, this was her “strong proof” that she hadn’t fallen for him, which made her feel a little relieved. She then looked at the traffic lights and said quietly, “Let’s go, the light is going to turn red soon.”
After that, she pulled Xia Changyu across the street.
To the passersby, it was obvious that they looked like a couple, except for Lin Yibai, who was still stubbornly denying it.
But everyone knew. No matter how hard you try to deny it, your actions always give you away.
They walked across the street, then shopped under the tall buildings and watched the traffic from the pedestrian bridge.
Lin Yibai’s fingers still seemed to hold the warmth from her love rival’s hand. She sighed softly and said, “The final exams are coming soon. I think I need some peace to study properly.”
Don’t you know that in matters of the heart, it’s best to be decisive, to strike while the iron is hot?
But Lin Yibai seemed to have a lot on her mind.
Xia Changyu, not a fool, said, “We’ll stay in touch on the phone then.”
Lin Yibai replied, “Do we have to stay in touch?”
Xia Changyu refused, saying, “No, I can promise I won’t disturb your studies, but I won’t stay silent either.”
Lin Yibai sighed again. This was probably the third or fourth time she sighed today. Then she said, “You’re really persistent! This isn’t how you should chase after a girl. What if I fail my exams? Are you going to pay for that?”
Xia Changyu laughed, “You, fail your exams?”
Lin Yibai couldn’t help but roll her eyes and said, “Isn’t that obvious? I’m not the type to be a top student. If I neglect my studies, failing is pretty normal, isn’t it?”
Xia Changyu said, “Well, if you do fail, I can help you with tutoring.”
Lin Yibai replied, “Our majors are different. What do you know about tutoring?”
Xia Changyu was silent.
Lin Yibai said, “I don’t want to fail.”
Xia Changyu scratched his head and then said, “Then I’ll have to pray for you.”
Lin Yibai smiled and said, “You’re really superstitious!”
Xia Changyu retorted, “I’m a young person who believes in science in this new age!”
Lin Yibai looked at him, confused. “Then what about you?”
Xia Changyu leaned back against the railing of the pedestrian bridge. He looked at Lin Yibai’s beautiful face, feeling so happy that it almost overflowed, and smiled widely, saying, “If it’s for you, I’d be willing to believe in anything.”
Lin Yibai said, “You’re just talking nonsense… Well, I’m not going to argue with you. I really need to go back and study.”
Lin Yibai took a few steps forward. Today, she would say goodbye to her annoying rival right here!
But inside, she still felt confused.
But there was a little bit of… like?
Anyway, it was... sigh, forget it. With her complicated feelings, Lin Yibai couldn’t explain how she felt, so she decided to just let it settle slowly.
She had heard that if feelings settle for a long time, they turn into sweet wine. Is that true?
Xia Changyu wanted to walk her further, but stopped and said, “Also, the duck soup, braised pork, and stir-fried vegetables you made today were all really good.”
The corners of Lin Yibai’s mouth couldn’t help but lift, and she smiled happily.
But luckily, she had already turned around, so her annoying rival definitely couldn’t see how happy she was.
She raised her hand and said over her shoulder, “I’m glad you liked them. If I have time next time, I’ll cook for you again.”
Wait, should she really cook for him again? Could this be some kind of trick from her annoying rival?
But, oh well, she was a guy. So, the way her rival tries to please girls won’t work on her!
She was feeling quite proud of herself when Xia Changyu’s voice came from behind.
“Well then, I'm really looking forward to it! Plus, when you're being so virtuous and capable, it's truly amazing!”
Wait, “virtuous and capable”?
Ugh, how annoying.
Please, don’t talk nonsense! I’m not that kind of perfect wife and mother.
She had just said that, and now her annoying rival had ruined it. It was clear that his tricks not only worked on her but worked pretty well.
Lin Yibai’s face turned red.