Chapter 151: If It's Not Giving It Away for Free, Isn't It on the Way to Giving It Away for Free?
What now? She’s giving him another chance again?!
Lin Yibai suddenly thought to herself, “Always too soft-hearted...”
At times like this, she should’ve just gone back to her room and had fun on her phone. That would’ve been much better than being with this annoying guy, right?
But the words were already out of her mouth. Could she really take them back now?
Especially after seeing Xia Changyu so happy, running around getting things ready like a silly puppy...
That made it even harder for her to go back on her word.
Lin Yibai tried to tell herself, ‘It’s just watching a movie, not a big deal at all. Really, it’s nothing!’
But honestly, didn’t that feel like lying to herself?
What’s next?
“It's just dating...”
“It's just getting married...”
“It's just having his child...”
All said with that same proud attitude like it’s no big deal. Being stubborn like this was definitely a dead end.
[Insert emoji: "smiling silently.jpg"]
“Hey, you fool—”
Just as she was about to call him a complete fool, Lin Yibai softened again and changed what she was going to say.
“Stop running around like that. We’re just watching a movie, right? You should be thinking about what movie to watch instead!”
Sigh... her heart really was too soft!
In front of the sofa, Xia Changyu had already set up snacks. Potato chips, sunflower seeds, beef jerky, and chilled drinks.
He seemed to think girls don’t drink cold stuff, and was actually about to warm it up.
That made Lin Yibai panic. How can you drink Coke warm?! Even dogs wouldn’t drink that!
But Xia Changyu confidently said, “You’re a girl, right? Girls don’t drink cold drinks?”
Lin Yibai shot back, “Says who?”
Xia Changyu hesitated, then asked carefully. “But... won’t your period, you know, beat you up or something?”
Lin Yibai replied with a mysterious smile, “Period? I’m the one who beats it up! Since when does it get to teach me a lesson?”
…Was she really that brave?
Maybe she hadn’t actually had a period yet. So she could still talk tough like that.
But as everyone knows, no matter how tough someone talks, their lips are still soft when kissed. And no matter how strong they act, once the period hits hard, all that bluffing melts away.
Maybe it’s just that people who don’t know fear... aren’t afraid?
Xia Changyu decided not to argue anymore. He thought to himself, ‘Okay, maybe I was a little mean just now, but hey, when the day comes and her period really hits her hard, won’t that be my chance to shine?’
Better to focus on picking a movie.
When it’s just a guy and a girl alone like this. Top choices are romance films, scary horror movies, or the newest big-budget blockbusters.
But of course, he had to consider what kind of movie she liked.
Xia Changyu was torn as he asked, “So... what kind of movies do girls usually like?”
He racked his brain, but couldn’t figure it out.
Maybe a Chinese horror film that ends with “it was all just a dream,” or a big happy twist?
If that didn’t work, he could dig out Titanic...
But would that feel too cliché?
Wouldn’t a Japanese anime romance be better?
Ugh! So hard to choose!
Luckily, the perfect girl saved the day by telling him directly.
“Hey, do you have a Tencent Video membership? We could finish watching the Pirates of the Caribbean series. I’ve been wanting to watch it for a while... Or if you’re not into pirates, Fast and Furious is fine too.”
Then she couldn’t help but complain.
“These streaming platforms these days are so dumb! If you don’t pay for like ten different memberships, you can’t watch anything! Why even bother? They think we don’t deserve to watch movies or something?”
And finally, as if remembering that she was still talking to her annoying rival, she asked in a cautious voice.
“If... if you don’t have a membership, it was fine, okay? I mean, those cost like 10 or 20 yuan...”
Xia Changyu: ???
Friend.
You can insult me all you want.
But saying I can’t even afford a video membership?!
In my whole life, no one’s ever insulted me like this!
Not only could he pay for one membership. He could pay for all of them!
But still... he kind of wanted to pinch this girl’s face for worrying about his wallet like that.
“Why are you even worried? If it’s something you want, I’ll spend every last cent on you, even if I have to sell everything I own! Got it?”
Lin Yibai was still thinking to herself. “But still...”
Xia Changyu laughed helplessly and said, “Please, can you adjust your mindset now?”
Lin Yibai looked confused and asked, “Mindset? What’s wrong with it?”
Xia Changyu took a deep breath, then said seriously, “You’re the one being chased, right? So isn’t it totally normal for a guy to spend money on you?”
Lin Yibai shook her head and argued, “What’s normal about that? Even if you're chasing me, how could I just shamelessly spend your money?”
Xia Changyu sighed, “Sigh... the way you think...”
He originally wanted to say, ‘Why do girls like you think like this?’ But after thinking about it more carefully, maybe he was the one who didn’t get it.
He realized he was making the same mistake many guys make. Once you start chasing someone in love, things that were supposed to be equal suddenly become unequal, and it’s usually the guy who lowers himself first.
The girl in front of him seemed stubborn and hard to deal with. But maybe she was actually just scarily sensible.
She was trying to pull their unbalanced relationship back to a fair and equal level, and that was a good thing for both of them.
Lin Yibai asked, “What’s wrong with the way I think? Even if you’re chasing me, I still believe feelings should be equal. But you're trying to create inequality, are you hoping I’ll feel guilty and won’t be able to leave you in the future?”
Xia Changyu could only laugh awkwardly. Talking to her always made him feel good, relaxed and happy.
Then, Lin Yibai picked out the movie she wanted to watch. She pulled up the last two Pirates of the Caribbean movies and held Xia Changyu’s big-screen phone in her hands.
While adjusting the projector, Xia Changyu moved closer to her. There was a light, sweet scent around her that made him want to stay there longer. But sadly, they’d have to sit apart once the movie started.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just stay close like this the whole time?
So... why couldn’t they?
Xia Changyu looked at the projector setup he was halfway through building... And then three seconds later.
RIP!
He “accidentally” broke the projector.
Projector: Excuse me?! I didn’t do anything wrong!
“Oh no! That’s bad!” Xia Changyu faked surprise and said seriously, “I have no idea what happened—it just broke all of a sudden!”
Yeah, sure. Why did it suddenly break?
What was really broken, the projector or someone’s heart?
Lin Yibai narrowed her eyes, clearly seeing through everything. She now had three choices.
Best choice: Fix the projector.
Middle choice: Call out Xia Changyu’s sneaky little plan.
Worst choice: Pretend nothing happened so she doesn’t hurt his pride.
She always talked tough, but deep down her heart was soft. So she took a deep breath and said, “Well, if the projector’s broken, then there’s nothing we can do. How unfortunate!”
Unfortunate? Wait! Is she planning to leave?
No way! Watching with the projector would be better than nothing.
Xia Changyu was already preparing to impress her by... Fixing the projector in one second!
But then, when he looked up and saw the teasing look on Lin Yibai’s face. He realized she had probably already figured out his little trick.
He felt kind of embarrassed, but then he heard her soft voice.
“Each movie is like one or two hours long. I can’t hold the phone for that long... can you hold it?”
Her voice was gentle, bright, and warm, like spring sunlight.
At that moment, Xia Changyu felt like his whole world lit up. He couldn’t even describe how happy and joyful he felt.
The girl placed the phone in his hand, then also took the initiative to move a little closer.
It kind of looked like she was giving herself away for free?
But she was only watching a movie with him out of consideration for that annoying love rival's feelings. It wasn’t that serious, right?
Giving herself away for free?
No, impossible.