Chapter 155: Being a Girl, Actions Matter More Than Thoughts!
Breakfast was… okay.
Originally, Lin Yibai planned to leave right after eating. But unfortunately, her love rival found another excuse to make her stay.
Xia Changyu scratched his head and insisted, “I just… I mean, can I walk you out or take you home?”
Lin Yibai nodded, “Sure.”
She was holding a plastic bag. It used to be blue, but she had changed it to black. Inside were the clothes she changed out of after getting soaked in the rain yesterday.
As for what happened last night after that. She decided to just pretend it never happened.
But honestly, all the signs were there. Her feelings had already started to change.
She had very mixed emotions about her “enemy.” If it were anyone else in that place, she would’ve treated him like a total pervert.
So… did that mean she liked him?
Lin Yibai took a deep breath. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly.
No way, right? At the very least, it definitely wasn’t liking.
Then why didn’t she punish him?
Sigh… forget it. Whatever.
Since she couldn’t figure it out, she stopped thinking about it. She sat in the car and let her mind go blank.
Xia Changyu drove around for a bit and finally stopped at a street corner, on the other end of the walking street.
Lin Yibai rolled down the window, looked around, and reminded him.
“Wait, this is how you send someone home? You’re just dropping me off halfway? Or do you not know the way?”
As if! There’s no way he didn’t know the route. Even a map app could’ve guided him.
So it was clear, Xia Changyu stopped here on purpose.
He “walked her home”… but not really.
Maybe he had something urgent to do.
Lin Yibai wasn’t a spoiled princess or anything. She could finish the rest of the way on her own. But still, being dropped off like this felt a bit rude.
As she got out of the car, she said, “If you’ve got something to do, go ahead. I can walk the rest of the way by myself.”
Wait, she’s leaving?
Xia Changyu suddenly panicked. He hadn’t even come up with a good excuse yet. He said he’d take her home, so why did he drop her off at a walking street?
Well… that’s because…
He had cleared his schedule today because he wanted to go shopping with her!
Xia Changyu quickly ran over and said hesitantly, “Wait! Can you please not leave just yet?”
Lin Yibai tilted her head and asked, “Not leave? Then what do you want to do?”
Didn’t she know that after a typhoon, in the middle of summer, the sun makes the whole street feel like a sauna?
So this annoying guy better give her a good reason. Otherwise, she really wouldn't want to go out with him again.
She looked at Xia Changyu’s face and finally noticed something.
After a while, she suddenly realized, “Wait a minute… You’re not trying to ask me to go shopping, are you?”
Xia Changyu’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Can we go shopping together? I wanted to say it earlier in the car, but I was afraid you might be busy… or that I’d take up too much of your time… or that…”
“Afraid?” Lin Yibai’s eyebrows twisted. She looked at him and asked fiercely. “Do I really look that scary to you? Like I’m so mean that I scare you?”
Xia Changyu quickly waved his hands and explained, "Ah no, no! That’s not what I meant. In my eyes, Baiyi, you're the best girl in the universe. I was just afraid that..."
She stared at him, "Afraid again?"
Xia Changyu said, "Yeah… that one is on me."
Lin Yibai rolled her eyes and said with some annoyance, "If it’s just going shopping, then it’s not that big of a deal."
Xia Changyu replied, "It’s not just shopping."
"Then what else is it?"
"A date… you could treat it like a date."
Lin Yibai repeated, "A date?"
She couldn’t help but find it funny. So this was what her "love rival" really wanted? And he said it out loud so clearly, with eyes full of hope.
Their relationship had gotten closer. Xia Changyu had already moved on from being “close friend” to someone who was clearly trying to win her over.
Should she say yes?
Lin Yibai looked at the walking street, then lowered her head and looked at her own feet.
She spoke gently, "What’s there to shop for on this street? And it’s so hot today, it feels like I’m going to melt."
Was that… a rejection?
Xia Changyu’s face started to show disappointment. His heart felt kind of empty.
But just then, the girl raised an eyebrow and, after a pause, slowly said, “But—”
Xia Changyu blinked, “But?”
Lin Yibai turned her head away and muttered, “I-it’s not like I want to go with you or anything! It’s just still early, and I’ve got nothing better to do at home. So I don’t mind going shopping with you. But don’t get the wrong idea, okay?”
As soon as she said that, Xia Changyu was so happy he almost jumped with joy. He grabbed her hand and led her toward the shops on the walking street, looking like he was ready to spend a ton of money.
The main thing was, the girl he liked… the way she dressed didn’t really feel like a typical girl’s style. She leaned more toward boyish clothes. Not much pink or cuteness at all.
Especially her underwear, some even had holes!
Ahhh! No! Stop thinking about that!
Anyway, he decided to just buy her stuff. Problem solved.
But when the two of them walked into a lingerie store, they both froze awkwardly, not sure what to do.
Xia Changyu thought, ‘I’m just a guy! How would I know what kind of underwear girls like?’
And Lin Yibai was just as confused. She usually bought her underwear online. She had never been to a physical store like this before.
After a long pause, Xia Changyu finally said, “Um… maybe I should wait outside?”
Thinking that it really wasn’t appropriate for a guy to go inside, Lin Yibai nodded and said, “Okay, that’s fine.”
Lin Yibai was pretty traditional. She honestly just wanted to grab a few simple girl’s boxer shorts and be done with it.
Forget whether Xia Changyu was patient or not. Even the store staff were getting anxious trying to help her.
As the saying goes, ‘A good horse needs a good saddle.’
Nice clothes also need a good body to wear them. And in the store assistant’s eyes, Lin Yibai was without a doubt a perfect frame for clothes.
The staff member looked almost desperate and begged.
“Why don’t you try the new style? It really looks nice and feels great... please just try it... Boxer shorts? So boring—uh, I mean, even dogs wouldn’t wear those!”
Lin Yibai: “......”
Store Clerk: "Just try it on!"
Lin Yibai: "Okay… okay then!"
The store clerk let out a big sigh of relief and said excitedly, "With a figure like yours, it’s perfect for showing off clothes! You’ll make those annoying guys go completely crazy over you!"
She went into the fitting room to try on the underwear.
Honestly, there wasn’t much to try. For Lin Yibai, as long as it was comfortable and fit well, that was all that mattered.
When she came back out in her own clothes, she saw the store clerk chatting with Xia Changyu. And when she went to pay, the clerk told her that the man at the door had already paid for it.
Lin Yibai: ?
Since when did she start acting like those other girls?
Going shopping and letting the guy pay?
To be fair, it did feel kind of nice. But deep down, Lin Yibai didn’t really like this kind of situation. It made her feel like her pride was a bit lower than his.
With that uncomfortable feeling in her heart, Lin Yibai decided not to keep shopping.
Also, that underwear set was really expensive. Just two or three small pieces cost over 600 yuan.
Luckily, Lin Yibai bought something in return, a tie that cost over 100 yuan, and gave it to him as a gift.
Then she told him her concern. "I appreciate that you spent money on me, but if possible, please don’t do something like that again without asking me."
Xia Changyu: "Huh?"
He didn’t understand, how could spending money be a problem?
Lin Yibai pointed at the tie and said quietly, "You saw it too. Even a tie that costs over 100 is already expensive for me. I’m still just a college student, and buying a gift like that is already a bit hard for me."
Lin Yibai didn’t believe in taking advantage of guys for money. And having to give something in return really did cause her stress. There was nothing embarrassing about saying that.
Pretending to be rich when you’re not? That’s just foolish.
Feeling no shame spending a guy’s money? That’s even worse.
Xia Changyu was still confused, and quickly explained, "I don’t expect anything from you. Really, you don’t have to give me anything back."
Lin Yibai smiled and waved her hand, "I can’t explain everything clearly, but just think about what I said, about the ‘stress’ I felt. If you understand, maybe next time I’ll be willing to go shopping with you again."
If he still didn’t get it? If he still couldn’t understand? Then what’s he doing trying to chase a girl? He deserves to stay single forever.
Because, it’s not just about money.
It’s about dignity. It’s about equality. It’s about self-respect.
She didn’t know if other girls got excited when receiving gifts worth hundreds or thousands of yuan, or if they’d post those gifts on social media while not even showing the guy who gave them…
But for her, even if it was just a 6 yuan milk tea from a roadside stand, if the guy treated her, she’d gladly treat him back next time.
That way, even if they argued one day, she could argue with confidence.
‘What? You bought me a bubble tea? Didn’t I buy you one too? We’re even!’
And if things got worse?
‘Say one more word and I’ll break your freaking breadsticks.’