Chapter 174: She Understands Too Well, Like a Wife Competing With Me for Love!
Why were they being so kind to each other?
Neither of them really understood feelings, so both thought, could this be some kind of new trick?
Lin Yibai thought maybe it was a “trap to take advantage of her.”
Xia Changyu, on the other hand, wondered if this girl in front of him was trying to catch him doing something dumb so she could laugh at him later.
But, no. It wasn’t a trick. There was no hidden plan.
It was just that two hearts, strangely similar, happened to touch each other for a moment, and both of them were too surprised to believe it was real.
Lin Yibai noticed that her annoying love rival had a weird look on his face, then regret, then frustration. She couldn’t help but ask, “Hey... are you okay?”
Xia Changyu was full of regret now. So, so much regret. If he could go back in time, he’d go beat up his past self.
He felt like he had just missed out on something worth a billion yuan.
He tried to save the moment by saying, “Do you want to try out some of the other makeup too?”
Lin Yibai shook her head and looked a little embarrassed. “I’m not trying to brag or anything... but don’t you think putting a bunch of stuff on my face would actually make me look worse?”
She was already beautiful enough without makeup. Why put anything on?
It didn’t just feel uncomfortable, it could even look fake. Some girls put on so much makeup their faces turned all pale and powdery.
Sometimes it was like they smeared wall putty on their skin. You couldn’t even see their real face anymore. It was just a thick layer of foundation shaped into something strange.
Xia Changyu thought and thought, searched every word in his brain, but still couldn’t find anything wrong with her. No excuse to get closer again.
In the end, he just sighed and said, “You’re right. I was being dumb. Sighhh~~”
Lin Yibai narrowed her eyes slightly.
Why did this annoying guy look kind of... disappointed?
Shouldn’t he be happy that she looked this good?
She started thinking more deeply, analyzing like a pro.
And then, she got it.
About makeup, maybe she didn’t need it. But as the saying goes, ‘If there’s no need... then create one!’
A girl who thinks like that, she’s not just understanding. She’s basically an angel.
While Xia Changyu had turned around...
Lin Yibai suddenly said two words. “Lipstick. Try?”
Xia Changyu instantly perked up. “!!!”
She had already done so much, practically given him everything for free. What more could he ask from her?
At the very least, he should respect her pride a little, right?
He opened his mouth, a big smile rising from his heart. He said, “Lipstick is part of makeup too. There’s a bit of technique to it... Want me to teach you?”
Lin Yibai was still sitting in her chair, one leg crossed over the other. Her posture looked shy... and charming.
She gently tucked some hair behind her ear.
Her hair had grown a little longer, maybe half an inch or more, and that somehow made her look even more graceful, more feminine.
After a long pause, she softly said, “Then... I’ll leave it to you.”
Xia Changyu’s heart was pounding. His hands were shaking. Earlier, he had regretted not fully enjoying the moment when he touched her face. But now, seeing Lin Yibai slowly close her eyes, her long lashes slightly trembling...
His feelings changed again. From regret… to something deeper, something respectful.
He opened the lipstick, and carefully applied it.
Just like Lin Yibai had said earlier, she was already stunning. Even her lips had a natural, healthy pink-red color. That soft, natural look was honestly the most beautiful of all.
So, once again... Xia Changyu hesitated.
Did he really need to put lipstick on lips that were already such a beautiful, natural red?
One second… two seconds…
Lin Yibai started to feel something was off. It was just putting on lipstick, so why had he only done half?
She could still feel the lipstick near her lips, and even the warmth from his fingers, but... it was taking way too long!
At this rate, how could he finish the job? Totally unacceptable!
So, feeling bold, she made a move. She ignored the lipstick and bit down directly on his index finger. She meant to give him a strong bite, as punishment for taking so long.
But when it came time to actually bite, most of her strength suddenly disappeared?
In the end, it was just a light nibble. No teeth marks were left, but some of the lipstick did get smudged on his finger. Then Lin Yibai said in a doubtful tone.
“I thought you were good at makeup, but turns out you can’t even put on lipstick properly. I was totally wrong about you.”
Xia Changyu: “I...”
Lin Yibai waved her little hand and turned her head away dramatically.
“Don’t talk to me. If it were some other guy, he’d already be done with the second color by now. Hmph!”
Wait… was she being tsundere again? Or was it something deeper?
With her arms crossed and a “hmph” like a girl, Lin Yibai suddenly realized something… Why was she acting so much like a real girl?
The moment she became aware of it, cold sweat started to form on her back.
Seriously, what’s the difference now between her and an actual girl?
The more she thought about it, the more she panicked.
When had she started becoming like this? Or maybe… it had already started long ago?
Sometimes she’d remind herself, “I’m a boy, I shouldn’t act like this.” But most of the time, it just happened, she acted like a girl without even noticing.
Just like now. She knew she was acting like a soft, pouty girl.
Normally, she could’ve just stopped right away and gone back to being normal. But at this moment, wasn’t she right in the middle of a face-off with her annoying rival?
If she suddenly changed behavior, wouldn’t that be even weirder?
She wanted to go back to how she used to act, but in reality, she hadn’t gone back at all. Maybe she had already changed a lot, and became more and more like a girl.
But one thing hadn’t changed. Her stubbornness, her tsundere attitude.
Xia Changyu quickly tried to fix things, comforting her the way you would comfort a girl.
“The thing is, I suddenly realized… compared to the natural red color of your lips, this lipstick color just can’t compare. I mean...”
Lin Yibai raised an eyebrow. “Can’t what?”
Xia Changyu took a deep breath and said, “This lipstick... what quality even is this? It’s not even good enough to be on your lips.”
Lin Yibai had still been acting all sassy and stubborn, but as soon as she heard that. She couldn’t hold back anymore and suddenly covered her mouth and started giggling. “Pfft... hehe... haha!”
Damn it. That silly rival made her break character in one second!
But Xia Changyu was secretly thrilled. Finally, she wasn’t mad anymore.
Though honestly, Lin Yibai hadn’t been mad to begin with. She was just being her usual stubborn and tsundere self.
Some people act like that for a short while, she was just like that all the time.
Then Lin Yibai picked up the lipstick herself, gave her lips a quick touch-up, and pressed her lips together to spread the color more evenly. After that, she said, “You know, lipstick doesn’t always have to be about looking pretty. Sometimes… it’s for fun. What do you think?”
After saying that, she went silent.
That comment sounded a little too bold. Like she was one of those girls who “know things.” But in reality, she had zero experience.
She couldn’t help but glare at that stupid rival again. Everything was his fault. Nothing good ever happened when she was around him.
If it wasn’t blushing... it was her heart racing.