Chapter 175: I May Be a Girl, But I Never Treat Guys Like Simps
Lipstick doesn’t always have to be for looking pretty. Sometimes, it can be about adding a bit of fun?
Lin Yibai felt her head buzzing a little. Did she really just say that out loud?
Wow… what a shameless thing to say! She really was turning into one of those girls.
One thing was certain, her relationship with Xia Changyu had definitely gotten closer. Otherwise, she never would’ve said something like that.
Or maybe… she was just becoming more and more girly?
Back when she was still a boy, she never cared at all about makeup or skincare. She just thought it was all annoying and pointless.
But this time, she actually used the skincare products Xia Changyu gave her.
Before heading to her part-time job the next day, she set aside time just to try them out.
She still had some old ideas about skincare. After thinking for a while, she muttered to herself.
“I think I saw on TV that eye cream is supposed to be used before bed. And face cream is probably like that thick moisturizing cream, better in winter? And... what even is essence water for?”
She knew a little about skincare, but not much. But when it came to “caring for a husband,” maybe she’d be a pro?
Girls, after all, don’t need to overdo things. Just wash your face with cleanser, put on some toner and lotion, then apply sunscreen, and maybe a little perfume.
That’s all.
But even just this, her first real attempt at skincare, was almost too much for her to handle.
It wasn’t that it was hard to learn.
She just felt like it was a total waste of time. She believed there were way more meaningful things to do in life than messing around with makeup and beauty routines.
In this area, guys really do have zero patience. Still, she finished the routine.
As a soft, sweet scent lingered around her nose, Lin Yibai took a deep breath and said with satisfaction.
“Smells so nice. Even better than what I remember from walking past other girls.”
So, what is “feminine charm,” really?
Many people say it’s the graceful feeling you get from mature women, how they move and speak. Lin Yibai used to believe that too. She used to think those newlywed wives were so cool and beautiful.
But now, she understood it in a deeper way. That soft, sweet scent on her body… and if you ignored the few bits of "male thoughts" still left in her…
She was basically no different from a real girl. She took a deep breath, then let it out slowly.
Finally, she opened the door and walked out. Now carrying the same sweet scent girls always seem to have.
The morning sun at 7 or 8 a.m. was as bright as ever. Just like her mood, full of light.
Today, she had another part-time job at the wedding planning company.
Unless something unexpected happened, she planned to work there tomorrow, the day after, and probably all summer. The pay was really good for that wedding job.
But sadly… Xia Changyu didn’t seem happy about her plan.
Lin Yibai called a ride.
The trip was just a few kilometers, so the fare was only around 7 or 8 yuan. She figured there was no need to squeeze onto a packed subway or crowded bus just to save a few bucks.
But the car had barely started moving when Xia Changyu messaged her in a panic.
“Wait, you're doing the wedding job again today? Why aren’t you coming to work for me?”
Xia Changyu had started a small business of his own. The main focus was foreign trade, but recently, he had expanded into local work.
He even pulled together people to form a brand-new department.
And the only person in that new department was… “Lin Yibai.”
Letting her be the department manager made perfect sense. Everyone agreed, and there was no resistance at all.
Most of the time, Xia Changyu would even leave some of the important tasks for Lin Yibai to handle on purpose, because he believed in her abilities. And he wasn’t wrong, that girl really was very capable.
But still, it’s not okay to leave a department head position empty for too long!
Even if you were the first person in the department, if you never show up to work, the people below you are definitely going to complain.
Lin Yibai looked at the message and typed back thoughtfully.
“I think I should have the right to manage my own schedule, right? I happen to like the wedding planning job, so why not? Work is work, why do I have to go work for you?”
Xia Changyu: “You… sigh~”
He truly meant well and had put his whole heart into this. Why couldn’t the girl he cared about see how much effort he was making?
Of course, he didn’t say any of this directly. But he hoped she would understand it on her own.
Then again, did Lin Yibai really not understand?
His intention was pretty clear, and she wasn’t blind. Of course she saw it. The real issue was, she just didn’t want to respond to it.
She actually had strong feelings against this kind of thing.
“Better to starve than farm your father-in-law’s land, better to go hungry than work for your relatives.”
That’s how she saw it.
Exactly because she knew him well and they had a close relationship, she didn’t want to work under her annoying “love rival” boss.
Sitting in the car, she mumbled to herself.
“I’m not into that whole ‘cold CEO falls in love with me’ storyline. I’m good at doing things on my own, why would I need to rely on him?”
Turning into a girl was already the biggest life advantage she could get. If she still couldn’t make it without acting cute or depending on a man, she might as well find a block of tofu and smash her head on it.
Now that she was a girl, finding work was way easier. Some girls even take time off just to study full-time for civil service exams, and nobody says anything. So how could someone like her not survive?
But switch that to a guy? Let a man take 3–5 years off to study? Pfft.
Even three months off and his whole family would flip out. People would just start treating him like he was worthless.
Without saying more, Lin Yibai had already arrived at the wedding company she was working part-time for.
Soon she would go with her supervisor and the others to set up at some place. She didn’t even know where yet.
She was already pretty friendly with the front desk girls. As she walked in, she asked them casually.
“Hey, do you girls know where the wedding job is today? Big place or small place?”
“Big place” usually meant a five-star hotel.
“Small place” could be just a tiny local banquet hall.
Since the pay was the same either way, of course Lin Yibai preferred the easier jobs.
After all, if she wasn’t planning to do this work long-term, then working harder wouldn’t help her in the future.
It’s like what they always tell college grads, ‘Just get a job first, then figure out what you really want to do.’
But for most students, that line does more harm than good. The loss from taking the wrong job can be worse than not being employed at all.
If you don’t know what you want yet. Then just fail the exam on purpose.
Delay graduation. Trust me.
The front desk girls casually mentioned the name of a hotel. Lin Yibai didn’t even know where that was… But deep down, she let out a sigh of relief.
“Never heard of it? That means it’s a small place. And a small place means today’s wedding job won’t be too hard. Looks like it’s going to be a pretty chill day!”
Finally, she smiled. Happy mode: on.
Meanwhile, the two front desk girls were completely distracted by the soft, fresh, and sweet smell coming from her. They couldn’t help but talk about it.
The truth was, besides helping customers, the front desk staff really didn’t care much about anything else at work.
But when it came to the changes in Lin Yibai, the front desk girls were very curious.
“Xiao Bai!” one of them called out.
“I remember you’ve been working part-time here for a while now, right? But you never used perfume before!”
Another front desk girl quickly added, “Yeah, how come you're suddenly wearing perfume now?”
Lin Yibai shrugged and said casually, “Someone gave it to me as a gift, so I used it.”
The front desk girls suddenly got all gossipy and asked excitedly, “Who? Don’t tell me it was Brother Jin? Or was it one of the guys in our company? It smells so nice, it must be expensive, right?”
“It wasn’t Brother Jin,” Lin Yibai said, folding her arms. “And it wasn’t anyone from our wedding company. As for how expensive it is, I don’t really know. The person who gave it to me said… well, he said he bought it from a street vendor near the university, just for a few dozen yuan.”
One of the front desk girls immediately interrupted. She didn’t seem to care who gave it to her, but clearly cared that Lin Yibai didn’t know how to judge perfume. So she said seriously, “I’ll give you 100 yuan. Just let me buy a bottle from you, okay?”
The other front desk girl chimed in too, “Me too! I’ll also give you 100!”
“…?” Lin Yibai was confused. So this was all because of the perfume?
These front desk girls, who wore makeup and used skincare every day, could tell just by smelling it that the perfume couldn’t possibly cost only a few dozen yuan. It was probably a few hundred.
They probably thought some clueless guy had given it to her, and that Lin Yibai didn’t know how valuable it was.
So they were trying to buy it from her cheaply?
Ah, so you’re showing your true colors now, huh?
Even if she actually believed what they said, she still wouldn't do it.
She shook her head and said firmly, “Sorry. Not for sale.”
The two front desk girls started begging, trying everything to persuade her.
“Come on, Xiao Bai, you’re such a nice girl, just sell us one or two bottles! If it really was bought for just a few dozen yuan on a street corner, then why not ask that guy to buy a few more for you?”
But Lin Yibai still said no, and asked back, “Then why don’t you go buy it from the vendor yourselves?”
They answered, “We don’t know where exactly. But you will definitely get more. Pretty girls like you always have guys willing to do stuff for them. Just ask him to get more for you, he’d definitely do it!”
“It’s because he gave it to me. If I give it to someone else, it means I don't respect him.” Lin Yibai said directly.
Now that she was living as a girl, she had become totally immune to this kind of “talk” from other girls.
“Even if it only cost a few yuan, I will never give it away.”
They just didn’t get it. She wouldn’t fall for flattery or pressure.
She had clearly made up her mind. She wanted to treasure this gift, no matter how cheap it was, because it was a gift for her.
Still, the front desk girls kept trying to convince her with what they called “girl privileges.”
They said seriously, “Xiao Bai, you’re a girl, and such a beautiful one! Girls like you should take good care of yourselves, never settle for less… You should be a delicate, fairy-like princess. Boys should be used to run errands for you, they won’t even mind!”
To Lin Yibai, this sounded like brainwashing.
It was all too familiar, like she had heard it somewhere before. And honestly, if she were a “real” girl from birth, maybe she would’ve believed what they were saying.
Outside the wedding store, Xia Changyu had just arrived in a hurry.
He really wanted to talk things through with Lin Yibai and persuade her to join his new department.
No matter what, he was going to have a serious talk with her today about this part-time wedding job, and her career in general.
Why work for someone else… when she could work for her “husband”?
Work is still work, so why not choose him?
But as soon as he got there, he heard those two front desk girls trying to feed Lin Yibai that strange, sweet nonsense about “fairy girl rules.”
It was so hard to find a girl like Lin Yibai, someone who was nearly perfect in both personality and character. She was the kind of girl any guy would love.
Please, please don’t let her turn into one of those girls!
But in the end, it was up to Lin Yibai to decide how she felt about it. With a hint of sadness, Xia Changyu finally heard Lin Yibai's distinct voice say,
“Sorry, but I can’t agree with what you two said. I might look pretty on the outside, but even if that guy likes me, I’d never, not in a million years, treat him like some lovesick puppy.”
The two receptionists looked helpless and said,
“Fine, let’s say you’re right. But what if… just suppose you had a boyfriend, then it should be okay to boss him around a little, right?”
Lin Yibai was stunned.
Why does this way of thinking never go away? Why is it so hard for them to understand the word ‘equality’?
At that moment, Lin Yibai realized their values were completely different from hers, so she calmly replied, “If I ever get a boyfriend, it’ll be to love and care for him… not to treat him like a servant.”
Both front desk girls replied at the same time: “Tch~”
Looks like… she just became the “bad guy.”
Clearly, she still couldn’t become the kind of girl others expected her to be. Because in front of girls like these receptionists, her way of thinking was totally different.
A new term: “girl privilege.”
But what exactly is this privilege?
Lin Yibai searched through the law books in her head, but found nothing that talked about that kind of “privilege.”
Just as she was feeling frustrated about it, the glass door at the front was pushed open again, letting a bunch of cold air out.
Xia Changyu had already arrived.
He had heard the whole conversation between Lin Yibai and the receptionists. From being worried at first, to being impressed by her values, and now… he was completely charmed and filled with admiration.
Seeing how Lin Yibai had been made fun of by her coworkers, Xia Changyu couldn’t bear it. He didn’t want her to get hurt, not even by small talk or gossip.
“That perfume… it’s just something cheap that costs a few dozen yuan…”
That’s what Xia Changyu wanted to say. If everyone thought it was just a cheap little gift, he could always buy more. No need for Lin Yibai to risk her relationship with coworkers over it.
But before he could even finish his sentence—
Lin Yibai glared at him. Just one look, and he couldn’t say another word.
Was this really about money? Of course not.
Lin Yibai simply didn’t want to be treated like a clueless newbie who could be pushed around. She hated it when the front desk girls said things like, “Just ask the guy to buy more.”
As for that so-called “girl privilege,” that’s something for some girls to enjoy. It had nothing to do with her.
She had once been a boy. And she had once gone through the pain of being a lovesick “puppy.”
Because she had felt the pain of the rain, she now refused to let any boy who liked her become a puppy for her. Even if other people saw it that way, she didn’t care.
But… she was still a “fake” girl. Would anyone ever truly like a girl like her?
Taking a deep breath, Lin Yibai looked straight at Xia Changyu and asked, “What? Are you trying to ruin things for me?”
(Say yes, and I’ll kill you!)
But luckily, Xia Changyu wasn’t dumb. Instead, he understood exactly what she meant, and said firmly.
“Baiyi, you got me wrong… What I was going to say is, even if it only cost a few dozen yuan, it took me forever running around the street stalls near the student area to find that perfume. As long as you like it, that’s all that matters to me.”
Lin Yibai said, “I really like it.”
Xia Changyu, forgetting why he even came, looked at her and asked, “How much do you like it?”
Lin Yibai replied, “Super, super like it… I liked it so much I couldn’t even sleep last night. Is that enough for you?”
Are you two flirting right now??
The more Lin Yibai responded sweetly, the more those two front desk girls pulled sour faces, like, ‘What a shame… such a pretty girl, and that guy actually managed to win her over?’
They kept giving her meaningful glances.
Please, don't settle for him!