Chapter 192: Is My Love Rival Using His Good Looks to Charm Me?
Xia Changyu held a bunch of tickets in his hand.
How much effort can a guy put in for a girl he likes?
At the very least, within a short amount of time, he was willing to arrange everything just right. So the whole trip would be full of happiness and fun.
But even now, he still wasn’t satisfied.
After staying quiet for a moment, he stopped the man and said, “Money isn’t the problem.”
Before he could finish, the man cut him off, “Brother, the problem is that even if you have money, it’s not something that can be solved!”
Xia Changyu said, “Please think of another way.”
The man shook his head. Clearly, today’s extreme heat and the blazing summer in Fucheng had made him give up. He refused, “I’m just the errand guy. I’ve already done as much as I can for you.”
Fucheng, as a provincial capital, had all its tourist spots crowded with people. Now Xia Changyu had to figure out how to make the girl he liked feel comfortable and special, even in a sea of strangers.
First stop: the neighborhood alley.
Xia Changyu walked the route again and planned out the sightseeing path in detail.
He stopped at a very popular cold drink shop.
And sincerely begged the shop owner to save a seat for him, “Please make sure to reserve a spot for me. Thank you.”
The shop owner looked troubled and said, “Brother, are you trying to make things hard for me? You know how many people walk through this street every day. How could I possibly keep a seat free just for you?”
Xia Changyu said he was willing to pay a high reservation fee and pleaded, “Please, I’m begging you.”
The shop owner sighed, “You, ah!”
He was about to firmly say no, but the amount Xia Changyu offered was just too much to turn down.
Was this what people mean when they talk about a man’s determination? Or was it just a simp?
At least in the shop owner’s eyes, Xia Changyu did look a bit like a simp.
Why else would he go this far?
The girl hadn’t even arrived yet, but he had already taken care of every single detail ahead of time.
The owner looked at Xia Changyu, he seemed like a decent, handsome young man. So what kind of girl could make him act like this?
The shop owner felt a little bad for him. He even wondered was this girl really worth it?
After thinking about it, he finally said, “Alright, I’ll save the seat for you for 30 minutes. But let me be clear. No matter what, I’m still charging the fee. If you don’t show up on time, I won’t wait.”
Money, after all, is business.
If they were late, it was their problem. He wouldn’t be responsible after the time was up.
Was that fair? Xia Changyu thought it was very fair.
Second stop: the movie and food plaza.
Third stop... He’d think about that one later. He had already been gone for too long.
He was supposed to be a 24-hour temporary boyfriend, and now he had already spent over 40 minutes arranging things behind the scenes, things Lin Yibai might never even find out about.
Was it really worth it? Let's hope it was.
The summer in Fucheng was seriously hot.
Back at the shop, Lin Yibai sat in the cool air conditioning, snacking on fried skewers and enjoying herself.
It was such a comfortable time, so she had no idea what her “stinky love rival” was doing. She thought he had just gone back to his company to handle some work.
So being gone for an hour or two seemed normal.
Until she saw a figure dripping with sweat appear again before her.
Xia Changyu looked like he had just been pulled out of a swimming pool. More than half of his clothes were soaked. The girl was so shocked, she asked loudly, “Wait! Did you go to fix the company’s air conditioner or something? Why are you sweating so much?!”
Oh, so she thought he went back to the company?
Well, that works. Xia Changyu didn’t bother explaining and just nodded vaguely.
Lin Yibai even pulled out her phone, pointed to the time, and said with a smile, “Even if you leave, I’m not counting the time, so no need to hurry so much, okay?”
Xia Changyu nodded, “Hehe, I'm just looking forward to continuing our date quickly.”
Lin Yibai smiled and asked, “So, what happened at the company? If it’s something urgent, we can pause our date today, it’s not a big deal. What do you think?”
She was just... too understanding, wasn’t she?
But wasn’t the whole point of leaving earlier to make her feel even more satisfied with today’s date?
There was no way he was going to pause anything now.
Xia Changyu wiped his sweat and said, “Let’s go! Why don’t we head to the neighborhood alley now and look around?”
Lin Yibai replied, “Sure!”
Xia Changyu started to say, “Then—”
Before he could finish, he saw the girl take a tank top out of a bag. She looked a bit shy and said, “A clothing stall just passed by here earlier. I bought this, thinking you could wear it as sleepwear… but looking at you now, if you don’t mind the heat, maybe change into it before we go?”
His clothes were already soaked and sticking to his back and chest from all the sweat.
That tank top was like a lifesaver. It was a classic spaghetti strap tank top.
Xia Changyu went to the restroom to change, and when he came back, Lin Yibai squinted her pretty eyes and smiled, clearly a little shy.
“What is it?” Xia Changyu asked, confused. “Is something wrong with the way I look?”
Lin Yibai quickly shook her head, then smiled more and said, “No, no, not at all! I just didn’t expect…”
She couldn’t help but sneak another glance at her “annoying love rival.” And another one… okay, just one more!
She said, “I didn’t expect your body to look so good.”
Xia Changyu was stunned for a hundred years. “Huh?”
He had heard of guys complimenting girls for being pretty a thousand times, but this was the first time he had personally heard a girl, especially the one he liked the most, actually compliment his body.
Okay, he did work out regularly.
But still… Was it really that good?
Lin Yibai looked at his smooth, well-shaped muscles that were now showing under the tank top. Even from a guy’s point of view, she thought his body looked flawless, strong, healthy, and nice to look at.
She couldn’t help herself and said, “Can I… touch it? Just a little?”
Xia Changyu: “Huh?”
He didn’t expect her to be into this kind of thing?
But Lin Yibai didn’t think it was a weird interest or anything. She just genuinely thought his muscles looked great, so naturally shaped and healthy.
Finally, she reached out her index finger...
And poked his arm twice, boing boing, springy and firm.
This kind of natural, healthy muscle...
So nice! \(≥▽≤)/
Her face turned a little red, and she softly said, “If you go out dressed like this…”
Xia Changyu got nervous. “Huh? What? Does it look bad or something?”
He knew he should’ve worn something more proper. Was he about to embarrass himself in front of her?
He instantly regretted wearing the tank top and wished he could switch to something more formal.
But then he heard her whisper playfully, “If you walk beside me looking like this…”
What was she about to say? That it was embarrassing?
Instead, the girl giggled and said, “With your body looking this good, I feel kind of proud walking next to you! Aren’t you supposed to be my temporary boyfriend? Come on, let’s go! Let’s walk right through those groups of real couples. I can’t wait to show you off in front of other girls, hehehe!”
Wait, what? What did she just say?
She said she felt proud because of his body? And she wanted to show him off in front of other couples to make them jealous?
Xia Changyu couldn’t even put into words how he felt in that moment. But he knew one thing clearly.
This was one of the many reasons why he liked her so much.
Being with her made him feel happy in a way he couldn’t describe.
Even someone as calm and steady as him, couldn't help but grin like a fool.